*Knock Knock Knock*
Sky woke from his unintended nap with a start. Checking the clock hanging on the wall he frowned in confusion; it was still an hour or so until Blueprint and his crew were due to continue work on repairs. While it would be nice to think they were getting an early start, it seemed unlikely they were THIS early.
Whoever it was knocked again and Sky got up and moved for the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It wouldn’t do to just sit there and guess.
On the other side was a not in fact a burly construction worker, but a small, bow wearing filly. Apple Bloom, the youngest of the Apple clan, stood patiently with a big grin on her face. The yellow filly waved energetically at him as he answered the door for her.
“Mornin', Sky!” She greeted loudly. Sky chuckled a bit at her enthusiasm.
“Good morning Apple Bloom. ‘Yaaawn’... What are you doing here so early?”
That drew a confused look from the girl. “Early?” She asked, tilting her head and looking back at the rising sun. “Ain’t it like, seven or something?”
“... I guess early is subjective.” Sky responded, rubbing his eyes once more. “I just got up a little bit ago. I was up late using the new facility for the first time last night.”
Apple Blooms ears folded back at that. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you would be workin’ yet, since you just got out of the hospital a couple days ago and all. I can come back later if ya want...”
Sky shook his head. “Nonsense! I don’t actually have any work assigned until after they finish repairs, I was just getting familiar with the place. I have to be up when the construction crew comes, and a cup of something hot will do just fine waking me up. Come on in.”
He stepped aside and let the little pony in, smiling at how she wiped her hooves at the door despite the state she had last seen the living area in. The ponies from Canterlot had arrived the other day, and begun work almost immediately. The entire back half of the living room was walled off temporarily, and the damaged furniture had been thrown out. He had been using one of the untouched chairs from the dinning area to sit at the table and read.
Overall, it was looking a lot less destroyed and a lot more empty.
“Wow,” She said as she looked around. “Looks at this place! I bet it’ll be fixed up in no time!”
“Yes, they certainly don’t mess around. I actually know the pony in charge of the repairs, if only by reputation. He worked with my dad back in Canterlot on a couple of jobs. He has a good reputation for getting work done fast and done well. I’d say this place will be back to normal in a week or so.”
“That’s great! I meant to come and see how ya were doing sooner, but Applejack told me not too. Said to wait some and let you get better before ‘bothering ya’. just wanted to make sure you were alright... and say thanks."
"Hehe. Well thank you for your concern, Apple Bloom. As you can see, I'm doing fine, thank you for checking."
"Mhm!"
The stood there for a moment, Apple Bloom simply smiling and rocking back and forth on the tips of her hooves. His sisters had taught him what this behavior usually meant. She wanted something, but was waiting for him to bring it up first. His smile was practiced and patient as he urged her on with a hoof.
"Is there something else you wanted to say while you were here?"
She stopped rocking and peeked towards the stairway to the second story. "Weeell~"
Ah, and there it was. To be honest Sky had been hoping that she had forgotten about that promise with all the recent excitement. It looked like luck was not in his favor however. Still, the smile never left his face as he awaited her answer.
It was, however, much harder to maintain with the worry that was now nagging at him.
"I was KINDA wondering if it was still alright fer the Crusaders to use your fancy telescope. I know a lots happened but I just kinda got a feeling this could be it, you know? The chance to finally find our cutie marks! It's all just so excitin' and I know that the others feel the same. Well, 'cept for Nyx and Twist, they already have their cutie marks, but they're ALMOST as excited as the rest of us!"
Halfway through her thoughts the little Apple had begun bouncing in earnest, her excitement palpable. Sky was reminded why he had originally agreed to their request as he thought it over once more.
He wanted to say yes. A chance to share his life's passion and inspire others? He was not a teacher by any means, but the thought made him slightly giddy himself. Also, he had already promised to show them around last week, and he hated going back on a promise.
He knew he should just tell her that it wasn't possible. Having minors around the equipment was a bad idea, and with the recent monster attack he was just a little concerned about the facilities' well-being. He was fairly certain that tours of the Canterlot observatory where pretty much run on tracks, and for adults only. No reason it should be different here.
Still, this was an amazing opportunity. Young ponies, interested in the sciences, curious about the stars. And he was the one running this facility. He couldn't just tell them no and walk away, not with good conscience. Everypony deserved the chance to learn, and he had the means to teach them. That was a noble cause, right?
Though wouldn't it be an abuse of his new position to give free tours to anypony he saw fit? Without the input of his superiors? Probably. Clockwork would have no problem with it, but there were other higher ups that would squirm at the idea of foal using a MW950 for stargazing... Not that he wasn't guilty of doing the same last night, but still, he knew what they would say.
