14th May, 529 BNM

Mid-Morning

Faroench Kingdom, Pahrii [capital city]

Downtown, Reine river

Basilica de Saint-Neigherre-aux Danme.

Upper levels, balcony.

The day today, like all the day before Summer Eve, always held fewer services, one early morning and one evening, a policy for the church with the Summer Eve festival, made even greater this year by the Baahverian Victory celebrations being coupled with it, occurring tomorrow. Even the clergy wished to indulge in the celebrations enough to ease up on services they urged their followers to come to for the sake of their souls.

The morning service had ended, and that was when Starswirl had agreed to meet with Claupe Frello, high up in the upper levels of the Cathedral. Siral had agreed to come too, but said he had much to search for in the archives when they were done.

Siral sat back more, the black Unicorn a passive listener as quiet as the mute Claupe Frello was. While Frello wrote on the linen notes he was normally used to writing upon, he was visibly in awe each time Starswirl wiped the note clear the graphite writing marks from his sketching pen. As Frello wrote the next note, while Starswirl stared out, they were musing on the boy that meant so much to Frello, despite Starswirl doing all the talking:

"He's a very curious boy, curious enough that his love for you and Fathers Homlein and Lowaen surpasses it. If he's given time, he'll recover, a shame he had to miss the festival tomorrow by the sound of it."

As Starswirl remarked this, he eyed the tents being finalized, the workers milling about, and even a few silent rehearsals going on atop one of the stages, a dance act of some sort. In the distance, the last grey clouds were parting to show sunlight.

Claupe Frello's grey hoof passed the note to Starswirl, the grey horse's face still slightly saddened at the topic of note.

Perhaps it is for the best. He will be safe from them in here.

Starswirl gave Frello an odd expression, confused at this stallion's rather blunt, depressed optimism of the situation:

"Why would you think that? All he's learned is that the world is full of preconceived notions about anyone less than normal, unblemished. Believe me, it is those with such blemishes that are often of stronger character than the common rabble. Difficulty breeds greatness in those that overcome it."

As Frello wrote on the note again, Starswirl saw the downcast expression on the stallion's face not falter, right up until he was handed the note again:

We will both be safe in here, as we should be. I know neither of us would last out there long before it becomes too much.

"But he is not you, and you know that. He wishes to explore the world, while you wish to remain in here. Yet he is more visibly blighted by his body than you are, so why?"

At Starswirl's question, the stallion this time no longer amazed by the wizard wiping clean the linen paper scrap's markings, Frello didn't waste any time in writing his retort, somewhat feverishly this time.

He is young, I am older. I know the world and how it judges those like us, blighted in body. We all have lost something needed. I lost my voice, my family and my dignity, and was mocked for it. Kayeno lost his parents because he was born blighted, and now he has seen what his blight does to draw ire from those around him. Kayeno was still childlike, innocent. Now he has seen the truth, the only safety is in here, regardless of what you have lost.

Frowning, Starswirl shot a judging look at Frello, earning a slight gaze away of fear from the grey stallion, the scarf from his neck actually shifting slightly under Starswirl's blue magic as the wizard replied sternly:

"Is that what you've been told, or is that merely your shame speaking? You lost your talent in life, but you became what you are to this church without your voice, what you are to Kayeno without it. You don't need your voice to live and love."

The reply came swiftly, as Frello tugged the scarf back up his neck, hiding the scars of his removed vocal cords, a punishment he had admitted to the Wizards the moment they told him they could also read minds, and that it was pointless hiding the truth of his own 'ailment'.

I lost my voice, family, life, because of my appearance alone. The world does nothing except hate, scorn, jeer, ridicule and more. It won't change, and while the past insults are forgotten by those who throw them, those who get them live with the pain, and the pain of what they lost to bring them on themselves. And more risk coming if we venture out, as Kayeno bravely, foolishly decided to do one too many times.

"That was years ago, things have changed. And that was from first impressions. You said it yourself, Kayeno's reputation as what he is will fade, if he hides away in here like you have. Anyone who met you outside this church all those years ago will have long forgotten you."

