//------------------------------// // The Heart Knows // Story: Star-Crossed Lovers // by ShootingStar81 //------------------------------// The sun had finished it's ever so slow retreat by the time they arrived at the library, surrendering the light of day to the cool calm of night. Of course, despite the dark, it wasn't THAT late, and as such it came as no surprise that there were ponies at the library. This became all the more evident as Shooting Star finally approached, having made his way at a casual pace, not far behind Sweetie Belle. Aside from the little filly that had lead him here, he could make out the forms of Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, both panting heavily, or so it appeared. He could also see Twilight Sparkle standing alongside them, just outside the door. Uh oh... he mused to himself, knowing that if she was waiting for him, this could possibly be really bad. Well, technically speaking. It's not like he'd be in any real trouble, but he wasn't looking forward to being lectured, either. As if to showcase this, he kept his head ducked down, like a foal that had just been scolded. It was right about then that Sweetie met up with her friends, smiling brightly. "Still not last, and I'm not as winded as you two, either!" she said all too cheerily, prompting annoyed glances from the both of them. Neither could speak but for their panting, but Scootaloo eventually managed a few words. "Who knew...Pinkie was...so fast!" she exclaimed, a look of awe upon her face. Indeed, it seemed for all of her ditzy demeanor, Pinkie was not to be trifled with in a race. As if on a cue, the door shot open just as Star reached the group, Pinkie poking her head out and glancing from Twilight to Star. "Oh, goodygoody! You finally made it!" For her part, Pinkie did not look at all winded, leaving the Crusaders, as well as Star, struck with awe for a few moments. She was always surprising ponies, it seemed, whether it was with a party, or one of her antics. Twilight broke the reverie when she cleared her throat, nodding to the stallion as she did. "It sounds like you could use some help, Star." She began, motioning for the Crusaders to head inside. "As for you three, you've been out late enough. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, your sisters are waiting for you inside." All three fillies groaned at those words, though they did as they were told, after which Twilight fixed an appraising look upon the accident prone pony. Without another word, she tipped her head toward the door, before heading back inside herself. Now you're in for it, he thought to himself before he let out a deep sigh and followed the unicorn in. Given the darkness outside, it took him a moment to adjust to the light inside the library, and as he did, he could tell they REALLY weren't alone. Gathered within were all of Twilight's best friends; Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Flutteryshy, and Pinkie Pie. There was also the three fillies, two of which were getting a sound scolding from their sisters for being out so late. However, much to the stallion's discomfort, pretty much all other eyes were on him. Swallowing hard as his mouth went dry, he took a step forward, looking nervously from one to the next along the line of ponies gathered. "I uh...suppose you all know about my accidents today, huh?" This was met with nods and murmurs of acknowledgement, one coming much stronger from the blue pegasus. He sighed softly at this, which was right about where Twilight picked up. "Shooting Star, I can understand your...enthusiasm, if you could call it that, for winning over Autumn Breeze. We all agree, though, that you're trying a bit too hard." Star bowed his head in reply, kicking at the floor, even though there was no dirt to really kick at. "What really worries us, though, is that if you keep this up, you might end up seriously hurt, and no closer to your goal." At those words, Star sunk down to the floor, laying down with his forelegs stretched out before him. "I know, Twilight, I know....it's just that I can't do nothing, and talking to her is just so....so hard. I didn't talk to her much in Manehattan before, didn't even say goodbye, and though I liked her then..." He trails off, clearly struggling with words as he often did when talking about her. Twilight just smiled, the others remaining quiet for the time being, though no less attentive. Even the Crusaders were listening. "Star," the unicorn continued, stepping forward to place a hoof on his shoulder. "Sometimes we need to stop and consider the things we want. Is it possible you want this too badly? That you're making something rather small into a much bigger problem than it is?" Of course, she had a LOT of experience with that particular problem, so for her, it was interesting to see it in another pony. To offer a bit more reassurance, she smiled warmly. Much to everypony's surprise, tears started to well up in his eyes as he pulled his hooves back to cover his head, slowly shaking it. "No, you don't understand