Kitelight


                                            Synopsis: Starlight finally achieves her long-sought dream.


                                            >You stand in a wide open field, away from all of the hustle and bustle.

                                            >The sun is shining down upon you, and the skies are clear and blue.

                                            >There's a nice breeze blowing through the area.

                                            >It's the perfect place to fly a kite.

                                            >And you are.

                                            >…Kind of.

                                            >"Okay, Anon! I'm in position!"

                                            "Right…"

                                            >You turn to face Starlight Glimmer—your co-flyer for this day.

                                            >Standing on her hind legs, she balances on the top of a short wooden fence to give herself a little bit of elevation; her forelegs are outstretched.

                                            >She's wearing aviator goggles and…uh…

                                            >Well, do you ever get those moments where your friend wakes you up at five in the morning and goes "Okay, hear me out on this…" and you just go along with it, sleep-deprived human that you are?

                                            >Yeah, this is one of those moments.

                                            >Starlight has attached herself to the underside of a delta kite that's twice her size in both width and length.

                                            >She wears a harness around her barrel which is connected to the kite's spine.

                                            >Around each wing tip of the kite, the bridle connects to the kite line, which is then connected to the kite spool that you currently hold in your hand.

                                            >This whole getup that she's wearing is all part of Starlight's plan: to experience what it feels like to soar in the sky—just like a kite would.

                                            >Apparently, levitation spells just don't cut it.

                                            >At first, you suggested for her to first go down the avenue of hang gliding or paragliding before attempting to become half-kite.

                                            >Her answer to that was that she wanted the "authentic kite experience," whatever that is.

                                            >And the reason you're here today is because she asked you to help her achieve her dream of aviation; she gives you the most adorable-looking grins whenever she talks about kites, so you can never find it in you to deny her whenever she gets like this.

                                            >So here you are, kite spool firmly gripped by the handles in your hands, ready to launch your very own Kite…Mare.


                                            "Okay. Ready when you are, Starlight."

                                            >"Gotcha! Here goes!"

                                            >Her horn ignites, and she performs a short leap off of the fence in your direction.

                                            >Instead of hitting the ground, her kite billows outwards, and Starlight slowly begins to rise along with the kite.

                                            >She gasps in surprised delight as she sees herself rise higher and higher above the ground.

                                            >"I-it's working! Anon! It's working!"

                                            >She gives you an excited grin; you briefly take one of your hands off the spool to give her a thumbs up.

                                            >As she continues to ascend, you recall how this all works.

                                            >From what she told you—her horn is magically generating heat, which heats up the air underneath the kite, causing it to lift upwards; the principle is somewhat similar to how a hot-air balloon rises.

                                            >You think the spool in your hand helps prevent her from rising *too* high, thanks to the kite line limiting how high she can go; naturally, you don't want to lose Starlight to the stratosphere.

                                            >Also, holding the line makes you feel important.

                                            >There's a sudden, sharp tug from your kite line; it nearly lifts you off of the ground, but it also notifies you that Starlight has reached the apex of her ascension.

                                            >She hovers in place, about fifty metres high, held at a stable height thanks to the kite line.

                                            >Her limbs are outstretched as she glides in the wind.

                                            >"Woo!"

                                            >She also gives you an energetic wave from up high.

                                            >A smile creeps up on your face; her happiness is contagious.

                                            >You had your worries that the upward force generated from the kite would send you flying alongside Starlight; luckily, it seems that she's mindful of how much thermal lift she's exerting.

                                            >"Ahahahaha!" Starlight's gleeful laughter echoes out from high above you.

                                            >An uninformed bystander might confuse her jubilant sounds as a maniacal outburst, but you know that it's nothing of the sort.

                                            >She just really *really* likes kites.


                                            >You hear a faint sound of something tearing from high above, followed by a surprised "Wah!" from Starlight.

                                            "Hm?"

                                            >As you look up towards her, you squint your eyes to try and appraise any problems.

                                            >You see that she's slowly descending towards you.

                                            >And that there's a hole in the kite behind her.

                                            >Oh.

                                            >"I'm going dooown!"

                                            "H-hold on, Starlight! I've got you!"

