Magic in the Stars

by Australian Chaos

Chapter 27: In The Deep End

Chapter 27

In The Deep End

He had been standing in the room for the entire evening, and Starfall was still having trouble believing what all his senses were telling him. The room seemed almost too nice, the carpet and furniture too soft, too clean...it was beyond anything he had ever experienced before, and he knew that there was no way he would ever be able to afford anything remotely as luxurious as this. And he knew that this was far from the most luxury Equestria's hotel chains had to afford, especially in Canterlot.

He knew that, just across the hall from him, Princess Luna had a suite which was almost identical to his, if not even more luxurious thanks to the hotel staff trying to cater to a royal Princess staying for some time. But all the same, this was not the sort of privilege that was normally available to him, and he was at a loss as to what to do about it.

He jumped slightly as the door to the hallway opened, revealing Princess Luna, who appeared to be checking up on him. She seemed surprised that he had not touched anything as of yet. "Starfall? Hast thou even moved since we arrived?" she asked.

Starfall turned to face her fully, not exactly sure how to explain what he was thinking and feeling to her. As a Princess, she would be used to this sort of luxury...a way of life she likely took for granted, even if she did not realise it. "I guess it's just...I've never had a chance to live in such luxury before, Princess. I never earned much money before, so I was always just happy to have a bed and a roof over my head at all. This..." he added, gesturing to the room around him. "It's almost too much. I feel like I don't deserve this, that it's some kind of mistake or something," he admitted softly.

Princess Luna rolled her eyes at him. "Starfall, art thou not our student?" she asked, Starfall nodding silently. "Then thou art entitled to privileges above and beyond the common pony. Thou hast been a dedicated student, so stop worrying and bask in what has been offered to thee," she said firmly, sounding like she was almost commanding him.

Starfall once more gave her a nod, swallowing nervously, turning back to the room once more. Even if the Princess of the Night had a point, he still felt out of place, like a dirty commoner not fit to even stand amongst such splendour, despite Rarity's commendable effort in transforming him into a much neater and more presentable stallion. As he ran a hoof through his mane unconsciously once more, his mind went back over Twilight's tour, which had turned surprisingly peaceful after Sweet Apple Acres, much to the stallion's immense relief. But everywhere they had gone, whispers had followed them...the town was aware that Pinkie Pie was planning another party, and that this one was shaping up to be big.

Starfall finally wandered deeper into the room, heading over to the large window, allowing him to look out over the nearby streets of Ponyville. Luna had obviously just raised the moon for the night, the sun having disappeared below the horizon, a faint glow still just visible on the western horizon, and the first faint stars making their appearance in the sky, bringing a faint smile to Starfall's face.

It looked like it might be a nice night for stargazing, something he had not been able to do as often as he liked since he had started his studies. Sure, his studies actually involved stargazing, but it was focused, educationally-driven stuff. Starfall just wanted to flop down on a grassy hillside somewhere, or perhaps on a small cloud, and just gaze aimlessly, not seeking to learn anything, but just take in the beauty and mystery of those tiny pinpricks of light.

He was pulled abruptly from his thoughts when a muffled, but still somewhat loud noise made itself apparent to Starfall's ears. He also felt it reverberating through the floor below his hooves, making him look down at the carpet curiously. It sounded like somepony had turned on some music in the downstairs function room...very loud music, at that.

Princess Luna similarly looked down at where the music appeared to be coming from, before looking up at Starfall with a raised eyebrow...probably not familiar with such modern music, if the electronic sounds and heavy bass were any indication. "Pray tell, Starfall, what is that noise?"

Starfall looked up at her, looking a little uneasy. "I'm pretty sure that's music. I get the feeling Pinkie Pie's welcome party just started...and she's holding it here," he muttered, sounding incredibly nervous about the idea of heading downstairs. Big parties or clubs really weren't Starfall's thing at all, and by the sounds of it, Pinkie Pie was going for the atmosphere of a big nightclub down there.

