May this place long serve as a haven for those who share the blood of our convictions. Let kindred hearts enter and rest their weary bones at the end of every journey, so that they might be ready for the next.

~Excerpt translated from The Star Order Chronicles: Words of the Founder

/ / / Haven / / /

With the quiet sound of creaking hinges Silver Spark eased the worn old door to the tree house shut, slumping against it slightly for a moment as he inhaled deeply. He was exhausted, but figured that saving the life of a new princess would do that to a pony. Stepping away from the door he pulled off his slightly tattered apprentice’s cloak and lethargically tossed it at a hook near the others, his gaze sweeping tiredly down the short hallway into the homes interior.

It was a simple dwelling by most standards, constructed in the olden Earth pony tradition of hollowing out a sizable tree and constructing a home within. Though Silver Spark had paid the reasoning behind the choice of structure little mind over his years here, he did seem to recall Master Luminescent saying how it kept them in balance with nature. However that worked…

Silver sighed dramatically, taking his first steps further into the thankfully warm interior. There were days he very much disliked nature, like today for example, when it offered him only cold and yetis. He paused for a moment, taking a long pointed look behind himself at the thick wooden door. It also made whatever, that, had been…

Ever since he was a foal ponies had said that he was different, treated him different. They said that he was sick, or broken in some way. It was because of the things that he was certain that he had seen, or heard, or had simply sensed. Things that other ponies said were impossible, or were only in his mind. Luminescent had said differently.

That was how Silver had come to be here, a simple test as Master Luminescent had put it, the old wizard having showed up at his school late one afternoon. The test of course had been anything but simple, buried in riddles and laced with ulterior motives, as things often were when it came to his tests. To this day Silver Spark found himself questioning the very nature of what had been asked of him.

Leaving the small entry area behind and moving forward Silver absentmindedly acknowledged the door to the high Master’s chambers was cracked open. A small sliver of the relatively meager interior being just visible as he passed by, the room seemingly empty.

Not surprised in the slightest Silver turned his attention to his right, just as he passed a large archway set into the wall. Beyond this was a large commons area that took up most of the ground floor, consisting largely of a cozy looking sitting room, the walls lined with shelves of books and curios from far off lands.

The room was, for the most part, carved out like a crescent moon with its outer edge following the natural curve of the tree. Starting off narrow at the far right with a crackling fireplace the room widened to the left of the archway, another arch bisecting the space at its widest point. Through that one you would find the dining area as well as the kitchen, pantry, and washrooms.

Slowing his pace just a bit as he passed Silver let his eyes wander around the room, spotting Master Luminescent already fast asleep, sprawled over his favored cushion near the fire. It amazed him how one moment the old stallion was keeping pace with even the youngest of his students during training, matching them blow for blow, and the next appear every bit the old pony he seemed to be.

With a smirk of amusement Silver Spark continued on his way, just a few steps further bringing him to the center of the house. The hallway widened here, curving around either side of a spiraling staircase cut from the very heartwood of the tree, the steps rising up to reach the upper two floors. The second level of the house contained the apprentices’ sleeping chambers and above that, a library.

Wishing nothing more than to ascend the stairs and retire for the rest of the week, his front hoof tentatively placed atop the first step, Silver sighed under his breath and instead headed further down the hall. At the far end, just passed a second arch that led into the kitchens, was another door on his right across from more stairs leading down into the basement. He stood there a long moment, just staring at the solid piece of wood hanging on its hinges, trying to think of what he should say in favor of what he wanted to say.

Silver knew this would be one of those times where he should be delicate, employing tact and empathy. He needed to show that he was not completely hopeless in these areas and that given enough time, truly was capable of learning from his mistakes.

With a deep breath to calm his nerves Silver set his shoulders, taking on as calm a façade as he could. Stepping forward he slowly pushed the door open, his thoughts as thick and turbulent as the clouds of steam that rushed out to meet him…

/ / / / / /

Taking pause at the bottom of the basement stairs Star Swirl held himself back, observing the room that served as both a place to train and to study the more advanced forms of magic. More specifically though, he demarcated his observations towards the sole occupant, watching with interest as she ducked and weaved through the air.

