Star Overhead

by Closer-To-The-Sun

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Smolder, Sandbar, Slice of Life
Length: 11416

As Smolder and Sandbar start spending more time together, the pony polishes up his artistic abilities while the dragon is captivated by his talent, as well as him.

“We are living in a scene,/That you can't capture by photograph,/We are living in the moment.” -The Pillows, ‘Star Overhead’

A comet is passing over Equestria and every creature is captivated by the beauty. Along with the rest of her class, Smolder has to write an about the celestial object. However, the dragon seems far more interested in a talent that her earth pony friend has, as well as the pony themselves.

Cover art commissioned from Amy New.

Published 2020-08-15 18:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-08-31 20:52:06 UTC

Chapter 1: The Unguarded Moment

Smolder sat at her desk, bored. She really didn’t care about what was going on in her science class, or at least she thought it was science class. Her gaze wandered around from looking at the windows to anything of interest in the classroom. No matter where the dragon looked, nothing really captured her attention. Her gaze swept over her friends and professor.

“Now, as I’m sure you all already know, we are lucky enough to have a comet in our skies this month,” Professor Fluttershy spoke up at the front of the classroom. “As it moves across our sky, you’ll be able to see it each evening, and will be able to track it as it passes by overhead. Of course, in early history, it was believed that comets were considered bad omens. But now, we know them to be astronomical events that….”

Again, Smolder was only paying half attention to her professor. She should be paying attention and taking notes, but she really didn’t have the energy or interest. For that matter, she didn’t really care all that much about comets all that much. Smolder turned to spy on her friends in the class. Gallus and Silverstream both seemed to be doing their absolute best to pay attention, but were struggling to keep up with their notes. Ocellus and Yona both were hanging on every word from Professor Fluttershy, possibly taking the best notes possible. As for Sandbar, Smolder noticed he wasn’t focused on the lesson. Instead, his head was down in a notebook and he seemed to be scribbling something in it, but it certainly wasn’t the notes. Smolder tried to move her head around to try and to get a better view of what he was doing so intently.

The loud ringing of the bell interrupted every creature in the classroom. Professor Fluttershy spoke up over the loud scooting of the chairs and chatter of the students, reminding them of their homework. Smolder packed her items together before turning back to look at Sandbar, who was still seated, moving his hoof faster in the notebook in what looked like an effort to hurriedly finish something.

The dragon made her way over to her friend, “Yo Sandbar, the bell rang. Let’s get some food.”

“I know, I know, I just want to finish this while I’m still in the zone,” the pony answered without looking up.

Smolder looked over him to see what he was doing. Through the blurs of his hoof movements, she was able to see that he was drawing the front of the classroom, complete with Professor Fluttershy teaching. In fact, the dragon was a bit taken back of how realistic and well-drawn it was. It looked as if Sandbar had just begun to start shading in different parts of the picture.

“Whoa, you drew that?” Smolder commented with surprise.

Sandbar finally stopped drawing and looked up to Smolder. He had a warm smile on his face, “Yeah, I saw we had twenty minutes before the bell was going to ring and I thought, ‘why not see how much I can get done in that amount of time,’” he looked back down at the sketch, “I feel it’s still a bit rough though. I thought I could at least get to the texture to show the lighting.”

“It’s so great! I didn’t know you could draw,” Smolder commented.

“Any creature can draw,” the earth pony stood up from his seat and stretched a bit before he began packing his items up, “I’ve been drawing since I can remember. And since the School of Friendship finally has an art class, I can finally indulge again.”

A sly smile appeared on Smolder’s face, “And here I thought it was your way to cope with the break-up.”

Sandbar couldn’t help but laugh, “Oh, come on, every creature knows the break-up was mutual. Yona and I are still good friends. We both thought it best to focus on our studies, especially since she’s trying to beat Ocellus for valedictorian.”

“How’s that going by the way?” Smolder asked as she picked up Sandbar’s notebook.

“Last I heard, Ocellus is ahead, but not by much. Yona told me she’s not giving up without a fight,” the pony answered, “she’s always like that.”

Smolder started flipping through the notebook. Each page featured a sketch from Sandbar, with a number of different subjects. Individual animals, close-ups of flowers, school buildings, the Ponyville skyline, furniture, and a number of different objects. With each drawing, Sandbar dated, detailed about the subject, and signed each one. The dragon was stunned with each turn of the pages.

“Hey, be careful with that,” Sandbar said as he reached to take it back.

Quickly, Smolder moved the notebook out of his reach and started to make her way to the hallway, “I’m still looking! I’ll give it back when I’m done.” She continued to flip the pages as they moved through the hallways.

Sandbar followed behind. Her answer might not have thrilled him, the pony was happy to see positive feedback.

“You said you drew these for your art class?” Smolder asked.

“Most of them, yeah.”

“The same art class that Professor Pinkie Pie teaches? I thought that class would involve less sketchbooks and more macaroni with glue and glitter,” the dragon joked.

Sandbar returned with his own joke, “No, that’s the advanced art class I’m supposed to take next year.”

The two shared a laugh. However, Smolder stopped her laughter as she turned to one page, almost causing her to freeze. Sandbar took notice and looked over to the dragon.

“What’s wrong?” Sandbar looked at the page the notebook was opened to. It was a sketch of Gallus, Smolder, Silverstream, Yona, and Ocellus in what looked like a section of the library. It was a fairly rough sketch, but some detail was given to the subjects, such as shading. In the artwork, Gallus looked as if he was overdramatically reading his lines which was causing Smolder and Yona to laugh. Silverstream had a smile as she looked on and Ocellus was studying the script with intent. And like the rest of the sketches in the book, it was signed, dated, and given details about the subjects. “Oh, I think I remember drawing this. This was….when we were all studying our lines for the Hearth’s Warming Eve play, I think.”

“You were drawing us?!” Smolder was panicked.

Sandbar tilted his head in confusion, “Yeah, I already knew my lines and I thought it would be cool to draw my friends, ya know? Watching all of you together and rehearsing seemed like the perfect scene to try and draw. But I didn’t get too far, as you can tell.”

“But you didn’t tell us you were drawing us! I thought you were finishing homework!” the dragon was growing a bit defensive.

“What? No, this was just for practice, for fun really,” Sandbar insisted. “You know what they say, practice makes perfect and all that. Besides, how could I not draw my best friends?”

Smolder looked back at the drawing. While it was simply an unfinished sketch done with a pencil, there seemed to be so much emotion and feeling in the five subjects. Smolder’s eyes were drawn to the drawing of her. It was of her in mid-laugh while holding the play script. She might not have been able to recall what she might have been laughing about, but it still brought a smile to her face.

“You want the sketch?” Sandbar asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Huh?”

“I don’t need the sketch for class, and I already told ya it was just a practice for figure drawing.”

The orange dragon looked down at the sketch and then back to Sandbar. Before she could answer, Sandbar took his notebook from her claws and tore the page out of the spiral sketchbook. He then placed the loose page in Smolder’s claws. With a smile and a small laugh in his voice, he added, “There, now I have my sketchbook back.”

