13th May, 529 BNM

Early/Mid-Morning

Faroench Kingdom, Pahrii [capital city]

Downtown, Reine river

Basilica de Saint-Neigherre-aux Danme.

Lower level, archive library

Poring over the scrolls of Equestria's history of the last 270 odd years since they last were there, Starswirl and Siral found not much of surprise. The first 78 of those years they'd caught up on before their travels to the Romane Empire during their first time jaunt.

But 160 years after they left, they found notes of the Alicorn ascendency, reports from Cantolocist missionaries, of how a new rank of Equine race stood head and shoulders above others in power and authority.

Those wizard and mage unicorns that had been their colleagues back in the days before their travels had noted with surprise this transformation of a few select Unicorns into this ascended state of body, the Alicorn, the strength of an Earth Pony, the flight of a Pegasus, and the Magic of a Unicorn, all of them greater than normal, especially the magic. A natural outcome of those magical ones who placed emphasis on using magic to improve their abilities through experimentation and practice of magic, attaining a critical point where their inherent magic forced the body to undergo a metamorphosis to keep up this growth of latent magical abilities.

And now, the family of the first Alicorns had borne children, all of them Unicorn mates, and all the children exhibiting high magical prowess from birth.

Shutting one scroll on the workdesk, Starswirl couldn't help but remark as he also pored over the images of the Alicorns:

"I'm not sure I like this. Favouring raw power of the self, first and foremost. Yes it means they can be of great service to their cause, but they rule, and it means the rulers have much more power on their own. If this keeps up armies may be merely toys to them."

"Yes, they lack the creativity, the variety of techniques that Wizards and Mages strived to learn. And they seem to already be using their power to mould Equestria as a nation, literally moulding it."

Siral had spoken as he drew out a set of maps of Equestria and the north western continent, gesturing to one earlier and one more recent map:

"Some of these forests and swamps have actually shifted slightly, moved on purpose by Alicorn led magical efforts."

Looking at the most recent map, 20 years old, Starswirl frowned as he pressed a hoof to the parchment:

"Hey, my hometown's gone!"

"Moved, according to records. The diverted river by the Alicorns for the river project to the capital, forced them to move the whole town west."

Grunting in annoyance, Starswirl leant back on the workbench, remarking with some distaste:

"Powerful we wizards and mages were, we didn't actively use our powers to shape the world, we sought to expand them as one would knowledge."

"They're ruling class, they value power and influence, resources, first. And knowledge only if it serves them to gain from." Siral remarked, a slightly barbed tone in his voice. Starswirl recalled his early days as a wizard, the respect they had from the rulers for their influence and power.

"And wizard and mages have been reduced to serving the ruling classes, their knowledge more, applied now. Gone are the days of intellectual innocence it seems, idle curiosity creating grand things."

Siral cursed under his breath. Such curiosity is what drove him for such great things, because it could possibly be done. Starswirl rolled up a scroll, giving pause slightly as he wondered aloud as he walked off to place them back in the shelves with his magic:

"What might it be like when we're done with these tasks? What will our place be?"

As Starswirl wandered off, Siral was now deep in thought, as he mused over the part of the prophecy concerning the 7 beings warned of, to come once they were done.

If knowledge was only being applied now, and these Alicorns had little respect for knowledge and power aside from their own, it wasn't a far leap of logic to imagine such terrible forces emerging from their own rising power.

Often massive power undid itself through errors in judgement.

1 hour later

Still in the archives, Starswirl and Siral had packed up the scrolls they had been using, sitting out the sermon and service as it occurred up above them in the main chapel.

Putting down the mug of water at his side, Starswirl looked sideways at the newcomers to the archives, giving Siral a slight kick under the table, the black Unicorn looking at him gesturing slightly to the new arrivals.

Father Lowaen, the other priest here in the Basilica besides Homlein, was more wrinkle faced, his own features a sandy yellow and orange, almost like the parchment on some of the scrolls in the archives he watched over.

Beside him, a robed foal of adolescent age, white and black furred, walking with a clear lean upwards, as if taller at the front legs.

"Greetings Wizards, is there anything I can offer you in the way of help while I am down here?"

"No thank you, but the offer is kind." Starswirl remarked with a gracious smile, while Siral merely shook his head politely. As both wizards then regarded the boy with some query, Father Lowaen laid a hoof on Kayeno's shoulder, remarking to the Wizards:

"This is the bell ringer I informed you of, young Kayeno. He and the organist Claupe Frello live here as Father Homlein and I also do. Not clergy, but family regardless."

"Hello." Kayeno meekly greeted, the tray of bread and water still on his back, and also some scrolls in his side bag.

