//------------------------------// // Part 2 // Story: When you wish upon a star // by TheMyth //------------------------------// The rosy light of Celestia’s dawn sun shined through the window of Willow’s room. Its light searched across the room till it rested upon his eyes, stirring him from the most pleasant dream. Willow hesitantly opened his eyes to feel something warm and furry curled up right next to him begin to shift away from the morning sun’s tendrils of light that tried to wake it. The colt raised himself from the comfortable bed, yawning momentarily before he was greeted by an opossum sleeping next to him. The door to his room creaked open. Habit made him expect the kind Nurse Redheart he had met so many mornings before, but instead Princess Luna, his mother, walked into the room. As she entered, he found a growing smile had taken the place of the regalia she had worn the day before, her smile brought one to his own muzzle. "Good morning, Willow," she greeted as she stepped closer to the bed. “I see Tiberius decided to keep you company.” Upon hearing his name Tiberius stirred from his sleep. After uncoiling and stretching from his slumber, the small opossum took a second to sniff at Willow’s muzzle. That is before licking the young colt’s face and eliciting a giggle from the foal. “Stop! That tickles!” Willow laughed as Tiberius continued playful assault on the colt.  Luna cleared her throat, drawing the young possum’s attention away from Willow. At the command the opossum leapt off the warmth of the colt's bed to the cool floor of the room. Once there, the creature's speed amazed Willow as Tiberius smoothly climbed up and across the alicorn's forearms, back, and neck in a hooffull of seconds before calmly resting on her head.  “I believe that’s enough grooming for the morning, Tiberius…” Lifting her pet with a gentle wash of magic, she sat him on the floor. “I sat your morning food out.” Tiberius chirped and scurried off to wherever his food bowl was kept. “Speaking of morning meal,” Luna said, brushing Willow’s mane from his face with a breeze of magic, “Would you like to join the rest of the family at the breakfast table?” Willow beamed as he nodded, but the eagerness turned to embarrassment as Luna kissed his forehead before lifting him onto her back. Once Willow wiggled into a comfortable position, Luna stepped out into the hallway. Meandering through the private quarters, they soon came to her grand stairs that marked the line between the private residence and the royal palace. She probably should have let him walk a bit, but she’d seen grown stallions take a fowl step on these slick steps and she didn’t want to take a chance. Past the steps, Luna approached the grand door leading to the dining hall. Two stallions with the mark of the solar guard emblazoned on their armour kindly opened the door for her and Willow, all the while they kept their stoic appearance unchanging. “Thank you, sirs,” Luna said before leaving their presence, a faint smile appearing on their muzzles as she left. “Good morrow sister, good morrow Blue…” she greeted as the door closed behind her. Celestia met her greeting with her own smiling nod. “Oh, good morning Luna,”she said, gesturing to a seat between her and Blueblood, “Do come join us, we’re having pancakes for breakfast today.” My sister’s sweet tooth… Luna exasperatedly thought to herself as she made her way to the table. Lighting her horn, she lifted Willow from her back and placed him on a boosted chair that was already waiting for him. “So good to have you join us for breakfast today, Blue,” the navy alicorn said as she took her seat opposite of her nephew Blueblood. “Though, aren’t you suppose to be in a meeting?” “Fancy is filling in for me,” Blueblood replied as he grinned, taking a quick glance at his butler and personal assistant, Wise Words. “Besides, I wanted to meet my cousin,” he said as he turned to Willow, emitting a smile as he noticed the young colt looking down at his empty plate. He’s so shy… “Willow, this is Blueblood, one of my beloved nephews,” Luna introduced the colt to the white stallion, nudging the colt to look up at to the stallion. “Say ‘hi’, Willow,” she instructed her son. “Hello,” Willow said, seeming pained to meet Blueblood’s eyes. Blueblood smiled, his magic taking a couple pancakes for the center of the table, and delivering them to Willow’s empty plate. “Hello to you too.” A can of whip cream followed the pancakes and drew a crude smiley face on the stack. “Did you sleep well?” he asked, his magic dropping a few sliced strawberries and some syrup on top of the silly breakfast. An honest smile crossed Willow’s muzzle and Blueblood’s magic faded from the place. “I had really nice dreams. You?” Blueblood nodded. “I did too. Your mother is good about seeing to that.” “Luna,” Celestia called to her little sister. “Will you be able to go to Cloudsdale today?” she asked, “Today’s the day of Rainbow Dash’s admittance into the Wonderbolts.” Luna nearly choked on a bit of pancake. With a hoof over her mouth she cleared her throat. Fortunately enough for her, Blueblood and Willow were in mid conversation and missed her loss of composure entirely, yet that did not calm her panicked mind. I completely forgot about that!  “I-I should be, perhaps…” Luna stumbled over the words in her fluster. I can’t just cancel my meeting today with Rainbow Dash, nor can I do the same for my son… As her mind wondered, her eyes wandered to the colt. It was then an idea manifested in her mind. “Willow?” Luna drew the young colt’s attention to her. “Have you ever been to Cloudsdale before?” she asked him, though she had a strong feeling she knew the answer before she asked. When the colt shook his head, Luna beamed as she clapped her hooves together. “Then it’s decided, we will both depart for Cloudsdale once we have finished our breakfasts.” Cloudsdale?! Willow nearly screamed out in excitement at the thought, instead he settled to emitting a broad, beaming smile. “Really?!” he asked Luna, though he knew it was closer to a shout, who nodded instantly in response. Wasting no time, Willow began to devour his breakfast all the while a tittering Luna telling him to slow down. Stepping onto the balcony, Luna breathed in the morning air. The day promised to be bright and warm, but not overly hot. The slow clack of Willow’s hooves drew her attention back towards the balcony door. She smiled as Willow propped himself up on the rail to look out over the city. “It’s pretty from up here.” Luna grinned, “Wait till we get to Cloudsdale.” Kneeling, she motioned for him to climb up.   With a little help, Willow nestled into his place. Weaving the wind-shield spell, she perched on the balcony edge, teetering there for a moment before launching into the wind. The summer sky made for a pleasant flight. Warm air didn’t give the same power to her wings that cold night air did, but the air was clear, and the morning sun gave all of Equestria a rosey glow. Soon the white speck on the horizon became a massive cloud city, Willow cooed and awed as they neared, shifting from one side to the other as he tried to see all that he could. Even before they landed, Luna could feel the carnival atmosphere running through the pegasus city. Pennants hung from every window, and the area around the coliseum was alive with games and shows. “It looks like a fair!” Willow said from behind her. Luna laughed. “It is! I’m told they’ve held it every year for almost a thousand years now. A celebration of the martial history of the Wonderbolts.” Landing near the coliseum, Luna cast a cloudwalking spell upon Willow before dismissing the shield. “I’ve put a spell on you so that you can walk on the clouds just as well as any pegasus, if you wish that is.” Giggling, Willow slid off her back without a second thought; he landed on the cloud with a puff. “We have some time before the ceremony, would you like to tour the fair?” Willow nodded eagerly. He wore a smile that over the past day became common to Luna, and in turn she smiled herself. She lead him amongst the many booths, ponies bowed occasionally, but the majority accepted her as just another pony there to have fun. A comedy act with two acrobats held their attention for a while. They both laughed at their antics, and when the hat was passed around at the end, Luna gave Willow bits to put into it. The sound of foals laughing drew Willow’s attention after the show ended. “What’s that?” he asked Luna. Luna looked above the crowd of ponies, but she couldn’t find the source of the merriment. “I do not know, but we shall go see.” Meandering through the crowd, Luna and Willow followed the ruckus till they found themselves staring an odd sight. A great bowl had been dished out of the clouds, the nature of the clouds seemed altered in some way as to make them act spring-like. A dozen or so foals were in the hollow, leaping about in great bounds as if weightless. There were even a few unicorn and earth pony foals among the young pegasi.   