“Sandbar….thank you….” Smolder was able to mutter. Her words were genuine and grateful.

“Did you just thank me?” Sandbar asked, almost laughing.

“Of course, I did!” Smolder retorted with her normal sass. However, she lowered her voice back down as she looked back at the sketch, “I really like this, thank you.”

Sandbar smiled, “No worries! Now, let’s get some dinner. I’m sure the others are wondering where we’re at.”

“You go ahead, I’m gonna drop my bag off at my dorm first,” the dragon stated. Sandbar waved and trotted toward the mess hall as Smolder made her way toward the dorms.

Upon arriving at her room, she placed her bag at the foot of her bed. With the page from Sandbar’s sketchbook still in her claw, she took a small pin on the bulletin board in the dorm and placed the sketch above her bed. With it hanging over her bed, Smolder smiled as she looked at the unfinished work of art.

Chapter 2: Halls

As she entered the library, Smolder took extra care to make sure that the door didn’t slam loudly as it closed. After gently assisting with it closing, she went up to the front desk with her library books in her claws. She dropped them off and thanked the librarian. As Smolder turned to head out, a familiar pony sitting by himself caught her eye.

“Now this isn’t a place I wasn’t expecting to find you,” Smolder jested as he was within earshot of a library voice.

Looking up from his sketchbook, Sandbar replied, “I could say the exact same thing to you, Smolder. What brings you here?” He had a welcoming and pleasant smile at seeing his friend.

“Returning books I had to check out about our science assignment about comets,” Smolder pointed over her shoulder to the front desk, “It’s my own fault for not paying attention when Professor Fluttershy wasn’t talking about all that stuff.”

“Why didn’t you just ask Silverstream for the notes?” Sandbar asked as he resumed his sketching. He paused for a moment to look back at the dragon to see her an expression of disbelief. “You know what, scratch that.” Both of them softly chuckled to themselves.

Smolder’s gaze went down to Sandbar’s sketchbook, “So, what is our resident artist up to today?” She slid the sketchbook toward her to get a better look. On the page, there was the scene that was right in front of Sandbar: a pair of stools and the table with lamps and a couple of books in a small stack.

“Hey, don’t just take it like that!” the earth pony protested with a hushed volume.

“Huh, and here I thought you were gonna draw something interesting,” Smolder commented with a hint of disappointment.

Sandbar took his sketchbook back and set it back down on the table, “I’ve been trying to work on details for my next assignment. Professor Pinkie Pie wants the next assignment to be about close ups and details on a singular object. I’ve been having a bit of a struggle with choosing what to draw.”

Smolder took the seat next to him, “Well, what subjects did she say were allowed?”

“It’s Professor Pinkie. She said, and I quote, ‘anything and everything can be your subject’,” Sandbar’s words were tired, almost as if the Professor’s words had been extremely unhelpful.

“That narrows it down,” the dragon commented sarcastically.

The pony couldn’t help but smile at Smolder’s statement. He stretched his front limbs out as he looked back down at his sketchbook, “Yeah, I got nothing. But I do appreciate you coming by and interrupting me.”

“What?” Smolder suddenly became defensive and annoyed.

“No no, I don’t mean it like that! I just got a serious case art block right now,” Sandbar quickly insisted before he smiled, “and it’s nice to have a friend to stop by and say hi so I can take a little break.”

Smolder still felt a bit defensive about what she thought Sandbar meant, but his smile shined so brightly that it caused the dragon’s expression to drop and catch her off guard. Without realizing it, Smolder had a small smile on her own face. “You know what, you need a better break than this.”

Sandbar was puzzled, “Huh?”

The dragon stood up and forced Sandbar up to his hooves as well, “Classes are done for the day, so let’s head into Ponyville so you can relax and take a load off. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your inspiration out there!”

“I guess I could take a break. I do still have some time before this assignment is due.”

The two friends exited the library and made their way to Ponyville. The evening was just beginning as the sun began to set in the distance. This allowed for the comet to become more visible in the darkening sky above, showing off it’s wonder to the entire population of Equestria below. Their destination was the popular bar known as The Salt Lick. The bar was fairly busy, filled with patrons from all over Ponyville, chatting with their comrades about their day.

“Ahh! That’s what I’m talking about! A nice, cold cider!” Smolder said with a big smile as she set her mug back down on the bar counter.

“I never knew you were a fan of cider,” Sandbar commented as he pulled out his sketchbook from his saddlebag.

“Are you kidding?” Smolder turned to look at her pony friend, “Ever since Professor Applejack wouldn’t shut up about how her family makes the best cider ever, I had to give it a try and I’ve been hooked ever since.” The dragon spun around on her stool once before stopping herself at the same spot as where she started.

Sandbar chuckled, “Yeah, the Apple family have always been bragging about their cider. To be fair, they earned that right, it’s good stuff.” The pony flipped the sketchbook open to a blank page and took the pencil to the parchment.

The dragon noticed this happening, “You’re actually gonna draw here?”

“Yeah,” he replied as the pencil moved across the page, “gotta find that thing for me to draw and turn in, ya know?”

Smolder took another drink of her mug of cider, finishing it off, “Come on, take a break. Forget about your assignments and art for a moment. Take a load off.” Her mug clanged as it was set back down.

He didn’t reply, instead it seemed he was already hard at work for his newest drawing.

A slightly annoyed expression appeared on Smolder’s face. She then looked to see his mug of cider on the bar, untouched. “Well, if you aren’t gonna drink it, I’ll take it!” Smolder reached and picked up Sandbar’s cider and started to take a sip.

“Huh?” Sandbar looked up to see Smolder’s claw steal away his mug, “Hey, wait!”

She lowered the mug slightly, “Oh, so you are in there!” Smolder then raised it back up to continue drinking.

Sandbar gave an annoyed look paired with a grunt to his dragon friend. However, instead of saying anything, he slid Smolder’s empty mug to where his mug previously was. He then turned his attention back to his drawing.

Curious, Smolder leaned over her seat to get a closer look at what Sandbar was drawing. “Wait, you’re drawing the mug?” she was perplexed.

The pony nodded, “I told you, I need to find something to draw and focus upon the details.”

Upon a closer look, Smolder noticed that, while he had just started, Sandbar was already focusing on the up-and-close details of the mug.

“Whoa….you work fast….” Smolder was in awe.

“Practice,” Sandbar looked up and smirked.

“Ha, I can tell,” Smolder commented. She paused for a moment before asking a question, “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you start drawing? I remember you saying you’ve been drawing since forever, but skill like this must have come from some sort of drive.”

Sandbar lifted the pencil off the page and set it down. He then thought for a moment before answering, “I think it was when I really started reading comics on a daily basis. I remember my dad shared his old comics like Jock Kirby’s New Deities and Forever Ponies with me and then got me my first comic for Spider-Stallion. Ever since then, I wanted to draw just like that, and bring those characters and their adventures to life. I can’t tell you how many times I almost destroyed a comic when it came to tracing a character to the point of getting used to their bodies, the action poses, and all of those fights. Anyway, it’s a bit of a hobby more than anything, but it’s something I still enjoy,” the pony laughed slightly as he continued, “I mean, you’ve seen how many comics I keep in my dorm.”

