Cave of Sorrows and Warmth
Passing out wasn’t something new to Starburst. During the last few years, it sort of became an almost weekly experience for her. She very often worked out on Sweet Apple Acres, pushing herself despite her exhaustion and black spots on the edges of her vision. Starburst would then find herself losing consciousness. Usually, she would wake up in the Apple family’s barn, with Gold looking over her, who would then proceed to berate her. The first time that happened, though, she woke up in hospital. After the Apple family found her passed out, they had no idea what was wrong. They brought her into the hospital, alarming her family and friends… only for her to wake up fine before the doctors got the test results back, much to everypony’s relief and irritation.
However, she had never found herself waking up after passing out in a dark cave.
Starburst shook her head, trying to focus. Her head hurt like crazy, and everything was dizzy. There was something cold and wet pressed against the back of her head. She could hear some buzzy noise from the outside, and it took her a good few moments to identify it as rain. Judging by the intensity of it, it was a real storm. She could hear some thunders in the distance, even though - as the out-line of the mouth cave was visible - she could not see any lightnings. Starburst also noticed that the cave wasn’t completely dark; there was a dim light emanating from several places, one being close to her. The source of the one next to her was a small shining crystal, sticking out of the stone.
She shook her head as her thoughts started to become cleared and tried to get up… only to realize that she could not move. There was something tied around her, like a bundle.
What the hell… Starburst thought in panic, trying to free herself.
Her scramble was unsuccessful. She could not escape whatever this dark colored material that was binding her was, though it did loosen up a bit. However, the scramble did succeed in gaining somepony’s attention.
“You’re awake.”
Starburst stopped. She recognized that voice, despite how oddly it sounded now. There was no glee in it, no joy, no sarcasm, nor was there enjoyment and boastfulness that Starburst had come to associate with it and its owner. Now her ears could pick up mostly nervousness.
Turning her head to her right, she spot a dark shape, barely visible in the dim light. Starfall was a few feet away from her and was coming closer, dragging something on the ground.
Memories of what had happened came crashing down of her. The castle. The fight. The timberwolves. Starfall escaping. Staying behind to look for him. The cliff and river. Starfall falling. Something hitting her… and then nothing.
And now she was tied up in a cave, alone, with Starfall.
“What is this?!” Starburst asked angrily, though a small part of her mind began to feel fear. She wasn’t a big fan of cinema, but she had seen enough movies to have an extremely bad association with being tied up in the middle of the cave by somebody who you had been fighting not so long ago. “Why did you tie me up?!”
Starfall looked up from what he was dragging. “So you wouldn’t do anything stupid!” he snapped, then returned to what he was doing.
Starburst was taken aback by his retort, and she wasn't sure why. What was it that just seemed off with it?
As she pondered, confused - the headache wasn’t helping her - Starfall put what he was dragging on the ground before her. It was a very wide leaf with several berries on it. Tasty looking berries, Starburst amended, suddenly being reminded that she hadn’t eaten in Celestia knows how long.
Despite how appetizing this measly supper was, however, her eyes shifted from the leaf to Starfall… who, after placing it before her, had almost immediately retreated into shadows. Starburst didn’t even manage to get a good look of him, but the little what she saw was so conspicuous that it was extremely easy to notice.
Starfall wasn’t wearing neither his cloak nor bandanna.
It didn’t take much of a thought to figure out where those went.
Ignoring the berries, Starburst glared at the colt. “Why did you tie me up with your cloak and bandanna?!” she asked once again, this time with greater strength.
An irritated growl replied, followed by: “You mean, other than preventing you from harming both me and yourself? Well, gee, I think I didn’t want you to die of hypothermia after I went through the trouble of giving you CPR!” Starburst jaw hit the ground - literally - and she looked at him with wide eyes as he continued to shout. “Which was after I kept your head above the water, shielding you from hitting the rocks - as the river dragged us for about five miles, by the way - but before I carried you on my back to this cave when it started freaking raining!”
Starburst was left speechless. She just stared at barely visible Starfall as he breathed heavily after the short tirade. She couldn't believe what he had just told her… and yet she somehow knew he was speaking truth.
That he had saved her life.
“Um… thanks,” she finally said shily, regaining her voice.
In reply Starfall snorted. “Eat those berries,” he said, moving even further away from her and laying down.
Some of the gratitude and shame Starburst felt evaporated due to the unicorn’s tone, but she pushed that out of her (still hurting) head and concentrated on berries. Starfall had placed them just waiting in her mouth’s reach. A blush covered her cheeks as she realized just how humiliating this was, but she ate them nonetheless. Even if she wouldn’t be tied, she would probably have problems with moving anyway after…
“What exactly happened?” she asked in between one berry and another.
“A falling rock hit you in the back of the head,” Starfall replied. His voice sounded a bit distant; Starburst realized that he must be looking in the opposite way from her as she ate.