Princess Luna once more gave Starfall her signature raised eyebrow. "Music?" she repeated, looking back at the floor as Starfall nodded. "It seems music has gone through many a change in our absence..." she commented dryly, clearly knowing she was stating the obvious, there.

Starfall gave a weak, nervous chuckle. "That's an understatement, if ever there was one," he commented, before pausing. "I don't know if I could explain even the basics to you right now, Princess...I'm not much into this sort of music. But it will definitely be the focus of a lesson or two," he assured her, before flicking his wings nervously, looking towards the door. "I guess we'd better head down...it's our party, after all," he added, though was obviously reluctant.

Princess Luna seemed just as reluctant as he was, and unlike the young pegasus, didn't seem shy about pointing it out. "Thou wish to remain upstairs?" she inquired, sounding slightly curious.

Starfall nodded in response, his wings still appearing to have a nervous life of their own. "I'm not a big fan of parties, especially large ones like this. I guess I'm not very good with crowds," he admitted sheepishly, suddenly having a hard time looking Princess Luna in the eye. "But...Pinkie Pie did go to all the effort of organising it," he pointed out. "It would be rude of us to refuse to attend our own party after all that."

Princess Luna was silent and still for a few moment, before nodding, finally conceding his point. "We suppose thou art right, Starfall," she sighed, heading back out into the hallway. "Shall we?" she called after him, Starfall giving a hesitant nod and trotting after her as they made their way downstairs, towards the thumping bass of the music, which was growing increasingly louder as they went.

When they finally reached the motel's sizable function room, Starfall stopped dead in his tracks at the sight that greeted him. The room was plunged into darkness, lit only by some dim lights to just allow navigation of the room without tripping, the gloom allowing various strobe and disco lights to flash around the room to maximum effect. The loud electronic music, blaring from speakers all around the room, was being managed off in one corner by a white unicorn, her brilliant blue and cyan mane done up in a wild, eye-catching style, her eyes hidden behind equally outlandish purple tinted reflective glasses. Taking up most of the floor space in the room was a large dance floor, already full of energetic ponies seemingly competing to see who can make the biggest fool of themselves. A smaller space off to one side was reserved for food and drinks, tables and bar shelves lined with bowls of various sweets, and filled with an assortment of different-flavoured punch drinks. In another corner was a place full of couches, seats, tables and cushion, a place obviously geared towards relaxed social interaction rather than the energetic atmosphere the rest of the room gave off.

As Starfall took in the general atmosphere, he was reminded more of a nightclub than anything else, Cosmo having once dragged him off to one when they were still friends. He hadn't been a big fan of it back then, and if his initial wariness was anything to go by, that opinion was not about to change very much. Starfall's quiet and reserved nature went against the wild, carefree vibe this party was giving off. All the same, this was in his honour, as well as Luna's, which gave him an obligation to at least attend.

Sharing a wary, nervous look with the Princess, Starfall finally wandered into the function room proper, his gaze wandering all around, looking for familiar faces, particularly the host of this wild, but admittedly impressive party: Twilight and her group had not been lying, Pinkie Pie really did know how to throw a party like no other.

Sure enough, as if summoned by his thoughts, the energetic pink mare burst up, seemingly out of nowhere, a fore hoof wrapped around Starfall's shoulders before he even knew what was happening. "Starfall! You made it!" she cried, beaming enthusiastically at him, before briefly turning her attention to Princess Luna. "And welcome to you, too, Princess!" she added on, before addressing both of them, though she kept her hoof around Starfall the whole time. "So this is your big, super-duper, wonderific Welcome Party! What do you think, it's pretty cool, isn't it?" she asked, grinning at him once more, clearly expecting an answer.

Starfall cleared his throat, once more looking around the party nervously. "Uhh, yeah. I can't believe you managed to set all this up. I mean..."

