“What? No. What?” Starlight shook her head in irritation. “Of course teleporting doesn’t kill you. Why would you think that?”
“Ah… it’s just what someone said.”
“You don’t even really change locations! You just connect the space around you with another location through extra-dimensional, um…” Starlight paused. “You merge the lucidiary particles with…” She threw her hooves up in frustration. “Look, ask Sunburst about it! Sunburst will explain it. But no: there’s nothing about the spell that would kill you.” She rolled her eyes. “Come on, teleporting killing unicorns. It’s ridiculous! It’s not like they’re soundproofing walls, or anything.”
Rarity paused, but then decided it wasn’t worth the distraction to think too deeply about it. She stopped in front of Fluttershy and Moon Dancer’s door. She did nothing.
Starlight frowned. “Are you really that worried? The Pommel thing worked out, and she was the one you hurt, right?”
Rarity winced, but she decided it was fair to remind her of something that had literally just happened. “Alarming Fluttershy certainly feels like a worse sin than breaking the heart of anypony else. But you’re right. I should be optimistic.”
Still, she stood in front of the door and did not move.
“Um… well, I’m going to head back to my room,” Starlight said uncomfortably. “I want to try to get in a nap this afternoon.”
“Goodness, everyone’s napping,” Rarity commented. “Pinkie said she was, and then Ocellus said she was too, and now you.”
Starlight squinted in confusion. “Riiiiight. The parade was pretty hectic, I guess.”
Rarity nodded pleasantly. “Oh, I’m sure, I’m sure.” She looked back at the door. “Well. No more time to chat, I suppose.”
“...I suppose not.”
“I am just going to… knock.” Rarity did not move. “Yes. I will knock politely on this door to announce my presence.”
Starlight glanced at her, then at the door, then back at her. “Want me to help you get started?”
“Oh yes, that would be wonderful.”
A blob of magic popped up around Rarity’s hoof, then gently lifted it up and rapped it against the door twice. Rarity smiled gratefully, and Starlight awkwardly walked down the hall and disappeared into her own room.
The door in front of Rarity opened slowly, Fluttershy’s muzzle poking slightly out. “Oh. Hi, Rarity. Um. I’m glad you came by.”
“Yes, I was hoping to speak with you about my appalling behavior last night. Is Moon Dancer in?”
“Oh, um, no. She went off to a bookstore. She wanted us to be able to talk alone.”
“Hrm.” Rarity sighed. “I was hoping to apologize to her as well. But… since it is just us, would you like to take a short walk with me? I know you’d mentioned wanting to visit the nearby park? It isn’t large, but I believe there are birds nesting there...”
Fluttershy smiled softly and sweetly. She stepped out into the hallway, freshly showered, looking absolutely gorgeous. “That sounds very nice.”
The elevator ride and walk out onto the street was done completely in silence. There were several distinct Fluttershy Silences. This was certainly not the best (awestruck joy inspired by the majesty of nature) but it was also not the worst (terrified, shocked dread).
Their destination was about as minimally parkish as a park could be. There was grass, and a few trees were growing here and there, but the whole thing was no larger than a city block, and there seemed to be more cement than nature. But Fluttershy still smiled to see anything remotely verdant, and the sparrows in the nearby trees chirped to her. It seemed like a good sign.
“I’m terribly sorry I couldn’t have this conversation earlier,” Rarity offered hesitantly, settling down on a bench. “It ended up being a busier morning than I’d planned for. My meeting with Miss Pommel ended up being rather involved.”
“Oh,” Fluttershy replied softly. “Um… did it go badly?”
“Certainly not on the scale of ‘badly’ I’ve established on this trip,” Rarity answered sardonically. “It was rather pleasant, actually. I spent most of the time helping her to move on. She already has another date.”
“Oh, my goodness.” Fluttershy shook her head in mild amazement. “So soon? Is that healthy?”
Rarity shrugged. “It’s someone I trust to be kind to her, so even if this is a, ah, ‘rebound’ kind of thing, I don’t foresee too much danger.” She could not resist the chance to drop gossip as casually as if she were discussing breakfast. “It’s with Princess Luna.”
Fluttershy’s mouth hung open. “Miss Pommel is going to go on a date with Luna?”
