Beneath a Starry Sky

There was a chill in the air, and not a cloud in the sky.  It was late night in the woods, but she wasn't concerned.  She had never had problems there before.  Bright Eyes had scrolls unfolded before her and a telescope - albeit not a very good one, since it was all she could afford.  Small, but it helped her to see the stars more clearly.  Her glasses were carefully tucked away for safe keeping. Her eyes scanned the familiar shapes and figures eatched into the darkness by the points of light twinkling from so far away. Her focus was drawn to a particular constellation - the dragon.

She knew the names of stars without looking at the scrolls, but her mind was wandering from the countless specks of light.  She was remembering years ago, when Bright Eyes had made the decision to settle down in Ponyville and build a life there.  To abandon her wandering lifestyle, make her family proud, perhaps have a family of her own.  But the nomadic existence had always pulled her back on the road and away from any close relationships.  It seemed she met many ponies on her travels, but only for short times, an hour or two, perhaps.  Unconsciously, her mind had traveled back to the silver stallion she had met in Canterlot, and the way he had laughed along with her.  For some reason, the memory made her smile.

The cool breeze in the air was interspersed with the occasional thermal current, patches of warmth spread throughout the cold night. With his wings catching another spot of rising hot air, Aero Dynamic lifted slightly higher above the ground. It was peaceful and quiet in the sky tonight.

He flew silently, simply locked in a state of absentmindedness as his thoughts wandered. He'd been spending a lot of time flying alone recently. Having time to think to himself was something Aero had always appreciated and the last few months had meant for plenty to think about.

His trance was broken when he noticed out of the corner of his eye a figure below in the darkness. His eyes narrowed, squinting in order to make out the pony, before widening again. Well I'll be damned...

Angling his wingtips, Aero descended slowly and came to a rest near the edge of the clearing. He trotted quietly up to Bright Eyes, trying not to let her notice him. As he got closer, he glanced down at her charts and telescope.

"Fancy seeing you out here."

Bright Eyes was consumed by the countless stars twinkling overhead, her focus solely on the southern skies - but if she had been looking northward instead, she would have seen the very pony she had been thinking of only moments before.  Though normally observant, she somehow missed the spot of silvery gray streaking through the air above the peaceful forest.  Undoubtedly, her light azure coat had enabled him to see her from such great heights.

One eye was still peering through the looking glass when she felt... something.  Almost like she was no longer alone there.  But she shrugged off the odd feeling.  Since the stars were all named and known personally to Bright Eyes, it was as if she was surrounded by friends every night - albeit quiet, far-off friends.  The only sound was the songs of crickets in the brush nearby.

When the sound of a stallion's voice interrupted the serene silence, Bright Eyes nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise.  She stepped away from the telescope, nearly stumbling backwards as her eyes locked on the source of the sound.  Her eyes widened in utter shock, and her face showed how stunned - and maybe just a little happy - she was to see the one pony she had just been thinking of.  "Aero!"  A small laugh tumbled from her lips.  "I wondered if I might see you out here one of these nights," she admitted, head ducking in an unexpected, shy manner, "but didn't really expect it.  What are you up to tonight?"

It was uncontrollable really. Aero couldn't help but grin at Bright's surprise reaction as she stumbled around to face him. Something about unexpectedly surprising others, whether to their enjoyment or not, was inherently amusing to him.

By her reaction, it seemed like she wasn't unhappy at his presence so he gauged that he was probably a welcome interruption. Her little laugh seemed to confirm this, much to his relief. Not all ponies would laugh off effectively being snuck up upon.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was ever going to spot you out here either," Aero admitted, before answering her question. "I was just going for a night flight. Bit of exercise, nice and peaceful when the sun sets."

His gaze tilted up to the sky, scanning across the array of brightly sparkling stars far above them. Bright Eyes had certainly chosen a perfect night to go star gazing. "Looking for anything in in particular? I'm no expert, but I don't think anything special is happening tonight."

