Starlight, Star Bright

by BlackWater

9 - Cool Down

The ship sailed through the clouds, streams of white floating by as if to only say hello in passing. Starlight Glimmer watched through the small window, her pillow having been moved there while the others were crowded in the center. Twilight and her other friends were conversing with the king. Meanwhile, Starlight was watching the sky and the lands pass by below.

Spike walked up and crawled onto her back so he could be at a height to watch too. Starlight had given him permission long ago to do such things. Her relationship with the little dragon was actually closer than any of Twilight’s friends. Spike had certain unique qualities to him that she appreciated. His straightforward honesty mixed with a surprising amount of compassion and friendliness made him her confidant. Well, perhaps with the exclusion of matters promised to secrecy by her marefriend.

“Where was the evil?” Spike asked casually.

“On the other side of the Brook?” Starlight asked back for clarification.

Spike just nodded. He watched as yellow grasslands began to be populated by sparse trees far below.

“Gone,” Starlight said flatly. “Except for Chrysalis, who I doubt was what drove Starswirl out. My guess is whatever it was didn’t stick around after the first five hundred years went by and Starswirl didn’t come back.”

“You said the city was still in tact, though.”

“What we saw was intact. There could have been things that were there before and removed or stolen and we’d never know. Starswirl’s records of it were not like an inventory list. Well,” she stopped to correct herself, “he might have had lists somewhere but none I saw or heard of.”

Spike sighed. “I wish I had been taken there. I could have helped.”

“Spike,” Starlight said softly as her eyes shifted back to him. “Don’t feel bad about it. There was nothing you could have done anyways. Most of what we had to do used Starswirl’s magical patterns.”

“I know,” Spike frowned.

Sensing his bothered mood, Starlight thought of a remedy quick. “Oh, I understand now,” her eyes fluttered at him. “You wanted in on my private time with Twily~”

The other ponies across the ship’s room glanced over when they heard Starlight laugh boisterously. She hadn’t anticipated Spike’s red face to be so sudden and hilarious. However, the others resumed another conversation shortly and did not pick up on what was being spoken now in whispers between the dragon and magic genius.

“W-w-w-wha?” Spike stammered, face as deep as a rich Red Delicious apple.

“You don’t have to play innocent with me, Spikey,” Starlight whispered with an insisting expression. “I’ve seen the way you look at us. Especially my flank.”

Spike’s faulty response was utterly ruined when Starlight added a wink at the end. So he just covered his face with his claws in total loss.

Starlight giggled at first and then cooed. He really could be so adorable sometimes. She slid him off her back and hugged him. “Sorry,” she whispered when he failed to recover. “I was just teasing.”

Spike peaked out from behind his claws, biting his bottom lip.

“I know you really want Rarity,” Starlight stated.

Spike covered his eyes again.

“Heh heh,” the unicorn stuck her tongue out and petted his spines.

“But why can a team not do the groundwork for you?” King Clear Sand asked Princess Twilight Sparkle.

The alicorn shifted comfortably on her pink cushion. “The Brook can be activated from outside but there is no obvious channel on the other side for a return trip. Starlight used her replication magic to create the return portal, but no ordinary unicorn can find the link and activate the channel. Starlight is...special.”

Not missing the faint blush in the princess’ final word made the king’s lip curl in a pleasant smile. “In that case, I would be more than willing to provide any supplies you would need to make further explorations yourself.”

Rarity had been contemplating the ideas and thought now to ask what she was wondering. “Why not the Star Teleporter then? Could that not send ponies back?”

“It was our first attempt,” Twilight admitted. “But the Teleporter was not intended for cross-dimensional use. Only interstellar. My guess was that Starswirl created it to reduce his magic consumption while searching that dimension for something he only alluded to in his records. We made some alterations to get it to teleport Chrysalis back into our time-space but, when we tried to use it again to return with Ruby, some of the critical components had fried.”