"Why, thank you!" Pinkie interrupted. "Mind you, I had help. I mean, when word gets out that I'm throwing a party, I know several ponies that are always willing to help me out for the really big ones! I mean, I know everypony in Ponyville, but not all of them can be great at organising parties, and those that did help were more than enough! I would have done it myself, like I usually do, but I mean, you two deserved the biggest, bestest party I could set up, so here you are! I really hope you two have fun!" she cried, before dashing off, gone as instantaneously as she had appeared, likely finding something else to entertain herself with.

Shaking off the usual throbbing in his head associated with the town's resident motor-mouth, Starfall turned back to the Princess, giving her a nervous, slightly strained smile. "Well, we might as well head in," he said, Princess Luna nodding in response, before Starfall hesitantly led her deeper into the room.

Sure enough, as Starfall moved in amongst the crowds, the atmosphere of the party only pressed down on him further. He could swear the heavy beat of the ever-present music was messing with his heartbeat, with the way it thumped in his body, seemingly reverberating in his ribcage. By the uncomfortable look on Princess Luna's face, he guessed she was feeling it, too.

Catching that he was looking at her, Luna glanced his way briefly, before saying something to him that Starfall's ears completely missed over the blaring music, the DJ in the corner obviously not holding back one bit. "What was that?!" he called to her over the music, having to shout despite being right next to her, the sheer number of ponies in the room forcing him into the personal space he always allowed her. "I can't hear you over the music, you need to speak up!"

Luna grimaced, apparently having heard him, before heaving a sigh that Starfall didn't hear, raising her voice to that magically-amplified level he had only heard when she had blown her temper at him over his crush. Starfall winced at the memory, but the lack of anger in her voice helped alleviate any tension her amplified volume caused. "We were wondering about the excessive volume of the music. We have attended a 'modern' party previously, and the music was very different from this! It certainly was not loud enough to hinder one's ability to speak to somepony!" she called back, Starfall only just hearing her this time, even with her magically-enhanced voice.

Starfall nodded, understand what she meant by this, not entirely understanding it, himself. Best he could tell, the excessive volume was used to help give an extra edge to the wild, unrestrained atmosphere. Before he could explain it, though, a third voice joined, having somehow overheard Luna amidst all the noise.

"The wedding was a totally different situation, Luna. Parties like this are meant to be very loud and wild, from what I've read." Sure enough, Twilight Sparkle soon appeared in front of Starfall, confirming who the voice belonged to as she continued. "I don't fully understand it, myself, but that's the way it is, and I must admit it makes you feel a certain...energy." She paused to let that sink in, before she smiled at both of them. "I'm glad you could make it, though. Especially you, Starfall. Nopony's truly lived until they've experienced one of Pinkie Pie's famous parties first-hoof!"

Starfall didn't look entirely convinced, but gave Twilight a small nod, anyway. He would at least try to enjoy himself while he was here, and stay for as long as he thought his ears could take the insane volume of this music. Princess Luna, on the other hoof, seemed to be at least a little more receptive to Twilight's words. "Very well, Twilight...thou hast never led us astray before. We shall give this new experience a chance...perhaps we shall enjoy as much as some of our other experiences," she mused, seemingly nodding to herself, before turning back to Starfall. "I shall leave thee to thy own things, Starfall," she said simply, Starfall only giving her a quick nod in response, before letting the Princess of the Night wander off into the crowds, soon disappearing despite her distinctive appearance, the uncertain lighting and pressing crowds soon swallowing her form up, leaving Starfall alone, and unsure what to do now.

Twilight also watched the younger Princess wander off, before turning back to Starfall. "Well, I'll leave you to your own thing, Starfall. Have fun! It's your party, after all!" she called, before heading off in the direction of the dance floor, leaving Starfall by himself, nervously glancing at the sea of ponies around, wondering what he should do.