"A young scholar?" Siral asked suddenly, pointing a hoof at Kayeno's scrolls. Father Lowaen gave a small laugh, remarking: "Not yet perhaps, but he carries out his studies in the tower to keep up his bell ringing duties. He is quite the avid reader as well."

"Really? And forgive me for saying this, but you've been a rather obvious shadow to me and Siral since we've arrived. Might you be interested in some teachings that travelling Wizards would have picked up from around the world?" Starswirl added with some cheeky humor, nodding towards Kayeno.

Eyes lighting up, Kayeno looked at Father Lowaen in a silent request, to which the sand yellow stallion gave a small nod, remarking: "As long as you keep up your normal studies and duties."

As Lowaen left to take care of some archive sorting in the back rooms, Kayeno took the seat that Starswirl gestured to at the foot of the work table. Siral looked at Kayeno with a slight smile, before he turned to Starswirl, a knowing question in his eyes, before the vaguest of mental communication spells set in:

Is this boy the exemplar?

No, but he knows him, a slight echo of some sort, its unmistakable.

You know better in this matter. I can keep myself busy in here.

Shaking his head slightly as Siral set his eyes back down the piles of scrolls and books he had in front of him, Starswirl turned to Kayeno, the boy's eyes alight with interest:

"So, what might you be interested in that we may have done?"

"Have you been to many places?"

"Have we ever." Starswirl remarked, before he began telling tales of the Romane Empire, and the strange Far Eastern Pandina empire, of dragons, battles, vast landscapes and strange beings. Nothing of the time travel, prophecy or their search was mentioned, just names and individuals without giving any of that away.

1.5 hours later

Their talks lasted long enough that Kayeno had to rush off at one point to ring the eleven o clock bells, but he was back down before Starswirl could really begin talking to Siral about the boy, and links to a certain other who now seemed certain to be this Frello.

After a while, Starswirl asked about Kayeno's life, while Siral half listened as he returned with a new set of texts of Equestrian imported histories and folklore. Apparantly potions were a touchy issue with Cantolocist archives, and were taboo, but straight up magic was not, because the creator blessed those with magic to do magic, and potions meant commoners and/or the wicked could gain power they were unworthy of.

In his mind, Siral could see some legitimate thought behind that mindset, but as a magic user also using potions, he simply saw potential beyond comprehension given time and skills gained.

Siral was now sat poring over the new books he had, while Kayeno merely explained meekly the state of his life here:

"-athers Lowaen and Homlein busy, so my Papa Frello raised me most. He was taken in by the fathers too, he and I get along well. Plus he says I do enough talking for both of us. Its good he and I can both write, he has much to say that way."

"A shame about his voice, does he say how he lost it?"

"No, he writes that it's a private matter." Kayeno said, still recalling how Frello would not even write much if asked about it too much.

Pausing in deep thought, Starswirl asked: "And how would you say you like your life as it is? You are, happy, with you life?"

"I'm lucky to have my fathers looking after me. I know I'm not normal, my lame legs, but its okay, I have my long robes. And I go out when there's something really good going on or something is needed from the markets. The festival is my favourite, as are other celebrations that hold fun things in the courtyard."

"A time for great joy I'm sure." Starswirl remarked, before he and Kayeno turned to see Father Lowaen gesture with a lowered voice:

"Come on Kayeno, time for the next service. I'm sure you've graced the Wizards with your attention for long enough now."

"Okay father. Thank you Starswirl, Siral." Kayeno moved off the seat, bowing slightly as he turned to walk to the exit to the archives, his lame legs giving him the slight ape like hobble beneath his robes that made him wear the robes in the first place to hide his legs.

As Kayeno left, Starswirl remarked to Siral quietly: "Before the day is up, I want to meet this Claupe Frello. He's clearly the one we're searching for, the boy's traces from him prove it, and it isn't Father Homlein or Lowaen for certain."

"Are you sure its wise to interfere in their lives? I still recall the scolding you gave me with Mashri back on our first of these ventures. And Hinai doesn't count, we got caught up in the mess with that sorcerer with her before we even met her."

Starswirl wondered at this. Indeed, Siral had interfered in their Romane empire exploits, speeding things along, but Starswirl wasn't one to mess with destiny as freely.

"I just wish to speak with him before any action, or none, is taken."

"…You realize the folly of speaking to a mute-"

"Yes yes, I realized the moment I said it Siral. What will you be doing in the meanwhile as I find him?" Starswirl asked, as he shifted some scrolls on his desk.

"What we've already been doing thus far today. Reading, making notes, catching up with what in Equestria we've missed, and other histories."

