Stars and Scripts

by mr lovecolt

The Letters

Silver Script tapped his hoof against the kitchen sink, his gaze focused on the main street of Ponyville. He watched as the ponies went about their daily routine. Just down the road was Steam Roller, glancing into a newly dug hole, though Silver Script wondered why the construction pony needed a hard hat to do so. Further down, he saw Noteworthy in the shade of a tree talking to a mare, but for the life of him couldn’t remember her name.

He shook his head, looked down, and noticed the faucet was leaking. A slow, but steady drip of water formed at the spout, fell, and then crashed against the basin with a tink. It was faint, but enough of an annoyance for Silver Script to flick his ears. To capture everything in a moment, the stallion thought, tightening the handle.

As he glanced around the room, absentmindedly brushing his wet hoof against his coat, Silver Script looked over at the calendar. The day’s date was circled in red ink. Silver Script felt his chest tighten and took a few deep breaths to steady himself as he turned towards the window once more.

“Where are you, Parcel?” he mumbled to himself as he left the kitchen and headed into the living room. Silver Script made his way to the staircase and glanced at the cork board hanging on the wall. “Let’s see…” he continued, his eyes darting around the board at each note he had pinned onto it. “I sent the romance to Horshoester Publishing… no response yet. The science fiction went to Discord Realm publishing. The collection of poems went to The Manehattaner—that’s the one.”

This is the deadline, Silver Script thought, today is the day they said they would have the decision by. The stallion’s wings ruffled. “Calm yourselves, boys,” he said with a chuckle. “Starry isn’t home yet.”

A sudden knock at the door caused Silver Script to leap into the air, where he hovered a few inches off of the floor for a few moments. Get a hold of yourself, he thought as he drifted to the door, it’s only Parcel. He opened the door with a smile. “Hey, Parcel, I—”

Rather than seeing the lanky stallion, Silver Script cocked his head in confusion when he saw the other employee of the postal service.

“Oh, hey Derpy,” he corrected himself. “I thought today was your day off?”

Derpy nodded her head, but then shrugged. “Parcel wasn’t feeling very well, so I took his shift.” Without much fanfare, she reached into her mailbag and rummaged through it, emerging moments later holding two envelopes in her mouth. “Two pieces of mail today,” she said through gritted teeth.

“This must be it,” Silver Script mumbled as he grabbed the mail.

“What is it?” Derpy asked.

“Oh, just something I’ve been expecting.” The stallion glanced at the mailmare and noticed the bags under her eyes. “You look tired. Is everything alright?”

Derpy raised a hoof and waved it casually. “No, I’m fine, I just—” she cut her own statement off with a yawn. She blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. “I may have been up late helping Time Turner in his workshop.” She wrinkled her nose and let out a squee.

“Hmm…” Silver Script raised an eyebrow. “How many more deliveries do you have?”

“Just a few,” she replied. “I’ll be fine.”

“Nonsense, I insist you come in. I’ll make you a cup of darjeeling. You’ll feel rejuvenated in no time.”

Derpy leaned forward for a moment, but then took a step back and shook her head. “No, it’s fine, really.” She then immediately jerked her head and began sniffing. “What’s that smell?” she asked as she leaned further into the doorway.

A ghost of a smile grew on Silver Script’s lips. “Oh, nothing,” he replied with a twirl of his hoof. “I decided to make some muffins is all.” He took a step back and opened the door wider, allowing more of the aroma to drift outside.

“I… could come back after I finish these deliveries,” she hedged.

“But they won’t be as hot,” he replied.

“Hmm…”

“They’re chocolate chip,” he taunted in a singsong voice.

Derpy’s eyes straightened, her undivided attention now directed towards the stallion. “I guess the rest of the deliveries could wait for a few minutes.”

“That’s my mare.”

***

The envelopes lay in front of Silver Script. He tapped his hoof against the table, reached for the one addressed to him, but then pulled away and resumed his tapping. In front of him sat Derpy, her eyes once again having resumed their somewhat opposing gazes. She blew on the teacup, causing the steam to temporarily dissipate, allowing her to take a sip.

“That’s strange,” Silver Script said. “Why is Star Bright’s letter not sealed?”

Derpy leaned in and glanced at the envelope. “I guess the heat must’ve unsealed the wax.” She leaned back. “Is it something important?”

Silver Script nodded. “You could say that.” His wings ruffled again. “I’m not sure what Star Bright is expecting from the Canterlot Astronomical Society, but I do know that his work is connected to Princess Luna’s work in designing the night sky.”

“I thought the princess just directed where the stars go,” she said, shaking her head in confusion. She picked up the muffin and took a bite.

“Oh, it’s much more complicated than that,” Silver Script replied. “But Starry is the smart one on that.” His ears folded back. “From what I can understand, it involves not only placing them up there, but making sure they’re in the right order, and that they’re spaced out properly. She can’t just choose where they go.”

“Sounds hard.”

“I’m sure it is, but not for him.”

The two sat in silence for a moment. Silver Script noticed Derpy’s gaze wander to the wall, where it came to rest on a photograph of the two stallions. He couldn’t help but blush when he saw the mare’s lips curl up into a smile.

“It’s been over two years since your wedding day, right?” she asked before taking another sip of tea.

“Two years, two months, thirty days,” he replied immediately.

“Really?” she giggled.

“What can I say? He means a lot.” He felt his cheeks flush.

