//------------------------------// // Star Flowers // Story: Stars and Scripts // by mr lovecolt //------------------------------// Star Bright stared at the door, shaking his head as he heard the lock click, the words of his partner repeating in his mind. If you really wanted me to write something. The events of the past few days flashed before him. Everything was so fast, he thought. He lifted his hoof to the door again and prepared to knock, but then froze. He cursed himself before lowering it again. “I love you, S-Silvy,” he stuttered before making his journey to the observatory, each hoofstep echoing through the hall. He entered the courtyard between the East Wing and the Royal Observatory, and was immediately greeted by the scent of gardenias. He took a deep breath, which he usually did to calm his nerves when working on a particularly difficult assignment. The impromptu aromatherapy did little to make him feel better this time, however. The shadows around him began to lengthen, and Star Bright looked up towards the nearby balcony to watch a scene that had become so familiar—Princess Celestia standing at the edge, her horn glowing. He turned his gaze towards the setting sun and watched as it fell below the horizon. Three, two, one, he counted down. The moment the sun disappeared, the lamps in the garden flickered to life. Star Bright retreated to a nearby bench—another place he was familiar with—and took a seat, his attention now drawn to the large magnolia tree that dominated the center of the courtyard. He looked around and inspected the multiple species of flora that surrounded him, admiring the similar patterns in the blossoms. He craned his neck and now looked up at the stars that Princess Luna had already begun to send into the night sky. “Why do I keep letting you invoke that promise?” he asked out loud, wishing that Silver Script could hear it. “Maybe the promise is important to him.” Star Bright yelped and then leaped to his hooves, his horn lighting up to check the more shadowy areas of the garden. There was a glint of light that he was able to determine was a pair of glasses. A tall, lanky unicorn emerged from the shadows with an embarrassed look on his face. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” the unicorn said. “I didn’t mean to startle you. It’s just I believe that when a pony asks a question out loud, they secretly hope another pony hears it.” Try as he might, Star Bright couldn’t recall if he had ever met this stallion before. “Do you… work here?” he asked, trying to hide the suspicious tone. “Well, I do have an assignment, yes.” He glanced around. “But I always like to arrive early to familiarize myself with the atmosphere.” He turned back to Star Bright with a smile. “Oh where are my manners?” He extended a hoof. “I’m Trenderhoof, but please, call me Trend. Do you work here?” His suspicion now turning to curiosity, he slowly nodded his head. “I… do?” he replied. “Wonderful!” Trenderhoof clopped his hooves together. “I am actually here looking for an astrophysicist named Star Bright. Maybe you could help me find him.” Star Bright sighed. “Well I—” “Oh dear, you too?” The unicorn replied with a defeated sigh. Puzzled by the interruption, Star Bright scrunched his face. “What do you mean?” Trenderhoof hung his head and slowly trudged to the bench, where he sat down in resignation. “I have tried asking all of this stallion’s coworkers, but everypony told that if Star Bright isn’t in The Cage,” he said, making air quotes. “He’s probably hiding. They advised me that the poor stallion is incredibly shy, which is going to make my assignment that much more difficult.” Star Bright raised an eyebrow. “They said that?” Trenderhoof nodded. Star Bright rolled his eyes and joined the unicorn on the bench. “I’m… S-Star Bright.” Trenderhoof’s eyes grew wide. “Really?” “...Yes?” Trenderhoof clopped his hooves together again. “Oh, this is perfect!” he exclaimed as he leaped off of the bench and began pacing. “There are so many questions that I’m sure my readers will want answered.” Star Bright felt his chest tighten. A gate opened nearby and a guard walked in. He moved silently in a straight line, only giving the pair of unicorns a fleeting glance before continuing on his way. Star Bright glanced over at the castle door, praying that Silver Script would come and rescue him. “But those questions are for tomorrow,” Trenderhoof said as he took his place back on the bench. “I was advised that this is your first interview, and I am honored that I will be given the chance to do it. In fact, I already know what the article will be called.” He wrapped a foreleg around Star Bright’s neck and waved the other foreleg in a sweeping motion into the night sky. “A Star is Born.” He smiled and looked Star Bright directly in the face. “Catchy, isn’t it?” Star Bright’s eye