A Wish for Friendship

"Magic. It is present in every pony. From the oldest earth stallion to the youngest pegasus filly. Magic is the true nature of all ponies but in none more prevalent than the unicorn. Great is the gifts that it gives to our race. Earth ponies the natural skill and ability in working with the ground to grow new life. Pegasus their weather and cloud manipulating abilities. But unicorns were given the ability to control magic, to bend and weave into whatever form or purpose they desire. With proper time and training a unicorn's magical prowess are limitless! The gift of magic is the key to the entire pony race and without it we would not be where we are today.”

Blazing streams of sunlight flowed through the stain glass windows of the large marble hall. Huge ornate stone book shelves lined the white walls and spanned far into its depths. Countless arrays of colourful books of all sizes packed the selves surrounding the geometric array of tables in the centre. Only one of which was currently occupied. The mumbled words of the pale turquoise coated unicorn were slightly amplified and echoed as they were read from a large and well used tome resting before him. Strands of grey hair from the stallion's neatly combed mane slipped in front of the rapidly moving violet eyes before being immediately pushed back with a hoof.

"Hey Greymane! Already muzzle deep in the books I see?" A feminine voice sounded through the large hall, bringing an abrupt end to the mumbled words. A blueish grey unicorn trotted up to the reading pony. The sound of her hooves clopping against the tiles echoing through the marble chamber.

"Good morning Starlight." the turquoise unicorn greeted in a solemn tone as she slid into the seat beside him. Lifting up the cover of the book, her yellow eyes fluttered across the title.

"A beginner's guide to magic? Isn't this a little below your level?" she asked pointing to the book, her face twisting to one of amused confusion.

"Not at all" Greymane replied in the same solemn drone, "It is important to remember the basics and revise them frequently, regardless of ones level" he continued as he turned back to the book.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with you finally getting to study under your hero would it?" Starlight sneered under a knowing grin.

"You just finish your shift at the observatory?" he quickly countered.

"Obviously, how else would I catch you here so early every morning." Starlight teased as she nudged a hoof into Greymane's side playfully, failing to garner any response from him, he did not even lift his eyes off the page. The mare yawned as she rested her head in her hoof. Her black with cream streak mane spilled onto the table top when she turned to face the reading unicorn. Greymane continued scanning along the lines of the book through half lidded eyes.

"Is something the matter?" he asked, still not taking his eyes off the page.

"Huh?" Starlight asked as she jolted out of her thoughts. Her face quickly turned from mild surprise to a gleeful grin.

"Just wondering how uncreative your parents are to give you a name like Greymane." she replied giving her companion another playful nudge with her hoof. The grey maned unicorn briefly closed his eyes and allowed a small smile, so small it would barely be noticeable, before returning to his previous state. Starlight grinned happily,

"Alright! Mr. Grumpy Grey finally cracked a smile!" she cheered loudly in the echoing marble room, earning another sigh and wry smile from Greymane.

"Ahem." A voice sounded beside them causing Greymane to tilt his head up from the book and Starlight to lean back on the bench to look past him. Bulky silver armour coated the brown stallion's form in barding, his face the only truly visible part of the pony inside the armour. "I apologise for the interruption but Master Star Swirl has requested your presence sir." the armour clad pegasus reported in a deep and formal voice. Greymane nodded in response to him before the guard turned to leave the library.

"You know, they should really think about replacing the guard's armour" Starlight wondered aloud as Greymane closed his book and stood from the table.

"Why what's wrong with it?" he asked, levitating the books back to their proper shelves.

"Well it just seems a bit bulky and plain for the Canterlot royal guard" she mused as she pointed after the guard in his large dark silver plate barding and helmet. "I mean, this is the capital and they are the princesses' royal guard so it should really be something a bit more fancy don't ya think?" Greymane followed her gaze to the guard who had just made his way out the large wooden door. Turning back to the mare he bowed formally,

"Yes, well Starlight it has been a pleasure." the blue grey mare gave a warm smile back before he turned away and trotted out after the guard, leaving her alone in the library while she gave a shallow sigh.

