[PRP] The Stars are Bright

[Atmadja]

"You guys keeping up okay?" Prime Meridian called out to a group of children behind him from his post at the front of the line, his voice cheerful as it rang out. He was leading the fourth and final nature walk of the day, the group that would get to enjoy a little bit of stargazing before they got to go home. They were a good little group, about nine babbens total, and they seemed to have enjoyed all the sights on the hike so far--the bubbling stream with its plethora of turtles had its share of fun, and learning about the woodland flora seemed to have gone over well, as well.

At the end of the group was Wet Blanket, a babben who was a veritable crybaby, who'd already managed to slip and fall in the stream and step on a rare woodland flower by complete accident. Prime felt bad for the kid, and tried to keep an eye on him.

"Let me know if anyone has any questions or needs any help, alright?" He said gently. "The sun will be going down soon and we need to get to the top of that hill to see the constellations!"  

[Chrystali]

Everything was exciting. It was one of the few times she wasn't with her family but was taking it upon herself to learn and experience more, happily trotting along with the small herd of babbens and their fearless leader. Mint was, if nothing else, aware of all the others: growing up with her unique siblings, she'd learned how to be in tune with those around her, so to speak.

It was no surprise, then, that she'd taken a shine to Prime Meridian's easy aura and a sort of self-imposed responsibility over Wet Blanket, especially after he'd fell into the creek. She was walking next to him, trying to 'share' her warmth as they approached the hill, bright eyes turning upwards. "We're almost done!" she chirped encouragingly, though she felt a touch of sadness that it would end soon. It was a strange cocktail to experience.

Constellations. Her family didn't know much about the sky, to her knowledge, so to learn this was enthralling to her. Eager, she gave the bab at her side a nod before she began to pick her way up the hill with the group. "Prime, Mr. Meridian sir! What's your favorite constellation?"  

[Atmadja]

Prime Meridian turned slightly to see Buttermint, and he smiled brightly at her. She had done tremendously well all day, had helped her group-mates and even Wet Blanket. He would have to make sure her parents knew at the end of the evening how helpful and friendly she'd been.

"Oh, for me? I don't know. That's really hard! Some constellations you can only see in summer and some only in winter, you know," he said. "I like seeing Sagittarius, though." He angled a look back at her over his shoulder. She was easy to spot, with her bright coloring and expression. "What about you? Do you have a favorite, or will this be your first time seeing some?"

Wet Blanket trudged beside Buttermint, his expression sour. "We're gonna be out in the dark..." he murmured to nobody in particular.  

[Chrystali]

His words almost entirely went over her head, but it was still exciting - the feeling of being exposed to something new, that there was so much to learn just from this leg of their journey. Mint beamed brightly, "My first time! I've seen the stars before, I mean, in passing, but -- I never really looked at them." She never knew there was something to see beyond the obvious. The notion was marvelous!

Turning her head, she lightly bumped her nose against Wet Blanket's cheek, still all smiles. "We'll be together and with Mr. Meridian, so we'll be safe and have a good time. I promise--oh!" She slipped a little on the hill, catching herself and holding her breath with wide eyes for a few heartbeats before resuming her enthusiastic climb as though nothing had happened.  

[Atmadja]

"Well, hopefully we can show you something cool tonight, then!" said Prime Meridian, marching slowly until he reached the top of the hill. He looked back just as Buttermint slipped. "Oh--alright, guys, let's convene right here. Just sit right up here and don't wander, okay?"

As he spoke, he walked back down the hill a little until he reached Buttermint and Wet Blanket--the latter of which hadn't noticed Buttermint's slip because he was so very concerned about his own foot placement.

"Guys, do you need any help?" asked Prime. "It's getting dark, so if you need anything, just grab ahold of my mane and I'll lead you up, alright?"

Wet Blanket didn't need to be told twice. Immediately, he grabbed onto Meridian's brush-and-grow locks, gulping. Prime laughed, turning toward Buttermint.  

[Chrystali]

"I think -- " She hesitated. She wasn't sure she needed help, but it couldn't hurt - especially since Prime Meridian had returned, offering his long hair as a means of balance. Mint would have been aghast at the idea of it (she couldn't imagine Regality allowing her hair to be handled in such a fashion) but in seeing Wet Blanket cling to him, she grasped the wisdom in it. " - I-I think that's very nice of you, Mr. Meridian!"

Tucking in close to him and Wet Blanket - more behind the latter as another form of support - she held on next to the other babben. "Thank you," she said in a demure tone. It was his hair, after all! She gently nudged Wet Blanket to imply he should say the same, but not too hard - she didn't want to knock the poor thing over.

When their hooves were safely atop the hill, she helped to dislodge Wet Blanket before he could get tangled - the benefit of having her horn, which she was grateful for - and tried in vain to smooth Prime Meridian's hair again. Truly a useless gesture, given how much smaller than he that she was.  

[Atmadja]

Wet Blanket shuffled when Buttermint nudged him, and he grumpily refused to follow suit, continuing to stare at the ground. As they let go and were safely atop the hill, he managed a small squeak: 'thank you' and sat down.

Prime Meridian got them safely atop the hill with the other babbens. He was glad for Buttermint's unicorn magic--he'd ended up with a lot of burrs and twigs and tangles in his mane before this, so he was glad to have her help. He smiled as she tried to smooth his mane, too; he'd been so vain as a babben that sometimes he forgot how nice it was to still look good at the end of the hikes.

"You're too kind," he said to her, bowing his head gently. "But don't worry about me--the stars don't mind whether I look good or not!" As the sun set, his eyes seemed to get brighter, like stars in their own right.

"Now, I believe I promised you all some constellations..." he said, looking up at the sky.