"Exhausted the spellbooks already?" Starswirl joked, to which Siral remarked:

"This is a Cantololic archive, they're touchy enough about spells, and potions are taboo. I was through all 8 magic scrolls yesterday."

Siral dismissively joked back about the literal lack of spell material here, though he clearly could spend days in here if he was allowed. As Starswirl settled down, he heard the organ playing overhead, remarking within the echoing archives:

"After the last service today, I'll find him."

Mid Afternoon

Faroench Kingdom, Pahrii [capital city]

Downtown, Reine river

Basilica island bridge

The markets at the end of the Reine river bridge bustled as normal, and amidst them, at the rare opportunity given by the Church's needs, Kayeno, the bell ringer foal of adolescent age, had sprang at the opportunity. He hardly ever got to experience life outside the church, and relished any opportunity he did.

The inconspicuous brown robes the white and black horse boy wore made him blend in with many in the market, but they also served the role of hiding his lame legs as he walked. Admittedly though, he didn't see any other horses his age, foal or filly, wearing robes as long as his were, they mostly wore tunics or ankle length dresses.

Kayeno made sure to wear his robes whenever he was out, as Claupe Frello had told him to through written notes, as he usually did. Unusually for his age, Kayeno could read and write as well as most adult horses in the city, learning from the Basilica's fathers just as Frello did.

Kayeno stopped the small cart he pulled, laden with some church wine orders and a few luxuries in the form of apples and cakes for the clergy [him and Frello as well], all easier paid with a church tab in the markets. Taking some time to rest, as he sat on his hunches at the edge of the bridge, the boy inhaled the smells of the city and river. It was slightly grungy, not quite pure, but the mixture of Faroench kind and the natural river the maker forged through the land combined in a unique mixture of sights and sounds.

As he stared up the river, a small barge pulling up to a dock further up the river, near the city's fish markets, a series of excited giggles came up behind Kayeno.

"-too hard Renee!"

Out of the corner of his vision, Kayeno saw ball, a leather made construct, go flying up the bridge, bouncing off the cart he'd been dragging. Lunging out a hoof, Kayeno deflected the ball backwards with his slightly larger foreleg, watching as it bounced to roll to the feet of a gaggle of children nearby, one or two his age. 3 foals, with 2 fillies seeming to cheer them on and/or watch.

The leader it seemed, the bigger brown foal about his age, stopped the ball with a hoof, giving a small smile of relief: "Merci, uh-who are you?"

"Kayeno, nice to meet you."

"Kayeno, I am Lequii, this blockhead of a foal is Renee, his younger brother Jezen, and my sister Maria and her friend Esmela."

As he introduced the others, the stocky grey foal his own age, the younger grey foal brother, the scarlet red filly in the tunic and dress, and the brown filly in a bonnet and dress, Kayeno gave an embarrassed wave as they came up, noticing the robes he wore, and the cart he pulled:

"Where do you live to have such robes?"

"The Church."

"You live there? You must have a good view from up in the tower." Esmela remarked, looking at the distant Basilica's tower before back to Kayeno. Her friend, Jezen, walked behind Kayeno with a slight giggle, beginning to lift up his robes:

"Really long robes too."

"Hey! Do you mind!" Kayeno indignantly remarked, rearing up slightly on his forelegs beneath the cloak, making Lequii notice:

"You look shorter near your back end, why?"

"Uh, I just stand like that." Kayeno said nervously, wishing the conversation would end now. He felt his robes suddenly flick up, and a slight squeal from Jezen as she remarked to her friends while drawing back:

"Eww, he's got weird legs under there."

"What, no, they're not weird, I-please!" Kayeno interrupted, before Lequii looked him over, remarking: "Now I know why I think I've heard of you, you're the lame bell ringer."

"What? Lame? But I-"

"I heard your parents left you there as a baby." Renee remarked, recalling more stories.

Gulping down some nervousness, Kayeno heard the first of what would become a series of teases begin:

"Easy to see why."

Before Kayeno knew it, as he ignored their continued remarks, their hoofball game he'd saved forgotten, he began to pull the cart back to the church, but not before the attention of the children began to attract other eyes, more judgemental adult eyes.

In that time, Kayeno began to run, and his visible shuffling rear legs flapped from beneath his flowing robe as he had to hitch it up to run. The boy paid no heed to what seemed like a blur of amused, some disgusted, others contemptuous faces.

Time blurred further, and Kayeno had left the cart of wine and treats in the church's supply annex, and darted up the bell tower.

As he sat up there in silence, he waited until the clock struck three, then rang the bell thrice as he had for a few years now.

His legs gave out for him to sit in a slump for a long time up there, as if adding salt to the wound.

