Little Gem and Big Brother Bardigan
Like liquid gold melting across the sky, the sun slowly crept into view, gobbling up every last ounce of shadow that its rays could reach. It spilled over hills and splashed across the valleys of Equestria, illuminating the world with a blinding light that never failed to draw Diamond Dancer's awe.
As much as the little silver filly loved the night, she had to admit: Celestia's skill in raising the sun was unequivocally beautiful. If only but for a moment, she paused her commute home to take in the clear blue sky and the reaching beams of the sun that wrapped around her like a hug.
There was something to be said for the day. For the sun and the warmth and all the happiness it brought to ponies all over. There was something about the sunshine that just seemed to draw out smiles from ponies. Diamond imagined that the moonlight did the same thing, but it was probably too hard to see the smiles, on the count that the sun was brighter than the moon. That and most ponies were asleep when the moon was up.
Diamond Dancer, however, was not most ponies. The little errand girl huffed a sigh and continued her trek, kicking up air underneath her wings to boost herself higher into the sky. Working for the princess of the evening meant her shift ended when the sunlight lifted the blanket of darkness Luna threw across the world, and that's where Diamond Dancer found herself now: skipping from cloud to cloud through the air on her trek to her home in White Tail Woods.
She bounced from one cloud to the next, occasional flapping her wings to garner herself more height when needed, randomly drifting a hind leg down to let it brush over the fluffy material as if she were playing hopscotch across the sky.
Diamond Dancer, of course, enjoyed procrastinating as much as any ten-year-old might, but the girl had a warm bed at home, and even if she still couldn't see her house, she could hear it calling her name. With the siren song of sleep ringing in her ears, the girl dipped low under the cloud cover and drew her wings out for a well-practiced glide, catching what thermals where she could find them and drifting lazily along with the wind. She didn't need to expend any more energy than necessary to get home when a cozy breeze offered to take you as far as you wanted to go.
It was then, in the midst of the comfy clouds and the warm summer breeze that Diamond caught sight of a chestnut brown stallion pegasus some several, several feet away from her on the ground. He was sitting, propped up against a tree, golden mane tussled into baby blue eyes, and his trademark tri-corner hat resting slightly crooked across his brow. She knew that stallion, and without thinking about it, Diamond Dancer immediately drew in a deep breath, and folded her wings into her sides, plummeting from cloud skipping to the earth below.
The stallion's relative peace was wrenched away from him by a silver burst of light, hurling into the dew kissed grass some feet away from him. He didn't flinch. He didn't move. He didn't speak. He simply watched Diamond Dancer pull herself up from the forest floor and shake herself off, oblivious to the death-defying crash she'd just incurred. Smiling happily, the girl trotted up to him like a puppy greeting its master. In turn, the stallion smiled and reached a hoof up to tip his hat towards the girl.
"Good morning, Diamond Dancer," the stallion said quaintly observing the girl's smile grow wider and wider and even wider still until finally she couldn't hold it back any longer and she leapt into the air with a spirited squeal.
"BARDIGAN!!" she cried, rushing to the stallion's side, where she buried her face into the firm expanse of his chest. The other pegasus was much much larger than the little girl, a full grown stallion, he was easily able to reach a wing around her side and curl her into him. "Bardigan! Hi Bardigan!!" she called, her voice echoing through numerous trees and well into the countryside, carried by her youthful energy and boisterous excitement. He couldn't help but smile in turn. Every time she saw him, she acted like it was the first time she'd seen him in years and the explosive outburst of joy she radiated was always a pleasant jolt to his self-esteem.
"Hello, Little Gem. How was your day?" he asked, noting the distinct juxtaposition between him and the girl curled into his side like a teddy bear. She looked up at him, beaming so widely, Bardigan was sure she'd was going to strain something.
"I got to help Princess Luna this evening!! I got to deliver a letter to Bat Ponies, find some Daturas, and got to watch Luna raise the moon! She said I was very helpful tonight!" Diamond exclaimed. The older stallion tilted his head back and gave a solid laugh, clutching the tiny filly tightly against his side, so his rumbling chest shook her entire frame.
"I bet she says that to you every night," he chuckled softly. Diamond squirmed in his grasp, peering up at him with a mock pout etched across her features, and she crossed her forelegs as best she could, given the space she had.