She also realized that she had jinxed this disaster by mentioning it. If her hooves weren’t bound, Starburst would have facehoofed.
Ignorant to her epiphany, Starfall continued: “We both fell into the river, and the rest went more or less the way I described earlier. How’s your head?” he asked, and Starburst, with embarrassment, noticed worry in his voice.
“It hurts, but it’s okay,” she replied uneasily.
“Good,” she heard Starfall murmur with relief. “It didn’t look to me as if your skull was fractured or anything, but I only know some first aid and zebra medicine, so I could have been wrong. Granted,” he snorted, “I wouldn’t be able to do much else other than making a compress, anyway…”
This explains where his bandanna went, Starburst thought, having already figured what that cold wet thing pressed against her head was.
“Well, thanks anyway,” she said, trying to sound sincere. “How do you know first aid and zebra medicine, anyway- Wait!” Starburst stopped in mid sentence, trying to get up in her agitation. Of course, she failed, but she still looked aghast at Starfall. “You said “CPR’? As in… as in...” she stuttered, not able to pronounce what just came to her mind.
She stared for a few seconds at the dark shape of Starfall, hoping to hear the words of negation.
Instead, she got: “I was hoping it wouldn’t come out...”
In response to that, her entire body shivered with disgust. She began feeling nauseated, and started regretting that Starfall hadn’t brought it up before she had eaten. To make matters worse, no matter how much Starburst fought against his cloak, she could not lift her hoof to cover her mouth in case she was going to vomit. The mere thought that Starfall had given her mouth-to-mouth was making her that embarrassed, ashamed, and disgusted.
“Ugh, I’m gonna be sick…” she murmured.
“Oh, don’t be such a drama queen,” Starfall snorted from the shadows. “It was much worse experience for me, anyway.”
Starburst looked away from him. At that moment, Starfall was the last pony on the planet she wanted to see… and then her mind registered just what he had said.
“Excuse me!?” she snapped, looking at him once again, with a fury rivaled by none. Because for all her disinterest in colts or relationships, she was still a mare. Her cry of anger took Starfall by surprise, making him jump into the air and back away even further. “What the hell was that supposed to mean?!” Starburst asked, renewing her efforts to free herself.
She slowly began moving her hooves…
From the shadows she hear a stomp. Starburst could barely see Starfall, but she could swear that he bristled like a cat. “It was supposed to mean that you were unconscious while I wasn’t!” he snapped angrily. “And while afterwards you started breathing, I began hyperventilating because-”
If it wasn’t for the constant pounding of the rain, Starburst would have thought she had gone deaf, so abrupt was the silence. She blinked, so surprised that some of her rage at her wounded mare vanity went away before Starfall breathed heavily and spoke again. “Look,” he said, sounding really tired, “I did not mean that in that way, okay? You are a very…” he trailed off.
“‘Very’ what?” Starburst hissed.
“Sorry, making sure your perverted friends won’t pop out from somewhere,” Starfall joked, sounding a bit shier than usual while doing so.
Despite herself, Starburst snickered. Indeed, it was best that Annie and Candy, or any other of her friends for that matter, weren’t here. By now they would have about a thousand jokes ready for them since she had woken up.
Starfall, as if encouraged by her reaction, continued: “As I was saying, you are a very beautiful mare, and most colts in my position would have probably been disturbingly glad to give you CPR.”
Once again, his words caused in Starburst a reaction she would have really preferred they wouldn’t. She blushed. If the heat in her cheeks was of any indication, her face had probably became more red than orange. Starburst was soo glad that they were in a dark cave.
“But I am disinterested in the activities between a stallion and a mare,” Starfall continued… and ended.
Now Starburst was so surprised by the abrupt end that she forgot about her embarrassment. She stared at Starfall with wide eyes - not that it helped him to better see him in this freaking darkness - and asked before she realized: “You’re gay?”
She saw some movement and hear him gasp, as if he had an over the top reaction like some character in a cartoon. “No, I am not!” he snapped. “For the love of- Can we please leave… whatever this is at this point?! I really don’t want to have this conversation with somepony that tried to en- capture me! Not to mention that if the said pony hadn’t prevented me from using magic we would both be out of this forest already!”
Starburst lay her ears down, taken aback by his outbursts. What had prompted me to ask that, anyway? she thought, confused at her earlier question. Why would I care if he likes mares or stallions? It didn’t even sound like that, she thought rationally. More like that he’s asexual… though, colt his age…
A brief memory came to her: of Prism hugging her some years back suddenly, and then hearing some gossip - unintentionally - about what he had been up to from Candy a few days later. She shivered again.
Also… she thought, thinking back to what he said earlier, why would he start hyperventilating? That… ugh, that doesn’t make sense! she decided, returning to eating the berries while Starfall sit down in his earlier place.