Frello said nothing, the Grey stallion taking a moment to stare out at the Pahrii cityscape, the Reine river glistening in the first morning sunlight that day. Starswirl turned and shot Siral a look of annoyance, and sympathy even, to which the Black Unicorn simply gave a subtle nod of encouragement. Turning back, Starswirl probed again:

"Which is why I ask again. Why do you hide in here?"

Frello heard this, but the Grey stallion made absolutely no move to write anything. The Unicorn wizard pressed again, seeing the look of internal questioning on the grey stallion's face, his dull blue eyes cast downwards in true self-reflection:

"Do you hide only because there is a chance of being badly treated? Those you met, who terrified you into hiding in here, they have seen only what you look like on the outside. It is what is inside that counts."

At this, Frello turned to cast a very sour look at Starswirl, before he took the note paper in hand to rather briskly write the reply.

My inside, my passion, was something my voice could bring out. I cannot do that anymore."

"Then you must find a way to bring out your true self. Actions will always, ALWAYS, speak louder than all the words there are to be said."

But how?

Frello hadn't even let Starswirl wipe the note clear with his magic before scribbling the question, the look of silent desperation blatant across the grey stallion's face.

"That is for you to figure out. Search yourself."

Frello let Starswirl wipe the note clear, hesitating before he took the linen paper from the wizard, writing a last note to Starswirl before the talk ended.

What does this all have to do with Kayeno? How does inspiring me help him?

With a slightly sympathetic, somewhat mysterious smile, Starswirl offered this last piece of support to the Grey stallion.

"Because Kayeno looks up to you, you inspire him, like any good father would to their son. But he also wishes you to be out, for once, as he dares to. So if you can brave the world he's recently been scorned by, he can too, if he is much braver than you as you so proudly declare."

Eyes widening slightly at what Starswirl was suggesting, Claupe Frello stood up suddenly, his breathing actually audible as he cast a quick look down towards the courtyard, the festival tents and stage and staff all down there getting ready for tomorrow.

Looking back, the Grey stallion scrunched his eyes as he then opened to give a hard look at Starswirl, then at the other black wizard further down the balcony. Succumbing to his nerves, Frello turned away and strode from the balcony, his hoofsteps audible from the corridor he entered.

Late Morning

Basilica de Saint-Neigherre-aux Danme.

Upper levels, balcony.

Still on the balcony after Frello's nerve infused leaving of them, the two wizards were staring out at the Reine river and the Pahrii cityscape. With a slightly dejected sigh, Starswirl gave a slight lament:

"I tried my best, but in all honesty, with him, who knows. I actually am not sure what he can do to inspire joy in anyone, let alone his son. Even if he has the courage to go to the festival, it was a shot in the dark as a piece of advice to him."

"Starswirl the Bearded admitting defeat by consoling a reclusive church organist? If I'm going to be in the archives so much while we're here I may add that to the records they have of you and us in Equestria." Siral remarked, the black Unicorn leant against the balcony railing as he turned to Starswirl. The Grey Unicorn cast a pointed gaze towards Siral, not condoning the joke at this time with a direct response:

"This is not a jest worthy matter Siral. This is the first time the success of one of these exemplar beings is entirely out of our hooves. There is nothing we can do to help him."

Going quiet, Siral began to make a slow remark: "If we had the time, if we had arrived perhaps a week earlier than we did to this place, we might have helped better."

Growing wary, Starswirl turned to Siral with a questioning look, which changed to a frown as Siral remarked: "We could have made a potion to restore his voice, for a time. But it would have been better than what he is now."

Turning fully to Siral now, Starswirl jabbed a hoof at the black Wizard's face: "Siral, if we had done that, all we would have done is directly interfered. Your actions with Mashri back during the Romane era were one thing, this would have been too far."

Growing slightly irritated, Siral asked straight up: "And what would have been too far? Granting a stallion his voice back to allow him to exercise his long lost talent, amidst crowds, and to give him something to use in the festival to restore his son's joy?"

