A Wish for Friendship

The open satchel bag sat against the crisp white bed sheets. Like the unassuming white sheets on the bed, the rest of the stone room matched it in terms of plain and neatness. If it was not for the scattering of the few random possessions it would appear that the room was not even being lived in at all. That and the turquoise unicorn standing in the centre looking around at the different objects in the room. Several quills and rolls of parchment glowed inside a green bubble before levitating through the room and into the bag.

Despite not having ventured far out of the Canterlot castle for most of his adult life, Greymane was not an idiot when it came to knowing the necessities. Next to the open bag he had laid out everything that he knew would prove invaluable. A map of Equestria that once took place on the far wall of his bedroom now lay rolled up awaiting its new home in the bag. A metal canteen filled to the brim with water lay coupled with a small cloth wrapping some food. Underneath these items was a large rolled up thick blanket that the supplies rested on. All of these items were pulled into the depths of the open bag by the green light before it was buckled closed tightly and the blanket roll tied to the straps that went over his back. Finally a tiny light brown sack fastened with cord gave a metallic jingle as it was lifted up and onto the bed by the teeth of the unicorn. Shimmering gold disks spilled onto the white sheets of the bed as the cord was untied. Reflected light caught off the tiny horseshoes that were emblazoned in the centre of each coin as a pair of violet eyes scanned them.

Every coin Greymane had in Equestria lay before him shining in the early morning sun from the open window. A modest amount but to Greymane it surfaced worried thoughts about whether it would be sufficient for a quest of this scale. Would anything he had be sufficient, supplies or otherwise. A deep groaning sigh filled the room as everything was quickly packed and buckled up. The worried thoughts swirled through his mind as he closed the buckles on the bag and slung the heavy load over his back, the ancient looking spellbook that was his cutie mark vanishing from sight. Huge violet eyes swivelled across the room to land on the unassuming night stand. Of the sparse possessions that were dotted around the interior of the room, none was more significant than the small wooden picture frame staring back to the unicorn.

The faces of three ponies grouped together in a hug were reflected in the eyes of the still unicorn. Two of the ponies were substantially older than the third as they stood at either side. A pair of old glasses rested over the eyes of an emerald green stallion with greying black hair. The bushy beard, although nowhere near the level of Star Swirl's, failed to stifle the smile of true happiness that shone from beneath. Next to them stood a pale blue mare smiling honestly, however not grinning a wide and toothy smile as the proud looking stallion. Reflected light off a small tear sparkled next to her light brown mane as it rolled down her cheek.  The cheeky grin of an excited turquoise colt stood between them, beaming up to the camera as the three ponies hugged.

The unfocused violet eyes glazed over as they lingered on the image locked in the wooden frame for several long moments. Green aura began to absorbed the picture frame as it was gently floated up and into the awaiting saddlebag. Rapid blinks fluttered over the eyes as they snapped back to reality and were joined by the coughing of Greymane clearing his throat. Still silence ensnared the room once more as he took one last look around what was his simple home. Exhaling deep sigh from his nose he turned his back on the borderline untouched room and closed the door for what would be the last in a very long time.

The afternoon sun beat down upon the large courtyard filled with ponies. A tall arched gateway stood at one wall over the entrance for the large complex of buildings, emblazoning the golden ornate sign with the words "Canterlot Academy for Magic". Several dozen differently coloured unicorns milled around in the courtyard, some in groups chatting to each other, some rushing around to classes and some even practising magic in a far corner.

Greymane trotted quickly across it, saddlebags gently thumping up and down on his back as he headed across the castle courtyard. A large towering spire shot up into the clear blue sky, the academy emblem flutter on a banner on the towers apex as he approched.

"Hey Greymane!" a familiar mare's voice called out over the ambient chatter and noise of the courtyard. Turning his head back to see the blue grey form of Starlight wave at him as she made her way through the crowds. "Hi!" she exclaimed in a bubbly and cheerful tone when she reached him. Tilting her head to the side as she noticed the saddlebags. "You going somewhere or something?" asking inquisitorially as she pointed to the stuffed bags on Greymane's back, or more specifically the incriminating bedroll.

"Hello again Starlight, yes I am being given an assignment by Master Star Swirl that will require me to travel outside of Canterlot for a while." Greymane responded in his natural formality. Starlight's eyes quickly widened and shrunk as her previous bubbly attitude burst.

"You're leaving? Why? Where?" she huffed out in one quick high pitched breath. Greymane merely raised an eyebrow at her response.

"Yes I am. I just said I received an assignment and will be leaving for a while. I have not been told where to yet." he flatly responded as he stared back at the mare through half lidded eyes. Starlight's brow furrowed and she stomped a hoof.

"Well thanks for telling me!"

"I did not realise I was required to." Starlight stood frozen, her mouth opened and closing several times as she stared at him.

