Chapter I: The Stranger in the Storm

King Stargazer stood motionlessly on the bow of the Atlantica, his seaside kingdom’s flagship vessel gliding gently into harbor on a calm westerly breeze. He was a tall unicorn with a dark grey coat and white mane, his sturdy physique belying the decades that had passed under his reign. Even now, Stargazer maintained an intimidating presence, particularly as his piercing gaze scanned the coastline before him. Turning away from his post at the ship’s bow, the King cast a glance at the distant horizon. It had been a rare restful night for Stargazer and his crew, as the squall predicted to land overnight had moved north and allowed them safe passage home. The first rays of sunlight scattered upon a low cloud layer as the golden-yellow disk pushed its way above the horizon. An old rhyme surfaced in Stargazer’s mind as he surveyed the beautiful collision of light and seascape before him. Red sky at night, sailor’s delight…red sky at morning, sailors take warning.

The glassy water before him reflected several shades of crimson, and Stargazer sighed quietly as he considered how lucky their timing had been, reaching port between the squall and whatever foul occurrence this ominously gorgeous sunrise foretold. It was about time to rouse the crew, with their long-awaited arrival in Atlantica less than an hour away. Making his way past the fo’c’sle, he pushed past the pony stationed at the helm and through a pair of mahogany storm doors, and entered the cabin.

“Fogdiver!”

After a moment, a short, green earth pony dragged himself out of the first mate’s quarters and stood groggily at attention before the King, his uniform tattered and smelling faintly of sea salt and rum.

“Give the starboard cannon a blast,” Stargazer ordered. “It’s time everypony got themselves to work; today’s a big day for us...for all of Atlantica.”

Stargazer ascended the staircase to the helm none too gingerly, his heavy footsteps emphasizing the gravity of his words. Their return to Atlantica was an important occasion, and not merely because the King was returning to his city for the first time in months. This would, in fact, be the first time he saw his daughter, to whom his beloved Queen Moonshine had given birth before her untimely passing. The news that his wife of twenty years had passed in his absence had been devastating; equally shocking had been that she had delivered a filly just weeks before succumbing to her long-developing case of laminitis. It had been a long journey home despite their immediate change of course for Atlantica Seaport upon receiving the letter while at Freedom Landing.

BANG! “All hooves on deck!”

Stargazer snapped back to the moment as Fogdiver’s muffled voice echoed through the belly of the ship below. He could hear the crew stumbling for their belongings  as they shook off the combined effects of deep sleep and the paralyzing  cannon blast. The unicorn returned topside as the ship sidled up alongside a long wooden dock. Ponies of all ages and colors were packed onto the floating structure as the huge vessel’s bow and stern lines were tossed down and secured. Last off the ship was Stargazer himself, and a cheer rose from the crowd as he assumed his best kingly pose and sauntered down the gangplank to the dock. Bows, handshakes, and congratulations were offered by many, while others remained quiet or offered their respectful condolences in light of the gallant unicorn’s loss. Far behind them, the bustling port town sprawled across the waterfront, framed by high granite cliffs upon which Stargazer’s palace proudly stood.

Adjoining the castle was a stone lighthouse, a hundred and twenty feet tall and possessing the brightest beacon on the coast. It was a sign of hope for weary travelers and a welcome sight for those returning home from voyages upon the unforgiving sea. Guardian Lighthouse had been erected nearly forty years earlier, as a symbol of triumph and peace following Stargazer’s hard-fought victory over the sea serpent Leviathan. The beast had stalked the shores of Atlantica for centuries, and had returned early in Stargazer’s reign to reclaim the coast from the ponies who had settled there in his absence. Stargazer had wielded his powerful magic against the ferocious beast for many days before the monster finally succumbed. Though he would never admit it, the pony King admired the serpent’s effort to defend even such a trivial part of his domain, and spared its life in a controversial gesture that would eventually cement his legacy as a noble and benevolent ruler.

**********

Several hours later, Stargazer found himself in the master bedroom of his palace, accompanied only by his Royal Guard and Emerald, Stargazer’s personal assistant, and now, nanny. Emerald had been unwaveringly at his side for as long as the King had been in Atlantica, and next to Moonshine, was his most trusted friend. Since Moonshine’s passing, Emerald had been chosen to raise Stargazer’s filly until his return. The yellow unicorn had spent the vast majority of the last three months ensuring that Stargazer would have a healthy, happy young filly to come home to, and now her patient care finally paid off.

“She’s…beautiful. Thank you, Emerald.” Stargazer was never one for compassionate words, but the simple phrase was more than enough to make the mare’s eyes become glassy as she tried to keep her composure. She nodded stiffly at the beaming new father. Stargazer leaned down and kissed the tiny, fragile filly on the forehead. She was white all over except for black ‘socks’ by her four hooves. She also had no horn.

The grey stallion considered this for a moment. Both he and Moonshine were unicorns – what were the chances that their daughter would be an earth pony?