Wet Blanket situated himself near Buttermint again. "You SURE we'll be safe in the dark?" he whispered to her, his voice a little wobbly.  

[Chrystali]

"Oh, my sister, she has long hair too, I like to brush it for her. Your hair is pretty, and -- " she turned her eyes up to Prime Meridian, but her words were lost. She was going to tell him that his hair looked like it was the color of stardust, or that she could probably make him a clip to make it easier, but the stars were out and had wholly snagged her attention.

She'd seen the stars before, but they were higher up than her home, and without all the lights around, the stars were brighter than ever. Mint's jaw was slack, staring upwards and trying to wrap her mind around the fact that the sky was actually a black cloth studded with diamonds --

And Wet Blanket's voice drew her back to earth, blinking and looking to him. Mint wanted to star gaze and ask Prime Meridian a million questions...but this babben, who was sullen and stubborn and scared, had chosen to sit next to her and trust her, even just a little.

Mint's stomach bloomed with happiness, and settling next to him, she nodded firmly, whispering so she wouldn't interrupt any other conversations. "I promise! In fact -- " it occurred to her that she could still keep him involved, if she tried, " -- the stars are like our friends, a light in the darkness. And see, that bunch there!" She pointed with her hoof, and with a soft glowing line from her horn, she traced out a pattern that looked suspiciously like Wet Blanket's face. "They like you!"

She would have to come back for the real lesson, but...this was worth it!  

[Atmadja]

"R...really?" Wet Blanket sniffled wetly, looking up at the sky with some amount of distrust. He looked at the constellation that Buttermint had made up for him and a little smile--the first of the day--managed to crawl onto his face. "That--that's silly," he said, but he seemed pleased, all the same.

"If you look straight up, kids, you'll see a cluster of stars..." Prime Meridian was beginning. He began to talk about the angles, the portion of the sky currently visible, what bright light was a planet and which was a star. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Wet Blanket was... well, doing his namesake proud with Buttermint over at the fringe of the group, but--to Prime's surprise--Buttermint didn't seem to mind. She spoke gently and sweetly to him, and reoriented him to look up instead of focus on the darkness.

"I've brought a little handheld telescope for you guys to look at the surface of the moon a little clearer, too," he said. "Why don't you guys pass this around?"

After he gave the first babben the telescope, he made his way over to Buttermint and Wet Blanket. "You guys alright over here? Did you manage to find any constellations?"

"Buttermint said the stars like me and I have my own constellation," Wet Blanket boasted, puffing out his chest.

"Did she?" asked Prime, looking over at Buttermint with an encouraging expression. "That's very sweet--and true! The stars do like you. Both of you! And if you found your own constellation, that sounds pretty special to me. I can show you some more if you like." He smiled. "There's always stars up there, waiting to light up the night for you--even to guide you home, if you need it."  

[Chrystali]

"Truly!" Buttermint insisted, and as Prime Meridian continued to teach, she continued to 'teach' Wet Blanket: she pointed out clusters of stars that didn't want to be alone, she pointed out the different colored ones that just wanted to be admired, she pointed out the small ones that were lonely and just wanted some company. Most of all, she pointed out that each star was in awe of Wet Blanket's constellation, always bringing him back to it and the fact that it was faithfully there.

When Prime Meridian came back, Mint actually blushed a little, realizing she'd talked through his entire demonstration. The blush actually darkened a smidge when Wet Blanket spoke up, but more due to the pride in his voice than the fact she'd been 'teaching' when the experienced Phony was.

Surprisingly, Prime Meridian was...supportive of her. Buttermint looked up at him with surprise, and then a small bit of trepidation - are you sure? - before he coaxed a smile out of her with his kindness. She fixed Wet Blanket with a beaming smile, nodding; obviously if she knew and the teacher knew, it had to be true, right?

"And he knows a lot more about stars than me," she said gravely to Wet Blanket, all fact no fiction here! "He can teach you how to never be lost, isn't that cool?" Could a Phony overcome their purpose? Wet Blanket would make or break their efforts, she supposed.

Atmadja

HELLO. IT'S ME.
And if you wanted to time skip or move them forward - (I DON'T REMEMBER WHICH WE AGREED ON) - by all means, carry on!

 

[Atmadja]

Wet Blanket cracked a faint smile as the two spoke, looking up at the stars with wide eyes and a pleased expression. Prime Meridian spoke a little longer, and when the foal was at ease at last, he stood and addressed the rest of the crowd.

"Alright guys! Let's head back in. Everyone get with your buddies and anyone who needs to, come take a hold of my mane or tail," he sang. He smiled as the foals began to head back down, and after a few moments, with nobody on his tail, he hung back to speak quietly to Buttermint.

"That was very kind do you," he said softly, smiling at her. "You really helped him a lot. I don't know if you got a chance to enjoy the hike and the constellations--if you ever want to come back again, let me know."  

[Chrystali]

She was tired by the end of it, though she kept up her bountiful nature and trotted along with Wet Blanket until he went ahead with the group -- probably wanting to get in to the light and with family faster.

Meridian's soft words drew her gaze to him, eyes bright -- and then cheeks just as brightly flushed. "R -- really? Gosh, I just -- he looked so scared, and the idea of someone being scared of something so beautiful was just so sad. I wanted him to see it the way you saw it." Buttermint smiled, shy but pleased. "I'm sorry I didn't get to hear you talk, I..."

She realized he'd invited her back, and her entire countenance brightened, tiredness forgotten. "Really? I'd love that! I will! I'll come back!" Lifting her head as high as she could, she touched her nose to his shoulder (just barely) in gratitude, ears turning forward as she heard the call of her family.

"I'll see you again, Mr. Meridian!" she quipped happily, bounding ahead. "I promise!"

Atmadja

THANK YOU SO MUCH *HUGS FOREVER*