Star Chaser started drumming her hooves on her desk. She couldn't wait one more minute for her first sleepover with her Ponyville friends. It seemed like the clock was ticking slower than molasses.
She felt a poke on her shoulder with a pencil and turned around to find Aqua looking at her.
Thirty more minutes! Aqua mouthed, showing a bright smile.
Star smiled in return and turned to face the front of the room again.
The last five minutes couldn't last any longer. Every minute felt like a half hour. Star plopped her head on the desk, hoping the time would pass faster.
Her train of thought was broken by the bell. Her head shot up, along with her ears and smile.
"Alright, everypony! I'll see you tomorrow!" The teacher, Play Write, said. She tossed her brown mane out of her face and continued sorting papers.
A few hooves were forcefully set on Star's desk.
"Ready?" Rain asked as Aqua and Flora walked up to them.
"Yep!" Star picked up her saddlebag and walked towards the door.
Rain took off into the air. "I want to fly over to you place, but I know we can't leave Aqua and Flora stranded."
Star looked back and nodded. "Well, I go on a nighttime flight every night, so we could do that when Aqua and Flora are almost asleep." Star then turned to her other two friends. "That is... if you don't mind."
Flora waved a hoof. "You're fine! Aqua and I can talk while you two are out flying!" She then pushed the door open, letting the warm afternoon glow wrap around the four friends.
"I'm a little nervous." Aqua admitted, flipping her mane to the side of her face.
"There's nothing to be afraid of! Just have a skip in your step!" Flora responded, smiling brightly.
Aqua looked to the ground. "I know... it's just," she hesitated for a moment. "I'm always shy about meeting my friends' parents."
Star grew a smile. "My family's pretty nice. A little hyper at times, but nice."
Aqua nodded, even though it didn't seem she was one-hundred percent nerve-free.
Star walked up to the door and gave it a pull. She then gestured for her friends to go in, with her following behind.
"Nice place you got here!" Rain complimented, looking at all the nicely arranged furniture. "My house is an absolute mess."
Star nodded. "This is much cleaner than normal." She then threw her saddlebag against the wall. "You all can put your bags against the wall."
A voice was heard from the kitchen. "Starry? Are you here?" A pegasus then glided into the room.
"Hey, mom!" Star greeted, waving.
Moonlit Skies smiled. "You three must be Rain Kicker, Flora and Aqua Flash. Am I correct?"
The three nodded, Aqua a little more nervous than the others.
"Star Chaser has told me great things about you!" Moonlit then held out her hoof to shake. "My name is Moonlit Skies Shavings, if you want to address me by my official name. Other than that, Moonlit Skies or just Moonlit is fine."
The three took her hoof as Moonlit turned her glance to the kitchen. "I'll let you fillies have fun. It would really destroy the fun if I tell you about myself the whole time."
Star Chaser slightly giggled and walked to the steps. "The time's ticking! Let's go!"
With that, the four friends bounded up the stairs to Star Chaser's room.
"Ha! I win!" Rain Kicker threw her game piece in the air in excitement. "I told you I'm unbeatable at everything!"
Flora raised an eyebrow. "There's one thing you're not unbeatable at."
Rain looked over at her. "What?"
Flora snickered. "Accepting defeat."
Rain's smile turned into a sheepish grin. "No problem with that, right?"
Flora then started laughing, causing them all to laugh. "Of course not, silly!" Flora then stuck her tongue out for silly effect.
"Girls! Time for dinner!" Moonlit called.
"Alright!" Rain Kicker then dashed downstairs, her friends following close behind.
When they got to the table, they were welcomed by smiles.
"Hello, girls! I am Platinum Shavings, Star Chaser's father."
Melody then started to hover in the air. "I'm Melody Heart!"
"Nice to meet ya!" Rain greeted. "I'm Rain Kicker."
"I'm Aqua Flash."
"And I'm Flora!"
Platinum gave a smile. "Take a seat wherever. Tonight, we're eating..." Platinum paused and opened the saucer. "Gourmet wheat and oat salad, along with nice asparagus and carrots on the side."
Flora's mouth watered. "Yum!"
"I agree! This looks great!" Aqua Flash added on, taking a little bit of the food.