"Bu... Ah... Y-you've never even been out of Canterlot your whole life though! How will you know what to do out there?! I-I can't believe you were not even going to tell your friend you were leaving." This time it was Greymane whose eyes quickly widened before returning to normal just as quickly.

"Err... well I apologise for not telling you before now"  he offered apologetically. A deep groaning sigh responded him as the mare rubbed a hoof against the side of her head.

"So what's this assignment you've got?" An exasperated drawl from the mare asked.

"I have to locate and recover an artefact" Greymane responded as he turned to continue his walk to the tower, the still visibly annoyed mare trotting up beside him as they made there way through an archway to a corridor.

"Well why is he sending you? No offence Greymane but you're not exactly an expert treasure hunter." Starlight raised an eyebrow as she shot him a sideways glance with her large golden eyes.

"I do not know. He said that I have 'unique traits' but I am not entirely sure what he meant. I am heading to his office now to get further details."

"Details like how you're gonna survive out there?" she poked back in a firm voice, stopping her walk to turn to Greymane.

"I will be fine." he flatly replied to the mare as he stopped his walk up a short flight of steps to turn back to her. Starlight looked at his blank and neutral expression through narrowed eyes. The chatter and ambient noises of other ponies and bird song amplified the tense silence between them.

"Its not like Canterlot out there you know?" Starlight finally pointed, her voice calm but firm as she continued to watch him through narrowed eyes. "Some places are still trying to heal after Discord's rule out there and there are always ponies ready to exploit the princess' overstretched attention. What if you get robbed by bandits or attacked by a pack of wild monsters?" Greymane turned away from her to look into the distance. Several more uncomfortable moments crept over them before he finally turned back to her.

"It is not above my attention that I am unsuited to this task. Nevertheless it has still been assigned to me to accomplish." Greymane stated. The huffed breath failed to disguise the 'whatever' Starlight sighed before she turned her telescope cutie mark on him and trotted down the corridor. Turning back to his goal Greymane quickly ascended the stairs.

"I trust you have suitably prepared for your journey. Your first objective is to travel to the town of Trottingham, its a modest sized town about a day or two away. There is an Earth pony noble by the name of Silver Goblet. The book is in his possession, you must retrieve it and then follow the information inside to the location of the Star of Desires." Star Swirl boomed from the top of the steps looking down to Greymane as the young unicorn nodded once. Star Swirl's stance was once again rigid and authoritative as his hardened gaze bore down on Greymane. "Now before we go into the details about your mission there is somepony who would like to have a word with you..."

Star Swirl looked over Greymane to the open balcony behind him. A faint golden aura seemed to tint the room as Greymane turned his head to see.  A tall white alicorn stood on the balcony, wings spread wide and a smile as bright and warm as the sunlight behind her.

"Hello my little pony" Celestia greeted in a soothing and gentle voice. As she stepped into the room, her movements fluid and graceful as they were accentuated by the soft clink of her golden shoes, Greymane's eyes shrunk to pinpricks while his mouth shuddered, failing to form a worded response. His muzzle feathered an inch from the ground as he threw himself into a hurried bow to the goddess. Star Swirl trotted up behind the stunned unicorn and looked up at the princess, giving a low and informal nod in place of a bow.

"The princess wanted to go over this plan with you personally, seeing as how she is the one that your doing it for." Star Swirl commented to the still bowing unicorn. Greymane turned his head to the side to look up at his mentor, his expression still betraying his usual solemn behaviour.

"Indeed young Greymane, come, we have much to discuss about your task." Celestia spoke as she gracefully made her way to the table still littered with scrolls and books.

Greymane struggled his way to the table to join them, his footing feeling unreliable and thumping of heartbeats in his chest. He was sat across from two of the most important ponies in Equestria. Thoughts of how this all might be a dream flooded his dizzy head, meeting Princess Celestia herself and going on an adventure through Equestria sure humoured the idea but he quickly dispelled it as nonsense.

"As Master Star Swirl has already informed you, this is the Star of Desires." the angelic princess spoke as she levitated up the scroll displaying the arcane five pointed star. "It is a relic believed to have been created during the years between Equestria's founding and Discord's reign. There are several different stories for its origin, some believe the ancient unicorn's created it as one of their ventures in the arcane arts. Others believe it was created as a symbol of worship by the bat ponies." Greymane's startled nerves began to sooth at the princess' voice.

"A few crackpots even say that Discord created it. Either way it holds a great wealth of power stored in it." the grumble of Star Swirl added.

"Naturally you can understand that if this magic fell into the wrong hooves then the results could be disastrous. The last thing we need is another Discord in these lands." the princess continued as they looked at Greymane. The unicorn inspected the picture again, paying close attention to the weird glyphs marking across its surface.

"What power is the star capable of?" his voice slow and careful.

