Submission (#400) Approved

This had turned into… a very strange trip.

Aria had wanted to see Silveil, her birthplace as well as foster mothers’, and they brought her and Noctis along, the latter having meant to accompany her as Twinkle and Lumia went into town for their jobs. However, Noctis had gotten bored and snuck off, wanting to see the city nightlife rather than the wondrous Starlake and starlit sky.

That said, she at least still had Twinkle’s pomu keeping her company, its soft occasional “pomu!” letting her know it was there. But moments later, the sounds stopped, and she found herself staring at what looked like… a rock, the only semblance to the pomu being its facemask and black colouration. She was startled at first, worried that something happened, but then realized that perhaps it was just sleeping. She had been told of their yearly hibernation, though whether it was that time of year, she wasn’t sure.

While she felt a little nervous being on her own, she felt a bit of calmness sitting by the edge of the lake, the nighttime air cool and refreshing. She closed her eyes as she lifted her wings, letting them take in cool air as well. Taking a few deep breaths, she slowly opened her eyes, lifting her head towards the sky.

The stars filled her with wonder, and while they made her feel so insignicantly small, so fragile, so-

She squinted as the sky seemed to light up. Were those… wishing stars? She got to her feet immediately, flapping her wings with excitement. Oh, if only Twinkle and Lumia were here! And Noctis! Would he be interested in something like this too? Maybe-

A splash of light startled her, making her jump as her head snapped in the direction where the light hit. It was raining… lights? Another splash of light landed near her, dying the ground a momentary pink before it faded. What… was happening??

Aria had heard tales of stars falling, often signalling the start of Starfall Faire. Despite not liking large crowds, she had been looking forward to it, hoping to see the wondrous festivities and joy it brought, but this… was different. The stars had been dimmer, and most had been weary. There were tales of strange things happening, and while she didn’t realize the pomu hibernations this year were one of them, this… was also something she assumed was unheard of at falling… lights.

She let a yelp as one landed on her, dying her fur a momentary blue as it dissipated shortly after. She pat at the spot where it hit, fearful that she’d spontaneously burst into flames, not realizing that when the light hit her, there was no pain nor burning sensation, just a cool tingle that faded all too quickly.

When she was sure nothing had happened to her, she calmed down, turning her gaze towards the city instead. The coloured lights seemed to be falling there too, lighting up the buildings in the distance for a moment before fading to black. The lights fell into the lake as well, adding spots of colour among the already luminous lake, the “stars” seeming to move away when the light hit.

While it definitely seemed scary at first, after some time Aria realized that the lights were harmless. Strange, but harmless. She soon sat back down, watching the light display as it continued, wondering what other strange phenomenon she’d encounter tonight. The soft pitter-patter of lights all around her continued into the night, and Aria stifled a yawn. She pulled the pomu doll closer to her, hugging it as her eyes slowly closed, lulled to sleep by the gentle light show.