Those That Watch Over You

by Time Chronicler

To Make a Night

“What are we doing tonight daddy? Huh huh huh? What are we doing tonight?” The little filly pranced around happily, leaping and galloping about like… well, like an excited little filly. Her father chuckled as he tried to avoid stepping on his enthused little girl as she raced about. Catching the excited purple pony in his magic, he pulled her close and booped her nose, then gave her a kiss as she giggled and set her down.

“You’re going to learn all about the night sky my little pony.” The filly immediately crossed her hooves and frowned. Beneath his stern exterior, her father had a miniature heart attack. ‘How does she make pouting look so cute? How does my wife even stand that face?’ The little pony huffed.

“We’ve been doing lessons like this every night. Can’t we do something different for once?” Her father let loose one of his signature deep, resonating chuckles and gently pushed his daughter towards the balcony where they always took their lessons.

“I thought you liked learning about the night? Your sister told me that you said it was your ‘favoritist thing ever’.” The filly still didn’t look too enthused.

“Well, yeah it is, but I’m tired of just learning all the time.” Her father smiled knowingly. He had gone through the same exact phase when he was young, and knew that his daughter needed an exciting push to rekindle her interest in the subject of the heavenly bodies of the night. It was for this precise reason that he had planned a little something special for tonight’s lesson.

Continuing to direct his reluctant girl towards the balcony, the stallion smiled knowingly then casually said, “Good thing we’re doing something different tonight then huh?” Faster than lightning Luna was on the balcony, positively bursting with renewed enthusiasm, a torrent of unintelligible questions and exclamations pouring forth from her mouth like a broken facet. With an amused smirk, her father gently closed his daughter’s mouth with his magic and shook his head slowly, indicating she needed to listen. The little filly nodded in understanding, now only her tail and ears twitching in excitement, her eyes reflecting the setting sun.

“That’s better. Now, tonight you’re going to get to raise the moon.” The stallion held up a hoof, halting the incoming stream of. “To do this, you need to remain calm so you can focus. Luna, are you listening to me?” The little filly, distracted by a passing butterfly, snapped her head back to full attention on her father.

“Yes daddy; sorry.”

“Good. Now, I want you to try to raise the moon. Light your horn and reach out to it. Let the moon guide you; it knows what to do. You just need to take its hand and help it to rise.”

Luna nodded, determination filling her eyes. She got to her hooves and faced the now empty horizon. Setting her stance, the little filly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then another. Her horn began to glow, the magical aura growing to several fields as she tried to pull the moon into view. For about five seconds everything was going well, but then Luna felt a strange tug. She grimaced as the weight of the moon pulled on her magic, threatening to throw her off balance and disrupt her spell. Luna tried to fight it, but the moon was just too heavy and began to slip out of her grasp. The purple filly began pouring all her young alicorn strength into holding onto the heavenly body, but nothing seemed to help; if anything it made it even worse. Panic rose in her chest, costing her further ground as everything began to grow dark and muted. The filly tried yanking away from the pull of the moon to stop the frightening tug; instead it only served to tire her magical reserves even farther. Nearing exhaustion, Luna was about to give up in fear and frustration when a strong voice cut clear through the murkiness.

“I’m here my little pony; you’re going to be just fine. Don’t fight it, Luna. You’ve only to guide the moon; let your magic gently push it along its proper path. Don’t be frightened, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Her father’s voice alone filled the filly with strength. She could see him, always quiet and calm, his small smile making her feel safe and secure from all evil in the world. Taking a deep breath, Luna stopped trying to pull the moon. She switched tactics, giving it nudges to get it moving. She didn’t try to force it to go any certain way; she just helped get the giant body moving. To her amazement, Luna could feel the moon began to slide easily across the heavens. Her magic just about gone, Luna dug deep for the last push she needed to get the moon up and shining. Her monumental task complete, the filly finally opened her eyes, and realized tears were streaming down her cheeks.

The filly turned to her father, who wore that same smile that always made her feel warm and safe. With a sob, she flung herself into her dad’s arms, seeking comfort from the experience she had just endured. He hugged her tightly, calmingly stroking her mane.

“Shh. Shh. It’s okay Luna: it’s all over. I’m here. I’m still here. Nothing is going to hurt you.” The filly just wiggled farther into the embrace.

“I was so scared, it felt like the moon would pull me away, and I didn’t want to go!”

“I know, but look.” Easing his daughter around, he gently directed her gaze to the night sky. There, floating just above the distant mountains was a beautiful full moon, its soft pale light glowing brightly across the landscape. Luna stopped sobbing, her breath hitching in her chest at the beauty of the sight. Her father leaned down, whispering in her ear, “You did this Luna. You did this. I’m so proud of you, and always will be.” He gave her a kiss then set her down, the little filly still staring profoundly at the moon she had raised. After a moment she began to function again, and began noticing that not everything was right in the world after all.

“Hey dad, where’s the stars? What happened?” Her father chuckled.

“Those need to be raised as well, Luna.” The filly’s jaw dropped all the way to the ground, her eyes growing as wide as dinner plates.

“They all need to be raised!?”

“They do, though they’re not as hard as the moon.” The stallion trotted to the lounging pillows and took a seat, gesturing for his daughter to join him. As she nestled in beside him, he began explaining. As he talked, the stallion began bringing out the stars, slowly drawing them into place one by one.

“When you create the night, you must create all of its aspects; you must be able to envision all the stars exactly as they should be. That’s why you’ve been learning so much about all the heavenly bodies: so that you can put them in their proper place and create a truly stunning night sky. You see Luna; the stars are set on a path, just like we are. They are locked in their orbit, their destinies already determined. However, they need a little encouragement to get there. That’s where you come in. You’re going to help guide them each and every night to get where they need to be. You’ll learn how to be gentle when you have to be, and how to be firm when the need arises. Through this, you’ll also learn how to be a wise and kind princess: how to govern your subjects with the correct strength so that they too may realize their destiny and join their proper place in the beautiful mural of life.”

The filly took her eyes off the night sky to look at her father. “So I’m going to get to be just like you?” The comment took the stallion by surprise, his heart bursting with affection for his little girl. Fighting to keep the tears from his eyes, he wrapped his daughter in his hooves and gave her a kiss.

“No, you’re going to be even better. You’ll be a fantastic ruler one day Luna.”

“There’s no way I’ll be as good as you daddy.” The stallion smiled as he set his daughter back down, the two admiring the night sky: his sparkling gems and her beautiful moon, the two melding into one stunning image.

“We’ll see.”

Silence reigned for a while, then Luna stood on her tippy-hooves and whispered in her father’s ear:

“I love you daddy.”

“I love you too Luna.”

…

…

…

“Alright, time for your studies.”

“AWWWWWW!!!!”

Author's Note:

So after writing my tribute story for Mother's Day, my muse kept banging me over the head with the idea for this small one-shot, so I gave in and wrote a Father's Day equivalent to "Just Another Day?" Yeah, I know its nowhere close to the actual day; blame my muse. Anyways, as always please please please leave some critique or comments so I can improve my skills for you, the reader. Ciao.

Comments

[keam]

Awww!
This reminds me of just how much I love my own daddy!
He works much and I don't spend nearly as much time with him as I spend with my mother and little brother, but this story make me want to spend some more time with him!
Good job on getting the feels going!