Prologue: Lost in TimeView OnlineGaze Upon the StarsPrologue: Lost in TimePrologue: Lost in Time He was known as a wise and powerful Wizard Unicorn. He was a master at all forms of Magic, minus Friendship of course, he could never fully understand that but he, just like the two Princesses, knew that the Prophecy of Harmony would one day come true. That the Six Heroes of Equestria would rise against all dangers. There would be a third Alicorn Princess, the Princess of Magic who, with her friends, would procure the Magic of Friendship. The Six Elements, Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Honesty, Loyalty, and Magic as one. The elder Unicorn may not have been able to master all Magic, but he respected the boundaries. The stallion used his Magic to return his Ancient Books of Magic to their proper alphabetized shelves. He was a bit of a neat freak, or at least that was his nickname from the two he considered his daughters. A soft cooing made his ear twitch, and a small smile form on his lips. He ran a hoof through his long beard. He slowly crept over to the hoof-crafted crib from a generous pony, careful not to let the floorboards creak the slightest. “Hush, little one,” he used his Magic to put the pacifier back into the newborn colt’s mouth. Tears formed in the old Unicorn’s yellow eyes. Aside from eye color, and age difference, they looked so much alike. The little colt had a thick tuft of white on his head and a longer bit for his tail. Same as the older Unicorn once had. Whereas Starswirl the Bearded had yellow eyes, the colt had the palest of pale blue ones. Last, but never the least, their coats were both the same shade of darker gray. Neither Princess, Luna, Celestia, or other knew of the colt’s existence. Only one mare had known, and she had left Starswirl upon the arrival of the colt. “You will make me proud one day, little gazer,” Starswirl chuckled at the nickname. It was true. The newborn had a tendency to let his eyes wander and become unfocused, primarily at the sky when it was dark and time for bed. Another odd thing about the little colt that Starswirl couldn’t help but wonder, if all newborns did it. The little foal usually slept as much as he could during the day, and was nearly uncontrollable at night. Both magically and not magically. Although Starswirl the Bearded was not known for shedding tears, he wept still. Tears cascading down his cheeks in twin streams. His horn glowed the blue aura that was his Magic. He pulled back the Book of True Magic. Every spell, every spell imaginable, was locked away in this ancient book. Starswirl had told Luna what he needed to do to protect the Order unless Chaos was to roam freely so that they could retrieve the Elements of Harmony from the Tree. Sacrifice for the good of Equestria. But that also meant saying goodbye, and not just to the Princess of the Moon and her elder sister. He used his Magic to poof up the cape he’d had a sewing pony make for him. It almost matched his own, but by his Magic, every constellation existent was on it. And every night the cape would change by Magic, and all the constellations visible that night, would be seen on the cape. But he’d refrained from adding bells. That was his Wizard’s hat and cape. He gently picked up the little colt with his Magic and placed the cape in place and used the silver pin to make it stay. The foal giggled and pressed his tiny little hooves onto his father’s face. “I love you, my little gazer,” Starswirl wept as he cast the Spell of Immortalitas, a creature that had been utterly brilliant, but somewhere inside they had been mad at the same time had discovered this spell and Starswirl had no doubt the creature was either regretting it, or already dead. “Goodbye, my little gazer,” Starswirl whispered as he cast the second spell. Though this one was for him. Donec tempus. “Goodbye,” Starswirl repeated as his eyes glowed pure white and both he, and the foal, disappeared. Starswirl from the earthly plane of Equestria and anywhere Beyond, and possibly from Time itself, and the colt, to this day, only Starswirl knows. But perhaps, a certain Alicorn Princess, might just find out. But until then, it is a tale long lost within time. Author's Note I could not find a picture of Starswirl anywhere on the character selection chart. And I will try to update and try to work on Mare and the Draconequus(Plot Twist) eventually. Comment any complaints if you have then(everyone's a critic)