“I had to travel back and forth to Bronclyn twice as their messenger pony. They both blushed like schoolfillies.”
Fluttershy frowned. “But… are you okay about it? I know you like helping ponies, but just selfishly, you had feelings for Miss Pommel...”
“Not at all,” Rarity said, marveling slightly that even after the previous night, Fluttershy could be so thoughtful. “Speaking selfishly, it was the best thing that could happen! This doesn’t undo my awful behavior, but setting her up with an actual princess quite effectively mitigates my guilt about everything.”
“Wow.” Fluttershy didn’t say anything else, but that might have been because one of the sparrows drifted over to them, landing on her outstretched hoof. “Oh, hello, little one!” The bird chirped happily, eliciting an equally happy giggle from Fluttershy.
Fluttershy cooed to the sparrow a little bit more, then regarded Rarity again. “They’re both artists. And, um. I associate them both with scary costumes. That’s… something to base a relationship on, I guess.”
“I frankly have difficulty picturing either of them in a relationship, much less with one another,” Rarity remarked. “But I find myself optimistic, when I think about it.” There was a pause as the bird hopped up and down on Fluttershy’s hoof. “Uhm… darling, I’m afraid I’m completely unable to come up with a segue from this to the things we should be discussing.”
“Um. Me too.” Fluttershy frowned. “Do… we have to? We could just start talking about it. I’m not even angry...”
“A segue would make things much easier, emotionally speaking. It’d be jarring to just… jump into things.”
“Oh.” Frowning, Fluttershy lowered the sparrow to the side. It hopped off and perched on the back of the bench, still chirping. “Uhm. This makes me feel kind of silly. Is it really very important?”
“The most desperately important thing in Equestria for me, at the moment.”
Fluttershy paused for a moment, then did her best. “Well, it’s… feelings about my, um, marriage. Miss Pommel’s cutie mark is a hat. And… um, sometimes when mares get married, they wear a veil, and a veil is a kind of a hat?”
Rarity pulled back in near-shock. “Oh, that won’t do at all! I’m afraid a hat is quite different from a veil, in both form and function.”
“Um, all right.” Fluttershy thought for a moment, then brightened. “Oh! Luna’s eyes are green, and, and lots of times, ponies say jealousy means you’re green-eyed!”
Rarity frowned. “They’re not… really green. More of a mountain turquoise….”
“Hm.” Fluttershy sighed. “Uh, well. I’m engaged to Moon Dancer, and Luna lived on the moon?”
“Ehh. That’s a bit of a stretch…”
“Rarity.” Fluttershy’s eyes were narrowed. “I meant it when I said I wasn’t angry, but I am getting annoyed about this segue thing.”
“Eep!” Rarity slumped her shoulders, ears flat on her head. “I… I’m sorry. I’m just quite nervous to have this conversation. I know, I’ve gotten closer to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and you’ve gotten closer to Discord. But I still think of you as my best friend, and I hate the thought of things being awkward between us.”
“Rarity…” Fluttershy reached out and lay her hoof on Rarity’s, smiling warmly. “I don’t like that, either. But it’s really my fault. I knew finding a special somepony has been important to you for a long time, and so I should have made sure you weren’t upset about me getting engaged. If I’d just talked to you about it, none of this would have happened.”
Rarity glanced away sadly. “Thank you. But likewise, I knew broaching such a topic was easier for me than for you, so it was my responsibility. I just never felt ready, because to this day, I don’t even understand what I’m feeling.” She looked up into her friend’s eyes, serious but hesitant. “I had thought I was simply jealous, but I wouldn’t be so confused if that were the case.”
The sparrow hopped towards Fluttershy, singing sweetly, then hopped back over to Rarity. Fluttershy let out a quiet giggle. “I think she’s telling us both to stop being so hard on ourselves,” she mused.
“Animals do have a certain wisdom we ponies lack,” Rarity agreed. “But… I just want to be sure you know that I am absolutely delighted about your engagement. Even if some things about it are complicated, the biggest thing is how proud and happy I am.”
“Oh, Rarity, of course I know that.” Fluttershy smiled happily, eyes closed, looking absolutely adorable. “I should have never been worried. You’re such a wonderful friend.”