As she ate, she very carefully moved her hooves under her. The cloak, due to her frantic movements earlier, had become loose. Starburst could now push her forehooves out of it, and as a result, free herself. However, for now, she waited. She wasn’t sure that Starfall, upon seeing her almost free, wouldn’t try to do something stupid. Starburst herself had no intention of fighting him right now, and given her headache she would probably lose, anyway. She moved very slowly, to not alert him, wanting to free herself not to attack him, but to lie a bit more dignifying.
While doing all that, her thoughts traveled to her friends. Were they alright? They should be; the underground tunnel was a much safer route than the one they had taken going to the castle. They must have arrived in Ponyville by now… and told Princess Luna that she was in the castle… except that she wasn’t.
They must be worried sick, Starburst thought uncomfortably as she ate the last berry. And their worries are probably not that far from reality… ugh, Mom is gonna kill me when she hears about this!
Right then, she would have slammed her head against the stone under her, out of exasperation, but in the exact same moment she heard something. One thing, one short noise, that changed everything.
A sneeze.
Starburst turned her head to Starfall. She could hear him wiping his nose with his hoof, even if she couldn’t really see him. He then sneezed once more.
She stayed quiet, just looking at him, before she called out: “Starfall?”
“Yeah?” he asked, his voice a bit distorted after the two sneezes.
“Are you sick?”
“... In what way?”
Starburst narrowed her eyes, not in the mood for jokes. “You were in the river with me.” Looking to her side to see the cloak wrapped around her, she added: “How’s this cloak dry is beyond me-”
“It’s previous owner had it enchanted to repel water,” Starfall answered the unasked question.
“- but you were still in the river,” Starburst continued, “Which means that you can catch hypothermia as easily as I can.”
“Probably,” Starfall reply was nothing but casual.
Starburst just stared at him. “Don’t you realize that you can die, you idiot?”
“I do, but I have no means to warm myself. I have only one cloak, and out of the two of us I really prefer that you have it.”
Once again surprised, Starburst, as if a part of her wanted to prolong the inevitable, asked: “Why?”
Starfall snorted. “Because if you die, that will make me a murderer. And a murderer is one thing I am not and will never be.”
Starburst almost gasped, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. “Starfall,” she began, as gently as possible, “what happened to your mother… I am sorry.”
It took Starfall a few seconds before he replied. “It’s been a while since I heard that,” he said, and Starburst heard a note of warmth in his voice. “So… you know?”
She nodded, despite the fact that he probably couldn’t see it. “Yes, after you had mentioned about Trottingham and nine years ago, a friend of mine had mentioned later about Ripper the Jackal, and I realized… I’m so sorry.” She really meant it. Starburst felt ashamed that just a few moments ago she thought about her Mom punishing her. Starfall would never see his mom again… and it was the fault of somepony that got wrongly honored! “You can be sure that statue of him will be teared down, even if I will have to do so with my bare hooves,” she said, allowing some viciousness to her voice.
“I thought about doing so,” Starfall confessed, his voice becoming reminiscent. “But by the time I got back there, I just didn’t care. Tearing it down wouldn’t bring my mother-”
A powerful sneeze stopped him from finishing the last sentence. As he once again wiped his nose, Starburst thought once more about what she knew she had to say… and do, hoping to see another option. But there was none.
Resigned, she turned to Starfall. “Starfall… ugh, I don’t believe I am going to say it,” she murmured. “There is a way for both of us to stay warm.” Celestia have mercy, don’t make me say it! “By… cuddling. Sleeping together.”
She could hear Annie and Candy cheering…
“Out of the question.”
If Starburst had thought that she had been taken aback before, now she was on a completely different level of that. She just stared, shocked, as Starfall had refused her proposition almost instantly, without giving it a thought. To say that Starburst, who had swallowed her pride and proposed to sleep together - something she hadn’t expected to do in a foreseeable future with any stallion, least of all the one that had hospitalized her father - was now pissed and offended, was an understatement.
She did her best to control her voice and not sound angry as she spoke. “I don’t plan to trick you and attack you, if that’s what you’re thinking. I promise.”
Starfall snorted. “Even assuming I would believe you, that’s still a no-no.”
“Ugh, what is your problem!?” Starburst groaned, not being able to comprehend such idiocy. “You can die you idiot! What, are you afraid I will give you cooties or something!?”
She didn’t get a reply, but she could hear a slight movement. Apparently, Starfall could no longer look at her, and he turned around.
“Alright, that’s it!” Starburst thought as she began to crawl out of this cloak-bundle. “I am not letting that idiot die, whether he likes it or not!”
She freed herself and stood up… and then immediately toppled. Her legs feeling weak after lying for so long, and everything suddenly spun around her due to her head injury.
The sound alerted Starfall. “W-what are you doing?” he asked, taking a step back, before he turned around and tried to flee.
Starburst quickly shook off her dizziness and flew after him. She crashed into Starfall and pinned him to the ground. “Listen, you stupid…” she started angrily, placing a hoof on his back, but then she trailed off. There was a weird… curve that she could feel under her hoof. Starburst looked at Starfall, trying to peer through the darkness.