By her legs, Willow stared bright eyed into the chaos of joy. With ears pointed forward and one leg lifted, he was enthralled with what he saw. Looking around, Luna could see no line to enter, foals were coming and going at all points of the arena. So with a pat on the flank she pushed him forward, “Go play, I shall watch you from here.” With her permission, Willow galloped towards the other foals into the jumping cloud. For the longest of time he’d been scolded any time he tried to run, and for good reason he knew, but still... It felt wonderful to run again. Once he was nearby, he buckled his hind legs to spring himself into the air, colliding with the cloud soon afterwards, which bounced him right back into the air before gravity brought him back down. I wish I could go higher! Willow thought to himself, just then an idea popped into his head. Using the momentum from his fall, the colt dove down to the centre of the cloud, nearly penetrating it as he pushed himself downwards. Once he couldn’t push any further, the cloud sent him ricocheting at a speed that left his vision blurred. “Yes!” Willow cheered as he jumped higher than then the rest of the foals. A faint gurgling noise sounded below him but it was a meaningless sound to him: until he landed. He was first aware of a whimpering foal as he fell back to the cloud. Once he landed on the surface again his hooves squished into chunky wetness and he smelled something putrid, the combination of which ceased his fun. He looked down and nearly yelled as he attempted to put distance between him and a vomit-stained filly beside him, all the while shaking his hoof in an attempt to fling off whatever food the foal had eaten before. Luna jumped into action and trotted towards Willow, using her magic to encase him in her aura. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” she said as she focused her magic and removed the vomit from his fur. “Looks like the jumping cloud will have to be closed for a while…” she remarked as the other foals and their respectable guardians left the area. Thankfully a few pegasi were already bringing over rain clouds for impromptu showers. As they left the bouncing cloud behind them, Willow had the glow of life around him. A little lathered but breathing strong, he seemed ready to tackle any challenge. Leading him through the crowd, Luna headed towards a crush of ponies to see what they were looking at, but paused when a polychromic mane caught her attention. Standing by one of the game booths, Rainbow Dash was cheering on the current player. “Rainbow Dash!” Luna called. Upon hearing her name called, Rainbow squinted her eyes as she looked around until she spotted a familiar alicorn coming towards her. “Oh! Hi Luna!” she called out as she waved to the princess, not bothering with formalities as others would. “What brings you here to Cloudsdale?” Luna smirked, “Have you forgotten your own initiation ceremony?” she asked her rhetorically. Rainbow rubbed the back of her head as she chuckled, “I guess being almost famous can make a mare forgetful…” As his mother talked to Rainbow Dash, Willow turned to look around at the surrounding booths and activities. Mom... he still giggled to himself every time he thought the word. Not far off, some kind of show drew his attention. Foals not any older than him were dressed in armor and running at each other with lances. Looking over his shoulder, he could see the two adults talking about something boring. As much as he wanted to stay by his mom’s side, the show was far more interesting.   Crossing the street, Willow looked back again to Luna as he joined the other foal watching the event; he didn’t want to get out of her sight. The clash of two foals and their resulting laughter snapped Willow’s attention in front of him. He watched the foals march off the field at the direction of two adults who took off their armor off and gave them to two new foals. Willow followed every move of the adults as they carefully clad the foals in shiny steel. As the lances were mounted to their sides, he saw them to be tipped with something like rubber or foam. More that rigid enough to knock a pony over he was sure, but not enough to do more harm than a bruise. The two foals moved up to the tilt. Sizing each other up, they stamped at the dirt till a whistle’s cry told them to charge. Smirks crossed their face as they galloped and with a solid smack, one foal’s lance knocked the other’s to his side. The line of fillies and colts cheered. Both colt’s received adulations for their show, and the winner won a little scroll proclaiming him the champion of the match. As the armor was removed from the combatants and placed on two new foals, the crowd around Willow shuffled and shifted: forcing him to take several steps to the left. Again the new foals collided and again the crowd shifted. It was wonderfully fun to watch, and the cheering did Willow’s heart good. The row of onlookers shifted again, but this time a touch on his withers surprised Willow. One of the adults running the show was nudging him past the guardrail, and into the little arena. Reflex sent him following the gentle command, and it was only as he looked back that he realized that shifting row had been a line. Willow opened his mouth to apologize and leave, he shouldn’t play rough games, but the sight of the stallion fetching shiny steel barding, in just his size, closed his mouth. It was so cool. Looking down the field, he could see a colt about his age already half clad in his armor. Grinning, Willow trotted forward to where the stallion was waiting for