The stars shimmered like small diamonds in the night sky as a mare walked through the park. Not many ponies were out at this time of night; most were in bed, slumbering peacefully.
She stopped and glanced around, then continued on a trail that led her to the edge of a pond. She let out a soft sigh, staring down into the crystal-clear waters. The reflection she saw in the pond made her frown, and she lowered her face to study it.
It showed the - somewhat chubby, in her opinion - face of a dusky blue pegasus mare, with her cornflower and light blue mane in a ponytail. She pushed her bangs out of her pale yellow eyes, and sighed.
Cutie Crescent had been looking at this face—her face—for her entire life. She didn’t like it much, but it wasn’t like she could change it.
She pulled her head away from the surface of the lake, and shook her head. She stepped forwards and slowly waded into the pond, grimacing a bit as the cold water soaked into her fur.
This was always the worst part: getting into the water. She knew that she would get used to it soon enough, but the chill wasn’t pleasant. It was an underlying feeling that seeped into her fur, and made her shiver.
She dove into the water, and pushed herself out to the middle of the lake, undoing her ponytail. She then lay on her back with her wings extended, and gazed up at the stars. She did this a lot, especially in the summer.
Coming out to the lake in the darkness of night and stargazing was one of her favorite hobbies, and she usually found herself lost in thought for an hour or so, drifting and dreaming.
It was a welcome escape from the stresses of her day-to-day life. She had been coming out to the pond and stargazing for a while, ever since she was young.
Cutie couldn’t really remember exactly when she started, but it was sometime when she was a filly. She supposed she had simply snuck out one night, when she had been feeling particularly rebellious, and had gone where the wind had taken her.
At first, when she had these late-night strolls, or flights, when she was in the mood, she had switched spots a lot. One night she would be up in the clouds, and the next she would be by the river.
But she had always been drawn to the water. It was calming, the stillness of it, and the tranquility. Not to mention swimming, which had strengthened her quite a bit.
She sighed softly, and stared up at the stars. She could map out a lot of the different constellations, such as Orion, and Ursa Major and Minor.
When she was younger, her father had taken her stargazing, and taught her the names of some of the constellations. She missed those days.
Cutie was drawn out of her thoughts by the chill that had settled into her fur, and she got out of the water. The summer air was cool against her damp pelt, and she shook herself off.
Her coat would dry soon enough, especially with the soft breeze in the air. She shook her head, and wrung out her mane and tail. She stretched her wings, fluffing up her fur and shaking the water off of them.
Cutie flapped her wings, taking to the air. A smile stretched across her face as she slowly flew through the sky, soaring higher and higher with every wingbeat.
She let her mind wander as she flew. She wasn’t in danger of crashing, because there wasn’t anypony out at this time of night, and the weather was being kind to her tonight.
Cutie Crescent had a certain fondness for the night. Not that she didn’t love the day, she just preferred the night.
It was peaceful, and held a certain majesty that the day didn’t. The night let her recharge her batteries. Social interaction tired her out, and she usually needed time to rest after a long day.
She looked around, realizing she had been lost in thought. She hadn’t gone far, due to the slow speed she was flying at. She was on the outskirts of the town, close to the flower shop.
Looking out at Ponyville, she let a small smile cross her face. The little town was quiet and peaceful, compared to the bustle during the day. It was a picturesque scene, the small hamlet dark and still, tinted blue and silver from the moonlight.
She looked up at the moon, making sure that she hadn’t lost track of time. She still needed to sleep. And even if it was just a couple of hours, it was better than no sleep at all.
Looking up at the vast expanse of the starry night sky, she felt rather…. small. She was just one part of the puzzle piece that was Equestria, and the universe as a whole.
Cutie came down to rest on a cloud, and shifted so she was looking up at the sky. She wondered what was out there, if there was life amongst the stars. There had to be, though. It would be a little surprising if there wasn’t. Space was enormous, and there was a high chance that there was life out there.
But there was another question that she had. How did the stars come into existence? How did Princess Luna make them? Stars were still largely unknown to ponies, as they didn’t have the technology to understand them. But they had always fascinated her, and she wanted to know more about them.
It was at times like this that she was glad she was a pegasus. If she were a unicorn or an earth pony, she wouldn’t be able to do the things she did, such as her late night flights. She wouldn’t be able to walk on clouds, and see the stars from this vantage point. They were much clearer when she was high up, and when there wasn’t any light pollution from the town.
Along with these advantages came the ability to fly. She couldn’t imagine her life if she wasn’t able to fly. She was one of those pegasi that needed to fly, to get outside and stretch her wings, even if it was for just ten minutes a day.
She had known pegasi that had lost the ability to fly. She hoped that she wouldn’t ever end up like them, and just thinking about being like that gave her the chills. She needed to fly, she would go crazy if she couldn’t.
She stretched her wings, making sure that they were still there, and dragged one of her primaries through her teeth, making sure they were smooth. She repeated this process for all of her feathers. Preening was a good way to calm down, and she usually did it before she slept.
Cutie let out a small yawn, rubbing her pale yellow eyes with a hoof. She was getting tired, but she didn’t want to go back home. Somehow, flying home wasn’t a very appealing idea to her at the moment. She would rather stay out, and sleep under the stars.
She yawned again, and rested her head on her forelegs. From this position, she had a great view of Ponyville, and the surrounding area. She let out a happy sigh, and closed her eyes. She would wake up tomorrow and regret it, but in this moment, it was a perfect way to end her day.