Footnotes of Starswirl:

Upon reflection, I maintain that the two royal sisters were among my favourite students I ever taught in magic. The most skilled, and most accomplished both in my time with them, and in my absence until events of recent years by what history I found.

That being said, back then some shenanigans they caused in their relative youth [I stress relative by the fact that both Celestia and Luna were both over 30 by the time I vanished] were not my preferred method of leisure.

Thank the spirits for their talent and dubiousness when I asked them of it, otherwise I may well have been less than ambivalent towards them both.

And yet in spite of any irritation they caused me at times, I always felt they could accomplish more in restoring any semblance of peace to Equestria, and perhaps the world, when their time came, then any I had ever met before them. That is a feeling I maintain to this day, all history past and modern taken into account.

Midday

26th May, 74 BNM

Equestria, Canterlot, Royal Palace

Gardens, flower alcoves

Where the sisters usually had their 'private lessons' with Starswirl varied, depending on the type of magic being dealt with. Outdoors was a given when working on teleportation, especially self-teleportation. It was a rather advanced type of magic, one which Starswirl was actually rather cautious about how freely the knowledge was doled out. Most Alicorns who had any curiosity about expanding their magical abilities beyond raw power and using their rank for political gain had learned either through him, or through his published scrolls. The magic was within the grasp of any Unicorn with enough effort or latent power as well.

Teaching the two royal sisters, daughters of 2 skillful magic users, Alicorn or not, was both a given and an easy task. But Starswirl was adamant in them perfecting it.

But today, he had a slight issue to pick with the girls.

He found the 2 sisters, slightly taller than him, both standing at the stone square within the flower alcove, almost like a clearing of sorts hidden by bushes and trees.

Princess Celestia, now 37, sported a marble like white coat, and a shimmering pink mane and tail, and purple eyes to accompany her large, and growing Alicorn wings and horn. Luna, now 32, was slightly shorter, had a medium blue coat, with lighter blue mane and tail, and blue/green [teal] eyes to accompany her own large and growing wings and horn.

And yet as Starswirl walked up, clad in his 2nd/least favorite cloak, a brown cloak without the hat, he asked them straight out, voice grumpy and interrogating:

"When I told you to practice your teleportation, did I in any way permit you to sneak into my quarters as I slept?"

Looking at Celestia with some guilt, Luna gave an innocent smile, asking: "You didn't say we could not."

Starswirl's eye twitched slightly, while Celestia then offered: "But we did it for good reason."

Sitting on his rear legs, Starswirl stroked his beard with his forehoof, a smirk on his face as his voice dripped with annoyance and sarcasm, something he seldom mixed into his mood-set:

"What possible reason could you have for teleporting into my living quarters in the castle in the night and making off with my preferred cloak and hat? The latter of which was something I valued from my many travels. Do enlighten me…"

With a nervous smile, Luna began to hover the cloak folded cloak and hat from behind her, as Celestia began:

"Well, we knew you said we were almost done learning what you wanted us to. And we wanted to show our thanks, for being a great teacher."

"Plus, we surmised your attire was somewhat plain, and perhaps our mark may best be our present to thee." Luna, in her more youthful nervousness, sometimes slipped into the formalities in her pronouns too often.

"We, hope you like it. If it is too much we can always put it back to normal."

"If what is too much?" Starswirl inquired, before he saw what had become of his blue hat and cloak.

The plain blue of the cloak and the hat [picked up in Pahrii during his exemplar of laughter era of travel], were now adorned with some lighter blue swirling swathes, but most prominently, insignia of the night sky's main features, such as 5 pronged stars and crescent moon shapes. The final touches were a series of golden orbs, akin in size and shape to those found on a court jester's outlandish outfit, thankfully devoid of the noise they made when shaking.

Blinking a few times, Starswirl was quiet, as he stared at the 'livened up' attire. Under his breath, he wondered what anyone who saw him travelling in that outfit would think of it. Siral, and a latter 3 exemplar beings [Chack included in a forge somewhere in Nationalist Equestria] had already thought it questionable in fashion.

And yet, he saw the sentiment and thankfulness in the eyes of the royal sisters, and this was a personal gift more than anything else. Even so, he still had a degree of preference that still existed.