twitched. “Yeah,” he squeaked. “Now there’s no need to worry, Star Bright,” Trenderhoof continued, releasing his hold on the stallion and standing up again. “The questions will be easy. You can speak of whatever you want, I’ll simply be there to give that gentle push to make sure I can make what you say relatable to my readers.” “Relatable?” Star Bright asked. Trenderhoof closed his eyes and nodded. “It’s what I do,” he replied. “I take the mundane, the simple…” He glanced at Star Bright. “The unappreciated, and make it relatable to my—” "Aren't you a travel writer?" Star Bright asked. Trenderhoof craned his neck back in surprise. However, he quickly recovered with a twirl of his hoof. "How wonderful of you to notice," he replied. "Do you subscribe to The Manehattener?" Star Bright shook his head. "I don't read it, but—" "I see," he muttered before turning his attention to the tree. "I have travelled extensively, that's true. Alas, there are only so many places to go." He turned back to Star Bright with a smile. "Besides, we don't really have a science writer at the moment." He brushed his hoof on his chest. "In a way, my research—locales, cuisine, culture—some call what I do a science." "Do they?" Star Bright scanned the stallion's muzzle for evidence of a punchline. When none came, he sighed, and his horn glowed. A small scroll floated out of the saddlebag he had set to the side and levitated to his hoof, where he opened it and began reading the words on them once more, a sense of calm finally settling around him. “Is that some of your research?” Star Bright glanced up, only to see Trenderhoof’s muzzle inches from his, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. Star Bright jerked back and pressed it against his chest. “You could say that,” he replied, reaching down so that he could tuck the scroll away with his hooves. “I have specific writings that I used as inspiration for my research.” “Oh that will be a perfect topic to discuss during our interview tomorrow,” Trenderhoof said. “Your inspiration, your big moment when you made your discovery.” He craned his head in again. “Of course, we’ll need to get to know more about you personally.” “I’m not really anypony,” Star Bright said with a shake of his head. “Nopony interesting, at least.” He remembered Silver Script and smiled. “My partner, however—” “Partner?” Trenderhoof asked, the realization hitting him a moment later. “Oh, partner.” “Is that an issue, Mister Trenderhoof?” The stallion’s tone grew cold. Trenderhoof stood motionless for a moment before releasing a peal of laughter. Star Bright wasn’t certain to be offended or confused. Finally, Trenderhoof took a deep breath to calm himself down. “Oh Star Bright,” he began, lifting his glasses to wipe a tear from his eye. “When you have travelled as far as I have, and met the ponies—not to mention the occasional griffon, dragon, or minotaur—” Trenderhoof mentioned the last part of that sentence with a wink. “You learn to be quite open-minded.” “...I see,” Star Bright said, dragging out the last word a bit too long. Don’t ask, you will regret it, he thought as the questions began to pile up in his mind. “Minotaur?” he blurted out before facehoofing. “Are you trying to interview me now?” Trenderhoof asked, and before another word was said, he continued. “This meeting has been highly productive, I believe.” He glanced around the courtyard. “Getting to know my subject, surrounded by the stars.” Star Bright glanced up at the night sky. All of Luna’s stars were now fully set, the familiar constellations gleaming in the blackness. “The stars are quite beautiful,” he said, happy to finally be on a topic that made him comfortable. “I like lilies the best,” Trenderhoof said. “Yes…” Star Bright blinked and then turned to look at the unicorn, who was now standing next to a patch of lilies. “I’m sorry… what?” “Lilies,” Trenderhoof repeated. “They’re my favorite star flower.” “Star flower?” Star Bright asked. Trenderhoof’s head shot up and gave the stallion an incredulous look. “You mean you didn’t notice?” He waved his hoof around the courtyard. “You see, I learned about flowers when I once visited the Hanging Gardens of the Crystal Empire shortly after its return. Every flower in here is a star flower.” Star Bright watched Trenderhoof’s hopeful gaze, as though the stallion had just given him the final clue to some mystery he didn’t even know existed. Trenderhoof sighed, looked around, and plucked a tiny flower from amongst the garden with his magic. He got up and walked over to Star Bright, only a hoof or two separation between them, the small flower at eye level. “A star flower,” he began. “Is any flower with radial symmetry and five or more petals.” He pointed in all directions at the various flowers. “Lilies, dahlias, daisies.” He then turned back to Star Bright. “Even the