…Star Tracker sat in the zeppelin's cabin in complete bewilderment. The Princess of Friendship, a pony who others were supposed to turn to for help and advice regarding relationships, had just thrown a minor conniption and crushed his hoof under hers. She had missed the Northern Stars. That was all she had talked about the entire day and now she had missed them.
He was disappointed as well, for he wanted to see them just as badly as she did. Ever since he was a young colt, he had taken an interest in astronomy and the mysteries that the heavens bequeathed every night. Every star, every constellation, every planet, he knew them all and more besides.
He also knew a lot about Princess Twilight Sparkle. Ever since he had laid eyes on her, he had admired her for her intelligence and wisdom. He was a member in good standing with the Twilight Sparkle Fan Club, and he held her in the highest regard. Now, he didn't build shrines to her or go around doing crazy things like other Twilight fans did. He just admired her from afar and wished someday that he could be somepony like her.
His thoughts were brought to an abrupt end by a sharp pain from his hoof. He grunted a bit. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear," Twilight Velvet said. Twilight Sparkle's mother had been very good to him ever since her daughter had purposely stepped on him. She brought him back to their cabin and wrapped up his hoof for him. The princess still hadn't returned, and he figured she probably hated him.
She had yelled at him for standing so close to her all day. He understood her frustration and he chastised himself for not taking her feelings into consideration. Celebrity or not, she was a fellow pony and he should have respected her personal boundaries more than that. Just another thing I have to learn about friendship, I guess, he thought sadly.
Once Twilight Velvet finished wrapping his hoof, he hopped down and began limping through the cabin door. "But…Star Tracker," Twilight's father Night Light said, "your hoof, don't you think you should rest it?"
Star Tracker turned and smiled. "Thank you, sir," he said politely, "but I have somepony I need to see…and apologize to."
"I take it you mean my daughter?"
"Yes, sir"
"Well, just be patient with her. She goes through these phases sometimes where she'll get angry at something that doesn't quite go her way."
"I'll…keep that in mind," Star Tracker said as he limped out of the room. He wandered around the zeppelin, trying to ignore the pain that shot from his hoof with every step. He wanted badly to locate the princess and tell her how much she meant to him and why he had even tried to win a raffle with a day with her as the grand prize.
He finally made it up to the moon deck, and there he found her. She was alone, with her front hooves resting on the side of the airship. He noticed that she looked very sad. He cautiously approached her, fearful of even speaking a word to her. What will she do? Will she punish me? Did I break some law by standing so close? Oh…I just want her to know what she means to me! He stopped and shook his head. You can do this, Star Tracker! Just be confident!
He gradually made his way over until he was standing right next to her. She turned and acknowledged his presence with a small nod. "Hello…Star Tracker," she said softly. He turned to her, "Princess, I…I didn't mean to make you miss the Northern Stars"
"No, no, it's OK," she said, "I acted like a complete buffoon downstairs. I should never have taken my anger out on you. I'm the one who owes you an apology. I'm so sorry, Star Tracker."
At this, she began crying, "I'm such a failure!" She suddenly wailed. Star Tracker looked at her with surprise painted all over his face. A failure? Twilight Sparkle? Why, she was one of the biggest success stories Equestria had ever seen. How in the world was she a failure? "Pardon me, princess, I don't mean to contradict you, but…how the hay are you a failure?"
She sniffed. "You saw the way I acted down there! Some Princess of Friendship I turned out to be." She turned and looked at him with tear stained eyes. The funny thing was, those tears reflected the moonlight and doubled the beauty that he saw there. He thought he would melt in the depths of her gaze.
Then he realized that this was his time to teach the teacher. The truth was, she hadn't failed as the Princess of Friendship, he had failed as a friend in general. All he wanted was to meet her and ask her some questions about the subject. Instead, he had made a fool of himself all day long.
"No," he said softly, "you didn't fail, Your Highness."
She sniffed. "You know you don't have to call me that, right?"
"I don't?"
"No. I'm the Princess of Friendship, which means that in these informal situations, I like to be addressed as a friend would address another friend."
"So…just Twilight, then?"
She nodded and turned to him. "Why don't you think I failed?"
"Because I'm the one who failed. You had the opportunity of a lifetime to enjoy with your family, and I blew it for you. You were supposed to see some of the greatest phenomena the heavens have ever birthed…and I messed it all up."
"Wow…I never took you for an eloquent speaker," she said as she smiled at him, "it suits you, though."
"Normally, I don't speak that way unless I'm giving a speech at a school or something like that."
"Oh? Do you teach?"
"No, but I've been invited as a guest speaker for a lot of things. I'm quite a big lover of the stars, hence the whole 'Star Tracker' name. I always got good grades in science classes in school, and I've taken that love and used it throughout my whole life."
She nodded. She was wondering why this pony had been stuck with such a curious name. She was glad that he had done some good with it. Actually, she thought it was a nice name. It certainly fit the young stallion very well. "So," she ventured, "how does one come about with such a name?"
"It's easy…when you give it to yourself," he said. His eyes cast downward. He didn't want to look at Twilight after revealing something that might be seen as degrading. The princess, however, had laughter in her eyes. She giggled, and Star Tracker thought it was the most amazing giggle he had ever heard.
"You gave it to yourself?" She asked incredulously. She couldn't believe that a pony as smart and charming as Star Tracker could ever give himself a name. It seemed so insanely ridiculous. Wait…, she said to herself, …did I just call him 'charming?' She shook her head to try and rid herself of the thought, but it did no good.
