Moving the Stars

Moving the Stars

Story 2

Chapter 2: The Test

By: FluttersIsAwesome

Astro looked sternly at me. “Trixie, remember. I got on you last night about bragging, don’t make me do it again.”

I pouted a bit but nodded in agreement. “Fine.”

He smiled and looked at the sky as if he was lost. “Trixie, I never told you why the Sages even exist, did I?”

I shook my head. It never made sense to me, either, why did Celestia give constellations to unicorns? “Tell me.”

“I wish I could tell you more than just what I was told. I will tell you that, but I can’t guarantee its accuracy. Celestia told me that she allows a unicorn to have a constellation if two conditions are met: they must prove they deserve it through a display of magical talent, and they must have a reason for wanting a constellation that she deems worthy.”

“Really? Well, what was your reason?”

A hardy laugh echoed from the green colt. “You ask me as if I’m going to tell you just because you’re my student.”

A small chuckle escaped my lips, but then I began to think. “How hard is it to become a Sage?”

His hoof met his chin and he pondered. “Well, you don’t necessarily have to be ‘special’. Anypony can become a Sage if they train and practice hard enough. They do, however, have to be approved by Celestia.” He paused and glared at me with those ice cold eyes again. “Don’t get to thinking that you succeeding with the plate means that you can master this spell. You still have a long way to go, Trixie.”

I puffed my cheeks out. “Do not tell me things I already know.” I then matched his glare with one of my own. “You remember that I am still powerful! I may have decided to brag less, but that doesn’t mean I am any less amazing.”

When those cobalt blue eyes met mine, I thought there would be a hole between my eyes next time I looked in a mirror. He turned and began to walk away. “We’re done today, Trixie. When you decide to change your attitude, let me know.”

I suddenly realized the grave mistake I had made, and rushed to cut him off. “Astro, wait! I didn’t mean to... raise my voice.”

He stopped, but didn’t turn back around. “Trixie, I understand that you act out of pride. I am not mad at you for raising your tone. I am upset at the fact that you ruined my good mood with your self-proclaimed greatness.” He turned to me, looking almost sad. “I was going to congratulate you by taking you to dinner, but now I see that you want no part of it.”

My ears fell. I had missed a chance to actually enjoy myself with Astro for once. Despite how much I hated his guts, he was fun to hang out with when the barrier of teacher and student was taken down. I ran back to him and walked alongside him. “Please Astro, give me one more chance. I promise I won’t act high and mighty.”

He closed his eyes. It felt like an hour had gone by when he opened his eyes again even though I knew better. “Fine. Follow me, and I’ll test you. If you pass,” he smiled and nudged me teasingly, “I’ll reconsider taking you to dinner.”

A grin spread across my face. “No problem. Whatever test you have in store, I’ll pass with flying colors. Just make it hard so that I can add another notch to my ‘greatness’ ladder.”

He laughed. “I’m sure you will.” His expression became calm again. “Trixie, while we walk, I want to talk to you.”

“What about?”

Astro sighed. “I should have told you sooner, but honestly, your view of Sages is overly glorified.”

My head tilted. “What do you mean?”

He chuckled a bit. “We’re not as great as you think. Believe it or not, we don’t even use our powers. The only time we do is when we are given the chance to make our constellations. Not only that, but we’re not special.”

Hearing him talk like this was new. I understood his reason for telling me this, but it took a bit to sink in.

“I do not lie, nor am I just being humble when I say that I am not special. I would be just like you if it were not for my training.”

I stomped again. “Do you honestly expect me to believe that?” I let my hooves express my anger as I stomped with each step. He was trying to make me look like an idiot, and I knew it.

Astro, however, grabbed me and forced me to look straight into his piercing gaze. “I told you, Trixie; the only reason I even have a constellation is because I barely passed the test, and the princess deeply sympathized with my reason.”

His look was so fierce it was frightening. Over the years, it became clear that whenever Astro donned this look, he was as far from lying as one could get. He hardly lied anyway, but whenever he did this, it was undeniable proof of his honesty.

“Are you ready to go?”

I nodded as he let me go, but my agreement was met with but a simple grunt. My ears fell again; I pissed him off something fierce.

We were a good ways into Dew Rise Forest when I realized where we were headed. The crude path of flattened plants and broken tree branches reminded me of the many times I had walked through the forest with my mentor. The path led to a gorgeous, fast-flowing river that originated from a waterfall. The glistening, clear water reflected the sunlight beautifully; it truly was an amazing sight. It was behind this waterfall that Astro’s best friend lived: Oceana, the River Mare.

River Mares were a subspecies of unicorn whose magic was based around living under or around the water. They were a dying breed, and Oceana was one of only seventy left in Equestria. Our first meeting was a result of Astro’s brilliant thinking. He said it would be a good idea for me to meet a more “mystical” being. I knew, however, that no being could be more mystical than I. He introduced us, but I couldn’t stand her; she always gave me the impression that I was intruding on her alone time with Astro, and it made me mad. One should never anger the Great and Powerful Trixie.

Today, however, was different. Rather than approaching the waterfall and splitting it in half, he turned to me with a grin. “Here’s your test. Open the way.”

A lump formed in my throat. Astro had indeed taught me a spell that dealt with manipulating substances that were moving at high speeds, but to this day I still had trouble with it. I hated to admit it, but this spell was difficult.

“Let’s see how well you paid attention to my lesson on this spell. Recite to me everything you can remember about what you learned when I taught you this spell.”

I closed my eyes in order to drown out unnecessary distractions. My recollection of that particular lesson was rather foggy, but I did remember most of the key points that Astro stressed. “One: The easiest way to execute this spell is through magic wavelengths. Rather than try and actually take control of the substance, it’s better to simply alter its course by blocking its original path.”

He nodded. “Continue.”

“Two: In order to create a working wavelength, concentrate magic energy and compress it into a tangible form. After this, give the wave enough strength to hold back the substance in question by adding a chainsaw-like rotation.”

“And finally?”

“Three: Never move the rotation with the flow of a moving liquid. This will only cause the user’s magic to be pushed along with the liquid, so it’s important to always move against the flow.”

His grin brightened my mood. Apparently I had actually gotten something right in his eyes. “Well done. Now let’s see if you can actually apply those rules to this waterfall.”

The nervous grin returned to my face; Astro knew I had trouble with this spell. It didn’t have a problem actually making the waves; it was applying a fast enough rotation to actually hold back the water that gave me trouble. Most of the time the water broke through my magic, but nonetheless I decided to try. I closed my eyes yet again and focused on concentrating my energy

He watched and spoke softly to me. “Apply what you did with the plate to this. See what happens.”

I didn’t understand what good it would do, but like I had done with the plates, I formed the image of the rotating waves splitting the waterfall in two. Normally the waves look like they’re still, but the rotations I put in were strong and visible.

Just I had heard the plate break Astro’s glass; I heard a splash as I split the waterfall. I opened my eyes and stared at the waterfall that was now open like a curtain. “Easy as pie.”

My mentor put his arm around me and laughed. “Very well done, Trixie. Looks like you’ve earned that dinner tonight.”

Never doubt me, Astro. You know how amazing I am, so just admit it. It took a hard bite on my tongue to keep from saying that right to his face as we walked behind the waterfall and entered Oceana’s home.