“That’s what happens when you use a bucket for a plow,” Applejack nodded.

Fluttershy couldn’t help a quiet giggle.

“We found another way obviously,” Twilight continued. “The Teleporter will need repairs, though. I’m fairly certain that Chrysalis was teleported successfully.”

“Fairly?” Rainbow Dash deadpanned.

Twilight shrugged. There was nothing more she could do. Besides, it was not as if the return of Starlight and herself had been much more certain. When dealing with advanced magic, risk was aplenty.

“We need snacks!” Pinkie Pie blurted out with a sad face.

Rarity facehoofed.

“Fortunate for you,” the king began as he pulled a service rope, “there is weight enough for sustenance.”

A light tan Saddle Arabian appeared from a curtain across the room.

“Dessert,” the king ordered in a gentle tone. “I believe certain of my guests are eager for a sweet treat.”

Pinkie Pie’s eyes grew to dinner plates and her mouth watered, making Applejack reach over with a handkerchief to prevent slobbering.

“I have a question, your highness,” spoke up the shy mare among them.

“Hm?” Clear Sand rose a brow. “I will answer anything you desire. And please call me Clear Sand, Fluttershy.”

“Clear Sand,” the pegasus breathed with a reserved voice. “In Saddle Arabia, is it common for mares to...um...”

“Have permanent relations?” the king guessed. “Perhaps not as much as I’ve heard of Equestria. However, my rule has included some changes. All Saddle Arabians are welcome to love as they please.”

“Have enemies?” Applejack followed up bluntly.

Twilight glared at her but the king was not bothered in the least.

“All rulers do,” he responded simply.

A ring was heard throughout the ship. A signal.

“We have arrived,” The Saddle Arabian king stood from his spot and went to the porthole, which Starlight stepped away from for his sake. “Canterlot,” he breathed in. “A fine city even when seen from above.”

With his gesture, Twilight looked as well. She had seen Canterlot from this view a couple times as a filly, twice as a mare from a hot air balloon, and once from Celestia’s chariot. It was even more amazing from a greater distance above in this ship. The spires of Canterlot Castle grew steadily large and their points more defined as they drifted down towards the air field that usually contained a few observational balloons and a single blimp.

The ship was descending just slow enough to prevent the ponies from feeling nauseous. Just barely. Rarity and Fluttershy held the walls to steady their mental balance. The king had obviously done this so many times that he had no issue with walking across the room and talking to a servant about ground signals they had received.

First to greet them when the ramp descended was Princess Celestia herself. Twilight might have guessed as much if Chrysalis had indeed wound up where she was supposed to be. The seriousness of her face seemed to indicate that. But it softened quickly upon appearance of the king, her diplomatic skills as experienced as time itself and her manners without flaw.

“I was overjoyed upon hearing of your visit, your highness,” Celestia nodded in respect to him.

He stepped off the ramp and allowed the others behind him to depart. Then he proceeded with his own greeting.

Spike hurried beside Twilight as the mare walked around to Celestia’s side. “Much better flight than your old days in wing training, huh?”

The alicorn’s face wilted into a deadpan frown. “Haha,” she whispered back sarcastically.

It felt like forever until the pleasantries were over. The girls had only the rushing of the dock ponies to amuse them. The Saddle Arabian engineers had to work with the Canterlot ground crew to secure the ship and begin provisions. It was comical to watch since they both seemed to fumble about and make bizarre and wide gestures to each other in an attempt to communicate what only the translators could convey. Apparently the engineers were not as diverse in their trade languages and the translators were – unfortunately for them – late.

The time did come, however, for them to enter Canterlot Castle. While Princess Luna took up King Clear Sand on a walk around the castle garden to speak of his visiting interests, Celestia took Twilight aside. Her pleasant expression was lost in the absence of the foreign royal and was replaced by a strained urgency.

“Twilight, I trust and respect you. I also love you as a student and fellow princess. But please,” she begged, “why is there a changeling queen in the castle containment room?”

