Wandering Stars

The streets of the small Izaleran town weren’t quiet, but nor were they bustling with activity. Enough Quirlicorns walked around, hoofbeats sounding on the cobblestone paths, to give the impression of life in the town. But not enough for it to be considered busy, per say.

Some Quirlicorns were traveling in small groups, chatting amongst each other. No particularly loud conversations were being held, but some snippets of conversation could be overheard.

Other Quirlicorns, just like Ascella, were walking alone. She didn’t know about how the other Quirlicorns felt, but Ascella didn’t feel out of place, but nor did she feel any particular sense of belonging. She was just visiting this small town afterall, stopping by on her wanderings through the Quirlicorn lands.

The past months had been like this, flitting about from place to place, offering her services in exchange for a place to stay. On occasion she’d spend the night under the stars. Never once did she stay for long enough to learn more than the names of the Quirlicorns she met.

Part of her missed the place where she had grown up, had lived for all of her life—the place she used to call home. The place where she had danced with magic in the sunrise, frolicked in the sunlit meadows, and rested under the watch of a familiar night sky.

Now, she called nowhere her home, simply wandering the Quirlicorn lands as she pleased.

Her wanderings had begun with a strange Quirlicorn passing through her village. He had brought with them a small kitsune, black as night with deep violet paws. She could feel the magic radiating from him as he offered some stories from his travels, a few trinkets from faraway lands, and a few lessons on magic for those interested.

“You should do something with your life, your magic,” the Quirlicorn had said.

She had nodded along, her magic light orb illuminating the path in front of them. For the brief time that Quirlicorn had been in their village, she had taken to walking beside him, trying to soak up every bit of knowledge —about magic, about the world, and everything else there was to know— she could learn from him.

She didn’t remember much about that Quirlicorn, not their name, nor what he had looked like. Just the vast knowledge he held within him, gathered from his journeys. Knowledge that she had seen only a glimpse of, and immediately known she had wanted to have.

After that Quirlicorn had left to continue his travels, Ascella, too, had set off on a journey of her own, eventually reaching this small town.

-:-

Ascella left the small Izaleran town a couple of days later. It was an unceremonious departure, no one noticed her go, besides the innkeeper who simply bid her goodbye.

She had come to the town with nothing besides her worn pack, and she left the town again that way.

Ascella looked at the rising sun to orient herself as she walked towards the mountain region. She didn’t know why she was headed there, just that there was something drawing her there. Part of her wanted to say it was fate pulling her in the direction of the mountains.

She didn’t know why, but she kept continuing forward to her eventual destination.

She traveled through the plains region, alone, until she met another mare headed in a similar direction.

Ascella had been admiring the song of a few sparrows, when the other mare walked towards her.

“A fellow fan of birdsong?” the mare had asked.

Ascella had nodded, “I suppose I do admire their songs.”

“Where are you headed?” the mare had asked, gazing thoughtfully at Ascella’s cloth bag.

“I’m not sure, wherever my hooves take me, I suppose,” Ascella had replied. She herself hadn’t known where she was headed, even after a few days on the road.

“Then, how about you come with me? I’m headed towards Vallis for the Equinox.”

“That is coming up soon,” Ascella murmured. She took a moment to think over the mare’s offer, contemplating the benefits of heading towards Vallis. She didn’t have a particular place she wanted to be, and spending the Equinox with a few other Quirlicorns couldn’t hurt. “I’d love to.”

“Wonderful!”  the mare replied, “I’m Halo, follower of Aberfa. What about you?”

“I’m Ascella,” Ascella answered, “I’m just your average traveler of the Quirlicorn realm, I suppose.”

“Then you’ve got to tell me about your adventures,” Halo said, “I’ve done some stuff because of Aberfa, but I bet you have some really fun stories I’d love to listen to.”

Ascella shrugged, “I really don’t have any interesting stories.”

“Hmm, I really don’t believe that,” Halo replied, “You have to have something interesting to tell me.”

“Perhaps you could tell me about yourself instead,” Ascella said, “Tell me some stories about Aberfa.”

“How about we share stories? I can tell you about Aberfa, and you can tell me about your adventures.”

“I really don’t have anything interesting to share,” Ascella said. She looked over at the endless expanse of grassland that lay in front of them. “But if you insist, we can do that.”

“Alright,” Halo said, grinning. “Want me to start?”

“Yeah, that’d be great.”

“So, there was that time, that Aberfa…”

Just like that, Ascella began following Halo towards the small land of Vallis, a land nestled at the edge of the mountain region, where the tall mountains gradually turned into rolling grasslands. Halo shared many of her own stories about Aberfa, about the stories told and her own encounters with the greater deity of the mountains. In exchange, Ascella offered some of the small stories she had collected on her journeys, about nothing much. Sometimes, the conversation shifted towards what the Equinox would be like, with the inevitable fluctuations of magic, with both of them guessing what they would find.