him. The pegasus gave him short but polite commands on where and how to stand. With obvious practice the pieces were cinched and buckled together. “Fit okay?” The stallion asked as he clicked the padded lance into its socket. Willow shifted his weight, feeling the armor around him. It smelled like old gym equipment, and rubbed in a few places, be he liked the feel of it around him. It felt empowering. “Yea,” he answered. “Good. Stand at the line, charge when you hear the whistle, Aim your lance at their chest.” The armor rattled as Willow nodded, the sound forcing a grin across his muzzle. Taking his place on the line, he fixed his gaze on the chest of his opponent at the far end of the tilt. A sudden lurch of butterflies unnerved him for a moment, almost driving him to back out of the match. He shouldn’t be doing this. What most foals could laugh off as a tumble could very well kill him. Padded lances or not, this would be a death charge for him. As the referee raised the whistle, Willow lifted his foreleg to step out. No. He slammed his hoof against the dirt. Death already had his name. He had only days or maybe hours before his illness overcame him. The whistle screamed, and Willow charged with all his might. Each hoof beat rattled his armor and shook his bones. A sound left his throat as he stormed his opponent; a scream of rage and joy. Heart pounding and lungs burning, he closed the distance. Adrenalin reminded him what losing meant, aiding him in keeping the lance on target. Luna spun away from her conversation with Rainbow Dash. A warcry that belonged to an earlier time pierced the carnival atmosphere, and it was her son’s voice. Her eyes found the foal on the youth’s jousting field. A creature possessed, the clouds flashed dark and sparked lightning where his hooves struck. She summoned her magic to stop him, knowing what a common accident would spell for him, but before her magic had formed Willow’s lance met the other foal’s breastplate. The padded lance shivered, breaking as it was meant to, but still the other foal was pitched nose over tail. A roar like the storm tide echoed from all those that watched, cheering as Willow stumbled from the impact, but regained his balance. Shaking off his helmet, he struggled to catch his breath, but even as he panted, a smile stretched ear to ear across his face. Looking back to Rainbow Dash, Luna gave her a quick nod. “I need to tend to my son, but I look forward to seeing you again shortly.” Rainbow didn’t reply with words, but rather with a salute. Once her hoof was down, she spread her wings and flew off. Luna passed through the crowd that parted way for their princess, the alicorn finally coming to a stop just a few paces away from the arena. The colt was panting and grinning as the attendant unbuckled his armor, but she met his gaze with a calm, regal smile. “Well met,” she congratulated him once he was free. “No go see that your opponent is well. Thank him for the bout.” Willow jumped at the reminder of his opponent, a cloud of worry washed over him as he trotted over to where the other colt was emerging from his armor. Luna smiled as a few words and laughter passed between them. As Willow parted the other foal to return to her, the colt interrupted him just long enough for a pat on the shoulder and one last word of parting. A smile came to Luna as she watched Willow walk back to her. Those two would be friends, should they meet again. Meet again... The smile wanted to fade, but Luna forced it to stay, for Willow. As Luna flew above the clouds towards the city of Canterlot, the last beams of the sun descended upon Equestria below, creating a golden light that was joined by a tint of red to cover the land in a final glow before the ascension of the mystic night. She turned her eyes to the sun, squinting as she flew by instinct. Willow wiggled against her withers, resting his head on her mane. She could hear his breathing becoming slow and even. Craining her neck, she saw Willow with a weak smile on his face as he rested his eyes. He was tired, deeply so, she could sense it and the effort he put into fighting off the fatigue only furthered his drowsiness. Giving him an unseen smile, she returned her full attention to flying. Eyeing the palace, she began to glide towards the bustling city. Opening his weary eyes, Willow stirred awake as his mother began to descend towards Canterlot’s main plaza, where most of the shops were closing for the coming night. “Where are we going next, Mom?” “We’re going to stop for some doughnuts,” Luna replied as she quickly wiped the tears off her face, careful to not let Willow see them. “Just don’t tell your Auntie Tia about it…” she winked at the giggling colt before touching down on the paved road, next to a quaint bakery with the name “Doughnut Joe”. Walking towards the front door, Luna pushed it open. A bell rang