Rarity felt her chest relax suddenly, like she’d just taken off a very heavy vest. She took a deep, relieved breath. “Miss Pommel made a similar remark earlier. She wondered how I could be so absolutely clueless on our date, but completely confident and skilled as her friend.” She glanced up at the sky, the buildings towering above, the sky brilliantly blue. “Darling, you realized you were gay quite young, correct? Before you got your cutie mark?”
“Ah.” Fluttershy looked flummoxed, but it seemed more rote and automatic than genuine. “Y...yes. I was still in Cloudsdale.”
“Did it make things less confusing? Did it… I’m not sure how to put this… did it help you understand things that hadn’t made sense before?”
“...Yes?” Fluttershy answered, blushing timidly. “I guess so? I haven’t really ever thought about it that way, though.”
Rarity nodded quietly, thoughtfully. “I’ve always been my own worst enemy when it comes to dating. Obsessive crushes on terrible ponies. Maintaining empty flirtations instead of taking things further. Blueblood.” She paused, then couldn’t help sticking her tongue out in revulsion. “Just… Blueblood.” She shook her head, staving off an involuntary shudder. “I had thought that accepting my… appreciation of mares would fix all that, and my confusion and ambivalence were a result of being closeted. I’m terribly disappointed it hasn’t worked out that way.”
“Oh…” Fluttershy didn’t speak for a few moments, but when she did, her voice was characteristically kind. “Yes, I understand. I thought coming out would make me less afraid of what other ponies thought, and that never happened. It just took time.”
She lay down on the bench, one of her front hooves jutting forward. Rarity acknowledged the gesture, lying down herself, reaching her own hoof forward so they were touching. “Maybe…” Fluttershy ventured, “maybe you just need more experience? You haven’t really explored your, um, sexuality much. There’s mares in Ponyville you could date, even if it’s not too serious.”
Rarity froze, a mocking image of Trixie popping into her mind unbidden. She forced it down; it felt like the most humiliating thing in Equestria for Fluttershy to know about that. “Yesssss…?” she gurgled, before somewhat replacing her mask of poise. “I… have had very little experience with mares! Almost none! Except for that brief tryst with Starlight, none at all!”
The sparrow, who had been cooing and chirping softly, suddenly let out an ugly, loud squawk. They both looked up at it; it was frozen for a moment, and then it resumed its previous behavior.
Fluttershy frowned but seemed to quickly determine nothing alarming was wrong. She looked back at Rarity with compassion. “Well, that was a little awkward, but it turned out fine, right?”
Rarity thought about it. Other than a single uncomfortable conversation and a frantic, tipsy night where neither knew what they were doing, she had nothing but warm memories about that week. “Indeed it did. We were both adults, and yes, it was fine.” She nodded to herself. “That’s nice to be reminded of, darling, thank you. Not every single one of my romantic attempts has been a disaster.”
“Oh! You’re welcome.” Fluttershy blushed, but not in the bad way. “Um, so anyway, maybe you should try exploring? I think Starlight is learning a lot about herself from going out to clubs and meeting ponies.”
Rarity tried very hard not to remember being in a club the previous night, making bedroom eyes at Trixie while she sipped that ridiculous, blue cocktail. “...Perhaps. Going, ah, ‘clubbing’ is not really my cup of tea, despite how useful some ponies might find it to be.”
“Maybe. I just…” Fluttershy trailed off and looked down, oddly embarrassed. “Um, I think sometimes the point is making yourself drink a cup of tea that’s not. Um. Yours. I think that’s why Starlight’s doing it.”
They had kissed at the club, right there in front of everyone. It was like Trixie’s irksomely charming shamelessness had infected her. “I’ll think about it.”
Fluttershy nodded, apparently satisfied. There was a short lull in the conversation; the sparrow’s chirping had grown soft, and so Rarity just tried to focus on the sounds of the city. It was nice.
“Um,” Fluttershy spoke up, blushing. “At the parade, I tried to tell Starlight again that I’d meant to ask her, uh, on a date when she first moved to town.”
Rarity blinked in surprise; she had thought that was well-consigned to never be mentioned again. But she was more surprised when the sparrow let out an odd gurgle and fell backwards off its perch. It regained its senses and caught the air, settling lightly down on the ground. The two ponies looked down at it in concern.