Ascending to the top level of one of Canterlot castle's several towers, Greymane stood at the end to a long corridor. Four pedestals were placed along the walls of the corridor, each with an ancient looking item on them ranging from vases to helmets. A long purple carpet guided Greymane to the large arched door at the end as it snaked its way across the stone path. Hollow knocks rapped on the gilded door from Greymane unsurely tapping it with his hoof.

"Enter" a deep voice flatly called from the other side. Old hinges creaked the door open as Greymane entered the modestly sized and largely cluttered room. A single opened window leading to a small balcony supplied the only lighting to the fairly dim room. Numerous books and scrolls littered the walls and tables in stacks or some opened.  A few relics of all kinds dotted the room placed on pedestals or cabinets like in the corridor outside. In the far end of the room, atop a few steps leading to a raised portion of the room, stood an ageing purple unicorn. The faded and dusty trims of his regal purple robes feathered on the stone floor beneath them. As did the tip of the silver grey testament to his age that was the beard hanging from his old muzzle.

The lip of the matching purple hat's enlarged rim tilted up allowing the twinkle of experience and wisdom sealed in tired eyes to fix on Greymane. A slight choke formed in Greymane's throat as he met the steeled gaze of his new mentor.

"Y-you requested my presence Master Star Swirl?" He stuttered slightly before reigning in his composure. A rose hue stained his muzzle as he cursed himself for faltering. Despite the clear signs of age set into the senior unicorn's features, he showed no signs of the effects as he stood in a firm and formal stance.

"Yes Greymane, I have an assignment for you." The strong and deep voice sounded from Star Swirl, displaying no signs of weakness from time as he made his way down the steps. Greymane felt the dense heavy aura surrounded his mentor as he walked past him to a small table littered with scrolls and books. A lavender bubble of light formed around his horn before the entire stacks and piles of paraphernalia weightlessly flew into the air. Easily separating out several tomes and pieces of parchment from the floating bubble of magic, he spun the others off to various different shelves and draws and the chosen few returned to the cleared table top.

"Come, we must discuss your task." Star Swirl flatly stated to Greymane with his back to him. Numerous charts and diagrams had been etched into the pages of parchment in the books and scrolls. Old outdated maps of sections of Equestria, some with harsh black ink scratched furiously in crosses or circles dotted areas of the old maps. A few of the scrolls holding markings of ancient looking glyphs or notes, largely though they were dominated by the image of a large arcane looking star. Greymane glanced over many of these as he quickly made his way around the table. At the other side of the sea of parchment Star Swirl's horn bubbled with the purple glow once more as a single large and relatively ornate scroll levitated up beside him. Greymane's focus was drawn to a large and detailed drawing of the star shaped object shown on other scrolls, only this one was surrounded by annotations and scribbles in many different ponies writing.

"The Star of Desires." the bearded unicorn droned out in his deep voice. "An artefact from ancient times, well before Discord's rule, back when Equestria was still in its infancy and the three great pony tribes had joined together. Rumoured to be one of the many creations of the unicorns when they dabbled in their advancements. It has been lost for many centuries despite a few attempts to find it." he continued as Greymane studied the image before him. Star Swirl settled for staring at the turquoise unicorn before him, watching him for every movement and expression.

"And what is it you would have me do sir?" Greymane responded as he ceased staring at the image and tried to steel himself under his mentor's firm gaze.

"I want you to retrieve it." Star Swirl stated matter of factly as he placed the scroll down on the table in front of the now shocked Greymane. His usual sombre expression was now wide eyed and bewildered. "We have discovered a missing link to tracking it down." he explained, taking notice of the change in his students expression. "It appears that the secret containing the key to its location and unlocking it were placed in a book which was given to one of it's creators. During the flow of time the book has been lost, recovered, stolen, scavenged, bought and sold until it has finally come to rest in an earth pony nobles collection in Trottingham." Greymane had quickly reigned in his composure for the second time, and for the second time he mentally kicked himself for the slip up.

