//------------------------------// // Waking up from a Dream // Story: Stars in the Making // by Borsuq //------------------------------// When she stretched her legs as she woke up, and felt somepony laying right next to her, Starburst needed a moment to figure out why that was. The fact that a pony’s mind was a little bit hazy after sleep had little to do with it; the events that lead to this situation were all crazy. About a week ago, she and her friends had finished their classes, and on their way out of school they were discussing what they were gonna do for the rest of the day. Whatever plans they had decided upon, however (what they were, Starburst couldn’t remember for the life of her), had to be cancelled. Upon reaching the town square, the group soon got involved - mostly by Starburst - with the commotion started by a mysterious unicorn around their age, dressed in a cloak and bandana, who stole an apple from their friend’s family stand. Attempting on catch him had only escalated the havoc. The blue colt proved himself to be extremely agile and surprisingly skilled in magic, and he treated the whole thing as a game, mocking them the entire time. Even after some royal guards had arrived, he still came out on top; he created an explosive doll that knocked out the guards… and nearly killed Starburst’s brother, Night Light. To the unicorn’s credit, he saved both her and Nighty, though she was spared from thanking a pony that had done nothing but make fun of her and her friends by the arrival of her mother. Princess Twilight Sparkle, flanked by Starburst’s dad, Prince Flash Sentry, and her uncle, Spike the Dragon, as well as numerous units of royal guards, attempted to talk the colt into giving up. However, the young unicorn had managed to escape even her, leaving them with only his name - Starfall. During their fight, though, Starburst had also discovered two things about him. His eyes, initially hidden by a pair of sunglasses, were red with narrow pupils; and even more shockingly, his right flank had been burned off, completely destroying the cutie mark on that side. Later that day, she had learned from her mother that Starfall was a son of her one-time enemy and a long not-seen acquaintance, Trixie. What’s more, the last time Twilight had seen her was when she had invited her together with her infant son to Canterlot Castle. The knowledge that the two of them had met, even briefly and as babies, had deeply unsettled Starburst back then. Despite having escaped, mostly thanks to his cunningness and not his skill, Starfall had stayed in Ponyville the next day. His cockiness could have proved to be his undoing, as the Royal Guard, under the command of Starburst’s father and aided by her mother, had prepared a plan to capture him. The plan, however, ended up a failure, as the young colt was left with one unexpected ace in the hole: the knowledge of how to use dark magic. When Starburst arrived at the scene of the battle to see her father unconscious, she made a vow to personally capture Starfall. The unicorn accepted her words and, as he walked to the Everfree Forest, told her to seek him out the next day. She had devised her own plan on how to do that and, with the aid of her friends, Starburst was confident that she would succeed. However, as she had analyzed all the bits of information she had on him, she came upon a horrible realization: that his mother had been murdered right in front of him when he was only six. Though her resolve to capture him had not wavered, Starburst led her friends into the ruins of the Castle of the Royal Sisters, where Starfall had been hiding. There, she had tried to convince him to give himself up. When he had refused, a battle took place, with the lone Starfall on one side and Starburst and her friends on the other. Shortly after it had started, Starfall admitted to have a respect for Starburst, and marked her as his perfect rival, due to their extreme opposites and odd similarities. He had also admitted that as the two of them clashed, he felt more alive and excited than he could remember, something which she had felt as well. In the end, after a few bizarre scenarios took place, the battle was won by Starburst and her friends. Her plan had worked, and Starfall had been rendered unable to use his magic for some time. The triumphant moment was short-lived: almost the second after Starfall was defeated, they were attacked by a timberwolf scouting pack. Though nopony had been hurt, the unicorn they came to catch had used the commotion to escape. Starburst, although still determined to capture him, first made sure her friends had safely made it to a secret underground tunnel that would lead them back to Ponyville before she continued her search. When she had found him, Starfall had been pushed to the edge of a cliff by a horde of timberwolves. Starburst attempted to rescue him, but a loose rock hit her in the head, causing her to lose consciousness and both of them to plummet into the river. She would have surely died if it weren’t for Starfall. Her enemy had protected her through their swim down the river, pulled her out of the water, gave her CPR to start her heart and breathing again, and then carried her to shelter in a cave once it started raining. He then made