Chapter 1: The First Faithful Student

Chapter 1: The First Faithful Student

It was raining heavily as Clover ran through the darkness to her teacher’s home. It was very late in the evening, and most ponies were already asleep, save for the occasional cottage with one or two lit lanterns inside. Mud splashed around her hooves as she galloped, drawing closer and closer to her destination. The wooden house was situated on top of a small hill, and Clover could feel her hooves slipping slightly as she ran up the path leading to the front door. She removed her hood and knocked. From inside she could hear coughing, the sound growing louder as the pony making it approached and opened the door. Grateful to be out of the cold, she went inside and greeted her long time mentor.

“Good evening, Starswirl,” she said as she bowed. “I came as soon as I received your letter. Is something wrong?”

The old pony returned the gesture and then turned around, his gray tail lightly brushing the floor. “Well, Clover, that’s not a very easy question to answer right now. Follow me into the kitchen, and we’ll continue talking there.”

She obliged, and they both moved into the small kitchen, the biggest room in the house (though still quite small compared to other homes). Its walls were lined with cupboards and books. Not only cookbooks, but regular books as well. Starswirl’s entire house was like one giant library. He kept books wherever he could find a place for them, regardless of the room they wound up in.

Clover sat down at the small wooden table, and Starswirl put on some tea for them. Once it was brewing, he joined Clover at the table, a few loud coughs escaping his throat before he was finally ready to speak. “Clover, my faithful student, I have several things to tell you. You must promise you will listen to everything I have to say and that you will not forget a word of it.”

Clover nodded. “Of course, Starswirl. I’ll remember everything, but if I may ask, are you alright? You’ve been coughing since I arrived.”

Starswirl’s chuckle graduated into a cough when she said that. “My dear, I’ve been like this for a few fair days now, and since you’ve brought it up, I suppose I should address that first.” He hesitated to cough again. “Clover…I’m dying.”

At first she wasn’t sure she had heard him correctly. Starswirl? Dying? The pony that had mentored her since the day that strange mark had appeared on her flank? How could this be?

“I…I don’t…what are you talking about?”

Starswirl briefly looked away, unsure of how to continue. “I understand that this is an abrupt way to hear about it, however, I’m sorry to say that it is true. This has been a long time coming, Clover, and now my time is ending.”

“But you…you can’t!” Clover’s eyes began to water as she realized this was not a joke. “You’ve been my teacher for my whole life! From when I was just a little filly! You’ve been a friend to me all this time! You can’t…you can’t just leave me!” She looked up at Starswirl, who had never looked older than he did right now, and she saw that he was right. His gray fur had lost most of its sheen, as did his mane and tail. There were bags under his eyes, presumably from hours of sleep lost on coughing fits. Even his eye color, normally a light amber, had begun to fade away. “This can’t be happening,” Clover said quietly, a tear running down her cheek as she stared down at the ground, trying to fight the urge to cry.

“Clover, I…I cannot do anything to prevent this. I’ve been alive now, for so very many years I’ve been here, learning all I can about magic, and…” his voice trailed off as he searched for his next words. “And you are the best student I have ever had the privilege to teach, Clover.”

She looked up at him again, as another tear found its way out of her eye. “Really? But…but there’s so much left I have to learn. There’s so much I don’t know. How will I learn if there’s nopony to teach me?”

Starswirl smiled at his student. “I have absolutely no doubt, Clover, that you will not only learn everything I know, but that you will learn more. You’re hard-working, determined, and clever.” He paused. “Clover the Clever. I rather like that.” A small chuckle escaped both ponies’ mouths before Starswirl continued. “Clover the Clever, it would be no less than an honor to have you continue my work in the field of magic and to keep learning all that you can.”

“Of course, Starswirl. I gladly accept your request.”

The tea kettle whistled and Starswirl stood up to tend to it. While his back was turned Clover quickly wiped her eyes. He returned to the table with two mugs and sat back down. “Now then,” he paused to cough. “On to more important things.”

Clover gave him a quizzical look. “My death is not important, dear, but what I have to tell you is. Are you ready?” She nodded. “Good.”

