//------------------------------// // The Final Interview // Story: Stars and Scripts // by mr lovecolt //------------------------------// Much to Silver Script’s chagrin, the Canterlot Astronomical Society had decided to conduct the interviews in the eastern garden next to the Observatory, which allowed for an intimate gathering while at the same time ensuring a small number of distinguished guests. The sun had begun to set on the other side of the castle, bathing the garden in a soft glow. Silver Script cast a glance at the ponies present: Roseluck and Derpy sat by, awaiting the final interview, Fancy Pants had managed a seat to the interview in order to report to the local news, and even a few other reporters from around Equestria were seated in the crowd, with the princesses sitting in the back. Silver Script turned to the southern side of the garden, where the interview had been set up. He watched as Star Bright slid back and forth nervously in his seat as Trenderhoof reached out a hoof to him. Star Bright took a deep breath and reached a hoof to meet Trenderhoof’s. The moment Star Bright turned his attention, Silver Script smiled and waved his hooves proudly as the crowd stomped their hooves on the ground. The two waved to the crowd until the stomping died down. As the other ponies calmed down and got to their seats, Raven made her way to a nearby microphone stand. Her horn glowed, and a small scroll appeared in front of her. “Everypony,” she said. “We have reached the final interview of our triad of interviews.” She waited until the lingering stomps ended. “The final interview shall be from a representative from The Manehattener. I present to you, Trenderhoof.” The other ponies stomped their hooves politely, but Silver Script leaned in towards his companion. “He looks so nervous,” he whispered, his eyes narrowing in concern. “He’s been answering questions for an hour now,” Derpy whispered back. “I still can’t believe they scheduled them back to back like this.” “At least this is the last one,” he replied, sitting back once more to focus his attention on Star Bright and Trenderhoof, who had pretty much concluded their introductions. “So tell me,” Trenderhoof began. “What was your reaction when you finally were able to prove your—” He glanced down at his notes. “Dancing Star Theory?” Silver Script watched his husband squirm a bit, knowing how hard he was trying not to stutter. “Well, I remember thinking of how beautiful the recreated model itself looked.” He scratched the back of his head. “I also remember hearing a certain princess shout ‘huzzah’ really loudly.” The ponies in the audience chuckled quietly, and a few of them even turned back towards Princess Luna, who looked over at Silver Script and gave a wink. “Hee hee, wonderful,” Trenderhoof replied with a snicker. “Now, everypony here learned about your work, but I want to know more about Star Bright the stallion.” Trenderhoof leaned in and rest his hoof on the pony’s knee. Silver Script’s eye twitched. “What did your partner say when you told him about your work?” Silver Script’s ears perked at that word. Has he always called me his partner, he wondered. He saw Star Bright blush and squirm in his seat again. “Oh I-I try not to take my work home with me.” Roseluck snorted, the result of which being both Silver Script and Derpy turning their head to her and squinting in disbelief. “It appears that there is a guest who would dispute your claim,” Trenderhoof remarked, turning towards Roseluck. Star Bright laughed nervously and rubbed his hooves together. “Well, maybe I do s-sometimes let my work run away with me.” He then glanced towards Silver Script, his eyes pleading. "So how is your partner reacting to this sudden appearance in the limelight?" Trenderhoof asked, as though he himself were musing the topic. "Certainly, all the attention you've received must have an effect on him." "That's a big question to ask about S-S." Star Bright tried to reply, his lips quivering. "The thing you need to know about S-S." This is too much, Silver Script thought, I can’t let him do this anymore. He rose to get out of his seat, but felt the hoof of Derpy holding him back. When he turned to her, she quickly shook her head. “Let him handle this,” she whispered. “I can’t let him go through any more of this,” the stallion replied, turning back to Star Bright, only to see Trenderhoof lean forward to whisper into his husband’s ear. “It’s okay,” he heard Trenderhoof whisper as he placed his hoof on Star Bright’s knee for the second time. “You can say whatever you want.” Silver Script’s eye twitched again, and he got out of his seat, despite the two mares' insistence that he sit down. The pegasus ignored them, however, and trotted up to the pair. He smiled at Trenderhoof before leaning in towards Star Bright, who now sat trembling in his chair, and placed his hoof softly against the stallion’s shoulder. The trembling ceased, and the two remained there for a moment, their eyes locked onto one another’s gaze. “You don’t have to go through with this,” he whispered just loud enough for Trenderhoof to hear. “You’ve done enough.” Silver Script waited for Star Bright to take a few deep breaths. He could hear the sounds of the ponies whispering, but it didn’t matter to him. “I can do this.” The