a compress for her swollen head from his bandana and had looked for something to eat; but not before tying her up in his cloak, both to keep her warm and to prevent her from attacking him after she woke up. Once she did, Starburst was less than pleased with the situation she was in, but after a short explanation from Starfall, and a meal of berries, she had found her mood had improved. Until he had sneezed. Starburst had quickly realized that the colt could die of hypothermia just as easily as she, and that was not something she wanted. Despite being deeply embarrassed, she offered to cuddle with him under his cloak to keep both of them warm. Starfall said no. Once she had realized that he was serious, Starburst felt rage overtake her discomfort. She had swallowed her pride, pushed away the anger she felt towards him, and was willing to allow him to breach her personal space, all out of concern for his health… and he had spit on her offer. Starburst hadn’t wanted to live that down, nor had she planned to let Starfall die due to some pride issues. She had wiggled her way free out of his cloak, and pounced on the unicorn. Once she had him under her hoof, a lightning bolt had shot outside, letting her see what the darkness hid, and what was formerly concealed by his clothes and the mask of confidence he wore when he was able to use magic. What Starburst had seen was a scarred, tortured and abused colt. She remembered how she tried to process the sight of his scars, from the whips on the back and chains on the neck, or the sight of his tail pressed tightly against his nethers protectively, knowing that he reflexly, in his defenseless state, feared abuse… how he cowered in fear of her… how she had made him relive his worst fears… and she broke down. Starburst started crying, the magnitude of what Starfall had suffered in his life, no longer than hers, hitting her hard. And it was Starfall who made her stop crying. The colt that had been her enemy had tried to make her stop crying, to cheer her up. In that moment, though she hadn’t said it, Starburst could only admire Starfall. Now understanding what was stopping him from accepting her offer - that his years of abuse had made him afraid of another pony’s touch - Starburst pleaded with him to reconsider. Though reluctantly, Starfall had agreed, and they both laid against each other, using his cloak as a blanket. However, once their bodies touched, Starburst felt just how cold he was and decided to wrap her wing around him. Hoping to make him relax, Starburst had talked to him, and during their conversation she had revealed, although somewhat reluctantly, what her mother told her. Starfall was shocked like her to know that the two of them had played together as foals, but he had a much easier time accepting it. They had both relaxed (as Starburst felt awkward and embarrassed about sleeping with a colt, let alone the one she had fought just a few hours ago), and the next thing she knew, they’d started a tickling fight. Starburst couldn’t recall what exactly she had been thinking during it, other than how… fun it was. But she knew exactly what she had been thinking once the fight had ended with her laying on top of Starfall and their noses touching. Kiss him. Starburst never knew if she would follow the little voice in her head; the very next instant a lightning struck somewhere outside of the cave, making them both jump into the air in fright. Then they burst with laughter and fell back on their “bed”, neither of them finding the situation awkward or uncomfortable. They went to sleep, with Starburst’s muzzle tucked under his chin. When she woke up, he was gone. The following days had been probably the worst days of her life. Having been found and rescued by her mother and others upon awakening, Starburst had been left to worry about Starfall and had tried to understand why he had disappeared. Also, the knowledge of what he had to endure through his life had nearly caused her to suffer from depression. She became impassive to everything around her, and she had often dozed off. Her friends, concerned about her wellbeing and determined to discover what had happened to her, had tried to hold an intervention. None of them, however, would know how effective their display of a complete lack of boundaries would be, as after just a few minutes somepony that nopony expected had appeared. Starfall. Just hearing his voice brought Starburst back from normal. As such, she had almost immediately become pissed at the colt, for both leaving and for his attitude. The fact that her friends were watching the entire exchange between them had only served to annoy her further. Starburst’s mood had changed, however, the moment Starfall - after a comment made by Annie, a blind unicorn with a kind heart and a peculiar sense of humor - had, in a rather disturbingly casual manner, revealed to her friends his scars and story in short. Afterwards, much to Starburst’s shock, he told them that he was trying to turn over a new leaf, and he was putting on a magic show for the entire town the next day by nightfall. Having invited them, he said his farewell. But that wasn’t the last Starburst had seen of him that day. A few hours later, already late into night, Starfall came to visit her, saying