This was apprentice Shadow Depth, the youngest and by a fair margin the most recent pony to have been discovered by the Order. Having only just arrived the previous year she seemed hell bent on catching the other students in their studies and had very nearly surpassed Star Swirl’s own level in her short time under the Order’s tutelage. A fact that both impressed, as well as aggravated him.

Still though, it was not proper to become jealous of some pony simply because their ambition and drive pushed them to surpass you, even if it seemed through your eyes as though your road had been the more difficult one. That said, Star Swirl could not help feeling a pang of envy as he watched her glowing body glide between motions, kicks and spells flowing perfectly after one another with fluid grace as she ‘fought.’

Held aloft as she was Shadow Depth continued to pirouette through the air, her nimble frame surrounded by a thin translucent sphere of magical energy that shimmered over her black coat and shone with white light from her eyes. Known to pony kind as a Reality Marble, the technique was highly favored by Master Luminescent and held quite true to its name. In a novice’s terms, the spell worked by feeding the user’s brain magically crafted stimuli, effectively allowing for any number of desired experiences.

So, even though it would appear to an outside observer that nothing of interest was happening, Star Swirl knew that within the spell’s confines Shadow was engaged in what looked to be a brutal brawl. He unconsciously flinched as something caused her to grunt and stagger, the breath leaving her lungs from a heavy impact. There were of course safeties in place to prevent any serious injury, but the spell could still bruise…

Star Swirl watched with concern as Shadow Depth struggled to rise, wondering if she had been in there all night as he noticed the sheen of sweat on her heaving sides. His worry turned to a smirk however as she set her shoulders and took up another steady fighting stance, signaling the waiting aggressors that she was ready for more.

Envious though he might have been Star Swirl had to admit he was definitely impressed by this mare, a year younger and barely half his size, yet here she was standing up to an encounter that had bested him on more than one occasion. He knew this challenge well and had recognized it based off her motions, six opponents wielding basic blunt weapons, hooves and repulsion spells only. Though her opponents could not be seen from this vantage it was quite apparent to him that, even though she was most certainly outnumbered, it mattered very little.

Glancing at the floor Star Swirl took a quick inventory of the projection system, a series of manna crystals set into a polished slab of quartz, a pattern of gold runes etched into the material. The reality spell drew a rather significant amount of energy, requiring more than any one unicorn could provide while still hoping to utilize the effects for more than a brief period.

The manna crystals served as the primary source of energy for the spell, able to sustain the illusion for multiple users over several days on their own if need be. Finding them nearly half drained was cause for shock, leading Star Swirl to shake his head upon confirming his suspicions. His smirk devolved into a smile of disbelief, having concluded that the crazy filly had been running herself ragged all night and now most of the morning as well. She was a stubborn little thing…

Shadow had not taken their Master’s decision for her to remain behind well; she had kept her tongue but had left the room in quite the huff. Star Swirl felt a twinge of empathy for her, remembering well how little trust he had been given in regards to his assignments. She would earn it however, given time and her unrelenting drive would ensure that when the day came to prove herself she could handle anything that was asked of her.

At least Star Swirl hoped she could see it that way, even he had to admit that Luminescent seemed to go out of his way to be tough on her, pushing her through trials that even Star Shine had only recently completed. Come to think of it now that he had a moment, all of their training seemed to have been accelerating over the past months. There had not even been time for him to write his mother a proper letter, just a few quick scribbles of how he was faring.

That had been hard enough to get done, let alone mail the blasted thing; it still sat under a pile of books on his writing desk. Star Swirl wondered how the others were doing under the load, his mind drifting as he continued to watch Shadow Depth combat her opponents, surely she had the least amount of free time out of all of them.

He admired her progress though, to have come so far in such a short time was nigh unheard of. For a Unicorn to gain power through expanding their mana reserves often required years of constant practice and meditation, as this was the only course one could follow. A lucky few like himself had been blessed with a natural talent in the art and as such could climb higher than most. Then, on a whim, a true prodigy the likes of Star Shine would come along and leave them all to feel lacking…

Star Swirl nearly snorted aloud at the mere thought, if he had tried to pull off the same spell as Star Shine had against the Yeti it would likely have killed him. She had been exposed to the same magic withering effects as he had traversing those peaks, yet a spell like that barely left her winded. He slowly scuffed a hoof across the perfectly polished floor, reliving his frenzied escape down the mountain side. How could he compete with that when he had barely the strength left to wield his blade at the end? It was no surprise that Master Luminescent had picked her, not that Shine didn’t deserve it.