The young pegasus quickly ruled out the dance floor...he had never danced in his life, and figured that with his rather weak flying skills, he'd probably be totally horrible at it, anyway. He had no intention of humiliating himself in that fashion.

Instead, Starfall made his way over to the bar area, finding his throat rather parched with how nervous this whole thing was making him feel. The crowded nature of the room was no different at the bar, Starfall finding himself stumbling and apologising repeatedly as he tried to weave his way through the crowd. He gave a quick wave to Applejack as he passed the country pony by, the Earth Pony raising a glass of punch in his direction in response, before resuming her conversation with a plum coloured mare, the two of them apparently sharing idle gossip, though the purple mare seemed to be more interesting in the punch than the conversation at the moment.

Heading over to a less crowded punch bowl, Starfall poured himself a glass, taking a testing sip of it, finding it surprisingly pleasant. With a drink to keep himself occupied for the next few minutes at least, the stallion decided to head towards the lounge area. He had barely even taken part in the party, and yet he still felt like he needed a moment to relax and recover from the suffocating presence the whole party seem to throw over him.

As he approached the lounge area, though, he saw a familiar young mare wave to him from one of the cushions near the edge of the area...a spot with a good view of the dance floor. "Hey, hey Starfall! Over here!" Even though the voice was only just barely audible over the music, Starfall easily recognised the deeper tone, with a slight slur further defining it, immediately changing course to head her way.

"Hey there, Derpy!" Starfall called back as he got closer, smiling as he found a cushion on the opposite side of the small bench Derpy was sitting in front of, her own glass of punch sitting in front of her, though the clumsy pegasus had chosen to use a straw with hers...likely to minimise the chance of any accidents depriving her of her drink. "You decided to come to the party, too," he commented as he sat down.

Derpy, meanwhile, nodded enthusiastically. "Yup, I always come to Pinkie Pie's parties. Even if you're not a party pony, you've gotta admit she knows what she's doing, don't you?" she added, gesturing towards the dance floor and the DJ, Starfall quickly reaching forward to save her punch glass before her accidental knock tipped it over, getting a sheepishly grateful look from her for the act. "Thanks."

Starfall gave her a smile. Sure, her clumsiness could be annoying sometimes. But he had quickly worked out that she never meant to cause any of these accidents, and that her poor eyesight meant such hiccups were usually unavoidable, particularly with a mare with Derpy's cheer and exuberance. "Anytime. And yeah, I get what you mean about this place. I'm not one for big parties, or clubs...but I've gotta admit, even with everypony telling me to expect this, I'm kind of blown away by it."

Derpy nodded brightly. "Yeah, if you don't know Pinkie very well, that'll happen. You get used to it really quick, though, especially if you live around here. She throws a party for just about any reason she can come up with," she added, giving a light giggle.

Nodding in agreement, Starfall turned his gaze to the rest of the room during the pause in the conversation, the slightly elevated position of the lounge allowing him to see things he previously couldn't in amongst the crowd. Pinkie Pie was right in what appeared to be her favourite place...the middle of the dance floor, busting out some of the wildest, most outlandish moves Starfall had ever seen. Dancing like that would certainly make him die of embarrassment if he was the one performing, but Pinkie did not seem to have a care in the world.

Twilight was also out on the dance floor, though quite a number of party-goers seemed to be giving the unicorn a wide berth, Starfall able to see why from up here; Twilight's dancing, while obvious energetic and enthusiastic, was really quite difficult to watch...kind of how he imagined himself if someone ever dragged him out onto the dance floor. No skill, no finesse, just energetic flailing that, while fun, really wasn't easy to watch without cringing.

Rainbow Dash was also on the dance floor...and unlike the other two, actually seemed to have some skill. She was not exactly a pro dancer, but she handled herself well, using both her hooves and her wings to rather impressive effect. What was interesting to note for Starfall was that, despite her ability, she ignored any attention she received because of it, keeping her moves strictly solo, or at least as solo as a dancer could be on such a crowded floor.