                                            >After setting the spool at your feet, you stretch out your arms to try and catch her.

                                            >It doesn't take much longer before she collides into you.

                                            "Ah!"

                                            >"Oof!"

                                            >Thankfully, her descent was slow enough enough that the impact doesn't hurt either of you, but the collision nonetheless sends you falling flat onto your back; the falling kite soon follows suit, covering the both of you.

                                            >Carefully, you push the kite off of your body and to the side, and you regather your bearings.

                                            >You're lying on the grass with Starlight resting against your chest; her eyes are closed, but she's steadily breathing.

                                            >You gently slide a hand under her cheek, propping her face up.

                                            "You…you alright, Starlight?"

                                            >She slowly opens her eyes and looks at you.

                                            >"Yeah…"

                                            "That's good." You smile, resting a hand on her harness. "Come on, let's get this off of you."

                                            >"Right, thanks." She nods.

                                            >Starlight moves off of your body, and you help her detach herself from the kite harness.

                                            >Once you've done so, you set the equipment down on the ground nearby.

                                            >After that, you address Starlight, who is sitting next to you.

                                            "What happened?"

                                            >"So…"

                                            >She walks over to the fallen kite and examines it, magically lifting it up to see the tear in the fabric.

                                            >"The kite's body got punctured."

                                            >She sighs, continuing to look it over.

                                            "Any idea how?"

                                            >"Well, I…um…"

                                            >She nervously rubs the tip of her horn as a faint blush creeps up on her cheeks.

                                            >"I might have gotten a little excited during the flight and…accidentally shot a hole through the kite body."


                                            >You cup your chin with a hand.

                                            "Hm…"

                                            >"Yeah…"

                                            "So you're saying we need to invest in Starlight-proof material for our next kite?"

                                            >"H-hey!" She narrows her eyes and frowns at you.

                                            "Hah… I kid, I kid."

                                            >"…Right…"

                                            >She lowers her gaze and her ears to the ground, still somewhat downtrodden from the failed flight.

                                            >You walk over to her and crouch down, giving her a few reassuring pats through her mane.

                                            "But—hey, pretty good for a first attempt though, right?"

                                            >Her ears perk up and she beams at you, her prior gloom dissipated.

                                            >"Yeah! You're right! And next time—we can use stronger material for the kite!"

                                            >You give her another few pats through her mane.

                                            "That's our Glimmy—never one to be deterred from a single kite crash."

                                            >"Mhmm!" She proudly nods.

                                            >"And…you'll be there too, right?" She gives you another one of those adorable grins.

                                            >You nod.

                                            "Need someone to catch you when you fall, am I right?"

                                            >"Eheh…"

                                            >She rears up on her hind legs and wraps you up in a hug.

                                            >"It's a good thing you were there to catch me!"

                                            "Yeah… Wait."

                                            >You pull back from her hug and shoot her a quizzical look.

                                            "Couldn't you have just used magic to land safely?"

                                            >"Hmm…maaaybe." She giggles.

                                            >She then removes her goggles and gives you a soft smile.

                                            >"But anyway, thanks for being there to help me try this out, Anon. It means a lot to me."

                                            >You give her a quick peck on the forehead.

                                            "Of course. I'd never pass up a chance to watch the beginnings of a super mare."

                                            >She tilts her head.

                                            >"Super mare? That's an interesting way to put it."

                                            "Aha… It's just…seeing you up there reminded me of something back from my home world."

                                            >"Oh, really? Well you better get ready to remember a lot more—because I want to keep working on this! It can be our little project!"

                                            >She pokes the kite, chuckling a little.

                                            >"Once we get a stronger kite, obviously."

                                            >You chuckle back at her, and after folding up the kite, you pick up all of the equipment that's lying on the ground.

                                            "Alright, let's head back."

                                            >"Right!"

                                            >She levitates the goggles back onto her face, and faces forward.

                                            >"Let's!"

                                            >The two of you then make your way back home.

                                            >Despite the crash, this experience was entertaining; you're looking forward to trying it out again.

                                            >Because she's a Kite Mare.

                                            >Hell yeah.