Looking down to the hopeful fillies wide eyes, Sky made his decision.
"Apple Bloom..."
"Hello, Mister Sky!"
"Hey girls, how are you all doing tonight?"
'I REALLY need how to learn to say no to children...'
Sky moved aside to make room for the party of five Crusaders and one Twilight Sparkle to enter the building. Sweetie Belle gave a little squee of excitement before running in, while Apple Bloom, Nyx, and a new filly, Twist, all giggled and chased after.
The pegasus of the group however, took the opportunity to look at the jagged scar still punctuating his brow with unabashed interest.
"Whoa..."
Sky turned and mussed his mane slightly, hiding the wound a bit.
"Scootaloo, I don't think Sky would appreciate you staring at him like that, do you?" Asked the town librarian, breaking the filly out of her wonderment.
"Oh... Sorry 'bout that."
"It's ah, no problem. Come on in."
As Scootaloo bolted indoors after her friends, Sky turned his attention to his last guest.
"Good evening, Miss Sparkle. I'm sorry for the short notice, I wasn't expecting that Apple Bloom get the okay from everyone's guardians so early."
Twilight chuckled. "I told you already, it's just Twilight, not 'Miss Sparkle'. And it's fine, really. I didn't have plans tonight anyways. At least, nothing that couldn't be rescheduled. To be honest, I'm very excited to be here as well."
"In that case, I'm glad you could make it. Come on in."
Twilight nodded her appreciation as she walked past. "I of course have a telescope of my own on top of the library, but it's nothing compared to this. I was hoping to get peek through it myself, if that's alright," She asked hopefully.
"Of course not, its no trouble at all!" Sky replied as he moved into the kitchen where he had prepared some snacks and set them out for the fillies. Of course they all went for the moderate pile of Sugar Cube Corner cookies, leaving behind the perfectly good celery sticks and peanut butter. Sky clicked his tongue and grabbed one of those for himself. He really should have known better.
"Nyx, didn't I see you and Spike share dessert earlier tonight?"
The fillies all froze and stared at the alicorn of the bunch, chocolate chip goodness inches from her mouth, as she looked at her legal caretaker with pleading eyes. Twilight raised a brow, but her eyes where smiling as she lit her horn and all but one of the sweets in her charge's hoof returned to the table.
"Just one, okay?"
"Yes, Twilight," Nyx responded before digging into her last remaining treat. The other fillies, seeing that the coast was clear, did the same, but made sure to carry their snacks close to their chests. Sky chuckled; it all reminded him so much of Mom and the girls. That realization gave him pause, and he looked between Twilight and Nyx with new, curious eyes.
Scootaloo looked around the living area, taking everything in. "So you have this whole place to yourself huh? You don't have anypony else coming here to work with you?"
Sky blinked as his train of thought was momentarily derailed. Sky looked around himself, for the first time really considering how large a space it was. The living area and kitchen alone where probably larger than his place back in Canterlot. Of course owning, or even renting a house of any kind in Canterlot was expensive. He had been lucky enough to have a small place of his own coming out of school thanks to the help of his family. It wasn't anything compared to the large majority of the capitol, but he lived moderately, and never wanted for room.
Now, it seemed that he had more room than he knew what to do with. Not a bad problem to have, but it would still be difficult finding ways to keep the space from feeling empty.
"No, it's just me here. I suppose it is a rather large amount of space for just one pony, isn't it?"
The bespectacled filly, Twist, finished scarfing down her snacks before wiping her muzzle clean. Turning to him, she asked the real question that was on everypony's mind.
"Tho is it alright if we go upstairs now?" She asked with a prominent lisp. "I really want to thee what it looks like!"
Sky nodded and finished his mouthful before responding.
"Yes, but before we do, I need to explain some things first." Everypony stopped what they where doing and gave him their attention, Twilight included. "Don't worry, its pretty straightforward; I ask that you don't touch anything unless Twilight or I tell you it's okay. There is a lot of equipment up there, and some of it is delicate, so please try to be careful." The group all nodded their heads, and Sky looked around to be sure they understood before continuing. He couldn't help but grin as he continued.
"That being said, I encourage curiosity, and the chance to learn! You all are lucky enough to have come on a particularly good night for stargazing. There's a crescent moon out tonight, and the weather team has done a great job of keeping the skies clear. I'll adjust the telescope a couple times through the night to show you some different spots, and if you have any questions feel free to ask. So, is everypony ready?"
The group nodded their heads eagerly, Twilight included. Sky opened the door to the second story and took the lead. "Follow me then, and watch the platform! It sneaks up on you."