"From what we understand, the star has the ability to grant the wielder one, and only one, wish that they truly desire." Star Swirl answered him from beneath his beard. "As long as the wish comes from the bottom of their hearts it can grant anything. So if somepony corrupt and evil got their hooves on it..." he trailed off, not needed to explain further as Greymane nodded.

"Which is why we need to recover it first." Greymane thought aloud. The two senior ponies nodded sombrely as the scroll drifted over to him.

"Naturally it won't be as easy as that. The road will be a long and dangerous one Greymane, parts of Equestria are not as peaceful these days as we would like. Do not let anypony know of your mission as there are sure to be other ponies out there who are also looking for it." Star Swirl warned in his deep voice as Greymane took the scroll and put it into his saddlebags. "That being said you will not be able to succeed in this mission without help. Once you leave the castle we will not be able to aid you, you will need to find others who you can trust and will help you on your journey."

Greymane stared off to the side for several silent moments. Furrowing his brow he exhaled deeply from his nose.

"I think I have an idea of somepony that could help." he mumbled reluctantly. "Although I'm not sure it's my best idea." A low grumble sounded from beneath the beard opposite him.

"It will have to do for a place to start." he mumbled lowly, "But remember, it is vital that you seek others out to help you, if you try to do this alone you will fail." he continued bluntly as Greymane moved to stand. "Find companions, get the book and recover the star, that is your mission."

"I will do as you wish Master Star Swirl. I will recover the star and bring it safely back to you." Greymane bowed to them before they stood up and moved for the door.

"Good luck on your journey young one. I hope you will safely return to us soon." Celestia said in her mother toned voice.

"Remember what we have said and try to stay out of danger." Star Swirl added in a firmer voice. Greymane looked at the two before silently making his way out of the door.

A strained silence drowned the room, the two senior ponies fixing their gaze firmly on the closed door.

"I hope you were right about sending him." the princess' gentle voice finally broke the silence. Muffled hoof steps made their way to the table.

"Its done princess. I'm sure he will be fine as long as he follows our instructions." The old chair creaked under Star Swirl as he returned to it, his voice fading back to the tired voice of an old unicorn as gentle rhythmic clinks approached him.

"I can still worry can't I?" Celestia defiantly retorted as she knelt down beside him.

"You have other things to worry about princess, he is my responsibility not yours." the strained voice answered down to her.

"Everypony is my responsibility Star Swirl, it is natural that I worry about their well being." A raspy chuckle sounded above her, followed by the creak of a wooden chair.

"If you understand worrying about your subjects then you will understand my worrying for my students." he sagely responded as he stood up beside her. "I cannot sit back and allow another pony to make the mistakes I made." he stumbled on his unsure footing, the table beside him offering support as he put a hoof to it. The soft down of feathers supported him as they cushioned against his back. A dry and bitter chuckle escaped from beneath his beard. "The great Star Swirl the bearded, master of over 200 spells, hailed as the greatest conjurer Equestria has ever known. Really he's just a tired old pony." he muttered morosely.

He turned to the source of the wing draping over his back. Locking with the princess' eyes, the decades of wisdom and experience mirroring in each other even if their mortal states were not.

"Never let your students forget the magic of friendship princess. Never let them cast it aside as I did." the old unicorn sagely informed before he went to a far desk. The faint scratch of a quill began to sound in the room as he hung over an old spellbook. The goddess slowly turned her head towards to door once again.

The empty expense of the courtyard stretched out in front of the still awestruck Greymane. Sitting down at the slate stone entrance of the corridor, Greymane breathed slowly deeply and shook his head. The afternoon sun hung at its apex over the arched gate of the academy as if daring the turquoise pony to come after it. Fresh air filled him as the heavy weight of the saddlebags were slung over his back once more. Clopping of hooves echoed against the cobblestone floor as Greymane trotted out towards the entrance. Walking through the arched gateway to his journey, an object to the side caught his attention.

"No." he said firmly as he past a unicorn standing on the other side of it, not even stopping for a response.

"Oh come on. You wouldn't last a single day on the outside by yourself." Starlight responded firmly as she trotted up beside him, her telescope cutie mark covered by a pair of stuffed saddlebags that shook from her movements.

"It's too dangerous for you."

"I can take care of myself, it's you I'm not so sure about. Beside aren't you supposed to find companions to help you? Who else do you know besides me?" she shot back in defiantly firm voice as she caught up beside him.

"How did... were you eavesdro-"

"-No." she quickly snapped back. Greymane stopped still to narrow his eyes at Starlight while she turned her gaze to particularly interesting cloud. A familiar grumble escaped Greymane's muzzle as he continued to look at the mare with suspicion.

"What about your duties in the observatory? Are you just going to abandon them?" Greymane tried in an attempt to dissuade her as he resumed his trot.

"Am I just going to abandon a friend?" Greymane clenched his jaw. His pace faltering for a split moment as he turned his head to the side.

"Like it or not Mr. Grumpy Grey I'm coming."