Celeste awoke the next morning to the sound of happily chirping birds singing in the open morning air. She smiled; her eyes still closed so she could savor the beautiful moment before having to get up. She then suddenly felt a presence next to her. She cracked open an eye to see Dreamer staring at her. Celeste jumped up and looked around her: she was outside. She looked at Dreamer.
“Why am I outside, Starry?” She asked casually. Dreamer smiled that goofy grin of hers and answered.
“Because.”
“Because?”
“Yep!”
So specific… Celeste then heard another sound nearby. She turned to look and saw her mother tending to her petunia bed.
“Mother—” She began to complain, only to get interrupted by her little sister.
“We’re outside because the butterfly migration is about to start soon!!” She interrupted happily.
Celeste blinked, realizing that her energetic sister was correct.
“And you were sleeping for forever, so I asked mommy to help bring you outside with her magic so not to wake you.” Dreamer said.
Celeste jumped up and said, “Well, that was thoughtful, Starry…I think…anyway, why didn’t you say the butterfly migration was today, I would’ve definitely gotten up to something as important as that!” Celeste said as she jumped out of the chair she had been sleeping in.
Together, the two sisters worked on preparing for the amazing show they were about to witness. They helped their mother spread out a lovely picnic with plenty of food for the family of four.
“And not a moment too soon!” Their mother said as they finished setting up, spotting the first of many brightly colored butterflies fluttering over Dreamer’s head. The family settled down on the soft blanket as many more butterflies began to appear over their backyard fence.
“Oh, look at that one! And that one!” Dreamer exclaimed, bouncing all over the yard energetically a few minutes later.
Celeste chuckled and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as a butterfly fluttered up and landed gently on her muzzle.
Dreamer came over at once and studied the delicate creature. “Oooo!” She breathed.
“Starry…” She whispered, trying not to move her muzzle too much. “Go and fetch a large jar from the kitchen. Take off the lid of the jar, get some rubber and poke small holes in the rubber, if you please…”
Dreamer didn’t say a word but turned and ran into the house and was gone for a few minutes, leaving her sister praying the butterfly wouldn’t fly away while she was gone. She came back with what Celeste had asked for, but she knew what to do before Celeste told her.
She slowly put the jar up next to her sister’s muzzle and blew the butterfly in gently, being careful to not damage its wings. Dreamer then quickly stretched the rubber over the top before it could escape.
The delicate creature fluttered around in a panic for a second before relaxing and landing on the bottom of the jar.
The two sisters looked at it in awe.
“The wing design is absolutely beautiful…” Celeste breathed.
Dreamer agreed as they continued to stare.
This butterfly was different than the rest of the migrating ones: Its wings had two different designs on them: one had a bright yellow circle on the top corner of the left wing, the rest of the wing colored with what looked like the very color of the sky. The right wing however, had a bright white circle in the bottom right corner of this wing, the color surrounding it a dark royal blue with specks of white spots.
Celeste wanted to keep it and study its intriguing design, but she knew that this butterfly would feel lonely without the rest of his family, so she took pity on the winged creature and decided it would be best to let it go before the migration ended.
When she told her decision to Dreamer, she nodded her head, her dark eyes sparkling with sadness.
Celeste slowly reached for the jar and took it from Dreamer’s hooves. She took of the rubber and the two watched as the butterfly flew up and rejoined the group.
The butterfly migration lasted for about another hour before finally trickling down to the last stragglers. After the migration finally ended, Celeste laid back on the blanket they had been sitting on and looked up into the blue sky. She let her eyes wander the fluffy clouds that blew over in them in the gentle summer breeze. She looked over at her sister and noticed Dreamer’s eyes were closed. Celeste sighed, realizing that Dreamer had fallen asleep and closed her own eyes; savoring the warm feeling of the sun on her stomach and the slight breeze that ruffled her coat.
Celeste suddenly heard her mother sigh and the sound of dishes being carefully put into the picnic basket. She quickly opened her eyes and jumped off the blanket. “I’ll help you!”
