//------------------------------//
// A Night Without Regrets 
// Story: Soaring Glimmers 
// by SilverStar7 
//------------------------------//

This night in the Crystal Empire was particularly quiet. After the day's festivities, just about every pony in the Empire was fast asleep. The lack of patronage in the bar was mirrored on the vacant streets. Every window in every one of the complex crystal homes was dark, and the only noise came from the gentle clip-clop of hooves on the crystal roads as Starlight and Soarin walked back to the Castle.

When the pair had gone about one block from the bar, Starlight said, "I'm so sorry about all this."

"Don't worry about it," said Soarin. "It's not much of a walk and it isn't like I had anything else going on tonight."

While she did nod, Starlight continued to look toward the ground. After a while longer she said, "Soarin, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"When I said that if you really knew me, you'd never call me a hero, you didn't say anything." 

Looking down at the unicorn, Soarin saw her head was still drooped and her eyes were still fixed upon the road.

"Is it... is it because you believed me?"

"No." Soarin shook his head. "I just know what it feels like to think you're not good enough, so I know there aren't any words to say."

Starlight bit her lip. "Do you... Do you wanna talk about it?"

Chuckling, Soarin said, "I never wanna talk about it. Do you know how pathetic it sounds for a Wonderbolt to say that?"

"But you're not just a Wonderbolt," said Starlight. "You're a pony, too. And it's normal for a pony to feel... well... like you're just a pony."

Nodding, Soarin said. "Sure. But you're just a pony, too."

"Yeah. Believe me, I know." Starlight rolled her eyes. "I don't need any reminders of how pathetic I can be."

"That's not what I meant," said Soarin. "You're a pony. Nothing more, sure. But also nothing less."

Her ears pricking up, Starlight turned her head to look at Soarin, who was already looking at her. When she saw his eyes, she looked away. "I'm not so sure about that. And if you knew who you were really talking to, you wouldn't be so sure either."

At this, again, Soarin reach out with a hoof and held it to Starlight's shoulder. With a groan, Starlight stepped away and the pair both stopped.

"I'm serious, Soarin," said Starlight. "You have no idea who you're talking to. I don't deserve to be called a hero."

"You know she told us, right?" asked Soarin.

Starlight raised an eyebrow. "Who told who what?"

"Rainbow Dash told us about you. The whole story. That included your village."

With that, Starlight's eyes were now locked on Soarin's. "And you... So you... You knew and... But that trick! Why? I was a monster! Why would you base a trick on somepony so horrible?"

To which Soarin simply said, "I wouldn't."

Starlight stared at the stallion for a time. She then responded equally simply. "Thanks." 

For a moment longer the pair stood in the night air before Soarin tilted his head in the direction of the Castle. Starlight walked back toward Soarin and the two continued onward.

"Now, sure, I shouldn't put Dash on a pedestal," said Soarin. "But you shouldn't leave yourself on the ground. You've done more than your fair share to prove to everyone you're not a monster." Soarin then looked back out at the darkened city around them. "We're all 'just ponies.' Nothing more, nothing less."

"I don't know. Sometimes it seems like being 'just ponies' is impossible." Starlight sighed. "A few weeks ago, I invited Sunburst to Ponyville. All I wanted was to reconnect with my best friend. But when he got there, he spent time with everypony except me.

"When we were young, Sunburst and I were just two foals having fun. When we practiced magic or played games, it was like all of Equestria disappeared and it was just the two of us. I know it wasn't really real, but it's how I felt. I wanted to feel that way again - to just be young and carefree playing a board game with my best friend. And I don't know if anypony else can ever understand why some stupid game meant so much to me."

"They don't have to," said Soarin. "That experience was meant for you."

Starlight shook her head. "That's a nice thought, but I know it's not true. Really meaningful things mean something to other ponies. Like, everypony gets how important my saving Stygan was."

"And that experience was meant for everypony else. Sometimes you can find something meaningful to everypony and sometimes just to you. It doesn't make it less meaningful."

Groaning, Starlight said, "That sounds like the sort of nonsense I used to tell to the ponies in my village."

Soarin frowned and for a while the pair made their way to the Castle in silence. Upon reaching the last block, however, Soarin's ears pricked up. He looked over at Starlight. "Did you know that there was a second air show that Cadence scheduled for tonight?"

"No."

"Well, it's totally different from the Wonderbolts. We do crazy stunts and fly fast and get crowds cheering. This air show... it goes slow. And I don't think I ever hear anypony cheering for it, but it's beautiful in its own way. It's got that different kind of meaning." 

Rolling her eyes, Starlight said, "Sounds like you're just trying to be nice. If nopony's cheering, and I didn't even hear about it, then the show can't be that good."

Soarin stopped walking and Starlight did as well. Soarin then gestured skyward. When Starlight looked up, she gave a light gasp. The dark sky was being pierced by an array of green-blue lights, swirling about in thin bands and lightly flickering as they danced across the starlit heavens.

"They're called 'auroras,'" Soarin said. "They're made by the Empire's crystal magic."

The pair gazed up at the shimmering auroras for a time, mesmerized by the white bands slowly pulsing through the waves like crests on an ocean of color. The hypnotic movements were slow, but the changes being made were dramatic and breathtaking.

"They're amazing," Starlight said.

