• Member Since 26th Mar, 2015
  • offline last seen Last Thursday

Amber Spark


"Do it with love, do it with passion and never dream small!” - Author, Designer & Creator - Patreon/Ko-Fi

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On her very first trip above the clouds at night, the young Blue Venture finds something she never expected.

Herself.


Historian’s Note:
Stars Above is set over five hundred years after the original events of MLP:FiM.

Cast: Blue Venture & Family


Featured on EquestriaDaily on April 17, 2018!


Cover Art & Blue Venture's Cutie Mark: Sankam
Cover Text: Novel Idea

Beta Reader & Editor Credits
Heartshine: Smol Pegsus, Big Heart
Painted Heart - Wife of the Author :pinkiesmile:

Word Count: 4,500 Words
Version: 1.5

Chapters (1)
Comments ( 38 )

Very cute, and as a Game Master/RPG enthusiast, I applaud this little peek into your character's backstory. Thanks for letting us read it!

Novs, you aren’t allowed to write stuff this good...

*starts shaking in anticipation of the next story

:pinkiehappy: This was adorable!

That was lovely. The description of the falling stars, in particular, was awesome!

"On her very first trip above the clouds at night, the young Blue Venture finds something she never expected.

Herself."

It seems that she managed to get over herself.

I'm a terrible person, shoot me. XP

Beautiful story though.👍

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Of course! I've got more on the way, too! She's too cute not to use.

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Novs, you aren’t allowed to write stuff this good...

:raritycry:

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Thanks, Fangren!

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Thank you! I'm glad I polished that part up. Funny thing was I didn't originally plan for anything to happen like that, but it just sorta... happened anyway!

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I'm a terrible person, shoot me. XP

Boooooo. Only a little.

Beautiful story though.👍

Thank you kindly!

Yay, a new universe! I love Bee already, and I'm excited by the potential for this series! The flash of inspiration, the promise of exploration, the tie to the night sky... I'm hooked.
Also, Shadow Blossom the batpony? Isn't that Lemon Hearts' O&O character in Bards of the Badlands? Or am I just getting confused here?

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Yay, a new universe! I love Bee already, and I'm excited by the potential for this series!

Bee is adorably awkward. And awkwardly adorable. And awkwardly awkward.

Also, Shadow Blossom the batpony? Isn't that Lemon Hearts' O&O character inBards of the Badlands? Or am I just getting confused here?

I had actually forgotten Lemon Heart's batpony OC name. I decided to go look it up. It's Nightblossom. And I started writing that long before I ever played my first D&D game, let alone have my friend roll Shadow Blossom! :rainbowlaugh:

The unicorn mare at the door sighed with a hint of fondness. “Blue, you know you’re not fooling anypony, right?”

Roll to bluff.
2

“Immasleep,” Blue mumbled.

Well, you tried.

“It’s late,” Blue said, turning over and staring balefully at her mother. “Should get back to sleep.”

The origins of this word are commonly mis-attributed to the old-equish word "bale" as in evil. It was in fact coined as the facial expression (commonly from an Earth Pony) that immediately preceded a projectile bale of hay. An interesting bit of trivia: Despite the obvious link to Earth Pony culture, it was actually a (then hospitalized) Pegasus that coined this phrase.

Blue huddled into a little ball and glared at the blanket. It had not protected her nearly as well as a good blanket should.

You should get that shit enchanted. Ask your mom, she'll probably do it for you. Maybe even teach you a magic song to go with it.

“Bad dreams,” Blue muttered.

Oh. Yeah. Definitely get your mom to enchant that blanket.

“Butterfly…” Mommy reached out and dragged Blue into a hug. “We’vetalkedabout this. You’re different than most other foals. Your mind works differently. You see theworlddifferently. And that makes youspecial.”

...This is the sort of thing that makes me glad I wasn't ever subject to this. Perhaps it would have simply accelerated my growth. Or perhaps it would have taken me in a completely different direction.

Miss Chariot used in Astronomy class

Shiny.

They walked up another flight of stairs and Blue thought it would have been even more special if Daddy had gotten cabins closer to the top.

I completely understand Blue's desire to be a unicorn rather than a pegasus, but going up is the main time that being a pegasus would actually be more useful.

except for in Miss Chariot's class.

