The sky was a brilliant blue with splashes of oranges and reds on the horizon, signaling that a sunset was very near. As birds chirped and flew overhead, a very light pink pony trotted happily through the sparkling city of Canterlot. The clip-clopping of her hooves echoed off the countless buildings and cafes, and the mare’s curly pastel pink mane bounced in time with her trotting as she passed by.
The streets were surprisingly empty for so late in the day, so she didn’t see too many ponies out there; only the shop and store owners closing up early.
“Hello Mister Store Owner!” She called happily, waving her hoof at the store owner. He smiled and waved back.
“Hello there, young’in!” The mare smiled again and continued down the street, saying hello to the little bit of ponies she passed by. She finally stopped her trotting hooves in front of a small house on the corner. A delicious smell of chicken and vegetables drifted through the air towards her nose and filled it with its scent.
The young mare’s mouth watered as she began to make her way up the old concrete path leading up to the door. The house was a very simple building; much simpler than the rest of the grand city it sat in. It had a cracked path cutting through the middle of the shaggy yard, ivy vines twisting their way up the sides, broken shutters, and an old, creaky door.
It seemed more of an old, abandoned shack than a house.
The mare picked up her pace when she was halfway across the yard. She walked up to the door and pushed it open. It was very warm inside, and she continued to follow the wondrous smell which led her to the kitchen. In there, there was another mare standing in front of a worn stove and countertop; cutting vegetables and throwing them into a big metal pot sitting on the fire burning from one of the heating elements.
Sitting at a sagging table not far from the stove sat two fillies; one a little smaller than her mother, and the other practically still a baby. The older one at the table jumped out of her seat and ran over to the newcomer excitedly. “Hi, Tia!” She shouted, clinging to the mare’s legs.
The sudden noise startled her mother, for she jumped and turned around quickly. Her gaze softened as she spotted the mare in the doorway. “Welcome home, Celeste. I take it you had a pleasant walk this evening?” Her mother said, turning back to her cooking.
“It was very nice, mother.” Celeste replied, gently pushing the filly that was clinging to her legs off before going over and sitting in a vacant chair at the table.
The filly bounced along behind her and jumped back into her original chair, resting her head on her hooves and staring intently at the mare.
Celeste caught her stare and turned her head. “What’s gotten you so excited today, Dreamer?”
The dark coated filly grinned widely before replying. “School!”
Celeste looked confused. “School?”
Dreamer nodded quickly. “Mhm! I’m going to finally get to go to school! I won’t be stuck here all day with nothing to do anymore!”
Their mother turned around with a mock hurt expression on her face. “B-but what about me?” She asked; a hint of playfulness in her voice.
Dreamer was about to reply when the young filly in the highchair squealed loudly. There was an awkward silence after that, and everybody looked at the filly. Everyone then turned and looked at one another before bursting out into a loud laughing fit.
“Really Twilight? You gotta go and make everypony be quiet just for you?” Her mother said, wiping a tear from her eye. Twilight Sky smiled and pounded her hooves on the worn down tray in front of her; a little drool dripping from her mouth as she talked gibberish to herself. Their mother chuckled again and turned back around to continue her cooking again.
Celeste turned back towards Dreamer. “That’s right! You do start school in a few days!”
Dreamer grinned widely again. “That’s right, Tia! I’m going to Kindergarten!”
Celeste sighed and caught a glance of her mother coming towards them with four soup bowls sitting on a tray on her back. She turned sideways and challenged, “Alright! Which one of you can pick up their soup bowl with their magic-”
“Oh oh oh! I can! I can!” Dreamer interrupted, jumping up and down in her chair.
“-without spilling it all over me?” She finished, giving the little filly a look.
Dreamer got flustered and sat down quickly. “Uhhh….”
Their mother chuckled and turned her head and looked at Celeste. “What about you, hun?”
Celeste nodded and lit up her horn. Sparkles faded in around the cracked bowl, and picked it up slowly. “Very good, Tia. Now…” She said. “Your turn Dreamer.”
Dreamer nodded as well and lit up her horn with a little more difficulty. Soon after, sparkles floated around her bowl, too. It lifted it up into the air slowly; the bowl wobbling a little.
“Good job, my little filly!” Her mother congratulated wholeheartedly. “That’s the first time you haven’t spilled your soup all over me.” She tilted her body so that the tray on her back could slip off and onto the table. She, too, lifted a bowl with her magic and put in on the tray in front of the baby filly in the highchair.
Twilight looked at it, then gave her mother a blank look.
Their mother then sighed and lifted a spoon.
Celeste began to eat her soup as soon as she knew Dreamer had gotten hers. Both of them ate quickly and finished before their mother had the chance to eat soup herself.