The group quickly complied, traveling up the spiral staircase to a second door into the workplace. Unlocking the last barrier, Sky couldn't help but show a little flare, swinging the door wide and sweeping a hoof in invitation. The foals took him up on his offer, dashing inside tailed by Twilight, for her part bouncing on her hooves. Sky chuckled and followed them in, only to freeze as he saw Sweetie Belle already somehow atop the telescope's optical tube and peering upside down into the eyepiece. Scootaloo looked to be attempting to join her up top while the other three looked on excitedly. Twilight looked like she was going to say something, but she was beaten to the punch.
"Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! Get off of there right now!"
Sky worked hard to keep the fear out of his voice. His tone was stern, garnering no argument, if a little higher than usual. Startled, the foals quickly removed themselves from the device and joined their companions a safe distance away. All eyes where now on him as he took a few breaths to calm his nerves before continuing. He had expected something like this may happen. No need to freak out.
"Girls, I know your excited, but I NEED you to listen to me when I tell you to be careful with the equipment. The stuff in here can be VERY expensive, and I don't own any of it. I could lose my job if don't take proper care of it. I need you to be cautious around it for me, or I can't allow you in here anymore. Am I clear?"
The fillies all looked down, ears flat against their skulls as they nodded their understanding. Sky closed his eyes and let out another breath as he relaxed slightly. Upon opening them, he noticed one of the fillies, Sweetie Belle, was looking somewhat worse for wear, head down and sniffing.
Sky felt his stomach drop at the sight of it. He wanted them to listen to him, but not like this.
Sky walked his way over to the dejected filly, her eyes downcast as she refused to meet his gaze. The others moved away, eyeing him with varying levels of concern. That hurt even more to see. Laying down, he tucked his legs underneath him and lowered his head to her level.
"Hey now," he said softly. "There's no need for that. I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier, you just scared me there for a second. I'm not really mad, I promise."
Sweetie chanced a look up at him, and Sky gave her a gentle smile. She returned it and wiped her nose. her ears no longer flat against her head.
"Tell you what. I'll teach you all how to point the telescope as well as look through it. I'll even let you do it, so long as you listen to my instructions. How's that sound?" He looked to the others as he asked, making it clear the offer was for all of them, not just the unicorn. They all began to smile at this, nodding their heads in agreement.
Standing up, Sky made his way past the group of young ones, urging them to follow him. "Alright then, lets do this the right way. Everypony please follow me, I'll show you all the different parts of the telescope and how to use them. Sweetie, you can look first."
Sky watched with a big grin on his face as the group of five fillies gathered around eyepiece, taking turns looking out into the stars and giggling among themselves. They had each gotten a turn being walked through the process of using the device, and after his outburst and following apology, the entire group had been very calm and respectful of the equipment. He had left the aperture pointed at a particularly thick patch of stars and backed off for a moment, simply letting them enjoy. Twilight was sitting in a chair to his side, doing the same.
"I'm impressed," She said quietly, as to not disturb the girls. "Normally they need to be reeled back in a couple times by now, but they are doing quite well so far. You certainly have a way with them. Even if they started the night out a little... rambunctious."
Sky winced. "Yes, I'm terribly sorry you had to see that. I just, well..."
Twilight raised a hoof to stop him. "It's alright. I get why you where upset, I don't blame you. And you made it up to them in the end, which is what matters. I was a little bit worried you would call it off there, but like I said, you seem to have some talent dealing with them. Not to mention when you first got here. I never got the opportunity to thank you for what you did."
"I was glad to do it, really. There isn't any need to thank me."
Looking back at the five as Nyx attempted to guide Twist's gaze towards a particular star in the sky, directing her friend where to look in the glass. A warm feeling welled up inside him at the scene. He loved seeing others interested in his work, even if it was just something as small as this.
"I have girls back in Canterlot. Sisters, I mean. The youngest is actually around their age. I would take care of her to give Mom and Dad some time off every once in a while. I grew up along with the others, and I love them all, but Sunny..." He shook his head. "Sunny is something special. I was finishing up my general education when she came around, and I learned a lot about foals by dealing with her. Guess I can thank her for my 'talent' with kids."
Twilight simply hummed in response, and continued to watch the fillies. One filly in particular, as Sky noticed, bringing back a thought from earlier in the night.
"So, what's it like taking care of Nyx?"
That drew the mare's attention away as she blinked and looked at him with intrigue. After judging him simply curious, she smiled and returned her gaze to the alicorn in question.