Before he had arrived, Star Shine had been the only apprentice currently undergoing training with the Order, her skill and talent for magic already far ahead of Star Swirl’s own. He had learned a lot from his fellow student and not just lessons of spellcraft and alchemy. Star Shine had been one of the first ponies in his life that Star Swirl had come to consider a friend and he knew that she was disappointed with him about the creatures of the mountain.

Having decided to finish scolding himself later Star Swirl was about to announce himself when the light of the projection crystals began to flicker, an indication the illusion was coming to an end. Sure enough, Shadow Depth had ceased her battling and was offering her opponents a courteous bow.

Watching as the spell came to an end Star Swirl moved a few paces closer, wondering exactly how he should begin the discourse between them. Shadow had made it rather clear on several occasions that she did not wish for the friendship of the other students, but that certainly was no reason they could not still be civil with each other.

Shadow Depth made the decision for him, speaking up on her own terms as she was gently returned to the floor. “Star Swirl?” She asked with a flat tone, sounding more like a bored statement than an inquiry. “I suppose if you are present then it is safe to assume the quest was a success, you would not have returned without acquiring what was needed, and would therefore not be here otherwise.”

“Why do ponies always say that?” Star Swirl grumbled, looking to the floor for a moment as he remembered the brief conversation with Star Shine up on the mountain.

“It is your redeeming quality,” Shadow Depth replied simply. Blinking owlishly for a moment as the light shining from her eyes finally faded away, revealing intense green irises that burned with intelligence.

“Oh, well it is nice to know that I have such a thing in your eyes,” Star Swirl muttered with sarcasm, his ears wilting slightly.

“I meant that only as a compliment, Star Swirl,” Shadow replied defensively. Still not having bothered to look at him as she attempted to straighten her mane, wiping beads of sweat from around her eyes as she did. “If you have proven anything to me over my time here, it is that you have the temerity to get done what needs doing, the Princess was in good hooves.”

Star Swirl was surprised to say the least; he hadn’t expected that from the usually stony mannered mare, perhaps she had begun to change her opinions of him after all! “Thank you, Shadow. That means the world right now,” he said, perking up a little at the praise.

Shadow flicked her eyes up at the familiar sound of magic; her expression softening a bit as she graciously accepted the towel that Star Swirl levitated over to the panting mare. “You may thank Master Stardust; it was she who strongly espoused that I... Make an effort to encourage my fellows in their endeavors,” Shadow stated simply, wiping down her face with the towel before using it to tie back her indigo mane. “Do you feel encouraged, Star Swirl?”

“Not the, exact verbiage I would use. No,” Star Swirl replied dryly, his features deflating further as his shoulders sagged. So much for that earlier thought, some opinions never changed. “A commendable effort though,” he quickly added, backpedaling a few steps as her eyes narrowed.

“Yes, but directed at the wrong pony. I think,” Shadow Depth said somewhat absentmindedly, her eyes flicking from side to side as her thoughts went elsewhere. She stalked forward, her strides covering surprising distance for her stature, gaze surveying him as if evaluating a trinket at the market.

Star Swirl hated when she did this, it made him feel like a chunk of meat. There had been a few times in the past when he had become genuinely convinced she was about to hack a piece of him off for study. Perhaps it was merely a harmless chemical imbalance in his brain, but she made him nervous.

“The quest was a success, but I see that it came with a price,” Shadow said as she began a circle around her fellow apprentice, her eyes scanning up and down as she went, identifying every detail. “You are very nearly exhausted, magically as well as physically. Which would indicate something far more taxing than a simple trek to the summit and back.”

It was the eyes, definitely the eyes that Star Swirl found most distressing about her, the way they just burned into you. He could swear he could feel the heat as he turned his head to watch her with a cautious grimace.