Over at the bar area, Starfall noticed that Applejack was no longer by the punch bowls, instead over at the food table, having gotten herself into what looked like an exasperated disagreement with Rarity over something...though Starfall had to do a double-take to confirm the unicorn Applejack was with was the same unicorn that had fixed his mane earlier that day. Rarity had clearly dressed to impress...or at least tried to. While Starfall would admit that, in the right place, the dress she was wearing would be dazzling, in the more carefree party environment, all she had ended up doing was overdressing for the occasion, and looking rather out of place in the process.

Starfall noticed that the last member of Twilight's group, Fluttershy, was nowhere to be seen out in the room. Curious, he cast his gaze around again, finding that she didn't appear to have attended. He disproved that two seconds later, however, spotting the skittish, meek pegasus in the far corner of the lounge, clearly trying to just stay out of the way and let everypony else have their fun. Able to relate to that, and knowing Fluttershy would likely be terrified at the very idea of heading out to dance, Starfall decided not to bother her, instead casting his gaze back outward, looking for one last pony. He had not seen Princess Luna since they had split up, and even from this elevated position, she seemed to be difficult to spot.

Eventually, though, he did spot the Princess of the Night, though what he saw made him pause. She was actually hanging around near the bar area, not too far from where Applejack and Rarity were continuing their argument. But Starfall could tell she wasn't just there for the drinks. Having been around her for months now, he had learned to read her subtle body language, even in this uncertain lighting, and could tell that Princess Luna was struggling in this environment, though she was doing a very good job of hiding it.

She appeared relaxed, but Starfall could spot the slight tension in her body that said she was either nervous or irritated; likely the former in this case. She seemed to be merely sitting back and observing the crowd go about their own thing, but Starfall could see the way her gaze could never seem to stray away from the dance floor for too long. She seemed to want to join in the fun, but her continued struggles to adapt to modern society were holding her back. He knew that, in her time, dancing was a much more relaxed affair, that almost exclusively involved couples, and the concept of dancing individually in such crowded, confined spaces was a little bewildering to her.

"She's doing a good job of hiding her discomfort, isn't she?" Derpy commented from out of the blue, surprising Starfall, having failed to notice her leave her spot and come up beside Starfall. "I guess she's probably learned to keep her emotions to herself, mostly, right?"

Starfall sighed, nodding. "It's just who she is, Derpy. It'd be nice if she didn't have to...but with everything that's happened to her, I can't say I blame her," he replied softly. He really did have sympathy for how hard the Princess' life had been...especially since he could relate to it, in a way.

Derpy simply nodded, staying silent for a few moment, before suddenly piping up again. "Why don't you see if she wants to dance?" she asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

Starfall whirled to face her, stunned at the blunt, direct nature of her question. "What?" was all he got out as an immediate response, before clearing his throat and trying again. "What do you mean, Derpy?" he asked.

Derpy gestured back out towards Luna with a wing in response. "Come on, surely you can see it. She wants to dance, but isn't sure about dancing alone out there. She wants somepony there with her, and you know her better than anyone. It'd be fun for both of you!" she chirped up, smiling at him encouragingly.

Starfall just shook his head at that. He could only see Derpy's suggestion being a very, very bad idea. Even though they had put Starfall's crush, and the resulting fight, behind them by now, Starfall knew asking her if she wanted to dance was just asking for trouble given their previous history. "I don't think so, Derpy. It sounds nice in theory, but if Luna takes it the wrong way..."

Derpy frowned at him for a moment, as if confused, before giggling. "Starfall, it's a dance, for Celestia's sake! She's not going to jump to conclusions over dancing, especially in this setting. This kind of dancing is hardly romantic," she commented, gesturing out to the dance floor.

Starfall looked back at the dance floor, noting that the pegasus did have a point. Even so, he was still worried about it. But this nervousness only increased when Rainbow Dash, who seemed to have had enough of dancing, headed their way. "Hey, Derpy, Starfall, what's up?"