"A temporary fix he, and his son, would lament, as it would only cement what Frello has lost, and make it clear to Kayeno exactly what his father lost. If anything Kayeno would be worse afterwards." Starwirl remarked.

"Or their memories of the joy of the one off event sustains them. This is semantics Starswirl." Siral dismissed, to which Starswirl took a step towards Siral in a quick retort:

"And your suggestion of intervening in that way is the same as with Mashri. During her gladiator times you merely manipulated, without my say so may I remind you-"

"You often do." Siral remarked in an annoyed tone, to which Starswirl continued after being cut off:

"You manipulated events already in motion to happen in a specific manner all at once, to coerce her act of Loyalty out of her in a single swoop, merely accelerating what was to happen. With this however, you propose actively shaping events to unfold along a path they were not on in the first place."

"And what is wrong with that?" Siral asked straight out. Starswirl turned away, looking out to the world:

"If we actively use our magic, in ways like that, it will encourage us to wield our abilities with more frequent abandon, and perhaps more recklessly. Magic will cease to be an art, and many will come to be dependent upon it. And when they ask why we selectively use our magic not enough to help everypony, we will create enemies. If we try to solve everypony's problems, especially ones that would be regarded as miracles, we attract attention to magic that it should not get."

"And yet in Equestria right now the Alicorns are beginning to shape the country to their desires with their magic, with little word from the Wizards, Mages or Oracles mind you." Siral stressed this point from their findings in the archives, basic knowledge passed of Equestria during their jaunts towards the Pandina empire and now.

"Which is why when these exploits with the exemplars are done, we will be fully equipped to steer them on the right path. I know it." Starswirl finished, but Siral was not entirely convinced.

The Black Unicorn sensed the uncertainty in the Grey Unicorn's voice, though whether it was from greater uncertainties Siral had just raised and brought to the table, or just the unwillingness of Claupe Frello, he was unsure.

But this was not the first time Starswirl had shown an unwillingness to derail what he saw as destiny. Growing impatient, Siral made a last parting remark:

"A wise Unicorn once told me that destiny is like a thread. It intertwines with everyone we interact with, a fabric of destinies all interwoven. The moment we interact, we-"

"Become intertwined. Yes, I know you and I have read Hauddise's spirituality writings." Starswirl interrupted this time, leaning forwards on the balcony as he looked out at the slowly sun soaked Reine river beyond the Basilica's building covered island, sandwiched between the cityscape on both sides.

"You criticize becoming intervening. Yet you don't fully realize that by the Prophecy itself, we will intervene with their lives by simply meeting them."

"I realize, I am just wary of not pushing that involvement too far." Starswirl retorted, to which Siral made no remark in response to. The Black Unicorn gave a last groan of indignation, remarking under his breath that he'd be in the archives if he needed him.

With Siral gone, Starswirl took out the pipe with his magic, igniting the weed he'd saved from their Pandina exploits, and lit up the smoking tool to ease his nerves.

Puffing slightly on the pipe, Starswirl mused to himself over a great many things, whilst ahead, Pahrii bustled on as normal, the last normal day before the Summer Eve, and this year Baahverian victory celebration, festival tomorrow.

Late Afternoon

Faroench Kingdom, Pahrii [capital city]

Downtown, Reine river

Basilica de Saint-Neigherre-aux Danme.

Lower level, archive library

Poring his gaze over some scrolls from Equestria, Siral was surprised, and saddened, to find records of some of the exploits of the Wizards, Mages and the Oracles in their time gone from Equestria since they timejumped within it. Within the past 200 years, with the rise of the Alicorn ascendancy 160 years ago, the exercise of more direct magical power over Equestria had given rise to some minor power struggles.

The Wizards and Mages now served Alicorn royalty, or nobility, either as direct service, or loose but affiliated magical personnel. This loss of independence from politics, as power shifted much more thoroughly in not just governance, but magic as well, to the ruling families, was not universally greeted well.