“The first thing I must address is not of high importance, at least not yet, though it is still imperative you understand. You know who Princess Platinum is, yes?”

“Of course. She’s the leader of the unicorns.” Clover lifted her mug to her lips as she answered.

“Very good. I would like you to become her assistant.”

Clover nearly spit her tea out when she heard this. “What? She’s royalty! The unicorns’ ruler! I can’t just-” Starswirl held up a hoof to silence her.

“I have already made the necessary arrangements. You are to meet with her in five days, and listen to me.” A particularly long cough escaped him and he sipped some of his tea. “You must become her assistant, and I mean that. It may sound silly or pointless to you now, but it will all make sense when I have told you everything.”

“I…alright.” She drank some more of her tea and leaned back in her chair.

“Good. Now for the next bit. Are you familiar with creatures known as Windigoes?”

Clover shook her head. “No, I can’t say that I am.”

Starswirl nodded. “If you don’t mind, would you please fetch a book for me? If I recall correctly, it should be in the living room on the wall behind the chair. I believe it is titled Creatures of the Darkness.”

Clover nodded. “I’ll be right back.” She stood up and proceeded into the living room, which was quite possibly the most book-filled room out of all of them. There were shelves upon shelves of books attached to the walls, some with papers and scrolls lying on top of them. ‘A library wouldn’t have been a bad idea’ Clover thought to herself. No matter how many times she had suggested it, Starswirl always insisted he liked the arrangement he had. She found the bookshelf positioned over the chair, and grabbed the requested book. It wasn’t dusty like the others, as though it had been read recently. The cover was brown with the title sewn on in black letters, and it was positively filled with loose papers, presumably book marks. She lifted the book off of the shelf using magic and made her way back into the kitchen.

“I found the book you asked f-” the book fell to the ground as she ended her spell and rushed over to her teacher, who was slumped over the table. “Starswirl,” she said. “Oh, no. Oh, no. Starswirl!” She put her hooves on his foreleg and pushed into his shoulder with her muzzle in a desperate attempt to revive him. “You can’t go yet! You haven’t finished telling me everything! Please! You can’t do this!” Tears formed in her eyes as she sat back on the ground, her face buried in her hooves.

A loud snore made her look up. Starswirl picked his head up and looked around. He saw Clover sitting on the ground, her eyes wet, the book right next to her. Understanding dawned on him, and he walked over to her.

“It’s alright. It’s alright. I just fell asleep, that’s all.” He put one of his forelegs around her and used his other to help her stand up. She stood up and nodded, gulping through her tears. Starswirl picked up the book and they returned to their seats.

“I’m so sorry, Clover. I truly am. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep like that, especially with the state I’m in.”

She looked at him as she sat back down at the table. “That’s alright. I just got really scared.” She sipped her tea. “I found the book you wanted.”

“Thank you, Clover. I wanted to show you a creature in this book. I’ve been doing some research recently, about how the earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi interact with each other, and I must tell you that there are going to be consequences if ponies cannot find a way to work together.”

“What will happen?” asked Clover.

Starswirl turned to a page in the book and pointed to a picture. “This is only an artist’s concept, mine in fact, of what Windigoes look like. They are creatures that feed off of hate, and they are going to be coming this way.”

“How do you know this? How do you know that they even exist?”

“All these storms that we’ve had? Have you noticed that they’ve been getting closer and closer together? I’ve never seen so much rain in such a small amount of time in my life.”

Clover nodded. “Now that you mention it, that does seem strange. I feel like it’s been getting colder out each day as well.”

Starswirl was slightly surprised at this. “Very good, Clover.” He gulped down the last bit of his tea. “The temperature has been dropping steadily every day. Even though it is almost Winter, that’s not a normal pattern. Temperature is supposed to fluctuate.”

“What does this mean, Starswirl? What has this got to do with Windigoes?”

“I believe that the temperature is going to keep getting worse. It’s raining right now, but from what I’ve observed, I think I’ve been able to draw an accurate conclusion of what is happening.” He coughed a few times before continuing. “This land is going to be attacked by Windigoes. They will spread coldness and bad weather wherever they go, and I believe the weather we’re seeing now is only a taste of what is to come.”