Seems that Blue rather likes Ursal--Miss Chariot.

“Cobalt!” Mommy called, waving as they jostled their way to the platform. “Guess who I found?”

"I want it to be known that I was not taken easily. My trickery was masterful, and my fight was valiant, but ultimately I was dragged angsting and sulking from my disappointingly non-magical blanket."
"Sure, Honey."

horn-rimmed glasses

I will never hear the phrase "horn-rimmed glasses" the same after watching Heroes.

She didn’tneeda coat, unlike her little sisters.So there.

Yeah! Find the stuff that makes you cool (or...uh...comfortably cool?) and imagine rubbing it in her face! And then fly a few laps around the ship. The feeling of wind in your mane is heavenly.

There was a fancy rail at the edge, probably to make sure ponies didn’t do stupid things like lean far enough over to needs dramatic rescues from the ship’s pegasi

Hey! You're one of the ship's pegasi! Think you'll get to dramatically rescue anyone today? Be preeeeetty awesome.

All pegasi, please keep all four hooves on the deck. All unicorns, please refrain from using spells beyond a class one light spell until we’ve cleared the cloud layer. Thank you.

And all Earth ponies...uh...don't jump off...or smash anything...I guess.

Daddy wrapped a hoof around her shoulders. Blue decided to lean against him. She wasn’t snuggling him, of course. That would be silly.

"I wish it be known that I am not enjoying this in the least. I am simply doing what is expected of me."
"Sure, Honey."

Blue might have squealed a little too, but she wasn’t about to admit that to anypony.

"I wish it to be kno--"
"Sure, Honey."
"But...I wasn't..." squints "I am beginning to doubt the authenticity of that word, Mom."

Something inside of her tickled. Or twinged. Or something. She couldn’t really tell.

Well either you just got your cutie mark or you had a burrito of questionable origins last night. Either way, check your bum.

“I… I can see…” Blue murmured. “I can see the wholeuniversefrom here. It’s…wow.”

Hokay, hold up there, Blue. That burrito might have been worse than I thought.

She rubbed her eyes and her hoof came away wet. It took her a moment to figure out why. She had… she had something in her eye. Or her eyes were tired from eyestrain. Or something like that. Definitely wasn’t because she’d never seen anything so pretty in all of her life.

"I wish it to be known--"
"We know, Honey."
"...I guess you do."

“I can see the palace!” Blue blurted out. “And the lights! And even some airships in the docks!”

Is this a Pegasus thing?

“I… I got my cutie mark?” Blue whispered.

Well you know that this means, Blue.

That first time was a burrito.

She spun so fast, she left a streak of what might have been stardust in her wake.

Badass. A sparkly contrail? You might be able to help out Miss Chariot.

I like it. Happy, very-non-tragic backstory for an adventurous mechanically inclined smol pega.

Also starlight-super-sight is a cool power. Built-in telescopic vision. Does it work as a microscope? For smol thin--I mean to see small things?

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It's Nightblossom. And I started writing that long before I ever played my first D&D game, let alone have my friend roll Shadow Blossom!:rainbowlaugh:

Ah! I knew it was something like that. Coincidence is a strange thing sometimes.

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I like it. Happy, very-non-tragic backstory for an adventurous mechanically inclined smol pega.

Yes! Totally agree. Uplifting, beautiful, story about a pegasus filly in a healthy and growing family, learning what makes her special and discovering the spark that will lead her to adventure. No dark, brooding, miserable anti-heroes here, just an adorkable engineer-to-be with an awesome star-tied talent. Leaves a warm feeling in the heart and a smile on the face.

this story was freaking awesome. I cant wait to read more in this series you speak of.

Well, seeing as this is my intro to Bee, deep breath

She’s so cute! Even pouty and grumpy she’s beyond adorable!

It's not often a story can make me feel such a specific way. This is snowdrop levels of feeling.

It's not often a story can make me write such a serious comment either.

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Roll to bluff.
2

Sounds like a typical roll for me.