The surprise still had her heart beating fast, and she felt a little flustered from being caught off-guard.  In the night, she had little difficulty seeing him without her usual eyewear.  It felt weird to be without, but she didn't need them for now.  The mare nodded eagerly in agreement when he spoke of how peaceful it was. "This has always been my favorite time.  Usually there's no one else awake.  But this is nice, too." The smile across her face was wide.

When he inquired about her focus for the night, her surprised demeanor faded away quickly.  "I'm charting how far the stars have shifted from the last time I was here.  Probably nothing interesting to anyone but me."  She laughed aloud in spite of herself. "But next week, if you look to the west," she dipped her head in the right direction. "By my calculations, there will be a meteor shower that will be at its best at, oh, around this time.  Comes every year, like clockwork.  If you look that way, you can't miss them, and it's a sight to see!  Be as far from a big city as you can for the best show."  Bright Eyes couldn't help her enthusiasm as she spoke, no longer seeming shy at all as her focus returned to Aero at her side.  There was a reason she lived up to her name.  "It means winter will be here before we know it, too."

Aero was taken aback by how quickly the momentary bashfulness was forgotten at his question. Bright Eyes seemed to instantly shrug off any lingering traits of surprise at his appearance.

As she spoke eagerly about the upcoming meteor shower, he found her passion to be infectious. It spoke volumes about her love for her talent, seeing the pure joy in her expression. Bright eyes indeed.

It even gave Aero a slight twinge of sadness that he hadn't found something like that in his life to focus on.

He caught her gaze, her light azure eyes so burning with delight that he was forced to smile back.

"Ah, yes. Winter is coming," he agreed, gesturing over to the nearby trees surrounding them. "I imagine the Running of the Leaves will be very soon. I might actually be able to take part this year as well."

The winged stallion made no comment about the stars, but Bright Eyes didn't mind, hoping only that he would remember her words a week from now so that he could see the meteor showers for himself.  Her mind nagged that it didn't matter, but a part of her wondered if he would - it seemed, by what he had said earlier about spotting her there, that he had at least given her a second though... But she was over-analyzing things again, as she tended to do.  Instead, she merely commented, more quietly now, "My mother taught me about the stars.  She was really into science and all."

It didn't surprise her too much when he brought up the Running of the Leaves.  It seemed like something he would naturally be good at - then again, his name and his cutie mark indicated greatness in flying.  Running?  That was open for debate until she saw it for herself.  "Have you participated in the Running of the Leaves before?  I've watched, but I've never had the nerve to join in."  Though, she reasoned to herself, with all of the walking she did, maybe she'd be better at a race than she imagined.  The thought only made her laugh a little.  She had certainly never been an atheletic pony before, much more the type to study and observe.

An eyebrow raised at the quiet mention of her mother. Aero wasn't one to try and let emotions openly rule him, or at least give the appearance that he was always calm and collected. Little slips and moments of openness tended to stick out to him, even if he wasn't the best at involving himself in them. He couldn't help but wonder if there was some memories about Bright's mother that upset her. Had she passed away perhaps? Helped her get her cutie mark? It was a mystery he was unsure if he'd ever find the answer to.

"No, I haven't run it before," answered Aero, bringing his thoughts back to the conversation. "I've wanted to for a few years now but was always working. This year I seem to be free, so I'm going to do it."

His lips widened a little in a joking smile. "Maybe you should try it? Might be a little more active than stargazing."

She said nothing more on the topic of her family, and the hint of sadness that threatened to break her bright demeanor was gone as quickly as it appeared.  In her mind's eye, she could see last year's Running of the Leaves - how the leaves had fallen all around her like confetti in all shades of red and gold, the joy on all the ponies' faces as they ran.

His suggestion brought a laugh, and she looked at him with an arched brow.  "Me?  In a race?"  She gestured to the scrolls carefully laid out, her glasses sitting neatly to the side. "You know, I'm not sure I've ever run in a race, unless being utterly humiliated as a filly counts, if that's any indication.  But it seems like you would be a natural." Still, her expression was thoughtful, and it didn't take her long to concede, "Maybe it would be fun, though."