“Oh dear,” Rarity said. “I hope it’s not unwell.”
“I don’t… think so?” Fluttershy reached her hoof down and gently patted the bird’s back. In response, the sparrow teetered unsteadily, looked up at her, and chirped. “Hm. She seems fine. I don't really understand city critters very well, compared to the ones in Ponyville, but I know they can be a little more nervous, with all the noise and activity.”
“Hrm. I suppose.” Rarity shrugged and directed her attention back to Fluttershy. “Well, how did Starlight respond?”
“I think she still didn’t get it. She’s… on her journey.”
“Aren’t we all.” Rarity leaned back, taking in the feeling of smallness, surrounded by all the bustle and the buildings. “I suppose I have been a bit envious of you, about that. Your journey is… well, it’s not over, but you’ve found your pony.”
Frowning, Fluttershy played idly with her mane, a habit she used to engage in much more often. “Well. I love Moon Dancer, but, you know, we’re not perfect. Sometimes she’s rude to Discord, which makes me kind of mad. She’s usually polite, but once in a while he can… annoy her.” She hung her head, more in timidness than sorrow. “And, and sometimes I snap at her when I’m very very tired. We always apologize afterward, of course, but…”
“Darling, I didn’t mean to say things are perfect,” Rarity assured her, certainly not saying out loud that the word still seemed to fit nicely. “I simply mean it must be wonderful to have someone in your life like that. You must look back on your time before you met her and be amazed at how lonely you were!”
Fluttershy looked up, still frowning, but eyebrows raised in surprise. “Um. Not… really? I haven’t felt lonely since I moved to Ponyville. I have my critters and my friends…”
“Of course, of course,” Rarity said. “I just mean by comparison.”
“Um.” Fluttershy glanced around, as if looking to see if any of the birds would provide social cues for how to react. “Are you saying you feel lonely?”
“I…” Rarity considered that, frowning. “No, not as such. But there’s a kind of loneliness in one’s heart, you see. A loneliness that can only be filled with romance.”
“Oh.” Fluttershy was silent for a moment. “So. I wasn’t lonely before I met Moon Dancer, but now I’m… less… not… lonely?”
“Ah, exactly!” Rarity sang, delighted. “That’s such a wonderful way to put it. That’s exactly what I’m after. If I have a special somepony, I won’t lose loneliness, because I’m not lonely. But I will gain the opposite of loneliness.”
Fluttershy blinked, an expression that Rarity would have perceived as bewilderment had she not phrased the concept so poetically a moment ago. “Rarity,” she said carefully, “have you considered…” She trailed off and began again. “Do you think maybe it would, um, be a good idea to…” She fell silent, then sighed. “Oh, never mind. I can’t phrase it right.”
“Hm?” Rarity tilted her head. “Well of course I don’t want to push you, but you know how much I respect your opinion.”
“It’s… I’m with Moon Dancer because I love Moon Dancer. Not because, um, of anything else.” She glanced shyly down at the ground, watching the sparrow claw at the grass. “I think you, um. ….Just, I wanted to say that to you, that’s all.”
Rarity considered that. It did not appear to make much sense on the surface, but she indeed filed it away so she could sleep on it and discern any hidden wisdom. “Well. Thank you, darling. I appreciate it.”
Fluttershy nodded, apparently satisfied. They shared a smile, and it was a wonderful moment they’d had many times over the years.
Releasing a deep breath, Rarity glanced up at the sky. “Do you suppose we should head back to the hotel? Everyone said they were napping, but it’s almost dinner time.”
“I think we should.” Fluttershy chuckled quietly. “At least, we’ll be able to keep Pinkie company. She always says she’ll nap a long time, but she never does. She’ll probably be up by the time we get back.”
“Oh, yes, it’ll be…” Rarity was interrupted by a frantic flapping of wings. The nearby sparrow had leapt into the air and, as if in a panic, streaked away.
They watched it go, confused. “Indeed, as you said, city birds can be neurotic,” Rarity remarked.
“Some of us just aren’t made for all this noise,” Fluttershy agreed.
