The thunder crashed in the sky, lightning flashed outside the window, and the skies were shrouded with dark clouds containing gallons of water vapour - if water vapour had any weight. The winter chill hung in the air, and the small breeze that blew in from the open window brushed against a little filly's cheeks, causing her to hide under her warm comfy blanket - the one that her mother had sewed for her, using her magic.
But even the warmth of the blanket didn't give her the feeling of true warmth. True warmth..came from somewhere inside, somewhere mysterious that Twilight knew nopony had ever ventured before, someplace like heaven - which her mother had taught her about the day before. Grandpa was in heaven, Mummy said. Mummy also said one day we'll all go to heaven, even if some reach it first. She also said it was beautiful beyond reckoning, and it was a place of joy and peace.
Twilight cuddled under her blanket, and squeezed her eyes tight. Today was the last day she would be sleeping here. The last day she would be seeing the room, feeling the blanket and soft fluffy pillow under her pressured head, and hearing the lightning crash, the rain platter upon the rooftop, and the melancholy cheers of the leaves as they swayed through the wind.
Yet Twilight was still shivering. Her mind froze, when she thought of tomorrow. What was tommorrow, she asked herself. It was the day she was to be sent to The School for Gifted Unicorns. She wanted to learn magic, just as her brother had done.
But that meant giving up her family - and her brother.
She shivered, and tried her hardest to fall asleep, but to no avail. She was about to give up, until - the door swung open, and the pony she wanted to see most appeared!
"Shining!" she cried out, sitting up at once, with a THUD! Her big brother smiled lovingly, as he seated himself on the tiny bed next to his little sister. He was the most amazing big brother you could wish for - the affectionate glint in his eye always there as he looked down upon you, his navy blue mane ruffled and wind-swept with the authority of guard duty. His light greyish-white coat gleamed and shined in the moonlight, silky coats running deep into Twilight's family genes. He grinned, and asked, his deep voice filling Twilight's voice like a harmonous melody. "What's wrong, Twilight?"
Twilight blurted out her words, which could hardly come out due to the stinging tears in her eyes. "I don't know, big brother!" She flung herself into his hooves, her pouring tears spilling all over his chest. "I....I feel so empty when you're not around." Shining Armour pulled her into a deep hug, trying his hardest to comfort the filly. She looked up to him with big watery purple eyes. "You're not leaving me, are you?"
Shining sighed, and said, "Look, squirt. What's the matter? Why are you still asleep at such a dark hour?" Twilight sighed, and muttered, "I'll miss this house. I'll miss Mummy and Daddy. I'll..." There followed a brief pause. "I'll miss you!" She hugged her brother tighter than ever, causing him to pull back, gasping for breath. "Twily?" Shining asked, scratching his head with a hoof.
Twilight looked up to her brother. Shining Armour took a cloth off a bookshelf, and wiped his sister's tears with them. The lavender unicorn filly watched in awe as she saw him lifting the tissue with his horn. Her brother had always been good with magic. Maybe some day, she told herself, he could be as good as StarSwirl the Bearded! But Shining always laughed at such fancies. He had desires of his own, though he told nopony what they were, though heavily hinted it had something to do with the grand Canterlot Palace. Maybe he dreamed to be Equestria's best flier. But that was impossible - considering he was a unicorn and not a pegasus. Or maybe the captain of the royal guards! She pictured the thought in her mind - her brother standing mightily on top of a castle, clad in shining silver bits of armour, and his mane windswept and flowing behind him. Well, he WAS a guard after all, and he always aimed for the highest.
"Don't worry about us, Twily," Shining spoke, as he tucked his little sister into her bed again. "It's going to be a long year..." He looked out of the window, drawing the curtains out of his way, with his horn. He stared out to the night sky, where millions of glittering stars decorated the blanket of midnight blue. "Twily! Look!" he cried out, pointing a hoof at the sky. Twilight came at once, and gasped, her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened. Why, there in the sky, thousands of stars fell towards the earth! She remembered reading all about this in one of her books! "A meteor shower! Shining, it's a meteor shower!" she shrieked, excitement leaving its print on her face. Shining smiled, and replied, "So it is, Twily."
As comet-like stars fell towards the earth, Twilight beamed from ear to ear, muttering in awe and wonder, "It's...so beautiful..." Shining smiled, and nodded his head. "So it is, Twily...so it is." He placed one hoof around his sister, and the other hoof out of the window, pointing at the beautiful phenomenon outside.
Twilight gasped once more. "Shining! Look! There's so many colours in the sky," she cried out, clapping her hooves excitedly. Shining looked, and gasped too. "An aurora. Oh Celestia, it's amazing." Twilight rushed outside the bedroom to tell her parents, but Shining caught her, placing a steady hoof on her shoulder. "Don't tell Mother or Father. They'll just make us go to bed again." He drew his little sister towards him, back to the window. "Let's keep this moment for you and I."
As the two on-lookers oohed and aahed, watching the beautiful performance the sky, stars and meteors were putting on just for the two of them, Twilight felt the "warmth" flow back into her "un-known place", where she was sure love and joy dwelt. Soon, the aurora and meteor shower stopped, and Twilight crawled back into bed, speechless. She had surely experienced something more wonderful than magic that night - and what's more, she experienced it with Shining Armour, her brother. But she felt depressed and gloomy once more, love's effect wearing off, as Shining left the room and switched off the lamp.
"Shining! Don't go!" she cried out, her voice stung with the bitterness of inner pain, fear, anxiety, loneliness, depression and all expressions horrible. Like StarSwirl had written in one of his famous books, bad emotions were like horrible monsters creeping in your mind as night comes, and crawling out when the sun (which was a symble of light and hope) came out, leaving you at peace once more. Twilight had never fully understood this, but she felt sure she was experiencing the very same thing. "I can't sleep."
Shining seemed to be deep in thought. He didn't seem to listen, as he left the room - leaving his sister to the point of tears. But he soon returned, with a fluffy object somewhat like a plushie levitating in front of him. Of course, he was lifting it with his horn, and he muttered, "Twily? I was gonna give you her tommorrow, but it seems you need her now." He dropped the object into her arms, careful not to let it fall. "I made it myself. I..hope you like it. Her name's SmartyPants, named after you - my little SmartyPants."
Twilight grasped onto the pony plushie, and squealed, "Oh, she's perfect!" She hugged her brother, and then her new plushie. "Thank you, Shining. Even though we won't see each other for a few..years, but you'll always be my B.B.B.F.F!"
"B.B.B.F.F?" Shining Armour asked, in confusion.
"Big Brother Best Friend Forever."