Bright Eyes seemed to recover from any sign of gloom, something that Aero considered a good thing. He felt he wasn't good when it came comforting others over something upsetting. He could understand her reluctance on taking part in the Running of the Leaves. It was true that she didn't seem like the sporting type, in comparison to himself.

In an almost timid fashion, Aero ruffled his wings and shuffled his hooves, giving a cursory glance over his own legs. It was true that was stronger and more athletic than the average pony but anything even close to a compliment was enough to make him a little embarrassed.

He shrugged, trying to reassure her. "It's not really a competitive race, it's really about taking part in the ceremony of Fall. I don't plan to run competitively."

Bright Eyes thought she detected a hint of embarrassment after she had acknowledged his more athletic physique - but, of course, she would never be cruel enough to ask or point it out.  She had to bite back a wider smile at the sight of it, though.  She was a perceptive mare, even by moonlight.

His reassurance seemed to work, and her pensive expression was replaced by a determined grin.  "I just hate to see anyone lose, but you're right.  It's not about winning.  But to take part in something so momentous would be memorable.  Alright, I'll do it!  You've convinced me."  If nothing else, it would be pretty to see - and another excuse to see her new friend once more.

Aero needn't speak a word, only smile as Bright decided to run the event. He was happy that he seemed to have quelled her concerns about running. He knew if he were in her position, he would hate to be dissuaded from doing something he wanted to do.

His attention was suddenly stolen by a bright glimpse in the sky. His icy blue eyes shot up to ocean of stars above them.

"I'm no expert, but I think I just saw a shooting star," he commented, stepped over to her side and squinting to see if he could catch another view of it. "That or it was something from beyond the stars."

Bright Eyes knew the Falling of the Leaves only came once a year - why not be a part of the seasons changing, something she had observed since she was a filly.  Suddenly, Aero looked up, and Bright's attention shifted toward the skies, though she was too late to see the same star streaking through the night's sky.

Though shooting stars were not especially rare - usually she could see one or two a night, if she watched for hours long enough - but still, sharing it with someone new, her unanticipated visitor, she felt a surge of feeling that she couldn't quite describe.  Sort of a happy jolt that made her feel warm, despite the chilled twilight air.  "You have a good eye for stars, I'd wager.  You're supposed to make a wish if you see one." She wasn't normally a superstitious pony, but it was just for fun, something she had done for as long as she could remember.

As Bright joined him in his search for rediscovering the already lost star, Aero was reminded of the tradition of wishing on a star. He got the sense that Bright shared his lack of belief in such notions, but it was an enjoyable novelty nonetheless.

He contemplated his new fictional power, before stating quietly. "To better days and nights."

The pegasus simply stood in silence for a few moments, content with the view of stars spanning across his vision and the cool air of Luna's night. Without breaking away from looking upwards, he carried on.

"You know, in Cloudsdale, you have a clear view of the sky just about every night. There's almost nothing to block your view. But somehow, I know very little about the stars," Aero admitted, slightly surprised at himself. It was a little unusual for him to state such a thing. Usually he kept any weaknesses quiet or hidden, but he felt comfortable enough with Bright Eyes. "Any particular favourites of yours up there?"

She fell as silent as the stars that watched over them as he made his hushed wish.  Though Bright didn't have a visually reaction, it left her to wonder what it meant - were there troubles in his life that plagued him both day and night?  The pale blue mare felt the touch of concern for the pegasus, but it was none of her business, really, so she let the thought linger on the air until Aero spoke again, this time of his home town that floated high above.

Her enthusiasm was regained and evident on her features when he asked a question that she could spend days answering.  Instead, she smiled.  "It's alright.  You don't need to have extensive knowledge to appreciate them, I say." Her voice was more subdued now, as if not to interrupt the serenity and stillness of the night.

