Wish Upon a Star

Twilight Sparkle trotted off to the front of her large library. The afternoon daylight stretched through the windows and covered every inch of the room with a warm light. A young pony was looking around on the full shelves of books that filled inside walls until they touched the ceiling.

“Can I help you?” Twilight asked the pony.

“Yes, I’m looking for a medical book.” She started, “I need it for some research.”

“Right away,” Twilight said without missing a beat, “Anything specific?”

“I wanted to do something on odd illnesses.” She told the purple unicorn. “It’s for a research paper.”

“I have just the-.”

“Here you go.” A familiar voice said next to Twilight. Spike held out the book to the pony. Twilight wrapped the book in her purple colored magic and placed it in the bad that slung over the pony’s back. “Dr. Fertelnand’s Theory to the Strange: Uncommon Sicknesses and Injuries.” Spike continued, “One of the best books to find weird stuff like that.” The dragon smiled.

“Thank you Spike,” Twilight grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down a date with her date then slipped it into the back of the book and looked to the young pony. “Have that back in a few weeks, okay?”

The pony tipped her head graciously, “Thank you.” She smiled as she turned to walk out the door. “Oh,” The pony said as she stopped in the doorway. “Excuse me.” She stepped to the side and held the door open for the entering pony.

“Thanks.” The white stallion said as he passed through the wooden door. Twilight couldn’t help but notice the horn through the blue hair on top of his head. His purple eyes glanced around the room until they met with Twilight’s. “Hello,” He said as he walked up to her.

“Hi there,” Twilight responded with a joyful smile, “Do you need anything?”

“A book would be nice.” He joked.

“Well yes, of course. This is a library.” Twilight tried to joke back. She cleared her throat, looked down at the floor awkwardly then looked back up and spoke, “Well then, are you looking for anything in particular?” She asked.

“Um Book of Magic and Spells: Volume 7 please.”

“Right away,” Spike said as he rushed off to get the requested book.

There was a silence between the two unicorns.

“You like magic?” Twilight said, breaking the quiet.

“Yes,” The stallion moved his flank to the side, “I got my cutie mark because of it.” He stated.

Twilight was hesitant to look at the stallions flank, but she gave a quick glance and immediately darted her vision back to his eyes. “Stars…nice,” She said, she could feel her face flushing with awkwardness. “Mine’s kind of like a star too I guess.” She said. The stallion tilted his head to see. Twilight quickly turned her body the other way. “What are you doing?” She said face still flushed.

“Looking at your cutie mark?” His voice rang with question.

“Why!” Twilight didn’t realize she shouted. He moved again to see, Twilight turned again.

“You saw mine. It’s not like it’s a crime to look at another’s cutie mark.” He was confused by Twilight’s reactions, still circling her to see her cutie mark. Twilight matched his steps and circled the other way. The stallion took a step back, “Wait,” He said. He walked over to a table near him, picked up a piece of paper in his mouth, and enveloped a quill with his light blue magic. He stopped in front of Twilight and set the paper down at her feet. “Draw it out.” He suggested, handing the quill to her.

Questionable, Twilight wrapped the quill in her magic and scratched it against the paper, carefully forming the image that was part of her for years on the white surface.

“Here,” She held it up, covering her face.

“That is kind of like a star.” He smiled.

“Here!” Spike ran over to them carrying a heavy old book. The dragon looked over the Twilight. The paper still covered her face. “Um…Twilight, what are you doing?” Spike asked.

“Thanks for the book.” The stallion grabbed the book in his teeth.

“Just return it in a week.” Twilight said; words muffled over the paper.

The stallion smiled, “Okay Twilight.” Twilight flinched when she heard her name. The white unicorn bounded out of the library and shut the door behind him.

The paper covering Twilight’s face fell down slowly; she had a look of mixed emotions.

“Are you okay?” Spike asked, concerned for his friend. Twilight said nothing; she just stared into the space in front of her. “Helloooo?” Spike waved his hands back and forth to catch her attention.

“He wanted to look at my cutie mark.” She finally said.

“So?” Spike said. “What’s wrong with that?”

“I don’t know. I just…panicked.” Twilight looked to her friend. “What’s wrong with me?” She whined, looking for an answer.

Spike shrugged his shoulders.

“Augh.” Twilight buried her face in her hooves and slouched down onto the floor.

The next day Twilight tried to organize her collection of books. The old pages floated around the library, spinning around and moving like they were stopped in time until Twilight or somepony moved them. Spike walked over to a clutter of floating books and grabbed two or three. He set them in a neat pile and looked to Twilight. “Where should I put these?” He asked.

“Over there.” Twilight enfolded them in her magic, “Don’t worry, I’ll get them.” She moved the stack across the room and separated the books to fit into one of the top shelves. Moving three more scrolls in front of her, Twilight examined them quickly and organized them.

A creak from the front door sounded as a pony stepped in.

Twilight looked over, her heart dropped as she recognized the white unicorn making his way into her library and home. The spell cast on her books vanished and all of them went tumbling down onto the floor with loud thudding noises.