A bolt of lightning shot outside, for a brief second illuminating the interior of the cave. And in that brief second Starburst saw something she truly wished that she and nopony else would never, ever have to see.
What she felt under her hoof wasn’t just some curve. It was a scar. A scar, one of many. Starfall’s back was covered by dozens of them, some curved, some straight, some going diagonally and some vertically.
But that wasn’t the only thing Starburst saw in that split second, nor was it the worst.
There were also fresh bruises along his legs and sides, most likely a result of their trek down the river. Around his neck, where usually he wore his bandanna, there were several grazes, oddly resembling rope burns…
The worst, however, was how he laid down. Starfall had his forehooves above his head. He was trembling. And his tail… his tail was tucked tightly between his legs and pressed against his nethers.
Starburst stared in shock in terror long after the lightning had passed. In her mind she still had this picture, of him all covered in scars and lying down and shaking in terror. She knew what all of them meant, despite never before seeing anypony in real life with such wounds. After all, it didn’t take much of an imagination to realize that the ones on his back come from a whip.
The ones on his neck, however…
The words that Starfall had said about King Sombra before Uncle Spike had interrupted him came back to her: “He used the fear of the crystal ponies instead-”
-instead of his own.
That was what was different about Starfall now, that he couldn’t use his magic. He couldn’t hide his fear, couldn’t mask it by the confidence and laughter. That was why he was now cowering. That was what Starburst’s father had realized after fighting off his dark magic.
When King Sombra used the fear of crystal ponies to power his dark magic, he created dark crystals, Starburst realized. When Starfall used his own… he created chains.
The sensation that she experienced when her wing collided with his horn, when some of her magic was transferred to him… it was a backlash of his fear, of his memory. A memory that caused him to shrug slightly when Starburst had said that she would have him bound in chains. That was the reason why he valued his freedom so much.
What she had threatened him with was his worst fear: a chain wrapped around his neck once again.
And the way he kept his tail… how he jumped away when Annie tried to touch him, how he got offended when Prism and Starburst had called him ‘gay’, how he started hyperventilating after he gave her mouth-to-mouth...
Starburst began backing away from Starfall, shaking. Through her head went many thoughts, many images and scenarios as to what could have happened to Starfall after the death of his mother, and she… and she…
She started to cry.
Starburst hadn’t cried in years, but now she just welled up. It just hit her so hard; the realization of how cruel was fate to Starfall. All of it… she couldn’t even comprehend how it was possible for one pony to suffer through so much shit thrown at him through his entire life, let alone one so young.
… a pony like you will never understand a pony like me.
He was right. How could she understand him? She couldn’t even understand how he could be so… only borderline not normal. With everything he had been through, he should be a psychopath, not an obnoxious prankster!
Starburst wasn’t sure how long she sat there, in the cave. Her hooves covered her eyes as she cried over somepony who had once, for a very short time and so long ago that both of them had forgotten, been her friend. But she knew that at some point she felt something lightly tap her shoulder.
She opened her eyes to see… Starfall, sticking his tongue at her and making a funny face.
That was too much for Starburst.
“What is wrong with you!?” she cried, taking a step towards him. Starfall immediately went further back, though he was still looking at her. “You’re just, just…” she tried to say, pointing at him, at his neck and back, but she couldn’t bring herself to say what had been done to him. “And you just…” Starburst looked for the right word to describe what he had just done, but couldn’t. Instead, she buried her face in her hooves again.
“Sorry,” she heard Starfall say; he must have come closer when she covered her face. “I just… I just hate seeing ponies crying. C-could you stop?”
She looked at him from above her hooves. Starfall was standing not far away from her, but he was tensed, and it was clear that he could back away at any moment. He was looking at her with a half-scared, half-pleading face. He hates seeing ponies cry…
She snorted, though her eyes were still red and moist. “You’re an idiot,” she said, though without any malice in her voice. “How can you be… I mean… you should be a some sort psycho or something.”
“Well,” he chuckled nervously, “I think it’s fair to say that I am not exactly right in the head.”
Starburst shook her head, though she again uttered a short chuckle. “I just can’t understand… I made you unable to use magic, threatened you with your worst fear, and you are trying to cheer me up? Sweet Celestia, I cannot understand how you can always smile...”
“I guess I already cried out all my tears,” Starfall replied, smiling shyly. “And as for smiling… it’s something my mother had once told me. ‘A performer must always put on a good show for his audience, keep a smile on his face, and always act as if everything was fine… even if it isn’t’.” He looked down on the ground. “Mom and I didn’t exactly have an easy life… granted, it was about a thousand times better that what happened afterwards…”
“What happened?” Starburst asked as he trailed off. “Who did that to you?”
