15th May, 529 BNM

Mid-Morning

Faroench Kingdom, Pahrii [capital city]

Downtown, Reine river

Basilica de Saint-Neigherre-aux Danme.

Lower levels, Archives

The sounds of festivities readying echoed even into the archives, as a crowd had gathered in and around the plaza at the front entrance of the basilica, the site of the festivities given its large size.

Pouring over the scrolls he'd dug out, Siral paused on a passage that shed only a little more knowledge on the Alicorns in Equestria, distracted.

The Black Unicorn heard the echoes of a particularly loud cheer go up, probably something arriving to signal the festivities were almost ready to truly kick off. With a slight grimace, Siral looked down at the scrolls, thinking to himself for a few moments.

Staring out at the rest of the archives, Siral scoffed, muttering to himself:

"Blast these archives, I won't find much more on Alicorns in here that I don't know already."

His grey magic rolled up the scrolls, as marched along towards the shelves, his grey cloak going over his body as he placed the scrolls back in their shelf of the archives.

"With the noise up above, there would be little progress here anyway."

Turning to stride out of the archives, after only a half hour of study, Siral relaxed slightly, thinking aloud as he exited:

"Besides, I can best see culture history by their celebrations."

"Precisely Siral!"

Siral's heart nearly jumped as he saw Starswirl emerge from the corridor end, behind where he'd come to walk up the steps to the ground floor. Laughing slightly, Starswirl remarked: "Relax friend, I knew I'd find you down here. I expected to have to come in and get you though."

"That archive won't reveal much more that I'm seeking, about the Alicorns. And that racket will only get louder, so I may as well indulge."

Laying a hoof on Siral's shoulder briefly, climbing the winding stairs to the ground floor, the blue cloaked grey unicorn shared a slight smile with the grey cloaked black unicorn:

"You speak of festivals as if they are a chore. You should relax, live life, not study it for once. We may have longer lives than others by our magic, but they are not unlimited."

Siral said nothing, knowing Starswirl was correct in this matter.

Reaching the top of the stairwell, the pair of wizards suddenly stopped as a brown cloaked Claupe Frello passed by, a long banner folded in a pile on his back as he was about to climb the stairs nearby to the upper levels.

Caught, Frello cast a look towards Starswirl and Siral, then upstairs. Subtly reading his mind as Frello quietly gestured to them, Starswirl and Siral need not say anything:

Last banner, all the way up the bell tower, I am to tie it and throw it down.

The brown cloaked stallion turned up the stairs without a pause after that thought, leaving Starswirl to look at Siral oddly, to which Siral asked aloud:

"So, what of our exemplar then? You think he will be going to this festival to somehow cheer up Kayeno?"

"If he is, and how he'll demonstrate joy, I do not know. I know for certain we are going." Starswirl remarked, as he turned to the entrance doors, with Siral in tow. Outside, the crowds of horses bustling as the festivities began to really kick off sounded.

Outside the church entrance, as the throngs of horses before in the island city locale's church plaza filled their sight, Starswirl and Siral saw a pair of clown dressed horses standing at the base of the bell tower, with a pile of ropes and banners dangling from them in the pile.

Up on high, what was obviously the banner Frello had carried, flung down to dangle with its end on the ground, and the clown horses were already picking up the end and extra lots to begin pulling it through the crowd, to tie onto one of the cirque tents that had been erected 2 days ago.

Pushing through the crowds, Starswirl and Siral were swallowed by the stallions, mares, foals and fillies that crowded the basilica island plaza.

The Summer Eve festival, made bigger this year by the Baahverian victory by the Faroench armies earlier this year.

Late Morning

Faroench Kingdom, Pahrii [capital city]

Downtown, Reine river

Basilica de Saint-Neigherre-aux Danme.

Upper level, bell tower

This was the first Summer Eve festival in 6 years Kayeno was missing, ever. The foal sat in the tower, beside the bell he was himself ringing each hour for the first time today in 6 years without leaving its church confines. Normally he'd be dashing up and down to ring it so he'd not miss the festival as much as possible.

But today, he sat on his lame, short back legs, gazing sadly down at the festival. Part of him wanted to go, but a larger part feared those same words from a mere few days ago returning to make today permanently scarred.

Frello had come up briefly to throw down the highest banner for the celebrations, as he always did for the festival, his one and only part of it. But afterwards, he'd knelt down besides Kayeno to give a hug to the boy, passing a small note before he wandered off to whatever he did.

Looking down at the celebrations, the feasting, the merriment, the music, the dancing, the silly and fantastic acts, the public expressing its inner joys usual kept in check, Kayeno simply let out a sigh of sadness he was not used to.

