The sun was high in the sky, the birds were singing and a little filly called Moondust lay fast asleep. She had spent the whole night staring up into the starry sky. A butterfly flittered through her window and landed gently on her muzzle. Moondust sneezed "Choo!" and shook her head. The little butterfly flew out the window as Moondust drowsily opened her eyes and looked out into the day.
Moondust stretched, yawned and clumsily clambered out of her bed. She walked out into the kitchen grabbed a bag of oatsand and emptied out the bag "Mmm an oaty breakfast, no, an oaty brunch, even better." She hastily gobbled down her oaty brunch and slung her saddle bags onto her back. She galloped out the door and left what remaind of her brunch on the table. She slowed to a trot as she passed the manor house on her way to the shops.
The manor house was huge home of a grouchy brown coated stallion called Thorn. Moondust had always been told to be quiet and ladylike when around Thorn or his house not that she needed to be told of course. Especially after that day when she had tripped outside Thorn's house and grazed her knee. She remebered how Thorn had shouted at her for crying about her grazed knee. Just the thought of another telling off made her stomache turn.
Moondust was almost at the shops, she took three bits from her saddlebags so she wouldn't have to rummage for them when at the counter. She walked up to shop door and pressed against it with her muzzle, it didn't budge. She tried to open the door again putting all her weight into it still, the door didn't budge. She took a deep breath and sighed, dissapointed that she still could not open the heavy door. She tapped at trhe door with her hoof and a tall dark haired mare came to the door and pulled it open. Moondust walked in put all three bits on the counter and said "Two sacks of oats please".
The shop owner lowered a sack of oats into each of Moondust's saddlebags. Moondust made her way back to the door, she didn't try to open it sshe already knew she couldn't. She looked up at the door and turned her head to the shop owner "Could you please..." The tall dark haired shop owner looked down at Moondust and said "Moondust, I still don't understand how a filly like you can carry two sacks of oats, but cannot open my shop door." Moondust sighed and tried to ask again "Please I'm already carrying TWO sacks of oats, could you just..." Moondust was interruped by the sound of the shop door opening "...Thank you." Moondust began the long journey home struggling under the weight of the two sacks of oats she was carriying.
Moondust was exhausted, she had carried two sacks of oats all the way from the shops to her home, and it was quite a feat for a little filly such as herself. She stumbled though the front door and let her saddlebags fall to the floor. Moondust began clearing up her brunch; her legs were stiff and uncomfortable after her long journey home. She let her eyes close for what she thought was just a second but, when she opened them again, the sun was setting and her mother had come home and put away the washing up and both bags of oats.
Moondust walked into the garden and stared into the sky, the moon was on the horizon and the stars were coming out of hiding for the night. Moondust loved the stars, they were beautiful. Her mother had always told her that she was born looking at the stars. Moondust longed to get a better look at the stars, perhaps even touch one, hold one, keep it in a draw and own one.
It was getting late, too late for a little filly like Moondust. She yawned and rested her head on the soft grass. Realising that she could not see the stars whilst lying on her front, she rolled over now she could look at the sky all night without straining her neck. Her eyes wandered by the constellations, they mapped out the sky, beautiful as a whole or as a small group or as individuals; the stars were unlike anything else in the world. Moondust sighed and closed her eyes.
Moondust's mother looked down at Moondust through the window. She smiled, and walked down the stairs to take the sleeping filly up to bed. She carefully picked up her daughter and carried her inside to bed; she tucked Moondust into bed and kissed her "Goodnight Moondust." Moondust's mother carefully left the bedroom to without making a sound and went some sleep for herself.
Moondust was on the roof of her house, she reached out to see if she could touch one of the stars. She got nothing but a hooffull of air. She stretched out, standing on her hind legs to get higher and closer to the stars. Suddenly the world seemed to rush away to the side. Moondust screamed. Thud. She landed on the ground, everything was black. Moondust opened her eyes and looked around. The world slowly took shape, it was familiar but, she was not the in garden, she was in her bedroom, on the floor. "My room?" she said, puzzled. Then she realised, it was all just a dream, a horrible one. She took a few deep breaths and got up off of her bedroom floor. She climbed back up onto her bed still tired after yesterday's late night but as she got up the sun rose over the horizon as a new day began. Moondust silently left her bedroom to see if her mother was awake yet. Moondust looked in on her mother who was still asleep and snoring softly. Moondust slowly began to leave, not wanting to wake up her mother and stop her from getting any more sleep. Before she could reach the door, her mother asked "Bad dream?" Moondust turned her head and nodded. Before she knew it, her mother's arms were around her in a great big hug. The two ponies walked outside and looked to the horizon as the last of the sun came out over the horizon. Moondust's mother gave her daughter an affectionate rub with her muzzle. Moondust thought for a moment and then asked her mother "How far away are the stars?" "Moondust, my dear, I don't know and it doesn't matter, what is important is that they are there and that we can see them." Moondust thought about what her mother had said then asked "So are the stars just there to make the sky look nice at night?" "Oh, Moondust, you know the stars are more than just pretty things in the sky. Ponies can walk to the edge of the world and home again if they know which stars to follow." "I know but, the stars older than the ponies who follow them. They have nothing to gain from being there and...” Her mother interrupted her "I know you had a bad dream about the stars but that is no reason to ask why they should be where they are. Stars are all very important, every star is there to remind us of something good in the world whether we know it or not." Moondust thought about the stars and wandered how many there were then said "How does that work? There aren't that many stars in the sky are there?" Her mother replied "Some stars are very far away, so far away that nopony can see them with just their eyes, they need special equipment to see that far away and even then there are still some stars that are too far away to see." Moondust was now deep in thought and was about to ask her mother another question but stopped herself. She had asked enough questions for one morning.
Moondust and her mother walked, to the side of them was the Everfree forest and on the other side, was the newly risen sun; the birds flew past them singing songs to celebrate the dawn. The early morning dew dampened their hooves as they walked through the grass. Moondust turned to her mother and said "I'm glad you don't have to work today" "So am I." she replied. "Where did you say we were going?" Moondust asked "There is a little clearing a short way into the Everfree forest where I used to go when I was your age. I learned to play chess from the books I read there," She glanced over to the white queen chess piece on her flank and smiled "It's also where I met your father." Moondust's mother now had a huge smile plastered over her face. Moondust was amazed and "Wow" she could manage in response what her mother had just told her.
Moondust's Mother stopped walking and turned to face the Everfree forest, there was a small break in the trees that Moondust almost didn't notice it was only as her mother walked down the pathway in the trees that Moondust realised it was there. Her mother stopped and looked back to check that Moondust was sill following her and then continued down the pathway of trees. Above them the branches of the trees wove between each other, the effect made it seem like Moondust was walking through a tunnel or underneath a large archway. The tunnel of trees went on for some time and Moondust was grateful of the soft grass in the clearing at the end of the tunnel. She lay down on the soft green grass, it was cool and dry and relaxing. Moondust's mother lay next to her. "I like it here," Moondust said "I want to stay here for the night; the stars would look wonderful from here!" "They certainly do, but I think that tonight you should get some rest. We can stargaze together tomorrow night" "Aww, but I..." Her mother interrupted her "No buts, you need to sleep or else you won't wake up for me in the morning!" "Alright mum."