"Aw, shucks. I'm glad you think it looks good." Platinum responded, slightly blushing. He then caught a glance of Aqua's horn, which was levitating a fork.
"Young mare, how did you learn to levitate so fast?"
"What?" Aqua asked, setting her fork down for the second.
"I could barely get a napkin off the ground at my age. And here you are; levitating for long periods of time!"
Now it was Aqua's turn to flush. "Well, I've loved magic ever since I was a foal. So, I guess all those years payed off!"
Platinum smiled. "They certainly did! I think you would make a great magician when you get older!"
Rain then looked over to Aqua. "Just work on what you hit me with the other day."
Aqua grinned nervously. "Yeah... that spell needs quite a bit of work." She then chuckled a little bit.
Moonlit Skies swallowed her food. "So... Star Chaser says two of you already have cutie marks!"
Flora and Rain Kicker got huge, proud smiles.
"Yep!" Flora then turned to look at her flank.
"We are some of the first ones!" Rain added on, proudly looking down at her special mark.
Moonlit smiled. "Rain, Star Chaser told me that you are going to be a weather pony when you get older."
Rain nodded. "You bet!"
Moonlit giggled. "Well, I can help train you. If you need it, of course." She then realized the confused expression on the filly's face. "Oh, I forgot to mention. I work as a weather pony here in Ponyville."
Rain nodded her head and smiled. "Thanks! It would be easier to get help from someone I know instead of someone new."
Moonlit giggled. "No problem! I was the same way: not wanting to learn something I love from somepony I don't know."
"Yep!" Rain responded before taking a bite of her food. "Wow! Mr. Shavings, this is great!"
"Once again, thanks!" Platinum responded. "Do your parents cook?"
Rain shook her head. "They are horrible at cooking. I normally just get hayburgers or something from a restaurant."
Flora slightly giggled. "My family's not the best at cooking, either. They easily get distracted by the numerous flowers on the windowsills!"
That statement caused laughter to arise from the table.
"We cannot let them beat us!" Rain remarked, dodging flying pillows coming her way. "Flora, how good are you at dodging?"
Flora jumped over a few pillows. "I guess I'm good! Chuck some pillows!"
Rain nodded and threw one at Aqua.
"Oof!" Aqua remarked as she was hit.
"Yeah! One point for us!" Rain boasted as she was hit with a pillow.
"Same with us!" Star retorted, giving a mischievous grin.
"Oh, it's so on!" Rain responded as she continued throwing the soft pillows.
The four were soon rolling on the ground in laughter.
"That was a lot of fun!" Aqua said, continuing to giggle.
"Yeah, but Flora and I won!" Rain Kicker responded, hoof-bumping Flora.
Star Chaser then looked outside, seeing the stars. She then grew a smile.
"Does anypony want to come out and see the stars with me?" She asked. "I go out every night."
Aqua smiled. "Of course! I simply love the night time!"
"Yeah! I'll come!" Flora added on.
"Same!" Rain said, flying out with her friends.
When they got outside, they felt themselves wrapped in an endless field of starlight.
"This is a beautiful view!" Aqua remarked, looking up at the sky.
"Yep!" Star agreed, taking a seat in the grass.
Her friends sat down next to her, observing the sky. Star looked down at the ground nervously.
"Can I tell you three something? More importantly, can I trust you to not make fun of me?" She asked as Aqua put a hoof on her shoulder.
"Don't worry. I promise I won't! What about you two?" Aqua asked Flora and Rain. The two nodded their heads.
"Well... alright." Star then looked back up to the sky. "I have a very... different belief about the stars.
"Ooh!" Flora said, looking up at the stars. "What is it?"
Star Chaser hesitated for a moment. "Well... I believe that... the stars are their own beings."
Rain raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Yes." Star nodded. "I believe that they look down at me, guiding me through life."
"Why? Do you think the have emotions or something?" Rain asked.
"Well, I guess you could say that. I believe they're happy when they're most visible, and sad when they're faded."
Rain looked over at Star. "You do realize that the things that block them are the clouds, right?"
Star didn't move.
"So... I think it's cool, but it just doesn't seem real at all. I mean, I would be creeped out if there really was something looking down at me at all times!"
Flora nodded. "Yeah. That would honestly be pretty scary."
