Playing with the Stars
Playing With The Stars
At the edge of the forest stood a log cabin. Just by the plain appearance of the cabin one could tell it belonged to an earth pony family as they couldn't afford the luxuries that unicorns have or the ability to live in the clouds like the pegasi do. It was nothing out of the ordinary as it had four simple log walls with a slanted roof made of thatch. A couple of windows dotted each wall allowing moonlight to shine through.
From an open window emerged the rear end of a filly whose coat was dark blue, like the night sky during a full moon, and had an indigo tail. Her rear legs wobbled and flailed as the filly tried to get a footing on the wall while she climbing out of the window. In the end however the filly slipped and fell to the ground with a light thump. This filly however was not an earth pony, nor was she a unicorn or pegasus. In fact what to label her has been left up to debate by the locals. She was a pony, no doubt about that, but she had both the horn of a unicorn and feathery wings of a pegasus, both matching her coat in coloring.
“Ouchie,” She said as she stood up while rubbing her flank where she fell, “Now to my training spot.”
The little filly ran off into the forest, the light of the moon giving her just enough light to see as she traveled down a well beaten path. The autumn night was filled with the sound of croaking frogs and chirping bugs as she made her way down the path till she reached her destination.
In front of the little filly was a clearing in the forest. It was clear this was the training spot the filly had been talking about. The ground was beaten down and worn in several areas leaving spots of brown dirt in the blanket of green grass that covered the clearing, and a few of the trees on the edge clearing had their bark stripped as if something sharp had gone over it several times.
The filly wasted no time in beginning her training.
“First up, flight!” She shouted out.
She jumped into the air as high as her little legs could take her, which wasn't very high at all as she just barely left the ground. As she jumped she started flapping her wings as fast as she could in an attempt to fly. Though she was able to fly, or more accurately hover, she could not maintain it for very long. She would wobble in the air for a while before falling down, landing in one of the many dirt spots in the clearing. The filly got right back up with a determined look about her and she tried again after patting the dirt out of her fur. The filly made twenty crash landings that night.
After one final crash the filly’s training changed, almost as without reason she made a mad dash to one of the trees that had its barked scrapped. After she was in front of it she began to dig at the ground with her hoof, as if she was looking for something. Soon she found what she was looking for, a pebble buried under the soil.
“Now, magic!” She exclaimed happily.
She stared at the pebble intently for a few seconds, but nothing seemed to happen. There was no glow of magic surrounding the pebble, no humming of magic, yet she continued to stare at it.
“Come on,” she said in frustration.
Seconds became minutes as the filly just stared at the pebble yet still nothing happened. The filly’s patients had finally run out. With the flying at least progress could be seen and felt, but with this nothing was happening.
“Ah, Come on!” She shouted.
In that moment of anger, when her focus was off the pebble for just a second, a soft blue aura enveloped the pebble. In the blink of an eye the pebble shot from the ground and right into the tree leaving another gash in the wood. The filly looked up after hearing the sound of the stone hitting the tree, but not quick enough. As she lifted her head the pebble had hit her right at the base of her horn from where it bounced of the tree.
“Ouch!”
The filly fell to the ground, holding her head with both of her fore hooves. She continued to hold her head in pain as she laid on the ground.
“How, how do I control it?” she thought to herself.
“One more time.”
She got back up, dug up another pebble, and tried again.
“Come on, work this time.” She said as she started to grit her teeth while staring at the stone intensely.
“Luna! Luna did you come out here?” A masculine voice shouted from the distance, and it sounded as he was getting closer.
“Oh no, dad,” Luna thought as her attention was now on her approaching father.
As soon as she lost focus on the pebble it was enveloped in the blue aura like the first. It went flying into the tree and bounced.
“Ahh!” She shouted in fear as the pebble whizzed by her ear.
The heavy hoof step of Luna’s father could be heard before he came galloping into the clearing.
“Luna! Luna are you ok?” shouted the broad chestnut colored earth pony.
“I’m fine dad… just a little scare is all.” Luna replied sheepishly preparing herself for the scolding that was probably coming.
“What are you doing sneaking out at night? You about gave your mother a heart attack when she went to check on you and your sister and you were no where to be found.”
“I’m sorry dad, It’s just, mom wont let me come out here anymore since Princess Platinum and Commander Hurricane demanded more food. But I want to learn to use my wings and horn to help you in the mill!”
“I see,” Luna’s father said letting out a sigh, “So you want to help me at the mill when you get older?”
“I want to help as soon as I can”
Luna’s father let out a hearty laugh at his daughters eagerness.
“My dear, you do realize it’s hard work to cut trees up to usable lumber right.”
“Yeah,that's why I want to get better with my wings and magic. I could just fly to help get pulleys set up, or magically cut dense logs to save on the wear of the saw blades.”
Luna’s father was momentarily stunned by her answer as he did not expect such a detailed answer for one so young.
“Dad… dad you ok?” Luna said waving a hoof in front of his face.
“What yeah, sorry spaced out there for a minute.”
“So… am I grounded?”
“As soon as we get to the house, I’ll let your mother decide for how long. You did sneak out and disobeyed your mother,” he said sternly before softening back up, ”but before we go back do you mind showing me what you can do with your horn?”
“Well… I can try, I haven't been having much luck with it.”
Luna dug up one last pebble and began to stare it down trying to make it move with magic.
“Come on, please work this time.”
Again minutes passed with nothing happening.
“Ahhh why wont it work,” Luna yelled in frustration as she buried her face in her fore hooves about ready to cry for failing in front of the most important pony to her.
The pebble then flew straight up into the blackness of the night sky. Her father followed it as it flew up into the air.
“Why can’t I control it!” She whined.
“Luna…”
“I try so hard, yet nothing.”
“Um... Luna…”
“And now I made myself look useless.”
“Luna! Look up! There!” Her father said pointing a hoof to the sky.
Luna stopped her little fit to look up as her father said.
“What? That star?”
“Luna… I think you moved it?”
“Not funny dad? I was trying my hardest to control a pebble. I wasn't even looking at the sky. There is no way.. ” Luna said as she pointed to the night sky and was suddenly dumbstruck as the star moved to where her hoof was pointing, “I could do... that.”
“You are doing it! Sweet lordy my daughter is moving the stars.”
“But how? I don’t know how I’m doing it.”
“Well, me and your mother are earth ponies, maybe your magic goes through your hoof as well as your horn.”
“That's silly… but,” Luna then lifted her hoof to the sky and concentrated on the stars.
To her surprise a few stars started to move to the area where she was pointing. She then started to move her hoof over the night sky, the stars following to where she pointed.
“I’m doing it….I’M DOING IT!!!”
Luna started to jump with excitement, though not what she expected she finally gained control of her magic.
“Tia is going to be so jealous, I know what I can do!”
Luna then fell onto her back so she could use both hooves. She waved them around, smiling and giggling the whole time as she began to use the night sky as a sketchpad. She used the stars to make what ever image came to mind. There was a giant timberwolf standing next to a dragon, a tiger wielding a sword, and a very detailed image of her sister, Celestia, with a dragon head and front claws attacking a cookie jar.
Her father didn't interrupt, at first he was amazed at what Luna was doing as a team of unicorns was normally needed to manipulate the night sky. However his attention was drawn away from the sky back to Luna after a quick flash of light, a flash Luna had somehow not noticed. He couldn't hide his smile as his youngest daughter finally got her cutie mark, a night sky with a crescent moon.