Twilight. I don't want her, I need her. She means all the world to me! I may not know her all that well, but she helped me when I needed it the most. She believed in me when no pony else did...I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for her." This prompted puzzled expressions from those gathered, especially at such strong words for the otherwise moderate pony. "Pardon my askin'," said Applejack, being the first to speak up. "But ifn' she's so important to ya, why don't y'all just talk to her?" All eyes were on him at that question, seeing as it made all the sense in the world, but he just shook his head. "I'm so scared of it, Applejack! What if...what if she doesn't believe me? What if I just scare her away? I couldn't bear it if I lost her! She's almost as shy as Fluttershy," this he says while motioning to the yellow pegasus, at which she gave a sheepish grin, as if to prove the point. "I couldn't bring myself to take that chance." Everypony was quiet for a time after that, seeing as he was making such a strong statement. Of course, most all of them knew that being afraid did nopony any good, but it also wasn't something you could just tell anypony to forget and just get over. They had all faced such circumstances before, though perhaps not for the same thing. They all began to glance between each other, and with a nod from Rarity, it was she that spoke next. "But darling, what do you hope to achieve if you never take a chance? If you don't, what do you think's going to happen?" "Yeah!" Rainbow chimed in, taking to hovering as she often did when being excitable. "Anything worth having is worth a risk! We should know; we take 'em all the time!" "Some more than others," Twilight murmured under her breath before she cleared her throat, poising herself as she often did when speaking, or rather, lecturing. "We all understand how you feel, Star, but you're going to have to take a chance at some point with this. Whether it was with one of your silly efforts, or just talking to her, there is always going to be a chance. Now..." Twilight proceeded to sit on her haunches, motioning for the others to follow suit, though she had to spare a sharp glare at Rainbow to get the more rambunctious pegasus to comply. Once everypony had settled down, she smiled at the stallion, who was peeking out from under his hooves, a few tears still in his eyes. "Why don't you tell us what she did, what happened to make her so special to you." Sniffling softly, Star slowly sat up, pushing himself upright with his forelegs. Once he was sitting, he proceeded to wipe the tears from his eyes, then slowly took a deep breath. "Alright," he began, nodding toward the group as a whole, virtually surrounded by the mares. "It started back in Manehattan, when we were younger ponies..." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ A cool breeze cut the air that evening as the sun set on the horizon beyond the skyline of Manehattan. Even with the warmer weather, this city suffered a somewhat colder climate than most, given how far north it lay. Of course, residents were hardly bothered by it, and truth be told, Autumn Breeze found the chill breeze a refreshing cut from the summer heat that had carried the day. Such thoughts aside, she made her way to a small hill on the outskirts of the city, atop which was a large, broad-branched oak tree. This particular spot had become a favorite place to hang out for the rather shy pony, especially since the teasing had begun in school. To be fair, she hadn't been teased anymore than any other pony, save that now, she was the last in her class to get a cutie mark. There was only really one or two bullies, but many followed suit simply to avoid being a target, and it stung all the same no matter who said it. It was among the reasons she had come out here today, to avoid the inevitable torment that would have followed her after school. Today was going to be different, though, as it appeared some other pony was already up there when she reached the base of the hill. For a moment, she felt a small sense of panic, that one of her tormentors may have found out about her special spot, but for reasons yet unknown to the filly, she didn't flee. In fact, she felt compelled to make her way to the tree anyway, though if asked later, she wouldn't be able to tell anypony why. As she drew closer, she could see that whoever it was had their head buried in their forelegs, and their body quaked periodically, almost like they were shivering. Somepony might have assumed that, if she didn't know any better. "Are you...crying?" she asked in such a sweet voice as she reached the tree, peering down at the prone figure. "M'not crying!" came an all too curt reply as their head shot up, revealing a brightly blonde-maned colt, who cast an angry look her way. For a moment she was taken aback, but in yet another contradiction of her personality, she didn't run. Despite his defiance, there were still tears in his eyes, and tracks made by them along his cheeks. When she began to shuffle idly at the