“You see, that’s the Pegasus constellation.” you say, pointing to a group of stars. “I don’t see it.” Apple Bloom said, squinting. “It’s right there, Apple Bloom, see? These stars are its wings, those are its body and head, and here are its legs.” Sweetie Belle says as she traces the stars with her hoof.

You, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle had found a cliff that was perfect for stargazing. All four of you huddled together as you and Sweetie Belle pointed out constellations. You were really surprised that she knew so much about the stars and even more so that she knew the story behind each one, something that you never bothered to learn.

Scootaloo let out a long yawn and got up. “Well, I think I’m going to hit the hay.” she says as she walks back to the camp site. Apple Bloom gets up as well. “Yeah, I’m tired too. You two coming?” she asks.
“I thought I’d stay out for just a bit longer.” you say as you focus your telescope. Sweetie Belle nods. “Me too.”

“Alright then, but don’t stay up for too long. We’ve got school tomorrow.” Apple Bloom says before joining Scootaloo.

You and Sweetie Belle sat there, just looking up at the stars without a word.

“How did you know so much about the stars?” you finally ask, breaking the silence.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me.” Sweetie Belle retorts.

“My dad used to take my mom and I out on the ocean on nights like this and just look at the stars. My mom loves the night sky and the moon when it’s full like this,” you laugh under your breath “I remember when my dad said he would throw a rope around the moon and bring it down for my mom. She told him not to, because she didn’t want to rob anyone of something as beautiful as the moon.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Sweetie Belle said “As for me, I always liked looking at the stars at night when I couldn’t sleep. They’re just so pretty and soothing and sparkle like diamonds.”

A chilly wind washes over you two and Sweetie Belle starts to shiver. Wrapping a hoof around her shoulder, you draw her closer and share your body heat with her. “Beautiful…” Sweetie Belle muses a loud.

“It is a beautiful night.” you say.

You notice Sweetie Belle blush as she fidgets around in her seat. Before you can ask her what’s wrong, she opens her mouth and begins to sing.

All you can do is look at her in amazement as she finishes. “Sweetie Belle, that was beautiful. I never knew you could sing so well.” Sweetie Belle blushes heavily “It’s nothing, really. Rarity likes to listen to the guy who sings that song. I’ve heard it enough times that I’ve learned it.”

“Either way, it was very nice. Who did you say sings it?” you ask.

Sweetie Belle shrugs. “I don’t know, but I think Rarity has a crush on him. She’s even got a full body poster of the guy.” she says with a laugh. You and Sweetie Belle remain silent for a while before she speaks up again.

“I’m not really that tired, do you want to go for a walk?” she asks.

You shrug. “Why not? There’s more than enough moonlight so we won’t get lost. Lead on.”

You and Sweetie Belle find a path into the forest. Sweetie Belle points up to the night sky with a smile on her face. “Look at the birds flying around!”

“Uhhh, Sweetie Belle, those aren’t birds” you say as you squint into the darkness. “Those are bats.” The color drains from Sweetie Belle’s face and is followed by a loud scream, causing the bats overhead to swarm around you. Sweetie Belle runs off in a direction and you run after her, calling her name. She runs into a cave without a second thought. Going in after her, you find her in the back, her eyes closed and her whole body trembling. You put a hoof on her shoulder. “Swee-“ the moment you touch her, she screams at the top of her lungs, making the whole cave shake. In an instant, the whole cave begins to shake and make chunks of rock fall from the ceiling.

“SWEETIE BELLE WE HAV-“ you begin to say as a rock hits you on the head. The cave shakes again and causes the mouth of the cave to become buried in rocks. When the shaking finally stops, you see Sweetie Belle running around the cave frantically. “WE’RE TRAPPED! OH DEAR CELESTIA, WE’RE TRAPPED!” she yells. You grab a hold of her and make her focus on you.

“Calm down! We’re fine!” you say.

“But we’re trapped!”

“We can dig our way out.”

“What if we run out of air?” Sweetie Belle asks frantically as she starts to breathe faster.