Starlight had been dragged in too by Twilight. The others were away for refreshments or, in Rarity’s case, a dramatic couch to stretch upon. Knowing the answers to the situation, Starlight grinned but let her marefriend do the talking.

“We ran into her,” Twilight decided to put it. “I remembered what we had discussed before and decided to give it a shot.”

“No scroll of advanced warning?” Celestia practically pouted.

“We were trying to rescue Spike at the time,” the purple pony turned apologetic. “Sorry. Really. There was just no time or opportunity.”

Celestia let out her feelings with a sigh. She knew Twilight very well and also knew she wasn’t a liar. “I understand. I just wish you had told me about Spike. I might have been able to help. I do care about his wellbeing.”

“Thank you, pr- I mean Celestia,” Twilight smiled kindly. “We will have to discuss what to do with Chrysalis after business is finished with King Clear Sand.”

“Indeed,” Celestia nodded and then turned her attention to Starlight. “You had a great part in this I’m sure.”

“Y-yes,” Starlight replied, not knowing why she suddenly felt nervous.

“I trust you to take good care of my former student,” Celestia put a hoof to Starlight’s shoulder, as if to emphasize the point. “She’s like a daughter to me.”

“Of course!” the unicorn’s eyes widened in earnestness. “I did everything that was necessary to keep her safe. No harm came or will come to her!”

“Hey, I don’t need prote-”

“Not from others,” Celestia interrupted while turning her attention back to Twilight. “From yourself.”

“Since when?” the smaller alicorn became indignant.

“Smartypants,” Celestia replied with a smirk.

Starlight giggled. She had only heard of the incident before but it was greatly amusing to see her marefriend’s expression turn to stone. The reference to the incident was an argument killer for her. She had been nailed on the spot like a filly with her hoof in a cookie jar.

“Aaaaaah,” Starlight breathed out in complete relaxation. This was the life. Sipping apple cider while chillaxing in a hot tub. Sure, it was on the Castle’s roof. But so what? It was still cider and a hot tub. Oh, and the mare. She had a sexy mare under one foreleg.

“I feel like I’m being hit on by a pervert,” Twilight couldn’t help but remark under said foreleg. She squinted and sipped her own drink from a glass she levitated back safely to the table nearby.

Starlight, however, kept hers in one hoof and rubbed her mare’s shoulder with the other. “Hey, we got our vacation again. Basically. And I thought you liked getting molested by me?”

“I could never get molested by you, Starflanks,” Twilight decided to respond in a smirking jest. “Not when you’re under my complete control.”

Starlight’s face twisted in confusion. “I thought I was in control.”

“You think you found my diary all on your own?”

Starlight’s eyes widened and she almost dropped her glass into the bubbling water.

“You’re such a silly filly,” Twilight giggled and booped the mare on the nose.

Starlight hung her head in defeat but couldn’t help feeling happy anyways. She still had Twilight either way. “I love you,” she replied.

“Yep,” Twilight happily agreed while sticking out her tongue playfully.

There was plenty of work and research for them both to do after the incidents that occurred. But not yet. For now was a time to relax and enjoy life.

Together.

Comments

[Rose Quill]

A good ending for a good story with plenty of room to expand upon if you choose! I give it a with a side of

[OmniFox]

Now comes the next thing for SparkleGlimmer: Parents.

[Tenth]

Ended a bit open-ended. I wouldn't mind a sequel.

[Texus]

7851768 I think I agree.

It could be because I haven't seen a ne chapter since this one for a while, but it felt a bit short, maybe unfinished.

[Mare Imbrium]

Sort of weird feeling, like it was building up to some sort of epic adventure and then... "Psh, we trapped that one bitch in a vault and the Big Bad died of boredom centuries ago. Let's get soused!"

[BlackWater]

7871969
Indeed. There is much story left to be told. Perhaps someday.