The Oracles began to have to be more open with all but their mysterious oracles, and one or two portents of doom or warnings had caused them to fall out of favour. Now they were much less visited, and even some rumours had begun to spread about them that simply could not be true, such as living pony sacrifices. Scare tactics, nothing more.

But one name, a high ranking member of the Oracle 'staff' a high priest that directly served the Oracles, had been mysteriously dismissed it seemed, a mere 20 years ago, under charges of treason and violence against the Oracles.

Treason among such devoted members as those to the Oracles was unheard of, even for the 5 centuries they'd been running before Starswirl had the prophecy told to him 270 years ago. The name was only mentioned briefly, but it was written with such scolding remark, at least by the words of this Mage Gaelhooves:

-shameful than the story of the brash, recently ascended Unicorn turned Alicorn stallion, Vigilan.

Vigilan disgraced his brethren by attempting to usurp the great all seers, betraying his life devotion to them in a bid for greater power than he'd already been gifted.

The gift of becoming an Alicorn was not enough, and in his selfish rage he lashed out against the honour of serving the Oracles as a prisoner would his bonds.

Castrated as punishment, he continued to behave against his sworn allegiance, and took on a new name to bear his shame and determination to act against his allegiance.

Geldrath.

Geldrath was dismissed after numerous continued objections and decrying the Oracles, and was never seen or heard from again. Rumors stated he left Equestria, but nothing else is said of him.

Looking at the dates, Siral remarked to himself: "He was dismissed 20 years ago. The trail will have gone cold by now."

Putting the book down, Siral mused in his thoughts. Alicorns had been rulers mostly, but it seemed this greatness could be achieved by even non-ruling, high magic capable beings, proven by this Geldrath, formally Vigilan.

But all this did was make Siral think that this power needed, fed upon, power to rule, to lead. What might come if one too many Alicorns came into the world?

Already power struggles became common between those with ambition, what of an entire race's subgroup, higher than others, where ambition without ruling power to supplement it was dangerous? Where ambition and power to rule were as natural as eating or breathing seemed to be, and long lived to boot?

Every reading Siral had of these Alicorns made him concerned.

And Starswirl focused too much on the destiny of learning these lessons from these exemplar beings. To teach Equestria, the world in turn, these ideals made clearest by these beings, of which 3 still remained if Claupe Frello gained the courage to act how he could.

But there were always those that did not listen well, and they were often those that felt they need not listen, being powerful themselves.

The Black Unicorn wizard continued to search for anything more on the Alicorns, though as he searched the archives, he found nothing else about their exploits in much detail.

All he found was talk of a mysterious, wild forest that had suddenly begun growing in mid Equestria shortly after the Alicorns started moulding the country's landscapes to their needs, a forest where the magic normally used to alter the country did not work.

All this, Everfree Forest showed, was that there was some sort of consequence to excessive magic usage on the land. Though a wild forest was not Siral's first guess of what could happen.

When he met Starswirl later that night, he'd be sure to pass on this knowledge onto him.

Late Evening

Faroench Kingdom, Pahrii [capital city]

Downtown, Reine river

Basilica de Saint-Neigherre-aux Danme.

Main level

As Father Lowaen blew out the candles from the end of the evening's service, Father Homlein took their organist, Claupe Frello, by the hoof to walk with him.

"I understand your plight. But you must realise that it is you the boy looks up to most. I know this Starswirl told you this, but you and I know this more than he already does."

As Frello silently nodded, the brown robes and scarf hiding all but his head above the neck, the red robed grey/white Faroench stallion gave Frello a reassuring pat on the shoulder:

"Trust your heart, it is the part of you that is most in tune with the almighty. Let it urge you what is right to do to help Kayeno, and yourself."

With a slight smile, Frello gave a bow to Homlein out of respect for the priests that took him in 16 years ago. As he bowed, Lowaen's curt remark from the alter came in, slicing the air with a reassuring, but stern tone:

"And if I may, your past is in the past. You are too hard on yourself for what you lived as with your family, there is no sin in Gypsy heritage."