Clover looked at him. “But if that’s true, what will happen to everypony? The unicorns and pegasi depend on the earth ponies for food, and if they can’t grow any-”

She was silenced as Starswirl went into a fit of coughing. “No,” he choked out. “No, that’s not what it’s like. They don’t depend on earth ponies for food. They demand earth ponies for food, just as the pegasi and earth ponies demand that the unicorns raise the sun and moon for them, and unicorns and earth ponies demand the pegasi keep control of the weather. We can’t keep living this way, all this hatred and bitterness. It’s bringing a storm right to everypony’s front door, and they’re all oblivious to it!” He finished with another hard cough and sat back in his chair.

Clover thought for a few moments. “You’re right. There’s no respect between ponies. We all just treat each other poorly and refuse to try and find a way to work together. Our hatred for each other is going to bring the Windigoes here, and we won’t be able to survive!”

Starswirl looked at his student. “Clover,” he said. “I’m going to first ask you a question and then tell you something, and it is something you must never tell anypony else. Is that understood?”

Clover nodded.

“You said that we all have hatred for each other, and I must ask you: Do you honestly hate the pegasi or the earth ponies?”

Clover shook her head. “No, I don’t. They’re both very helpful in what they do, and they contribute a lot to our everyday lives.”

“Good,” replied Starswirl. “I had to be sure, because what I say to you next may just save everypony.”
“What is it?”

“You must become second in command to Princess Platinum.”

Clover sighed. “You’ve already told me that, Starswirl. What makes it so much more important now that I know what Windigoes are?”

“Because the Windigoes are going to take this land. Listen closely. This is the part you cannot repeat to anypony. They are going to come here and cause a never-ending snow storm that will kill all the crops the earth ponies grow. Princess Platinum, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Commander Hurricane are going to try to sort out their differences, but they are going to fail. Ultimately, they will want to move on to somewhere else. All three of them will take their assistants and leave, searching for a new land to inhabit. You must go with Princess Platinum.” The coughs he emitted every few sentences did little to lighten the mood.

“Why, though? If they find new lands, won’t they be away from each other?”

“It is everypony’s destiny to work with each other and so once their search is over, they will have arrived in the same area of the world. It’s unavoidable. The hatred will begin again, and the Windigoes will find all six of you. Clover, it is up to you and the two other assistants to make sure that this new land is not destroyed. When the time has arrived, you must make sure there is no hatred in your hearts. It is the only way to fight off the Windigoes.”

Clover nodded. “I understand, but…why not just do it now? Why not just persuade everypony to work with each other?” The moment she asked, she knew exactly why that wouldn’t work.

“There isn’t enough time. I realize it will be hard to lose the place you’ve grown up in, but there’s nothing that can be done about it.”

“I understand. I just have one question. How do you know that this is going to happen?”

Starswirl just stared at her. “My dear, I…” And that was when it happened; that one little thing that told Clover all was not as it seemed. Starswirl’s hat had been sitting on the counter next to the stove, and for the smallest fraction of a second, his eyes flicked over to it. Clover had noticed this, but decided to wait for him to answer. “I don’t know these things for certain, but in this case I must ask you to trust what I tell you. Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do, Starswirl. I’ll do exactly as you say.”

“Thank you, Clover. Now, I have one last thing to-” he stopped short as another coughing fit overcame him. This one was very bad. The coughs were long and drawn out. Clover stood up to help, but Starswirl motioned for her to sit. As his coughs subsided, he said, “Perhaps we should move into the living room.”

Clover nodded. She followed him in, and he sat down on the chair by the bookshelf, while she sat on another chair. As he paused to catch his breath, Clover began to feel very uneasy. Starswirl exhaled deeply as he relaxed and said, “One last thing.”

“This regards your foals.”

For the second time that night, Clover had to make sure she had heard her teacher correctly.

“My what?” Clover asked. “I don’t have any foals!”