above her and Willow’s heads and, when she was inside of the establishment, the princess saw a light amber unicorn stallion with a moderate orange mane and a sprinkled doughnut cutie mark busy decorating a tray of freshly baked treats. Joe’s ears perked to the sound of the bell and he turned his attention to the entrance. “Welcome to Doughnut Joe’s, how may I help--” he paused when he saw Luna, sighing as he grinned at her. “Well, how can I help you today Princess?” he asked the navy alicorn, looking behind her as though expecting another pony. “Don’t see your sister with you…” “Oh, it’s just me and my darling son today,” Luna replied as she gestured to a blushing Willow on her back. “We decided to stop by for some of your delicious treats.” “By all means,” Joe chuckled as he motioned Luna to come forward. “Though you’ll have to excuse my curiosity in asking, but when did you decide to have a foal of your own?” he asked the princess, looking at Willow curiously as the colt was lowered down to a stool next to his mother. Luna forced herself not to grin as she helped Willow settle. “Destiny brought me to him. He wanted a mother, and I answered his wish…” Sitting up straight, she leveled a playful smile at Joe. “So, what new doughnuts have you baked today?” “Well…” Joe trailed off as he tried to form words in his mouth, turning his eyes to Willow. “Well I made some chocolate coated doughnuts today with candy sprinkles, if your boy wants some?” “Yes please,” Willow replied to Doughnut Joe who had turned his back on the guests before pulling out two large doughnuts marinated in liquid chocolate. Once the treat was placed before Willow he took a small bite of it. His eyes went wide as he beamed and took larger bites of the doughnut. Luna smiled contently as Willow continued to devour his doughnut, using her magic to lift hers to her mouth. Before Luna had gotten halfway through her pastry, Willow was finished his. Leaning back with a broad smile, the colt took in a deep, contented breath. Luna felt the contagious smile of the young foal infect her. She began to say something, but as Willow exhaled, a sigh became a violent cough that doubled him over. Frowning, she moved to sit next to him, rubbing on his back as Willow forced the irritation from his lungs. “Are you okay?” Luna asked, once the fit had passed. Gathering himself, Willow removed the foreleg covering his mouth. “I think so,” he answered, but then paused to blink at his hoof. With a quick motion, he nabbed several napkins and turned his back to her as he to scrub clean his hoof and mouth. “I just ate too fast.” In spite of his best efforts to hide it, Luna had seen his blood spattered lips. She thought to tell him it was nothing to hide, but stopped. Instead, she turned to hale Joe. “Could we get two hot chocolates too?” The gates of the castle loomed overhead as Willow chewed the last bits of his doughnut ring. Guards opened the gate with practiced efficiency, allowing the two to stroll through them uninterrupted. Looking down to Willow at her side, she watched him trot beside her. His eyes were bright, but his steps were sloppy. The long day had tired the body faster than the mind. Sleep and fair dreams would do the colt good, but first she needed to calm his mind. “Have you ever toured the royal garden?” she asked. “No,” he said, with a slight shake of his head. “It should be beautiful right now, in the evening light. Would you like to see it?” Willow nodded and gave her one of his broad smiles as an answer. Returning the smile, Luna lead them through the grand courtyard and past the infamous hedge maze. A series of ornate arches marked the garden’s entrances, each heavy with a different flowering vine. Whimsey took on a life of it’s own as grass gave way to bright moss and carefully pruned trees. Willow’s head twisted and turned as he followed her along the winding garden path. Bright flowers and ornate arrangements, groomed trees and resting animals, flowing fountains and stonework statues, it was all too much for him to take in all at once. As they continued, the trail wound deceptively and with every bend the flora grown larger and larger till finally one felt quite small and alone. In the right mood, Luna could imagine herself a foal again here. Beside her, Willow paused to coo at something, then trotted back to her side. Spreading her wing to search out to Willow, she let it rest against him with a comforting touch, “If you like this, wait till we get to the tea garden.” Ahead of them a hedge blocked their path as if it were some ancient fay fortress. Luna smiled at the confusion on Willow’s face and nudged him to follow her. As they came closer, a living tunnel made itself apparent in the wall of shrubs: cut in such a way that it could not be seen from afar. Excited to see what lay hidden behind the hedge, Willow trotted a few paces ahead.   “It’s so pretty,” he cooed as the tunnel opened up to a quaint lawn ringed by flowering camellia. To one side a thin stream babbled as it fed a pond of colorful koi.  As Willow took in the serine little space, Luna sat to watch the koi. “Occasionally, my sister and I take tea here.” “Really?” With slow, careful steps he walked over to Luna and sat down to join her in watching the fish. After a moment, Willow let out a long yawn. “Can we rest here a little longer?” “We can sit her as long as you like.” As they watched the fish churn the water, Celestia’s sun crept just below the treeline and casting them into an early twilight. The evening coolness was welcomed by them both at first, but after a moment Willow took a shiver. Wordlessly, she scooted over to his side and laid a wing across him. A happy hum escaped Willow as he snuggled into the wing. “Thank yo- Oh Look!” Luna looked to the colt in confusion, but a smile creased her muzzle as she followed the direction of his pointing hoof. On the opposite bank, three fireflies were dancing in the air. She blinked, and the three became six. Soon after the six became an uncountable multitude. “I have never seen so many,” Luna cooed, a grin stretched across her muzzle, her wing reflexively hugging Willow against her. Ice rolled down Luna’s spine when the colt lulled like ragdoll tucked beneath her wing. Jerking her wing away, she watched in horror as he rolled limp onto the lawn. The jostle roused him with a grone, though only one eye seemed willing to open. “Mommy, I don’t feel so good.” Lifting the sheets of Willow’s bed, Luna gently laid him down across it with her magic. His eyes had lost their focus, they stared off into an abyss of space, and every movement seemed to agonize him. She sat down beside him, resting her hoof against his as her indigo aura of magic cooled and dried his forehead. Behind her she heard hoofsteps that announced her sister’s presence. “I’m here if you need me, do not hesitate to ask me for anything,” Celestia said with a whisper.  Luna’s ears swirled when she heard Willow’s whimper. The sight of her son in this state... it caused her to tear up. “Shh… Shh… it’s okay, my baby. It’s okay…” she tried to reassure her son, lighting her horn with a complex spell she let the magic enclose his body in an aura cocoon. Once the magic took effect, Willow let out a sigh of relief, free of the agony that had been racking his body just seconds ago. “M-mom…” he called out to Luna, reaching out a trembling hoof to her. “I--” he sniffed as his eyes watered, his pupils were barely able to focus. He stared at his mother, violently shivering, “Why’s it so cold?” “It’s the draft,” Luna replied, using her magic again to warm her son. The effort of sustaining delicate spells quickly taxed her mind to the point of migraine. Willow’s eyelids felt heavy, his eyes shimmered and his will alone kept them from fully closing. Luna wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, but she held her best smile for her son to see. The clock ticked on, each second an agonizing hour, and eventually Willow’s eyes slid shut. “Willow?” Luna spoke, her hoof caressing his cheek. She could hear and feel him breathe, feel his shallow breaths brush against her coat, but he didn’t open his eyes. She lowered her muzzle, softly nuzzling his frail body as she began to silently cry. Her tears falling quicker with each weakening beat of her son’s heart. “Mom.” Willow said with a rasp in his voice. Luna jolted with surprise at his voice, Willow forced his eyes open and lifted his head up to face her. “Thank you for everything…” he trailed off as his lids closed and his head rested back on the pillow, a gentle smile caressing his muzzle. With one last breath, his heart’s labored beat failed to echo again, and his chest ceased to move. Clenching wet eyes, Luna bit her lower lip as she resisted the urge to weep. She felt a wing draping over her, looking over she saw an equally distraught Celestia. “I’ll prepare the arrangements,” Celestia said. “No… there will be none of that,” Luna replied, knowing full well what Celestia was speaking about. “There is another way.” Celestia shook her head as she cast her eyes on the lifeless colt. “Luna, one cannot bring back the departed to this world. Not like this anyway. If there had been years to groom him... Maybe.” “That’s not the way I am talking about,” Luna replied as she stood up from the bed.   