//------------------------------// // The Vow // Story: Stars and Scripts // by mr lovecolt //------------------------------// “Star Bright!” Star Bright opened his eyes, only to flinch as the steam from the kettle blasted his muzzle. He jerked back and fell, crashing into Silver Script. Star Bright immediately felt a pair of hooves around his neck, caressing him, then turning him until he was face to face with the pegasus. “Are you okay, Starry?” Dazed, Star Bright shook his head. “Yes, I’m fine.” He blinked a couple of times. “I really went into space that time, didn’t I?” Silver Script chuckled and leaned in. “Would a kiss make it better?” he asked, quirking an eyebrow. Star Bright smiled when he felt the stallion’s lips touch the top of his muzzle. The two slowly got to their hooves, Silver Script’s wings ruffling about. As he looked around the room once more, Star Bright’s attention was drawn again to the envelope on the table. What does the Canterlot Astronomical Society need to send me a letter for? he wondered. “Do you want to read it?” The stallions sat down at the table. Star Bright’s horn glowed, and the letter slipped out of the envelope. He unfolded it, his eyes quickly scanning the contents. As he did, his eyes grew wider and wider, his jaw slowly dropping open. He reread the letter, just to be sure. Once he was certain that it wasn’t a misprint or a joke, he set the letter down and stared at Silver Script, whose face was growing more concerned with each moment of silence. “Starry, what is it?” he asked, the concern in his voice obvious. “I’m… being awarded the Gold Medal of the Canterlot Astronomical Society for my efforts in the creation of a new type of star.” *** The letter lay open on the table, and Silver Script looked down at it, his eyes scanning the words. At the bottom of the letter was none other than the signature of Princess Luna herself. “Does this have anything to do with the whole dancing star thing you always talked about?” he asked, his gaze softening at the sight of the blush glowing on Star Bright’s cheeks. “Well, yeah,” the unicorn replied, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s taken months of research, but I was able to prove that Princess Luna could create a pair of s-stars—” Silver Script galloped to Star Bright and held his hoof. “Starry, you’re fine,” he said as he brushed his other hoof through the stallion’s mane. “Don’t be nervous.” He stood up, happy that Star Bright’s breathing had slowed. “I was able to prove that Luna could create a pair of…” He felt Star Bright clench his hoof. “…Stars that interacted with one another without absorbing each other.” Silver Script’s lip twitched as he fought the urge to turn towards the kitchen sink, under which he knew lay the crumpled rejection letter. As he watched his husband continue to take his news in, a voice whispered in his head. Starry can invent a new type of star, and you can’t even get a book published. “No,” he muttered under his breath. “What?” Silver Script looked up and saw the look of confusion in Star Bright’s eyes, only to realize then that he had said it out loud. “I—I mean…” he stammered, trying to think of what to say. “How can you invent a new type of star?” he asked, smiling at how his husband's eyes immediately lit up. He saw the saddle bag behind him open and a few notes and graphs float through the air, coming to rest on the table. “Is this going to be another instance where you’re the teacher and I’m the student?” he asked with a smirk. Star Bright returned the gesture, but added a raised eyebrow. Silver Script leaned in, propped up his foreleg, and let his head rest on his hoof. “Go on,” he added, snickering as he watched a clearly flustered Star Bright arrange his notes on the table. “You remember how most of my doctorate work centered around the Maregon-Keeneighn star classification system?” he asked. “A little,” Silver Script admitted. “They’re the two who worked with Princess Luna before she… you know…" he paused, unsure whether to continue. “Right, so I always knew something seemed a bit off about the model. They were always about single stars, never groups of stars.” He flipped another piece of paper over, revealing copious notes and scribbles, as well as a drawing of a small circle pointing towards a larger one, and of two equally sized circles with arrows pointing towards one another. “What’s that?” Silver Script asked, pointing at the drawings. When he saw the way Star Bright smiled at him, he felt his body grow warm. Star Bright continued. “That was my colleague’s reply to me asking him about multiple star systems. He said that, according to the model, any two stars, when put too close together, would eventually absorb one another.” He pointed to the first picture. “If one star is smaller, it simply gets absorbed into the bigger one.” He pointed to the second picture. “If they’re the same size, they’ll just equally absorb one another. But the thing is—” Star Bright coughed. Silver Script immediately rushed to the countertop to grab the kettle and pour the tea. He went to grab Star Bright’s cup, but instead, he watched as it floated over to the table into the unicorn’s expectant hooves. The unicorn immediately grabbed it and downed the contents in a few gulps. As the teacup floated back to the counter, Silver Script stared at it, his smile faltering. He doesn’t need you. “Stop it.” “What was that, Silvy?” The pegasus spun around, a new smile plastered on his face. “But what?” he asked. “I mean what was the thing?” Star Bright began to speak, but a knock at the door cut him off. The two stallions turned their attention to the living room, though Silver Script was once again hovering off the floor. “Now who could that be?” Star Bright wondered, pushing his chair