awkward outburst, he sniffled and rubbed at his eyes, bowing his head down. "M'sorry about that," he murmured softly. "I thought y'might be one of...them." Without invitation, she moved to sit down alongside him, eyeing the colt curiously as she did so. It didn't take long for her to pick up on the problem, either. He, too, was a 'blank flank'. "Them? Oh, you mean the bullies?" she asked as she nodded to his own flank. For a moment he looked as if he'd be irate, like she was rubbing something in his face, but when he looked, he saw that she, too, lacked one. That'd show him not to assume so quickly, anyway. "Yeah," he replied with a sigh, poking at the grass with his hoof. "They won't leave me alone about it, now that I'm the last in class. Probably didn't help myself any, though." When he said this, she offered him a quizzical look, idly shuffling her wings as she moved to a laying position, crossing her forelegs. After a moment's pause, he continued. "I use to always say...say how momma told me we all had our special star, an' that it'd help us find out who we are. I use to stay up so late at night tryin' to find mine. I always loved the night sky for that, an' I love momma for bein' so nice..." She couldn't help but smile at his little story. It made sense, that the bullies would tease him all the more for it, if he'd indeed told it before, but it was sweet all the same. "Your momma sounds like a special pony." She commented, oddly finding it rather easy to speak in the presence of this colt. He, of course, lacked any knowledge of her shy nature, and so didn't think much of it. "Yeah, she is. I just wish she coulda been more right." This he says while struggling against tears that threatened to overtake him again. When she offered him a quizzical, and perhaps a touch concerned, look, he continued. "I never found my star. I looked an' looked, an' it was never there for me. I dunno what I'm s'posed to do, what I'm meant to do, an' it makes me feel so bad." He sniffled a few times, clearly struggling to keep a straight face. "I love momma so much, but I feel like she lied to me. I was so hopeful for so long, 'an now..." Lowering his head back down, he covered up as before, shaking a little as he cried softly to himself. Despite her shyness, Autumn couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor colt. She knew what it was like, to be unsure of who you were meant to be, but to feel so bad because of somepony you loved so much? That had to hurt, even if they didn't mean to hurt you. Slowly and quietly she sidled over, eventually coming to rest alongside the colt, where she stretched out her wing to lay it across his back. At this, his head shot back up, surprise written all over his face as he looked over to her. She offered a small, reassuring smile, which he eventually returned in kind, trying again to wipe the tears from his eyes. "Thanks," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Bad things happen to good ponies, you know," she said in a voice that sounded all too sweet to the colt, which only made his smile broaden. "Things get better. I have to believe that, you know?" Sniffling softly, he nodded in reply, initially saying nothing. It was almost as though he was the shy one instead of her! "I guess yer right...er..." He paused, glancing over at yellow pegasus with a quizzical expression. "I never got yer name. I'm Shooting Star." "Autumn Breeze," she replied sweetly with a bow of the head. For a moment, her shy demeanor returned, especially now that Star was staring intently at her. Silence hung heavy on the air at that moment, and seemed to draw out time with it. Another breeze struck up just then, jostling their manes, as well as her wing feathers, enough that she drew her wing back. Of course, the young colt never stopped that staring. "Yer awful pretty..." he finally murmured softly, and for a moment, it was clear he didn't realize he'd said that aloud. Of course, Autumn ducked her head down, looking away as her cheeks tinged with red. For a moment, he seemed confused at her reaction, just before realization struck him like a brick to the head, which even jerked as if he had been! "Oh! Oh, uh....I-I-I...m'sorry, I didn't mean to..." It was his turn to flush, though he didn't try so hard as she to hide his face. She chuckled softly at his earnest demeanor, nudging him with her shoulder. "Sweet of you to say," she replied in a soft tone, which seemed to perk him back up. Another moment of silence followed the awkward event, but Autumn eventually spoke up, finding it a little unnerving to let it stay so quiet again. "You know, maybe your momma's still right, in a way," she began, picking up the thread of their earlier conversation. He fixed his attention on her with that, ears perking up as if to encourage her to continue. "Maybe...maybe you're just waiting for something when you could be finding it? Like....I don't know, you know how the sky changes with the seasons, but is pretty much the same with each season? You'll never find a new star for you like