"It is too much, is it not?" Luna said, sensing Starswirl's silence as the answer. The cloak and hat were taken in Starswirl's blue magic, hovering before his eyes. And yet, before them, a blue flash took a few seconds to appear, and flopping to the ground beneath it was a duplicate.

A set of cloak and hat exactly the same as the altered one still hovering before Starswirl. But he still hovered it over and put the altered ones on, remarking with some mixed thankfulness, and task setting:

"I am actually impressed you altered my outfit as you did, and, appreciate the thought. I'll be keeping this, but I'll want you to restore the copy I made to the colours before you made your changes."

Taking the copy on the ground up in her magic, Celestia asked Starswirl: "So, do you like it?"

"I won't be rid of my old garments, but I will add this to my possessions. A gift is never to be wasted, great or small, of the meaning is there."

Smiling at this, Celestia nodded to Luna, who said with a smile on her face: "We can have this back to your old colors with ease."

"I am certain you can." Starswirl remarked, as he then pointed his horn at the ground, turning the stonework on the ground into a mirror for a few seconds to look at his new visage.

Pausing, Starswirl remarked aloud, to the amusement of the princesses: "It is rather, overt, but nobody will forget that it was me wearing it."

30 minutes later

In the alcoves still, and after the princesses had restored one of the two cloak and hat sets to plain blue, going with the set they altered as a gift, the talk turned to matters of the day. The Princesses were, like many, eager to ask of Starswirl's wisdom gathered over his long lifespan, and times been in, on matters of the present. And of course, to ask if he might indulge in such tales of his times.

"I do think that the civil war won't begin again. It has been 5 years since the fighting stopped after all." Celestia remarked, to which Luna found herself cautiously agreeing. But Starswirl had his doubts:

"What makes you think this peace will last?"

"Well, father and mother have been working their flanks off, pardon the expression, to ensure it doesn't break down. Equestria may be divided somewhat, but there is peace." Luna offered. But Starswirl was not convinced.

"Divided nonetheless. And division sows conflict, even if it pauses, there is always something brewing in the interim. History shows it around the world through the ages, and I have seen it first-hand myself, one even from a particularly nasty Alicorn I encountered-."

"When was this? On your travels?" Celestia asked, interested, as Starswirl had actually never revealed this story. Eyes alert, Luna sat there, the mare as big as Starswirl suddenly like a child eagerly listening.

With a slight sigh, Starswirl remarked with some bitterness:

"There is not much to say but this: This Civil War was long foreseen by some. What is it I have taught you that occurs, based on history, when many individuals acquire power at the same time, in the same nation?"

"Rivalry, competition, even violence." Celestia repeated. Nodding, Starswirl added:

"But in my travels, me and a colleague of mine ran into an Alicorn who had been exiled for speaking out against his own colleagues, among whom he was not the highest ranking, but the only Alicorn. He foresaw the power struggle as more Alicorns came to power, and wanted to secure the place of his kin before it grew too wild. They cast him out, and with no Alicorns their political sphere was swallowed up."

"This Alicorn waited in a jungle, a world away from Equestria, biding his time, building forces, waiting for a conflict like the Civil War to rise, and for Equestria to be weak enough, for him to swoop in and claim a place amidst the instability. Despite me and my colleague putting an end to his tyrannical rule in that jungle, I must admit that, he had many fair points. It is too bad he also tainted mine, and a dear friend of mine's, perception of Alicorns before I came here."

"What happened?"

"That Alicorn took my friend and colleague, another wizard, hostage, and experimented ruthlessly on him, scarring him for life in many ways, body, mind and soul. His Alicorn state made him think lesser of those less powerful than himself, which ended up being his undoing, he underestimated us. But that vanity, ego, and determination to have power, is all too reminiscent of what I have seen unfolding in Equestria since I returned 37 years ago."

Quiet, Luna asked Starswirl: "What do you think could have been done, to prevent this?"

Starswirl would not reveal the prophecy that had drawn him into the future, but he had his own ideas about an honest answer:

"Perhaps if Alicorns had never come to be, this power shift, and the corruption such power brings if it is allowed to do so, might not have happened."

"I disagree."