back. “I’ll get it,” Silver Script said. “You just clean up the table.” Silver Script flew into the next room while Star Bright put his saddle bag away. There was another knock at the door by the time Silver Script made his way there. He leaned over and checked his mane in a nearby mirror before opening the door. “Hey Silver!” Derpy shouted. “I heard Star Bright was already back, so I wanted to see how his trip went.” Silver Script nodded his head, leaned against the doorframe, crossed his forelegs and sighed. “And I suppose the thought that I may have an uneaten muffin in my kitchen didn’t bring you back?” Derpy looked down at the ground and poked the dirt with her hoof. “Well, it was really good.” She looked up at him with a pleading stare. “Just one more?” The stallion stopped beating his wings and let himself land on the floor once more. “How can I say no to a friend,” he said, ignoring the whinny of excitement. “I’ll go get—” “Derpy?” Silver Script gulped as Star Bright trotted next to him. He cast a sideways glance at his husband, then to Derpy, then to her now-empty mail bag. As gracious as his smile remained, however, Silver Script couldn't help but feel an eye twitch coming on. “It seems like forever since I’ve seen you!” Star Bright continued, reaching out to give the mare a hug. “You’ve got to come in, I—” “Oh I’m sure she doesn’t have much time, Starry,” Silver Script interrupted him. “She hasn’t gotten much sleep and she had to take over a shift for Parcel, so I’m sure—” “Oh, it’s no problem at all, Silver,” Derpy said. “The tea you gave me really did work!” “Of course it did.” Silver Script had to control his urge to growl at himself as he turned away. “I’ll go ahead and get the muffin. Be right back.” He tuned out the conversation, and as he flew into the kitchen, he wondered how he could get Derpy out of the house as quickly as possible. Just get the muffin, wrap it up, and give it to her, he deliberated, say you need alone time with Starry, then you’re all set. Silver Script opened the breadbox and pulled out the plate with the remaining muffins. He nodded to himself as he thought of the rest of his plan. In and out, a minute or so tops. Besides, it’s not like the first thing out of Starry’s muzzle will be the— “Eeeee!” Silver Script slammed his head onto the countertop. “Award,” he muttered, his head still down. Okay, he thought, plan B. Just tell him. Just get it out of the way. He went to work preparing the muffin and wrapping it up. After taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Silver Script flew into the living room, slowing his speed as he turned the corner. There sat his husband and his friend, sitting on the couch, with Derpy's forelegs wrapped around Star Bright. “Oh, this is so exciting!” she squeaked. “When is the ceremony?” The remnants of the smile on Silver Script’s muzzle disappeared. He watched the way Star Bright’s face lit up as the mare’s excitement was unleashed. Silver Script glanced over at his cork board, at the calendar with today’s date circled. “The ceremony is this Friday,” he heard Star Bright say. “The princess is going to reveal her decision as to the reward by then.” He heard his partner pause. “They… they want me to speak.” “That’s amazing,” Derpy said. “Yeah… amazing.” “Oh, and what about Silver’s letter?” Derpy asked. “You got a letter, too, Silver?” He heard the excitement in Star Bright’s voice. “Oh, today was the deadline for them getting back to you, wasn’t it?” Silver Script’s irises shot to pinpricks. His wings stiffened and he held his breath. He glanced over at the photograph of the two of them again—the two stallions dressed in tuxedo coats, gazing into each other’s eyes, Derpy and Roseluck on either side. Do you promise to be there in good times and in bad? He closed his eyes, put on a smile, and turned around. “Wouldn’t you know it?” he replied, sighing. “Apparently, there was some problem at their headquarters.” He watched the pair’s excitement begin to drop. “But they said their schedule was pushed back only a week,” he added, watching the glimmer return to their eyes. Derpy and Star Bright got up from the couch and made their way over to Silver Script. “Don’t you worry,” the stallion said, giving Silver Script a peck on the cheek. “I’m sure they’ll see your book for what it is.” Silver Script returned the kiss with one of his own, planting his lips directly onto Star Bright’s. He closed his eyes and let the unicorn take over, but the pair were interrupted by a small, delicate cough. Silver Script turned to see Derpy with a wing covering her face. “Uhh, I can see that you two need some…” She paused. “Catching up.” The three laughed, and Silver Script gave Derpy the muffin. “I’ll let myself out,” she said as she backed away, giggling until she reached the door. “Congratulations, Star Bright!” she called out while standing on the front porch looking at the pair. “Try not to celebrate too hard with Silver.” Star Bright narrowed his eyes at the mare, but the smile was still on his muzzle. His horn glowed and the door slammed shut. For a moment, neither stallion spoke. They leaned in and playfully butted their heads together, the unicorn’s horn resting on Silver Script’s mane. The pegasus extended his wings and wrapped them around their heads again, sealing them off from the rest of the world once more. “Silvy?” “Yes, Starry?” “I’m really nervous. I’m not a good speaker.” Even in the darkness that now surrounded them, Silver Script could see fear in his husband's eyes. He felt Star Bright’s forehead rubbing back and forth against his. “Promise me you’ll help me through this.” Silver Script’s lip quivered for just a moment before he lifted his head and placed them as softly as possible on Star Bright’s forehead. “I do.”