“She is just like your mother.” Emerald noticed the pensive look on Stargazer’s face and reassured him that the filly had taken after both her grandmothers. It made sense that she would be without a horn or wings, since half her lineage was, in fact, earth pony. Her paternal lineage, on the other hand, was half unicorn and half pegasus.

“What do you want to name her? It won’t be long before ‘little one’ or ‘precious’ begins to stick with her.”

Stargazer silently pondered the question.

“Moonshine had several names she was considering. I believe she was fond of her mother’s, Miasma. It has a nice ring to it.” He once again found himself stumbling to find a tone of voice befitting the serenely joyful mood. The last rays of sunlight were streaming in through the mansion’s stained glass windows now, casting streaks of blue and green light across the room. Dust swirled at the base of each pane, tiny particles dancing among the red and yellow flower petals that adorned the sill.

The yellow unicorn chuckled softly and cradled the white filly in her forehooves, smiling up at Stargazer as she gently stroked her tiny burden’s short mane.

“Miasma.”

**********

CRACK!

The window shades shuddered in their frames with each new round of thunder. Driving rain pelted the mythical figures locked in eternal battle within the glass, the rain’s once-soft pattering now a constant thrum. Stargazer stood in the palace’s Great Hall, observing the seaport and ocean in the distance through the great window that composed much of the room’s eastern wall. Somewhere upstairs, Emerald was doing her best to quiet his daughter despite the terrifying weather. There would be no sleep tonight.

He had been here for hours, somewhere between being too excited and too worried to sleep. It was upsetting to see his little foal crying so much in his first night back. Obviously it wasn’t his fault, or any other pony’s – after all, it’s not like one can control the weather. The sea does that instead along this treacherous coastline. Stargazer glanced at the tall clock positioned across the room. Four-thirty.

Today would be a long day. There were ceremonies to be held, awards to be presented, ships to be unloaded, and he was expected to preside over all the festivities that accompanied a successful return by Atlantica’s greatest ship. It was a holiday that came two to three times each year, to be sure, but this was considered particularly important because he had been aboard the Atlantica for this voyage. The centerpiece would be a ceremony to honor his commanding general and personal guard, Riptide, who would be stepping down after half a decade of service. The general had selected a colt to step into his place, though the identity of the new commander would not revealed to the public until the event.

Plop…plop…plop…

Stargazer could hear water dripping from somewhere outside. The rain had finally ceased its bombardment of the town. The landscape was still only faintly illuminated by a crescent moon, but what light there was reflected off huge amounts of standing water surrounding the palace. There would need to be lots of sand poured around the castle grounds to keep them from turning to mud and washing away. One more thing to worry about…

“Your Majesty, come quickly!” A member of the Guard burst through the front door, his urgency apparent in both his words and demeanor.

What could possibly be the matter at this hour? Stargazer turned his attention to the soaking-wet pegasus, who was still panting as he did his best to stand at attention in the King’s presence.

“Ease yourself, Whitewing. What requires my attention at such a time?” Stargazer could not imagine why he would be needed for something at this very moment.

“You Majesty, the first patrol after the rain let up found something outside. We wanted to ask you what to do.”

“Go on.”

“We found a filly out in the storm. Pegasus. Can’t be more than two years. Definitely not one of ours.”

This was a strange and remarkable occurrence indeed. Everypony in the port town was familiar with one another; traveling bands from other parts of Atlantica always gave notice before arriving in the town in which the King resided.  A single pony, much less one barely past foalhood, would almost certainly never be able to make the long haul from Threshold Cove, nearly forty miles away, to here without supplies or vessel.

“See to it that she is warmed and housed for the night. If what you say is true, this pony is bound to have a story to tell…a story I’d like to hear.”

**********

The lavender filly was still shaking. Escorted by two fully clad Guards, the tiny mare stood before the King’s throne, wrapped in a blanket and wearing a despondent expression. Her mane and tail hung straight down, their jet-black color pierced by two lightning-yellow streaks. Her eyes were turned downwards, but their vivid golden irises still glistened in the hazy morning light. The filly’s lips trembled slightly as she muttered unintelligibly under her breath.

Stargazer observed the foreigner from his seat, several feet higher than the rest of the ponies in the room. He had an uneasy feeling about this pony, but he couldn’t say exactly where the feeling came from. He addressed the newcomer.

“You arrived at our town in a most unusual manner. No belongings, no companions, no…anything. Why are you here?”

The filly raised her eyes to meet Stargazer’s. They were so bright compared to the rest of her complexion. Those striking golden eyes seemed to stare right through the King, down into his thoughts and into his very emotions. They were full of confidence and determination, of vivaciousness and spirit. There was far more to this filly than met the eye. Stargazer felt his mane prickle and stand on end. He turned away instinctively, then returned his gaze to the mare. Was it fear? Impossible.

He paced his words carefully. “What is your name?”

The filly took a deep breath. She never blinked. Those eyes just drilled right back into Stargazer’s own as if to command his respect and admiration. The King realized he was holding his breath.

“Starstruck,” the mare replied. Her tone was quiet but unwavering in its authority.

“My name…is Starstruck.”