that he wanted to talk. Starburst let him into her room, and had been surprised by him awkwardly asking if he had annoyed her too much earlier, saying that he had been nervous with her friends there. She had protested, as her friends ‘intervention’ had gotten much more on her nerves. The two of them talked for a brief moment then, and before Starburst had realized it, Starfall was asking her out on a date. She had listened to him explaining himself, as well as him saying that he understood that she was probably going to say no, and, although she had some reservations, she told him that she would like to go on a date with him. Her mind still shrugging off the effects of sleep, Starburst hugged Starfall tighter, smiling as she remembered how he had kissed her, too happy by her saying ‘yes’ to bother with thinking. Of how she asked him to sleep beside her, as he had no real home. Of how he… Wait, Starburst interrupted her own train of thoughts. What is that? She moved the wing with which she was hugging Starfall, groping his body. There was something wrong, but she couldn’t put her hoof on what that was. “Star?” His voice… his annoying, cocky voice that she hated and loved so much... “Hmm?” she replied sleepily, reluctant to open her eyes, even as she continued to feel up Starfall’s body with her wing, determined to figure out what was it that she sensed to be wrong. “Remember the promise we made back in the cave?” Starfall asked. Starburst smiled. Of course she remembered. Just before they had fallen asleep - well, at least she had; not even Luna knew what Starfall’s sleeping pattern looked like - Starburst had pressed her muzzle against the scars on his neck, and her wings and hooves were touching the ones on his back and the edge of his burned off flank. Angered at what somepony had done to him, she swore that she would protect him. Starfall, in return, had promised her to keep her smiling. “Of course I remember,” she said fondly. “Well, now you’ve got a chance to make good on it.” His casual statement made Starburst perk her ears up. Okay, what? She finally opened her eyes and looked at him. Her eyes went wide as she realized what was the reason why something felt off. The blue unicorn was still laying beside her, as he was when they had fallen asleep, wrapped by her wing. However, instead of facing her, Starfall had rolled over a bit too so that now he laid on his back… and there was something white between him and Starburst’s wing. Snow, her pet albino ferret, had wiggled himself between the two of them, and he was now standing atop of Starfall’s chest, baring his little teeth at him. It took Starburst a good few seconds to process what she was seeing, after which she burst with laughter; that sight was just too ludicrous. “Snow, get off him,” she managed to say through her laughter, though with some difficulty. Starburst grabbed the ferret with her wing and pulled him away from Starfall, sitting up. Snow tried to wiggle himself free, still glaring at the colt with his red eyes. “Stop that, Snow!” she told him sternly, pushing his muzzle gently to make him look at him. “That’s Starfall; he’s my… um...” Starburst stammered, red with embarrassment. “My-” She wasn’t sure why the words stuck in her throat suddenly. Was it because she was just about to call Starfall her coltfriend (or special somepony, she wasn’t sure where she was going with that sentence)? She just got so… embarrassed at the thought of calling him such in front of somepony, even if it was just her pet. Thankfully, before she had to finish that sentence, she felt a pair of hooves hug her from behind. “My hero!” Starfall said cheerfully, nuzzling her cheek. Now even more red, Starburst turned to look at him. “I somehow doubt you were afraid he was going to hurt you.” “Hurt me?” he replied, blinking with surprise. “That didn’t even cross my mind. I was just losing our staring contest.” Starburst held back the snicker his joke created and looked back at Snow. The ferret had returned to glaring at Starfall and baring his fangs at him. Just when she was about to berate her pet again, Starburst felt the colt’s hooves grab her tighter, and when she glanced at him she saw that he was returning Snow the favor. Watching Starfall bare his fangs - a rare characteristic for a pony, a mark along with his eyes of having a hint of dragon’s blood coursing through his veins - Starburst found herself torn between amusement and annoyance. “Are you trying to tell him ‘she’s mine’ or something?” she asked , frowning. “More like ‘back off’, actually. Oh, and by the way,” he added, smirking, “I think that stutter earlier was cute.” His comment made her blush return with force. “S-shut up,” she replied. Turning to her ferret, Starburst said: “I know he’s annoying as hell, but I like him, okay?” Snow glanced at her, making the closest expression on his face to ‘Seriously?’ a ferret could do. He then turned back to Starfall, dooked warningly and wiggled out of Starburst’s wing, heading back to his stuffed kennel. Her attention was drawn away from her pet by an unexpected peck on her cheek. “Good morning,” she heard Starfall murmur in a much sweeter voice than he usually used. “Morning,” Starburst replied sheepishly. “How did you sleep?” “Better than I can remember having slept in a while. Thanks to you,” he purred, giving her cheek another peck. “I owe you one…” As Starfall continued to nuzzle her affectionately, Starburst grew a bit uneasy. She just… wasn’t used to receiving such attention… Such wonderful attention, she amended as she felt his hooves massage her chest. “A-aren’t you a little forward?” Starburst asked, red on her face. She was aware that she had asked the question merely minutes after they woke up after spending a night together - even though they’d actually only slept - and the amusement in Starfall’s eyes told her that he was on a verge of pointing it out. However, he instead stopped his ministrations and pulled back… And his mouth engulfed her ear. Starburst frowned and tensed as she felt him nibble on her ear. She enjoyed the kisses and nuzzles before, but she was starting to get annoyed by his constant carasses. “What are you-” she started, but in that very instant she felt something unbelievable: one of Starfall’s fangs scratched her right in her sweet spot behind her ear. The pegasus moaned, her muscles relaxing instantly. Starburst absolutely loved having her ears scratched, though she didn’t allow just anypony to do that to her. Actually, the only ones she let do that to her - or, in fact, knew at all about it - were her parents. Starburst remembered how she would just be reduced to a purring ball with wings whenever her mom or dad would scratch her there, back when she was younger. Other than them, the only pony who ever touched her there was Starfall, back during their tickle fight in the cave. Back then, he did so by accident, though he had clearly remembered her reaction. Now, though, he was acting with purpose… and instead of his hoof, he was scratching her ear with his fang, which made the experience better by like, a thousand times. Not only because a fang was much sharper than a hoof’s edge, but also because the rest of her ear was in Starfall’s mouth, and, although at first it took her by surprise, she was now enjoying the warmth of it and him nibbling on the end of her ear. As she melted into his embrace, Starfall uttered an amused purr. He was clearly pleased with her reaction. The unicorn tilted his head to his left, so that his fang could reach further, but as Starburst uttered another moan, something heralded an end to her bliss. An alarm clock. Its sound took both of them by surprise. Starburst turned her head to regard the clock, angry at it for pulling her out of her daydream. Starfall, on the other hoof, didn’t react at first, but after a few more precious seconds he let go of her ear and pulled back- Oh, hell no! Starburst wasn’t done; she didn’t want the wonderful feeling to end so soon. She whirled around and pushed him back to the bed, determined to prolong their smooching session for as long as possible. She leaned down for a kiss… And was taken by surprise when instead of a warm pair of lips, hers connected with a hoof. “Whoa there, Lil’Lioness,” Starfall told her, pushing her back gently. “Aren’t you a little forward?” It was like a bucket of ice was poured down on her. Starburst pulled back, startled, all her desire gone as she realized what she had just done: she pounced on a rape victim. “I-I…” she stammered, horrified. “I’m so sor-” Her apology was cut off by a pair of lips. Starburst’s eyes grew even wider after the swift movement of Starfall, but although she was really confused as to what was going on, she returned the kiss after a second. “I’m not,” he said once he pulled back. He smiled and winked as he tapped her playfully on her nose. “I’ve just figured that once you’ve calmed down you might regret things done in the heat of the moment.” Starburst stared at him in shock, then shook her head; he stopped her because he was concerned about her. Though her experiences with colts and romance were less than minimal (well, prior to the last few hours, at least), Starburst was smart enough to know that colts usually didn’t do that. “Are you sure-” she started, but he again cut her off, though this time by only nuzzling against her cheek. “Star, our acquaintanceship had basically started by me offending pretty much your entire town and by hospitalizing your father,” her reminded her, wincing at the latter, “and I’ve been forced to endure for several years things unimaginable to most ponies. I think you will quickly find that there is practically nothing I would mind from you, or that I would even bother to grow angry at. My Beloved Nemesis…” When he mentioned what he had been through, the sick knot in her stomach she felt when she discovered it had returned. But as he purred the nickname he had started calling her, Starburst couldn’t help but smile affectionately, the dark thoughts immediately vanishing. “You know,” she started, “it’s kinda annoying to hear you be so mature.