Unfolding the small linen cloth note, Kayeno read the note, his expression suddenly growing odd:

I may not see my past life as truly honourable, but it gave me talents beyond just my voice to spread merriment for gain. This time, I hope to gain just a few smiles, and if one is yours, that shall be enough.

Look for me among those acts not singing.

Dropping the note, Kayeno looked down the bell tower, but openly groaned as he saw he was a little too far up to make out any of the acts going on right now.

The uneven legged foal was heading down the stairwells to the lower balcony within seconds.

Midday

Basilica de Saint-Neigherre-aux Danme.

Church Plaza, Cirque event

Music echoed with the hustle and bustle of laughter, cheers and the odd, usually off tune singing. Makeshift confetti sprayed at odd times here and there.

Wading through the crowds, Starswirl suppressed a laugh as a couple of exuberant pony dressed as fish stumbled across his path, before he waded through the crowds to where he found Siral.

"Enjoying yourself?!"

"Lets see about this before I say!"

Siral hoarsely shouted over the crowds, as he drew back his hoof. The set of stocks had been erected in front of him and 2 others taking part, 1 a young filly, the other an adolescent stallion. The cheering crowds laughed as the filly's thrown pie, smaller for her size, smacked the stallion locked in the stocks on the chin.

The adolescent stallion's pie, as large as Siral's, flew directly into the clown makeup plastered mare's face, who licked it off her mouth as the crowds gave a resounding cheer. Seeing the burly looking stallion before him in his stocks, Siral gave a slight hesitation, as he had been told no magic if they were a Unicorn. And his hoof eye coordination was better with magic.

The crowd roared in laughter as the pie soared, quite fast, over the top of the stocks, but Siral gave a smirk as he saw he'd accidentally hit one of the stallions parading in a fancy red and orange outfit a good 20 feet behind the stocks, who whipped around in surprise as the mare with him broke out in hysterical laughter.

Roars went up in laughter as Siral turned to Starswirl, remarking rather haughtily: "Yes, I am enjoying this!"

"And you thought this would seem like a chore!" Starswirl loudly remarked, as Siral then eyed up a display going on atop the main stage. One of the main attractions was about to kick off.

"Here it is, the first of our exotic acts, from the far reaches of Faroench's borders, acts to astound, enchant, and amaze! Presenting, Jaqeulle Mane!"

As Starswirl and Siral wandered up, they noticed one of the accompanying musicians that had come dancing onto the stage, playing a flute in a rather lively way, wearing a large donkey mask with a mouth hole, had a very similar grey coat and shape.

"Is that Frello? What is he-?" Starswirl remarked, though he trailed off as the show started.

1 hour earlier

Backstage of main tents, veiled interior.

"You say you can play?"

Nodding his head, Claupe Frello pointed to the wooden flute that one of the musicians of the travelling band, a part of this act, was holding, looking at the main leader with a begging look.

Grabbing the flute quickly, the lead band stallion, a jester dressed brown and black stallion, ignored the indignant white stallion's protests as he threw the flute to Claupe Frello.

As soon as the flute was in hoof, Claupe Frello blew into it, grimacing as it wasn't the right tune for him. Adjusting it quickly, he began to play a quick tune he recalled from his gypsy days, as he wasn't just a singer, but a wind instrument player too. After half a minute of very good, lively play by this mute grey stallion, the jester stallion raised a hoof, remarking aloud:

"Incroyable! I think we have found another for the act today, the more the merrier after all!"

"Hourra!" The band called out, as they began to fish out one of the spare outfits. Frello wasn't the only quick addition they'd had today.

As he began to throw a donkey mask to Frello, the lead stallion in the jester outfit, named Flopine, remarked: "But uh, we cannot pay you in wages. For this, just say that Flopine begs you good evening to any of the tables, and they shall let you buy or play food and games for free."

With a rather ecstatic smile, Frello nodded, but Flopine then gestured quickly: "Well go on, get rehearsing bon ami! The music you played is not what we are doing!"

Midday

Basilica de Saint-Neigherre-aux Danme.

Church Plaza, Cirque event

As the musicians, mostly flute or violin players, Frello among them in a face covering mask like all of them, danced wildly and in sync across the stage in circles, a puff of smoke appeared on the stage, and a rather attractive looking brown furred, black maned mare with a lithe body, clad in a form hugging red and purple dress, began to dance on stage in sync with the lively music.

Cheers and whoops from the crowds rose, particularly from the stallions, as the rather seductively dancing mare continued to dominate the stage, the musicians with Frello among them only barely being distracted by her hypnotic movements.