The origins of this word are commonly mis-attributed to the old-equish word "bale" as in evil. It wasin factcoined as the facial expression (commonly from an Earth Pony) that immediately preceded a projectile bale of hay. An interesting bit of trivia: Despite the obvious link to Earth Pony culture, it was actually a (then hospitalized) Pegasus that coined this phrase.

This is now canon in all timelines.

Miss Chariot used in Astronomy class

Shiny.

YES! MORE PEOPLE GOT IT!

Seems that Blue rather likes Ursal--Miss Chariot.

Because she's awesome... and secretly a huge badass.

"I want it to be known that I was not taken easily. My trickery was masterful, and my fight was valiant, but ultimately I was dragged angsting and sulking from my disappointingly non-magical blanket."
"Sure, Honey."

All the yes.

I will never hear the phrase "horn-rimmed glasses" the same after watching Heroes.

Yeah. I can actually still remember when those glasses were chosen... and by who. And I can maybe only remember 5 minutes from that series.

Hey!You'reone of the ship's pegasi! Think you'll get to dramatically rescue anyone today? Bepreeeeettyawesome.

Bee is UBER tiny. She ain't rescuing anypony as a filly.

And all Earth ponies...uh...don't jump off...or smash anything...I guess.

Just don't blow up the ship, kthx?

Blue might have squealed a little too, but she wasn’t about to admit that to anypony.

"I wish it to be kno--"
"Sure, Honey."
"But...I wasn't..."squints"I am beginning to doubt the authenticity of that word, Mom."

You and me both.

“I can see the palace!” Blue blurted out. “And the lights! And even some airships in the docks!”
Is this a Pegasus thing?

Nope. It's her special talent!

Badass. A sparkly contrail? You might be able to help out Miss Chariot.

I'm so down for that fanart.

I like it. Happy, very-non-tragic backstory for an adventurous mechanically inclined smol pega.

Yeah, everyone else has a super tragic/dramatic backstory. Bee's the only one with like, a good family that's all still alive.

Also starlight-super-sight is a cool power. Built-in telescopic vision. Does it work as a microscope? For smol thin--I mean toseesmall things?

Isn't it nifty? It's sad I haven't been able to use it nearly as much as I wanted, but hey, points for style, right?

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Yes! Totally agree. Uplifting, beautiful, story about a pegasus filly in a healthy and growing family, learning what makes her special and discovering the spark that will lead her to adventure. No dark, brooding, miserable anti-heroes here, just an adorkable engineer-to-be with an awesome star-tied talent. Leaves a warm feeling in the heart and a smile on the face.

You heard it here folks! People don't need tragic backstories to be liked!

Thank you so much. Seriously, it was a huge amount of fun to write her.

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As soon as the cover art is done, I'm going to get the next one up!

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I know! Her poutiness is adorable!

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It's not often a story can make me feel such a specific way. This is snowdrop levels of feeling.

SNOWDROP?! Really?! You think she's at THAT level?!

...well now I'm going to have to work SUPER hard for the next one.

Got my daily dose of cute, now i can go to bed.

This is absolutely cuteably adorable. I love I it!!!

By the way, if you ever get the chance to go out on the ocean and look up at the night sky without ant lights, you can actually see the Milky Way. It is a aight to behold. This story reminds me of when i first saw it for real.

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It's even FDA Approved! (Federal D'awww Association).

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Thank you!
A major part of the inspiration was my time as a child (and a few times as an adult) when I used to go up to a tiny little place between Bishop and Mammoth, California named Tom's Place. Not a single city within miles. The houses are all over the place. And when you look up into that... you really stare into infinity. It's... astounding. Beyond description.

And as someone who lives in suburbia, I have a special appreciation for places like that.

Fly east, Blue Venture. :twilightsmile:

That was neat. Pretty great cutie mark story, and I'm interested in seeing more of this future setting.

Really loved the style of writing in Blue's perspective, it felt so pure and innocent!

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Thank you! You'll get a much better picture of the world in the next one!

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Really loved the style of writing in Blue's perspective, it felt so pure and innocent!

Blue's "petulant filly" narrative voice was UBER fun to write. I basically just channeled my own daughters into it (well, when they're being cute and stubborn, as opposed to just stubborn) and I get... the magics! I really want to go back to this voice sometime. It was great!