Shadow held a hoof up to Star Swirl’s muzzle as she moved around back to his front. “Spare me your explanations; this will be the faster for both of us,” she said, her gaze finally meeting his. “Four shallow slash wounds along the mid of your back, hastily bandaged and bled through,” she droned as she reached up and tugged something loose from his mane. “A single strand of lose hair not your own, but judging by thickness and curl I would have to say from a highland Yeti, a young male juvenile.”

Star Swirl wanted to interject, to defend his position in all of this. In the end however, he knew there would be little point to it, having been put through the process plenty of times before.

“I am disappointed, Star Swirl,” Shadow Depth said with a short sigh, stepping back from him. “It is both an embarrassment and a waste of time to be scented out by a hunting pack of predators. You are aware that there are spells and potions for concealing one’s self yes?”

“Most certainly,” Star Swirl huffed, ready to assert himself in defense of his own academic accomplishments, only to shrink back as her gaze lit anew.

“I see now, the reason for those slumped shoulders and the look of aggravation in your eyes,” Shadow continued on, unimpeded by Star Swirl’s attempt at a rebuttal. “Silver Spark, with his obsessing need to keep an eye on you over his shoulder, likely spotted your peril long before you became aware of it. Undoubtedly his bravado and compulsive need for attention drew you all into a needless and bloody confrontation, which is why Star Shine is now upset and brooding and Silver Spark is off someplace being clueless about his self misguidance, as usual. Does this about sum things up?”

Star Swirl raised a hoof to add something but stopped himself, thinking it better to simply nod and concede for the time being. He remembered the words of an old sage whom he had read about, saying that to win the long war, one must first survive its battles.

“Come along then,” Shadow said with surprising authority, brushing past him with purpose powering every step. “We should go and encourage them to be civil when the time arrives to become involved.”

“Not to worry,” Star Swirl said with a reassuring smile, glancing after her and towards the staircase. “I am certain that Silver has already come up with some clever way of apologizing to her…”

/ / / / / /

Star Shine sighed with contentment as she slowly eased herself lower into the hot water, her sore muscles relaxing as the day’s grit and grime washed from her coat. If there was any kind of divine paradise out there then this had to have been a close second. The steam was doing wonders for her wind battered skin; and lavender oil in the bath water drove the stink of sweat and foul yeti breath from her nostrils.

Rolling onto her back Star Shine slowly let her limbs go limp and sink to the bottom as her head rested against a cushion on the rim of the old wooden tub, letting the drama of the day fade from her thoughts. She would be unlikely to admit it in the face of her peers but she was exhausted, drained not only on a physical level, but on a magical one as well. Even now her horn throbbed and her hooves quivered; the first warning signs of minor magical depletion. She hoped those two morons appreciated the strain a spell like that had entailed under such conditions; it had cost her a great deal to save their scruffy necks…

Though it had barely been more than a night since they had left on their life saving quest it felt more like months had somehow passed, as if they had been frozen while time continued its relentless march. She lifted a foreleg and stared at her hoof as the frog flexed; frozen was most definitely the right word, her blood still felt the mountain’s icy chill.

Hearing that little filly cry had made all the hardship worth it though; her tiny voice working for the first time was something Star Shine could never forget. It reminded her why she pushed herself so hard, why she worked every day to achieve what Master Luminescent expected of her. It was that reminder that ultimately helped put her mind at ease, reassurance she had passed her test.

Star Shine lost herself to the thought for a moment, examining it as she watched the droplets of water run down her leg, collecting along the underside and dripping off her clumped fur. She had passed, hadn’t she? The rules of Luminescent’s tests were often quite vague and this one seemed to be no different. The old Master often spoke of how every life held value, how even the most ferocious beasts were a part of the balance of nature.

Star Shine had taken the lives of wild creatures before, slain monsters and other foul things in the name of the Order, in the name of ponies whom had been unable to defend themselves. This seemed no different on the surface, cut and dried, end a single life to preserve many. Yet, somehow this felt different in a way. Something that tickled the back of her mind would not rest, it just kept picking at her, demanding another look.