Pinkie had already bounded into the air by the time she realized she was awake. She couldn’t help it; it was so cool and fun to be in a hotel, and these beds were so huge and lush, how could she not jump in and out of them? The only thing more fun to jump in was a pool, and the next few moments were completely filled by how amazing it would be to have a pool inside a hotel room. Then she glanced inside the bathroom and remembered that her suite gave her access to a hot tub, which basically exactly was a pool inside a hotel room.
She forgot what she was doing. By the time she remembered “waking up from a nap,” she was humming a song and thinking about what she wanted for dinner and hoping Moon Dancer had asked Fluttershy to marry her and wondering if frogs have souls and laughing about a joke she remembered that Buster had told the night before.
“Oce…” she began to call, but she quickly shut her mouth so no more sound could come out. She realized Ocellus might still be napping. Pinkie, just because you’re awake, it doesn’t mean everyone else in the world is awake, Limestone had admonished her once, and even though she had trouble entirely understanding that, she accepted it.
But as she approached the closed door to Ocellus’s room, she noticed she could hear the sounds of the city through the door, way too loud for anyone to sleep comfortably. She rapped her hoof against the door, slowly opening it. “Ocellus?”
“Agh!” Ocellus yelled frantically. “Yes! I’m in here! My sleeping room! Room for sleeping!”
Pinkie had fully opened the door, and she trotted in, smiling widely. Ocellus stood next to an open window, looking sweatily innocent. “Hee hee!” Pinkie laughed. “Why’d you have the window open, silly? It’s so loud! And a bird could just fly in from outside, and then you’d have a bird in your hotel room and that’s not where birds go! Birds should be in the park!”
Ocellus stared. “Yes!” She agreed eventually. She stared. Pinkie smiled back.
Uncomfortably, Ocellus suddenly grabbed her tape recorder off a nearby dresser and switched on. “Note to self!” she announced. “Birds can come through open windows! Because there isn’t glass in the way!” She switched it off and grinned innocently.
Pinkie was very glad Ocellus was learning new things. “Wanna come see if anyone else is awake?” she asked, already turning around and trotting away.
“Um, yes,” Ocellus called after her. “Hey, but can I ask a question?”
“Hmm?” Pinkie turned around, delighted. “Sure! Whatcha wondering?”
“What is, um… clubbing? Going out to clubs?” Ocellus was bashfully avoiding eye contact, but the question sounded important.
“Ooh!” Pinkie answered. “I know this! It’s where you go out reeaaaaally late at night and there’s dancing and flashing lights everywhere! And there’s really, really loud music that’s all brkk a chk a brrk a chk a BOOM BOOM brick a chk a crrk a chk a BOOM BOOM!”
“Oh.” Ocellus rubbed the back of her head uncomfortably. “Is…”
“Or, if it’s a house inspired track, it’d be a four-on-the-floor thing, which is more like bmm pa bmm pa bmm pa bmm pa! Wait, I’m being silly, let me just get my 808 out of my suitcase...”
“Um, Professor!” Ocellus called, startling Pinkie a bit. “...Thank you about… yes. But I wanted to ask because I heard that going out to clubs can help creatures to figure themselves out. Is that true? Could I do that?”
“Aw,” Pinkie said, smiling kindly. “Sorry, you’re too young! You gotta be old enough to drink to get into clubs.” She darted closer, giving Ocellus a soft elbow to the shoulder. “But if you wanna know more about it, Trixie and Starlight can probably help! If you don’t mind hearing about the personal lives of your crusty old teachers, that is!”
“Gah!” Ocellus recoiled in revulsion. “No. No, I… really don’t want to hear anything more than I have to about my teachers’ personal lives.”
“Okay, then!” Pinkie said, happy things were working out. “But if you want to learn about discovering yourself by dancing, I’m your pony! I do that all the time! Hey, do you think anyone will get mad at me if I do cannonballs into the hot tub?”
“That’s… wait, what is…” Ocellus began, but she didn’t finish the question, so Pinkie figured she must have come to the answer on her own. It probably had to do with that whole best-friend-being-in-love-with-her thing. That sounded complicated. Lucky she was such a smart kid, especially because she did not seem to want to talk about it. Pinkie’s own experience with friends falling in love with her was limited to inanimate objects and also probably Rainbow Dash briefly but they hadn’t really ever had that conversation. Also apparently Boulder, who she was not allowed to even think of as an inanimate object. That conversation had occurred, and it was very awkward. Maude could get protective. Oh, and Cheese Sandwich, obviously, but she was taking that slow, which was weird. She didn’t normally take things slow, except for syrup-drinking contests (Ponyville champion three years running!).
