//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: Can a Star Have a Heart? 
// by TheHeartsSisters 
//------------------------------//

After a month of preparing the funeral, it finally happened. They buried her.  Everyone who knew her mourned her death for weeks. Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight attended to say a few words and mourn with them. 

"I knew Granny Mac personally," Twilight said shaken, "She was like a real grandma to me as well... and..." Twilight paused her a second and cleared her throat. "She was.... just...." Again she paused. Quietly, she walked off the alter with quivering lips.

Celestia stepped forward in her place. "I'll go she if she's OK," she said. Granny Mac was gone forever and ever. Nothing more to do but expect it..... Right?

"GRAAANNDMAAA!!!!!!" Ruby cried as they lowered the casket. She reached down into the hole in the ground hoping her grandma would come back and take her hoof. "NNNOOOOO!!!!"

"Ruby," her father said calmly, holding Ruby close and tightly, "It's gonna be OK. Shhh....." He rubbed her back and tried to lull her into a safe sense of security. Ruby couldn't watch the funeral ponies put her grandmother in the ground. She buried her head in her father's chest as deep as they buried her grandmother. "It's gonna be OK....."

Later that night, Ruby went home, locked herself in her room and hid under the covers, crying. 'Why now?' she thought, 'She was the only one who understood me. Who will a talk to now?' At that moment, her thoughts were interrupted my a knock at the door. 'Oh, now they want to check on me.'

"Ruby," her dad's voice said from behind the door, "Can I come in?"

'Should I...?' Ruby pull the covers from over her head and looked at the door. Silence filled the air for a while. Then her father knocked again. 

"I just want to see if you're OK." Ruby wiped her eyes and sniffed. Without saying a word, she pretended to be asleep by making soft snoring sounds. Her dad always said she snores and it must have been true. The second he heard her snore, he sighed and walked away without another word.

Ruby smiled weakly. 'I can't believe that worked....' Her room was silent again. She shuffled around in her bed, restlessly trying to think of something to do with herself. She felt lonely. What could she do now? She was a 7 and a half year old filly who just lost a grandmother. Her grandmother was the only pony she could really talk to. What would she do now?

Ruby then get a crazy idea. She looked up at the window, opened in, poked her head out and looked up at the roof. She then looked down at the ground below that seemed to wobble close to her and then far away. The frightened filly shut her eyes as tight as she could and held onto the window pane, shaking. Slowly, she opened her eyes, took a quick glance at her bedroom door.

Ruby scrunched her face in determination. Glancing back at the roof, she looked around for a way to clime up. She took note of everything and planned out a map to get to the top without getting hurt. She began climbing out the window and up to the roof, holding onto pipes, water spouts and every other thing she could hold on to. Here and there she used her magic as a safety net just in case she slipped.

Once she was safely on the flat roof, she looked up at the sky to find an old friend. "There you are," she said when she found a star that arose, brightly shining in the night sky, "I knew you would be there for me." The star twinkled as if it was trying to communicate. "I need a talk. Can you just listen to what I have to say?" The star twinkled again in response. "Great! You might wanna take a seat. This is gonna take awhile."


~~ 5 YEARS LATER ~~


Sapphire sat restlessly on her bed, waiting for Ruby to come back to their room. 'Where is she?' she thought, 'And what did she want me to see?'

"I'm back!" Ruby chimed. She burst thought the door, closed it behind her and locked it as if what they were about to do was so secretive. "I had to check the time."

Sapphire gave Ruby 'The Look'. "For a half hour?" Sapphire scolded.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Dad," she said blankly.

"Oh." Sapphire had only lived with Ruby for two months, but already she knew what her new dad was about. "I swear, I don't see why you ever loved him as a father."

"He was the one who hoof picked me at the faster home," Ruby explained, "Mom didn't want a unicorn at first. I had to grow on her and now she loves me more than ever." Ruby trailed off into thought and her ears drooped. "... Unlike, him...."

Sapphire frowned at her sister. "Hey, it's OK," she said calmly, "He's just a 'meany'." She waked her hooves above her head making air quotations. "Don't let your dad get you down just 'cause he turned on you."

"Our dad," Ruby corrected, "And it's not just me. He turned his back on Honey and he doesn't even care about you." Sapphire glared at Ruby, who smiled sheepishly, realizing what she said. "Sorry."

"No, you're right, sadly. I could care less about him though too."

"Poor Honey," Ruby sighed.

Sapphire founded and in an attempt to change the subject see smiled and spoke up. "Hey, what was it you wanted to show me?"

"Oh, yeah! Its almost time!" Ruby looked up and out the window. To get a better look, she opened the window and did the unthinkable. "Follow me." As she climbed out the window, Sapphire followed close behind. Ponyville was beautiful in night. The stars shine just right in the night sky and the moon gleamed boldly.

On the roof, a telescope, a blanket, two pillows and saddlebag of muffins laid spread out in wait for it's creator. "Whoa," Sapphire gasped, "Where did this come from?"

"Me," Ruby said with a big smile.

"How did you find the time for all this?"

"Dad thinks I'm asleep all night. I take a little nap here and there and then at 9 o'clock, I come up here." Ruby let out a cute little giggle. "Sometimes I sleep up here."

