//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 // Story: Love's a Roller Coaster Ride // by The Lord Thunder //------------------------------// Trixie facehoofed against the irritation. Starlight and Sunburst had booped noses from her sabotaged noodles, but they still hadn’t kissed. “I can’t believe that didn’t work. That's the oldest accidental kiss trick in the book!” “So close,” Maud said. Trixie glanced over at her, but she still wore that same blank expression. “Aren’t you excited?” “Very.” Trixie studied Maud a bit closer, but failed to notice any sort of change in expression or posture. She rested her mind on the fact that this odd earth pony was beyond her understanding. “You’d make a great poker player, you know that?” “That’s another reason I’m here, but don’t tell my sister. She thinks I cheat, but she has more tells than pumice has holes.” “Right,” Trixie said, scratching her chin. It made sense. “Las Pegasus is famous for its casinos.” “So what next?” Maud asked. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. Time for a little magic.” Trixie looked up as she summoned glittering magic energy into her horn. “They’re going to stare into each other’s eyes whether they want to or not.” “Is that a good idea?” “Hey, Starlight has only herself to blame for teaching me these spells.” Trixie shut her eyes in concentration and conjured up a spell to force Starlight out of her senses for a moment, then one that held Sunburst’s head fast in place, unable to blink. “Here we go,” Maud said, turning her attention back to the two unicorns on the other side of the window. *** Sunburst had hardly noticed the sudden stiffness in his neck. He was transfixed on Starlight, captivated by a feminine sparkle in her blue eyes. A few moments later, Starlight shook the cobwebs out of her head. “Woah, that was weird. I just zoned out for a second there.” Even though the spell had faded, Sunburst still gazed at Starlight, causing two red blotches to appear on her cheeks. “Sunburst, are you okay? Why are you staring at me like that?” “Oh!” Sunburst glanced about, then shook his head to force himself back to reality. “I’m fine, it’s just…” He stopped, choking on the words. “What is it?” Starlight asked. Sunburst stared into her eyes for a bit longer, just to be sure he hadn’t imagined the last few seconds. Those blue orbs set above her nose gleamed with all the radiance of a charged soul crystal. “Wow. I never noticed how beautiful your eyes are.” Sunburst felt his heart thumping, his stomach twisting into a nervous knot at his own compliment. Both their cheeks flaring, Starlight averted her gaze to the table, nervously playing with her hooves while wearing a sheepish grin. “I, um,” Sunburst gulped. Intriguing, how hard it was to admit something like this. For a moment, he wrestled for the courage, only to stop short on the words. He took a deep breath to steel his nerve. It was time to pony up; if he couldn’t admit this to his oldest friend, he’d never be brave enough to find a mate someday. “You know, Starlight, you, er, you’re really pretty when you smile.” Sunburst’s face grew even hotter. “You should do it more.” Starlight giggled, giving Sunburst a coy smile of her own. “Well, I think those glasses make you look handsome, Mr. Super Smart Wizard.” *** Trixie put a hoof over her mouth to cram the squeal down. She nudged Maud on the shoulder with her other hoof. “Maud, did you hear that? That was so sweet!” “But they didn’t kiss.” Trixie looked back out the window. The two unicorns had gone back to their meal now, showing no possibility of a smooch. “Oh, come on! Just kiss already!” Trixie crammed both hooves over her mouth, cringing as she waited for Starlight and Sunburst to turn around at the sudden outburst and see her and Maud on the other side of the window. They didn’t seem to notice, keeping their attention on their meal. Trixie sighed in relief. “Your lunch, fillies.” Twisting her head at the new voice, Trixie saw the waiter had arrived at their table, two bowls of soup on his cart. “Oh, good. I’m hungry.” The unicorn waiter grabbed their bowls and drink with his telekinesis and placed them in front of Maud and Trixie, along with a plate of complimentary breadsticks. “Enjoy. Let me know if you need anything else.” After the waiter walked away, Trixie twirled a clump of noodles around her fork and opened her mouth wide to bite. “It’s hot,” Maud bluntly stated. Trixie hadn’t remembered. A tingling sensation, quickly growing in heat, reminded her of the Tartarus sauce. Sweat glistened on Trixie’s forehead. Moisture began to trickle its way down the sides of her face. A pained cough forced its way from her throat. The heat… it was unbearable, and only growing worse by the second! Chewed-up noodles flew out of Trixie’s mouth as she spat them back into the bowl. "Ack! My mouth's on fire!" “Too hot?” Maud asked. “I think-” Trixie coughed in pain as she wiped the sweat from her brow, “I think I just took a mouthful of molten lava!” “Felsic or mafic? Mafic has a high concentration of iron and magnesium, while felsic lava is formed at much lower-” “I don’t care!” Trixie howled. She could swear steam shot out her ears. Her nose went into overdrive, forcing her to desperately grab for a napkin and blow. She panted, hoping it would cool her mouth. It didn’t. "Make it stop!" Trixie frantically looked around for something to squelch the inferno and spotted Maud’s glass of milk. “Gimme that!” She grabbed the cup and swished some of the milk around in her mouth, finding relief in the sweet, creamy chill. “You’re welcome,” Maud said. “Trixie. Almost. Died.” Trixie panted in between each word. The burn came creeping back, prompting her to stuff one of the breadsticks in her mouth to keep it at bay. After that intense wave of fiery Tartarus sauce, however, Trixie couldn’t even taste the breadstick and barely felt it in her mouth. “Did my tongue melt away?!” Trixie stuck her tongue out to be sure it was still there. Maud pointed to her bowl. “Are you going to finish that?” “No!” Trixie snapped, pushing the bowl aside. “That stuff is evil. No wonder they call it Tartarus sauce.” “I thought you weren’t afraid of hot.” “I wanted spicy, not an inferno in my mouth. I might be Great and Powerful, but breathing fire is not in my repertoire!” Maud pulled Boulder from the pocket of her dress and plopped him in the bowl of noodles. “Boulder will finish the rest.” “Don’t pretend like that rock is-” Trixie’s jaw froze in amazement. The contents of the bowl were actually shrinking! “It’s okay. He can’t resist spicy food.” *** An empty bowl sat in front of Starlight and Sunburst; both of them patting their bellies contentedly. “Great meal, Starlight,” Sunburst said with a satisfied sigh. “I should listen to you more often.” “That’s a first,” Starlight replied with a giggle. “Nopony ever tells me that. Usually my ideas are terrible ones that backfire with disastrous consequences.” “Well this was a good one,” Sunburst assured her. “Next time we take a trip together, I’m leaving the dining plans to you.” Starlight pulled her head back in mild surprise. Would he really go out with her again after the roller coaster incident? “Is there going to be a ‘next time’?” “Why not?” Sunburst shrugged. “I’m having a good time.” Starlight couldn’t fight the smile as she averted her gaze. Maybe he really did enjoy being with her. “So, what do want to do next, Starlight?” Sunburst asked, pulling her from her thoughts. “Hmmm. There’s plenty to do in Las Pegasus. Let’s let our food settle for a bit and think on it.” She stood up from her chair, turning for the door. “I have to use the filly’s room. I’ll be right back.” Sunburst gave an understanding nod. “Go ahead, I’ll wait out here for the check.”