//------------------------------// // Introductions // Story: Starling // by destinedjagold //------------------------------// “They cancelled the classes.” “Well, gee... I wonder why.” Gamma says, rolling his eyes. “I'm serious,” Blue throws a soft glare at him. The stallion's Starling tilts its head on the side. “...But I thought your name's Blue Harvest?” A tired sigh. “...Not what I meant.” His Starling blinks. “Oh.” Beside them, one of their friends is throwing his Starling up in the air, catches the falling, giggling thing, and repeats the process. “I dunno about you guys,” Zap says, “but I like Fluffy already!” “As clear as day,” Jay says, chuckling. “Eh,” Gamma eh's, turning to his Starling floating beside him. “I dunno how to feel about it yet.” His Starling blinks at him. Jay nods his head. “Yeah, me too.” He looks at his Starling. “Er, no offence.” His Starling smiles. “None taken.” After flashing his Starling a small smile, Jay turns to the young blue stallion. “What about you, Blue?” “Hm...” the stallion taps his chin. “...I think—” “Hey guys!” the yellow-coated mare arrives, greeting them, with her Starling floating close behind. “Looks like you guys, well, most of you are still getting used to your new partners.” Gamma shudders. “Please don't call them ‘partners,’ Fourths.” Fourths blinks. Zap looks at him. “...I'm starting to think that it's you who should get his mind out of the gutter.” Gamma glares at him. Blue sighs. “And I was really looking forward to my report in class.” “You're still on that, huh?” Gamma asks. The blue stallion adjusts his glasses. “Oh well. One more day to fully prepare myself and my report, I suppose.” Zap holds Fluffy on his hooves and fully turns to his friend. “...You really need to relax some more, Blue.” Gamma nods his head. “Yeah. I don't think studying too much is good for you.” Blue adjusts his glasses again. “I shall think of those as opinions and will respect them.” The two stallions sigh. “W-well, it was nice talking to you guys,” the mare suddenly says. She turns around and leaves the group, her Starling following her. “...I forgot she was with us,” Zap says. “Must have been awkward for her,” Jay says. “We should apologize,” Blue suggests. “Maybe later,” Gamma says, pointing. “She's with her circle of gal pals now. Would be awkward for us weirdos to go there and apologize to her.” Jay's ears droop. “...I can already hear the gossip they'll start.” “Hm...” Blue considers. After a second or so, he nods his head. “Good point.” He stands up. “Well, I should head back home.” “Already?” Zap asks. Blue turns to him with a smile. “I have a report to prepare.” Zap gives him a flat look. The blue stallion adjusts his glasses before walking away. “I'll see you stallions tomorrow.” His Starling follows him. “...Oh right. I suppose you're coming with me, yes?” The three stallions watch the duo leave. “...So what now?” Jay asks before turning to his friends. Zap shrugs. “I think I'll show Fluffy around town.” He smiles at his friends. “You guys want to come along?” Jay smiles and nods. “Sure.” Gamma shrugs. “Sounds good, but...” Jay and Zap turn to him. Gamma looks at his Starling. “...Maybe we should split ways?” Zap arches an eyebrow. “...Why?” Gamma shrugs once again. “I dunno.” He turns to them. “I feel like we should be alone with our...Starlings...?” Zap blinks. And then a sly smile slowly appears on his muzzle. The black-coated stallion glares at him. “Get your mind out of the gutter, you pervert.” “Are you sure it's my mind who should get out of there?” Gamma rolls his eyes. “Whatever. All I'm saying is that it's...awkward.” Jay blinks at him. “Huh?” Gamma explains: “Look, we all just got Starlings. Just like Fourths earlier, I feel like the Starlings would feel awkward if we go around town as a group, and we're already friends, so...you know...” He looks at his Starling. “We might not be able to fully...talk to them?” “Nah,” Zap says, patting his Starling's head. “I don't think that's going to happen.” “Not for you, you mean.” Jay taps his chin with a hoof. “...I think Gamma is right.” He turns to his Starling, who quietly looks back at him as it hovers in the air. “...I still am trying to get used to