//------------------------------// // Moonlit Memories // Story: Of Silver Scales // by Axelflames //------------------------------// After a very long conversation about humanity, and earth in general, Citrine finally suggested to her father that she take me to the guest room. To be honest, I really think he would have preferred that I stayed and continued talking about my world. Thankfully, though he was able to see past that wanting of his, and agree that I be shown my room. As I left the dining room, I noticed a final piece of fish bacon, and tried to grab it with my tail. Sadly, my aim was a little off. I ended up hitting the bowl of soup, and caused it to make a beautiful arc. An arc that ended on my head, giving me a beautiful wooden pot shaped hat to go along with my now soup soaked hair. I sighed, then asked, “Do you have a towel that I could borrow as well?” Shortly after drying off my face and head, Citrine showed me the guest room. Honestly, it was perfect for me. Nicely sized bed, with a wooden frame, bedside table, lamps, pretty much everything you could want in a room. What struck me though, was the window. It was as tall as I was, and it opened onto a small balcony. I also noticed a couple pictures on the side wall. Most were of Citrine and her father, but the one that caught my eye was different. In it, Sunstone was standing with another pegasus mare, only this one was a deep green, with a white mane. The mare was holding a foal in her arms, and from what I could tell, it was a very young Citrine. She saw me staring at the photo. “My mother, Coral, along with me and my father back when we all lived together in Nimbus.” she said. Hmmm, interesting use of phrasing there. I noticed how she seemed a bit tight on the subject, so I simply smiled back at her. “Aha, makes sense then. By the way, where is Nimbus?” “On the other side of Equestria.” “Okay.” … … … Okay, awkward silence is awkward. I felt like I needed something to break the silence. Cue normal brain function, program name firstthought.exe. “Could you show me on a map? I'm not really used to this place.” Wow, for me that appeared to be a well thought out request. I congratulated myself. Thank God she smiled back. “Actually, the nearest map is in the town nearby. Me and Dad were going to make a trip there tomorrow for supplies, but with you here I don't know if we should...” “Nonsense! I only plan to stay the one night. In fact, I would like to join you in this quest towards the town for reasons all my own.” Clothes being the primary reason. Hey, just cause most of the characters on the show are comfortable without them, doesn't mean that I am. “Oh. Then that's fine. I'll tell my dad. Good night, Quicksilver.” she responded walking out of the room. This left me on my own, so I flopped down on the bed, and tried to get some sleep. Notice the use of the word try in that sentence. I just couldn't do it. Try as I might, it was either uncomfortable, wings can be annoying, or my mind was just going so fast that it wouldn't relax. I stood up and walked over to the window, opened it, and stepped onto the balcony. A beautiful night. Compared to the ones at my apartment, this was just amazing. It reminded me of the nights spent with my dad, back in woods. The stars would shine out, and you could see so many of them, an amount beyond the scope of the imagination. The constellations were the same here, and I found myself looking for some of the more prominent ones, like Orion and Cleopatra. Then I found the moon. It had been behind the tree, and so I didn't see it until it was at the apex of its journey. Beyond beautiful. There were no words that could describe it. I simply stared at the sky, for what seemed like the longest time. “Luna's creations are not oft appreciated for their beauty, but it is always a comfort to know that there are those who still enjoy her night.” said a voice. I shot a fast glance to my side, and beheld Sunstone, simply standing on the balcony with me, and staring at the night sky. He wasn't wearing his armor, and I noticed his coat was beyond the pale I had originally thought. His mane was short, but it was obvious that it had once been a very bright blue. Now, it was so pale that it seemed to be the same color as the moon above us. He seemed, in a word, old. He turned and looked at me. “You've told me much about your world, but do your skies match this?” I turned back to the view of the stars, as they traveled underneath the cloud cover. There was no end to them from up here. “No. I share the same skies, but nothing I have seen can match this.” I felt a stinging sensation in my eyes, and found that I was crying. I looked back at him, and asked something strangely off topic, “What day is today?” He seemed startled at my question. “Friday, tomorrow is Saturday. Why?” An honest question. I looked at him once more. Here was a father who had allowed me to stay with him, and his daughter, even though he knew the kind of danger such an act might place him in. This was, in all essences, a being that I could trust. He deserved the truth. I turned around, facing back into the room, and slid down the railing till I was sitting and leaning against it. “I told you about Earth, but not about my own family. My sister has two kids of her own, and Saturday is the night I go to spend time with them. Every week. I often tell them stories before their bedtime. Their favorite nights, though, are the ones where I sneak them out to the backyard, and show them the stars. I had promised them that I would take them on top of the roof this time, and that from there they would be able to see all the stars. If I'm really here, and this is no dream, then means I'm going to miss all of that.” He looked at me, rather shocked. He then sat down next to me, and asked “What are their names?” “River, and Simon.” “How old?” “River is 9, Simon is 6.” “What do you like most about them?” this actually made me look back at him. His eyes were looking straight into mine, and I felt moved. “Well, I guess it could be that they accept me and love me, no matter what I do. I've gone through some trials in my life, and I'm too used to people wanting to know me because of what I do, instead of who I am. These two, though, they don't care about what I do. They love me because they love me. There is nothing more than that.” I actually choked up at this part. Tears were welling up, and all they needed was a signal to open the floodgates. He stood up, and looked back over his shoulder at the moon as it traveled across the sky. “Most ponies go through a phase in their lives. It often happens when they try to get their cutie marks. They try to get the attention of all passerby and show off what they can do, in order to gain recognition. The root of this phase, is in all creatures. It is a desire to be loved, for some reason or another. These two foals, or kids, have given you that love. It is only natural that you feel lost without it. Do not despair, for that will only lead to suffering of a far greater kind. It may even lead you to lash out, and tarnish what you remember of them.” He then left the room, shutting the door softly behind himself. That changed everything. My tears dried up, and I found myself invigorated. I also found myself extremely tired. I shoot the moon one last look as I hit the bed. “Thanks Luna, I appreciate the artwork, and the advice.” With that, I fell asleep, and dreamed of family, and home.