The Brightest Star in Her Sky

by Muddy Waters

Chapter Three

Despite Smoky’s overactive imagination, the night was not delayed or cancelled. It arrived exactly when it was meant to, which still seemed much later than she believed it should be. The festival for the Summer Sun Solstice was winding down as Celestia’s magic lowered the golden orb of the sun slowly out of view. As darkness descended lamps were lit all across the city to keep the full weight of the coming night at bay.

As he had promised hours beforehand, Ruby allowed his daughter to climb onto his back in preparation for their traditional viewing of the moonrise. Checklist kissed them both goodbye and wrung promises from each that they would be home in an hour to help her unpack the cart that their stall had been packed into. Smoky did her best to hurry the formalities along and almost screamed when her parents responded by moving in slow motion. For once Checklist broke first and laughed at her daughter’s frustration.

“Oh, go,” she said, hiding her grin behind her hoof, “before she strains a muscle.”

Ruby leapt skyward obediently and his laughter echoed out over the festival along with the talk of the thin crowd of ponies that remained. Smoky clung to him with all her might as the ground and the city fell away beneath them. Her tiny wings fluttered rapidly, straining to raise her into the growing beauty of the night sky. Their desperate efforts were too little to lift her from her father’s back, but secretly she hoped she was helping at least to ease her weight. She was getting bigger every year, after all, and soon he wouldn’t be able to fly with her like this. She only hoped a growth spurt would give her wings the strength they needed before she had to face the horror of being left behind on a night like this.

As father and daughter rose above the city and its spires the air grew cooler and the night embraced them. Ruby flew slowly, following the string of lights that marked the main path out of the city and up the mountain. He wasn’t the only pegasus in the sky and he kept that thought close in his mind as he flew, constantly squinting into the darkness to make sure there was no one nearby to crash into. Smoky was too distracted looking for the first hint of the moon to notice.

The path they followed led all the way to the peak of the mountain, but few ponies climbed so far. Instead they climbed only until they were above most of the towers of Canterlot to a field with a view clear to the horizon. The spur it rested on was large enough to hold a few hundred ponies, though only a few dozen where there when Ruby landed among them.

Smoky leapt down from her father’s back immediately and raced away, toward the edge of the spur and the night spread out beyond it. Ruby followed at a calmer trot, greeting ponies he knew and occasionally pausing to talk to one or the other. As a mail pony it was part of his job to know every pony in Canterlot and he enjoyed taking the task seriously, especially since he actually had enough free time now for proper chats.

Knowing she had left her father behind, and unconcerned that she was alone in the crowd, Smoky slowed when she reached the mossy rocks that marked the edge of the spur. She climbed the biggest of them and sat down on a soft patch of moss with her forelegs crossed and her head craned back. The stars were just starting to bloom in the darkness above. They blinked into existence one by one, as if some pony were carefully poking holes in the night sky with a needle.

Far below the stars, the moon finally peaked over the distant line of the horizon. Its gentle glow filled Smoky’s eyes as she watched it climb gracefully into view. She only distantly noticed the chatter of the other ponies in the field. The beauty of the night had seized her, and she didn’t want it to let go.

With her head on her hooves and her eyes half closed Smoky breathed deeply, taking in the sweet scent of grass and moss and soil. The cool breeze stroked her back like a mother’s hoof and in her mind it lifted her away. Her imaginary-self glided out over Canterlot, banked around its towers and spires, and then left it far behind as she flew up, and up, and up, until her hooves touched down on the glowing surface of the moon. Weightless and careless she danced across the moonlight with stars swirling all around her as a delicate, crooning music called her on.

Smoky woke to her father’s hoof resting on her back.

“Looks like you’re ready to head home,” Ruby said warmly.

Smoky jumped up. “No! I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s time for bed anyway. The moon will still be there tomorrow.”

“But it’ll only be extra bright tonight,”

Ruby nuzzled her fondly, smiling. “We’ll just have to take the long way home then.”

Placated, Smoky gazed one more time up at the brightest sphere in the sky and sent a quiet word of thanks to its princess. Then, with her farther beside her, she set off at a trot toward the path leading back to Canterlot.

As they wound their way back down the mountain Smoky occasionally leapt off the path and flew instead of walking. Her father hurried after on the ground as best he could. The path meandered all across the mountain and was often out of sight of the moon. Even on the night of the Summer Sun Solstice there were few lamps to light it. The occasional unicorn led small groups with their glowing horn, but Smoky passed them by. The way their light caused the shadows to flicker made Smoky’s eyes hurt. She preferred to flutter through the shadows under the trees, where the light was always constant and it was easier to see where she was going.

At the end of the path, just before it joined the main road into Canterlot, Smoky stopped under the trees to wait for her father to catch up. He wasn’t far behind, though he was panting when he trotted up to her.

“It’s a good thing your mother didn’t come,” he laughed, “you’d give her a heart attack.”

“I was just having fun,” Smoky protested, flattening her ears guiltily.

“I know, sweetie,”

He pulled her in for a hug with his wing and then they moved into the bright city together. Smoky yawned as they walked. Even her love of the night couldn’t compete with the exhaustion following such an exciting day. When the pair arrived home she went straight to her bed, after apologising to her mother for staying out later than she was supposed to.

Smoky’s room was small and cluttered and tucked into a corner of the house that looked out over a piece of the royal gardens. Her bed was a nest of pillows and a well-worn blanket hanging in front of the window. She flew unsteadily over the dolls and building blocks that littered the floor and tugged the curtains open before flopping into bed. Moonlight reflecting off a fountain in the garden splashed across her room in rippling waves.

She drifted into sleep with a smile on her face and the beauty of the night resting deep within her heart. In her dreams she flew effortlessly again, raised by the music of the stars.

Comments

[cssalpha]

Keep up the great work you are doing. This is very well written and I like the story you have going on. Again,keep up the great work.

[Muddy Waters]

5680906

Thank you very much :)