“That’s really cool though! I wish I could draw half that good,” Smolder said.

“A little practice every so often works wonders. You should see how bad I was when I first started,” Sandbar laughed. “Any creature can draw.”

The two continued to talk and drink as the night continued on. They mostly talked about school, their friends, and whatever came to mind as Sandbar continued to draw, mostly whatever Smolder tried to get him to sketch. Eventually, the two paid their tab and began to head back to the school.

“Alright, let’s head home,” Smolder spoke as she stumbled out of the bar and into the night.

Sandbar was close behind, “You alright, Smolder?”

The dragon almost lost her balance as she simply turned to respond, “I’m fine, I’m totally fine….” Her words didn’t match her stance, as she fell right on her bottom on the ground.

Sandbar tried his best not to laugh as he raised a hoof up to his mouth. “Do you,” he paused to snicker for a moment before he offered a hoof, “do you need some help?”

Smolder took the hoof to help herself up, “Okay, maybe I’m a little tipsy.” She was using the pony’s offered hoof as a support to keep her on her legs.

“Come on, jump on my back, I’ll carry ya back to the campus,” Sandbar motioned to the dragon to hop on his back.

“Really? You’re okay with that?”

“Yeah, as long as you don’t pull too hard on my mane,” Sandbar joked. “Besides, It’s not like I’m gonna just leave you here to fend for yourself for you to stagger back.”

Smolder smiled, “Thanks, Sandbar.” Her words were a bit slurry as she tried her best to climb onto Sandbar’s back. It took work and a lot of conversation on both their parts for Smolder to be properly seated upon the pony’s back. She rested right on top of the bridge of the pony’s saddlebag.

“Now grab on to part of my mane and keep your balance, alright?” Sandbar instructed. He quickly regretted what he said, as there was a sudden tug at his head, “Easy! You’re holding on to keep your balance, not pulling weeds out of the garden!”

With Smolder easing her hold on Sandbar, the pony began to slowly trot with the dragon upon his back.

“Huh, so this is what it’s like to ride on a pony,” Smolder said, still trying her best to keep her equilibrium and not sway to one side or the other, “gotta say, I could get used to this.”

Sandbar didn’t seem to think the snarky comment was funny, “Don’t get used to it. I’d give just about anything for those wings of yours.”

“Hey, wings don’t exactly mean much if you’re too wasted to fly!” Smolder laughed loudly. Her body shifted its weight, causing Sandbar to sway a bit in his trotting.

“Careful back there!” Sandbar called out, but he was replied with only another laugh from Smolder.

Settling down a bit, Smolder turned her attention upwards to the night sky. It was a cloudless night, which made it perfect for viewing the comet that was passing by. “That comet is kinda cool, huh?” Smolder said with marvelment at the celestial object.

Sandbar turned to look up at the comet as well. He was only able to pay some attention to it, as he was carrying an intoxicated dragon on his back, but he still marveled at it. The object looked like a large star that was slowly racing across the sky, leaving a trail of stardust in its wake. “It’s absolutely brilliant,” he remarked.

“In one of those books I read for class, it was said that comets signified some big stuff that’s about to happen. Like a big battle or something,” Smolder recounted as she slurred her words a little, “Do you think some sort of big battle is gonna happen?”

“Other than your hangover in the morning, I don’t think so,” Sandbar snarked with a laugh.

“Hey, I didn’t drink that much!” the dragon protested.

“But just enough for me to have to carry you back to the dorms!”

Smolder stuck her tongue out, “I haven’t vomited yet, so I count this as a win!”

“Don’t you dare throw up!”

Both continued to playfully give each other verbal jabs as Sandbar trotted them both back. Finally, Sandbar had taken them both to the dormitories on the campus. With Smolder still on his back, he took her to the hallway that housed her dorm.

“Last stop, Silverstream and Smolder’s dormitory. This is the end of the line,” Sandbar mimicked the voice of a train conductor, “All passengers, please disembark here.”

“End of the line? I thought this was the express to the Dragonlands,” Smolder said with a smirk. Her entire body leaned forward onto Sandbar’s body, as if she was lounging on the pony.

“Sorry, that only runs on the weekends,” Sandbar joked as he offered a hoof for Smolder to use as a support to dismount.

The dragon sat up and placed one of her claws on his hoof, which allowed her to get both of her legs onto the floor. However, after having both of her legs on the floor and letting go of Sandbar’s hoof, she immediately lost her equilibrium. Smolder fell backwards towards the wall that was right behind her. Quickly, Sandbar moved to help support her.

“Whoa, Smolder! Are you okay?” he asked, helping her to keep standing.

With a dazed smile, Smolder nodded, “I’m fine, I’m fine. Just a little dizzy, is all.” With her back pressed up against the wall, the dragon slowly slid down until she was seated on the floor, the wall against her back.

“Do you need help getting up and into your dorm?” Sandbar asked, his tone and face both expressing concern.

Again, her face had a drunken smile to it, “I’m good. I’m just gonna sit here for a while.” She looked up at the pony and invited, “Sit with me, Sandbar!”

A few thoughts raced through Sandbar’s mind at Smolder’s words, but after a bit of confusion, he took his saddlebag off and sat down next to his friend. “Alright.”

Immediately after Sandbar sat next to her, Smolder leaned her body and her whole weight onto the pony. “Thanks, I needed you to support my body,” she said with a laugh.

Sandbar was a bit shaken up by the sudden weight that was thrusted upon him by the dragon. Her head rested upon his left shoulder blade while the rest of her body leaned up against his own. Her orange scales felt smooth and cool to the touch, which must be due to the fact it was a cool night that blanketed Ponyville. “What?” was all Sandbar could muster in his surprise.

Smolder’s eyes were closed as she spoke, “It was getting heavy.”

“This can’t be all that comfortable for you.”

A soft shrug came from Smolder, which Sandbar felt. “I don’t know, it’s actually pretty nice. And your body heat and coat is warming up. So, it’s a win-win.”

A snicker came from Sandbar as he shook his head, “You are so wasted.”

“And proud of it!”

Sandbar had a few things he wanted to say in response to Smolder’s boastful comment. But as he looked at the peaceful-looking dragon, a small smile appeared on his face. “Just a few more minutes, then you should go inside your dorm. Deal?”

“Deal,” Smolder agreed.

The pony reached for his saddlebag and carefully pulled out his sketchbook as not to disturb the resting dragon. Opening it up, he began to start on a new sketch. Next to him, Smolder began to drift off into a light sleep with a content smile on her face.

Chapter 3: How To Draw

Sandbar was seated on the floor of the common room. His books and homework were laid out in front of him on the coffee table. He scribbled down answers and such upon the papers as they came to him. The nearly empty room was still save for his movement, that is until a dragon entered.

“Hey, Sandbar! There you are!” Smolder called from the doorway. She entered in, carrying her bookbag.