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, you will see plenty of me being immature during tonight’s show.” Something clicked in Starburst head when he mentioned the show. “Oh, right!” she exclaimed, rising from her bed and jumping towards one of her drawers. Aware of Starfall’s ruby eyes following her, she quickly opened it and took out its contents. “I’ve figured you would want those back for your show.” His eyes widened. On her hooves rested the dark cloak he wore the day they met, as well as a purple bandana with gold, silver and blue stars on it. He had left both of those behind with her in the cave, leaving with only one of his signature articles of clothing: the zebra beads that he wore on a front hoof, which were enchanted with the power to repel nightmares. Luna knows he needs it… “You kept them!” Starfall exclaimed happily, lifting them up with his magic. He threw himself at her, hugging her and kissing her again. “Oh, thank you so much!” “Of course I’ve kept them!” she replied warmly, a touch surprised that he thought she wouldn’t. He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice: “You are so getting the ear scratch of your life tomorrow…” he purred as their noses touched. A shiver went through her. “A-about tomorrow…” “I’ll pick you up at ten,” he answered before she could ask. “Okay…” Starburst murmured. “Then… see you at the show?” The unicorn nodded, though she caught a glint in his eyes that told her that he wouldn’t mind staying with her. “Yeah. I gotta go and prepare a few things. Um… you don’t mind if I make fun of one of your friends?” he asked uncertainly. She raised an eyebrow. “Prism?” When he nodded, she added with a smirk: “Go ahead.” “Thanks.” “What do you plan to do to him?” “Please, do you think that I would tell you and spoil the fun?” he winked. Starburst chuckled as she tried to imagine what he could possible have in store for her friend. Prism Bolt was one of her closest friends, and by far the most annoying one; even if he didn’t hold a candle to Starfall in that department. He was an extremely lazy pegasus, who by a strange twist of fate was born with amazing flying skills, and he spent his days pulling pranks on others - unless he was taking a nap on some cloud. A little nuzzle against her nose brought her back to the present moment. “Close your eyes,” Starfall told her, and she listened without a second thought. She trusted him. She felt his lips on hers. They stayed there for a few seconds… and then vanished. Starburst let out a heavy sigh and opened her eyes. As she expected, Starfall was gone. Alright, she thought about twenty minutes later, after she was done with her morning routine (a few quick exercises and morning toilet) and headed for the breakfast. Stay calm, try to not talk much, and your family won’t be able to figure out that you are going on a date the next day with a homeless ex-thief who had beaten up your father. Starburst had to resist an urge to facehoof at how that description sounded. She knew, of course, that her parents would learn about that date sooner or later, especially since Starfall was going to pick her up, but she really didn’t want to tell them right now. Starburst needed a plan, she had to think carefully how to bring up the subject of Starfall… Maybe I could do that after his show? she thought as she entered the dining room, expecting to see three ponies: her mom, Princess Twilight, a purple alicorn; her dad, Prince Flash Sentry, an orange pegasus; and her younger brother Night Light, a blue unicorn. At the table, however, were four ponies. “Lance?!” Starburst exclaimed at the sight of the light blue alicorn sitting beside her brother. “When did you get here?” The pony in question turned to greet her with a smile and a wink. Her cousin, Valiant Heart (or Lance as most ponies called him), was the prince of the Crystal Empire, which was on the other side of Equestria. He was also the captain of the Crystal Empire’s guards, and because of that one of the ponies Starburst admired most. Her dream was to become the Captain of the Royal Guard one day, and she used every opportunity possible to learn from her cousin as much as possible. “Hey Star,” Valiant replied. “Nice to see you too.” She rolled her eyes and hurried to the free chair beside the table. “Val had been sent by Cadance and Shining Armor to Canterlot yesterday on official royal duties,” Twilight replied for him. “He’s going to stay with us for a few days.” “Awesome,” Starburst said, though inwardly she wanted to bash her head against the table due to the terrible timing. Now she knew she would have to tell them about her date. It would look weird if she would not try to spend as much time as possible tomorrow with her cousin. Or the following days, for that matter; although she wasn’t sure if Starfall had anything planned… Trying to not think about it for a moment, Starburst turned her attention to the slices of bread and other foodstuff. “Aunt and Uncle had been telling me about what happened over a week ago,” Valiant said as she grabbed everything on the table that was within her reach. “Sounds like it was quite exciting, huh?” Oh, Celestia, right off the bat… she thought as she nodded carefully. “That Starfall guy…” Lance continued, turning to her mom. “Do you really think that it was a good idea to give him a pardon for his crimes Auntie? Especially when he wasn’t even brought to the court?” Before Twilight could reply, Nighty decided to cut in. “But if mom hadn’t pardoned him, he wouldn’t be putting a magic show for Ponyville tonight!” The three oldest ponies around the table looked at the youngest, shocked. This time Starburst did facehoof. Her mom was the first to