periwinkle you see before you. They are all star flowers.” Star Bright felt Trenderhoof’s magic ease off of the flower, so he instinctively took over so it wouldn’t fall to the ground. Star Bright looked at the stallion in front of him, unable to even pretend to try to understand him. He seems sincere, he thought. Then he got an idea. “I think you and my partner would get along very well,” Star Bright said. Trenderhoof held a hoof to his chin to consider it. Star Bright raised an eyebrow, wondering what was taking him so long to answer. “That would be interesting,” Trenderhoof replied. “We could always do dinner after the ceremony, there are so many places to try.” He began nodding his head more emphatically. “I agree, let’s do it. It’s a date.” Star Bright rolled his eyes at the odd turn of phrase, but deep down he knew this would end up benefiting Silver Script as well. Maybe I can convince Silvy to show this guy his work, too. Suddenly, Trenderhoof’s gaze turned behind him. The stallion smiled and waved. “Oh, hello,” he said. “You look like you’re here for Star Bright. Here to show him to his room?” “You could say that,” came the reply. Star Bright felt his body turn to ice. He knew he needed to turn around, but his gaze remained focused on the flower in front of him. Move, he tried to will his legs to lift, but it felt as though they had melted onto the stones. Trenderhoof nodded to him and smiled. “This was a fantastic first introduction, Star Bright,” Trenderhoof said as he passed him. “I am excited for tomorrow evening.” Star Bright watched as Trenderhoof trotted out of his field of vision, his hoofsteps echoing into the night. “The stars are really beautiful out tonight, Mister…” “Silver Script.” Star Bright winced at the sound of his partner’s voice. He heard Trenderhoof continue to trot to the entrance of the castle, followed by the opening and closing of the door. Finally, as though a magic spell had been lifted, he felt the freedom return to his legs, and he turned around to see Silver Script standing beneath the light of a lamppost. *** Of course it would be Trenderhoof, Silver Script thought, avoiding Star Bright’s eyes. He wasn’t stupid—he knew that his husband would never be disloyal—there was no way he could even begin to think of it as a possibility. However, Silver Script did know Trenderhoof from interviews, articles, and tabloids. There were rumors of his trips to Yakyakistan, to Griffonstone, even to Cloudsdale, which even he found unbelievable, given the price of a cloud walking potion. No, he thought, Starry’s not the one to blame here. He sighed, his feathers ruffled, and he took a step towards Star Bright, only to gasp when the stallion took a step back. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. “I know how it looks,” Star Bright said as he tossed the flower aside. “Trenderhoof was just telling me about the flowers.” His eyes grew wide and he hung his head down. "First the thing about the speech, and now this." Now look what you made him do. “Stop it.” Star Bright’s head shot up, tears welling at his eyes. Silver Script immediately closed the remaining distance between them and wrapped his wings around him. “I said stop it,” he said once again, nuzzling his stallion in the shadows of the canopy he created. “I don’t ever want you to think that I think you’d ever do anything like that.” The two stallions sat quietly together, the scent of flowers seeping through Silver Script’s wings. The wind rustled the leaves, and an owl hooted in the distance. Slowly, he retracted his wings, gladness filling his heart when he saw that Star Bright was smiling, however faintly. “I don’t think I can do this,” Star Bright said. “Of course you can,” Silver Script replied. “I believe in you. And I’ll be by your side. Anyway, you heard Raven. I’m sure the staff will write something wonderful.” “I’d rather read something by you.” Silver Script smiled and pointed to the observatory to distract his thoughts. “Come now. Didn’t you want to show me The Cage?” Star Bright snickered and his horn glowed. White light surrounded them, and they were teleported to the observatory door. The unicorn’s horn glowed once again, and the door opened. “After you,” he said. Silver Script smiled and bowed his head slightly before entering, Star Bright following close behind. He tapped on Silver Script’s withers and pointed down the hall towards the elevators. Silver Script nodded and the two silently made their way in, the pegasus looking in every direction. Everything was white, from the tiled floors to the plastered ceilings. Even the grout of the tiles and the spaces between the wall panels were white, though a slightly different shade. He felt almost afraid to make any noise. Star Bright tapped the call button on the elevator, and moments later, a single bell rang out, and the