Caution.
Spring Mist walked up the winding staircase leading up to the Head Scholar’s office. Or quarters? Or both? Neither? Mist didn’t know actually. The stairs continually wound up, and finally Mist came to a door. His muscles complained a bit, but still he reached up with a hoof and knocked.
“Enter,” came a voice from the other side.
Mist opened the door and walked into… space? The floor, roof, and walls were a blackish-blue color, save the twinkling pinpricks of reds, yellow, light blues, and whites. The entire room looked like the night sky. It was clearly an enchantment, and there was something off about it, but it was still fascinating.
“Ah, you like the spell, do you?” uttered a voice from within the darkened area of the room. Mist couldn’t quite tell where the voice was coming from. It was very unnerving.
“Um, yes, Head Scholar. I do. It’s beautiful…” Mist answered, trailing off slightly at the end.
“But nothing like the night itself.”
“No, I suppose not.”
“Indeed. Please, step forward,” said the voice, and Mist complied. “Now, Spring Mist, is it?”
“Yes. That is my name.”
“And you claim to have discovered a new star, do you?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Very well. It’s not every day, or night, that a pony comes in with such a claim, not even from my colleagues. Needless to say, I am intrigued. Because either you are a liar and a good enough one to convince the Assistant Head Scholar, or you are telling the truth, and we are witnessing a discovery that will be remembered for centuries.”
“I assure you I am not a liar. But I don’t know if the discovery is that amazing…”
“Oh, believe me; a part of me wants the latter to be true. It would indeed be a remarkable thing to find a new star in the sky. As such, I wish you to proceed,” As the words formed, a set of stone stairs made themselves apparent right in front of Mist. He tentatively stepped onto the steps and began walking up.
There must have been other magic at work, because when Mist reached the top, he found himself at the top of the tower, inside the dome, much too far to have just walked. He looked around and spotted a very large telescope facing into the sky, and a comparatively dwarfed pony sitting, looking through the lens at the base. Spring Mist eyed the pony and was immediately thrown into confusion.
The pony turned to look at Spring Mist, sensing his perplexion. She was elderly, obviously nearing the end of her life. But the shocking thing about her was that she was Honey Sweetroll. Aged by decades. “Sweetroll?” Mist asked, bracing himself against any manner of jibes and insults, readying for a verbal attack or dismissal.
The mare laughed an old but joyous laugh, not cruel, but genuinely entertained. “I can understand the confusion, young one. No, she’s my daughter. I’m Caramel Tart. Now show me where this star of yours is,” she motioned for the telescope, offering a pleasant smile.
Mist approached, apprehensive, but determined to prove he was right. He began turning the telescope, and readjusting its orientation to face where he had spotted the star. When he had found its rough positioning in the sky, his movements became more delicate, more finessed, until finally he came upon the small point of light in the sky, just next to the moon. Mist stopped and gazed for what seemed like eternity, amazed at the novel sight in the sky, closer now than it had been when he had found it. He realized that he was both taking up the Head Scholar’s time and appearing giddy, and moved away from the telescope blushing slightly. The Head Scholar eyed him with a slight smile.
“Found it then, have you?” she asked, almost teasingly.
“Ah, yes Head Scholar. Sorry.”
“Oh please, just Caramel Tart. And I highly doubt you are actually sorry. The smile on your face proved that,” she said with a smirk before moving to look into the telescope. After a few moments, all that was offered was a thoughtful “Hmm.”
She then moved away from the telescope and off to one corner of the roof. A few books materialized and spread out around her. Mist stood silently, watching Caramel Tart work. He was becoming increasingly nervous. She flipped through the pages of each book, compared notes and finally turned back to face Mist. The books vanished as Caramel Tart walked towards the telescope. She peered into it again before looking at Mist with a concerned frown on her face.
Mist didn’t like that look, the look of somepony who had bad news that they would rather not share. His ears drooped and his head fell. He looked back up at Caramel Mist, who now wore a bright grin, almost silly.
“What?” he asked, almost sounding offended. Had she thought this was funny?
“Congratulations, you’ve found a new star in the sky!” she said, beaming.
Mist’s jaw slackened and fell comically. Caramel Tart chuckled a bit and raised a hoof to fix his muzzle. “Don’t be so surprised, boy. You knew it was there. What did you think it would just disappear?”
Mist tried to regain his composure, “I… I just thought… your face was… you… the books… what?”
Caramel Tart was giggling now. “Oh you are just too easy. Look, you found a star. I just had to make sure, and none of the books I have ever seen mention a star in the area that I saw it.”
Mist shook his head, incredulous. “So, I did find a new star?” He was having problems keeping his voice under control, “So, what now?”
Caramel Tart made grand gestures with her hooves. “Now comes the really fun part! You get to name it!”
Mist gave a blank look. “Really?”
Caramel Tart rolled her eyes, “Yes, you silly colt.”
“Um… I have no idea where to even start.” Mist’s eyes were darting around, his mind running off lists of names, finding none appropriate.
“Well, usually stars are named after historical figures, ponies in leadership, animals if it is part of a constellation, family members, friends. More than one star has been named for a lover.” At the last suggestion, Caramel Tart wiggled her eyebrows, teasing the slightly pink Spring Mist.