Her wings spread with a slow arc as she summoned her deepest magic. “I will not let Kharon have my son drink of that river. I will take him across myself.” She snapped her eyes open to reveal moonlight. Inky magic poured from her horn, unraveling her into starlight as it washed across her body. A final flash of light erupted from her spell as she left the world of the living to walk the world of dreams. As the light faded, Celestia blinked to clear her vision and found her sister missing from the room, and her nephew laid in repose on a bed that seemed to be made of the night itself. Luna… Where am I? Muddy blackness drained from Willow, leaving him strangely alert. Daring to open his eyes, he found himself to be eerily rejuvenated and standing in a sun-lit pasture. High mountains towered over him at both sides, while a grassy valley seemed to stretch on forever both before and behind him. Yet somehow, in the confined and infinites space, he was alone. “Hello?!” he shouted out, hoping for somepony to have heard his call, yet he was met with silence. Not even the echo of his own voice. Willow began to walk into the distance, not knowing where he was going nor what lay ahead beyond his sight. He was dead, he knew that: he wasn’t sure how he knew it, but he know it. He’d read a book about an immortal colt once. “To die, would be an awfully big adventure,” the colt had said. Perhaps he was right. The aches that had haunted him were gone, his limbs did as he commanded with a strength he’d never known. His pace quicked to a canter that soon evolved into gallop. Bounding through the valley’s tallgrass, his eyes widened as he ran faster, his muzzle curled into a frantic grin, and he abandoned himself to run without purpose. Overwhelmed and gobsmacked that he could be this active without any of the pain that would accompany him when he was still in the hospital or with his mother… mother. Willow’s gate lost it’s mania. The thought of his mother ending his mirth and his stride quickly wilted to a moping plod. His ears drooped, and step by step his head hung lower. He was going to miss her, Pinkie and Nurse Redheart too, but he ached to see his mother again. Looking back to the horizon, he found the world had changed. The infinite valley now had an ending not so very far away. A broad river cut the valley in tow. On its shore, he could just make out the silhouette of a boat on the shore. Somehow he knew it was waiting for him. Something in his gut compelled him to move forward, but another urge told him to run away. Turning around, he found the mountains had closed behind him. There was now only forwards. Knowing the inevitable, Willow again faced the boat. He felt like he should be afraid as he walked forward, but he wasn’t. Only the thought of never again feeling a mother’s warmth haunted him. Slowly, Willow neared the river’s shore until he could hear the still water lapping and clearly make out the form of an old pony standing beside a boat. The water reminded Willow that he had not drank anything in a while, and the trek here had given him a thirst. “Drink,” the old pony said, seeming to know what Willow was thinking. A few more steps brought him to the river’s shore. The water was clear and smelled sweet. Walking to the river’s shore, Willow began to lower his head, but a great black wing extended to block his muzzle from reaching the water. “You need not,” his mother’s voice told him. His thirst vanished at her words. Joy surged through him as he looked up to see her smiling down at him. “Mom?” “Ah… t’is been a long while, Princess Luna…” the old pony greeted the alicorn princess courteously, bowing to the Princess of the Night. “And to you as well, Kharon.” Luna greeted the elder pony and draped a wing over Willow’s back. “I will take over from here.” Kharon arched his brow at the princess. “If I may ask, why interfere with my duties for this colt?” he pointed a fleshless, bone hoof at Willow who leaned closer to his mother’s side at the mysterious pony’s words. “Surely you’re not thinking of returning him to the living. That would be rather cruel.” Luna shook her head. “No. His body is spent, but I will not let his memory be gone,” she said as she pulled Willow away from the river. “Then I will allow you to do what I can not,” Kharon said to them. A groan escaped him as a sudden wind blew him away like ash. As the last remnants of the old pony blew away, the summer day faded into a night sky like he’d never seen before. The moon seemed close enough to touch, and more stars than he’d ever seen twinkled in clusters that painted the sky in streaks of light. “So… this is it?” Willow asked with finality, not looking at his mother who gazed her eyes down upon him, “I’m about to pass on, cross the river?” “Yes... you died several minutes ago... but you must still move on to where you’ll rest. This place is only here to let ponies forget the pains of their life. Khaton can not ferri those who haven’t drank from the river, but I have no such forbiddance.” Meeting her eyes’ gaze he was relieved to see her soft smile across her face. “You’re going to take me across?” Willow asked Luna, who nodded at his words whilst they were trotting across the plain. As they came to a stop at a field where a number of night lilies grew, the colt leaned against his mother’s frame and looked around to admire the beauty of the field they were in. Almost as though he was drawn to it, he lifted his eyes to the sky above at the stars and the moon in all their glory, illuminating the realm they were in. “Willow…” Luna began to speak, draping a wing over her colt like a blanket as she joined her son in stargazing. “Do you know what the stars are?” she asked the colt, feeling him shrug against her body. “Many ponies would say they are motes of primal magic, or even just dotted lights in the night sky that I sprinkled about for my own amusement,” Luna said, waving a hoof as if scattering flower petals. Much to Luna’s relief, Willow snickered at the idea.  “There’s so much more to them than what you can imagine though. They are lights, yes… but the lights of souls who have passed from the living.” The colt’s ears perked at her words, he teared his eyes away from the beauty of the sky to look up at his mother’s face, “You mean the stars are ponies?” Pulling Willow tighter to her Luna looked straight up at the sky above. “In essence, they are the souls of ponies and griffons, and many others too. You could even think of them as their hearts or lights,” Luna replied. “Every new star that appears in the night sky is a life that has left this world… and every star that blinks out of the night sky is a pony coming back to try life again,” she said as she turned her eyes from the stars she shepherded to her son’s eyes. “In other words, my dear son… this is not goodbye.” “Will I remember you if I come back, mom?” “In your dreams you will remember much, in the waking a little… and I will always remember and I will always love you,” Luna said affectionately as she nuzzled Willow, wrapped her arms around his small body and pulled him in for a final caress. Once he was against her frame, she used her wings to encase him a feathery cocoon, craning her neck to rest her head on top of his. “No matter what.” Willow’s eyes softened as he was overtaken by the warmth of his mother’s embrace. He nuzzled against her chest and smiled, “We need to cross the river now, don’t we?” he asked as he closed his eyes “It would be best.” Willow nodded, but kept his face pressed against her. “Okay.” Luna hummed a lullaby that her own mother used to sing to her and her sister. As her horn glowed ethereal fireflies emerged from the field, they danced around the two ponies, enveloping both mother and son in magic and light, and lifted them from the grassy field. Spreading her wings, Luna tightly held Willow to her as she began to glide out over the river’s water. With increasing speed, the shore fell behind them. Points of light began to appear in the water below. With every second, the line between sky and horizon faded till there were only stars. In her arms, Willow began to glow, his form dissolving into stardust. They floated deeper into the heavens, bringing new light to the already illuminated starry sky. Luna kept humming the lullaby till she was left holding nothing but a singly fragment of Willow’s light. Pressing Willow’s light to her chest one last time, Luna looked among her stars for a resting place. He needed good company, and a place of honor. Above her an old, familiar presence reached out with loving warmth. Luna smiled as she turned to face her old friend, the North Star, that greeted her with a twinkle. “You should come back,” Luna told the star. “I think you’d enjoy the world now”. The star replied in it’s own way by flickering, and Luna smiled. “Well, if you’re going to stay a bit longer, then take care of your grandson for me.” Releasing the new star, Luna’s magic sat it to rest below the North Star. “Rest well,” she told them both, rubbing away a tear before fading back to the living world. I hope you both follow me back one day... Even before she opened her eyes, Luna felt emptiness where her son had been. She looked down to find nothing but traces of stardust. Her lips quivered as she stood, walking past her sister to the balcony she gazed up to the heavens and the river of stars above. One in particular was shining brightly in the north sky, close to the moon. Luna’s self control caved in as she wept, her vision becoming a blur as tears cascaded from her eyes and the taste of salt covered her lips. She did not bother to wipe them away. A sudden touch caught her off guard when a soft and warm wing drape over her, pulling her into her elder sister who nuzzled her softly. “Shh...” her sister cooed. “His star is bright.” Raising a hoof, Celestia pointed the the newest star in the night. “Look.” Forcing her eyes to focus, Luna followed Celestia’s direction, and found a star the seemed to shimmer with joy in the sky. “I hope he gets the rest he need,” Luna said after a moment, surprised for Willow’s star to be so bright so quickly. Celestia squeezed her sister. “I’m sure he will.”