//------------------------------//
// 1 - Won't You Be My Star Tonight 
// Story: Starlight, Star Bright 
// by BlackWater 
//------------------------------//








All the others had left, the evening had grown late, and the stars were twinkling bright in the calm night sky. Sundown had brought the cold air with it and, in a castle of crystal, it was not hard to feel the chill. Apparently, the crystal didn't insulate well.
Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer had just finished a late but delicious dinner prepared by Spike. It had been a quiet meal, however. The dragon soon retired due to exhaustion and Starlight found herself at a loss for conversation. She hadn't exactly expected to be dining with somepony she had so recently deemed her mortal enemy.
Having both finished their last helping of stir-fried cucumbers, one of them was finally forced to say something to get out of the awkwardness. Twilight took the initiative even as she levitated the dishes to the kitchen sink.
“So, you're getting used to Ponyville?” she tried to use as welcoming a tone as she could and then cursed herself for sounding too sweet. She thought it made her sound insincere and averted her gaze out of instinct.
“It's as good as any other town in Equestria,” Starlight practically whispered to herself. Her eyes were vacant, but she looked to Twilight all the same. Some ghost of a hope laid within them.
“I know it's been a week already, but you're welcome to stay here as long as you want,” Twilight offered without a second thought. What better way to demonstrate true friendship?
A spark flickered in Starlight's eyes. The wheels turned in her mind, telling her that she should continue down this road. Take it as far as she could. “As long as I want?”
“Come on,” Twilight nodded and got down from her chair at the needlessly large table. “We'll talk in my room. I don't think you've seen it yet. It's far more comfortable there, and I've got a fireplace.”
Starlight felt a shiver go down her spine and wasn't about to argue. It was indeed getting cold and a fire and a blanket sounded pretty good. Far better than what she lived through when she stalked Twilight, gaining insight and learning her weaknesses. Those times flashed through her memory while she followed Twilight up to her room in the enormous crystal castle.
It was just before they came to Twilight's door that something triggered not only in Starlight's mind but also in her heart. She realized just how much she had obsessed over Twilight. How much time she spent following, spying, and learning everything about her. What had been an obsession of hatred before had begun morphing into something else entirely.
It happened too fast. She had only just allowed herself to be open to this new friendship thing. Her emotions were scattered and confused. She felt like a tiny raft in a raging and storming sea. What was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to feel? The only thing she knew she had to do was be close. She had to be close to this one pony that had laid down her pride and offered her hoof, no strings attached.
So she became aware of the pony walking in front of her. Very aware. The pony she had obsessed over...the one she knew so well and yet only begun to understand....
She had an amazing pair of flanks.
Starlight shook her head. No, that wasn't right. Was she really going to ogle at the perfectly plush purple pony posterior of an alicorn princess? She couldn't go taking advantage of Twilight's hospitality. She had nowhere else to go and even if she could use her talents to make a living for herself it would only be an empty life. She needed this friendship to feel alive again. To give some meaning to her days in Equestria.
Twilight opened her door, they stepped in, and Twilight closed it behind them. It wasn't a small room, but it managed to have a much closer atmosphere than the other over-sized rooms in the castle. A fireplace was opposite the large queen-sized bed. A magical fire flickered within it, keeping the room warm while preventing the dangers that came with an unsupervised traditional flame. The cozy privacy of the bedroom helped Starlight to relax.
“It took some time to get used to this,” Twilight remarked for conversation. She sat down and then laid fully on the plush rug before the glowing fireplace. “After my last place, I mean. I still miss the natural wood walls.”
Starlight laid down beside her, purposefully angling herself to be close both to the fire and Twilight simultaneously. “You like trees,” she commented. It was easy remembering what she had gathered on this mare. “And books. You do know what books are made of, right?”
The purple pony princess giggled. “Yes, I do. I also happen to know the sustainable tree farms used to supply Equestria with paper. I read about them in books.”
“Did you learn about friendship from a book?” Starlight asked, knowing it was a rhetorical question that would be answered anyway.
“No,” Twilight looked down at her forehooves resting before her. “I had to get away from the books for a little bit to find out about that.”
Starlight just laid there, gazing at the alicorn. The purple coat reflected an off-hue color in the fire's throbbing glow. The other lights in the room were turned down. Or, at least, they were now. Starlight shrugged when Twilight asked why she had just used her magic to do that.
“I like the ambiance,” the unicorn explained off-hoof.
Twilight thought it was odd, but then Starlight had been odd around the others earlier in the day. There was something off-center about Starlight, but Twilight tried not to be too critical. It was probably because the mare was in a transitional phase. What did those psychology books say about transformation of personal norms in relation to severe self-directed relational corrections? Twilight told herself mentally to read those books again soon.
“And I know you do as well,” Starlight grinned almost smugly.
Twilight furrowed her brows, pursed her lips, and tilted her head by the tiniest degree. “Huh?”
“I know lots of things about you, Twilight,” the unicorn replied. “I followed you for months before I revealed myself to you. I had to know as much as I could because I didn't want to lose.”