Silver Script took a deep breath and glanced through the doorway into the living room. There was a small bookcase beneath the cork board, each shelf alternating for his and Star Bright’s books. On Star Bright’s shelves were thick, dusty tomes and astronomical maps, with a smattering of old comic books and even a few mystery novels thrown in for good measure. The shelves reserved for Silver Script, however, were lined with chapbooks of poetry alongside writing manuals and, much to his husband's chagrin, the occasional trashy romance novel featuring two, or sometimes three, stallions in various types of embrace.

“Hello? Equestria to Silver Script.”

The stallion shook his head and turned to Derpy, who was furiously waving a hoof at him. “Oh, sorry,” he said sheepishly. “What was it?”

She pointed at the other envelope on the table. “I said, what’s in the letter for you?”

The words ‘The Manehattaner’ leapt out at Silver Script, its distinctive Irvin typeface unmistakable. “It’s from the publishing arm of a magazine that I read.” He smiled. “I’ve submitted short stories and poems individually, but Starry convinced me to begin submitting my longer stuff.” He tapped a hoof on the envelope. “This should be the response for my poetry chapbook.”

Derpy stared off into the distance and smiled. “I remember the poem you read at Cranky and Matilda’s wedding reception,” Derpy said before finishing her tea. “Did you include that in the book?”

Silver Script shook his head. “That was a present for the couple.” He stood up, grabbed the empty cup and plate, and then placed them in the nearby sink, sighing when he noticed that the tap was leaking again.

Behind him, Silver Script heard the sound of Derpy’s chair scratching the floor. He turned around and watched as the mare slung the mailbag over her head. She craned her neck this way and that before bending her legs, each movement resulting in a small crack of her joints.

“That really hit the spot. Thank you, Silver.” Derpy reached out and gave him a light hug.

“Think nothing of it,” Silver Script replied.

The two made their way out of the kitchen and back to the front door. Once outside, the pair stood in the front yard. The wind swirled around them, dishevelling their manes. Silver Script looked up at the tree next to their home. The leaves swayed in the breeze, every so often catching the sunlight. But the next moment, it went away and he looked up to the sky and saw that a large cloud had been placed in front of the sun.

“I’m off,” Derpy said after a few moments of silence. “Thanks again for the tea. And the muffin.” Derpy lifted off and hovered for a moment. “Good luck on the book thing.” She waved, before turning around and flying off.

Silver Script smiled and waved back until the mare was out of sight. He turned around and went back into the house, stopped at the threshold and glanced around the room. Nearby, the grandfather clock’s pendulum swung back and forth with small ticking noise that he hadn’t noticed until just now. Starry will be home in a few hours, he thought, I can wait until then. A book lay on the coffee table, so he picked it up and read the title.

“Canterlot Astronomical Society Guide, Part 34, Maregon-Keeneighn Model, spectral type versus luminosity.”

The stallion’s eyes glazed over and his jaw dropped slightly. He blinked and shook his head before returning the book to the bookcase, pausing for a moment to stare at the record player. Hmm, he thought, crouching down to grab the box of records he kept on the bottom shelf, how to pass the time? He flipped through each record, mumbling to himself as he did.

“Sapphire Shores? No… Ponytones?” He considered for a moment. “Not quite… Oh Coloratura, why did you have to lose your fabulousness?”

Silver Script continued until he got to a record with the picture of a zebra on the cover, sitting at a piano with a cigarette sticking out of her mouth. Smiling, he removed the record from the sleeve and placed it on the player. The record began to spin, the familiar sound of dust catching on the needle. He flicked his wing towards the record player before delicately lowering the needle and was greeted almost immediately by the sound of a cymbal tap and impressive strings.

I cast a hex on you…
Cause you’re mine…

As the song played, Silver Script began to dance by himself, allowing himself to get carried away with the music. He glanced ahead, his lips turning to a smirk.

“What’s that, Starry?” he asked the Star Bright he was imagining standing in front of him. “Yes, of course I do. You convinced me to submit it. What’s that?” he gasped scandalously. “You tease. My wings can’t do that.”

Silver Script began giggling until he heard the sound of something shattering in the kitchen. He yelped and leapt into the air again, but this time, he gulped loudly, worried as to the cause of it. He slowly flew into the kitchen, where he noticed a small vase lying broken on the floor. Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and when he turned, he saw that it was merely the curtains fluttering in the wind.

“Hmm,” he thought. “I could’ve sworn I closed that.” He shut the window and then turned his attention to the broken vase. “The wind gusts are so strong today.”

The stallion crouched down and gently picked up each piece and set them, one by one, on the table. Gotta get a cloth, he told himself as he stood up from the floor. He gasped when he saw that he had placed a few watery pieces of vase on his letter and immediately dove for it to stop more water from getting on it.

“No, no!” he cried as he instinctively rubbed the edge of the envelope, which only caused a corner of the envelope to dissolve. “For the love of Luna’s night!” he shouted.

Silver Script stared at the damaged envelope and then set it down on the dry part of the table. He took a seat and stared at the letter, then to Star Bright’s already opened envelope. He tapped his hoof against the table, his gaze repeating the pattern over and over. In the other room, the last bars of the song played.

I cast a hex on you…
Because you’re M-I-I-INE!

Without even thinking, Silver Script grabbed the envelope and ripped it open as if in a trance. He yanked the letter out of the envelope and unfolded it, his hooves shaking. As he read the letter, the shaking soon stopped. He sighed and let his grip loosen, allowing the letter to drop to the floor.

Comments

[The Bricklayer]

Nice introduction to the characters, and who they are, and the base plot. I'd say you got something here. Tracking.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

God, this is a good beginning. I really like SIlver Script, here. He already makes a cute couple with Star Bright. :D