unicorn reached up and grabbed Silver Script’s hoof. “I promise.” Silver Script smiled and slowly lifted himself up, proud of his husband’s burst of confidence. “Okay,” he replied, lowering his hoof. “Do you need anything? Water, maybe?” “I’m good,” Star Bright answered. Silver Script nodded and turned around to make his way back to his seat, until he heard Tenderhoof call out behind him. “If you don’t mind, assistant, I could use some water.” Silver Script froze in place, his eyes widened. In front of him, he watched as both Derpy and Roseluck’s muzzles slowly dropped open in unison, their eyes widening together in horror. He felt an involuntary twitch in his neck as he replayed the sentence in his mind. His head whipped back quickly enough to see the look of shock on Trenderhoof’s face. “Assistant?” Silver Script replied with a glare. “You think I’m his assistant?” Ignoring the sounds of gasps from the audience, he continued forward, the hairs of his chest puffing outward and his wings slowly flaring. Trenderhoof squeaked in fear, fell off his seat, and now lay trembling on the ground. “Y-you were there to get him last night,” Trenderhoof replied, quivering. “And you were there at the restaurant.” The stallion lifted his hooves to protect his muzzle. “Because he’s my husband!” Silver Script screamed as he began to flutter off of the ground, his wings spreading dirt and dust all around him. Nearby, Silver Script could hear the sounds of chairs scratching the courtyard as ponies stood up and backed as far away as possible. He heard the sounds of his friends shouting to him, but he no longer cared—there was no way he was letting Trenderhoof get any closer. “S-Silver?” He heard Star Bright whisper, but Silver Script couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Don’t you ever touch my husband again!” He shouted to the terrified unicorn, his nostrils flared. “I know you can have anypony in Equestria!” He stamped a hoof to the ground as hard as possible. “But Starry is mine!” Everything began to swirl around him: Star Bright’s look of confusion and fear, Roseluck and Derpy running up to him, the ponies in the audience backing even further away, even the princesses trying to keep everything calm. Suddenly, he felt a hoof come to rest gently on his shoulder. When he turned, he saw Star Bright staring up at him, tears rolling down his muzzle. “S-Silver,” he whispered. “I think you may be stressed out about the book, and—” Silver Script closed his eyes and shook his head. “There is no book!” he shouted. The stallion felt his chest cave. He opened his eyes, and to him, it felt as though everything had frozen in place. Immediately, Silver Script felt the gaze of everypony burning into his fur. He glanced over to the crowd of ponies, most of whom were looking on in panic. The only face he could recognize was that of Princess Luna, who stared silently at him with a hoof over her muzzle. Silver Script’s head drooped to the ground, his wings retreating against his back. He closed his eyes again, his legs beginning to feel wobbly. Finally, he opened his eyes and stared at the ground, watching the tears fall onto the stone. “They rejected the book,” he said with a hoarse tone. “They’re not publishing it.” By this time, things had finally begun to calm down. The crowd of ponies took a few hesitant steps forward, their fear now turning into curiosity. Silver Script lifted his head up, only to see that he was now surrounded by Star Bright and Trenderhoof on his left, and Roseluck and Derpy on his right. Standing in front of him, however, was Princess Luna herself. You’ve ruined it, the voice in his head whispered, You’ve ruined everything. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled between sobs. You couldn’t even make him happy. Silver Script turned to look at Star Bright, but the tears welling in his eyes rendered him unable to see a thing. “Silver,” Star Bright whispered. Silver Script shook his head, trotted back a few steps, and took to flight, disappearing into the night, ignoring the calls from his husband, his friends, and the princess. Trenderhoof shot glances at the other ponies around him and adjusted his glasses. “What just happened?” ***** The moon continued its rise through the star studded sky, casting shadows through the gardens of Canterlot Castle. Though most of the gardens’ blooms had closed for the evening, surrendering their colors to the blackness of night, one garden in particular was only beginning to see signs of life. The Eastern Gate Garden, known to the servants of Canterlot Castle as ‘Luna’s Garden’, contained a series of flowers that only bloomed during the hours when most ponies slept. Hunched over a small pond near the center of Luna’s Garden, Silver Script leaned over and stared into his reflection. The sweet scent of the moon flowers, combined with the spicy aroma of the gladiolas, caused the stallion’s nostrils to flare. On the surface of the pond, water lilies opened their petals, mimicking the appearance of the glistening stars above them. Silver Script leaned in further, glaring into his own reflection. “You ruin everything, don’t you?” he murmured as he watched the ripples in the water tear his reflection apart. “I know what you’re going to say,” he said with a dark chuckle. “You