-:-

Having a companion made the journey pass by much quicker. It felt like barely any time had passed, before Ascella and Halo were standing at the border of Vallis. Yet even with how fast the journey had felt, they had arrived at Vallis just in time for the Equinox. Ascella could already feel the fluctuations of magic in the air by the time they arrived at the border.

A black mare with streaks of blue firefox greeted them. She walked with confidence, as if the magic of the land wrapped around her and belonged to her. It was easy to tell that this mare was likely the Baroness that Ascella had heard of.

“Greetings travelers, and welcome to Vallis,” the mare said, bowing down. “I am Barricades, Baroness of Vallis.”

“Greetings Barricades,” Halo said, bowing down. “I am Halo, follower of Aberfa. And this is Ascella, a friend of mine.”

Ascella mirrored Halo’s movements. She touched her head to the ground, hoping she was bowing correctly. Or at least, close enough to correctly. Ascella looked out of the corner of her eye, to watch for when Halo stood up.

Once Ascella had stood up straight again, Halo started speaking, “I hope you’ll have us for the Equinox. The deities have sent me and the others across the lands to assist for the Equinox.”

“Of course I’d be happy to welcome you two ,” Barricades said. She had a warm smile. “Come, follow me, and I’ll get you settled.” She swept her tail behind her, as she ushered Halo and Asella towards the mountains.

“I’ve already started preparing a celebratory meal for the Equinox,” Barricades said once they entered the cave dwellings. “I’m almost done with this little but, but you can help me finish the rest of the preparations. How about you two rest for a bit, and then I’ll come find you when I need assistance?”

-:-

Ascella made good use of her time. She took a long nap, letting her travel weary muscles rest. She loved traveling, loved being able to see the world, but she also relished the feeling of being able to relax. The landscape of Vallis was gorgeous, despite there not being many Quirlicorns.

She briefly wondered if Barricades lived alone. It certainly seemed like that, given how Ascella was yet to see another Quirlicorn in Vallis. It also seemed like everything that needed to be done, Barricades got done.

Once she had felt sufficiently refreshed, she stretched out her legs. Ascella walked around for a bit out, checking out the cave dwelling. There were torches along the stone walls, illuminating the varied tapestries and numerous bookshelves laden with books.

A quick skim of the book titles quickly captured her curiosity and interest. Ascella briefly wondered if Barricades would let her read some of the books later, after the equinox passed by. Afterall, she had little reason to believe that there would be enough time to peruse through the books before or during the equinox, with the busyness the equinox generally brought.

She stepped outside, searching for Barricades. The smell of warm, delicious food wafted over to her, and she followed the scent, hoping that she would find Barricades.

Instead, she found a bunch of foals chasing each other around a large clearing. She felt herself tense up in response to the influx of magic around. She forced herself to relax despite the way the magic was dancing around the foals, chaotic and unrefined. It alarmed her, to have this much magic combined with this many foals. The magic didn’t feel like the normal magic of the equinox, new and unusual—no, it felt as if it was magic the foals wielded, even before the Equinox brought about an influx of magic into the world.

Ascella soon spotted Barricades on the other side of the clearing, with many plates laden with food. She walked towards Barricades, relieved to spot a Quirlicorn that might be able to explain what the foals were doing here, and why there was so much magic being thrown around.

“Where are they from?” Ascella asked, referring to the many foals around them.

Barricades gave a nonchalant shrug. “A gift from the deities.”

Ascella figured there was a story behind that statement. There couldn’t not be a story behind a mysteriously appearing group of foals, all born with magic in their blood. All of them were brilliantly talented, more so than she had ever been. As much as she wanted to know that story, she also knew that Barricades wasn’t likely to elaborate.

“A gift from the deities, huh,” Ascella echoed back, softly, under her breath, but loud enough for Barricades to hear. The foals certainly were blessed by magic, blessed to have the power of the deities flowing inside them.

Barricades gave Ascella a curious look, studying her. “Just like you,” Barricades said after a moment of silence. It was both a question, but also a statement.

“I wouldn’t go as far as to call myself a ‘gift’,” Ascella dryly replied. Her magic was something that had always been a part of her, but it had never been special, not enough to ever be called a gift from the deities. She wasn’t anything particularly special, not like these foals.

“You have the blood of the deities running through you, do you not?” Barricades asked.

Ascella didn’t know how she was supposed to reply. It was true that she had been born with magic in her blood, but no one knew where that magic had come from. She had heard the older Quirlicorns in her village discussing her magic, but she had never paid them much heed.

Barricades must have noticed that Ascella wasn’t going to answer, because she continued speaking, “I have met those blessed by magic, to learn magic quickly, to reach heights of magical prowess we never could have imagined. But there are also those, blessed to have magic running in their veins without ever needing to learn how.”

“I’m blessed in neither way,” Ascella firmly denied. Her magic was neither powerful, nor did she learn quickly. Not compared to the Quirlicorns she had met at the start of her travels.

“No,” Barricades said, shaking her head. “It may not be much, but you still were blessed at birth, to have the magic of the deities in your veins.”

