Bright Shine laid on the couch, curled up with a folklore book. Currently, she was reading the tale of the first Hearth’s Warming, trying to get any inspiration that she could for the bake sale that would be coming up all too soon. While they were still limited by rationing, the baking company she worked for still wanted a special stock of baked goods come winter, and they had asked her to make something “truly awe inspiring”. Unfortunately, her boss had given her nothing more specific than that, and so she had checked out a stack of books from the library to draw ideas from. The past two days had netted nothing however, and she prayed to the stars above that she would have a breakthrough soon.
She sighed and flipped the page, mentally begging the words to give her an idea, any idea. As she stared at the book, a knock resounded from the door, shaking her concentration. She groaned and closed the book, setting it on the coffee table. Feathered Ink’s head poked out of the kitchen. Bright Shine pointed a hoof at him.
“Finish your homework mister! Your rump doesn’t leave that chair until you have done your absolute best.”
“But Mom!” he moaned.
Bright Shine fixed him with a glare, and he groaned and disappeared back into the kitchen, the sound of a chair scraping the floor indicating that he was actually following her instructions. She smiled and shook her head, turning to the door. White Wing gave her a little bow as she opened the door.
“Evening Mrs. Shine. Sorry I wasn’t here earlier, but we’re gettin’ more and more letters every day. It’s gettin’ a might bit tough to keep up.”
She giggled.
“Getting old, are we? Do I need to convince Feathered Ink to take your job? He’s young and spry.”
White Wing put a hoof on his chest, pretending to be offended.
“Well I never. You youngin’s have got no respect for your elder mail ponies.”
He sniffed and turned his head.
“I guess since I’m “getting old” you don’t want your letter?”
Bright Shine pretended to panic, dramatically raising a hoof to her head.
“Oh, please good sir! Don’t take my letters away!”
White Wing turned his head the other way.
“Maybe I take it back to the station, get you a younger pony to deliver it on the ‘morrow.”
“I’m sorry sir! I’ll do anything! Won't you be a strapping young stud and deliver my letter!”
White Wing blushed.
“Aw shucks Mrs. Shine, ain’t nopony quite as flattering as you.”
Bright Shine pulled him into a hug and gave him a peck on the cheek, further deepening his blush. She smiled at the mail pony.
“Don’t worry White Wing, as long as you want to deliver mail, I want you to deliver it here. If anypony tells you you’re too old, you send them here and I’ll straighten them out.”
She gave a few fake jabs in the air, drawing a laugh out of White Wing. He shook his head and pulled a letter from his saddle bag, and handed it to Bright Shine, a big smile on his face.
“Never change Mrs. Shine. You always know how to make an old stallion feel young again.”
He then gave her a small nod and took off. Bright Shine watched as he disappeared and then closed the door. She flipped the new letter over in her magic. It had been a little over two months since the last one, but the familiar poor hoof writing was evidence enough of who sent it. Feathered Ink poked his out back out of the kitchen, his eyes locked onto the letter floating in the air.
“Can we read it now?” his eyes pleaded at her “Please?”
“Homework first.”
"But mom!" he groaned.
"No buts mister! March back to that seat and finish up."
He groaned again, and didn't move from the kitchen doorway. Bright Shine smiled internally but knew she had to keep her tough exterior. That didn't stop her from dangling a little incentive...
"When you finish, we can read the letter together; so the sooner you finish the sooner we can read it Inky."
His face brightened.
“Great! I only have a few more lines of my story anyway!”
He scrambled back into the kitchen. Bright Shine moved back to the couch and began to settle down, floating the letter to rest next to the book she had been reading. As she cracked it open once more, a shriek sounded from the kitchen. She was on her feet in a second, and in the doorway of the kitchen a second later. Her panicked eyes darted around the room, searching for anything that might be a threat as she asked;
“What is it? How are you hurt? Did you see somepony? Was it Nightmare Moon?”
Feathered Ink was standing on the table, spinning in circles as he tried to get a good look at his flank. He squealed with joy.
“Look Mom! I got my cutie mark! I’m going to be the second one in class!”
All of Bright Shine’s panic died away instantly, replaced immediately by joy. She scooped him up in a hug, pressing him into her chest as she let out a cry of joy.
“Mom!” he said trying to break free, “You’re crushing me!”
She held him out at arm’s length, smiles wide on both of their faces. They both simply grinned at each other until Bright Shine said;
“Well tell me all about it! What happened?”
Feathered Ink broke free of her grip and hopped back onto the table.
“I don’t know! I was just finishing my short story for class and then bam! It just happened.”
Bright Shine inspected the cutie mark. It was a simple white quill over a black ink jar. Feathered Ink seemed to freeze in his celebration, and when Bright Shine looked up, she saw tears in his eyes.
“What’s wrong Inky? I thought you would be happier.”
Feathered Ink sniffled.
“Does this mean my special talent is doing homework?” he asked in a whimper.
Bright Shine couldn’t help herself; she giggled. This seemed to make it worse, and Feathered Ink’s face contorted.
“It’s not funny! I don’t want to do homework forever!” he wailed.
Bright Shine dragged the colt off of the table and hugged him.
“Sweetie no. It means you are a writer. You said you got it when you finished your short story yeah?”
He sniffled, but nodded. Bright Shine smiled warmly at him and ruffled his mane.
“And did you have fun writing it?”
He nodded again, and Bright Shine noticed the gears begin to turn in his head as his tears began to disappear.