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Writing in the voice of children is fun due to the lack of difficulty (this subjectivity should apply to most people) yet the depth within their perspectives are immense.

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Writing in the voice of children is fun due to the lack of difficulty (this subjectivity should apply to most people) yet the depth within their perspectives are immense.

It's both easy and hard at the same time. You have to remove all the filters and then get super petty. Depends on how well you've been trained as an adult (I need some work in that department, really.)

Damn, this was nice. I think there wasn't enough foreshadowing on what exactly she was being bullied about and how that played into it initially, but the sheer magnitude of her wonder and euphoria knocked it out of the park despite that. Favorites material for sure, here.

Also, just made my very first 5e character ever a few days ago. Looking forward to trying out the whole concept of DnD irl.

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Actually, looking back on it, I had similar thoughts on a couple things I probably would have added (and I might decide to add later!). Thank you! This is massively high praise coming from you!!!!

This looks like the start of something beautiful. I look forward to seeing where you take this from here.

Wow...I regret not getting to this one sooner. That was just heartwarming and beautiful. I can't wait to read the next one.:twilightsmile:

I just finished reading it, and holy cow Novel. I got back from a wonderful canoeing trip where I got to sleep in a canyon, and stare up at the stars... You captured that sense of exploration perfectly. I remember that the night wasn't so much black, as it was this rich, deep blue blanketed with specks of light. I slept with the Big Dipper in my face, and the moon above the horizon. You brought that perfect night back, and perfectly replicated that deep sense of wonderment, a tranquil beauty.

Thank you for that. Blue was absolutely adorable, and I absolutely love her as a character. I can definitely relate to her actions and experiences as a character. I can't wait to see more from this.

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I just finished reading it, and holy cow Novel. I got back from a wonderful canoeing trip where I got to sleep in a canyon, and stare up at the stars" ... "You captured that sense of exploration perfectly.
You brought that perfect night back, and perfectly replicated that deep sense of wonderment, a tranquil beauty.

Thank you! My family had this cabin in this TINY little "town" in the Eastern Sierras named Tom's Place near Mammoth. I remember going out there with zero light pollution... and I just tried to funnel my memories into this moment. I've seen this enough to know it never truly gets old. While I can't remember my first time... for this sort of thing, every time is almost as good as the first.

Thank you for that. Blue was absolutely adorable, and I absolutely love her as a character. I can definitely relate to her actions and experiences as a character. I can't wait to see more from this.

Thank you! She was glorious to write.

...now I just have to come up with more Filly Bee stories, because the rest of the planned stories were her as an young adult!!!

Wow this was inspirational. Just starting to get my daughters into role playing and I’m going to start them with the MLP RPG.

Gotta get em both to read this story.

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Wow this was inspirational. Just starting to get my daughters into role playing and I’m going to start them with the MLP RPG.

That's totally great to hear! I drew a lot on my daughters for the inspiration for this story! And seriously, I'm kinda jealous. I never got into RP as a kid... getting to do an MLP RPG as a start? They're LUCKY.

Gotta get em both to read this story.

Tell 'em to leave comments! :raritywink:

I will say that writing this novel as a preview for the future of your Character's story was truly a novel idea, Novel Idea. Keep up the good work! (Sorry about the pun. Couldn't help myself.)

Wonderful. The description of the night sky makes me really want to see that for myself. I've only caught a small glimpse of the true night sky once, but there was still quite a bit of light pollution there.

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I will say that writing this novel as a preview for the future of your Character's story was truly a novel idea, Novel Idea. Keep up the good work!

Actually, I wrote this long after I had created the character of Blue "Bee" Venture. Her origin story surprised even me. I only had the opening locked in my head.

(Sorry about the pun. Couldn't help myself.)

Yes. Yes, you could have. :rainbowderp:

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Wonderful. The description of the night sky makes me really want to see that for myself. I've only caught a small glimpse of the true night sky once, but there was still quite a bit of light pollution there.

I have no idea where you are, but the Mojave Desert is a few hours north of me, so that's the place I've seen everything. I remember a time recently where I was passing through a place near Mammoth, California where there were only a few scattered cabins amidst the pine trees. I drove off through a side road, killed all power... and just got out of the car and stared... it really did feel like seeing the universe.

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