Abashed, Mist reiterated, “I still don’t know. I can’t think of anypony I’d name it for.”
“Well, what about parents or close friends?”
“No real close friends I’d name a star after, and my parents are both gone. One of them, maybe…”
“What about things that are important to you?”
“The Princesses, Equestria, the sky – can’t exactly name a star ‘Star’, now can I?”
“No, but it would be funny. Just imagine the ponies in a few hundred years all trying to talk about the star named ‘Star’. How confusing indeed.”
“Right, so… name. Name… Words… There is one word I remember from an old book I once read. It kind of stuck with me… Umbra.”
“Really? That word means ‘shadow’. Interesting choice. Old Zebra dialect. What book was it in?”
Mist thought back to his childhood, “It was a book called Super-Naturals, if I remember right. My mother owned it.”
“Ah, I know the book. The apothecary in the town has a copy. I see it every time I go to collect a remedy for my bad hip. So, do you want to go with that name?”
Mist smiled, thinking back to an earlier statement, “I actually kind of want to name it something silly, like ‘Star’ or something. But that would be irresponsible.”
Caramel Tart put on a mock-serious face, “As Head Scholar of Astronomy, I would have to say that that is very irresponsible and inconsiderate to the field.” Her face then brightened with a wide grin, “As a pony, I say ‘Let’s do it!’”
Mist chuckled, “So, name it ‘Star’ then?”
Caramel Tart shook her head, “No, how about both? We list it as ‘Star’ in some reports, and ‘Umbra’ in others. See what sticks.”
Mist thought about that, “That’ll be interesting to see. Very well, I think that’s it then!”
Caramel Tart nodded her head, horn glowing, and four scrolls appeared next to her. “Okay, so that is done and done.”
She scribbled something on the scrolls, the second two taking quite a bit longer than the first two, then flashed her horn, the scrolls disappearing. “Now the boring part. We have to announce the star to the academic community, which means a meeting and, since this is a particularly significant topic, a party.”
“A party?” Mist said, not entirely enjoying the idea.
“Well, more like a gathering of boring academic ponies who break off into small groups and talk about boring things, then maybe pay attention for a few minutes as we talk about the discovery, then go back to talking and ignoring everypony else. Saying it’s a ‘party’ helps me get through it. I wish there were somepony who could make things fun around here. This discovery is the most excitement I’ve had in years. Thank you for that,” she said with an appreciative smile.
“You’re welcome? Though, I’m not sure how I feel about this ‘party’ idea…”
Caramel Tart rolled her eyes, “Do you make a habit of being frustrating?”
“Heh, you should ask your daughter that. I never seem to stop irritating her.”
“Oh? I’ll have to ask her about that. I won’t have scholars fighting amongst themselves.”
“Oh, I’m not a scholar. I’m a guard.”
“Not anymore. I just sent a letter to Captain Rockhoof asking for you to leave the guard and join the scholars here at the tower, and I sent a letter to Princess Celestia’s desk informing her of the change, or her cabinet, anyway. Say ‘no’, if you wish, but I must insist.”
Mist had fallen onto his flank by this point. His jaw had once again slackened. All that came out of his throat was a weak croaking sound. He said nothing, unable to form coherent sentences.
“Well speak, boy!” Caramel Tart said while shutting his jaw again.
His first attempt came out as only a squeak. He cleared his throat and tried again, “Why would you do this for me?”
“For you? Well, some of it is for you, I suppose. But mostly it’s for me. I need a good pony, dedicated to the job, to work here. Now, I’m not saying you are my successor, but I do want you to at least have a position here. And I sense you will be a much happier pony as a result. And a change in scenery is nice, too. I grow tired of the same faces milling about the tower. Having somepony fresh will do a world of good for this place, and you’ve seen how short of scholars we are.”
“I just, I…” Mist no longer contained himself, and began bouncing in circles, “This is amazing! Yes!
Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I’ll do it! Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!” Mist did catch himself before he went much further, stopping and facing an amused Caramel Tart, “Yes.”
“Good. Now go home and pack. You’ll be living at the tower from now on. Be here tomorrow evening at sunset again, and we’ll talk about your position here and the ‘party’.”
Mist started a bit, “I’m moving?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not a problem, it’s just, it was my family’s house. I couldn’t bear to sell it.”
“Don’t sell it then. The scholar job pays well and we don’t charge room and board, so you can afford to own it and still live here. Maybe offer it as a place for another pony or family to stay, earn some extra income. Look, I’ll give you some advice, Spring Mist, and I feel you could do well to know it: Never let ultimately inconsequential things prevent you from taking advantage of what cards fate has dealt you. Now go and collect your things, be back at the excavation site for a few hours tomorrow, and report here at sunset. Have a fine evening, Spring Mist.”
Mist nodded, still beaming, but masking a feeling of worry, “Thank you, Caramel Tart. For everything. Fine evening.” He turned around and saw his path out – small wooden door. He opened the door and saw behind it the night sky. He turned back, offering a last wave to Caramel Tart. Taking a breath, he stepped through the doorway and found himself back in the room he had first been in. The door out was just ahead. Now that he was alone, his composure was all but lost, and he let out a stream of tears and laughs. He stood in the room, laughing like a maniac, struggling to breathe, his muscles sore, not caring, being lost in euphoria.
Now that was a great day.