“Oh, hey there, Smolder,” Sandbar looked up from his papers for a moment.

Smolder made her way to the couch that was positioned next to the coffee table that Sandbar was working at. “Been looking for you all day,” she said, setting her bag upon the cushions of the couch.

“Our schedules are a little weird on Thursdays, remember?”

“Thursday?” Smolder thought aloud, “Oooh, that’s why Counselor Trixie made less sense than normal in literature class today.”

Sandbar had a smirk on his face, “No, that’s normal of her.”

Both the pony and a dragon had a laugh.

“Anyway, what’s up? You were looking for me?”

“Yeah,” the dragon sat upon the couch, looking down at the pony, “I wanted to say sorry if I was a bit of a….problem last night at the bar.” The tone to her voice was both embarrassed and apologetic.

Sandbar brushed it off, “Don’t worry about it. Friends help friends, right?”

A weight was lifted off Smolder’s shoulders, but there was still something that bothered her, “Thanks, but there is something I have a question. I kinda don’t remember some parts of what happened.”

The pony set his pencil down on his papers and chuckled a little to himself. He turned to look at Smolder, seeing her humbled expression, “Alright, so what do you remember?”

“Well….I remember us leaving the bar and you carrying me back into the dorms,” Smolder explained, avoiding eye contact with Sandbar, “and the next thing I remember I woke up in my bed with Silverstream poking at my leg for some reason. It’s been bugging me all day what happened.”

“Are you sure it isn’t the hangover?” Sandbar joked.

“Yeah, I didn’t have a hangover, okay! I just don’t remember what happened!” Smolder quickly got defensive as she reached her claw out to push Sandbar lightly..

Sandbar laughed, “I’m just messing with ya. Well, after we got to your dorm door, you kept having some balance issues, so you sat down up against the wall. Then you asked me to sit down next to you, which I did and you put your whole body weight on me.”

Smolder immediately blushed at Sandbar’s words.

“It seems you were too comfortable to move and sort of just fell asleep right there,” Sandbar continued. “So I just decided to wait a bit. About fifteen minutes later, Silverstream came back to your dorm and she helped me get you into your bed.”

The dragon raised her claws up to her face in an effort to hide embarrassment. “Oh, by Dragon Lord Ember, this is so embarrassing….” she mumbled, “I am so sorry about that….”

Sandbar still had a smile on his face, “Hey, don’t worry, Smolder. I’m sure you would have done the same for me. Besides, it allowed me to work on a few more detailed drawings.” As he finished speaking, Sandbar reached into his saddlebag and pulled out his sketchbook. He then passed it to the dragon.

Taking the sketchbook, Smolder flipped through the pages to the newer drawings, “You drew when I was asleep on you?” she asked, her face still flushed with embarrassment, “What would you have drawn in there?”

“Just a doorknob and that light fixture outside your dorm,” Sandbar said as he picked up his pencil again, “They aren’t great, but you gotta try and draw just about everything to be good enough to draw just about anything.”

Arriving at the pages with the new pieces of art, Smolder took a look at what the pony had drawn. Both items looked like an eraser was taken to the page a few times to correct a number of mistakes, but the final result still showcased Sandbar’s artistic abilities for details.

“Sandbar, these are….really cool. I never knew I could be so impressed with the artwork of the lamp outside of my dorm.”

“You know, I almost can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not,” Sandbar smirked.

“I mean it!” Smolder raised her voice a bit, “You’re really good!”

“Why don’t you try drawing something?”

“What?”

“Yeah, any creature can draw. I’m sure there’s something you want to sketch out,” Sandbar motioned for Smolder to sit adjacent to him.

While Smolder wanted to say a few things to object, she slid off the couch and sat down on the floor, right in front of the coffee table with Sandbar to her left. “Alright, but I don’t know what to draw,” she said as she placed the sketchbook aside on the table. She then pulled out a piece of blank paper and a pencil from her bookbag.

“Come on, there’s gotta be something. What about a character you made?”

The orange dragon raised an eyebrow, “A character?”

Sandbar elaborated, “You know, back when you were little, didn’t you ever come up with your own character that you would make all sorts of cool adventures for?”

Smolder thought for a bit. As the memory of such came to her, she didn’t say a word as she began to draw upon her piece of paper. While the orange dragon didn’t see because she was so focused upon her art, Sandbar had a small smile as he watched. Several minutes passed as Sandbar resumed his homework and Smolder drew. Finally, Smolder placed her pencil down, seemingly satisfied in her art.

“Done?” Sandbar looked up.

“Yeah, here she is,” Smolder held the parchment out with her claw towards Sandbar.

Sandbar took the parchment and looked at what the dragon had drawn. The character on the paper was that of a dragon with what looked like cybernetic enhancements on various parts of her body. The art was not that good, not by a longshot. Rather, one would believe that a young pony would have drawn what was on the paper. However, despite the lack of skill in the artwork, Sandbar was happy with what he saw.

“They look pretty cool!” Sandbar said sincerely.

“Really? I mean, my art is really bad,” Smolder looked bashful as she received the compliment.

“Nonsense, they look great!” Sandbar warmly smiled to Smolder as he looked back at the drawing. “What’s their name? Tell me about your character.”

Smolder became a little bashful again as she started to speak, “Well, her name is Cinder. I kinda got the idea of her after I saw that Power Ponies movie that you had us all watch.”

Sandbar opened up his sketchbook to a blank page, “Oh, so you did like it?”

A bit of a sour look appeared on Smolder’s face as she admitted, “Yeah, it was really cool. But I was all like, why isn’t there a dragon there to help them out! So I made Cinder! She’s super cool, too!”

“I can tell,” Sandbar commented as his pencil was making contact with the sketchbook, “What can she do?”

“Well, she has all these cool robot parts, you see? And she’s super strong and stuff.” Smolder was becoming very excited and animated as she started to describe her character, “Then she has all these weapons like that blaster where her claw is supposed to be, and a missile launcher out of her back. There's a cool laser that she can fire out of her robot eye, and one of her wings is also robotic. Oh, Cinder can also hack into any computer with no problem too!”

Sandbar was smiling as he continued to drag the pencil across the page, “Really cool. How did she get those robot parts though?”

“Oh, well she was injured after she went lava surfing in the Dragonlands, but thanks to some help from a mysterious scientist, Cinder’s life was saved, and she turned into this super cool hero!”

“I see, I see,” the pony nodded, “Almost done.”

Smolder finally noticed that Sandbar was looking down at his sketchbook, “Hey, what are you drawing?”

“Just a sec….” he said as he quickly added a few more details. “Done!” Sandbar chimed as he lifted the sketchbook up and turned it for Smolder to see.

On the page, Sandbar had drawn Smolder’s original character. While it was a simple sketch, the very character of Cinder was already given so much more life in Sandbar’s art. The dragon looked fairly similar to Smolder, but with the cybernetic enhancements that were detailed in both Smolder’s artwork and words. She was in an action pose that looked as if she was flying backwards and firing the blaster on her right claw at some unseen threat. Cinder’s face gave the impression she was delivering a snarky one-liner to her target.