Starfall stayed quiet for a moment, and Starburst began to suspect he wouldn’t answer. But then he spoke: “When that monster killed my mother, I lost control; the dark magic overtook me. I woke up and… it was over. Him, my… my mom…” his voice stopped, but he quickly continued. Starburst couldn’t believe his voice hadn’t broke. “I was just six, and I had just seen my mom being murdered in front of me, and I… I… killed…” he looked away. “It wasn’t a pony, it was monster. I’m not a… not…”
“No.” Starburst shook her head decisively. “You are not.”
Starfall looked at her, first with surprise, then with gratitude. “But I hadn’t thought of that back then. I was terrified. I ran… and I was caught by him!” He almost spat the word. “A zony, owner of Cirque du Freak. Never got his name, made all of us call him ‘Master’.” Now he really spat. “You probably haven’t heard about it; the circus had performed mostly in the Zebra Nation, sometime amongst the griffons and minotaurs. He was in Trottingham only because he was buying some exotic animals.”
“So wait, you were a…” she looked for a right word.
“Slave?” he hinted. “That about sums it up.”
“No, I-” his casualness made her stutter. “I mean, he made you work in a circus?” Starfall nodded. “But… how? I mean, I know that you were younger, but you’re so gifted with magic… and those… scars… wouldn't that cause you again to unleash the dark magic?”
In reply, Starfall rose and turned around so that she could see his right side. He nodded at his flank, where a patch of burned skin marked where a cutie mark should have been. “A Control Glyph. He burned them into all of us. I couldn’t speak, move, cast spells, or anything, unless he would allow me. It took me four years to find a way to remove it.”
Starburst shook with terror and outrage. What she had known was already unthinkable, but to learn about this Control Glyph… also…
He did this to himself, she realized with dread. To break free from this bastard, he burned his very cutie mark off...
“He made me perform magic shows, train on trapeze… a few times he made me fight dogs as if I was one. You know, because of the fangs. He used his whip on me and the others - all older than me, by the way - mostly for fun and his sick pleasure. And, well,” he added a bit uncomfortably, “speaking of pleasure, he also-”
A sneeze - thankfully - interrupted him. Starburst looked at Starfall and realizes that he was still trembling, but not as much from fear as from cold. She, too, felt coldy. “Starfall…” she started, taking a step towards him.
At once, he took a step back. “No,” he clearly stated, though his voice was a bit shaken.
Starburst stopped and looked at him pleadingly. “Starfall, please, I-” she paused and facehoofed, as she suddenly remembered what she was asking him. “Ugh, I am so glad Annie and Candy aren’t here…”
The comment caused Starfall to snicker shortly. Encouraged by that, Starburst tried again. “Starfall, I can see that you are afraid, but I promise you that I will not harm you. I swear, I just don’t want you to get ill or even die.” She paused, trying to gauge his expression. He was still afraid. “You said you aren’t a murderer; don’t make me into one.”
That sentence had caused some effect. He shook, his eyes growing wider. Starburst didn’t say anything, just continued to stare at him as Celestia knows what was going through his head. His eyes shifted between her and cloak a few times. He also sneezed. Finally, Starfall sighed, and looked at her. “O-okay…”
Starburst nodded and trotted towards the cloak. Her head was still dizzy, so she gladly lain down once again on her previous spot, and looked expectantly at Starfall.
She tried to not think about that she was just going to lie next to a colt.
Starfall took a deep breath and took a few shaky steps. It was clear that he didn’t want to do it, that everything in his body was telling him to run, but he closed his eyes, made his way to her and laid down beside her.
Very slowly Starburst scooched over. Their coats were inches apart when she pulled the cloak over them. She grimaced; while it was big enough to easily wrap around her, it was barely wide enough to serve as a blanket for both of them.
Also, Starfall was really cold.
She bit her lip, knowing what she had to do, as well as how Starfall will react. “I’m going to wrap my wing around you, okay?”
He tensed, and for a moment Starburst was sure he was going to run. After a few seconds, however, he nodded. She nodded in reply and extended her wing under the cloak and wrapped it around Starfall.
Starburst could feel her feathers brushing his scars, and she was almost certain that she could also feel the beating of his heart, that’s how scared Starfall was.
She didn’t think it was possible, but he became even more tensed. His teeth were clenched and eyes closed. Starburst thought desperately what to do, but nothing came to her.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said.
Starfall opened one eye to look at her, “What for?”
“For what was done to you… and what we did to you… and hell, now I am trying to help you and I think I’m traumatizing you,” she snorted. She hated feeling so useless.
Starfall chuckled nervously. “I think I had my ‘traumatized bar’ filled some years ago,” he said, and Starburst felt him relax slightly under her wing.
She smiled, happy that he was beginning to calm down. “Thank you.”
Starfall looked at her, surprised. “What for?”
“You saved my life… and I can’t imagine how it must have felt when you are so afraid of being merely touched,” Starburst explained. “It was really brave of you.”
He chuckled, and then laughed. “You just called a pony who panics when somepony tries to touch him brave.”
