When Star's Align

The next morning, I woke up feeling something small walking on top of me. "Twa-lla," I heard a familiar voice say. Opening one eye, I saw Flurry Heart lying on my belly.

I smiled, sitting up and stretching my hooves a little before gently picking her up, and making her laugh. I kissed her on the forehead. "Good morning, Flurry. Did you sleep well?"

Flurry responded with some silly baby noises, and I just rolled my eyes with a smile before giving her a nuzzle.

After a bit of playing with Flurry, I set her down and got out of bed, stretching my hind legs. Using a bit of magic, I lifted her onto my back.

"Come on, Flurry. Let’s see if we can find your da—" I cut myself off as I noticed my brother sleeping peacefully on the pull-out couch with Cadance. "Well, I guess we don’t need to find them after all." I smiled at the sight and grabbed a bit of paper, writing a quick note before setting it on the table. Then I quietly left the room, closing the door slowly so as not to wake anypony.

Once outside, I turned to Flurry. "What do you say we go get some food?" Flurry nuzzled the back of my neck in response. I giggled softly and made my way to the dining hall.

When I arrived, the smell of fresh food hit me like a ton of bricks. I smiled, taking a deep breath and savouring the aroma. Turning back to talk to Flurry, I paused as I saw her doing the same—sniffing the air with an adorable look of curiosity. I giggled and made my way to the buffet, grabbing two plates in my magic—one smaller than the other. As I started filling them up, I asked Flurry each time if she wanted a particular food.

Surprisingly, she shook her head at most of them. But by the end, we had two plates filled with food. "I had no idea you were so picky!" I teased, ruffling her mane as I looked for a place to sit.

As I entered the seating area, I spotted Star Tracker sitting alone at a table. I tilted my head, a bit confused, and decided to join him. But as I got closer, I noticed that he looked a bit sad—much like he had the night before.

"Hey, Star Tracker, are you okay?" I asked as I sat down next to him, placing Flurry's food on the table beside me.

He sighed. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just not looking forward to going back home," he said in a quiet, almost disappearing tone.

"I understand. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to going home either," I admitted, giving him a sympathetic smile. "Being a princess is a lot of work, and it gets kind of boring when you're stuck doing paperwork for hours. So trust me, I get it."

Star Tracker chuckled softly. "I guess both of our lives aren't as exciting as we imagined. I just wish the fun could last, you know? But... I guess this is the end of the line for me."

I swallowed a bite of food and turned to him. "What if it isn't?"

That comment seemed to catch his attention, one of his ears flicking up before he looked at me, curious. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's just a thought, but... since yesterday wasn't really a full day being part of my family, I was thinking maybe I could make it up to you."

Star Tracker's expression turned neutral, but I noticed a hint of frustration, which surprised me a bit. "As much as I like the offer, I'm not one to accept a pity prize."

I giggled a little as I realized what he was thinking and shook my head. "It's not a pity prize. It's more of a consolation prize for yelling at you and accidentally hurting you—"

Star Tracker raised a hoof to cut me off. "I already forgave you for that."

I groaned softly, a bit frustrated but managing to keep my cool as I gently pushed his hoof down. "As I was saying, it's a consolation prize because you were really only part of our family for two hours at most. Plus, I actually enjoyed spending time with you, so... I was thinking, maybe I could help you move to Ponyville. You could live with me."

"W-what?" Star Tracker stammered, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open. I giggled again and gently closed his mouth with one of my hooves.

"Don't get the wrong idea," I said with a smile. "I just want to be your friend. And, based on what you’ve told me, you don’t really have anyone waiting for you back home. So, what do you say?"

It took a few seconds for Star Tracker to process what I was saying fully, but after a moment, he shook his head, snapping himself out of his daze. "Y-yeah, I’d be honoured really. Wow, I can’t believe I’m going to be living in the same place as the Princess of Friendship," he muttered, almost talking to himself.

I giggled at his reaction, finding it cute. "Well, don't think of it that way. You won't be living with the Princess of Friendship—you’ll just be living in Ponyville, in a nice castle with a lot of spare rooms," I said playfully, nudging his shoulder.

Star Tracker smiled sheepishly, blushing a bit but also chuckled. Before he could say anything else, Flurry Heart, who had been quietly eating her food, started to make her way over to him. I looked down at her and giggled. "Looks like somepony is interested in you, do you want to hold her?"

Star Tracker looked at me, a bit surprised about my offer as he started to get timid. "Oh, um, I don’t know... I don’t want to accidentally hurt Princess Cadence’s baby," he said, shaking his head slightly.

I rolled my eyes and used my magic to gently float Flurry onto his lap. "Oh, come on, don't be ridiculous," I said with a playful smile.

At first, he tensed up, his body going rigid as Flurry landed in his lap. But after a moment, he let out a small breath and began to relax. Flurry, unfazed by his nervousness, stood on her tiny hind hooves, leaning against his chest. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she noticed the necklace around his neck, a simple pendant in the shape of a star.