“I’m done, mother! Thank you for dinner!” The two sisters called in unison over their shoulders as they raced out of the kitchen and into the family room. Celeste quickly rushed over to a radio they kept in there and turned it on. It came to life a few moments later to say, “-d it’s time for your regularly scheduled program ‘Hiker’s Amazing Adventures’—”
“Yay!” They whooped, plopping down on the floor so they could listen. “Welcome back to your favorite hero, Hiker the Daring Pony, and his amazing adventures. We left off with him—”
Their mother came out a few minutes later with Twilight on her back. She squealed, climbed off, and crawled towards her sisters. She lay down in Celeste’s lap and fell alseep.
With eyes sparkling a perked ears, the rest of the family listened to the fantastic adventures of Hiker the Daring Pony.
“What will happen to our hero next? Tune in next time to find out!” The radio said at the end of the hour. Dreamer sighed when Celeste turned off the machine and headed towards their room. “I could listen about Hiker’s adventures all night!” She exclaimed.
“Oh, me too!” Celeste agreed.
They both walked into the room that they shared with one another and closed the door behind them. Dreamer trotted over towards their bunk bed and climbed into the bottom bunk.
Her sister came up and tucked her little sister snuggly. Celeste kissed the top of her sister’s head and climbed up the ladder to the top. She then laid her head on her pillow and closed her eyes.
She then felt the bed move.
“I’m sorry, sis, but...do you mind? I’m trying to go to sleep…” Celeste said when the shaking didn’t seize.
“Sorry, Tia…I...I’m just not comfortable enough...” Dreamer said as she tossed and turned.
Celeste sighed and climbed down the ladder and stood next to her sister’s bed. Dreamer’s eyes had a watery glaze over them, as if she was about to cry.
Celeste smiled comfortingly and walked over silently to their bookcase. She then browsed the contents and picked one out. She trotted back over and sat down on the floor; gesturing to Dreamer to join her.
Dreamer climbed out of bed and cuddled up to her sister.
Celeste then opened up the book and began to read aloud. She read for about an hour; until Dreamer finally fell asleep.
Celeste yawned wide, and used her magic to gently lift up the sleeping, midnight blue filly from the floor. She then got up silently; leaving the book lying on the floor, and climbed up her ladder as carefully and quietly as she could. As she snuggled into her covers, Celeste peeked over the side of the bed to see Luna sleeping peacefully.
Goodnight, Starry…
Author's Note
Well? How do you like my changes?
2: The Butterfly Migration:
Celeste awoke the next morning to the sound of happily chirping birds singing in the open morning air. She smiled; her eyes still closed so she could savor the beautiful moment before having to get up. She then suddenly felt a presence next to her. She cracked open an eye to see Dreamer staring at her. Celeste jumped up and looked around her: she was outside. She looked at Dreamer.
“Why am I outside, Starry?” She asked casually. Dreamer smiled that goofy grin of hers and answered.
“Because.”
“Because?”
“Yep!”
So specific… Celeste then heard another sound nearby. She turned to look and saw her mother tending to her petunia bed.
“Mother—” She began to complain, only to get interrupted by her little sister.
“We’re outside because the butterfly migration is about to start soon!!” She interrupted happily.
Celeste blinked, realizing that her energetic sister was correct.
“And you were sleeping for forever, so I asked mommy to help bring you outside with her magic so not to wake you.” Dreamer said.
Celeste jumped up and said, “Well, that was thoughtful, Starry…I think…anyway, why didn’t you say the butterfly migration was today, I would’ve definitely gotten up to something as important as that!” Celeste said as she jumped out of the chair she had been sleeping in.
Together, the two sisters worked on preparing for the amazing show they were about to witness. They helped their mother spread out a lovely picnic with plenty of food for the family of four.
“And not a moment too soon!” Their mother said as they finished setting up, spotting the first of many brightly colored butterflies fluttering over Dreamer’s head. The family settled down on the soft blanket as many more butterflies began to appear over their backyard fence.
“Oh, look at that one! And that one!” Dreamer exclaimed, bouncing all over the yard energetically a few minutes later.
Celeste chuckled and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as a butterfly fluttered up and landed gently on her muzzle.
Dreamer came over at once and studied the delicate creature. “Oooo!” She breathed.
“Starry…” She whispered, trying not to move her muzzle too much. “Go and fetch a large jar from the kitchen. Take off the lid of the jar, get some rubber and poke small holes in the rubber, if you please…”
Dreamer didn’t say a word but turned and ran into the house and was gone for a few minutes, leaving her sister praying the butterfly wouldn’t fly away while she was gone. She came back with what Celeste had asked for, but she knew what to do before Celeste told her.
She slowly put the jar up next to her sister’s muzzle and blew the butterfly in gently, being careful to not damage its wings. Dreamer then quickly stretched the rubber over the top before it could escape.
The delicate creature fluttered around in a panic for a second before relaxing and landing on the bottom of the jar.
The two sisters looked at it in awe.
“The wing design is absolutely beautiful…” Celeste breathed.
Dreamer agreed as they continued to stare.
This butterfly was different than the rest of the migrating ones: Its wings had two different designs on them: one had a bright yellow circle on the top corner of the left wing, the rest of the wing colored with what looked like the very color of the sky. The right wing however, had a bright white circle in the bottom right corner of this wing, the color surrounding it a dark royal blue with specks of white spots.