At this point, Star Tracker was laughing as well. He realized that it did seem a little absurd to have named himself, and with such a befitting moniker, it might seem a little pretentious and self-assured. After all, it would be quite the coincidence for one who loves the stars so much and tracks them religiously to have been named Star Tracker by his parents.
The two giggled for a few minutes before calming down. "Yes, silly as it may seem, I did give it to myself," he said, "it was…a way to get away from all the bullies. They would make fun of me for my real name. So I gave myself a nickname."
At this point, she thought it prudent to stop talking. Did…did I just…make fun of somepony who was bullied? She felt sick to her stomach and groaned out loud. "Oh…this night just keeps getting worse!"
"Why?"
"I just laughed at you for making up a name for yourself…and then I find out you did it because you were being bullied! UGH! I AM a failure as a princess!"
Without thinking, he grabbed her shoulders, "you are NOT a failure," he said firmly, "you are the furthest thing from a failure!"
She shoved him away. "HOW?!" Twilight shouted, "how am I NOT a failure?! I've done nothing but screw you over all day! How the hay am I not a failure?!"
"Because you took somepony like me and made me a friend to other ponies!"
She gasped. Did she really mean that much to this pony? They had barely known each other for one day, and here he was pouring his heart and soul out to her. Did she really inspire him that much? Was this admiration, or simple fan worship?
"Have…I done that much for you? I mean, we've only known each other one day"
He pulled out a book. Twilight recognized the Friendship Journal she and her friends had released a few weeks prior. "Yes," he said, "you have. Twilight, this journal has made me a friend to other ponies." He sighed. "Look, when I first saw you and heard you, I reacted in the same way all the other ponies on this cruise reacted. I thought you were a beautiful pony who was in a position of power and influence. You were a celebrity, and I wasn't. I worshipped you. I wanted to be you. I was mesmerized by everything I saw on the outside, but I didn't know the pony inside."
Here he took a breath and gauged her reaction. Seeing nothing but a small cock of her head, he continued. "Then I got this book. I read it and I was ashamed of myself. I had no idea you and your friends went through all that trouble just to learn friendship lessons. It made me stop and think about my life. I've never had a true friend before, Twilight, and…this book made me feel like I could. Like my quirky love of the stars wouldn't drive wedges between me and other ponies. I put my name in that hat to win that raffle prize with absolutely no confidence that I would win. But then, I did…and everything I ever wanted happened to me. I just wanted some one on one time with you to thank you for publishing this journal. I've read it 10 times over already."
He produced a quill and some ink from his saddlebag. "I know you've autographed a ton of stuff today, and if you say 'no' to this, I completely understand, but…would you sign this for me? It's inspired me so much, and I…"
She put a hoof up to his mouth. His eyes turned upwards to see tears running down her cheeks. She immediately gathered him into a hug. He thought it was the warmest place he had ever been. Her coat reflected the beauty of the moon. As he broke from her, she silently used her magic to pick up the quill. She dipped it in the ink and began to write.
"To my new friend Star Tracker,
Keep that head held high. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Your love of astronomy will take you some amazing places. As a fellow lover of knowledge and learning, I'm wondering if you would like to stop by the castle in Ponyville sometime. I tend to read a lot, and I hear you're a big fan of that as well. Thank you for sharing your story with me. I needed to hear that. I'm sorry today wasn't as big or exciting as we both thought it would be, but I imagine the future will be all that and even more. So, in the end, we shared a moment together in the stars. I think that's cause for some kind of celebration. You've rejuvenated me and made me realize that Princess Celestia put me in this position for a reason, and that reason was to help lonely ponies like yourself find friends. Oh, and I would be honored beyond measure to become your first true friend.
Sincerely,
Princess Twilight Sparkle"
She finished and handed him the book. He read it and tears formed quickly. He grasped her in a hug once again. "Thank you, Twilight, and I will definitely take you up on that offer to visit Ponyville sometime."
She smiled and, out of nowhere, planted a big kiss on his cheek. He smiled and blushed. "How the hay did you know?" He asked, referring to his crush on the princess.
She smiled again and giggled. "Female intuition," she said jokingly. He laughed. "Oh? Female intuition? Well, maybe you can infer what I'm gonna do next."
"What's that?" She said, wiggling her backside a bit playfully.
"This," he said. Suddenly, he tapped her on the shoulder. "You're it," he said before running off.
"Oh? So that's how it's gonna be, is it?" She yelled playfully. They chased each other off the moon deck and down below. Outside of the Princess's cabin, he suddenly found himself playfully tackling her. He looked down into her purple eyes and she stared back at his blue ones. The spark was instantaneous. If there was a case of "love at first sight," it was this one. Their lips met for a fleeting few moments. They broke the kiss for air and Twilight smiled. "One moment in the stars…" She said dreamily. "Yeah…one moment," he responded. They kissed again as the moon shone down on them. "I…I love you, Princess Twilight Sparkle," he said. "I love you too, Star Tracker," she said.
How they fell in love in the space of one short night, nopony can say. After all, nopony truly knows the heart, not even Celestia and Luna. But what everypony does know is that, as cliché as it sounds, they did go on to live happily ever after. They married and raised a family together. Star Tracker would go on to become a highly respected astronomer at Canterlot University, and Twilight would be an amazing princess, mother, teacher, and head mare at her new School of Friendship. No, friends, Twilight was not a failure as the Princess of Friendship, and all it took was one lonely pony, the ignition of a friendship, some romance, and one moment in the stars for her to realize that…