"Nyx is a wonderful little filly. She reminds me a lot of myself when I was her age, curious, careful, has a love for knowledge and reading. She of course has more friends than I did at the time, but still, there's just so much in common. I'm glad Princess Celestia and Princess Luna let her stay here with me."
"So she's... the sister you never had?"
"Not... not exactly," Twilight responded somewhat evasively, watching the midnight foal and her companions. Nyx looked back at them, grinning widely and waving at Twilight, who responded in kind. Something in her eyes told Sky everything he needed to know. He nodded and wondered at how such a relationship came to be.
"Also, there's something I was meaning to ask earlier. You guiding a group of foals through a tour of the observatory is one thing, but letting us use it? I can't help but feel like you're just a little too trusting here. I mean, their foals, and you barely even know me. What made you so sure we can be trusted with all of this?"
"Besides you being a national hero that saved my life from an angry monster just a few days ago?" Sky asked, causing her to snort in amusement. He grinned. "I know about you from your time in Canterlot. You're the princess' personal protegee. Graduated from the general education program at fourteen. You have some form of degree or credential in more fields than I can remember. Not to mention that you are supposed to be the most magically gifted pony since Starswirl himself. Honestly, I would be hard pressed to find somepony I trusted more to know how to handle the equipment in here. You're overqualified if you ask me."
Twilights cheeks continued to darken through his explanation, embarrassed by the praise. She looked away and pawed at the chair below her.
"I-It's nothing THAT special. Just because I dabble in a bit of everything doesn't mean I have nearly the qualifications you do. I'm just... Well read is all. I'm not the next Starswirl or Clover, despite what everypony thinks. I'm not going to make any groundbreaking discoveries, or develop a new spell or anything like that."
Sky stared at her in confusion for a moment, until some advice he had received a couple nights ago came to him. He hoped nopony would mind if he borrowed a line from a princess.
"Somepony recently told me that 'humility is a commendable quality, but it is not pride to acknowledge your own accomplishments.' Some good advice if you ask me."
The pink was beginning to leave her cheeks, and was replaced by a small but sincere smile. "That does sound like good advice. Thank you. Who was it that gave it to you?"
"Oh, uh... Princess Luna actually. She came by the night I was released from the hospital to check up and... help with the monster problem. She and I talked for a little bit before she returned to Canterlot."
Twilight blinked at this, looking at him in excitement. "Oh, you know Princess Luna? She visited Ponyville last Nightmare Night! She came to see you you said? I knew she had taken an understandable interest in astronomy and funded this observatory, but I didn't know you two were in contact with each other. Is that anything like me and Princess Celestia?"
Sky thought about that for a moment. "No. No it isn't like that, she isn't my... teacher or anything, and I don't think she sees me as any kind of student. We just... talk. We have a friend in common who introduced us, and I think... I think she wants us to be friends too." A moment of silence. "I'm... not sure what to think about that. It seems... improper, maybe just a little bit crazy. I mean, how am I supposed to treat her? Like royalty? Like one of my other friends from Canterlot? Maybe some weird middle ground? I just don't know where to start."
Twilight hummed. "I understand that. She is a princess after all, and it's hard even for me to talk with Princess Celestia sometimes, despite knowing her most of my life. She's never been what I would call a friend, and I don't think we ever will be. It's a different sort of relationship we have."
There was a moment of quiet where Twilight stared into the distance, Sky waiting for her to say what was on her mind.
"I've learned a lot about friendship since I moved to Ponyville. The girls have helped me grow and develop in ways I didn't think possible. I wish I had some sort of experience with what you're going through, but I've never had a report quite like this before. I would just say that if she really wants to be your friend, don't turn her away. She should understand how uncomfortable this may be for you. Just... be the best friend you can be I guess."
Sky looked up to the starry sky above, visible through the open dome of the observatory, and thought on that. A grin slowly took form, and he chuckled.
"I was expecting it to be a challenge, but you make it sound so simple."
"You never know."
Twilight looked over at the girls as Apple Bloom ushered Sweetie Belle over to the eyepiece, sharing with her something she saw.
"Thank you again for doing this for them. I know how big of a deal this is, considering their reputation and this place's importance. I wouldn't have thought anything of it if you had told them no."
Sky shook his head. "I honestly considered it, but I couldn't do it in the end. Like I said, I encourage the chance for them to learn. While having them here made me nervous at first, I am glad they get the chance to discover. Besides," he said, watching as Sweetie Belle gasped in wonder at something within the eyeglass, "How could I possibly say no to an opportunity like this?"
Twilight didn't respond, instead opting for a companionable silence as they all enjoyed a peaceful evening watching the stars.