Before Star Tracker could react, Flurry’s tiny hooves reached out and began tugging at the necklace, giggling as she played with the pendant.

"See? She already likes you," I teased, watching Flurry become fixated on the little star hanging from the chain.

He laughed softly, though still a bit nervous. "I guess she’s more interested in this necklace than me," he joked, lightly holding the pendant so Flurry could play with it without pulling too hard.

Flurry babbled happily, her hooves still batting at the pendant as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. Star Tracker’s smile grew wider, the tension leaving his body as he settled into the moment. After a bit, he gently placed one of his hooves on her belly, rubbing it softly. Flurry immediately burst into a fit of giggles, her little wings fluttering as she grabbed onto the hoof that was playfully tickling her.

I watched them with a warm smile, feeling a strange sense of contentment wash over me. "You’re really good with her," I commented, genuinely impressed. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen her warm up to somepony so quickly."

Star Tracker looked at me, a bit surprised at the compliment, before turning his gaze back to Flurry, who was still holding onto his hoof, giggling. "I guess I’ve always been good with foals," he said with a soft chuckle, a hint of pride in his voice. "I have no idea why, but they just seem to warm up to me pretty quickly. Plus, I’m warming up to this little cutie," he added, giving Flurry a gentle nuzzle. She squealed happily, her wings fluttering as she let out a joyful giggle.

He moved his hoof away for a moment, but Flurry, determined to keep playing, used her magic to pull his hoof back toward her. She began nibbling on it lightly, making Star Tracker laugh. "She’s persistent, I’ll give her that," he said, clearly amused by her antics.

I couldn’t help but giggle at the sight. "She seems to really like you a lot," I said, watching as Flurry continued to play with Star Tracker's hoof. "And it looks like you're already one of her favourites."

Star Tracker blushed faintly, but there was a clear joy in his eyes as he watched Flurry. "I guess I should feel lucky, huh?" He glanced over at me, his expression softening as he added, "I kind of always, enjoyed hanging with foals there just easier to get along with."

I tilted my head curiously. "What do you mean?"

He looked down at Flurry, who had started to doze off slightly in his lap, her little hooves still holding onto his. "I was a bit shy when I was younger," he admitted. "But around foals, I never felt that way. It was easier to connect with them somehow. because they don’t expect you to be perfect."

I smiled softly, understanding what he meant. "That’s a really sweet way to look at it."

He glanced up, meeting my eyes for a moment before his gaze drifted back to the sleeping filly. "Yeah… it is."

With a gentle smile, Star Tracker reached down and began ruffling Flurry’s mane. "You know, I think I could get used to this," he murmured, his voice soft and affectionate.

As he played with her mane, he paused, noticing something on her forehead. "Hey, Twilight, look at this!" He gently brushed back Flurry’s mane, revealing a small, unique birthmark shaped like a constellation. "It looks like the constellation Zeus!"

I leaned in closer, my heart warming at the sight. "It really does! That’s so special," I said, grinning. "Do you think she’ll have a special connection to it, like you do with the stars?"

Star Tracker nodded thoughtfully. "I believe so. Each constellation has its own story and its own magic. Zeus is often seen as a protector, so it might mean she has a strong spirit or a sense of leadership."

Flurry stirred slightly but remained asleep, her tiny face peaceful. "You really know a lot about constellations, don’t you?" I asked, intrigued by his passion.

He chuckled, his eyes sparkling. "Yeah, it’s one of my favourite subjects. Every star has a tale, and I love sharing them. It’s fascinating how they connect to our lives, even if it’s just in little ways."

I couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. "Can you tell me more? I’d love to hear about them!"

Star Tracker’s expression brightened as he launched into a description of various constellations and their meanings. "Well, there’s Orion, who’s always hunting the celestial creatures, and then there's Lyra, who represents music and harmony. Each star is like a piece of a larger puzzle."

We continued discussing the stars and their stories, and I found myself captivated by how passionately he spoke. It was clear that his love for the night sky extended far beyond mere observation; it was a connection to something greater.

Eventually, the call for us to prepare to leave echoed through the ship. Star Tracker sighed softly, glancing down at Flurry, who was still nestled comfortably in his lap. "I guess we should get going, huh?" he said reluctantly.

I nodded a twinge of sadness at the thought of leaving this moment behind. "Yeah, but we’ll have plenty of time to explore the stars together in Ponyville."

With that, Star Tracker carefully lifted Flurry off his lap, cradling her gently as we made our way toward the exit. As we stepped off the ship, I could see my brother and Cadance waiting for us, their smiles wide as they spotted us.

"Did you have fun?" Cadance asked, her eyes sparkling with warmth.

Star Tracker nodded, still holding Flurry protectively in his forelegs. "Yeah, I think I made a new friend."