“That’s all it is Inky. You’re going to grow up, and you’re going to be the best writer Equestria’s ever seen. Just you wait.”
“So, no more homework?” he asked hopefully.
Bright Shine smiled.
“No more homework… as soon as you are finished with school.”
Feathered Ink groaned.
“But that’s gonna take forever!”
Bright Shine kissed the top of his head.
“Everypony has to go to school Inky, believe it or not, you may miss it one day.”
Feathered Ink grunted in denial. Bright Shine placed him on her back.
“How about we read Dad’s letter hmm? Would that make you feel better?”
Feathered Ink’s mood immediately changed. He hopped up and down.
“Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Bright Shine rolled her eyes. Sometimes it was just too easy. She carried the now ecstatic-again colt to the living room, where they settled into their letter-reading spot. She opened the letter and read aloud.
Dearest Bright Shine,
I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve last written, but things got awfully busy out here. The captain says I can’t give too many details, suffice to say we got into combat. It was terrifying, and I never want to do it again. It was only all of that training that got me moving at all. You will be happy to hear that I got through it with only a scratch on my leg, and that came from me tripping over a branch.
The big thing that happened was that we caught some prisoners last week! We got lost on patrol and happened to stumble right into one of their patrols, caught them all in one go, so nopony got hurt. I believe I heard the captain call them thestrals, though we know them as bat-ponies. Once you take off all of their armor, they look just like regular ponies, I don’t get why the stories my dad told me made them sound so scary. Besides the eyes and the wings, they look just like you and me! Overall though, they're a bit mean. I guess its part of their training, but most of them go on and on about how Nightmare Moon is coming to get us and how the night will last forever blah blah. One of them wasn’t like that though.
When I was on guard duty one night, one of the bat-ponies was sitting alone in a corner of the stockade. Since we are told to investigate any strange behavior, I decided to go talk to him. The first think I noticed is that he is far too young to be a soldier. When I asked him, he told me he is only a teen. He got drafted to fight because his family didn’t want him around anymore. Something awful like that got me thinking, so I kept him talking. Turns out, he is part of a small group of bat-ponies that think Nightmare Moon is doing everything all wrong, that by trying to force nighttime all of the time is devaluing its beauty. He likes the balance, and thinks Nightmare Moon is a nut for trying to make it last forever.
I wanted to talk to him more, but the other thestrals intervened, and threatened to beat him if he didn’t stop talking to me. That shut him up quick, so I left, hoping they’d leave him be. During the prisoner free time I’m going to try talking with him again. Maybe I can get him to join us? If anything, I want him out of that pen, he’s going to get hurt if he stays.
I hope everything is still well at home. I know you are doing well because you are the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria. Give Inky my love, and tell him to work on making some more friends! I want to here all about their adventures when I get home.
With Love,
Star Chaser
“What’s a bat pony?” Feathered Ink asked.
“I don’t know much,” Bright Shine replied, tapping her chin, “but, bat ponies are ponies that Princess Luna created a long time ago. They worshiped the night and in turn, they worshiped her. Legends would have you believe that they are monsters, or even vamp-ponies, but your father seems to know different. That’s something you should ask him when he gets home.”
“When is Dad going to come home?” he asked, gazing up at her.
Bright Shine and nuzzled the top of his head.
“As soon as he can little one. He doesn’t want to be away, but he has to be to keep us safe. When he doesn’t need to be away anymore, he’ll race home, just you wait.”
She straightened up her eyes looking out the window. It was black outside now, the streetlights the only sign of light in the night sky. Not even the stars provided any light. It would likely be another night where the moon didn’t rise, a sign of defiance from Nightmare Moon. Princess Celestia had assured many ponies that she had not, nor would ever lose, control of the sun. Given time, she said, she would defeat Nightmare Moon and bring the moon back to the night sky, so that balance would be restored once more.
Shaking her head clear, Bright Shine scooped Feathered Ink up and place him at the base of the stairs, nosing him to go up.
“I’m not tired yet!” he protested, stopping on the second step.
“You still have school tomorrow and it is getting late. How are you going to tell your classmates about your cutie mark if you’re all tired?” Bright Shine replied.
His eyes lit up and he scampered up the stairs, his bedroom door slamming closed behind him. Bright Shine smiled and shook her head, extinguishing the lights in the kitchen with her magic. She then moved back to the living room, quickly grabbing a sheet of paper and a quill. Settling on the couch she wrote;
My Beloved Star Chaser,
I wish you were here. Feathered Ink got his cutie mark, he’s going to be a writer! Just like you. I’m so proud and I hope you are as well.
The princess has enforced a small curfew in Canterlot, nothing too big, just lights out by eleven. You should have seen the stink that some of the nobles gave her. I swear those ponies are so dramatic when they don’t get their way. Princess Celestia set them straight quickly though. If you’ll believe it, she threatened to take away their sugar ration! They all ran away with their tails between their legs.
Things are still quiet in Canterlot, with all of our brave ponies away fighting with you, we are safe as ever. I just wish more ponies gave thanks, but maybe they are just waiting for Hearth’s Warming.
Please don’t do anything dangerous Star, the last thing anypony wants is you hurt. Come back to us safe and sound. Feathered Ink asked when you’d be home, so now you know you can’t disappoint him.
Forever yours,
Bright Shine
She sighed as she polished off the letter. Sealing it, she opened the drawer where the first letter was stored and grabbed the newest one as well. They both stank of sweat and paper, just like Star Chaser. She blew out the lamp and hugged them both to her chest, letting the sweet scent guide her to sleep.