Chapter One - Light Luster
There was nothing greater than the night sky. Thousands of flecks of white pinpricks staring down at you from an endless expanse of rippling blue and purple waves overtop an inky black backdrop. Every single tiny dot was part of a greater image. A collection of infinitely complicated constellations. Images spread out across the dark sky - so many of them it'd take a thousand lifetimes to see them all.
It was a baffling question as to why nopony seemed to care. There were very few actual books about the night sky, compared to the seemingly limitless number of research and documentation about pretty much every other subject. Entire libraries could be filled with thick, heavy textbooks of speculation and re-writing on Starswirl the Bearded's theories on time travel and how magic flows through just about everything in Equestria. You could find a book for every single plant and creature ever discovered, and just too many different ways to mix them all to create just the perfect concoction.
And yet, there were so few sources documenting the stars. So few ponies have researched the travelling of the galaxies and just how many different patterns they create. Absolutely baffling. How could anypony glance up at the dazzling blanket of stars and not want to know everything about it?
Light Luster had sketchbook upon sketchbook upon unending notebook filled with charcoal sketches and drawling script describing everything he'd seen in the gorgeous hours of the night. He lay spread out across a soft green meadow of grass gazing up at the stars every single night with a new blank page open next to him, a thin piece of charcoal and a feathered quill dipped in ink held aloft with an aura of dark blue magic.
It didn't matter how often he'd been outside. Didn't matter how long he'd spent with his eyes trailing across the illustrations splashed across the sky. He'd always be out there, spending much longer than he should drawing careful lines and writing small bunches of scribbled words explaining the ways the moon shifted with every passing hour. That was why there was a shooting star across his flank. A silvery star the same colour as his eyes and the streaks through his hair. His special talent was the sky. Or, somewhat. Documenting it and watching it and just looking at it. That's what he was meant to do.
He'd gotten used to being tired through the first few classes of the day, dark circles painted under his eyes that blended in well enough with his dark blue coat. His audaciously curly mane and tail were a blue so dark it was nearly black, and a brush didn't do anything but get tangled in his locks anyway, so it didn't matter if he rolled out of bed after an hour and a half of light sleep and galloped out of the house without touching it. That's what he did every day. Nearly every day, at least.
It was the will of the stars, he mused to himself as he rushed out of the house with a quick apology to his mum, who was sat next to a row of potted plants perched on the windowsill, a quill and a notepad levitating in the air next to her. The will of the stars that he'd fallen asleep out in the grass after a meteor shower the night before. It was really their fault, not his, that they were so distracting that he'd fallen asleep, and hadn't slunk back to his room like usual. Their fault he'd woken up way later than he should, and had to teleport himself into his room to grab his things in a manic rush, stuffing them messily into his saddlebag.
Sparks flitted off the tip of his horn as he teleported again, leaving him dizzier than it normally did in the morning haze. He shook the dim spots from his vision as he trotted up the marble staircase to the huge, wooden double doors of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. The sunlight reflecting harshly off the golden detail on the doors didn't help the headache quickly forming in his head, and he sighed quietly.
As a soft magic glow enveloped the gold door handles and pulled the doors open, he ran through a list of his tasks for the day; Studying the effects of different plant growth potions in Chemistry, trying Starswirl the Bearded's spell for disguise and transformation in Magic Studies, another class on the first defeat of Discord in Equestrian History, studying the anatomy and magic of chimeras in Magical Creatures, a test on the different plants in the Everfree Forest and their corresponding magical properties in Botany, more notes on the terrain and dangers of the Badlands in Geography, and an in-depth look at Unweildy Curses in Curses and Charms. He needed to visit the library during Study Hall, and the Astrology Club had a meeting after school.
He trotted quickly through the near-empty halls of the school, heading along the familiar twist of hallways to Chemistry class, dreading the sharp ring of the second bell signalling his tardiness. To his luck, the bell rang just as he stepped into the room, several heads turning in his direction as his hooves pattered on the hard floor. His ears pinned back at the attention, a light blush tinting his cheeks as he ducked his head and hurried to his desk at the back of the class.
He took a seat on the bench next to his desk and slipped the saddlebag off his back, resting it soundlessly next to him with a small sigh of relief. Professor Flash Fire was just stepping into the room, her orange and red fur looking drearier than usual in the glow of the magical fires lighting up the room. Her sharp blue eyes glanced around the room as she strode over to her desk, light orange magic shimmering around her horn.