She looked down to her precious telescope, which she had owned for many years, and she pushed it closer to him with a hoof before angling it in a certain direction. "Here.  Try this." She recalled the old stories she had read in ancient texts.  Hoping not to bore him to sleep, she said, "If you look, you can see the constellation known as the dragon.  Sort of like your mark, see?  It has wings and a long tail.  It makes a whole picture, but if you really look, you can see each star, each details that take a closer look to notice."

Once again, Bright's enthusiasm seemed to be affecting Aero. He could swear those bright blue eyes of hers were literally beaming excitement at him. He was now even more intrigued by the sparkling lights in the curtain of black above him than ever before. He placed a hoof on the telescope, investigating the object. It was clearly old with judging by the slightly aged paint but seemed to be very well cared for and still functional. Clearly she cared for the instrument.

He looked down to the eyepiece and peered into the sky. He focused his attention on the collecting of star in his field of view and slowly the formation became apparent to him. With a little creativity, Aero could make out the rough outline of a dragon. Just as Bright Eyes had said; sort of like his mark.

"That's pretty amazing," he said, "The outline actually looks pretty close to the real thing."

For once, it seemed, someone seemed intrigued by what she shared.  Mostly, no one ever really asked, but this was a rare moment indeed, and she was silently thankful that he seemed to mirror, in part, the excitement she felt for her passion.  Maybe he was only feigning interest to spare her feelings.  But something told Bright that Aero was not the type to do that.  He seemed too genuine to pretend.  And, for some reason, it meant something to her that he could see it, too.  "Mmhmm," she murmured in agreement, trying to recall all of the mythology that surrounded the dragon constellation.

“And if you look just a little this way,” she carefully pushed the telescope just a tiny bit to the right, “This one is supposed to be a unicorn.  The story says that the unicorn was a powerful magician, and the dragon had come and invaded the pony kingdom.  The unicorn was the only one who could save them, but to do so, she had to sacrifice herself.  She moved both of them, the dragon and herself, into the sky, and that’s where they remain.”  She watched him to see how he would react to the myth.  “Another tale says that the dragon was actually only protecting his family, that the ponies were the bad ones, and the ponies felt they had to get rid of him because he was too powerful.  Various cultures, now long dead, interpreted things in different ways.  I guess something can have more than one meaning and still be right.”

For a second she was quiet, but her curiosity got the better of her. "May I ask what your mark means?  I figured it was because you fly so quickly, but is there more to it?"

Aero kept his sight fixed upon the stars as Bright recounted her knowledge of the constellations. Her understanding of their mythology was quite admirable. Aero himself had an interest in history, having an adequate knowledge of pegasi history, so he felt he could relate in that regard.

With a gentle swivel of the telescope, he followed Bright's stories by focusing on the new stars. It was as if he were watching the sparkling lights act out the tales of myth in front of his eyes. Stories of dragons, good and evil. It all seemed rather cliche but then again, myths and legends often were. Still, elements of their stories would relate to real life often enough...

Bright's question shouldn't have come as a surprise but it created a pregnant pause between them as Aero considered the question of his cutie mark. The answer wasn't particularly simple, in part because he was never entirely sure how to answer. Not to mention, in his experience, the story of his cutie mark often made ponies a little wary of him.

Eventually, Aero broke away from the telescope, turning back to Bright. He began to speak but his gaze shifted from her across the clearing to look at nothing. "When I was in school, some friends of my challenged me to a dare. There was a dragon nesting in a mountain range below Cloudsdale and I had to steal something from its hoard. Rather than back down, I exercised and read up everything I could about dragons. A few weeks later, I snuck into his cave at night and took a diamond."

"Problem was, I didn't escape unnoticed. The dragon chased me out. I don't think I've ever flown faster in my life. I used what I read to my advantage - sharp turns, using trees for cover - and eventually I lost him. And that's when my mark appeared."

Aero looked back to the familiar silhouette of the dragon on his flank, a little smile on his face.
"Honestly, I still don't know quite what it means. It could be that I'm just a skilled flyer, like you said. Or it could mean I'm just strong headed, or brave, or something of a more poetic nature."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Or maybe I'm just really greedy and like gems."