"But, with all due respect for your reasons sir, why choose me for this? Surely your other more advanced students would be better suited for something of this calibre, I have only been your student for a little over two weeks an-"

"You are the one I have chosen for this." Star Swirl cut him off with his deep and authoritative voice silencing him immediately. "You posses unique traits that my other students do not that makes you the optimal choice for this task. So far you have only ever studied magic out of books and the tutelage of others. It is important for you to learn magic on your own and use it in the real world, something which you cannot do in the confines of the castle." He did not shout and his tone carried no anger but his voice naturally possessed the booming authority that the user commanded.

Greymane clamped his mouth shut, not out of intimidation or fear but out of the high respect he had for the master unicorn. Because of this he simply settled for a nod to show that his mentor has been understood and accepted. Star Swirl sighed deeply as his fading coat and experienced grey eyes retreated back under the rim of his hat. Resting back in his chair the voiced sounded again from under the obscuring hat and beard,

"Go and prepare for the journey and then return back to me, I will give you further instructions when you do." Greymane nodded once more and quickly trotted out of the chamber. The large door clunked shut before the room was descended into a still silence.

"I thought you said you trusted me to choose the best candidate." Star Swirl called out into the empty room. Gentle metallic taps approached Star Swirl from behind.

"You know I trust your decisions old friend, but are you sure about this one?" A beautifully feminine voice asked the brooding Star Swirl. The voice was silky smooth with a mother like undertone that brought a warming aura into the room. The bearded unicorn lifted his head and turned to the source of the voice. A tall and slender white alicorn greeted his sight. Multicoloured hair flowed to the side like water, the rays of light from her balcony entrance shimmered of the golden trims of her jewellery.

"Yes." was his single cold reply.

"I can't help but share his sentiment, you do have many other more experienced and advanced students that you could choose." the angelic form spoke in her soothing song-like voice. "I was even hoping that you would decide to go yourself, one last adventure" She smiled warmly.

"Princess Celestia... I think we both know that time pasted long ago." Star Swirl responded, his voice taking on a softer and less authoritative tone. The smile on the princesses face slowly shrunk and a pang of sadness marred her angelic features as she slowly closed her eyes. "He is the right one for this task."

"He reminds me a lot of you when you were his age." The princess' voice sounded even gentler than earlier as she looked at the sombre unicorn.

"Exactly." Star Swirl sighed in a voice so quite it was only just audible to the princess. "That is why I am sending him." he tilted his head back to reveal his face from under the hat and stared off into the distance, "I don't want him to become like me, he needs to get out into the real world and see it with his own eyes, not spend his life in a dusty library staring into a book. I cannot let him make the same mistakes as I have. He needs to live his life and make some friends, something I never had time for..." his voice was far softer that it had before, no longer the deep authoritative boom it had been. It was tired and weary, voicing the age that was taking him.

"What about that observatory assistant? I thought they were friends?" Celestia offered, her face still showing the sadness that had took hold. Star Swirl allowed himself a small smirk as he turned back to the princess.

"Have you ever seen those two together? He barely even registers her presence most of the time." The old conjurer chuckled lightly at this. "He's always got his muzzle in a book when they're together and he's not really the most sociable of ponies, she pretty much talks to herself most of the time." he shook his head slightly at the fact. The princess walked over to him to sit down beside him.

"I understand your reasoning and respect your decision my old friend but are you sure he is ready for something like this? He has only been your student for two weeks after all and this is a very important task. I don't feel comfortable agreeing to send him if he can't handle it and might end up dead." The princess flatly stated in a serious and firm tone.

"Which is why he will have to make some friends to help him." Star Swirl turned to face the worried yet stern expression of his ruler next to him who let out a gentle yet royal sigh before responding,

"I hope you are right about this. If he should fail then it would not only mean the loss of a young student's life due to our mistakes but also the loss of this relic into the wrong hands." the princess stated, shutting her eyes and turned from facing the old unicorn.

"He can do it, trust me."