//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Star Light, Star Bright, First Star that Dies Tonight // Story: Wish upon a Supernova // by Hyper Atomic //------------------------------// Star Light, Star Bright, First Star that Dies Tonight. The leaves rustled softly in the cool morning breeze. Their chorus was the only sound disturbing the pre-dawn serenity. Thousands of glittering pinpricks aided the bright and full moon in illuminating the town below, where the tree belonging to those leaves stood. It was massive, easily taller than the surrounding buildings. Doors and windows had been built into its still living trunk and the whole structure made hollow to house a library's worth of books and a place to live. Near the very top, on a carved wooden balcony, rested an impressive telescope that was currently in use. “Uhh, Twilight?” came a groggy voice from within the great tree. “What are you doing awake this early?” Stepping into the brisk air was a rather small purple and green scaled dragon. He blinked reflexively, rubbing his eyes as they adjusted to the light of the moon and stars. “Oh! Good morning, Spike!” smiled the lavender unicorn. “I'm trying to catch up on my stargazing. It's been so long since I had any time to really enjoy it.” A shimmering violet glow surrounded her horn as a book bound with a faded cobalt cover floated over from the table. “I've already located all of the constellations and now I'm using the telescope to get a better look at the stars that aren't usually visible by the eye alone.” The heavy looking, and still hovering tome opened, its pages fluttering to a stop. The diminutive dragon craned his head to the side, trying to get a better look. “The Astronomical Atlas: A Comprehensive Guide to Stellar Entities, by Coltpernicus” Spike scratched his head. “There are more than just stars up there?” His eyes went wide while his claws quickly rushed to cover his mouth, but it was too late. “There is so much more!” Twilight beamed, “Other than stars, of which there are hundreds of different types, there are also nebulae, or huge bright clouds of gas and dust, comets, which leave a trail as they pass by the night sky-” but she was suddenly cut off by a tight grip on her muzzle. “Ok! I'm sorry I asked!” He apologized, letting go. His jaw stretched wide, releasing a hearty yawn. “I'm going to head back to bed. Wake me up when it's time for breakfast.” The librarian smiled at her number one assistant, shaking her head while suppressing her laughter. Before either one of them had a chance to resume their activities, the sky erupted in a brilliant flash, forcing them to shield their eyes. It lit up the center of town with an intensity greater than the midday sun. Twilight risked a glance just in time to see the light recede, apparently retreating amidst the stars. “What in the name of Celestia was that?” the dragon moaned, his night vision robbed by the sudden photon invasion. “I don't know, Spike,” answered the confused unicorn, “but it looked like it came from the park.” She looked up. Something wasn't right. Her horn glowed once again as it picked the book up from where it fell when she had lost her concentration. The pages flipped until they settled on an illustrated map of the southern sky. “Should we go check it out?” he mumbled, sounding as cautious as he was curious. “Hold on.” She held up a hoof, quickly darting between looking in the book and looking at the sky. “There!” Twilight pointed at a seemingly innocuous twinkling light. “What's there?” Spike squinted in the direction of her gesture. “That … star … wasn't there before! It's new! But stars don't just magically appear out of nowhere!” She was frantically flipping through the tome, scouring it for any information related to what she was seeing. “Huh?” “I mean, there are plenty of theories as to how stars are formed, but no pony has ever seen it happen!” She exclaimed. Spike watched her for a moment, eyebrow raised, before turning the telescope towards the indicated celestial target and taking a peek. “Woah, hey Twilight. You should really see this!” Her eyes managed to tear themselves away from the authoritative work on the subject. She walked over to the repositioned apparatus and gazed through the eyepiece. “It's …” the words were slow in coming, “it's beautiful … that ruby light … and is it, pulsing?” She adjusted the armature, attempting to bring the object into clearer focus. “It is! I've never seen anything like it.” The star kept its steady rhythm for a while, but for how long, Twilight couldn't tell. She was broken out of her reverie when its light began to contract, paradoxically growing brighter in the process. Her eyes were locked in rapt attention, watching the dwindling mote of starstuff. Down, down, down its surface fell, becoming nothing but a blinding pinprick even in the enhanced magnification of the telescope. Then it was gone. Twilight slumped to the ground, inexplicably feeling a bit morose over the loss of the stellar object. It wasn't alive, and yet, a faint tickle caused her to wipe a hoof across her cheek. She stared at the drop of moisture wicking away into her coat, sniffling slightly. A warm light began to break over the eastern horizon. The sun had begun its grand procession, as orchestrated by the princess. “Oh, it's dawn already?” Her voice shrugging off its sullen timbre. A light snore was all she received in return, compliments of the evidently still tired baby dragon. With a sisterly smile, she carefully lifted him up in the shimmering glow of her magic, and carried him inside before tucking him into his bed. “I guess I'll let him have some more sleep,” Twilight sighed, her thoughts wandering back to what she had just seen. Whatever happened in the park, they were going to find out.