Bright watched as he spoke, noting that he had made eye contact for only the briefest moment before he looked off into the nothingness of the dark.  Quietly, she listened to his story, and though he wasn't looking to see her reaction, her face was alight with interest in his harrowing tale.  It was like something from a book she had read once, long ago.

She wasn't sure if his last comment was meant to be a joke, but she couldn't keep from laughing as she recalled their last encounter.  "Oh?  Then maybe you're more like those stuffy, shimmering ponies of Canterlot than I thought."  She shook her head because she knew it wasn't so.  Despite having known Aero Dynamic for such a brief time, she felt instinctively that he wasn't greedy or shallow.  In a way, she felt as if she'd known him much longer, it felt as natural talking to him as it would with an old, dear friend.

The more she learned about him, the more curious she was to know more.  But she refrained from bombarding him with questions, instead nodded slowly as she thought about his story.  "I suppose it's similar to mythology.  It can be open to interpretation.  But it sounds like, to me, you are very brave, maybe not afraid to take chances."  She paused, uncertain if she should continue, but she inhaled a deep, quiet breath and allowed herself to speak freely.  "I find that admirable, truly.  Too many ponies are stuck in their ways.  I know so many who never even left their hometowns.  But I can tell you're not like them."  As she spoke, her own focus had shifted away from Aero back to the glittering stars, hoping he wouldn't notice the shyness that threatened to take over again.

For the moments that ticked by after his story, Aero felt horrible exposed. He rarely opened up to others and doing so about something so personal felt like he was practically welcoming an enemy to attack a hidden weakness of some sort. Then he heard Bright's response. Was she...laughing?

Almost shocked, he looked up to see that Bright's cheerful smile was in place as she reminded him of their time in Canterlot. Aero couldn't help but snicker along at the thought of dressing in that ridiculous suit they'd seen. He hoped this meant his story was blown over but she surprised him again by replying with an honest interpretation of her thoughts.

Aero didn't consider himself brave - perhaps daring, possibly stupidly so at times - but she had a point. Once more, he felt a little embarrassed at her generous remarks, a little redness faintly rising to his cheeks.

He mulled over her words carefully before responding himself.

"Thanks. That...means a lot," Aero replied quietly. Then he coughed to clear his throat, attempting to reset the mood. "So, how about your cutie mark? Did you steal your telescope to try and spot the Mare in the Moon?"

Bright Eyes hadn't meant to make him feel badly when she laughed; it hadn't even occurred to her that she would hurt his feelings, but he laughed along, so she didn't think twice.  The pale blue mare wasn't aware of how unusual it was for Aero to open like this - if she had an inkling, she'd have felt strangely honored.

Still feeling a little bashful herself, luckily for Aero, she didn't perceive the way he blushed when she offered her opinions.  She was too focused on a particular speck of light that seemed to subtly flash different colors as she watched it.  Then, a short silence followed.  For once, Bright Eyes didn't feel terribly uncomfortable the instant neither spoke.  Rather, she felt comfortable, even when words were not being exchanged.

Finally, her eyes returned to the stallion beside her as he spoke, unable to hide the smile from her lips.  He inquired about her cutie mark next, a subject she didn't necessarily mind discussing.  But in truth, her own mark was open to interpretation, as well, and she couldn't help but chuckle as she thought of how best to answer.  "Well.  It took me a while to decipher its entire meaning, and I'm not sure I fully grasp its depth, even though it seems so simple.  The twin stars appeared when I was tracking the night sky when I was just a little filly.  But I knew there was more to it. I never could figure out where there are two.  Why not a dozen?  Why not just one?"

She gave a little shrug. "I told myself it was because of my name, but I knew deep down that's not enough. I always told myself that not every mystery has an answer.  But it's tough for me to accept that."

Had Aero simply remained quiet, he felt he would have been content to just watch the stars. It was a perfect night to simply relax and enjoy it for what it was, and Bright Eyes was pleasant company to have.