Turning to Celestia, Starswirl turned on his seat on the stone tiles to ask the princess outright, while Luna was intrigued by her older sister's challenge of Starswirl:

"You said power of any kind has the potential for good and evil. Alicorns are a power themselves, like you said, and just as much as a potential for evil, they are also for good of all. You can't say the world should be robbed the gifts of something because of the risks."

"What if the risks are much greater than anything before?" Starswirl asked.

"The same could be counter argued of the benefits to the greater world." Celestia pointed out, after which Luna then added: "Sister is right, maybe you just see the bad before anything good too much."

"Experience has taught me to be wary before welcoming of new power besides my own or what I teach, unfortunately." Starswirl mumbled.

"Like self-teleporting, you made that spell, so you let others learn it?" Luna probed. Starswirl remarked:

"I didn't' invent it, but perfected it. I expect its inventor is dead by now, even if she was a long lived race. But I was younger, more open minded back then."

"You can't let bad experiences make you jaded forever. My mother says you should be open to others, take a leap of faith with them. Surely you know this?"

"Believe me, I met many individuals I had to take a leap of faith with before they proved themselves. Some of whom I still await their true merit to come forth, though I have doubts many foretold things actually come true as they are expected to." As Starswirl said this, he recalled how Chack had still yet to truly exemplify kindness, 37 years on from meeting the Salamander.

Slightly downhearted by Starswirl's remark, Celestia pointed out: "Master, maybe you could do well to try and not be as, withdrawn. You may be a great wizard, but you don't seem to do much to refute the tales of you being, well.."

"A grump." Luna finished. At this, Stasrwirl's ears perked, as he asked them both:

"And who calls me this?"

"Nopony in particular, but you are regarded as inapproachable by many. Cold, abrasive, but respected greatly. I know Luna, I and our parents know differently, but, why do you not do much to make more friends?"

"What do I have to gain from making more friends? What benefit is there exactly, when all that can happen is seeing friends come and go, parting ways to pursue their own ends, or going off on poor terms, never to be seen again despite promising to try and meet again?"

A twinge of bitterness was evident in Starswirl's voice, to which Luna asked:

"You had a friend before, didn't you?"

"Yes. He was the one that Alicorn in the jungle harmed, scarred for life. He became bitter, and, I had been hiding a truth from him for a while. A warning from somepony to not let him travel with me for my own good, to avoid dragging a friend with me,but I accepted his help, and he paid the price. I had to hide the truth, as I didn't want to lose my friend by leaving him behind, or revealing the truth and have a falling out. He found out, and told me when he left to return to Equestria long before I did. He didn't make much of a deal of it, but I knew he felt betrayed. He promised to find me when I returned to Equestria, but I have yet to find him, and I feel it is my fault. I learned that when duty calls, it is perhaps best to abandon social ties as much as one can. It just makes life simpler."

"But a simple life does not need be a lonely life." Celestia argued, and despite not knowing the details, she understood why Starswirl had explained it as he did. He was cautious of any social ties now, keeping them at an arm's distance, especially in this time of turmoil.

"I cannot bring myself to have as many social ties as you two without feeling as if I'm besmirching my responsibilities. And even if this fragile peace lasts, I have seen and experienced too much to ever truly live as calmly as I once did. That is how I was as a Wizard long ago, before my travels, and now it is merely a feeling strengthened far more than before."

At this declaration, Starswirl stood up, still clad in the newly decorated cloak and hat, as Luna then interrupted him politely:

"I am sorry you feel that way Starswirl. I wish you did not."

"So do I." He quietly remarked, more to himself than the sisters.

"Then why not try to be more open if you do not wish it so?" Celestia asked.

Without turning back to her, Starswirl spoke back calmly:

"My heart wishes to be more open, but my mind says otherwise. And based on experience, my mind has been right more often than my heart. If you wish to save yourself grief or trouble, I urge you to learn from my example. In the meanwhile though, I do appreciate the gift of your décor on my cloak and hat. I can still appreciate what gifts come my way."

Starswirl wandered off at that point, knowing the Princesses did not need to learn anything today. They'd proven their teleportation with the cloak and hat redecoration.

Talking alone together, the sisters couldn't help but feel a degree of pity for Starswirl.