“Well, I also called you an idiot plenty of times,” Starburst retorted, smirking.
Both of them shared a laugh. Starburst was relieved to see that Starfall was starting to feel more comfortable… but with that realization, that some of his tension was gone, her concern for him lessened. Now, with nothing to distract her, she became a bit more tensed.
Not surprisingly, Starfall took notice of that, “Something wrong?”
Starburst rolled her eyes. Compared to his, her problem was practically non-existent. “Ugh, well… I didn’t exactly expect to spend the rest of the day sharing a bed - so to speak - with a colt.”
Starfall chuckled. “I guess this is uncomfortable for both of us, then; I’m sort of relieved, actually,” he said, smiling… and then wrinkled his nose.
“Something wrong?” Starburst asked, concerned. Then, remembering who she was speaking to, she amended: “I mean, beside the whole ‘afraid of touching’ thing.”
“No, it’s nothing, just…” Starfall trailed off, and then sighed. “You’ll think this is stupid.”
“Hey, just because I think you’re stupid doesn’t mean I think your problems to be such. Now c’mon, what is it?”
“It’s just… Ever since we met…” he trailed off again. “I have a bit keener nose than most ponies. Guess that might be due to having some dragon blood. Anyway, for some time now I… sorta felt… nostalgic when I smelled your scent.” Starfall looked away, embarrassed. “Told you its stupid…”
Starburst, who knew the reason behind that, didn’t reply at once. “Well… it’s not stupid…” she said slowly. Starburst vaguely recalled that she didn’t want to ever bring this up, but, given their current position… “Remember how I said that my mom bumped into yours many years ago?”
Starfall glanced at her, frowning. “Yeah?”
“Well, that’s not all…” she continued. Suddenly, despite that a moment ago she was cold - and that her wing was wrapped around even colder Starfall - she felt really hot. “She also… invited your mom for a tea. She brought you, and they left you with me and a nanny while they talked.”
If Starfall’s eyes could get any wider, they would probably fall out. “W-wait… seriously?” he asked, bewildered.
Nodding uncomfortably, Starburst replied: “Yeah… and that’s not all. We also, sorta… escaped the nanny and... wrecked half of the Canterlot Castle.”
His jaw dropped. It literally hit the ground. Starburst offered a weak and an embarrassed smile, but, as she kind of expected, it wasn’t needed. It didn’t take Starfall long to throw his head back and start laughing.
“I don’t believe this…” he managed to say in paused in between waves of laughter. “We wrecked half of the castle?! But… oh, sweet Celestia, that’s just too rich…”
Though some of his good humor affected Starburst and she smiled, she waited for him to finish laughing. When he had, she said: “So yeah, that’s why you feel like that. I myself had also some short flashbacks from that day since my mom told me about it. And heck, I think I got my pet albino ferret because it reminded me of your eyes.”
“Could also explain why I felt so happy while fighting you,” Starfall said, smiling and turning a bit more towards her. “It wasn’t because you are my rival… you were my foalhood friend.”
Starburst blushed. “Well,” she said, playfully punching him, “I’ve still beaten you.”
“Of course you have… my Nemesis,” Starfall said, sticking his tongue. Starburst smirked hearing the title - she liked it. She returned her attention back to him when she heard him say: “Still, it’s a bit unbelievable… I mean, that we would meet again after all those years...”
“Yeah,” Starburst agreed, smiling. “If Mom hadn’t showed me that picture, I probably wouldn't have believed her.”
Starfall’s ears perked. “What picture?”
“Oh…” Starburst stuttered briefly, still slightly embarrassed of that part, but continued nonetheless. “My mom has a picture… of the two of us sleeping together as babies.”
Once again, Starfall’s eyes became wide before he started to laugh. “You mean like now?” he asked as he laughed.
Starburst blinked… then giggled. She hadn’t even realized that the history had repeated herself. She tried to stifle her laughter while Starfall continued to express his amusement.
After a few moments, he had noticed that. “You know, you really should laugh a bit more,” he said, frowning. “You look much better with a smile on on your muzzle.”
Starburst stopped and looked at him sharply. “Oh, shut it,” she said, having heard enough of such comments from her friends.
Starfall looked her into eyes for a few seconds - long enough to make her a bit uncomfortable - before he grinned. Before Starburst could ask him why, he lifted his hoof and brushed the underside of her wing.
“Wha-” she managed to say before she burst into laughter. That wasn’t her most ticklish place, but it still caused her to giggle maniacally. “S-stop it!” she tried to say as she rolled away.
He didn’t let her get far. He quickly stood up and stopped her from moving further away. “Make me,” he said playfully as his forehoof brushed her in a few strategic points, such as joints and chin. Starburst, who couldn’t stop laughing, tried to push him away. She wasn’t very successful, but at least Starfall hadn’t found her weakest point-
His hoof scratched behind her ear.