elevator doors opened with a quiet whoosh. The two stallions stepped in, and the doors closed. The unicorn tapped the button for the basement, and Silver Script immediately felt himself drop. “You weren’t kidding when you called this the cage.” He heard Star Bright chuckle. The doors opened, revealing the laboratory. Everything looks so sterile, Silver Script thought as he left the elevator. He scanned the walls, noticing images of constellations every few feet, mentally noting each one as he passed by. Starswirl the Bearded, Mage Meadowbrook, Mistmane the Beautiful. “Oh wow,” a voice called out. “Didn’t hear you guys come in.” Silver Script squeaked and flew into the air, spinning around as he did. Two stallions now flanked either side of Star Bright, gripping him in a tight hug while his saddlebag floated next to them in the other unicorn’s telekinetic grasp. “There’s the stallion of the century!” one of them shouted. “Blue Moon,” Star Bright said. “I’m—” Silver Script held back the urge to chuckle as he slowly came back to the floor. He walked slowly as his husband's friends continued their congratulatory embrace, smirking as big as possible when Star Bright looked at him with pleading eyes. The smirk grew even larger as he slowly shook his head, after which Star Bright gave a resigned sigh. “Cut it out,” Star Bright begged. “You’re making my partner uncomfortable, and—” “Oh no they’re not,” Silver Script interrupted him with a bit too much glee. He saw Star Bright’s gaze narrow. The two stallions released the unicorn just as Silver Script reached the group. He glanced at each one, checking their badges pinned to their chests before turning to Star Bright. “Besides,” he added. “He knows what an amazing thing he’s done.” He leaned in and gave Star Bright a kiss on the lips, ignoring the whooping noises of their audience. When he pulled back, he snickered at the sight of his husband’s reddened cheeks. He glanced at the unicorn beside him, enjoying the way he had cast a spell to block the kiss from his view. He then turned to Blue Moon, who was busy focusing on the ceiling while rubbing a hoof against the back of his neck. “So this is the cage,” he said softly as he turned around to pore over the diagrams once again. “And you make sure it looks like this every night?” He turned to the trio of stallions. “Well,” Blue Moon replied. “At this point, it’s more of a formality.” He trotted up to Silver Script and joined him in staring at the nearest diagram. “Princess Luna has all of these constellations memorized and—” “She forgot the star at the tip of Rockhoof’s shovel last week,” the other stallion interrupted. “Chocolate!” “What?” Chocolate Sun asked. “She did.” He checked his hoof and grunted. “She must have been distracted by the idea of the new star formation.” “Anyway,” Blue Moon said before turning to Silver Script. “How does it feel to be married to one of Equestria’s greatest minds?” Silver Script looked over to Star Bright, but saw that the stallion was now glancing at Blue Moon with a puzzled expression. One of Equestria’s greatest minds, he thought to himself. His feathers ruffled. “I would hardly call myself that,” Star Bright said as he joined the two. “Besides, Silver is incredible, too.” He winked at Silver Script, who felt himself blush. “Oh?” Chocolate Sun asked. “Yeah,” Star Bright continued. “In fact, he’s about to be a published author.” Silver Script immediately turned back to the diagram, his cheeks now flushed red for a different reason. “Hey, that is amazing,” Blue Moon said. “So what’s the book about?” Silver Script hesitated. “I submitted a chapbook of poetry to the Manehattaner,” he said quietly. “Oh, I like poetry,” Chocolate Sun chimed in. “There once was a stallion named Rock, who had the world’s tiniest—” “He hasn’t gotten a response yet!” Star Bright shouted, preventing the stallion from finishing the couplet. “I see,” Blue Moon replied. “Well, I wish you luck on that.” “Can you recite any poems for us?” Silver Script turned to Chocolate Sun, unsure of whether it was a request or a challenge. Somepony wants to hear you recite a poem, a voice whispered, that’s a surprise. He closed his eyes and took a breath. When he opened them once more, he saw that the three unicorns had formed a line, their expressions saying they were waiting to hear him speak. His gaze drifted around the room, beginning with the tiled floors, moving to the paneled walls and then to the ceiling. Even the recessed lights are square. Turning his attention to the table in the center of the room, Silver Script noticed astronomical tools: an astrolabe sitting atop a sheet filled with notes and numbers, a note requesting additional calibrations attached to an octant, and finally, a model of the sun and moon, moving in real time above a sundial. He returned to the large diagram of the