Spike let out a painful groan as he climbed out of the pile that landed on him. “What was that for?” He complained. He looked to Twilight, who was staring across the room, speechless and flustered. Then looked to the unicorn she was staring at. “Oh.” He paused for a moment. “I’ll just be going then.” Quickly, Spike rushed out of the room as fast as his tiny legs could carry him.

The stallion’s eyes darted around the room awkwardly. “Um,” He started. “I need another book.” He said.

Twilight said nothing.

“Please?” The stallion added.

Twilight shook her head, “Uh…sure, right away,” She finally spoke. “What do you need?”

“The book I got yesterday didn’t help me much.” He stated. “Do you have anything on illusions?”

“Yeah, but it depends of what kind of illusions you’re talking about.” She informed him.

“Can I just look through them?” The stallion asked.

Twilight looked confused, but started to look through the piles of books for every illusion book she had.

“Do you need any help?” He asked, stepping forward.

Twilight looked at him. “Sure.” She said. “You can look in those piles.” She flicked her tail towards two sections of piled books that fell on Spike.

The two began to sort the books and place the ones on illusions in one big pile. Twilight looked to the stallion; he was carefully looking at titles and even skimming through a few pages in them. He looked over to her; Twilight quickly turned her head back to the pile she was working on.

“Sorry about yesterday, Twilight.” He started, breaking the silence between them. “I should’ve asked about your cutie mark first I guess.”

“No it’s fine.” Twilight turned to face him. “I was the one being all weird about it. It’s no big deal really.” She placed another illusion book on the already large stack. “I never got your name by the way.”

“Starsong,” He said cheerfully. “Yours is just Twilight?”

“Twilight Sparkle.” She corrected him.

“That’s a cool name.”

“Thanks.” Twilight smiled. “So you like illusions then?”

“Love it. I’ve been trying to do a new spell lately.” He told her. “Making the images I project real.”

“That sounds difficult.” Twilight said, “Is it for your Indesence?”

“No, I already have mine.” Twilight could hear the pride in his words. “It’s illusion making, I’m just trying to take that to the next level now.”

“That’s really cool!” Twilight praised him. “I still haven’t found my Indesence yet.”

“What’s an ‘Indesence’?” Twilight heard a squeaky voice say from the upper floor.

Twilight bubbled with anger. She wrapped her magic around the person and brought them down. “Spike! Were you eavesdropping?” She growled.

“Sorry.” Spike said, embarrassed to get caught. “But what’s an Indesence?” He repeated.

“An Indesence is kind of like a cutie mark for unicorns except they don’t get marked.” Starsong explained before Twilight could even speak. “It’s a special magical talent that unicorns have for their magic. If they’re really good in a certain area or kind of magic than that’s their Indesence,” Star explained “For example; I’m an expert at illusions, so that’s my Indesence.” He looked to Twilight, “Do you have any leads as to what yours might be” He asked, curious.

Twilight shook her head. “Right now Spike and I are trying out mind spells.” She place Spike on the ground where he was floating.

“That’s cool. Do you know how to read minds without people knowing?” Again, Twilight shook her head. “You can try with me. I’ll teach you.”

The door creaked open as a pony walked into the library. She looked around at the mess and hid a smile behind her disgusted face as she made eye contact with Twilight.

“Uh,” he purple unicorn started, “Maybe another time.” She said as she organized the books in their places with magic as quickly as possible.

Starsong nodded, “Maybe another time.” He smiled.

“You can go now.” Spike suggested. Twilight gave her friend a confused look. “Er…I mean I could watch everything while you’re gone.” He started, “You really want to get you Indesence, right? And you want to make your illusions real, right?” He tipped his head at Starsong. “You both have knowledge in magic so why not help each other.”

“I can’t leave you.” Twilight protested.

“I’ll be fine on my own.” Spike assured her.

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked again, concerned.

“Absolutely,” Spike reassured her. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

“A surprising amount of things,” Twilight laughed. She touched her horn to his forehead and chanted something under her breath. Her purple magic folded around him, chilling his warm scales. The magic faded, Spike looked up to Twilight. “That was some protective spells. In case something does happen.” She informed him.

Spike smiled back at his friend as Twilight and Star left the library.

The two unicorns bounded across the center of Ponyville. Ponies were out doing their usual daily tasks: hanging out with friends, getting food, and tending to their jobs. The two arrived at a small section of houses. Star walked by the row of homes, occasionally greeting several ponies that were outside. Twilight matched his hoof steps, following close behind. Star trotted up a narrow, rocky pathway that led into a yellow colored house.

“This is me.” He said, looking to Twilight. Star opened the door and let her enter first.

The house may have looked small on the outside, but it was defiantly bigger on the inside. The walls and ceiling were covered with trinkets and magical objects. From the ceiling hung an opaque string that held up models of planets and stars. It spun around the whole room and looked like it trailed off into other rooms. Paintings covered the whole room, making it look like stars and planets. The walls were covered in maps and papers scrawled with writing and information. Shelves were cluttered with toys and books. Some things moved on their own while others looked like they needed magic to move them. The whole room seemed like a mess, but it still looked like it was organized at the same time.