"Yeah. If you close your eyes, you can sometimes hear them, too."

Closing her eyes Starlight listened carefully. Against the light breeze, she could hear a faint crackling and hissing. It reminded her of the sound of a bonfire, but it sounded like it was coming from very far away. She perked her ears toward the heavens. For a few moments, she simply drank in the quiet sound from the sky. 

Then, she heard something else. Another faint hissing that sounded like it was coming from very close by. She opened her eyes and looked up slightly at the source. It was the sound of Soarin breathing through his nostrils. His eyes were closed, a light smile on his face as he listened to the auroras. His breathing was rhythmic and gentle.

Taking a few steps, Starlight brought herself close to the stallion and leaned into his side, causing him to open his eyes and look down into hers.

"Thank you for showing me this," she said. 

"It's nothing," Soarin shrugged. "They were already there. I just pointed them out."

Starlight smiled and looked back up, prompting Soarin to do likewise. For a little while longer the pair stood together, staring up at the many lights making their way through the sky.





Back at the castle, Soarin guided Starlight to her room. The halls were dark and again the two didn't encounter anypony else. Upon reaching Starlight's room, the pair entered quietly and Starlight shut the door behind them.

"Thank you," she said, turning to look at Soarin.

"Hey, it's nothing. At this point, I was just doin' my job." Soarin chuckled. "It's not like that bartender gave us much of a choice in the matter."

Starlight shook her head. "No, no, no. Not for taking me back here."

Soarin raised an eyebrow. "Then what for?"

"Well, I mean, yeah, that was part of it. But not the getting me here. Thank you for talking to me. For listening. For taking the time." Starlight took a step forward, putting herself only inches from Soarin. "Soarin, tonight was going to be miserable. That's what it was supposed to be, but you changed all that. You... you made it a night I won't regret." 

As she looked into Soarin's emerald eyes, Starlight was acutely aware of her own breathing and heartbeat. Leaning forward, she closed her eyes and pushed herself up to match Soarin's height, leaning the bridge of her muzzle against his.

At this, Soarin closed his eyes and leaned back into her, gently rocking his head from side to side. For a time, the two stood together, gently nuzzling one another. And in the silence of the moment, their ears pricked up. From somewhere the two could hear a rumbling sound. The pair opened their eyes.

"Is that thunder?" Soarin asked.

Starlight looked around the room. She soon realized the sound was coming from the wall on the right. "No it's... Oh, Celestia!" she started to giggle. "It's Rainbow Dash!"

Soarin angled his head and, upon recognizing the sound of his teammate's snoring, began laughing. Starlight's light giggle intensified to match. Within a few seconds, though, Soarin started to hiss between laughs. "Haha--shhh!--haha--shhh--hahaha! We gotta be quiet!"

"No, we're good!" said Starlight at full volume. "She's like four or five rooms over! Hahaha! Her snoring is just that loud!" 

It took a few seconds for the pair to calm down after that. Then Starlight, without really looking at Soarin, leaned back toward him. However, in those seconds, the smile on Soarin's face had been replaced by a frown and, instead of returning the act, Soarin breathed deeply, backed away, and turned his body to face away from Starlight. 

Starlight watched Soarin stepping away with growing confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's complicated." Soarin looked back at Starlight. "It's about Dash, not you. I just, I'm not ready to let go yet. I know you might feel like a seventh wheel, but with the way Dash talks, the two of you are definitely friends. If anything happened between you and me..." Soarin shook his head.

Starlight sighed and nodded. "No, I... I understand."

"You're an amazing mare. I just... I can't make this a night that I regret, you know?"

"Yeah." The mare suddenly smiled. "And I believe you."

"About what?"

"When you say I'm amazing. I think you mean it." Starlight let out a laugh, tears lightly forming at the bottom of her eyes. "I've heard ponies say that kinda thing to me so many times recently and I never believed any of them actually meant it. Or, at least, that they would've said it if they knew me. Like, if they found out who I really was, they would take it back." 

Soarin smiled. "I'm not taking it back."

Falling backwards onto the bed, Starlight grabbed a pillow. She then turned so that her head faced Soarin and she hugged the pillow below her as she looked at him. "It doesn't have to be a date or anything, but I wanna see you again."

"Likewise."

"Really?"

Soarin nodded. "Honestly, you did as much for me tonight as you claim I did for you. I saw you as every bit as much of a hero as I see Dash, and I still think you are. But you're not that intimidating. You're a pony like me. And I'm hoping that, if I can just start seeing Dash that way, maybe I can tell her how I feel without believing I'm not good enough."

"I hope you can. Like I said, I can't imagine she wouldn't be happy to know somepony liked her. Especially with her ego." Starlight laughed slightly, a smile on her face.

"Fair enough," said Soarin as he smiled as well. Then, "Are you going to the breakfast tomorrow?"

"Let's sit together," said Starlight. 

"Right on." Soarin nodded and then walked to the door. Upon opening it, he turned back.

"Have a good night, Soarin."

"Sleep well, Starlight."

At that, he left, closing the door, and she shifted herself to lie properly in her bed. And as Soarin strolled back to his room and Starlight began to stray into sleep, each savored the respective peace they felt. A peace that emanated from the peculiar, but still beautiful, shimmering light found in meeting as just ponies - nothing more, nothing less.