Derpy responded in her usual way. "Oh, I'm just trying to convince Starfall that he should help Princess Luna out by dancing with her out there, but he thinks it's a bad idea," she chirped, Starfall groaning as the rainbow-maned pegasus turned her attention on him.

"Oh, go on, Starfall!" Rainbow encouraged, giving him a none-too-subtle nudge, trying to get him on his hooves and off in Luna's direction. "I'm sure you'll both have fun!"

Starfall shook his head, fishing for more excuses. "Please, both of you. I'm sure she wouldn't want me asking such a thing of her. Besides, I can't dance," he added, hoping they'd leave him alone on account of his unknown, potentially disastrous dancing skills.

He knew it was too much to hope for though, and this thought was confirmed a second later. "You mean you don't want to dance," Rainbow Dash corrected. "Or at least you think you don't. You'd be surprised how few ponies care how good your dancing is, I mean look at Twilight!" she added, pointing a hoof in the unicorn's direction. Twilight was still dancing away, just as hopelessly as when Starfall had first noticed her. "Twilight's dancing is absolutely awful," she continued bluntly. "But she's having fun, so she doesn't care, and neither does anypony else. It's part of the fun in these kind of parties."

Starfall sighed, still nervous and wary of this whole idea. "But, I..."

"But nothing, mister!" Dash butted in, giving him a more insistent shove this time. "The Princess needs to have a good time, and if Derpy says you're the best pony to help her, I ain't gonna argue. Now go on, you...go show the Princess how us modern ponies party!" she finished, giving him one last shove, forcing him to his hooves as he stumbled in Luna's direction.

Starfall looked back over his shoulder, wanting to protest further, but with the way both mares were gesturing to him, clearly encouraging him to continue, he could see that they would not let this go until he at least tried. Sighing, mentally cursing himself for giving in like this, he wandered in Luna's direction, praying this did not spark another verbal lashing from her...he wasn't sure he could survive the humiliation of going through that again.

He eventually reached Luna's side, the Princess looking over as she noticed him, before looking back over at the dance floor, commenting before Starfall could speak up. "We would never have imagined modern Equestria having anything like this before our banishment," she said. "A party back in our original time would have been so much more, well..."

"Formal?" Starfall suggested, getting a nod out of the Princess of the Night. "We still have things like that. The Grand Galloping Gala was around in your time, and that's still the same as it always was. We tend to call those 'functions' nowadays, rather than parties."

Luna gave him yet another nod of understanding, before looking back to the dance floor. "When Princess Mi Amore Cadenza married the Captain of the Royal Guard, there was a party in the gardens after the ceremony that we were able to attend. It was much like this, only not as loud and crowded."

Starfall nodded. "Royal wedding would also be a little more controlled and restrained. This right here is similar to a nightclub," he said, before elaborating at Luna's confused look. "It's essentially a place, like a bar or such, where ponies can party through the night for no other reason than because they want to. Those clubs are always very crowded, extremely loud, and highly energetic."

Princess Luna's eyes lit up in understanding. "Much like this...only this party has a purpose to it," she added, Starfall nodding, glad she understood so easily. Both ponies went silent for a few moments after that, Luna looking back over at the dance floor. Starfall followed her gaze for a moment, before screwing up his courage to broach the subject.

"You can go and dance if you want, Luna. Nopony will mind," he suggested, hoping to get away with convincing her to dance without having to ask her to join him. The look on the Princess' face, however, said that was probably not going to happen. She definitely seemed reluctant, though doing a good job of hiding it. It was only Starfall's experience with reading her expressions that allowed him to tell.

"We do not think that would be wise, Starfall," she replied, as softly as the thumping music allowed. "We do not understand modern dancing, and do not want to draw attention to us."