Smolder was dumbfounded as her eyes were fixated on the sketch of her character. She tried to say something, but was unable to find any words.

“Here, let me add a little shading to Cinder here,” Sandbar turned the sketchbook back back towards him and started to move his pencil across the paper. He continued, “Just a little shading can bring anything to life. And since she’s going to be the first dragon to team up with the Power Ponies, she’s got to look good.” There was a moment where the only sound was the scribbling in the sketchbook until Sandbar added, “Now it’s done.”

The dragon was still speechless as she saw the green pony turn the sketchbook back around. Her original character had more detail to her, making her look as if she was about to be added to one of the many comics that Sandbar read.

“And just like that, she’s ready to team up with the Power Ponies to take on the Mane-iac!” Sandbar beamed.

“Sandbar….” Smolder finally said something, though her words reflected her surprise, “it looks….it looks amazing….” She reached out and held the sketchbook. Smolder then looked back up to Sandbar, “I absolutely love it. But, you really didn’t have to draw her….”

“It’s no big deal. I just wanted you to see what your own character can look like. All it takes is a little practice and a little inspiration to keep you going, ya know?” Sandbar explained, “Every creature deserves a chance to shine, just the same as their creations.”

Again, words failed the dragon, “I don’t know what to say, Sandbar….thank you….”

Sandbar smiled as he began to pack up his homework into his saddlebag. “You’re welcome. It was a fun exercise. I’m not used to drawing robotics, so I might want to try again if you don’t mind.”

“No, Cinder looks perfect,” Smolder said as she continued to gaze at the sketchbook.

“I’m glad you like it. I do hope it inspires you to keep drawing and expanding on Cinder as a character. I can really see her becoming a really cool character,” Sandbar took his sketchbook back from Smolder and carefully started to tear the page from the rings. Once it was out, he passed it to the dragon. “Maybe she can team up with one of my characters, like Sigurros or Mitski.”

Smolder took the page in her claws. She looked at the page and then back to her friend, “Sandbar, you don’t have to keep drawing stuff for me.”

“I insist. It’s keeping my hooves drawing and it’s allowing me to practice more and more,” Sandbar stated as he placed his sketchbook in his saddlebag. “Besides, I know you got some talent in there, and I would like to try and help bring it out,” the pony’s second statement was just as brightly said as the smile on his face.

The dragon’s cheeks grew a pink tint to them as she saw his warm and gentle smile.

“By the way, have you eaten yet? I was about to go get dinner,” Sandbar asked as he stood up on his hooves and placed his saddlebag on his back.

“Oh, uh, no I haven’t,” Smolder was snapped back by Sandbar’s question, “I-I’ll meet you in the mess hall.”

Sandbar waved as he trotted out of the room, “Alright, see ya there.”

After the pony left, Smolder stood up with her bookbag and slowly made her way back to her dorm. She continued taking glances at the artwork that Sandbar had given her, still in shock at the pony’s artistic talent. Upon entering her room, she went straight to the bulletin board to retrieve two pins. Both pieces of artwork depicting Cinder, both drawn by Smolder and Sandbar, were pinned to the wall above her bed.

Chapter 4: A Portrait Of

Sandbar sat sideways on a stone bench in the school’s courtyard. In his lap was one of his numerous sketchbooks and on his face was a troubled and irritated expression. His line of eyesight went from his pages of his book to the subject that was right in front of him, next to the bench. A small frustrated and dissatisfied growl came from his mouth. He filled the pages back to look at other sketches he had drawn but he still was unsatisfied with his work.

“Yo, Sandbar!” a familiar voice called out to him.

Breaking him out of his funk, the pony looked up to see an orange dragon. “Oh, hey there, Smolder,” he smiled and waved as she was making her way over.

“What’cha up to? We missed ya during lunch,” Smolder asked as she got closer.

“I’ve been….busy,” the green pony said as he turned his attention back to his sketchbook. His expression became troubled again as he looked at the sketch pages.

“Always have your nose in that sketchbook, don’t ya?” Smolder couldn’t help but laugh. “What’cha drawing this time?”

Before he could answer, Smolder took Sandbar’s sketchbook. While he wanted to object, Sandbar had sort of gotten used to his friend swiping his artwork by this point.

Smolder was flipping through the pages. The subject Sandbar had been drawing was one of the numerous lamps that lined the courtyard’s pathways and the bushes of flowers that grew around them, both right next to it and behind it as well. Along with the lamp and the plants, the pathway helped show the perspective of the scene. Despite the very simple subject, the detail and perspective of the artwork surprised and impressed the dragon. “Whoa, these look cool!” she chimed as she looked at the three different sketches of the same scene.

“Hmm….glad you think so,” Sandbar said with detachment.

“What do you mean? These are great!”

The pony sighed as he held his hoof out for Smolder to return the sketchbook, “They aren’t bad, but they certainly aren’t what I’m hoping to capture. This assignment is for perspective, and while I’m doing a solid job, I’m just not happy with any of these.”

Smolder returned the book, “Why not?”

“I don’t know….it doesn’t feel like it’s….” Sandbar started to trail off. He looked at his subject again. The bushes rustled lightly along with the gentle breeze. “I don’t know….boring. Like, it doesn’t really capture my attention enough to really put in the effort to make it look good.”

“Are you kidding? The leaves of those bushes look awesome, Sandbar. And the way you put all those other things in there, it’s really cool!” Smolder insisted.

Sandbar shrugged, “They’re okay, but it’s not as good as it could be. Part of the reason I don’t like any of these is partly due to my art block.” He flipped to look back at his different lamp drawings.

“Art block?”

“Yeah, art block. It’s like….I’m not really sure how to describe it,” the pony stated. “When I have to draw for an assignment, it can just be….so annoying. I just reach deep down into me and try to find some sort of inspiration and it just becomes so frustrating because I can’t figure out what to do.”

Smolder seemed a bit surprised at Sandbar’s words, “Wow, it’s really like that every time you draw?”

“Not every time, no,” he answered, “but when it hits, it hits really hard and no matter how hard you focus….guh, it makes me just want to just give up at times. I mean, you know I actually turned in that detailed drawing of the doorknob?” A small chuckle escaped from his mouth.

“Pfffttt….really? What did Professor Pinkie Pie say?” Smolder covered her mouth with her claw as she laughed.

“She started to talk about how she wanted to frame it for a museum, no joke.”

Both the pony and the dragon laughed at the thought of Pinkie Pie doing just that.

“Either way, I just got to power through this assignment for perspective. I know how to draw, it’s more of a struggle to just find something that really, speaks to me, ya know?” Sandbar stated, looking back at the flowering bush.

“So that’s why you’re drawing that lamp and those flowers right there? ”

Without missing a beat, Sandbar answered with a joke, “Well, I would’ve liked to draw some of the animals wandering around the campus yards, but they never stay still long enough.”

“I got an idea!” Smolder leaned in toward the pony as she became a bit excited, “I can capture one of the rabbits and hold it up for you! I think I can grab one of them.”