Looking sideways, Siral saw Starswirl's mouth had dropped slightly, eyes fixated on her. Jaquelle Mane's movements mirrored the movements of Starswirl's pupils, to which Siral snorted as he flicked a hoof against Starswirl's head, remarking:

"Enjoying yourself Starswirl?"

"Why should I not exactly?" Starswirl was slowly drawn back to the stage, and as Jaquelle Mane began to dance more, Siral found his mind swimming as Starswirl's also was, everything else becoming slightly blurred as he began to feel warmer for some reason.

On stage, Jaquelle Mane sultrily danced forwards, seeing the sights of the crowds in her grip, and with a faux seductive smile, as the musicians played behind her, she leant down to run a hoof gently across the chins of a handful of earth Faroench stallions, earning looks of jealousy from other stallions and mares accordingly while those on the end of her touch quivered, or collapsed in a heap.

As she sauntered up, she saw the two wizards, their cloaks making them stand out, as she leant down, lightly bending down to put Starswirl's mouth back in place with a hoof, before turning to see Siral looking at her with a blank expression. Seeing a unique opportunity, she then ran a hoof over the end of Siral's black unicorn horn from atop the stage.

"Bleraghhh.."

Siral's odd word escaped as he slumped down, the feeling of her hoof on his horn sending him overboard. Snapping out at the sight, Starswirl completely broke int laughter at Siral's state, as Jaquelle bent up, her brown fur and black mane flowing as she trailed back to the stage, cartwheeling in her flowing red dress to come within the circle of musicians.

Circling around her, Jaquelle span as she sank down in a series of splits, the musicians leaping up to play one last loud note as the act ended. Before the cheers even began to peak, there were cries for more from the crowds.

Adrenaline racing, Jaquelle was about to call out for her musicians to do an encore, but a tune then began to play.

A grey stallion in the donkey mask, one of the freelancers, had begun to play a tune on his flute that she recognised. A common Gypsy folk tune that was easily danced to.

As he began to lightly step, Jaquelle raised an eyebrow at him with a smirk, before she began to sway in motion. She knew this music well, and could go with it.

"Come now! I dance, you play mon ami!"

Her melodic voice rang out as the other musicians, flute and violinists began to dance in tune, this one more upbeat, energetic, less seductive, and more pounding in its rhyme.

Crowd roars swelled in tune as the temptress of the stage, Jaquelle Mane, began to flourish in spins, steps and even a few leaps as the musicians tried to outplay each other. One by one, as the musicians audibly fell behind in the speed, Jaquelle leapt over in tune and ripped off the mask, flashing a cheeky grin before taking the musician in hoof and spinning him to fall off the stage, into a waiting crowd to catch him.

Soon it was down to only 4 musicians, and their playing was very fast to the point where the stomping of feet in the crowds became more constant if anything, and Jaquelle was visibly growing hot and flustered, but enjoying herself. Most surprising was that of the 12 musicians who started, 6 of them had been proper band members. Only 3 proper band members remained up there and masked, 2 violinists and one mini harp player. The only freelancer was the grey stallion in the donkey mask.

As the violinist faltered, Jaquelle leapt over and ripped off his eagle mask, before laughing through her hard breathing as she took him in hoof, dipped him, and then threw him spinning on his feet to land in the waiting hooves of the crowd to surf along a few metres.

But as she returned, she saw the newcomer fall behind at last, clearly breathing hard now. Dancing over, she pulled the donkey mask off in one fell swoop, revealing the startled, flustered and shocked looking grey stallion beneath it, flute still to his mouth.

As she took him in her hoof, her smile faltered slightly at seeing the exposed scars on his neck, but as she put two and two together, smiled all the brighter:

"Muy bien mon ami! Muy BIEN!"

As she exclaimed the last compliment to Claupe Frello, he was not at all bothered as he was sent spinning off stage, the crowds catching him to lower him down with pats on his back and returning his donkey mask. Turning around in his excitement, Frello saw Jaquelle send an air kiss towards him with a wink, a beaming smile on her face as she then turned to see the other two musicians had finally reached their speed limit too.

Frello knew he'd winged that last act, encouraging a dance and play off of some sort, but he was glad the lead dancer recognised the tune. Despite no sound coming from his throat, he was visibly cheering, the cheers of the crowds around him and for the other acts on stage and across the cirque enough for him to speak.

Turning his head, Frello glimpsed a certain pair of wizards coming over, Siral looking slightly red in the face at something while rubbing his horn rather longingly. Starswirl however, looked happy, but still expecting.

"Mon frere, come drink with us! A toast to the grey piper!"

