//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Show Must go On! // Story: Stellar's Sunbursting Plans // by TheRayH //------------------------------// Starlight Glimmer is heading to Ponyville's train station with a very angry look on her face, barely showing anything else, running towards her and almost with no breath, Trixie down in the floor recovering all her breath from being running behind Starlight since Twilight's castle. "Starlight... never run... like that" Trixie tried to said shouting, but she had no enough air to do. "Specially if you don't give me... the reason why you came here like that" "Don't try to stop me now Trixie, i have my reasons and i will take care of this alone" Starlight was obviously molested by what she just saw on the magazine and didn't wanted anyone to be there with her. Twilight explained all to her before she went out of the castle, with every word Twilight said Starlight felt a big pain inside her chest until she couldn't take more. The train arrived as they spoke, Starlight went in but then Trixie walked in as well, even if Starlight wanted to do it alone. "Trixie, i told you i'm dealing with it alone" "I know, but... The Great and Powerfull Trixie never leaves a friend!" She claimed loudly now that she has recovered all the air. "Also i want to know what made you run like that" With that, Starlight sighed deeply and took a seat in one of the train's seats. "I haven't talked to Sunburst recently and when i finally got news from him..." Starlight's feeling were almost at her limit, but she contained them. "Sunburst is now a mare and it's a model at Manehattan" "Oh! I though it would be something more... intense" Trixie spoke without thinking, making Starlight giving her a huge angry look. Trixie after seeing that she just stayed chill. "What?" "Sunburst is now a mare and has been modeling at Manehattan" Starlights tone were rising with every word. "And you say it's not intense?! Why he didn't told me? I've been her friend since we were foals... i though he could trust me more" "Ok... it is more intense that i was expecting. He may had his reasons too" Trixie tried to calm her down but Starlight's tears were comming out. "Look, this may not be the case, but i have to confess you a little something. When i was younger i used to be a colt" Starlight's eyes suddenly checked up Trixie up and down, but she had no clue of that; not even looking at her there was no hint of what she was before. "Starlight, changes sometimes are complicated. Listen to what Sunburst has to say and you may have the answers you want" "You're right" Starlight finally calmed down a bit, but was still afflicted to what Sunburst have turned into. She wouldn't have minded a simple scroll explaining everything but the explanation comming out of her mouth could help as well. They arrived Manehattan, the same deafening crowds at the streets were compeltely different from Ponyville; whenever the two mares looked at there was somepony doing something, important or not that was a personal choice for each pony. Both walked seeing the many stores with the many advertisements they have, from basic new collections to fetaured costumes in a recent musical; nothing related to Sunburst in sight, but then Starlight recognizes a face; Stellar Flare. She walked closer to her but she then is visited by another pony, one with yellowish tones. "Stellar Flare, over here!" She tried to call the attention of Sunburt's mother, but the noises of the city made Starlight's voice to not be heard by the mare. "She can't hear me, stay close Trixie... here we go!" Trixie did as told and then Starlight teleported her and Trixie in front of them, but when Starlight was about to speak a door opens interrupting her. After a mail pony came out, Stellar and the other pony went inside, closing the door afterwards. "Starlight, i appreciate your enthusiasm; but next time try to not teleport us in front of a door" Trixie claimed to the purplish pony. They went inside, the ambiance was classy and full of a great variety of ponies, it was Rarity's Manehattan boutique; one with some struggles walked closer to where Starlight and Trixie were, until she tripped and fell in front of them. "My apologies... we have more clientele than expected" The pony had a clear blue mane, a creamy colored body and something similar to a bow tie around her neck. "I'm Coco Pommel, how may i help you?" "Actually, we're looking for somepony" Starlight looked all over the boutique to find Stellar Flare, until she reaches to see her. "Her! Excuse me for a second" Starlight ignored Coco after she found who she was going to see. Both ponies went inside a backroom and she heard voices coming from inside. "Are you sure i should be doing this now?" A mare asked from inside, her voice was nervous. "Of course you should" Starlight recognized Stellar's voice so she paid attention. "This boutique is now on front page of one of the most known magazines. You will do very good Sunburst" Starlight heard the name, and then went inside the room, she gave a quick look inside, then Sunburst's eyes and Starlight's connected, Starlight was visibly shocked; Sunburst was indeed a mare with no sight of the past self. "Starlight!?" Sunburst steped back a bit and felt like she was going to have a meltdown. "What are you doing here?" "Turns out that being in the front page of a magazine is a good idea if you want to show everyone where you're at" Starlight walked closer to him, but gave a look to Stellar and the other pony in the room. "Would you excuse us for a moment, we need to talk in private" Stellar and the other pony left the room shortly after, Starlight immediatly hugged Sunburst letting some tears go down on her cheeks. "How did this happened?" "It's a long story... but i messed up with a spell and now i can't turn back" Sunburst voice was honest and deeply he doesn't want to remember it again. "It took me long to make the 1st part of the spell and way longer to make the mistake that turned me into a mare" "This is way far from any known magic" Starlight was not sure how to talk to her, everything was similar to before but also not the same. "Didn't you tried to write it all again to return back to normal?" "Like i can do it. After the incident my mind is blurry and i don't remember anything from the spell" She took a seat and gave a sad look to her friend. "Even if i wanted to go back to normal this is beyond alicorn magic, not even Star Swirl were able to do a spell like i did." "I know, the spell i did to recreate our foalhood was just an illusion" Starlight also took a seat. "But you could at least told me about this. For Celestia's sake, we're friends and i felt like you threw that away" "It was not my intention, but this was so sudden and got so worried that i felt like this could upset you" Sunburst felt Starlight's head on her shoulder, she had a sad look on her face. "I imagine how hard that was very to assimilate for you. But of all things a model?" Starlight asked and gave a quick look to Sunburst who was wearing a blue dress decorated with gold glitter simulating the night sky. "I gotta addmit, you look really good. I just wanted to know why you didn't told me. But seriously, like there are many things you could have done." "I could have done many things, that's true. The urge of the moment was so intense that i asked my mother for a plan and turned out to work well" "I guess it did. All left i can do is support you on your new life" Starlight giggled nervously and smiled widely. "I should be going before Trixie does something unnapropriate" Both hugged one last time and Starlight went all the way out of the boutique, Trixie followed Starlight from behind. "That was really quick, so you had your explanation?" Trixie asked. "Yes, i got them. I'm not going to lie, seeing Sunburst was pretty tough; but i'll support him... i mean her for as long as this goes" Starlight tried to hide the mistake of calling Sunburst for what she used to be. "I'm going to need some time to get used to that, how do you do it without mistaking one from another?" "Simple, we think in the present time. Not in the past" Trixie walked a bit ahead of Starlight. "You have now a new kind of friend that someday you both can do things that only mares do; i know that thanks to you" Starlight raised a smile and pushed the magician pony a bit closer to her "Well, Trixie, i owe you one. Thank you for cheering me up" A warm hug between them too ocurred both with smiles and no doubts... well, just one. "But just one thing, i want you to tell me things of when you were younger, as a kind of a pay off on our way back to Ponyville" Like that, accepting what the destiny gave them; Starlight and Trixie went back to Ponyville, ready to see what Sunburst is capable of.