He coughed again before answering, his breathing becoming heavy, and he struggled to sit up. Seeing this, Clover stood up to help him, kneeling down next to the chair. This time, he made no attempt to stop her, instead turning his gaze to her before answering. “No, not yet, but one day you will, and the world will no longer need the unicorns to raise and lower the sun and moon. One day, a new type of pony will appear, and everypony else will disappear…” his voice trailed off as he let out a feeble cough. “Clover, your first foal will be a filly. You must make sure that she never gives up. Instill this in her. She will need the strength…”

“Gives up what?” she asked, somewhat incredulously. “What are you talking about? How do you even know I’m going to have a filly?”

“It’s not important how I know. What’s important…is that you tell her.” He coughed again, a short harsh one before placing his hooves on his student’s shoulders. “Tell her, make sure she understands…she can never give up.” His eyes began to close. “She must persevere…just as you have always done.” Clover felt Starswirl’s forelegs go limp, his voice now very close to a whisper. “Clover the Clever…my most faithful student…” he exhaled one last time before lying completely still.

“No,” said Clover. She shook her head, as her teacher gently fell back in his chair. “No, you can’t do this now. You can’t do this now!” she yelled, tears already streaming down her face. “You didn’t finish! Please,” she whispered, placing her muzzle on his shoulder. “Please wake up.”

But he didn’t wake up, and Clover knew that this really was the end. She moved away from where he sat and walked back over to her seat, sobbing. She sat down, and thought about what she would do now. Her mentor and life-long friend was gone, and now in five days she was supposed to become the assistant to Princess Platinum. How could he expect her just to forget him? Not worry and perform all these tasks as if nothing had happened? She wiped her eyes as she contemplated this, when suddenly she remembered something. It was something about Starswirl, something he had done earlier when she had asked him how he knew about the things that were going to happen. What was it?

His hat. He had glanced over at his hat. Clover got out of the chair and looked back briefly at her teacher, who looked so peaceful where he was. A wave of sadness washed over her, but she quickly shook it off (much as it pained her to do so) and walked into the kitchen. The hat was there, sitting on the counter, as it had been a few minutes ago. She looked inside and found a paper tucked away in the fold by the brim. She lifted it out and began reading.

Clover, my most faithful student,

if you are reading this then it means that my trick worked, and you were observant enough to notice me glance at my hat when you asked how I knew of the coming events, a very intelligent question by the way. I cannot thank you enough for all the joyous years I’ve had of teaching you, and I would like to apologize for something I have done to you today. I lied to you. I lied to you, and I cannot feel any guiltier about it than I do now, but please allow me to explain.

I used a time travel spell to go into the future and see what was going to happen. It turns out that my theory about the Windigoes was correct, however everything else I told you – the information about the three leaders and your daughter - I discovered using time travel. I am so sorry not to have told you this in person, but I simply could not bring myself to, not to mention the fact that there were more important things to talk about. Time travel is a very dark magic, and though I have asked you to continue my studies, I must also ask you to please avoid this kind of magic. It is highly dangerous, and I can’t stand to think what would happen to you should something go wrong.

I must ask one last thing of you. Please, take all of my books about time travel spells, and hide them. They are in my bedroom hidden in the back of the closet on a bookshelf. You must make sure nopony else finds them. That kind of magic is not meant for everyday use, and I cannot begin to think what would happen should those books fall into the wrong hooves.

And now, I will finish explaining what I know about your foals. There’s a very good chance I never got around to telling you why they are so significant. I’ll start with your daughter. You must, even when she is at a very young age, instill in her the value of perseverance. There will be a time in her life when she will need it the most, and it must be there for her.
Next is your son. I honestly could not see very far into his future, as my own magical abilities only allowed me to go so far. However, I suggest that you teach him the value of love. I can’t remember all the details as to why, so I’ll explain it later.

That is all I have to say. Please, my student, if you do everything I have asked, you will be able to save the whole of ponykind, but you must never tell anypony anything I have said to you, not until the moment is right, and I have no doubt you will be able to tell when that is. You were always very instinctive that way.

I bid you my final farewell, Clover, and wish you good luck with your journey.

Your teacher and friend,

Starswirl the Bearded

Author's Note

Fun fact: Brainstorming for this chapter took me about a month and half to ensure the correct and necessary details were revealed.