aren’t good enough for him.” He continued to stare at his reflection, his anger growing until he punched the surface of the water. “Partner,” he muttered. “Some partner you are.” Even through the ripples, Silver Script could see the figure of Princess Luna descending behind him. Fighting every instinct within him to turn around and bow to the princess of the night, he remained where he was, staring into the waters. “Silver Script, why do you turn from me?” she asked. Silver Script stared at a water lily as the blooms opened against the pond. “Because I broke my promise, Your Highness.” He gazed into the pond as the reflection of Princess Luna drew nearer. “And what promise was that?” she asked. Silver Script turned his head ever so slightly so that the princess was in his periphery. “I promised I would be there for him.” He kicked a pebble into the lake. “And look what I did.” He finally rose to his hooves, though he kept his head low. “I nearly assaulted Trenderhoof. I embarrassed myself in front of all those ponies. And worst of all, Starry—” A sob escaped from his lips. “I can’t imagine how to fix this.” As his body trembled, Silver Script began to cry. His mind raced with thoughts of the week how so many times he had let his husband down. Every moment that he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to be with Star Bright. You’ve ruined everything, he thought. “Silver Script,” Princess Luna said. “What matters most is how to heal and learn.” The stallion felt a heaviness in his body that he couldn’t let go of. The wind blew past, sending shivers through the tree branches and causing the leaves to rasp against one another. A nearby orchestra of crickets chirped. Silver Script looked down at the ground once more. “What if I don’t deserve to be healed?” Suddenly, he felt a hoof beneath his chin lift his head up. Princess Luna stood before him, her wings outstretched, with an expression on her face even he couldn’t identify. “Silver Script,” she said. “Everypony makes mistakes.” She glanced to the side, as though recalling a memory. “Some of us worse than others.” Her eyes focused back on him. “But we cannot keep punishing ourselves for those mistakes. Just like any other wound, we must leave it and let it heal. That is how we grow.” Silver Script’s lip trembled, but he still nodded weakly to the princess. She smiled and began lowering her wings, but as she did, he noticed the figure standing by the gate. Instinctively, he backed away and lifted his wings to cover himself. He felt his husband’s magic on his wings, forcing them to grow heavier and heavier until he had no choice but to lower them again. He sobbed once more, slowly lifting his head so that he could he Star Bright standing in front of him, his horn glowing. “No,” Star Bright said, his voice gravelly. “You do not get to hide from me this time.” “I’m sorry.” Silver Script grabbed Star Bright’s leg, lifting it in the air, and kissed the bottom of his hoof. “I can’t even kiss the ground you walk on, and—” “Don’t you use your poetic expressions here,” he replied, yanking his hoof away. “Look at me.” Tears fell down Silver Script’s cheek as he craned his head to look at his husband. Star Bright’s eyes were red, and he could tell that the stallion had been crying as well. Princess Luna simply took a step back and raised her eyebrow. “I didn’t mean to make you upset,” Silver Script said, choking back tears. “I just—” “I’m not upset,” Star Bright interrupted. “I’m angry.” Silver Script’s ears perked and he quirked his head. Star Bright took a deep breath and rocked his head back and forth. “I’m angry.” Star Bright reached out and grabbed Silver Script with both hooves. “You made a vow to always be there for me.” Silver Script fought with all his might not to use his wings to hide himself from his husband. “And I made a vow, too. That I would always be there for you.” He continued. “You took that from me. We could have worked through this together.” Star Bright leaned in to give Silver Script a hug. The stallion fought the urge to leap back, and instead allowed Star Bright to pull him in to a crushing embrace. “How long have you known?” he asked. Silver Script hesitated for a moment. “The same day you got your letter.” “I figured.” For a moment, the two stallions simply rest in each other’s embrace. Silver Script pressed his muzzle into Star Bright’s shoulder and sniffed his fur. You smell of wood and fire, he thought. The pair were interrupted by a gentle coughing, and immediately separated, Star Bright looked down and pawed at the ground while Silver Script scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry, Your Highness,” Star Bright mumbled. “We just tend to get emotional—” “True as it may be, do you not have a speech to give?” “Oh for the love of Luna’s night!” Silver Script covered his muzzle, only to become more embarrassed when the princess chuckled. “And here I thought my sister was the only pony who was an expression.” She smiled and winked at the two. “Interesting.” Silver Script grabbed Star Bright’s hooves and gazed into his eyes. “I’ll do anything,” he said. “Anything to make it up to you. What can I do?” Star Bright lifted a hoof to his chin and wondered. He glanced over to Princess Luna before smiling. “I think I may have an idea.”