combined constellations, and began to speak: Every night you’d search for me. I’m always here. I’ll wait here And I’ll wonder where you’ll be. I wonder what it is you see. Do you fear I disappear Every night you’d search for me? I cannot move. I cannot flee. You, however, do. I’ll fear And I’ll wonder where you’ll be. You’ve moved unexpectedly. I long for when you’re near Every night you’d search for me. One day you’ll have your fill of me. You’ll cross another hemisphere And I’ll wonder where you’ll be. You’ll find another light to see. But I’ll always remember Every night you’d search for me. And I’ll wonder where you’ll be. “Well,” Chocolate Sun said. “That was…” “Melodic?” Blue Moon asked. “Cryptic?” Star Bright asked. “Dark.” Silver Script turned around and gave the stallions a hopeful smile, though he felt his heart rip to pieces when he saw the look on Star Bright’s face. “I, uh… wanted to tell a story from the point of view of a star,” he said with an upward inflection, as though asking permission from the assembled astronomers. “So that was a poem about you and a star?” Blue Moon asked. Silver Script’s eyes grew unfocused as he stared off into the distance. “In a way, yes.” "And you just made that up on the spot?" Chocolate Sun said, impressed. "I do more occasional poetry, yes. But I—" "I don't believe you." Silver Script's gaze shot to Blue Moon, who stood there, shaking his head. "Excuse me?" "You can't just rhyme like that," Blue Moon continued. "You aren't a zebra." Silver Script's eyes narrowed. He saw Star Bright's eyes dart back and forth. Chocolate Sun, for his part, simply quirked his head. Even with your cutie mark, ponies don't believe you. "Well," Silver Script started, shaking his head as though to shake the thoughts out, "Occasional poetry is meant to be spoken for the occasion, and—" "Yeah!" Chocolate Sun shouted over him. "My nephew, Zig Zag, enters these things called 'rap battles' all the time." The brown stallion chuckled. "He calls himself Neigh-Z." Silver Script's wings ruffled and his eye twitched. "Yes, there are some comparisons with traditional poetry and so-called 'slam poetry'." He bent his wings to form air quotes. "But I did have to study to understand different poetic forms." They don't care. He felt his wings grow heavy. His gaze fell to the floor. "Blue Moon," Star Bright said. "The tip of Rockhoof's shovel is at a parallax angle of point five-four-seven. How far away is it?" "One point eight-three Lunasecs." Silver Script looked up and saw his husband staring up at the larger stallion, his eyes coming closer to anger than he had seen in a while. As Star Bright took a step forward, Blue Moon took a step back, and Silver Script fought to stop his lips from quivering. "You were able to calculate that number almost instantly," Star Bright said before turning to Silver Script, who had begun to fan himself with his own wing. "That is how Silver is able to recite poems as he does." Silver Script watched as Blue Moon's eyes drifted from him to Star Bright, and then to Chocolate Sun, before returning to himself. "I apologize," he said as he tapped his hoof on the floor. "I never thought of poems that way." "What way?" Silver Script asked, curious as to the response. "I never thought of poems as equations." "Well, this is all good." Chocolate Sun twirled his hooves in the air at everypony. "But guess what? Blue Moon and I are behind on our work by at least fifteen minutes. We can't all be famous for inventing stars, after all." The saddlebag levitated into the air and onto Star Bright’s back. He then made his way to the elevator to call it. Silver Script noticed that his partner’s gait was tense, but rather than say anything, he hung his head slightly lower as he walked past the other two stallions. The doors opened, and he and Star Bright entered. “Good luck with the ceremony tomorrow,” Chocolate Sun said. Star Bright smiled and nodded. “And Silver Script?” Blue Moon asked. “Yes?” “Good luck with the book.” “Thank you,” Silver Script replied, managing to force another smile just as the elevator doors closed. The two stallions rode the elevator in silence. The doors opened, and they emerged on the ground level, Star Bright just ahead. When they reached the entrance, Star Bright’s horn glowed, the door opened, and he turned to Silver Script and gave him a small smile. The pegasus walked ahead, his hooves feeling heavier with each step as they made their way through the courtyard to the castle. "Silvy?" Silver Script stopped in his tracks and looked up. "I'm sorry that I—" Silver Script held a hoof to Star Bright's muzzle. "Thank you." Star Bright held the door open to let Silver Script inside, but before leaving, the pegasus turned back to the garden and looked over the flowers. They look like stars, he thought, before turning back and heading inside.