As it so happened, they seemed to be doing the opposite and having a rather deep conversation. Part of him felt out of his comfort zone and wanting to extend his wings and take off. But another part of him dared him to stay, encouraging him to see where this would go.

Her story, the way she felt and tried to understand her cutie mark, echoed that of his own. In a way, Bright Eyes seemed like a kindred spirit of sorts. Another pony wandering Equestria, looking for a specific meaning to their talent, and for what they should be doing in their life.

"Maybe it means you have something to find. You and your purpose. Our something important to you," he said, in a manner he hoped sounded comforting. Aero was admittedly not the best at tactful conversation. "Whatever the case, I know how you feel. Looking for that true meaning."

There was a part of Bright Eyes that still felt strange, almost like she had this energy she could barely suppress, but at the same time, she felt entirely comfortable in the presence of the winged stallion.  She couldn’t help but ponder the enormity of the coincidence the night had delivered – that he would show up there, of all places, on that very night – that she had been thinking of him, even before that.  Even her logical mind couldn’t piece how the night had come together so finely, far better than she had fathomed at the night’s start.

Aero’s words ruminated in her mind as he spoke – find something important to you.  Your purpose.   “Once, I waited for an epiphany, that moment of – you know, absolute certainty.  But it never appeared to arrive.  So I suppose I went looking for it and never stopped.  You’re exactly right,” she stated, her voice barely above a whisper now as she considered just how accurate his statement had been.  True meaning.  The philosopher within her couldn’t help but ponder it.  Somehow, it was comforting to know she wasn’t alone in this.

“But maybe,” she ventured to guess, “Maybe the beauty is in not knowing, at least for now.  It leads to curiosity.  Maybe not having all the pieces is a necessary part of our journeys.” She realized she had been gazing over at Aero for a while now, unconsciously looking at his icy blue eyes when automatically, her focus averted upward once more, back to the stars that watched still.

The saying went that 'good things come to those who wait,' but just as Bright had said, in his experience it was better to go find those things. Aero pondered over her words, mulling over the ideas of beauty and knowing, of having to build your own path rather than simply walking on one laid out before you.

"Something isn't beautiful because it lasts forever," he contemplated, "Great things can last only a moment, and be more beautiful because of it. Just like a shooting star I suppose. Bright and sparkling one moment, gone the next."

His own words seemed to sting as he unintentionally reminded himself of only recently ending such a brilliant time. His eyebrows furrowed into a slight frowning, catching himself before he showed any real hints of sadness.

Aero's eyes cast up to see that Bright was looking directly into them before she turned to look at the stars. He followed her gaze up to the sky, lowering himself to sit on his haunches.

He'd originally planned to go for a typical night flight, casting a shadow on the earth as he flew over it. Maybe it was better to stop and come back down to the ground every now and again...

Bright Eyes remained silent and still as he spoke, taking in every word, each syllable with a gentle nod.  The hint of a frown tugged at her lips as she sat slowly, following his lead.  The logical side of the mare told her that it was all true, for nothing could last forever but time itself - and even that was open to interpretation.  Even the heavens altered their appearance as the year progressed.  And yet there she was, still searching.  She had long wondered, what good was living without some semblance of hope that beauty could still exist in the world, in some lasting, meaningful way?

But she didn't know quite how to express that.  For one who normally found the precise words she needed, at the moment, she wasn't sure how she could explain it - this beauty she believed in, but could never grab hold of.  "I believe that's true," she began, never taking her gaze from the flashing star's brilliant colors.  "But I think there's more.  That existence is more than a series of brief glimpses of beauty, or joy, or anything else."

She wasn't certain she was making sense anymore, and she gave a half-hearted shrug before permitting the silence to return for a brief time.  "I'm glad you're here tonight," she said softly after a lingering moment, allowing the words to escape despite that gnawing sense of concern that told her to keep it to herself.  She had already allowed herself to be vulnerable, which could make any pony uncomfortable.  But still, she wanted to stay - and she wanted him to stay a little longer, as well, though she couldn't bring herself to ask.