having one.” “Plus,” Gamma says, catching his friends' attentions. “Remember what their queen thing said? They live off of the bond we share with them. I just think it'll be a little difficult to bond with them if we're together.” He shrugs. “So maybe we should spend some time with them, you know?” “Eh...” Zap shrugs in defeat. “If you guys want that, then oh well.” He smiles at them. “I'll be staying here for a while though. Since we're already here, I might as well show her about this boring old school.” He shrugs. “And then I'll show her the great places here in Hoofingtown!” Smiling, he lifts his Starling up. “What do you think, Fluffy?” “I think it sounds good!” “Her, huh?” Jay asks. “Well, she sounds like a girl.” “Aren't they all?” Gamma points out. “Well,” Jay says, “if they're all females, then how do they—you know what? I'll stop right there and leave.” He turns around and walks toward the school's open gates, his Starling floating beside him. The brown stallion passes by students and guardponies interacting with their Starlings, their excited and curious voices mixing in the air. Walking out of the campus premises, Jay notices the lack of traffic on the roads and the huge number of ponies and their Starlings on the streets. He watches in awe at how...strange the scene is. “Then again...it's a big, sudden change,” he mutters under his breath as he starts walking down the street, his Starling floating after him. “I bet it's going to take a while for everypony to get used to this...” He glances at his Starling floating beside him. “...I know I'll take a while to get used to this...” He passes by a couple sitting under a waiting shed, having a lively discussion with their Starlings. “...Hm.” He looks ahead. “...So.” “Hm?” his Starling responds, turning to him. Standing in front of a fountain, he sits down and stares at the water reflecting the morning sun's rays. “...You're a Starling.” “Yes I am,” his Starling happily replies as it slowly lands on the ground beside him, staring at him. “And you're a pony, right?” It has heard other ponies referring to themselves as so, but it wants to be sure. “Mhmm...” The Starling then stares at the fountain. “That looks pretty.” Jay nods his head. “It's a fountain.” “Fountain...” the Starling parrots. A minute or two flies by. The stallion's ears twitch to the many sounds echoing all around, and his Starling busies itself by looking all around them. A cool breeze passes by, and Jay closes his eyes, the cool air helping him feel a little more at east. “This feels nice,” he hears his Starling say. “Mmm,” Jay hums in agreement. “It's called the wind.” “Wind...” his Starling murmurs. “I like it.” Jay takes a breath, opening his eyes, his gaze landing on the rising and falling water. “...What's your name?” His Starling looks at him with a blink. “...My name?” The stallion nods his head. “Yeah.” He looks at the Starling sitting beside him. “Like...I'm Jay.” “Hi Jay!” the Starling says, waving its arm at him. Jay blinks. “Er, hello to you too?” They stare at each other, the stallion feeling more and more awkward as the seconds pass by. He turns back to the fountain. “So yeah... What's your name?” “...I don't think I have one,” his Starling sadly says. Jay looks back at it. “Really?” The Starling nods its head. “...You've been traveling through...space...before you guys got here, right?” A nod. “So, you guys must have been talking to each other, right?” A shake of a head. A blink. “Wait... Really?” A nod. A confused look. “B-but... You guys shared your bonds with each other, right?” the stallion asks. “Surely there has been some kind of communication involved.” A head tilts. “I don't really know, Jay.” A blink. His Starling continues: “I was asleep. I needed to, because I was one of the Starlings that carried the others.” “...Huh?” The Starling shakes its head. “I just woke up, so I don't really know much.” “Oh,” the stallion says. “I see...” The Starling hangs its head. “I'm sorry.” Jay shakes his head. “Nah. Don't be.” The two turn their gazes on the fountain once again. “So you don't have a name?” “No.” “Does that mean I'm going to give you one?” “If you want to.” Jay sighs. “I kinda gotta need to.” He frowns. “I