Chapter One: A Thousand Years AgoView OnlineGaze Upon the StarsChapter One: A Thousand Years AgoChapter One: A Thousand Years Ago Princess Luna sighed with content yet sadness at the same time as she used her Magic to raise the Moon to its highest peak. She decided to add a few stars this Night, but not many. Whatever would have been the point? Nopony ever paid much attention to the Night or the Stars. Only when there was a Star Shower, but that only made the Princess of the Night even more depressed since ponies came to see the stars die. Falling, or shooting, stars meant the death of one, or more, stars in a single night. It sickened and tormented the Princess greatly, and did her sister notice? Faust forbid that the elder Princess heed her sister rather than her subjects. She glared at the Full Moon, but it was not directed at her lovely Mother Moon. No, it was directed at the latest missing pony. Starswirl the Bearded. The rotten stallion had disappeared without a trace, and had not even said goodbye to either Princesses, or anypony for that matter. Tears brimmed the edges of Luna’s eyes. She sighed. Starswirl and Sombra had been the only two ponies, Unicorns no less, who understood her true Night. But Sombra had fallen into the Darkness and Starswirl had disappeared. Luna nor Celestia’s Magic could find any bit of the Unicorn that had been their father figure. A thousand years could pass and still Luna had no doubt, that not a single pony would ever truly appreciate her or her night. They all basked in Celestia’s precious light. Luna’s eyes glowed white with fury, and she grit her teeth almost painfully at the thought. It would seem that anything Dark or not bright as Celestia was instantly a menace or just to be ignored. Luna herself being one of those, Dark, creatures. But she was a Princess of Equestria, and meant to be Celestia’s equal not her Alicorn Advisor as one elderly Earth Pony mare had believed at one point. Her anger began to grow. Anger at the ponies of Equestria who dared to shun out her beautiful night and glimmer in Celestia’s light. They said the sun was the only way to keep them alive, as it brought warmth to ponies and life to the plants, but there were spells of Old Magic, and good Magic, of the Night that could allow plants to grow under the glow of the moonlight. But nopony ever dared to think about anything else than precious Celestia. Luna’s anger only grew more and more. The anger within the dark Alicorn turned to hatred. Hatred to the ponies, hatred to her sister. If Celestia dared to pull the card of flesh and blood on her, Faust exile her to the pits of Tartarus. But the anger, only made things worse. Rage and fury, and the desire to knock precious Princess off her high and mighty pedestal came rushing into the Night Princess. “Faust I beg of you, not to punish me for my rage,” her mind was made up. Celestia would finally see what her ‘little’ sister’ could really do. “If you hear my plea Faust,” she whispered the night sky in one final prayer. “Then you will send one pony who will care. Who does not care about my wings or my horn, about my crown or my power. But about me and my Night,” a single tear fell from the Princess’s eye, falling to the ground in the center of the Canterlot gardens. “I beg of you,” she wiped away any remaining tears with her hoof as she glared. “There can only be one Princess, and that Princess will be... me,” Luna returned into the Castle, prepared to see her ‘sister’ of the Sun. Such a Night had happened a thousand years ago, later on known as Nightmare Night, for the defeat of the Dark Alicorn, Nightmare Moon. It is a wonder whether or not Faust had heard Luna’s Prayer, but if she did, a thousand years would pass before it was finally answered. Thus there be he, a pony, who truly understands and cares for she, and her beautifully to be beloved Night. A thousand years ago was Nightmare Moon, and a thousand years will return to Luna.