Looking around, you notice it’s much brighter than you think a cave in would be and see a hole in the ceiling, at least twenty feet up. “We’re fine. We just have to get to work.” You say as you walk over to the pile of rocks. Grabbing a loose one, you push it out of the way and to the back of the cave. Sweetie Belle watches you do this a few times before joining in. She has a harder time than you do, but manages.

“I’m sorry for getting us into this mess. I feel horrible.” Sweetie Belle says, beating herself up about the whole thing.

“Don’t be,” you grunt as you move another rock “If I didn’t point out that those were bats, you wouldn’t have freaked.”

It doesn’t help Sweetie Belle that much and she continues to sulk.

“I got to say, though, I’m impressed.” you say aloud.

“About what?” Sweetie Belle asks.

“You brought down an entire cave with a scream. You have a powerful set of lungs!” you say with a laugh.

Sweetie Belle tries to keep a straight face, but bursts out laughing. “Yeah, I guess I do.” she says.

You and her laugh for a bit before getting back to work.

After an hour of work, you had put a dent into the pile of rubble. You stand back to take a look at the work so far. “Another hour, maybe two and we’ll be able to get back and get some shuteye before breakfast.” You say with confidence. You blink a few times as your vision goes hazy for a second and turn to Sweetie Belle.

“How are you holding up?” you ask.

She smiles fondly at you. “Great, thanks to you. I probably would have given up at the beginning if you weren’t here. Thank you for looking out for me.”

“Oh come on, I’m only doing what you do.” you say, receiving a puzzled look from her.

“Like when the tree started to fall over and I didn’t notice it. You pushed me out of the way and saved me. You’re always there for not only me, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo as well. You’re really something Sw-“ you stop as the whole world begins to spin. You can barely hear Sweetie Belle call your name out over the buzzing in your ears. Your knees buckle out from under you and you hit the cave floor.
“You’re bleeding!” you hear Sweetie Belle call out before everything goes dark.

* * * * * * * *

“Ah, good, you’re awake.” you hear a mare’s voice say. Opening your eyes, you find yourself in what looks like a small hospital. A white unicorn standing over you, her purple and pink mane stuffed into a nurse’s habit. “Your crew brought you in from off the ship.” she says in a soothing voice.

“My crew?” you ask as you rub your head. The unicorn nods.

“Yes, they said you were attacked by pirates, but you managed to drive them off. That was a brave thing to do.”

Getting to your hooves, you rub your head. “No… No. I was hit by a rock in the cave in…Nurse-“

Looking around, you’re surprised to find her gone. You make your way for the door and walk through, only to fall forward and grab onto the edge. There was nothing outside the door, just black, empty void. Suddenly, you find that the hospital room is gone as well and that you’re now falling and falling fast. Looking down, you see the world form below you. As if guided by some unseen hand, you begin to move towards a Hospital building and phase through the roof. You hit the bed of a sleeping patient with extreme force and-

Your eyes open. Looking around, you find yourself in Ponyville Urgent Care. Sleeping by the side of your bed was Sweetie Belle, who was covered in dirt and dust.

“Ah, good, you’re awake.” Nurse Redheart said with a smile.

“What happened” you ask as you rub the side of your head and find a layer of bandages.

Nurse Redheart looked at Sweetie Belle and smiled. “This little girl saved your life. She said you and her got caught in a cave in and that you hit your head. You passed out halfway through trying to dig your way out and she dug the other half. Her and her friends dragged you from that cave all the way here. You’re lucky, too. You’ve got a nasty concussion that needed some stitches and probably going to end up with a scar. I’d thank her, if I were you.” She tells you before walking off. Looking at Sweetie Belle, you can’t help but feel so grateful to the young filly. Placing a hoof on her head, you stroke her mane softly, causing her to wake up. She looks at you, surprised.

“You’re awake!” she yells out as she wraps her hooves around you “I was so worried!” she plants her lips onto yours and kisses you deeply. She stops suddenly and a look of panic washes over her.

“I…Err… Uh…I’m sorry for being-” you stop her and kiss her back. She blushes heavily and looks at you, dumbfounded.

“Thank you.”