If there's one thing that Starlight Glimmer struggles at, it's controlling her emotions. While she's better at it thanks to her lessons with Twilight Sparkle, there are still times where she feels close to unleashing a barrage of screams. And with her past still fresh in her mind, Starlight is fearful that her behavior may push her toward terrible decisions again.
Much to Starlight's luck, a new cafe was recently opened in Ponyville that promotes friendly chatter and sharing feelings with new faces. The aptly named Friendship Cafe might be Starlight's chance at expressing her concerns without having to wait for Twilight's meeting with Celestia to finish up. However, when Starlight is partnered up with Spitfire, the latter quickly piques her curiosity.
Thanks to Snowybee for pre-reading.
Does this story have shipping in it?
6977140 It's a slice of life story dealing with both characters and the concept of friendship. As such, romance isn't involved in the story.
You always have crazy good ideas, bro.
6977324 Thank you for checking out the story and for the compliment. It means a lot coming from someone as talented as you. Anyway, I did enjoy working on this story and idea, and I'll keep on trying to do the best I can.
That was nice.
I liked how Spitfire had to keep giving the floor back to Starlight and thought Starlight was doing great job on her part for that. Kind of reminds me how I write Spitz.
I liked the idea for the cafe the best.
6978101 Yeah, I wanted to do something that connected them to their episodes with both of them realizing that they were not alone in their struggles. It was an interesting little writing experiment of mine, even if it was one of the harder stories I've written. Anyway, thank you for checking out the story. I appreciate it.
6978121 You kidding?! I love your stories. Especially since this one had one of my waifus in it.
It's Starlight....
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I like it. I'd love to give criticism as I was kind of comparing this one to other stories as I was reading it but I feel as though I'm not qualified to give out advice especially when I am in need of advice myself. However, I did like it a lot. I'll tell you what, I think it's good.
6978174 That's fair, though I'm glad you enjoyed the story as a whole. Either way, I'll keep on trying my best and improving bit by bit as I go along. And thank you for checking out the story and commenting. I appreciate it.
This is creative and something I never thought would come to mind. Its simple but has a strong message in it. I applaud you.
6978571 Yeah, there aren't many fics that have both Starlight Glimmer and Spitfire.
And thank you for checking out the story and for the compliment. I appreciate it.
Huh, I never thought of having these two together but it's actually quite fitting. Very well written and heartwarming.
Love it.
6993123 Yeah, I'm of the opinion that both Starlight Glimmer and Spitfire need more love. Neither of them are perfect, but they're definitely interesting characters that I'm hoping to learn more about. And thank you for checking out the story. I highly appreciate it!
6993137 It's no problem. As a major Starlight fan, it's always great to see some love thrown her way. You've captured the voice and mannerisms of the two perfectly.
I meant to look at this before, but it slipped my mind. You have no idea how awful my memory can be, but hey, better late than never.
I don't think I expected a story about Starlight and Spitfire. Yet it does work, in a way. They've both had some regrets in their life, though in somewhat different spectrums. So having them together in a friendship cafe is a neat concept. Heck, I feel like this sort of story could work well with multiple characters (with Starlight, without). I especially enjoy stuff like this where characters simply talk about... well, anything. Nothing really goes on, but in a way, stuff does. I love it.
I honestly don't hate Starlight. I do think she has potential, and I do think she feels this way in the show (that scene in the barren wasteland was so good). I'm glad this is portrayed here.
I liked how Spitfire tries to carry the conversation and guides Starlight further into the conversation. So part of my criticism is that Starlight seems pretty easy to just start telling her problems to this pony she doesn't really know. I'd imagine there would be some hesitation, or at least showing some signs that she's a little nervous about this happening. We go right into the conversation, no problem.
Also, I'm not sure, but something about pieces of the dialogue feel... off? I'm not exactly sure how to describe it, but sometimes, they speak so properly to the point where it feels a bit fake. Dialogue should feel loose and real. I could get distinction between characters, but most likely because who was was addressed or they mentioned something a part of them like the Wonderbolts. People may disagree, but this is simply my two cents.
It was a good story, don't get me wrong. I liked the concept, and the two worked well together in a way that surprised me. But if I had to criticize something, well, it was those things.
6994333 Yeah, I can see what you mean in regards to the dialogue and the general flow of the conversation. I'll focus on improving in those aspects moving forward. And thank you for checking out the story and for the critique. I'll keep on trying to improve bit by bit.
...But... if she has milk with it... then it's not black tea...?
8022864 Sorry, it must've been a mistake on my end. I'll go fix that right away, and thanks for catching that for me.
8022871 Hey, no need to apologise, just me picking up on a silly detail that doesn't seem to have bothered anyone else
8022871 Actually I'm afraid I must apologise, I rather jumped the gun here.
The dictionary lists two definitions of 'black tea,' and I'm told it's to some extent a US/UK divide thing. In one case, it's to contrast that type of tea with green tea, whereas in the other, it's to contrast tea without milk to with. Certainly the wikipedia page on black tea talks about it being the type of tea, rather than whether it has milk in it or not, so I think your original phrasing was correct, and I shouldn't have suggested altering it.
It's just common practice where I'm from for 'tea' to be that kind of tea, and 'black tea' to refer to it being served without milk, much as one has black coffee. Perhaps because that kind of tea is more the default here than elsewhere, so a differentiation from green tea is rarely needed, as green tea would be specified if referred to.
I do apologise
A nice chat between two characters. Glad I finally got to reading this