Three beakers, an Erlenmeyer flask, and a Bensen burner appeared in a flash of teleportation magic, as well as a pot of damp soil and two packets of seeds - one for daisies and one for strawberry plants - on each of the six student desks in the room.
"Welcome, everypony," Professor Flash's voice didn't raise any higher than a normal speaking volume, and any scattered conversation between students instantly hushed, ears pricking up to listen. "I sure hope you all know what we're doing today. We've spent the last few days looking into various potions for plant growth, and now it's time to see if you learned anything. Take out your notes - as those will be the only thing you'll have for a reference today - and get-"
She was cut off by the sound of the door opening and hooves trodding into the room. A stallion with a yellowish cream-coloured coat and a sour expression was the source of the interruption. A messy, orangish-red mane flopped over his light blue eyes, and he flicked it out of the way with a bit of magic. White freckles like bits of snow were dusted across his face, and as his eyes trailed over the desks, his frown only deepened.
He seemed... delightful.
Professor Flash sighed. "Hello, Fizz. Thank you for arriving on time to your first day in my class. Shows just how much you respect me and my time." A bit of quiet laughter burst out from behind hooves, but 'Fizz' didn't seem to care. At all. Light would've simply collapsed into a puddle of public humiliation if he was him. Professor Flash did a quick once over of the room and tipped her head in his direction. "Take a seat over by Light Luster."
Fizz made his way over, not a single care in the world as his hoove steps echoed off the hard floor. Light quickly grabbed his saddle bag, moving it over to the floor on his other side. Fizz's eyes glanced over Light before turning back to the front of the room. He sat down on the now empty space on the bench without a word.
Light could feel icy claws reaching for his heart, panic seeping into his chest. Another pony who's heard the rumours - the truth, actually - and immediately hated him. It was fine. He'd done this before.
He tapped his hoof quietly on the bench, taking a steadying breath and pushing away the feeling. He closed his eyes and went through the quick breathing exercises he'd been taught so many times before, and the feeling eventually faded, like it always did.
"You know where everything you need is, and as long as you've paid attention, you'll do fine," Professor Flash continued. "You have the rest of the class and another tomorrow to brew and test at least three potions. We'll have each pair present their most satisfactory potion and its outcome overmorrow. Get to work."
And with that, excited chatter filled the room as ponies decided what they were going to do, if they hadn't already. Light fidgeted in his seat. He hadn't had to pair up in a group of just two at all this year. He'd either been allowed to work alone or been put in a group with two or three others who were fully prepared to take over and lead. This stallion, however, seemed perfectly content to sit in silence that was apparently only awkward for one of them.
"Okay, um, hi," Light muttered quietly, running a nervous hoof over the top of his mane. "I'm... Light Luster."
"Orange Fizz," Fizz replied simply, no hint of emotion in his tone. His eyes were still travelling over the room. A few other groups were already leaving to gather ingredients.
"I was just going to do, um, Smooth Note's crop potion and a few others from other botanists." Sweet Celestia, he sounded stupid. Light's voice was getting quieter with every word, and it felt like as soon as they were out, they wanted to pry open his jaws and crawl back down his throat. Fizz just nodded, and if he didn't know better, Light could've sworn there was a small tilt in the corners of his lips. "I guess I'll just... go and get the stuff now."
Light nearly went crashing to the floor as he stood up, which would've been an impressive feat, considering the bench is two inches off the ground. He scampered out of the room, dodging swiftly through the ponies already on their way.
When he got back, an assortment of herbs and such floating around him, Fizz was sitting in exactly the same place, except the burner was lit with a bright, flickering flame. Light set the materials down in neatly sorted piles on the desk, and set to work. Fizz was more help than Light would've guessed. He had quite a few useful tips on little things Light didn't think too much about, and did whatever was asked of him without any complaint. Conversation was minimal, with both usually just doing whatever they needed to without speaking, with just a few exchanges of sparse words sprinkled throughout.
The constant worry tugging at the back of his mind slowly faded away as the class went on. Fizz didn't seem to hate him. He just seemed like somepony that wasn't all that interested in other ponies in general. So either he hadn't heard or... he didn't care. Not many ponies did, to be fair, but there were always a few.
They finished the first two potions, testing them each and scribbling notes down into notebooks - though the note part was really just Light. The class ended and they went their separate ways with small words of departure.