“Uh. P...professor Pinkie Pie?” Ocellus said hesitantly.
“Yeah?!” She grinned down at her student. “What’s shakin?”
“You’ve, um, just been standing there looking at the wall for almost a full minute.”
“Oh! What was I thinking about?!”
“How would I know…”
“Oh!” Pinkie squealed happily. “Cannonballs in the hot tub! Yeaaaah, I probably shouldn’t,” Pinkie sighed. “C’mon, let’s go see who else is around!” She turned and bounced happily to the door, Ocellus probably following behind. “You know, you can talk to me like this any time!” she called over her shoulder. Ocellus didn’t reply, which Pinkie took as enthusiastic agreement.
“I hate this. I hate this. Trixie? I hate this.” Starlight held out her leg and let the bouncer strap the paper bracelet to her hoof. “Thank you. I hate this. I hate this.”
Trixie appeared happy to just let her gripe or maybe just wasn’t paying attention at all. There were a lot of distractions: even in this entry hallway, they could hear thumping music, and the line to get in was pretty excessive. After the small little cocktail place the previous night, she was really being thrown into the deep end.
“I hate this,” she said, and it had become oddly comforting by this point. They stepped out into the club itself, ponies everywhere, a huge bar area to their left, a packed dance floor to their right. She scanned the crowd. Everyone was super hot.
Trixie smirked at her and started walking to the bar, but Starlight caught her mid-step. “Hey. I’m gonna approach someone.”
“If you must,” Trixie sighed, voice annoyed but expression like someone who’d finally gotten tickets to her favorite play.
Starlight took a deep breath and did not walk towards anyone. “Um, so,” she said to Trixie, “should I go ‘I’m Starlight Glimmer?’ Just, ‘Hello, I’m Starlight Glimmer.’” Is that weird? ‘Hello?’ ‘Hi?’... ‘Hey?’ ‘Yo?’ ….Holy smokes, Starlight, ‘yo,’ what is wrong with you...”
Trixie opened her mouth to reply, but Starlight kept going. “And should I say ‘I’m’ or ‘my name is?’ ‘My name is’ sounds a little more formal, right? Too formal? ‘I’m called?’ What do you think?”
“I don’t think it really matters,” Trixie said, looking annoyed at being interrupted.
“Doesn’t matter?!” Starlight gasped. “Of course it matters! Tiny little things make a huge difference! I have to do this perfectly!”
“Usually I just command the pony to behold my magnificence.”
That caused Starflight to pause. “...Does that work?”
Trixie raised an eyebrow. “I’m worried that you don’t really know how hot I am.”
“Trixieeeee! Come on, I’m nervous! Take this seriously!”
Trixie sighed. “Okay, being serious: it doesn’t matter what specific dumb little words you use.”
Starlight was already not listening. “...Maybe I’ll split the difference? So I’ll start with ‘hi,’ which is casual, and then ‘my name is,’ so it’s a little more formal, too?” Starlight thought for a second. “Yeah. That’s good.”
“Well, I’m glad you figured it out. Who’s it going to be?”
“Errgm. Her.” Starlight nodded toward a tall, white earth pony who looked like the lead singer of a punk band.
“Nice!” Trixie slapped a hoof against her back. “Go get her! I’ll meet you at the bar.”
Starlight pitched forward, the mare filling her vision even as the crowd and frantic activity of the club pulsed all around her. ‘Hi, my name is Starlight Glimmer,’ Starlight thought.
She was not too far from the mare, now. She had partly chosen her because she didn’t seem to be enmeshed in conversation with anyone, so she wouldn’t have to worry she was interrupting good friendship time. The mare had just been standing there, looking cool. But as Starlight approached, she realized there was a huge downside to that: her pickup target looked cool, and ponies who looked cool were apparently far more terrifying than the literal demons Starlight had literally engaged in mortal combat against.
‘Hi, my name is Starlight Glimmer,’ she thought again, and she got close enough that the mare looked up at her. Starlight, still walking forward, opened her mouth to speak.
The mare smiled at her.