Celeste wanted to keep it and study its intriguing design, but she knew that this butterfly would feel lonely without the rest of his family, so she took pity on the winged creature and decided it would be best to let it go before the migration ended.
When she told her decision to Dreamer, she nodded her head, her dark eyes sparkling with sadness.
Celeste slowly reached for the jar and took it from Dreamer’s hooves. She took of the rubber and the two watched as the butterfly flew up and rejoined the group.
The butterfly migration lasted for about another hour before finally trickling down to the last stragglers. After the migration finally ended, Celeste laid back on the blanket they had been sitting on and looked up into the blue sky. She let her eyes wander the fluffy clouds that blew over in them in the gentle summer breeze. She looked over at her sister and noticed Dreamer’s eyes were closed. Celeste sighed, realizing that Dreamer had fallen asleep and closed her own eyes; savoring the warm feeling of the sun on her stomach and the slight breeze that ruffled her coat.
Celeste suddenly heard her mother sigh and the sound of dishes being carefully put into the picnic basket. She quickly opened her eyes and jumped off the blanket. “I’ll help you!”
Her mother thanked her as she piled the rest of the dishes and extra food into the wicker basket and carried it inside. She bounced happily into the kitchen and hummed a random tune as she began to wash the dishes by hoof. “Wash, rinse, dry, repeat!” She said to herself. It had been something her mother taught her when she thought she was old enough to do the dishes by herself. Of course, Celeste already knew how to do the dishes without the saying, but saying it became an old habit of hers.
She was already drying the last dish by the time her mother came in with sleeping fillies, Twilight Sky and Dreamer, lying across her back, the blanket that had been laid across the grass was being carried in her mother’s mouth.
She put it down before she spoke. “Already done with the dishes?” She raised an eyebrow at her oldest daughter.
Celeste nodded, beaming from ear to ear at her mother.
“Well, great job, hun!” She said, forcing a smile.
Celeste looked at her mother worriedly and rushed over to her to kiss her forehead gently. “Are you alright, mom? You look tired…” Celeste whispered.
Her mother looked up at her grown daughter. Her eyes started to well up. “Oh, I’m quite alright dear.” Her mother lied as she looked down at the ground, trying to hide the tears that were now falling onto the worn floor boards.
“Oh my! Please, tell me what’s wrong, mom.” Celeste pleaded as her mother wiped her eyes.
“…alright…we just have to put your sisters to bed first. It seems these two have had quite a day so far.” Celeste’s mother said as she walked into the living room.
Celeste quickly picked up her sisters in her golden magic and laid them on the couch, both fillies smiling as they snuggled closer together in their sleep.
The two mares walked back into the kitchen, Celeste telling her mother to relax while she put everything away.
Her mother was grateful for the extra help and smiled as she sat down in one of the kitchen’s creaky wooden chairs.
“Alright…now tell me…what’s wrong?” Celeste asked, sitting down across from her mother as she finished putting things away.
Her mother looked down into her lap and sighed. “Well……I’m just so grateful to have such a wonderful family…” She began. “I’m always praying to the Queen and King for having such wonderful children…”
Celeste smiled sweetly. “Well, then what’s troubling you?” She asked as she laid a hoof on her mother’s knee.
Her mother sighed again as she continued. “Well…I…just wish you and your sisters could…live a better life than this one…in this rickety old house with barely any money to feed us…”
Celeste’s smile began to fade.
“And…I just wish that your father was here to see his beautiful daughters…and I wish he could be with us here…”
Celeste jumped out of her chair defiantly, startling her mother. “We have a perfect life here!” She said quite loudly. “We couldn’t ask for another life! We love being here with you!”
Her mother looked surprised then smiled as she jumped up too and hugged Celeste. They savored the embrace for a few minutes, until Celeste caught the faint sound of Luna yawning and the rustle of the couch as she got up and began to walk sleepily towards the kitchen.
“Hey, Tia?” Luna called as she appeared in the doorway.
Celeste stopped hugging her mother and replied, “Yes, Starry?”
“Did something happen? Was somepony yelling in here?” She asked as she rubbed her eyes.
Celeste shook her head. “No, no. It’s alright Dreamer. Nothing happened.” She smiled as Dreamer nodded. “Now, will you be a dear and put Twilight into her crib in mom’s room? I think mom might need to rest a while.” Celeste asked.
Dreamer nodded again and turned around back into the living room, obviously not hearing the last part about her mother.
When Celeste heard Dreamer pick Twilight up, lay Twilight on her back, and walk to her mother’s room, she turned back to her mother. “Hey, I think you may need to rest for a little while…come along.” Celeste said to her mother quietly.
The mare nodded warily and followed Celeste to her room. Dreamer didn’t take notice of them as she put Twilight into the crib and walked back out to the living room, where she fell asleep on the couch again.
As their mother climbed into her bed and pulled on the covers, Celeste nuzzled her face before backing out of the room and closing the door.