Sandbar was a bit taken back by the offer, “Uh….please don’t. I rather not have to explain to any of the professors why you were chasing, and quite possibly failing, to capture a rabbit.” A small smile did appear on his face as he spoke.

“Hmm,” Smolder pondered, bringing her claw up to her chin to help with her thinking, “then what can we get for you to draw that will help you get out of this art block?”

The pony turned to look at his friend as she was thinking. “Actually, I got an idea….”

A few minutes later, Smolder was seated on the grass under one of the trees in the courtyard. Her back against the bark of the tree as she looked forward at the green earth pony. She felt a little odd as Sandbar sat just under two meters in front of her with his sketchbook in hoof. It looked as if he was already furiously sketching away.

“Do I really have to pose for you?” Smolder asked, her face had a slight pink tint.

“If you aren’t up for it, I understand,” Sandbar replied, briefly looking up at the scene in front of him for a moment before turning his attention back down at the page.

Smolder could already tell the pony was working his way out of the art block that only moments ago gripped him, “Well, if it will help you out, I don’t mind.”

The smile grew bigger on Sandbar’s face as Smolder agreed, “Thank you, Smolder.”

A few moments passed before the dragon asked another question. “Can I ask why though? It feels a little weird to be your subject.”

Sandbar stopped for a moment and rotated his drawing hoof and stretched it, “Well, I find drawing things that mean a lot to me helps me out through blocks. And I love all my friends, so this really seems like a no-brainer.”

The warm smile that was on Sandbar’s face beamed as he spoke about Smolder and their other friends. The dragon tried her best not to show that both Sandbar’s words and smile warmed her heart.

“Oh! I just got an idea,” Sandbar said as he set his sketchbook down on the grass and quickly trotted away. He came back with a purple flower from one of the numerous bushes around the courtyard. Trotting up to Smolder, he placed the flower in the small gap between her head and one of her ear fronds.

“Really? A flower?” Smolder objected at the thought, looking at the purple flower that was barely visible to her.

“Yeah, it helps add a little detail to the whole scene. Something you’re not expecting to see in the whole piece,” Sandbar stated as he went back to his sketchbook and continued sketching away. “Sometimes it’s the small details that help a bigger piece to shine brighter. It draws the viewer’s attention to different parts each time they look at it, and it helps make the piece of art more interesting.”

“Huh….I never thought of it that way,” Smolder commented.

“That, and you look cute with a flower on your head like that,” Sandbar smirked.

“Wh-What?!” Smolder’s face flushed red at the pony’s words and her entire body jolted upwards.

“Hold still, I’m still not done!” the pony called out as he continued to move the pencil across the page of the sketchbook.

Smolder continued to sit still, despite her face still burning from all her blushing. About fifteen minutes passed as Sandbar continued to sketch Smolder. The two chatted as the pony drew, even though Smolder was still trying to get Sandbar to answer what he meant with his earlier comment about her looking cute. She also tried to say something when she saw him flip to a new page, however Sandbar reminded Smolder to hold still.

“Alright, I think this is good,” Sandbar said with a satisfied smile.

“Thank goodness,” Smolder said as she pulled the flower from off the top of her head. She stood up and started to make her way to the pony. “Lemme see.”

Before Smolder arrived, he flipped the page back to the first sketch he did of Smolder. He stood up and rotated it towards the dragon, “There you are.”

On the page, Sandbar’s artistic talent was showcased yet again. The scene he drew was Smolder sitting beneath the tree, with the pathways coming together behind the dragon and the tree, almost pointing to her in the center of the page. The whole scene had details throughout, but at the center, Smolder sat underneath the branches of the tree with both a calm and content smile and the small flower resting on the ear frond on her head. Sandbar was right, the little details certainly made the piece of art more interesting.

“Sandbar, this looks amazing….all of it. Just….everywhere you look at this drawing, it’s so freaking cool!” the dragon said with amazement. “And how you drew me….I mean, I admit I was worried but this looks so awesome!”

Turning the sketchbook back towards himself, Sandbar flipped the page back, “Thanks. I’m really glad I was able to get out of that art block, and to say thanks, I drew something for ya.” Sandbar carefully tore the page out of the metal rings of the sketchbook and passed it into Smolder’s claws.

The sketch was a close-up of Smolder from her shoulders up to the tips of her spikes and fronds, including the flower that rested upon her head. The dragon’s face had a soft smile as she looked at the viewer. If one were to quickly glance at the page, they would think it was more of a photo then a portrait drawn with a pencil. The details that Sandbar added included the dragon’s scales, the shading to showcase the light source, and even the texture of the flower to differentiate itself as an accessory instead of a part of the dragon as a whole.

Smolder was unable to get any words out as she looked at her portrait.

“Consider it a payment for helping me with my assignment,” Sandbar smiled warmly.

“Sandbar….I don’t know what to say….” Smolder finally spoke, “I love it. Thank you.”

The pony was a bit bashful with the dragon’s praise, even if Smolder only said a few words, “I’m really glad. I figured it’s only fair since you were my reluctant model today. Besides, you were fun to draw.” Sandbar’s face beamed as he smiled.

Smolder’s face flushed a pink tint. Again, words failed the dragon.

“So, did you finally finish your comet assignment for Professor Fluttershy’s science class?” Sandbar changed the subject as he closed up his sketchbook.

This question snapped Smolder back, “Oh, yeah, I did. Though it was a bit trickier than I was expecting to finish that write up we had to do.”

“Well, that’s what you get for not paying attention in class,” Sandbar teased.

“Oh, like you’re one to talk! You’ve been drawing in her class almost non-stop!” Smolder retorted with a hint of attitude.

Sandbar laughed as he shrugged, “True, but I still keep an open ear for taking notes.”

“How’s your assignment coming along?”

“I finished my comet assignment the day after we got it, because some of us don’t like waiting until the last minute to finish our homework,” Sandbar started to trot back to the main build on the campus.

Smolder followed him and kept pace, “Hey, I didn’t wait until the last minute! Our comet viewing trip isn’t until Friday.”

The pony couldn’t help but continue to irate his friend, “A good rule of hoof is to not put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

“Are you calling me lazy?” Smolder raised an eyebrow as she looked at Sandbar.

“Just a little bit,” he smirked.

A smile appeared on Smolder’s face, as she laughed and playfully pushed Sandbar away with the claw that wasn’t holding her new piece of art, “You’re such a dork.”

Chapter 5: Sparkle

Friday evening had arrived and the entire student body were eagerly awaiting the comet viewing event that was scheduled for just outside the school grounds. The comet had been soaring slowly above the sky for the past two weeks, drawing each set of eyes upwards. Finally, the celestial object was at peak viewing with help of the pegasi ponies clearing the sky of clouds, only a sliver of the moon in the sky, and the position of the comet itself. The night was easily awaited by every creature at the school.

As the evening sky started to grow darker, an orange dragon made her way through the dorm hallways to a certain door. Arriving at the destination, she knocked on it with her claw. There was no answer. She knocked again.

“Sandbar? You in there?” she called out.