“Hiiiiiaaaaguuughhhhhh!” Starlight gurgled, not breaking stride at all, walking directly past the mare and glimpsing a split-second of a confused expression. “Aaaghhhh I hate this I hate this I hate this!” She kept repeating it the entire way to the bar, where Trixie was already waiting.
“You’re making me look bad, as a wingmare,” Trixie commented, passing over a drink.
“I hate this,” Starlight replied. She drank almost half of her cocktail. “Trixie. I hate this.” She coughed and examined her drink more closely. “I also hate this. What even did you buy me?”
“The most alcoholic thing they could make. Please don’t drink it that fast.”
Starlight groaned and took another, slightly smaller gulp.
“I’ve never gotten why you insist on being capable of self-doubt,” Trixie admonished. “But you see now why it’s dumb? You should be like me.”
Starlight sighed. “Shameless?”
“Charmingly shameless.”
Starlight sighed. “You’re right. I know I have to learn to do this. It won’t happen for me.”
“Right. So…
“It’s not like some perfect, cute mare is going to approach me out of nowhere,” Starlight continued, glancing around. “Right?”
“Uh…”
Starlight was on a roll. “And… she’ll be so obvious about everything, I won’t have to take any kind of risk at all. She’ll do all the work for me, and it’ll be great.” Starlight closed her mouth, frowning. Neither of them said anything for a moment.
“Why’d you say that like that?” Trixie asked.
“I… was kind of hoping it’d be a Pinkie Pie sort of thing, and I’d be interrupted by…”
“Starlight Glimmer!” Very suddenly, Starlight felt herself being quickly but warmly embraced. The hoofs pulled away, and a young, very pretty pegasus stood before her. “It’s so great to run into you!”
Starlight kept her mouth from falling open and her drink from tipping over, but she couldn’t manage much more beyond that. Luckily, the pegasus turned to Trixie and sweetly said, “Oh, hi! I’m Gold Star, I met Starlight yesterday when she visited the pride committee. You must be Trixie! I’ve heard such impressive things about you, both as counselor at the School of Friendship and as a showmare.”
Trixie stared at Gold Star, then raised an eyebrow at Starlight. “You magicked this, didn’t you?”
“No!” Starlight hissed, aghast.
Gold Star was entirely unperturbed. “I came here with some good friends of mine, and I wasn’t really planning on meeting anyone. But when I saw you, I knew I’d just kick myself if I didn’t ask if you wanted to dance with me.”
Starlight gaped at her, uncomprehendingly.
Gold Star frowned. “Oh. Are you…”
“Guh, she obviously wants to dance with you,” Trixie interrupted. “Just give her a second.”
Indeed, slowly, Starlight’s mind caught up to reality. This pony was both shockingly gorgeous and probably the friendliest individual she’d ever met (and she’d met Pinkie Pie!), and it was taking a while to come around to that. “Yes,” she intoned, half aware of what she was saying. “I’d like to dance with you very much.”
Gold Star grinned. Starlight felt a wing wrap around her and guide her off to the dance floor.
Halfway there, she dumbly realized she wasn’t holding her drink anymore. She looked back to see Trixie was levitating it alongside her own. She was smiling, but the smile was kind of odd. Starlight had never seen it before.
She stopped thinking about that very quickly. The alcohol and the music worked together to quickly bar her from paying attention to anything but the immediate moment, and the immediate moment was entirely filled with pegasus. At first, Gold Star danced a few respectful centimeters away, all joy and dexterity and youth. By the second song, Starlight had closed the distance. Everything was hot.
She had absolutely no idea how much time passed before Gold Star booped her on the nose and leaned in to tell her she wanted a water break. She almost argued: who in Equestria could care about drinking water at a time like this? But once broken from her EDM-reverie, she realized how incredibly badly she needed to pee.
Once she emerged from the bathroom, she easily found Gold Star again: it was like she targeted onto her like a laser. She was so focused, she was just a few steps away before she realized who she was talking to.
“... just my best friend, of course,” Trixie said with irritation. “I want to make sure she’s going to be safe, is all.”
“Oh, of course!” Gold Star replied with burning sincerity. “I… oh, Starlight!” She leaned forward and nuzzled her dance partner warmly. “I was just talking with Trixie. It’s so wonderful you have a friend here, seeing to your safety and enjoyment.”