All her muscles went rigid as instead of… ticklishness she felt pleasure. She loved the feeling of having her ears scratched, although aside from Snow she hadn’t let anypony do that in years. A blush covered her cheeks as she tried to push Starfall’s hoof away.
“Hey, is something wrong?” he asked, probably concerned that she had stopped giggling.
Now’s my chance!
In a blink of an eye, Starburst used one of the moves she looked up from the royal guards. She grabbed Starfall and rolled around so that she would be on top while he was lying on the ground. She smiled viciously at the surprised Starfall.
“Payback time,” she told him.
Unlike Starfall, she had hooves and wings to do the tickling. Though Starfall put up a valiant fight, trying to tickle her back, he had no chance, and it didn’t take him long to beg her to stop throughout the laughter.
Starburst continued her torture for a few more seconds before she stopped. She straightened as she stood above Starfall, breathing heavily. “What do you say now?” she asked, panting.
The colt, who was also out of breath, looked up and blinked. He smiled and said: “You have a beautiful smile.”
His comment made Starburst blush. She tried to back away-
“Also, I like to have the last laugh.”
His tail brushed her leg. Surprised, she jerked that leg, causing her to lose her balance and fall down… right on Starfall’s chest.
Her nose landed directly on his.
Now she was the one that was tense. Starburst was afraid to move, fearing that a wrong move could make her fall down a bit lower. As such, she stayed as she was, feeling Starfall’s breath on her muzzle. “W-weren’t you afraid of being touched?” she asked nervously, remembering the issue he had just a few minutes ago.
“I still am,” he murmured in reply; Starburst noticed that he wasn’t exactly comfortable in this position. Apparently, he hadn’t thought that she would fall on him like that. There was even blush covering his cheeks. “Though… I don’t seem to mind it much from you…”
They stayed like that for some time, staring into each other eyes, each afraid to move. Starburst began to wonder if she would risk flying with her head aching as it did, when a new thought entered her mind:
Kiss him, said a voice in her head… which sounded a lot like Annie.
Of course, Starburst knew that wasn’t the case. Even if Annie had somehow learned a telepathic spell in the last few hours, she was in no condition to cast it. It was just her mind playing a trick on her. Thinking of Annie, however, had an unexpected consequence of recalling what was the last thing she heard the blind unicorn try to tell her:
Lay a big, wet, sloppy kiss on him.
She was certain that if earlier Starfall hadn’t noticed that she was blushing, he must have now. She was positive she was glowing with red.
“S-star…” she said, not sure what she wanted to tell him, but she was saved the trouble.
A lightning bolt shot just outside, causing both of them to jump into the air and hug in fear as the thunder roared practically next to them. They stared outside of the cave, shocked, while their eyes and ears slowly recovered.
After a few seconds, both of them, Starburst and Starfall, turned their heads to look at each other… and they both just burst with laughter. They laughed as they fell down on the ground to return under the ‘blanket’, despite not knowing what they were exactly laughing about.
As the laughs slowly died out, Starburst hugged him a bit tighter, and immediately lost her humor. She could feel his scarred back under her hooves. Her wing, which she had again wrapped around him, brushed the burned off skin on his flank. With her muzzle, which was pressed against his neck, she could feel the burns left by chains.
Hugging him even tighter, she whispered a few words quietly. “What?” Starfall, whose laughter had only began to tone down, asked her.
“I won’t let anypony harm you again,” Starburst repeated louder, “I swear, I won’t.”
Her head was still under his chin, so she couldn’t see his expression. However, after a second or two she heard him chuckle warmly. “That’s a huge promise to keep. Kinda seems not fair to not give anything in return… How about this: you’ll protect me, and I’ll keep you smiling?”
Starburst giggled, “Deal.”
She wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, talking about some random stuff while it rained outside. At some point she had fallen asleep, causing everything to sort of blend together. Her dreams weren’t that much different from reality; she was with Starfall, play-fighting or laughing at something. Starburst had realized with a surprise that it felt surprisingly right, as if that was how things were supposed to be.
However, all dreams must end sometime. Hers ended when a light prodding woke her up from her slumber.
“Mmm…” she muttered, her eyes still closed. Normally, she woke up early, but she felt really exhausted by the previous day. “Five more minutes…”
“Star?”
Starburst’s eyes shot open. That was not Starfall’s voice.
“MOM!” she quickly shouted in fear, jumping right up and standing to meet her mother at eye-level. Well, mostly. Indeed, before her stood the lavender alicorn, with several others - Uncle Spike, Princess Luna, and some guards - behind her. “I can explain…” she started, glancing at the sleeping colt beside her.
Except he wasn’t there.
As Starburst stared dumbfounded at the spot, barely noticing the cloak that slid away from her, she felt her mother hug her gently. Princess Twilight bombarded her with tons of questions all at once, but Starburst heard them as if through water.
She stared at the spot of where her friend was. A friend that didn’t even said goodbye before he left.
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Ouch, poor Starfall.
He left her??!!!