The princess bit her bottom lip. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was unsettling for sure, but she convinced herself to use it as a springboard for their new relationship. “Then you know my favorite meals?”
“And your favorite spells. And your favorite books. Even your favorite brand of shampoo,” Starlight was definitely smug at this point. Now that she had smoothed over the adversarial relationship between them, she had forgotten about being humble. Not that it mattered. After all, this lovely alicorn was becoming more attractive to her by the minute. She hadn't had the opportunity to appreciate Twilight's looks when she had been absorbed by her anger.
Twilight was further unnerved at that, however. She felt a faint blush warm her cheeks and gulped down a shiver of nervousness. “W-well,” she stuttered, “you've got a leg up on me there. I guess I should ask you most of the questions since you know way more about me than I do you.”
“I hate answering boring questions, though,” Starlight sighed, turned deadpan, and rested her head on her two forehooves. She kept her gaze on Twilight, occasionally tracking from the mare's face to the rest of her body. “Ask me something interesting.”
“Alright then,” Twilight became indignant. This unicorn was clearly not in the most easy-going of moods. The next words out of Twilight's mouth betrayed her growing insecurity. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” Starlight innocently rose a brow.
Twilight pursed her lips again. “Like...like I'm some ancient artifact to be scrutinized. You keep looking at my cutie mark too.”
“Am I making you nervous?”
It was an innocent enough tone but not an innocent enough suggestion. Twilight winced and then looked the other way. “Maybe.”
“We're friends now,” Starlight pretended to pout. “I thought that meant we were comfortable together.”
“Not when there's something clearly on your mind and you won't spit it out,” Twilight came back quickly.
Starlight's tone rose in kind. “You want to know what I'm thinking right now?”
“It'd help us come to an understanding and give us the opportunity to bond, further strengthening our new friendship,” Twilight tried to come back to her more rational mind. Her friendship research reports indicated that such open dialogue was necessary for new high-tension relationships common among prior combatants.
Starlight smirked and took on an almost sultry tone. “Alright then,” she half-lidded her eyes. “I'll tell you what I'm thinking. I think you'll like it too.”
Twilight recomposed herself, pasted a smile on her face, and straightened her back and neck for full attention.
“I think you're beautiful.”
Silence. The fireplace even had a lull in the crackling of its own flame, as if a non-intelligent thing could have an understanding of what was just said. The next sound that came, after more hearty silence, was Twilight gulping.
“Y-y-you th-think I'm....”
“Beautiful,” Starlight repeated, her eyes catching Twilight's and staying there. “Your body is in great shape. Your mane and tail are well kept and I must admit the style is very attractive. You smell like lavender. It comes from the soap and shampoo you use. Also, there's a hint of old paper. It reminds me of all the years I spent studying – just like you. You're a star and I don't mean that just for the cutie mark stuck on both of those enticing flanks.”
At a loss for any other response, Twilight could only blush and lower her eyes again. This was unexpected. Was her most recent arch-nemesis really complimenting her now? And what kind of compliment was that? It sounded like...like flirting! Twilight didn't know what to think.
“I didn't prepare that beforehoof, just so you know,” Starlight closed her eyes momentarily in resolve. “You told me to speak my mind and that's what happened to go through it-”
“Maybe we'd better just go to bed,” Twilight interrupted, her voice hurried and flustered. “We need time to think. Collect ourselves. Yes, I'm sure this is just an anomaly resulting from the transition of your inner psyche!”
Seeing Twilight so frazzled by her words didn't bother Starlight. No. In fact, she loved it. It occurred to her that she had, in a fashion, beaten this mare. Sure, she wanted to be friends but that didn't mean she had to be demure. Actually, they could be more than friends. Yes! This was how she could prevent the loss of her new friend. Twilight could never go a separate way if they were joined at the hip!
Starlight Glimmer's eyes burned with a new resolve. She had to be bold. It wasn't hard. In fact, she hardly had to think at all to do it. Her renewed authority came out with more than a tinge of her old arrogance.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she took on a wicked smirk. She got closer and put her shoulder around Twilight, drawing them flush side-by-side. The flustered alicorn was ready to teleport away, but Starlight tapped the mare's horn to snuff out the spell. “What's wrong?”
“What are you doing?”
“Just following your advice, dear,” Starlight's eyes widened with an excited glee. “You told me yourself! Only I can make sure that my new friendships never fail and that's precisely what I'm going to do!”
“What are you talking about?” Twilight whispered, as if she was worried the heavily asleep Spike might overhear. Her heart told her to trust Starlight but everything else told her to be wary.
Starlight rolled Twilight over onto her back and swung herself on top so that she pinned her to the rug before the fire. She got down low so their muzzles were close. “I'm talking about you, Twilight! I'll never lose you like I did Sunburst because you'll be mine. I won't even have to indoctrinate or brainwash you. All I have to do is win your heart.”
Twilight was dumbstruck. Nopony in her life had ever expressed such an interest in her. If she expected anypony to ever do so then the last pony on the list would be Starlight.
“I promise not to go too far,” Starlight breathed into Twilight's ear, which she then nibbled.