can't just call you a Starling or something anyway...” He turns to it. “What do you want me to call you?” His Starling looks at him. “...Anything you want to call me.” “We're not really going anywhere with this.” He sighs as he stands up on four hooves. “Let's go.” “Alright.” The duo continues going down the street, the alien looking at the many new sights around it while also following the brown stallion. They walk by a small shop, where a mare and her foal walks out of the establishment, a single Starling following them. Jay stops, blinks and stares at them walking past him, the child and the Starling talking lively about random stuff. “...Huh.” “What's the matter?” his Starling asks. Jay turns to it and shakes his head. “Nothing.” “Oh, okay.” Jay nods his head. He's about to continue walking when he notices his Starling is looking at the different displays through the shop's glass windows. The Starling turns to him. “What's this place?” It turns back, looking at where the mare and her child went. “Those two ponies came from here.” Jay looks at the shop's glass door and sees the salesponies inside are teaching their Starlings about stuff. He notices his Starling is looking at him. “Oh, uh...” He clears his throat. “This place is called a shop.” “A shop.” He nods his head. “There are others like this around town, too, but they look different from each other.” “Like ponies?” Jay blinks. “...Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, shops sell various items like food and stuff.” The Starling nods. “Oh, okay.” It looks back at the shop. Jay sighs a quiet sigh, wondering if he has the patience to teach his Starling about so many things. He blinks as a thought occurs to him. “Say, are you hungry?” “Hm?” His Starling turns to him. “Hungry?” Jay nods with a smile. “Yeah. If you're hungry, just let me know and I'll get you something to eat.” “Oh,” his Starling nods. “Okay.” A blink. “...What's hungry? And food?” Jay blinks. “Here ya go, little fellah,” the ice cream pony says with a smile, handing Jay's floating Starling a small cone of ice cream. The Starling curiously grabs the item with its arms, noticing how cold it is against its head. “...” The salespony grabs a napkin from his stall and hands it to Jay. “They're like babies,” the stallion says after a chuckle. “We're going to need a lot of patience with them.” He turns to his Starling floating beside him. “Ain't that right, Snow Flake?” “Mhmm!” “Eh...” Jay gives him a few bits for the ice cream. “I'm still trying to get over the awkwardness of all of this...” “The key is to keep on talking to them.” Jay blinks. The older stallion smiles at his Starling. “Just like any normal conversation, just start small and continue from there. If you guys hit a dead-end, well, start another one.” “...Still need to cross over the awkward bridge...” The older stallion shrugs. “Well, I'm sure you'll get over that sooner than later. As for me, well...” He smiles at his Starling again. “I've always wanted a kid. Never managed to catch a mare though, and I'm too busy and getting too old for that dating nonsense...” “...Huh,” is all Jay can say to that. A customer and her Starling arrives, and Jay and his Starling quietly leaves. Sitting down on one of the unoccupied seats in the park, Jay takes the ice cream from his Starling and wipes it clean with a napkin. “Ice cream is very cold,” his Starling says. Jay notices the golden robe his Starling is wearing actually feels like...normal clothing. “...And here I thought it was some kind of metal armor or something?” “Huh?” Jay shakes his head. “It's nothing.” He throws the napkin in a trash bin sitting on the grass beside his seat. He then presents the ice cream to his Starling. “So this is an ice cream.” The Starling nods its head. “...And ice cream is food.” “Food.” Jay sighs through his nostrils. “...And we eat food. Or in this case, we lick them.” He licks the ice cream. “Mmm... There, see?” A nod. “I see, I see.” “Now you try,” Jay says, and watches his Starling floats closer to the cold food and...puts its small head on the ice cream. Jay frowns. “...You don't have mouths, huh?” Floating away from the cold, the Starling shivers from the cold and shakes its head.