As they were leaving though, there was something he spotted that he hadn't noticed before; Except for another patch of white freckles, Fizz's flank was blank. He didn't have a cutie mark. That was certainly... new. Light had never met a pony without a cutie mark other than young foals, and this pony was his age, if not a little older, though he hadn't exactly asked. He'd have to ask Fizz about it.
Fizz suddenly stiffened, and Light realized he'd been staring a little longer than he should've. Fizz's eyes were bitter when Light met them, and he trotted quickly out of the room without another glance in Light's direction.
Or... maybe not.
It was obviously a sore spot, and Light held no place to be all up in random ponies' businesses. Of course, couldn't hurt to wonder, could it? Unless, wondering led to more questions you wanted answers to.
Chapter Two - Light Luster
The rest of the day went just as expected, though, Light was surprised he'd managed to stay awake through the entire thing. Professor Upbeat was characteristically bubbly about the pockets of quicksand and detailed rock formations in the Badlands, but it was hard to pay much attention to her lecture when his brain was as fuzzy as it was. The enticing lull of sleep was a major part of it - he was having trouble keeping his eyes open even during his favourite classes - but he still couldn't shake flashing images of a certain pony out of his mind.
There was a cloud of mystery hanging over Fizz that Light was aching to clear. There was a story behind his blank flank and a reason he seemed to dislike being here so much that Light couldn't figure out. It wasn't hard to see why, as he'd only been through a singular class period with about three full sentences between them, but questions upon questions were still wiggling their way into his subconscious.
He was given a blissfully quiet moment, freed from the endless chatter of students, as he made his way up the winding staircase to the small observatory. Questions were still stubbornly sticking to the inside of his brain, but they were fading quickly at the joyous prospect of another afternoon filled with tranquil chatter with ponies just as absorbed in the stars as Light was.
"Light!" Pepper Pot's voice rang out as soon as he stepped through the old wooden door at the top of the staircase, and excited hoove steps pattered against the dark blue-marbled floor as the crimson mare drummed her front hooves. "You won't believe what Splashwave just told me!"
Light let out a content sigh as he entered the calmingly familiar space. It wasn't big to begin with, but an elaborate model of a galaxy of planets carved out of gold hung from the middle of the ceiling, making it seem much smaller. Sunlight streaming in through the open walls sent dazzling patterns onto the floor and columns holding up the roof as it reflected off the gems set into the piece, and Light had picked up a habit of touching a hoof to the multi-coloured designs when he walked past them.
Making his way around the side of the tower, two unicorns came into view. Splashwave - her greenish-blue mane swept into a braid - was sat with her eye pressed against the eyepiece of one of the telescopes set around the room despite the sun still warming her light orange coat. Pepper stood next to her, still tapping her hooves, green eyes wide in disbelief. Her puffy dark red mane was messier than usual and dark bags were barely noticeable under her eyes.
"Does it have something to do with why she's looking through a telescope even though it's still light out and there's no way she can see any stars?" Light said, amused, setting his saddlebag against a nearby column and sitting down to wait out the inevitable back-and-forth between them that would commence.
"She didn't see any of the meteor shower last night!" Pepper exclaimed. Splashwave snorted and lifted her head away from the telescope.
"I had a concert," she replied, magic enveloping her horn as her braid carefully undid itself. "And there happens to be a formation of cirriform clouds that the telescope brings perfectly into view."
"Yeah, sure," Pepper scoffed, ignoring the topic of clouds altogether. "But you still could've gone out to look afterwards. It went on for ages. You would've had plenty of time."
"And you know this how?" Splashwave raised an eyebrow and Pepper paused.
"I might've... stayed out until it was over," She admitted, enticing a sigh from the other mare. "But it was really pretty! And I know plenty of spells to keep myself awake so you can't scold me about making sure I get enough sleep for classes."
"I can, and I will," Splashwave pointed her muzzle up into the air with a flick of her tail.
"Well then, maybe I'll just have to tie your muzzle shut," Pepper retorted, mimicking her actions.
"Why, you little..." Splashwave grinned, jumping onto her hooves and darting towards Pepper. They collided and Pepper let out a squeal, which developed into a fit of giggles as Splashwave started to tickle her. Pepper squirmed and tried in vain to push the hooves away, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes as she laughed.
"Okay, okay! I give up!" She cried between gasps of breath, going limp in surrender. "You win! I give up! I give up."
Splashwave laughed triumphantly and leaped away from her, doing a little victory dance before collapsing into giggles. Light rolled his eyes, a small smile etched onto his face. It was so easy to sit back and have a little peace with those two idiots.