recover. “Excuse me… what?” she asked, her eyes going between her foals. Deciding to get most of it over with, Starburst replied: “He came back yesterday, said hi to me and my friends, apologized for being a jerk, said he was putting a magic show for Ponyville as his way of apologizing, and then disappeared again. Apparently he already made the arrangements with Mayor Mare. Oh, and he said he stopped stealing.” she added, reaching for a cup of tea. “Huh,” Twilight commented, regaining her composure. “I can’t say I expected things to turn out this way… still, I’m glad to hear that Starfall has decided to change. Although I can’t help but worry…” “Worry?” Flash Sentry asked. “About what?” “Well, for one thing, where is he staying?” she replied, then turned to Starburst who was still drinking her tea. “Do you know where he slept last night?” The contents of her mouth were violently ejected across the table. “W-w-wha-a… how would I know that?!?” Starburst stammered after she had spitted out her tea. Her family was looking at her with surprise. “I was just wondering if he had mentioned to you yesterday,” Twilight replied, blinking. “W-well he hadn’t!” she said, then she noticed she had done so too fast. Wincing inwardly, she buried herself in the next loaf of bread. She was painfully aware of her family giving her quizzical looks, but thankfully her mother shook her head and resumed talking. “Starfall might be used to not having a home, but such life isn’t good for any pony, much less one of his age.” “So what do you propose?” Flash Sentry asked, shrugging. “I doubt a pony like him would want to be sent to an orphanage, let alone talk about his housing or lifestyle.” Twilight rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Maybe… if we could invite him for a tea after his show…” Starburst made a mental note to bash her head against the wall later. Repeatedly. “I’m sorry, Auntie,” Valiant started, “but haven’t you said that his father was-” “I’ve said Spike thinks so,” Twilight interrupted him. However, it was clear from her expression and tone that she trusted her former assistant’s opinion. “Also, even if that was true, I thought Shining Armor and Cadance had taught you better than to judge a pony based on who their parents are,” she added with a disapproving glare. Starburst let their conversation carry on without her as she lost herself in her thoughts. She knew well who it was that Uncle Spike had suspected of being Starfall’s father, and why his identity had alarmed Lance. King Sombra, the Tyrant King of the Crystal Empire, whose magic caused it to vanish for a thousand years after his defeat at the hooves of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Uncle Spike wasn’t just basing his guess on Starfall’s affinity for dark magic, which was widely considered to be the signature of King Sombra. The dragon happened to see, for a brief moment, the unicorn king’s eyes without the aura of dark magic affecting them. It happened a few decades ago, when Starburst’s mom and her friends, along with Uncle Spike, had helped Aunt Cadance and Uncle Shining Armor find the Crystal Heart after the Empire had returned and saved it from the Tyrant King. Those eyes were red with narrow pupils, exactly like Starfall’s. That and the fact that they also both had fangs… When asked, Starfall had neither denied nor admitted whether the guess was correct. He never knew his father. Trixie, his mother, had raised him by herself, and whenever he had tried to ask, she waved off his questions. With her dead, there was no way of telling whether it was truth or not. I am going on a date with a homeless ex-thief who had beaten up my father, knows dark magic, and is possibly a son of tyrant who used to run the kingdom ruled by my aunt and uncle, Starburst summed up, putting away her plate. Telling my parents about this will be interesting, to say the least… “Hey Star?” her cousin asked her; apparently, he and her mom and dad had already finished their talk. “I should be done by tomorrow with my duties; do you wanna go practice some battle moves?” “Um…” she stammered. “I… I would like to, but I can’t.” Think of something, think of something, think of something... “‘Can’t?’” “I… I’m hanging out with my friends,” Starburst said, and when Valiant’s eyes grew wide in shock she realized her mistake. Think of something better, think of something better… “I had a bet with Candy,” she said; at least she didn’t need to fake embarrassment. “I lost, so I have to hang out with them. ‘Them’ being my girl friends,” she added hastily, before her cousin could ask if he could join in. “We’re supposed to do… you know, girly stuff.” “You doing girly stuff?” Lance asked, the snorted. “Sweet Celestia… by all means, go do that.” he added as he started laughing his tail off. As her brother joined in, and her parents smiled from behind the cover of their hooves, Starburst pondered the hopelessness of her situation. She couldn’t admit to her ferret that she was dating Starfall, she was too embarrassed. How embarrassed would she be when her family found out? Or her friends?! They had no boundaries, of course they would find out… That secluded place Starfall is taking me, she thought as she rubbed her temples, I wonder if I could just go and live there...