“Uh.. yeah!” Starlight agreed, taking her now tepid drink from Trixie and drinking some. “You… were talking?”
“Yes! She was just making the point that you haven’t had much experience, and she wanted to make sure you didn’t feel overwhelmed.”
“Huh?” Starlight looked at Trixie, frowning. “She told you that?”
“Mm-hmm!” Gold Star replied cheerfully.
“I’m not… inexperienced,” Starlight defended, cheeks flaring. “I have plenty of experiences. Multiple timelines of experiences.”
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Oh, chill out, Starlight,” she grumbled, sounding more annoyed than she really should have been.
“Maybe I haven’t gone out much, but I’m not a little foal,” Starlight snapped. “I’m not…”
“Oh!” Gold Star’s face suddenly loomed in her field of vision, eyes huge and embarrassed. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I phrased what I said badly!” She hung her head.” “Starlight, please forgive me for being careless in what I said.” She walked over to Trixie and hung her head in the same way. “And Trixie, I’m so sorry for putting words in your mouth that sounded insulting, when you were only being a good friend.”
Starlight regarded the pony before her with confusion, then she looked over at Trixie, who seemed just as confused. “Um. That’s all right.”
“Oh, thank you so much.” Gold Star brightened again. “What I had meant to say, Starlight, is just that Trixie and I both feel it’s important for you and I to have open, explicit lines of communication.”
“...Communication?”
“Of course! I, um.” She blushed bashfully, and it was maybe the sexiest thing any pony had ever done, ever. “I think, the way dancing is going, I’m probably going to want to spend the night with you. I want to be open about what that entails.”
“Spend the…”
“Being honest about our needs, desires, and boundaries is so important in a situation like this, don’t you agree?” Gold Star asked cheerfully.
“This chick cannot possibly be for real,” Trixie said, looking shell-shocked.
Gold Star chuckled. “Oh, I know I can go too far, but it’s certainly worth any downsides to make sure everycreature is on the same page.”
Starlight had stopped listening at “spend the night.” She emitted a syllable that was not a word and was unable to do anything else.
“Is this some kind of School Of Friendship job interview?” Trixie asked, raising an eyebrow. “The counselor position is already taken, thank you very much. It doesn’t matter how much you talk about communication or honesty or whatever.”
Gold Star laughed good-naturedly. “Oh, Trixie, that’s such a flattering joke, coming from you.” She regarded Starlight again. “We can discuss things more gradually, as the night goes on, if you want. I don’t want to give you too much at once! I just wanted any safety concerns to be addressed.”
“Ugh, you’re…” Trixie glowered. “I’m reaaaaaally thinking you’re some kind of apparition Starlight accidentally conjured, but fine. Whatever. You seem safe.” She nudged Starlight. “Hey, I’m going to go back to the hotel. I’ll see you in the morning, all right? Do that weird aura spell if you need me.”
Starlight blinked. “Yeah. Yeah. Thanks.”
“Oh, hooray!” Gold Star smiled genuinely. “Would you like to go dance some more, Starlight?”
Starlight nodded. She only had the vaguest sense of what was going on, but she absolutely yes wanted to dance more with Gold Star, please yes. She again felt herself being led out onto the dance floor.
Halfway through the first song, her senses returned, and she froze. Gold Star turned around in concern.
“Do you really want to spend the night with me?” Starlight asked, and then, humiliatingly, she had to ask it again, leaning closer, so her apparent date could actually hear her.
Gold Star just smiled.
Blushing, Starlight decided to just say it: “Trixie was right. I’ve never been with anyone before.”
Gold Star nuzzled her softly. She obviously had no difficulty leaning close, and somehow her words came through perfectly when she murmured her response. “I’d like to kiss you right now. May I?”
Absolute terror seized Starlight’s entire body, but she somehow managed to nod. Gold Star leaned forward.
The dancers surrounding them were jostling and frenetic, but in an instant, they all just disappeared. All Starlight was aware of was the feelings in her body and on her lips.
When Gold Star pulled away, the world came back. Just for half a second, Starlight caught a glimpse of Trixie, frowning, before she was swallowed up in the crowd. And then Starlight just danced.