"That's cause I AM helpful every night! That's why I'm the Night's Errant! Hee! How was your day, big brother?! Did you finish working on a show? Say, what are you doin' out here anyway? It's kinda late ain't it?" Diamond asked quietly. Bardigan slowly lifted a hoof and directed it towards the sun that slowly climbed into the clear blue sky.
"I needed inspiration for my next musical. I thought I might find some out here. I'm just watching the sunrise," he mused softly. Diamond turned her gaze to follow his pointing hoof, then looked back up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
"Oh, um, can I watch with you? I promise I won't disturb you, or nothing!" Diamond squeaked. Barigan's grin widened a little and gently, the elder stallion nodded his head, squeezing his little sister closer into his side. They stayed that way for several minutes under the brisk touch of warm golden light.
"Little Gem, do you remember when we first met? Bardigan asked. From his side. Diamond gave an angry snort and tossed a tiny hoof into the air.
"Of COURSE I remember when we first met! I was lookin' for Luna. I just got into town, and, it was raining, and dark, and cold. And you? You were...you were in Sugar Cube Corner," Diamond explained. Bardigan gave a warm nod and drew in a deep breath as the memories flooded back to him.
"Yes. Hahaha, as I recall, I was on a date. Some new mare in town..."
"You were on a date? Really? I didn't know that part. Gosh, I'm sorry, I must have ruined it!"
"Nonsense. I don't even remember her name, but it was still one of the most wonderful dates ever; I got to meet you."
"Awwwwww shucks, Bardy!" Diamond squealed, while Barigan grinned, watching his sister's silver cheeks turn dark pink.
"It was the absolute best day ever! I was flyin' around looking for the Castle of the Two Sisters. See, I thought it was in Ponyville. Nopony told me they relocated to Canterlot! It was rainin' and I accidentally ran into a thundercloud," Diamond muttered quietly.
"Yes. It sent you right to the ground. Luckily no worse for wear. And then do you remember what happened next?"
"Of course! I was starting to feel sick. I guess getting electrocuted by wayward lightning does that to a filly. So I went into the closest place I could find for storm cover: Sugar Cube corner, "
"And THAT was the first time I had ever see a filly walking around after being struck by lightning," Bardigan chuckled. Diamond rolled her eyes.
"And then you wouldn't leave me alone!"
"Can you blame me?"
"Well, yeah!"
Bardigan laughed, snuggling his sister closely, curling both his wings around her slender little frame in a protective hug.
"Well, your fur was still smoldering, you were soaked to the bone, and you didn't have a bit to your name. I was a little worried,"
"A little worried? You asked me, like, a thousand times where my parents were!"
"Imagine my surprise when you told me you didn't have any."
"AND that I managed to get here all by myself, all the way from Manehatten! I'm the Miracle Mare after all! I'm a rough and tough warrior of the night! I just needed someplace out of the rain for a little bit, but, then, Missus Cake said they were going to close early, due to the storm,"
"And then...?"
"Then, uh...oh, oh, oh, oh! Theeen, you asked me where I was gonna go! I said I saw this bridge near main street that looked like it would keep me out of the rain, so that's where I decided I'd sleep!" the filly announced. She peered up at the elder pegasus with a wide smile. Bardigan nodded his head, fondly recalling the way the silver filly quietly trudged away.
"I watched you, Diamond, wandering out into the plaza and I thought to myself, "That's no place for a filly to spend the night!" And so, bravely, I faced the torrential downpour and splashed through the nastiest puddles, searching boldly for the most valuable gem I'd ever laid eyes on, and I found her, cold and shivering, huddled under a bridge! A bridge of all places! BAH! No place for a soon-to-be member of Luna's Royal Court! I decided right then and there, you'd always have a room in my home. Turns out, that was the best decision I'd ever made because shortly after that, I had a new little sister to inspire more shows than I could have ever hoped to imagine! What in the wide realm of Equestria would I do without you, Little Gem?" Bardigan chuckled quietly, peering into the clear blue sky overhead. When Diamond didn't respond, he glanced down and found her tucked cozily up under his wing, breathing in slow, labored breaths. She'd fallen asleep, snuggled safely into his side.
Slowly, he nodded his head and plucked the tiny girl from her spot to secure her on his back. "Not a bad idea, Little Gem; even 'rough and tough warriors of the night' need a little shut-eye." he cooed, unfurling his wings and leaping into the air. He flapped once, twice, and soon found himself soaring towards the little cottage on the edge of the forest the two of them called home.
Author's Note
Something short and Sweet I scribbled in my spare time