"He knows cooperation is key to maintaining peace after any conflict, and openness is key to that, trust as well." Celestia remarked, but it was Luna who casually pawed the ground with her hoof, her silver horseshoe rustling the stone slightly as she did:

"It is too bad life has made him so jaded. So much wisdom, and yet look what it has done to him."

"Perhaps if he could find his friend he said would look for him?" Celestia wondered. At this, Luna's eyes turned back, thinking aloud:

"Maybe. What was his name, I know he had a magical academy named after him."

"Siral the Savant I believe. He vanished from Equestria 87 years ago, yet Starswirl said he should have returned."

As her sister thought, Luna remarked: "Maybe we could search for this Siral. Any records we could find."

"Perhaps a visit to the Savant academic guild is in order sister." Celestia gave a smile, to which Luna then pointed out as she recalled:

"Whenever our schedules in the coming week or so allow it."

Celestia's face fell slightly, knowing their royal schedules often didn't allow much leeway unless they arranged it at least a week or so earlier.

But it was something worth doing for their master, who deserved at least some form of happiness after his help of them and others.

Same day

Evening

26th May, 74 BNM

Equestria, Crystal Empire

Interim 'King' Sombra's chambers

His friend, Radiant Hope, a purple/blue Unicorn with a white mane, and a close associate of his within the Crystal Council, sat before him with a look of worry on her face.

Radiant was a frequent correspondant with the Princess of the empire as she visited the more southern parts of Equestria, which given all the peace talks of recent years, meant 'King' Sombra became a sort of defacto ruler by way of simply maintaining the empire's status-quo in Amore's absence, to which he stepped down readily on her return.

"Princess Amore sent a letter asking about your condition, and that you should stop your experiments on the crystal magic for a while. You gave me a bad scare for a start, but she's saying you don't need to do this with the war over."

Hauled up in his bed, the 2nd in command of the Crystal Council, remarkable for his age and orphan origins, the interim 'King' [in name only] in Princess Amore's absence sported a slight fever from one too many experiments on the darker crystals found in the caves around the empire.

Servants for the past year had said that in his more in depth experimenting sessions, they also reported signs of red eyes instead of his normal green, and his black mane becoming more like shadow, and his teeth sharper, though the signs quickly vanished soon after he stopped his spell-work.

But sometimes during his spell sessions, he compromised his body's strength, leaving him open to illness. And this time, pneumonia and fever had taken Sombra down, hard. He had recovered with magical help from the pneumonia, but the fever still prevailed somewhat, as it had for the past 2 days.

Stirring in bed, Sombra gave a nod to his childhood friend and associate, laying a reassuring hoof on her own atop his washcloth covered head and horn, which had receded from the red color it turned in his sessions also.

"I shall recover, and take Amore's words to heart. I was on the verge of a breakthrough, and got carried away is all."

"Just don't break yourself in the process Sombra." Giving Sombra a rub on the head, as she also magically cooled the moist rag on his head, Radiant Hope decided to stay with her friend until she was sure he was asleep.

In truth, Sombra did ease off his crystal research sessions for a few years. But the moment the conflicts erupted worse than ever, he felt the need, uncontested as well, to begin again.

As he did though, nobody would contest he had no valid reason to wish to unlock the power in the crystals for the defense of the empire.

Author's Notes:

I decided to give valid reason as to why Starswirl is said by Celestia in the present to have been, back then, jaded to friendship. Simply put, he saw time cost him friends on his journey, and lost his closest one, even before they meet again in the later Civil War.

Now the plot is set up that Celestia and Luna, in an attempt to try and make Starswirl less jaded [as Celestia once said Starswirl's problem was that he couldn't understand true friendship.], have a hoof in the reuniting of Starswirl and Siral.

…Not that hard to imagine what could occur the moment Starswirl catches even a whiff of what Siral has been doing/plans to do by enhancements with the 5, later 7 beings, his assets, his deceptively small fortress in the north, and his ultimate plans… Though he will not immediately catch wind of it, I will say that much. But Chack, as an 'agent' of Starswirl, will have his use here too, particularly in relation to a certain Unicorn and eventual being of 'Envy' whose horn he hacked off with his sword decades ago.

Also, meanwhile, the seeds of Sombra's eventual fall are already in place, he's been experimenting more recklessly at a slow rate.