Star felt a small pain in her chest; like a stake through the heart. She knew she shouldn't have told her new friends about something so close to her. She wanted to put this belief behind her forever. She really wouldn't want her friends to make fun of her because of this. Tears reached her eyes, leaving her vision blurred.
"Well, I think it could be possible. No one knows the truth about the stars." Aqua responded, smiling over at Star.
"But... how?" Rain asked, raising an eyebrow at Aqua.
"You can't say something is fake unless a scientist finds the truth." Aqua retorted, looking back at Star.
"Thanks, Aqua. It is something I believed since I was a foal." Star then looked down at the ground. "I shared this with you because I felt like I should share secrets with friends. Well... I don't know. I just don't want to hear negative perspectives for something that is so close to me."
"Oh..." Rain's ears folded back as she noticed the pain on Star's face. "I'm sorry."
"Same." Flora looked down to the ground. "I can tell you an embarrassing story about me!"
Star shook her head. "It's fine."
Flora yawned. "Wow! I'm already pretty tired!"
"I've got to agree with that!" Aqua added on, standing up.
Rain Kicker hovered into the air. "Do you want to go on a flight, Star?"
Star Chaser nodded her head. She couldn't resist a nighttime flight, even though it was with somepony she was a little hurt by.
The two took off after waving to Flora and Aqua. They started doing twists and turns in the air, letting the cool breeze flow through their mane.
"There is nothing like a nighttime flight, huh?" Rain questioned.
"Yeah. I would not give up the freedom to fly whenever for the world."
Rain nodded. "It would be pretty sad for me to live without flight." She then stopped and hovered in the air. "Do you want to race?"
Star smiled and nodded. "Of course!"
The two took off, dashing through the nighttime breeze. Star Chaser looked up at the sky and felt more inspired. She felt like a thousand bolts of energy were suddenly inside of her. She flapped her wings a little harder, causing herself to fly faster than she ever had. She flew right by Rain Kicker and became far in the lead. She couldn't stop herself from flying freely. She soon burst through the ending cloud like it was nothing. Rain came flying in at a significant time after her.
"W-wow!" Rain remarked, looking at her friend. "I didn't know you were that fast!"
Star nodded her head. "Me neither!"
Rain smiled. "You destroyed the cloud like nothing! Normally fillies struggle with that!"
"Really? I had no trouble with that at all!" Star responded.
"You must have a talent for it, then!" Rain said as Star's smile widened.
"I-I guess you're right!" Star then felt a tingly feeling at her side; sort of like the feeling when ponies' hooves fall asleep.
"Star!"
"What?" Star rubbed her side, hoping the strange tingling would stop.
"Your cutie mark!"
"My WHAT?" Star then looked at her flank, where a new mark was. It looked like a cloud with a wing inside.
"Oh. My. GOSH!" Star then took off into the sky, flipping and turning. "I have a talent for flight!"
"Really?" Rain raised an eyebrow. "I thought it symbolized working as a weather pony with me!"
Star's smile widened even more, if that was even possible. "We're going to be weather ponies together!" Star then flew back down to Rain Kicker, not wanting to leave the sky.
"Oh my gosh!" Aqua and Flora said at the same time, looking at Star Chaser's flank.
"I know, right? It's awesome!" Star beamed.
"Girls? Are you alright?" Moonlit asked as she walked in. She heard some shouts from downstairs, which made her nervous. She then looked at her daughter's flank.
"You got your cutie mark?!" Moonlit remarked, getting a better look at it.
"Yep! I'm gonna be a weather pony!" Star responded, happily looking at her side.
Moonlit looked up at her. "I'll get your father and sister!" She said before walking out the door.
Star Chaser moved around in her sleeping bag. She and her friends all decided to sleep close to each other, so they got into sleeping bags. It was hard for her to not look at her flank.
"Is anypony awake?" Rain Kicker whispered.
"I am." Star responded, not being able to see her friend, since the only light was from the moon and stars.
"What's up?" Rain asked, moving around in her sleeping bag.
"Trying to fall asleep." Star then turned to the direction of Rain's voice. "Oh, yeah. Thanks."
"For what?" Rain asked, a little confused.
"For helping me realize my special talent."
Rain Kicker smiled. "No problem! That's what friends are for!"
"Yep!" Star responded before closing her eyes and drifting into slumber.