Her mother thanked her as she piled the rest of the dishes and extra food into the wicker basket and carried it inside. She bounced happily into the kitchen and hummed a random tune as she began to wash the dishes by hoof. “Wash, rinse, dry, repeat!” She said to herself. It had been something her mother taught her when she thought she was old enough to do the dishes by herself. Of course, Celeste already knew how to do the dishes without the saying, but saying it became an old habit of hers.
She was already drying the last dish by the time her mother came in with sleeping fillies, Twilight Sky and Dreamer, lying across her back, the blanket that had been laid across the grass was being carried in her mother’s mouth.
She put it down before she spoke. “Already done with the dishes?” She raised an eyebrow at her oldest daughter.
Celeste nodded, beaming from ear to ear at her mother.
“Well, great job, hun!” She said, forcing a smile.
Celeste looked at her mother worriedly and rushed over to her to kiss her forehead gently. “Are you alright, mom? You look tired…” Celeste whispered.
Her mother looked up at her grown daughter. Her eyes started to well up. “Oh, I’m quite alright dear.” Her mother lied as she looked down at the ground, trying to hide the tears that were now falling onto the worn floor boards.
“Oh my! Please, tell me what’s wrong, mom.” Celeste pleaded as her mother wiped her eyes.
“…alright…we just have to put your sisters to bed first. It seems these two have had quite a day so far.” Celeste’s mother said as she walked into the living room.
Celeste quickly picked up her sisters in her golden magic and laid them on the couch, both fillies smiling as they snuggled closer together in their sleep.
The two mares walked back into the kitchen, Celeste telling her mother to relax while she put everything away.
Her mother was grateful for the extra help and smiled as she sat down in one of the kitchen’s creaky wooden chairs.
“Alright…now tell me…what’s wrong?” Celeste asked, sitting down across from her mother as she finished putting things away.
Her mother looked down into her lap and sighed. “Well……I’m just so grateful to have such a wonderful family…” She began. “I’m always praying to the Queen and King for having such wonderful children…”
Celeste smiled sweetly. “Well, then what’s troubling you?” She asked as she laid a hoof on her mother’s knee.
Her mother sighed again as she continued. “Well…I…just wish you and your sisters could…live a better life than this one…in this rickety old house with barely any money to feed us…”
Celeste’s smile began to fade.
“And…I just wish that your father was here to see his beautiful daughters…and I wish he could be with us here…”
Celeste jumped out of her chair defiantly, startling her mother. “We have a perfect life here!” She said quite loudly. “We couldn’t ask for another life! We love being here with you!”
Her mother looked surprised then smiled as she jumped up too and hugged Celeste. They savored the embrace for a few minutes, until Celeste caught the faint sound of Luna yawning and the rustle of the couch as she got up and began to walk sleepily towards the kitchen.
“Hey, Tia?” Luna called as she appeared in the doorway.
Celeste stopped hugging her mother and replied, “Yes, Starry?”
“Did something happen? Was somepony yelling in here?” She asked as she rubbed her eyes.
Celeste shook her head. “No, no. It’s alright Dreamer. Nothing happened.” She smiled as Dreamer nodded. “Now, will you be a dear and put Twilight into her crib in mom’s room? I think mom might need to rest a while.” Celeste asked.
Dreamer nodded again and turned around back into the living room, obviously not hearing the last part about her mother.
When Celeste heard Dreamer pick Twilight up, lay Twilight on her back, and walk to her mother’s room, she turned back to her mother. “Hey, I think you may need to rest for a little while…come along.” Celeste said to her mother quietly.
The mare nodded warily and followed Celeste to her room. Dreamer didn’t take notice of them as she put Twilight into the crib and walked back out to the living room, where she fell asleep on the couch again.
As their mother climbed into her bed and pulled on the covers, Celeste nuzzled her face before backing out of the room and closing the door.