Starfall tried to give her an encouraging smile, but his own nerves were ruining much of the effect. "As far as I'm aware, there's not that much too it. As long as you're having fun, dancing in these clubs can be anything from simply shuffling your hooves and swaying to the music to the most wild and outlandish group dancing you can imagine. It's all down to what you can do, and how much you're willing to embarrass yourself."

Princess Luna finally pulled her gaze away from the dance floor to look at Starfall. "What about thou, Starfall? How wouldst thou behave out there?" she asked, making Starfall pause.

"I...I've never really danced before," he admitted, Luna giving him a surprised look. "I mean, I don't like attention, and I know I'd just make a fool of myself."

Princess Luna raised an eyebrow at him. "Never?" she asked, Starfall shaking his head. He may have tried once or twice in more private settings, but his own inability soon saw him getting too embarrassed at himself to continue.

Luna looked back out at the dance floor, and Starfall knew this was probably his best chance to ask her. He took a moment to gather up every scrap of courage he could find, before speaking up. "If you really want to go out there, Luna...I could join you," he said softly. "I can help you if you're worried about anything. And with me there, you can't possibly look stupid."

To Starfall's relief, Princess Luna did not initially reject the idea...she actually seemed to be considering it, looking over at the dance floor thoughtfully. Starfall decided to press on. "I don't know much about dancing, Luna...but I guess that just means that I'll be learning as we go, too." The young pegasus was about as nervous as he'd ever felt since he had revealed his crush to the Princess of the Night, but was glad that Luna did seem to be warming to the idea.

The Princess did have one last objection to raise, though. "Speaking of this, is there any way we could study today's music and dancing traditions in our lessons, before we try it for ourselves?" she asked. She wanted to do this, but was reluctant to do so without first understanding it.

Starfall nodded slowly, though caught on to a snag. "I was planning on making our next lesson about music, Luna...and I could also add dancing as the next topic we study. But this is probably the only chance we're going to have to dance for a long time, Luna," he admitted. His aversion to dancing meant that this party was likely going to be the last one of it's scale he attended for a long time, if ever. "If you want to experience it, I'll help. But I don't like parties much, which means it has to be tonight."

This gave Princess Luna pause, the alicorn once more looking over at the dance floor, as if weighing up the pros and cons of each side of the situation. Eventually, though, she seemed to realise something that gave her pause, turning back to Starfall. "If you despise dancing, why are you offering to join us?" she asked, a slight edge to her tone that made Starfall pause. She was starting to suspect his motives, which meant the stallion needed to beat that idea down, and fast. Another fight over his crush was not something Starfall could afford to have happen.

"Princess, I can tell you want to be out there, dancing, but you're not sure of yourself. If you want to learn more about modern Equestria, it's always good to actually experience some of these changes yourself. I may not like dancing, but I've always been told it's less nerve-wracking of an experience if somepony else is there to share the experience with you. I'm just trying to help, Luna...as a friend, nothing more."

The Princess gave her patented stare to Starfall for a few more moments, before finally relaxing. "Very well, Starfall...it is pointless to open this old wound any further," she said, allowing Starfall to release the breath he had been holding, relieved. "And...if thou art truly willing to assist us, we would be grateful if thou could accompany us," she added.

Starfall gave her a small, nervous smile, before leading her out towards the dance floor. He briefly spotted Derpy and Rainbow Dash out of the corner of his eye, grinning at him and giving each other a quick wing-five. His attempt to give them a withering glare saw them start snickering instead, the sound fortunately drowned out as yet another thumping tune started up, but inwardly, Starfall did make a note to thank the two of them later...he was sure that, for all the humiliation this was bound to cause him, that the young pegasus was at least going to enjoy himself.

Comments

[ARTL]

WE CAN HAS NEXT CHAPTER PLZ?!

[-Brutus]

Dance wooo!

[Mr Evergreen]

Just dance pony edition

[Just Defender]

I wanna see a pic commissioned for this chapter.