A random shout from a stallion in the crowds drew Frello's attention, as he was whisked away, swept up in the festivities.

Turning to Starswirl, Siral asked Starswirl:

"Anything yet? Is it done?"

Shaking his head, while still smiling, Starswirl remarked: "No, but I think this one won't be instant, more gradual. He'll get it on his own."

Nudging Siral in the ribs, Starswirl remarked: "Come now, lets see if that vixen who floored you is still doing any acts later."

"You enjoy my loss of dignity, don't you?"

"Dignity is discarded on days like today Siral!" Starswirl replied to the rather grumpy remarking Siral, as the grey unicorn dragged Siral through the crowds towards some of the stalls.

2 hours later

Cirque tent crowds, souvenir stalls

"What do you think? I might keep this for a while."

As Starswirl turned to Siral, he gestured with a hoof to the hat atop his head. It was pointed, clearly an exaggerated pointed hat to stand out, with a wide base. Looking at it, Siral said with some slight humor:

"You must be joking."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe some stars on it, along with my cloak too, and some bells while I'm at it." Starswirl said rather haughtily, he had clearly had enough to drink that his reserved dignity in appearance had gone out of his head.

Shaking his head, Siral remarked as Starswirl began to rifle through the other objects on sale, small knickknacks and accessories mostly:

"I'll stick with the grey cloak thank you."

Little did he know what Starswirl concocted today would be an early rendition of his much later wizarding garb, his standard blue cloak about to change forever in appearance.

Shuffling through the crowds, young Kayeno still kept his cloak hiding his legs in place, but his mood was far from what it once was earlier today.

Looking around, Kayeno heard what sounded like a folk song being sunk by semi drunk stallions, and mares with them, as a handful of dancing stallions riotously stomped in rhythm around a rather red faced Claupe Frello, who played his flute with wild abandon, the scars on his neck giving away his muteness exposed for the world to see, no scarf, and his robes down and rolled up at the legs even.

"-brew for the brave and truuuueee, comes from the land I left behind! Waheyyyyy!"

Beer and brew mugs clanged as heads were knocked back, and a few loud noises from the crowds echoed as Frello leapt down in semi bows, while the crowds around him cheered him on.

Turning around, Frello saw Kayeno coming towards him, the foal's face laughing with glee as he darted forwards. Leaning down, Frello pulled Kayeno into a tight hug as the boy began to exclaim wildly:

"That was amazing papa, why did you not say you could play like that!?"

With an honest shrug, Frello suddenly seized Kayeno by the forearms, and hoisted him up onto his back, amidst the cheers of the stallions. As Kayeno whooped with glee, a feminine voice interrupted from behind them, silencing the mares and stallions before them:

"Excuse moi, but I need to borrow you papa. The crowds are clamouring for him to re-join the next act."

Turning around atop Frello's back, Kayeno saw a very beautiful looking mare with brown fur and a black mane, clad in a fitted red dress, waltz towards Frello to gesture with a beaming smile for the mute stallion to follow.

Gesturing with his head, Frello marched forwards behind Jaeuelle Mane, as up ahead on the stage, the other musicians and a few more dancers gathered to get ready, Flopine in his jester outfit rallying the crowd around the main stage to get more and more excited as he saw Jaquelle approaching with the freelance musician who did so well.

"You see papa, you have been missing this all the time. Thank you for this!"

Frello felt his chest soar as Kayeno wrapped his forelegs around his neck, the boy riding on his back as he followed Jaquelle through the crowds, her lithe figure parting them like a knife through butter.

Looking back, Jaquelle couldn't help but feel warm at the sight of the father and son, though she suspected the boy was an adoptive son by their differences. Passing by, the red clad mare suddenly saw a recognisable pair of Unicorns, though the Grey one was clad in a rather more outlandish outfit with a pointed blue hat and small bells on his blue cloak and hat, whilst the grey cloaked, black furred one was the same as before.

Giving a wink to the black and grey unicorns, Jaquelle saw the look of pride Starswirl was shooting Frello as surface level only, not knowing the extent of what Starswirl was feeling.

Siral meanwhile, looked away in embarrassment as Jaquelle winked at him. As Frello walked by with kayeno on his back, the white and black foal cloaked yet enjoying the festival with his father, Starswirl gave a small smile to Siral as he recovered from the flash of fierce blue aura in his mind.

"It is done. He has demonstrated what it means to bring true joy."

"To the public, or just that boy of his?" Siral wondered. Starswirl added pointedly to the other wizard:

"Does it matter which? Both were ways shown, and what better way to spread joy is there than that made from laughter?"