Perhaps it was nothing, just remnants of the same old self debate she had dealt with the first time her blade had ever cleaved through flesh. It had been so very fast; a desperate moment of self preservation, her own life hanging on a momentary decision. If she tried Star Shine could still feel the monster’s humid breath at her face, its fangs closing around her throat. In that single moment, she had learned what it was to kill.

Who was she to have taken a life, what gave her that right? These were some of the questions that she had struggled with in the years since that fateful night. The creature had been a monstrous unnatural hybrid, devouring any it found with no remorse. Many had called her a hero that day.

All Star Shine had heard was the creature’s pitiful whimpers as the last of its blood flowed onto the ground, its final death rattle clear in her mind despite the cheers. She had been trembling, not just with fear and adrenaline, but also with shock at herself. She had always sought to best her foes with her skills of magic, defeating them with clever tactics and as little in the way of violence as possible. The very path that Luminescent seemed to guide her towards.

That was the whole point of the Star Order; to gain and preserve knowledge so that it might further harmony throughout the world. Star Shine had learned two very important lessons that night; one being that magic could not solve all of her problems, the other being that violence by its very nature would be inevitable. She had made peace with that.

Violence was inevitable, it happened naturally every day in nature and that was a fact. Facts were named such for a reason; they were things she could not change. If she wished to continue down this path of learning for the sake of protecting then there would be more violence ahead. Some she could avoid with her will and magic, but some, would inevitably require more from her. Inevitably, she would be forced to make that decision again. Inevitably, she would have to kill.

That is what frightened Star Shine the most, why she had chastised Silver so harshly on the walk back and why she hated him for causing such an easily avoidable mess. She wasn’t afraid of the inevitable, of the necessity of that most heinous of acts. No, she was terrified of herself, terrified of one single little aspect of those rare little moments when she had faced down the inevitable. What scared her the most, was that she had begun to enjoy it.

The moment she had seen that first monster’s blood spill, when it splashed over her screaming face and she finally realized that it had not been hers, the sole feeling in her heart at that moment had been elation. Elation not of simply being alive, but that the beast had died, meeting its end at her hooves. She enjoyed the feeling of having just killed, it left her feeling like a predator, and she loathed it.

But it was more than that. After that fateful night she had sought council amongst the Masters of the Order and they had offered a great deal of comfort, yet the feeling persisted. Now it seemed to have returned to fester in her thoughts once more.

With a defeated groan Star Shine finally let her leg drop back into the water, letting it sink with her mood as she shifted deeper into the tub’s warmth. Her eyes threatened to flutter shut as they danced with the flicker of the candles, the calming light soothing her mind just as the warm lavender water soothed her body.

Taking another deep breath of the humid room helped Star Shine to quiet her thoughts, focusing more and more on the smells as she drew in through her nostrils and out her mouth. The damp wood of the room mixed with a hint of candle smoke, hot mineral filled water with lavender and just a hint of lilac.

There was something else as well, now that she was looking for it. Star Shine took another deep lungful of steamy air, catching a further faint trace of something familiar. Shine opened her eyes a crack, peering over the other end of the tub towards the far wall, the door there barely visible through the wafting steam.

Having lost whatever had caught the attention of her nose Star Shine decided it didn’t matter. She was quite content to simply lie here and be done with the world for a while so after settling back into the water’s wondrous embrace, sliding down until her muzzle was all that remained visible over the suds, she closed her eyes with another sigh. Whatever it might have been did not matter right this second, because she had finally managed a moment for herself, and she was not about to let anything else ruin it now…

“Ahem…”

Her eyes flew open at the sound as she instinctively flailed towards the far side of the tub, soapy water splashing wildly as her hooves rose to prepare for a fight. A stray clump of bubbled soap landed square in her eyes, nearly blinding her as it burned, severely hampering her desperate search for what was surely an attacker.

Heart thundering in her ears, it was no less annoying that when at last she could see well enough to identify her aggressor, it was only to find an idiot had invaded her bath time…

“Silver!!”

Hey gang, sorry about the long delay, things have been a bit odd for me lately. There is going to be a move in my very near future so I can’t promise that the next few chapters won’t have delays as well. Fear not though, this story will continue. ~Dollars