//------------------------------//
// A Royal Invitation 
// Story: The Olden World 
// by Czar_Yoshi 
//------------------------------//

When Valey and Shinespark were gone, Starlight was left alone with Gwendolyn in the library. She didn't opt to talk, tending to herself with her towels and drying her face and her fur. A few minutes passed, and she felt the hum of life course through the ship, a pleasant vibration that made the timbers feel slightly more alive. The floor lifted beneath them, the sound of the rain disappeared on the deck above, and they were airborne once more.

Starlight paused, sitting and holding her towel and looking at the roof. The sound of the rain was one thing she did miss, actually, when the ship was active. She didn't have the best relationship with getting rained on, and the memories of being finally safe from it in those early days in Maple's house sat like warm nuggets in her heart.

"You're smiling?" Lyn remarked, sounding slightly surprised.

"I just reminded myself of something. It's nothing." Starlight shook her head.

Lyn shrugged, starting to remove her sodden dress. It was a dark garment with elaborate markings but a simple layout and no ruffles or frills, and had soaked through easily, looking thin and unsuited for cold weather. The thing clung to Lyn's fur as she struggled with it, and after a moment, Starlight asked, "Do you need help with that?"

For a brief moment, the sphinx looked slightly frustrated, then nodded. "Thank you."

Starlight delicately tugged at the dress, using her teeth and hooves and careful not to tear it. With her help, it was soon drying and folded, revealing a cutie mark of a chess king on the filly's exposed flanks. "There?"

Lyn gave her a strange look. "How come you didn't just use your horn?"

"I..." Starlight blinked, suddenly not sure she wanted to tell that she had overused it against Gazelle. "My horn is different from other unicorns'."

Lyn tilted her head. "I saw you using magic on my brother. It looked strong."

Starlight wilted slightly. "It just... only is strong. It isn't good for delicate things."

"Okay." Lyn huffed, leaning back and returning to toweling herself. "You can just say you don't want to talk about it. You don't need to lie to me. I was only curious."

Starlight sighed. "Is it that easy to tell what I'm thinking?"

"Yes. I apologize. I'm good at it." Lyn focused on her towel. "...And my brand tells me when anyone is lying. I don't tell this to everyone, by the way. It's more useful when it's a secret."

"Oh." Starlight folded her ears, recognizing the friendship offering when she saw it. "...My horn is broken. It's strong, but using it hurts me. A little is fine, but too much and I need to let it rest, or else I'll get bad headaches and seriously hurt myself."

"...Oh." Lyn's eyes widened slightly. "So back there..."

"I used more than I should have," Starlight admitted. "I'll be okay. I usually don't use my horn so I'm always at full in case something like that happens. I'll be fine if I just don't use it again for a week."

"A week." Lyn looked at her seriously. "That's... I'm sorry."

Starlight frowned. "Don't be. That's why I made something up. I knew you'd say that, and you had nothing to do with us being in that fight."

"No." Lyn shook her head, somehow regaining some grace despite being plastered with spiky, wet fur. "I mean I'm sorry that you have to live like that. Has it been that way all your life?"

Starlight bit her lip. "I don't know. I didn't use it for anything hard before a few months ago. And earth ponies live their whole lives with no horns, you know. I'm just like an earth pony, only sometimes stronger when I need to be."

Lyn shook her head. "An earth pony who can do everything they're expected to isn't going to be looked at the same as a unicorn who can't use her horn, and won't hurt themselves misusing it, either. I apologize if this isn't something to ask about, though. I know I'm telling you I'm sorry if you're getting unwanted attention for this while... also giving you attention for it."

"It's fine," Starlight reassured. "I'm used to being special. You're just curious. I don't blame you." She went back to toweling herself, starting to feel slightly drier. "You're asking anyway because you want to know if I feel the same as you do, don't you?"

Lyn smiled. "Is it that easy to tell what I'm thinking?"

Starlight blinked, recalling she had said exactly the same thing minutes earlier. "I... guess it is," she said, feeling some of the tension in her shoulders lifting. "You did tell me earlier on the deck that our friend told you we had a lot in common, though. I just remembered that."

"Oh. Right." Lyn folded her ears sheepishly. "You're right, though. It just sounds like you're uncommon, and I thought maybe you would rather not be..."

"I don't know." Starlight fidgeted with her forehooves. "No, there aren't a lot of other ponies who can do what I can. I only know one, and I don't know anything else about her. What I want is to stop needing to use what I can do to keep my friends safe. I do want a normal life, but if all the same things happened to us and I didn't have the power to do anything about it at all, that wouldn't make me happier. You don't want to be a princess?"

"There are a lot of reasons I'd rather be someone else." Lyn nodded. "I could still have my parents, and my brother. That's a big one."

Starlight's ears fell. "Oh."

"Don't worry about it," Lyn offered. "You weren't telling me about your horn to make me feel guilty, and I'm not doing that to you either."

"Okay." Starlight toweled herself again, her used linens slightly lilac from her fur. "I know you're being friendly, by the way. Sorry if I'm not being very warm. I'm not very used to spending time with other ponies my age anymore."

"Also okay," Lyn assured. "I know this is has been a little bit awkward, but... friends?" She offered a paw.

"Sure." Starlight took it, shaking with a slightly soggy hoof.

Lyn smiled. "Thanks. It's good to meet you. And I hope sometime we'll both be feeling in better spirits, and can have a little bit more normal of a conversation."

"That would be nice," Starlight agreed. "I feel like I usually do, though. I fight to protect my friends when they need me. Otherwise, I'm just here."

Lyn's smile slowly evaporated. "Don't you have any hobbies? What do you do to pass the time?"

Starlight shrugged. "Read. Sleep. Practice with Valey. Talk with Maple. Go out in the city if we're landed, or stand on the deck and watch the world go by."

"...You need more things to do than just that," Lyn slowly remarked, concern entering her voice. "I'll tell you what. If you and your friends stay in Grandbell for a while... on my invitation... I'll show you around and let you see all the things there are to do. If you're always doing the same things, no wonder this is your usual. I mean no offense, but you aren't very expressive."

Starlight tilted her head, considering the offer. Really, anywhere that was officially sanctioned as safe enough for a princess was very unlikely to have trouble... She nodded. "If we stay, that would be nice."

"Great." Lyn smiled an encouraged smile. "I think we should rest up for then. Do you have any place that would be better than the cargo bay for me to sleep?"

Starlight nodded, getting to her hooves. "We have an empty room or two. They're back this way..."