Sapphire seemed lost. "We sleep in the same room," she stated, "I might be a hard sleeper, but dad can hear the neighbor's window open two blocks down. How do you sneak up there without mom and dad hearing you." Ruby zipped her lips and winked at her clueless sister. Sapphire just blinked.

Ruby then looked up and with wide eyes, she squealed. "Look!" Up in the sky was the same star she saw ever night. For years, the little filly came up on the roof to talk to the brilliant star about her problems. It appeared to responded back to her, using it's light flickers and twinkles to communicate.

As the star arose over the years, it rose more gracefully with little to no shakiness. It still gave off solar flares that make its our colorful Aurora Borealis. This year, the stars seemed brighter than ever and it's aurora was bolder than the last.

"Whoa," Sapphire gasped, "Déjà vu."

Ruby glanced over at her sister. "What?" she questioned.

"Nothing. Nothing." The two sisters sat watching the light show until the bold colors that highlighted the night sky once more faded away.

"Hey, Phire?" Ruby said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, Ruby," Sapphire replied.

"Can a star have a heart?" Ruby asked nervously.

Sapphire laughed. "What type of question is that?!" she asked.

Ruby frowned. "Never mind," she sighed. Sapphire's laughter weakened in realization.

"Oh no! I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine...." Ruby stared at her hooves, disappoint at the answer she got from her sister.

"Maybe we should get in the house," Sapphire suggested as she stood up. Ruby waved her off as if she was a fly. Sapphire's ears drooped as she walked away and climbed down off the roof. 

After she left, Ruby sat quietly looking up at the star before her. "They don't understand me," she said to the star, "Sometimes I don't understand myself." She chuckled a bit. "What am I saying...? You don't even understand." She looked up the star waiting for a small twinkle or spark that gave off any sign of life. 

The star shined dimly and still. 

Ruby got mad, but not at the star. She was mad at herself. "You know, sometimes I think I'm talking to myself....!" She trailed off before realizing something. "I... am.... Aren't I?" 

The star showed no emotion. 

"Look what you made me do! I look like an idiot up here!" Ruby yelled, "How could you embarrass me like this?!" In a fit of rage, she bucked her telescope making it fall over with a loud crash. Her anger got the best of her and she screamed at the sky, "I HATE YOU!!"

Without even thinking, Ruby stormed off into the house forgetting she was on the roof. The ground below grew near and the ants seemed bigger in size. Her year old life flashed before her eyes. Then, everything when black and the sound of a thousand stars filled Ruby's ears. She opened one eyes slowly and saw sparkly, gleaming, miniature stars in a crystal blue ora.

'Am I....' she began. Ruby looked upward to see the ground. She then looked down to see the sky. '... in an alternate universes?!' Slowly, she put a hoof on the ground above her and without warning, was lifted inch by inch. Foot by foot. Yard by yard.

"Who's doing this!?" she cried in fear and confuse.

"Stop moving so much!" a voice said. Ruby couldn't place the voice but it sounded like...

'Did the star save me....?' she thought at first.

"Just.... argh... stay still!!"

"Sapphire!?" Ruby cried out in confusion.

"Who else would it be, sister!?" Sapphire asked sarcastically.

"But you told me you weren't magically educated!!"

"Yeah! Well you told me you were 90 pounds!!" Ruby glared in annoyances. "Now please shut up... argh... and get in the house!!!" 

At the window, Sapphire strained to lift Ruby in her magically grasp. "Give me a hoof!" Ruby cried. Sapphire reached out and grabbed a hold of Ruby's hoof with both of her own.

"You could help me safe your life!!" she groaned. With a flash of her horn, Ruby sparked up her magic and tried to levitate into the house. "Come on, Ruby!"

Ruby tried as hard as she could to fight to get in through the window. 'Sweet Celestia,' she prayed. In a loud outcry, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "SAVE ME!!!" With another flash of bright pink, Ruby and Sapphire disappeared from in window and reappeared in their bedroom, tumbling onto the floor. 

"Ow..." they both whined. They looked up, wall-eyed at each other in a daze.

Sapphire glanced behind her sister to see that they both went from the window to the other side of the room. "Ruby....?" she said in shock, "Did you just...?" She trailed off and looked Ruby in the eyes. "How did you that?"

Ruby looked around to see what she had done. "I-I don't know...." she said. They continued to stare at the window then back at the floor. Utter silence filled the room.

Sapphire finally spoke up. "We should probably go the bed before dad hears us," she said firmly. Ruby nodded as they quickly jumped in their separate beds. However, just before Ruby fell asleep, she snuck up to the roof again to do one more thing.

On the roof, she looked up at the sky and saw the star still shining. "Hey," she said to the star, "I'm sorry about what I said." Ruby looked down and poked at the roof floor. She then glanced up, her eyes filled with tears. "Was that you who helped me earlier?"

The star didn't speak. Ruby looked back at her hooves and shook her head, thinking about how dumb she was to come back the star. But then, her thoughts were interrupted by a small twinkle out the corner of her eye. She looked up and saw the star flashing brilliantly in the sky. It's bright flare contrasted wonderfully against the black and blue night.

Ruby wiped her eyes free of the blurry tears and smiled at the star. "I knew you would be there for me."