that. Maybe...just maybe...you could even make your own." For a time, the colt looked thoughtful, fixing his gaze on the city, and then the stars that were beginning to dot the skyline. It would be unusual to be out so late, save that tomorrow was the Summer Sun Celebration, and most everypony would stay up for it. His mind began to mull over her words along with thoughts of the coming day and what it meant for his family; his father, Dazzle, was an actor in local theater, and his uncle, Razzle, made fireworks for a living. Fireworks... Suddenly the colt stood bolt upright, eliciting a small gasp of surprise from the pegasus as she looked up at him, unsure if he was upset or excited. His face said it all as he all but beamed with the goofiest of grins on his face. "O-o-o-o, I've got such an idea just now! I gotta go see uncle Razzle, like, right NOW!" He exclaimed as he grinned down at Autumn whilst she still looked confused, and almost alarmed, at his sudden burst of energy. Prancing excitedly in place, he almost squealed with delight before he slowed down enough to rather boldly place a kiss on her cheek. Having done that, he tore off down the hill at breakneck speed, glancing back over his shoulder as he went. "Thanks for everything! Watch the sky tomorrow night, m'sure you'll love it!" Autumn remained stunned for quite a time, both from his alarming outburst, and the surprise kiss on her cheek. Eventually, she slowly brought a hoof up to touch the cheek he had kissed, and then smiled to herself, shaking her head. "That colt," she murmured softly, wondering just what it was he had in mind. Privately, she also wondered if she might see him again, or rather, hoped that she would... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ "I figured that if I couldn't find my star, I'd make one! So, that night, I helped Uncle Razzle make the fireworks to follow the celebration, and he told me I was a natural when we did. The following night, when we launched 'em all off, he even said he was a little jealous of my work. That's when he pointed out that my cutie mark had appeared. I was so, so excited!" He continued, finishing the story he'd spent the greater part of an hour telling them. "But...I felt a little sad, too. I had only met her once, but Autumn felt just...just so special to me. She helped me find myself when no pony else could. It's like I owe her, and..." he flushed a bit while he struggled to finish the sentence, but for once managed to get it all out. "And I'd give her my heart if she'd have me." Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom 'awwed' at those words, though Scootaloo made quite a scene of pretending to gag. The remaining mares all shared smiles between them, a bit of light having been shed on the stallion's predicament. While his antics had been no less dangerous for it, they at least made more sense. However... "While I'll give you that your story is very touching, we still need to deal with your course of action," Twilight began, all of her friends nodding their agreement. Star finally just sighed, hanging his head down as if in defeat. "I know, Twilight. Sorry I caused so much trouble earlier. I guess talking about this kinda helps." Having said that, he glanced back at Rainbow Dash, offering the energetic pegasus a small smile. "An' it's looking like you were right, Rainbow. When I think about it, there's no way to do this without some kinda risk." "Yeah, that's the spirit!" Rainbow shouted as she took to the air, a rather frequent occurrence for her, as she struck a pose. "You'll win her over yet!" Twilight looked less than amused at Rainbow's showboating, but couldn't stop herself from cracking a smile at her friend's antics. The others giggled at the enthusiasm, which only seemed to help Star warm up to them. "So, Star, how do you intend to keep yourself out of trouble? We can't always be there to save you, you know." The blonde stallion was quiet for a few moments, looking to be deep in thought. All eyes were intent on him, even the three fillies'. He eventually broke his silence, perking up as he spoke. "Alright! I've got an idea!" Everypony present gave him an incredulous look, fearing that he may have cooked up some new disaster. However, his calm demeanor won them over as he looked from one to the next, speaking as he went. "I know how to make this the best Hearts and Hooves day I can for her, but I'll need all of your help to do it. All of you." The latter he says while smiling at the Crusaders, winning a gasp from the trio, even Scootaloo proving thrilled at being a part of...well, whatever his plans might be. Glancing between her friends, Twilight received an approving nod from each in turn, and with that, she gave the stallion a nod of approval, smiling that knowing smile of hers. "Alright Shooting Star, tell us this idea of yours." With that, he chuckled softly to himself before he began to regale them on his 'grand scheme'. This would definitely take some work, but by the end of it, they would all agree, it was the best idea he'd had yet