Her knocking pushed the door open with a loud creaking. A number of voices in her head told her to stop thinking of what she was thinking about doing. But why would she start listening to those voices of common sense now? Carefully, she pushed the door open and stepped into the dorm.

The dorm was dark inside, though some light from the pathway lamps shined into the room. With the help of that, and the light from the hallway, a dark figure was visible sitting at one of the desks. The dragon stretched her claw out to flip the switch, lighting up the room and revealing the green earth pony turning to see her enter.

“Smolder?” he asked.

“There you are!” Smolder said with relief, “What are you doing here? The comet viewing party is gonna start soon!”

Sandbar didn’t say anything. Instead, he looked back at his desk with a frustrated and disappointed look. On the surface of the desk, there were several pieces of paper and numerous different art supplies scattered all over.

The dragon ventured into the room. Her eyes examined the state of the boy’s dorm, such as how there a number of books spread all over the room, their beds were not made (though to be fair, Smolder never made her own), and it looked as if their trash bin was at least two weeks late in being taken out. “Geez, I knew you and Gallus would have a dirty dorm room, but I didn’t think it was this bad,” Smolder laughed as she drew closer to Sandbar. Something was kicked by Smolder’s foot. Looking down, she saw a number of crumpled up pieces of paper surrounding Sandbar at the desk. Smolder spoke again, this time with concern, “Sandbar, are you okay?”

He didn’t move. Instead, the pony sighed in a disheartened fashion and muttered, “Yeah, I’m fine….just having a crisis over here, pay it no mind.”

Smolder looked at Sandbar for a moment before looking at the crumbled pieces of paper by her feet. She reached down and picked one up with her claws before opening it. Inside, the paper featured a drawing of what appeared to be the dorm window and the view it held right outside. It was rough, but Smolder could tell there was a ton of effort put into it. She reached down for another crumpled up ball of paper and opened it as well. This one was of a section of his dorm, particularly of Gallus’ half of the room. Like the other one, it was a rough sketch but the labor that he put into it was apparent.

“Why’d you trash these drawings? They look great,” Smolder asked as she tried to salvage the pieces of art.

“Because,” Sandbar lifted his head up and looked up at the ceiling above, “they suck.”

The statement surprised Smolder, partly for his attitude and partly because she had never heard Sandbar said anything like that. “Huh?”

The pony continued, “Everything I’ve drawn just….just doesn’t look right. It doesn’t feel right when I look at it. Even if I just draw half of what I have envisioned, I just know it’s not even going to be good enough.”

Smolder didn’t speak. Her eyes drifted down to the floor, fully seeing all of the pieces of paper that littered the dorm’s floor.

“I’m used to art blocks, but this is….this feels so much different….” Sandbar mumbled. He returned his gaze back at his sketchbook that sat on his desk, “Like, I can usually just power through art blocks by….I don’t know, by willing it away like a bad dream and get something done. But now….” he paused for a moment, “Now I just feel like I’m flailing around in the dark….”

“Flailing around in the dark?” Smolder repeated in genuine interest.

Sandbar turned to look at the dragon, seeing she was still holding a few of his uncrumpled drawings. “Yeah. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s more than just not finding inspiration to draw something, it feels like I can’t draw at all….” Sandbar admitted weakly, “I’m trying to grasp into some sort of void for anything solid, but I know it’s all for naught.”

“But what about these?” Smolder offered Sandbar his discarded drawings.

“I drew them, but looking at each one reminds me of how much I don’t like how they were coming out. It gets under my skin, how each one is a smudge that I can’t ever wipe off,” Sandbar explained. His voice sounded defeated and exhausted.

Smolder pulled the damaged sketches back and looked at them for a moment. She then set them aside on his messy bed. “Hey, enough of worrying about your art. That comet viewing party is about to start up,” Smolder said with a smile, “You ready?”

A weak, and possibly forced smile, appeared on the pony’s face, “Yeah, all of us have been looking forward to it for a while now, huh?” Sandbar got up to his hooves.

“Cool, don’t forget to bring your sketchbook and stuff,” Smolder insisted as she headed to the door.

While Sandbar was about to ask why, he didn’t question. He placed the sketchbook in his saddlebag and followed behind.

Smolder led the pony through the vacant dorm hallways. It took a while before Sandbar did speak up about his confusion.

“Wait, aren’t we heading to the comet viewing?” Sandbar asked.

“Just a sec,” Smolder said, “we need to stop by my dorm first.”

Arriving at her dorm, the dragon opened the door and motioned for the Sandbar to follow in behind her as she turned the light on. Sandbar tagged along behind, but he was stopped in his tracks as he passed through the threshold of the doorway when his eyes saw something on the walls.

“Are those….?” he quietly asked.

Smolder smirked as she saw that Sandbar was stunned, “Yup.”

Above one of the desks, a number of different pieces of paper pinned up, some overlapping each other. Each one featured at least one drawing of a character, and Sandbar could recognize them, especially since his drawing of that character was pinned on the wall as well.

Sandbar entered the dorm a little more to examine all the artwork in more detail. It was, indeed, Smolder’s character Cinder. Using the sketch that Sandbar had drawn for her the week before, it seemed that Smolder had begun to draw her character repeatedly and develop them more. There were different concepts for the fictional dragon, including giving Cinder more advanced looking robotics, different types of weaponry, and more. Each of these drawings were very rough, but any creature looking at them could tell the artist put a bit of their soul into each sketch.

“You’ve been….busy, haven’t you?” Sandbar remarked as he looked at each drawing.

Smolder couldn’t help but take pride in the comment, “Yeah, I just started drawing almost non-stop since you drew me Cinder.”

A smile grew on Sandbar’s face as he looked at each one. They were all rough, but they each showed promise with plenty of room for growth. “I guess that means you’re still thinking of expanding on Cinder as a character?” Sandbar asked.

“Totally. What you said about her becoming a really cool character had me thinking how much room she has to grow,” Smolder answered with sincerity, “and how much room I have to grow as an artist too. After all, you said it yourself, any creature can draw with just a little practice.”

Sandbar was a bit taken back by the dragon’s words. He turned to face her, “I inspired you to draw all of these?”

“Are you kidding? Just look how awesome you made Cinder look!” Smolder excitedly motioned toward the drawing he did of the dragon’s original character. “Seeing you draw these past weeks is so cool. It’s like watching a volcano erupt or some sort of spell being performed!”

The pony was puzzled for a moment, “A volcano?”

“Yeah! It’s like watching something coming out of thin air, and it’s just amazing to see!”

A small chuckle escaped from Sandbar’s lips, “I guess that’s a compliment from a dragon.” He turned to look back at the different drawings Smolder had pinned to her wall. Next to her desk and above the headboard of her bed, There were three different drawings that were fastened to the wall with care. Two of the drawings from Sandbar: the portrait of Smolder and the candid sketch of Sandbar’s group of friends. The final sketch was a rough drawing of the bust of an earth pony stallion with a welcoming and warm smile.

“Is….Is that me?”

The dragon’s face was flushed, but she still answered with pride, “Yes, I drew it from memory for practice and I’m really happy how it came out.”