Ascella shrugged. “Think what you’d like,” she murmured in reply. She’d never call herself a blessing of the deities. That was a title the foals in front of her deserved, the way their magic seemed to burst through the seams. Not her.

-:-

Later that night, Ascella was feeling her eyes beginning to droop. The foals still remained full of energy, despite how much magic they had used earlier, romping through the mountain clearing while playfully sparring.

Ascella looked around at the other Quirlicorns. They all looked just as exhausted, having prepared food and shelter for the numerous foals bouncing around them, and also chased the foals around to keep them from doing anything too dangerous.

“Any ideas about how to get them to quiet down?” Halo dryly asked.

Barricades shrugged, “I’ve already tried giving them a warm cup of apple cider. They drank it, and then went right back to chasing each other. At least they’re inside now?”

“Give them some passionflower tea,” Ascella answered, “It would put them to sleep quickly.”

“Or, maybe you could try playing them a lullaby…” Barricades suggested to Halo. “You were playing songs for the foals earlier, maybe that could help them sleep.”

Halo nodded, “That might just work.”

The three of them soon herded the foals together, and Halo began using her musical inclination magic. The sweet notes of a familiar lullaby drifted through the air. Ascella held her breath, hoping that the lullaby would work its magic.

Many minutes later, a few of the foals were still chattering, but gradually, all of them laid their heads down, and fell asleep. Halo kept playing though, just to make sure the foals were truly asleep.

Barricades gestured for them to go outside, to keep talking away from where the foals were sleeping.

“Thank you both for coming to help with the Equinox,” Barricades softly said. “I’m not sure what I would have done with this many foals, without your help.”

“Happy to help,” Halo replied. Ascella echoed the sentiment as well.

“What will you do with all of these foals?” Ascella asked.

“I’ll find homes for them,” Barricades said, “There’s a stallion who should be coming by soon, he’s offered his help.”

“I see,” Ascella said. She wasn’t sure why, but part of her felt reluctant to simply leave the foals to embark on whatever path they would end up on after tonight.

-:-

Just as Barricades had said, a stallion with a gleaming white coat and a mane of stars that matched the night sky appeared. What wasn’t expected was the other Quirlicorn, draped in a thick black cloak that obscured most of his form, save for a hint of light purple mane.

“Xenon,” Barricades introduced him to Ascella and Halo, “Please meet Ascella and Halo.”

Xenon greeted the two of them, before turning towards Barricades. “Where are the foals?”

“They’re in there,” Barricades said, gesturing towards the cave where all the foals were asleep.

Xenon nodded. He gestured towards the mysterious stallion, and walked in the direction of the cave. Barricades followed, and Ascella did as well.

“Where will you take the foals?” Ascella asked, out of curiosity.

“I’ll find homes for them,” Xenon said, “Their paths are written in the stars, I just need to bring them there, start them on their way.”

The mysterious stallion looked pensive as he looked down at two of the foals—twins, if Ascella recalled correctly. “I can take those two,” he said quietly, almost as if he was hoping some Quirlicorn would oppose him.

No one did. Xenon just stepped towards the stallion, tilting his head as if he was asking if the other stallion was absolutely certain.

The other stallion nodded.

Xenon leaned in, and whispered something in his ear.

“I can do it,” the mysterious stallion replied. “I’ve heard the story enough times.”

Ascella watched the stallion wrap a wing around a pair of twins. One foal, a colt, had a beautiful black coat that glowed a deep blue, while the other, a filly, had a glowing coat with streaks of sunset. The stallion leaned over, and whispered something in the filly’s ear, before disappearing with both foals in a brilliant crackling of magic.

Time had barely passed, before the stallion was back again, his magic swirling around Xenon and the other foals. Just as the twin foals had vanished moments before, these foals also disappeared from sight, leaving nothing but speckles of magic before.

The remnants of magic faded quickly. Soon, there was nothing remaining, no sign that the foals and the two stallions had ever existed in the first place.

All that remained was Hao, Barricades, Ascella, and one singular foal.

“Why did they not take him?” Ascella asked, referring to the foal, Auriga.

“His prophesied path starts here,” Barricades explained. “All of the other foals needed to begin their journey somewhere else, but not Auriga.”

“So he’ll live here with you?” Ascella asked.

“No, he’ll go with you, once you leave Vallis,” Barricades said.

“Absolutely not.”

Halo looked inquisitively at Ascella, “I remember you were telling me that you were lonely, you could bring Auriga as a companion.”

“A companion, sure,” Ascella said. “He’s powerful. He’ll need someone to teach him about magic.”

“So take him. You’ll be a much better mentor for him, than I ever could,” Barricades said. “You have much more in common with him than you think.”

“I can’t teach him about magic though,” Ascella said, putting up a weak protest.

“He doesn’t need someone to teach him magic. He knows magic, just as you did. He needs a mentor, someone to guide him, someone to rely on.”

“You began traveling the world to learn. So take Auriga along with you, and teach him the lessons that cannot be learned by staying at home.”

“Okay.”