The purple princess stifled a moan. The sensation sent lightning down her spine. She hadn't anticipated her ears being so sensitive and she was shocked at how much she enjoyed it. Though she had every opportunity to tell Starlight to back away, the words never left her lips. Years of repressed desires for intimacy came out by, ironically, repressing her desire to say no.
Starlight then moved to nuzzle their cheeks together. Though her pinning of Twilight was firm, her other movements were gentle. “I know you've always been curious. I read your secret diary. The one even Spike doesn't know exists. The one with all of your fantasies.”
Twilight's beet red face cooled along with her blood. “Y-you know?”
Starlight giggled. “I wonder what your friends would think if they knew about the naughty things you've written about them.”
The bookworm whimpered while the other mare traced her lips along her cheek. “I...how...I cast the most powerful privacy spell! It's impossible!”
“Shhhh,” Starlight tried to calm the otherwise limp mare. She place a few butterfly kisses on her cheek. “It's okay, Twily. I know how lonely you've felt. All those friends and yet still lacking that one special somepony you really want. The one you really need.”
Tears welled up in the princess' eyes. Her mind battled not for whether she wanted this kind of attention but rather if she wanted Starlight Glimmer to be the one. Every moment she held back resistance confirmed in her own heart that she wanted to give it a try. Her mind that was telling her to wait for some other pony was overcome by her heart that was overjoyed that somepony finally wanted her. Even if that somepony was Starlight.
Starlight moved her face and locked their gaze point blank. She allowed herself to sink into those violet irises. “It's a first for me too. What do you say? More than friends?”
Twilight closed her eyes tight, took a deep breath, and managed to open them without worry. Her voice resonated with refreshed confidence. “You're right, Starlight. I have had fantasies. And I have wanted somepony special in my life. I don't have any experience, so everything I know is based on theory...everything I do will be based on feeling. I guess what I want to say is...I'll try?”
Starlight squealed with glee in a way that Twilight had never heard from the mare before. She would have commented on it but her mouth was swiftly taken by Starlight's. Just before the kiss broke, Twilight felt the unicorn's tongue upon her lips. It gave her the blush she had managed to overcome just prior.
“Keep in mind,” the magically powerful unicorn reminded, “there's plenty of non-bedroom-related activities we can enjoy together. Advanced magic study sessions happen to be a favorite of mine.”
“Well, if you've really read my secret diary,” Twilight finally returned the sultry look, “I think we'll be too wrapped up with the bedroom-related activities to bother.”
Before Starlight could overcome her surprise at the mare's aggressive change in disposition, Twilight tackled her onto her back in play. They tossed and turned on the floor for what seemed like ages, laughing either in relief, joy, or hysterics. A future with Starlight was looking more and more to be a desirable conclusion. An hour more of play and conversation past until both were tired enough to rest together.
Starlight nuzzled her companion's side. “You know what's special about you?”
“What?” Twilight decided to go along.
“You reached out your hoof to me even after everything I did,” Starlight explained. “And it wasn't because of the situation. It's just who you are. You're like a shining star in a dark night sky.”
Twilight tilted her head. “I didn't know you were a poet.”
“There's a lot of things you still don't know about me,” the unicorn said more quietly and rested her head against Twilight's side. “You'll find out, though.”
“We can talk more in the morning,” the princess concluded and nudged her companion with her wing. “You know where your room is.”
“Yeah,” Starlight turned deadpan. “I'm in it.”
“This is my room,” Twilight pursed her lips.
“Exactly,” Starlight agreed.
Another silence.
“We're sleeping together already?” Twilight asked, feeling nervous once again.
The heliotrope unicorn grinned big. “With your consent, I'd love to. I'll warn you though, I'm not really into that kinky stuff on page 147 of your diary.”
Twilight puffed up her cheeks and bopped Starlight on the nose. “Very funny.”
Starlight playfully stuck out her tongue.
“So, ready for bed then?”
“Aye aye, princess.”
“Good. I'm glad we're finally on the same page, so to speak,” Twilight gave her a wink.
The other mare said nothing and instead boisterously bounced onto the bed before burrowing under the blanket. Only her head was now above the covers, resting on one of the many pillows. She gave Twilight a happy smile while gesturing with her head for the alicorn to join her.
The princess stifled a laugh. “Alright, alright,” she relented. With a flick of her horn, she snuffed out the magic fire and turned down the rest of the lights. A few trots saw her climbing into the massive bed.
Starlight grabbed Twilight's midsection when she was halfway into the covers and pulled her in like a filly snatching the last lollipop. “I expect this every night from now on,” she detailed as she cuddled her face into the crook of Twilight's neck. Her voice muffled against the mare's coat. “Call it my friendship fee.”
Twilight shook her head but smiled. “I'll give you more than that,” she replied.
Starlight cooed when she felt Twilight's hooves and wings wrap around her. With the sheets pulled up to their heads, it was the warmest and coziest Starlight could ever recall being. Somehow, she didn't think she would be getting out of bed when morning came.
“Good night, Starlight.”
The unicorn exhaled the last of her worries. “Goodnight, my shining star.”