Face alight with shame, Frello felt a second reassuring hoof on his shoulder, as Homlein remarked: "We've known for years. Kayeno wasn't always so diligent in disposing of the linen notes you used to commune with him. And some words on them drew wandering eyes in to gaze away from clearing the room as needed, despite best efforts to avoid it."

The Grey Stallion was quiet, his face slowly morphing into a shade of a smile as he hugged Father Homlein tightly in thankfulness, while Father Lowaen resisted the urge to sigh at the impending hug as he knew it was best to let Frello do the same to him.

As Frello pulled away from Father Lowaen, the grey stallion organist left without a word, as usual. He still had much thinking to do.

Looking at Father Homlein, Lowaen remarked: "I have wondered though, what exactly he did sound like before those guards took away his voice."

"Lamenting a possible choir voice loss?" Homlein suggested, to which Lowaen gave a slight laugh of derision, pointing out:

"If he sang as well as he played, yes."

Dwelling on the potential was the best the priests could do for now, as they finished up clearing the alter for tonight. Tomorrow was the festival, and aside from an early morning service before it all kicked off, there was not much in the way of churchgoing to be expected until the day after.

Overhead, the church bell rang for the last time that day, before Kayeno settled for the night. No more bells tonight while quiet was needed for sleep across the city.

Late Night

Faroench Kingdom, Pahrii [capital city]

Downtown, Reine river

Basilica de Saint-Neigherre-aux Danme.

Upper level, Kayeno's quarters

The white and black foal was sound asleep beneath his bed sheets, the candle still smoking slightly from where he'd used it to give him reading light of the studies book Kayeno had brought to bed with himself.

Creeping in, Claupe Frello laid a comforting hoof on the boy's thin mattress, and with a small, uncertain smile, the grey stallion dropped a note atop the boy's bedside desk, written by him as a last statement before tomorrow.

How so ever it went tomorrow, he wanted Kayeno to know what exactly to be aware of.

Standing up, Claupe Frello spared a last smile in the darkness of Kayeno's room before he slipped out the door, into the chambers' hallway. Nearby, he glimpsed the flickering candlelight from Siral's and Starswirl's rooms, whilst the Fathers were already asleep after the last late night prayers.

For Frello though, he merely hoped what he'd arranged quickly with Fathers Lowaen and Homlein would work out. If it did all go wrong as he feared, he at least wanted an unsullied reputation as church organist to retreat back upon.

Beating himself slightly in the head, Frello urged himself mentally, and as he thought, he still marvelled at how his own internal thoughts seemed to still be voiced by his own sound, which hadn't uttered a word in its smooth mid pitched, heavy Faroench accented vocals:

No, no bad thoughts until tomorrow night Claupe. For the sake of Kayeno's happiness, focus and be happy yourself.

Now, how to do it exactly…

Admittedly, Claupe Frello would need to rely on spontaneity for his ideas. But that was one trait from his earlier gypsy adolescence and childhood that, despite being entrenched in the routine of church staff, had not been forgotten.

He hadn't forgotten everything, but he had never applied it in this way.

If this went wrong, he easily decided he would mostly blame Starswirl, for encouraging him in the first place. That was one step done.

The evening and night rolled on as Claupe Frello retired to his room, thinking on his tactics for tomorrow.

Author's Notes:

Claupe Frello is urged by many things to take action on the day of the Summer Eve festival. Kayeno needs inspiration Starswirl urges it, and Fathers Homlein and Lowaen admit to having known about his past, and not being disapproving of it, which removes a source of shame for Frello.

Meanwhile though, Siral's seeds of doubts about the Alicorns begin to rise further with knowledge of an Alicorn gone rogue, who wasn't born into a position of ruling power, but into the Oracle guild that had been slowly declining in influence with the rise of Alicorns, and the Wizards/Mages becoming more directly involved in politics to stay relevant and inherently useful.