The roars of the crowds soared in the plaza as the next dancing act, as Frello deposited Kayeno on a backstage area, began, Frello donning his donkey mask as a similar act to before began yet again.

From the basilia's main doors, Fathers Homlein and Lowaen looked on in pride, and gladness, at their two other church occupants regaining, or even increasing, the joy in their lives that they deserved.

By day's end, when the festival ended, Frello and Kayeno would return to the Basilica happier than ever felt in their lives together.

16th May, 529 BNM

Midday

Faroench Kingdom, Pahrii [capital city]

Downtown, Reine river

Basilica de Saint-Neigherre-aux Danme.

Main entrance.

After the night to recover, the normal morning services had been done, but as said to some sadness by Kayeno, they had to be off.

Father Lowaen and Father Homlein had bid them farewell and thanked them for the honoured visit, and the contribution to the archives, saying they'd pass on the contribution's knowledge to the rest of the churches across the country, even continent, the collected works compiled by the two of them from the Romane Empire's early history.

Within the church entrance hall however, Kayeno had joined Frello in seeing off the two wizards who helped his papa in a time of need, or his need if one looked at it differently.

"Will you come back?" Kayeno asked innocently. Starswirl gave a small smile, remarking:

"Likely not, but what time we spent was memorable, no?"

With a nod, Kayeno agreed while Claupe Frello then took the scarf from around his neck, removing the thing he used to hide his neck scars from the world, and held it out in his hoof to Starswirl and Siral, nodding in a universal message to take it.

"Is this a gift?" Starswirl asked, to which Frello nodded confidently, while Kayeno stood by in some awe at his adoptive papa's choice of thanking gift to the wizards.

Siral nodded to Starswirl, who had already pulled open his cloak, as Siral's grey magic lowered the scarf from off Kayeno's outstretched hoof to fold up into the inside pocket of Starswirl's cloak. As Starswirl shut his cloak, Siral promised bluntly:

"It will be kept safe."

"We promise. And thank you." Starswirl added quickly, as he gave a bow to Frello, while Siral did the same afterwards.

The two wizards were leaving without another word after that, while Kayeno waved ecstatically as his father held the boy aloft atop his shoulders. The boy's lame legs, and his muteness, now were secondary to the joy they knew they could conjure up and bask in to compensate for it.

As the wizards left though, Siral and Starswirl each noticed a familiar Mare and Stallion from the cirque walking up to the church. Jaquelle Mane and Flopine had come seeking Frello at the church.

As he saw Jaquelle approach with Flopine, Frello gulped slightly, before Kayeno gave a slight giggle as he pointed to them coming up.

The smile from Jaquelle back at them both, particularly Frello, only made the future no less joyful, but perhaps murkier.

In the end, what would occur was a long distance bond, until a few years later, Jaquelle left the cirque, and Frello left the church, both of them on good terms, to settle on a mutual tavern job many years down the road, and where Kayeno would only have just turned to adult age when they had their first child.

But that story was not one of utmost concern for the 2 wizards that so affected the lives of them in a way of pushing the father out the door to embrace life's joys and spread it with merriment, to inspire his son, and himself, and make a new life to the full for himself.

17th May, 529 BNM

Mid-Morning

Faroench Kingdom, Pahrii [capital city]

Outskirts, farmlands

As they travelled, they knew from Starswirl's beckoning in his dreams overnight since they left that they had another jump forwards in time for the next exemplar being, and likely long travel too.

But with self-teleportation learned on their last journey, in Pandina with Mashri, the journey travel time would be a simple matter.

As they walked down the road, the Bearded and the Savant relished in the warm early summer sun. It would be a metaphor for the last truly un-infringed times together.

What lay ahead were times where their bond would be tested, and what was once thought true and noble as agreed between them, began to diverge.

The exemplar of honesty would not be the only one to begin to face truths about themselves, as the world altered them during their next travel stage.

Author's Notes:

I decided the LAUGHTER arc would be best finished in 4 chapters only, as it would have dragged too much with 5. And as promised, the HONESTY arc is next, and that's where the setting, and overall story of the 2 wizards, begins to truly come into play.

Some secrets long kept by them and others will come to surface, and the next setting will also incorporate more magical elements and creatures than previous settings, with good reason.

A backcheck, the gifts from each of them.

Mashri-Loyalty-Her Gladius sword, showing her test of loyalty by the culture she loyally believes in.

Hinai-Magic-Her family's gold and jade pendant, showing her sacrificed self restraint.

Claupe Frello-Laughter-His neck scarf, showing him finally losing his glumness and not hiding his muteness neck scars.