Sandbar looked closer at the sketch. It was very rough and it was apparent there were a number of issues that were common for amueter artists. However, just as with every other piece of art with Smolder’s signature on it, it was evident that it was a labor of love.

“Maybe you should be in Professor Pinkie Pie’s art class instead of me,” Sandbar turned to face the dragon and joked with a weak laugh at himself.

“Don’t talk like that. You’re awesome, Sandbar!” Smolder quickly shut down his self-deprecation as she leaned in toward him.

“Wha?” Sandbar was startled and backed up a bit as the dragon closed the gap.

Smolder proceeded with a bit of frenzy to her words, “I wanted you to see just how great your art is, Sandbar! It’s really cool and made me want to start drawing again after so long, and bring my own creations to life.” The dragon paused to calm herself before she continued, “I know I have a long way to go to get even close to how good you are, but it inspired me and….well, hearing you bad mouth your own stuff bums me out. I know you might have high standards for your art, but it’s totally okay if it’s not absolutely perfect, because I already think it’s amazing.”

“Really?” Sandbar’s face grew flushed at the kind words. “Smolder….I’m honored that you like my art so much and that it inspires you. I never knew it meant that much to you. Thank you.”

The dragon’s face was still red, but it housed an embarrassed smile, “Heh, yeah. I hope maybe one of these days I can take you up on that suggestion you had of our characters teaming up for a story or something.”

Sandbar’s face matched Smolder’s, in both color and expression, “Yeah, heh, it would be cool to see Cinder and Mitski team up to fight one of my villains, maybe Fleet Fox?”

“I don’t know who that is, but Cinder is gonna wreck them!” Smolder said with determination.

Both Sandbar and Smolder shared a laugh together.

“Thanks for sharing all of this, Smolder. It means a lot.” Sandbar thanked the dragon.

“Of course. We’re always here to help you out, and I’ll always be here to help you through those art blocks you have,” Smolder raised a claw up in a fist, as if she was signaling that she would be there to fight for him.

Sandbar chuckled, “Careful, that might be a bigger battle than you’re expecting.”

“I know what I’m up for!” Smolder insisted with a hint of smugness, “Now, how about we get to that comet viewing party?”

“Yeah, we should head over. I think it’s technically part of our grade.”

The two friends trekked up one of the hills that were outside of the campus grounds. The night sky was colored with a mixture of dark blue and purple that was growing darker, reflecting the change from astronomical twilight to complete night. The remaining light above allowed for the pony and dragon to follow the path up to the hilltop, where they were welcomed by a number of the other students and faculty from the school around a few dimly-lit lamps.

“There you two are!” a familiar hippogriff called out as she saw her friends.

Smolder waved as she neared, “Hey Silverstream.”

“What took ya?” the griffon next to the hippogriff asked, “We thought you two might have gotten lost or something.”

“No, we’re fine Gallus,” Sandbar answered, “just had to make a couple stops first.”

A changeling lifted her head up from a telescope that was set up near the group of friends, “We’re just happy you’re here. Yona had to buy you both some time by telling Professor Fluttershy that you were on your way.”

“Friend Ocellus is right. Professor may have given friends bad grade if they not show up!” Yona stressed, breathing a sigh of relief as she saw Sandbar and Smolder arriving.

The group of friends caught up with one another for a bit as they settled in on the grass on the hillside. Eventually, all of their eyes went skyward as the comet captured their attention. Above them, the comet slowly streaked across the night sky, leaving a glowing large tail that looked like a brushstroke across a canvas. The sliver of moon itself as well as the stars hanging overhead looked only like a slice and pinholes respectively against the dark sky, and paled compared to the comet’s brightness. Each student couldn’t break their gaze from the object’s beauty.

Behind them, a familiar voice spoke, “I see that each of you are enjoying the comet viewing.” Each creature turned to see Professor Fluttershy behind them. “I’m really happy you all came to the comet viewing party tonight. We’re really lucky to see something as wonderful as this.”

“Yona so excited to watch comet!” the yak said happily.

Gallus laid back on the grass and looked upwards, “It’s cooler than I thought it’d be.”

“It’s so bright!” Silverstream said excitedly.

Smolder settled in on the grass, next to Sandbar. “Yeah, it’s something I’m glad I got to see. You know there’s some stories about comets in dragon mythology?” the dragon spoke as she looked upwards at the comet.

“Really?” Professor Fluttershy sounded interested, “Do you mind sharing some of those stories?”

“Well, it’s sort of linked to the story of Hofn, the warrior who fought on behalf of all dragons against the gods themselves. While he died protecting all of dragonkind, the gods had respect for Hofn’s courage and bravery that with his body, they crafted the Dragonlands,” Smolder explained.

“Whoa….” Yona commented.

Ocellus seemed surprised about the details of the myth, “Goodness….”

“Really? That’s pretty gruesome,” Sandbar noted with a slight chuckle in his voice.

Smolder couldn’t help but also give a bit of a laugh, “I didn’t say it was exactly a happy story.” There was a bit of laughter from each creature around. “Anyway, the gods felt that Hofn’s actions were proof that all of dragonkind was worthy of their protection. To create a new home for the dragons, they fashioned the Dragonlands from his body. Let’s see….I think that old rhyme went ‘Out of Hofn’s flesh, the ground below,/And from his blood the lava flow,/Mountains from his marrow,/Out of his scales the grass grow,/His skull hangs above hollow,/Protecting all dragons below.’”

“That’s kinda awesome!” Gallus admitted.

The dragon finished, “Well, as time went on, Hofn’s skull started to break overtime, and the stars were created from pieces falling down. Each time there is a comet passing by, another piece of Hofn’s skull has broken off. That’s how the myth goes, anyway.”

“That’s so fascinating to hear, Smolder,” Professor Fluttershy stated, “Thank you for sharing all of that with us.”

“Yes, thank you. I never knew that about dragon culture,” Ocellus said. “Perhaps I should look more into dragon mythology.”

“Yona like the fighting in the story!”

Smolder seemed a bit bashful at the attention and praise from each creature.

Professor Fluttershy spoke up again, “I truly find it so great that how the comet that is seen all over can have different meanings to the different cultures throughout. Princess Celestia always shared that comets often signify changes, both good and bad. I do hope that his comet here is a good omen for each and every one of us.”

As the professor trotted off to another group of students, leaving the six. They chatted amongst each other about the comet as well as what both Smolder and Professor Fluttershy had said. The earth pony pulled out his sketchbook from the saddlebag. With the soft light from the dim lanterns, he opened up the book to a blank page. Smolder saw Sandbar doing all of this next to her.

“Find something for you to draw out here?” Smolder asked with a smirk.

Sandbar shrugged with a slight guilty expression, “What can I say? Your story inspired me.” The pony started to move the pencil across the page, “After all, this comet is really something. Whether it’s some object in outer space, or a piece of a skull from a great dragon hero falling to the ground, it’s pretty beautiful.”

The dragon looked at the parchment that Sandbar was drawing upon, and then at him. She softly smiled, “It really is.”

END