“I know it’s not as grand as your library, but its home to me.” Star said as he walked to the center of the room.

“No, it’s wonderful.” She breathed. Twilight’s round eyes scanned the room carefully. She was in awe of his collection of so many strange and beautiful things.

“We can practice and stuff over here.” Star announced as he pushed away some objects to make space for the two of them. “I’m not used to having a guest.”

Twilight sat near the edge of the space. Star sat on the opposite side of her. “What should we start on? Your Indesence, or my illusions?”

“How about yours,” Twilight said. “Can I see an illusion?” She asked.

“Sure.” He answered. “Just close your eyes.”

Twilight was confused, “Alright.” She said with suspicion. She closed her eyes and stared at the back of her eyelids. A soft sound hummed from Star’s lips. A light melody that sounded hypnotizing. The soothing music rang in Twilight’s ears like a bell. After a few minutes of absolute silence Twilight moved her head around cautiously. “Can I look now?”

“Not yet.” Star said.

Twilight huffed impatiently. Suddenly, she felt like the atmosphere changed. Twilight moved her head again, somehow the room felt larger than before. A soft spring breeze touched her cheeks brushed her hair gently. She could feel dirt beneath her hooves and tall blades of grass tickle her legs. Moving one hoof back and forth, she made a small pile of dirt in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the small of fragrant flowers and fresh air. Happiness welled up inside her even though she couldn’t see where she was. “Now can I open them?” Twilight asked again.

“Open.” Star stated.

Twilight slowly opened her eyes to reveal that they were standing in a very large open field of tall grass and wild flowers. The green stretched across the horizon until Twilight couldn’t see it anymore. The grass was painted with all kinds of colors. Blues, reds, pinks, yellows, and purples mixed together all around the highs and lows of the grass. The sweet scent of the flowers swirled all around and mixed with the grassy smells. Crisp, light blue sky merged seamlessly with the endless field. Very few clouds hung in the air above them. Twilight found herself wrapped up in the gentleness and warmth that was this place.

“Half of what make an illusion believable is making the person believe it’s real and believing in it yourself.” Star informed her.  “Then it’s just remembering the basic senses; smell, touch, sound, taste, and feel. And lastly you have to get exact details, no matter how small.” Twilight looked to Star, his eyes were closed. He opened them closely and stared at the vast blue sky. “You were right when you said your Indesence is like your cutie mark. There’s no other feeling like it, like a Pegasus flying for the first time or an Earth pony finding the thing they love most. It’s like you’ve always known it was going to be that, something so simple and yet complex.” Twilight could hear the passion and kindness in his voice. Star look back to her, their purple eyes staring at one another. “You’ll find your Indesence.” He said, smiling a kind grin like he always does. “And when you do, you’ll know exactly what I mean.”

The sky turned grey and the grass shriveled down. The once beautiful land around them closed up until it was only the two unicorns standing in Star’s home.

Twilight felt a twinge of sorrow to be away from the sight. “Why did you have to hum that song?” She asked.

Star shrugged his shoulders. “I need to, or maybe I just want to and never tried without it.” He stated, “Either way, that’s the way I do illusions.” The room was silent. Only the small howl of the wind against the house could be heard for the few seconds that the two didn’t speak.

“So,” Twilight started, breaking the silence. “How do we make something like that real?” She asked.

“That’s what I would like to know.” Star said back. He pushed a pile of books towards Twilight with his muzzle. “Let’s get started then.”

Twilight nodded and began shifting through the pile.

The two unicorns worked endlessly. They would occasionally try a spell they thought might work, discus different ideas, and read every last word in the books and scrolls until their eyelids drooped with tiredness.

Starsong stood up and stretched his front legs followed by his back. He looked out the round window behind him, “Wow. Is it really that late?” He sounded surprised.

“What?” Twilight asked.

“It’s already dark out.”

“What?!” Twilight said again, jumping up and rushing over to the door. She slammed the door open, her heart dropped when she saw that her friend was telling the truth. “Oh no,” She said.

“What?” Star said, trotting next to her.

“Spike’s gonna kill me!” Twilight panicked. “I shouldn’t have stayed as long as I did.” She stepped outside and gave a grief stricken glance to Star.

Star returned with a smile. “I don’t really understand the problem, but I’m sure he’s fine. You put the protection wards on him right? That should’ve been enough.”

Twilight sighed, “I have to go home.” She told him. “He’s just a baby dragon, he might be worried.” She started to trot away.

“Well we can meet up again tomorrow.” Star suggested. “I’ll teach you how to read people’s emotions and we can use your library to look at more books!” He called to her.

Twilight grinned, “That would be great!” She yelled back, happily. “See you tomorrow!” She waved her tail at him and ran off to her home under the light of the stars and moon.