Chapter Two: A Thousand Years AfterView OnlineGaze Upon the StarsChapter Two: A Thousand Years AfterChapter Two: A Thousand Years After Luna gazed at the night sky lovingly. Once again there was a Full Moon, but this time she counted well over a thousand stars surrounding it. Like a Queen, or a Princess, surrounded by her outmost loving and loyal subjects. The midnight blue Alicorn sighed with happiness and sadness at the same time. A thousand years ago, and upon her freedom from the banishment to the Moon, she was Nightmare Moon, but now she was back to herself. Although she never again took it upon herself to punish herself with the same nightmare, she still felt as though she were in a lonely exile from the rest of Equestria. Either Faust deemed it fit to leave her in an eternal solitude of misery, or Faust merely ignored her prayer from a thousand years ago. Perhaps Faust had punished her with the curse of loneliness. Though the heroes of Equestria were kindly enough, not even they would truly understand her point of view. Everyone was always with beloved Celestia... Luna gasped and shook her head instantly. It was those very thoughts that led to the coming of Nightmare Moon. Tears welled in the Alicorn’s eyes. “Sombra and Starswirl, the only two who ever understood my Night,” she sniffed softly, a sullen sigh escaping her lips. “Yet Sombra fell into the Darkness, and Starswirl... Did he leave purposely or did somepony or some creature harm him?” Luna closed her eyes. That seemed impossible. Starswirl had been brilliant beyond even his own years, and he was one of the most powerful creatures, pony or other, on the face of Equestria. Unless it had been Faust, or even Discord, nothing could have brought him harm. Could it? But he would not have just abandoned Equestria, would he? Ponies had not changed much over after a thousand years. They still basked in Celestia’s light and slept away Luna’s night. Princess Luna swore to herself that never again would she turn into Nightmare Moon, but the thoughts refused to leave her. She could not help but wonder even further. “My punishment is my own,” Luna understood that Faust must be punishing her to be friendless in the face of the Night. She spread her wings and almost instantly took flight. She would disappear from Canterlot for tonight if she must, but she needed to be away from the very place that brought her memories that only brought nightmares. She knew which kinder soul to talk to at this time, since she was after all the only one who was awake even at this time. She did not sleep during the day, but she did not rest the entire night either. She knew strange and powerful Magic that was far beyond even Luna’s comprehension. Before she could reach her friend though, the thoughts returned. She heard the whispers of ponies behind her back, and sometimes even within her hearing range. It mattered not that she too was an Alicorn Princess, Nightmare Moon was still her past and almost all ponies refused to let go. So how could Luna, when she received glares of anger and stares of fear. One whisper however struck her deepest. Like a knife to the heart. “Princess Celestia raised the Sun and the Moon for a thousand years, why bring her back?” she did not care about who the pony was. It hurt to much. “They’re right,” she sighed as she landed gently on the cool ground of the Ever-free Forest. “I am a monster,” the tears returned. Luna felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder and the Princess’s teal eyes met turquoise ones. “A monster would not feel guilt or remorse in any way, and why do you listen to what foolish ponies say?” the Princess could not help but pull the Zebra into a hug. “Because they’re right,” Luna whispered brokenly. “Only if you let them be, tell me Princess would you care for a cup of tea?” Luna smiled. Tea sounded nice right now. ~Zecora’s Cottage~ “You still feel guilt for the actions of Nightmare Moon, and all because of the words of some goon,” Zecora said before taking a sip of her own tea. Luna sighed. “It has been a thousand years, my striped friend. The past is hard to forget, for ponies and myself. A thousand years before I was Nightmare Moon, and a thousand years after it feels as though they await for me to return to that dark part of myself,” Zecora nodded slowly, understanding shining in her eyes. Zecora took another drink of tea before speaking. “Nightmare Moon will always be a shadow of eternal haunting, but what is it your heart is truly wanting?” Luna looked up from her almost empty tea cup. “A friend, one who does not want me for my power or crown. Though I can’t really say those two things matter anymore, if they ever did in the first place,” Luna stated irritably. “One who won’t fall into the Darkness or disappear without a reason or without a goodbye. A friend who understands me and my Night. Who won’t look at the elder sister who shines brighter than me,” she took her last drink of tea before setting the cup down. The Zebra smiled. “May I?” she gestured a striped hoof to the Princess’s empty cup. Luna nodded, knowing that Zecora would have ‘looked into her future’ either way. “I see your devastation and guilt of the past, and yet your punishment will not last,” Luna raised an eyebrow. “A thousand years,” Luna muttered. “The past may leave scars,” Zecora grinned as Luna rolled her eyes. “But all you have to do is find the pony whose gaze always stays on the stars,” Zecora looked up from the cup. “The Princess’s friend, until the very end,” Luna sighed once more. “You can never give a straight answer, can you?” the Zebra’s grin grew. “Nope.” Luna looked out the window. “I must be returning to Canterlot, thank you for your hospitality,” Luna disappeared out the door as she took flight once more. Zecora smiled softly. “Heart to heart, the Mare and the Stallion will both play their part,” Zecora stared out the window. “Every one thousand years the flower will bloom, and soon my friend will end your gloom. Somewhere Starswirl is having his share of laughter, a thousand years after.”