No!! Why'd he leave??!!!
Yay new chapter. Man that was rough
.
Kinda glad that Starburst reminded Starfall of their past really build the bond they have.
oh wow......well....just...wow
Please, tell me there is a good ending to all of this, please tell me.
THIS WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great chapter. I can't wait for the next one. I love this story. I hope they get together at the end of this.
I had just finished chapter 11 and was eager for the next when I found chapter 12 was up.
Good work and I can't wait for the next one.
Why would he leave
4810310 I have a feeling she'll go after him.
Awwwww :) the feels!
I think it was for the best if he just left her like that, don't think Twilight would have been reasonable seeing her daughter with a wanted criminal (especially in a cuddling position)
Maybe he's the one who signaled them down. You, she's going to be awful sad about now. It might not be a candy vow, or a pinkie promise, but he did promise to make sure she smiled.
BEST CHAPTER.
HOOOOOOLLY SHIT. BEST CHAPTER.
.BEST CHAPTER.
Slaving, abusing and torturing a colt with a gif with dark magic... I guess Master was either too arrogant or too dumb to live.
so Starfall was chained,whiped and I'm thinking raped........where the fuck is my shotgun. 'MASTER' WILL FEEL THE WRATH OF DUSKREAPER HAHAHAHA
So many feels... damm!
This is just too juicey.
what's next, ooooh I can't wait for the next chapter. The anticipation is going to kill me
Starfall was six when his mother was killed right in front of him, and then he became a slave and was forced to perform, beaten, whipped and raped for 4 years!? Poor guy.
Great chapter, can't wait for the next.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
I got to admit this is my favorite chapter so far. I enjoyed the shipping between both Stars and Starfall's past was very emotive. I cant wait for the next one.
Damn it they didn't kiss
But for a reals awsome chapter
Also SMILE.HD
I hope Statburst defends Starfall! I don't want bad things to happen!
4810614
I got a spare pack-a-punched Blundergatt
wanna borrow it?
Ok, been watching WAYYYYY too much Buffy. I started to hear starfall with James Marsters's voice.
4812317 Yes!! Thank you so much. 'MASTER' I'M COMING FOR YOU. I'M GONNA GO FULL INSANE HAHAHAH
Alright, this is moving in the direction that I'd hoped it would. Not the flashback stuff, because HOLY CRAP.
I mean in the sense that the further revelations about his background feel like they're being used to provide further context for his present-day actions, rather than excusing them. The growing reconciliation (and shipping) between them comes out of both sides reaching out to help each other in their own way.
And this time, when Starfall starts goofing around, it actually IS from a position of wanting to cheer somepony up, rather than just messing with them for his own personal satisfaction. That, more than any flashback or shipping, gives me a good feeling about this story.
I'm beginning to think that Starfall's desire to perform shows as he traveled around Equestria after escaping this 'Master' is his way to cope with his tragic past. It's a bit strange, but people have al kinds of ways to cope with a shock like that. I remember seeing this one episode of Unusual Suspects that a girl who lost her entire family in a mass murder and was completely emotionless as she was interrogated by police. They say that was shed way to cope with it.
I think you should have added something like this:
Doesn't do much other than increase the fun factor.
4810341
You're in for a surprise
4814253 What do you mean?
4814007 okay I guess you won the bet
4815428 Eeyup.
4814895
...I just might have a theory...what if all that stuff between Starburst and Starfall turned out to be a dream or something and Starfall actually died or something? It's a thought I don't want to consider, but...yeah.
This was a GREAT chapter, but you really need an editor/pre-reader. The story and content are fantastic, but it's in pretty serious need of spell-checking, grammar revisions, and just general editing.
The Star Ship has boarded for lift off
4816730 I hope you're wrong
4817118 So do I.
4817118
Here is your Iacon relic
tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/9/96/WFC_Omega_Key.jpg
Your bits
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2b/Ritz_bits_box.jpg
And your energon
tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/3/3c/EnergonCubesCartoon1.jpg
4817194 Cool. Yum. And wow!
I know that I'll regret asking this but did they... geld, Starfall?
4818462 Oh, goodness, no! Why would they do that?
4818488
Went off on a bad train of thought after seeing that, hearing about him being a slave, expressing disinterest in a relationship. Just glad that I was wrong. Sorry about that.
4816814 Yes! I love it.
4818496 His desinterest in relationships comes from the fact that he is afraid of being touched. Also, getting raped for four years kinda took the beauty out of sex and other activities centered around that for him.
4818509 That clicked a little later, sorry about that. 6 in the morning is not the best time to read. Should probably get some sleep now. Oh, and this isn't done, right? Still says incomplete, so there's more, right?
4818519 ... yes...
Awesome! Cant wait till this updates! Also...
Oh god... when Candy finds out. Poor Starburst.
So wait, Starfall's a gelding?
4819724 As I had just finished eplaining to somebody a couple comments up, not he's not.