Kayeno knew those kids from memory, he'd seen them at the festival, but never spoke to them in person, and their interactions today had made memories and stigma in public of him very fresh in the lead up to the festival. Kayeno heard from Father Homein that time healed all wounds.

But now, he couldn't go to the festival, he would not be healed in time, it would be too fresh.

Early Night

Faroench Kingdom, Pahrii [capital city]

Downtown, Reine river

Basilica de Saint-Neigherre-aux Danme.

Upper level quarters

The boy had been distraught, but now had at last fallen asleep. Truthfully Claupe Frello didn't find the boy until after he finally came down from the bell tower, after the last bell ringing at 8 o clock in the evening, as the Sun was finally set completely.

Laying a hoof gently on the boy's once shaking shoulders, Frello had heard what happened, and couldn't help but cast a mournful gaze on him beneath the covers of his small bunk. The foal had enough problems without predictably ignorant, cruel children, and knowing perhaps crueller adults deriding him for being born lesser than others.

As he saw the white and black furred Kayeno in the bed though, troubled and sleeping as best he could, Claupe Frello recalled sadly how he would sing to his old gypsy family's brother and sister when they had trouble sleeping, being the eldest brother.

The itching on his neck from the scars was in his mind, but it reminded him that what comforted his siblings could not be used here.

Life just seemed unfair, perhaps, Claupe thought to himself, this may finally show Kayeno that he was better off remaining in here more often than not, just as he did, with less of a 'disfigurement' also. It was safer, fair, the only judge being that most unbiased of all as the Fathers and scriptures promised him.

Yet at the same time, Kayeno suffered because his secret had been blown to the locals. They'd likely forget about the lame legged foal in the bell tower, but Kayeno would be affected.

All it meant was Frello would do what it took to protect Kayeno's cheerful demeanour. The boy was the one last glimmer of joy in his life, amidst a life in the church that had been slowly over the years become more silently cynical and unfulfilling, as he had to keep his secret of his gypsy past and reason for his muteness or face shame by the church's stance on such gypsy cultured entertainers and con artists.

Looking out the window, Frello saw the faint lanterns of the festival tents being blown out, as they stood erect and ready to go for the event in 2 days' time, not filled with the usual amenities or foodstuffs yet. It was a shame, Kayeno really enjoyed the festival each year he went, the highlight of his life.

Deep in thought now, Frello leant down and placed a light kiss on the foal's forehead, before he quietly walked from the foal's bedroom.

Catching the grey horse stallion as he headed to his quarters, Starswirl had lit his horn to a blue enough to illuminate the darkened church living corridor, the stallion only mildly surprised by a magic user. Clearly Frello was always aware of things going on in the church.

Starswirl had wished to speak to the stallion, but hesitated when he overheard that Kayeno was in a state of grief, and Frello being there first before all others to silently comfort the foal.

"If I may, my condolences for what happened to your adoptive son. Perhaps we could talk tomorrow? He spoke highly of you when I helped him with his studies earlier today."

As Claupe Frello regarded him cautiously, Starswirl probed into the grey stallion's mind, sensing turmoil, secrets, but most of all, an unending, slightly subdued but ever present sadness. The blue aura he exuded within Starswirl's mind made it clear.

Claupe Frello was the exemplar, a Glum one to learn joy from.

Before Starswirl, Frello gave a stiff nod, looking back towards Kayeno's door with some unspoken worry on his face, before he then turned back to Starswirl, giving a quick nod of goodnight.

In his mind, Starswirl sensed what Frello wished to say. Midday tomorrow, he had a lot to think over tonight.

He wasn't the only one, as was Starswirl's thoughts before turning back to walk towards his own small room beside Siral's bed chamber.

Author's Notes:

The Alicorn sprang up while they were gone full stop from Equestria, no Wizards but ascended members of society, who clearly seek power within society as anybody naturally would in medieval times.

That is the distinction between Wizards/Mages and Alicorns. The former seek knowledge and diversity of magic, drawing on it from around them in many different ways. Alicorns meanwhile are self-empowering, becoming forces of nature themselves, though they have nowhere near the variety of magical abilities they can use as Wizards and mages have, simply through lack of training and magical academia and practice at things other than those that can boost their own power and influence.

To Wizards/Mages, Magic is knowledge, a privilege. To Alicorns, Magic is power to unite under a rightful path to peace, how the Alicorn sees that peace varying over times to come.

As for the Exemplar to be of Joy/Laughter, his adoptive son faces criticism [kids can be cruel, but adults that see what kids have noticed more so', and now he's disenchanted from the festival he so enjoys happening in 2 days' time.