You Can Be King Again

by Mikleo

Chapter 3

“Ah!” Thorax said, eyes bright with curiosity as he reached for a book on the shelf. “This looks interesting. It says ‘Pegasus Magic and Weather Making; How it works’.”

“Yes, well, I, uh, probably need to get going to prepare your room,” Starlight muttered back, wasting no time to turn around and escape. The sight of Thorax bent down to look at the lowest shelf was really more that her mind could take at the moment.

“Oh, wait!”

Starlight froze, slowly looking over her shoulder. “Y-Yes?”

Setting down the book, he turned to the saddlebags still strapped around his waist, using his magic to levitate out a large, black piece of apparel.

He wore a self-conscious smile as he unfolded it, revealing it to be a thick, hooded, zip-up sweater. “I bought this on the way here. It looked practical, and the stallion that sold it to me said it was a popular style.” He traced his hoof around it. “Is this something ponies really wear? I don’t want to look ridiculous if he tricked me, but I’m kind of cold. This library’s a bit chilly,” he said, thoroughly examining the clothing.

Starlight’s eyes locked onto the bit of raiment as if she were in a staring contest with the sweater. It was nostalgic in all the wrong ways, stirring memories of her pubescent school years. Old jealousy lit in her gut as the vision of a giggling filly curled into her colt friends jacket bubbled into her mind’s eye.

“I-I think it would look cut-good on you. Just haven’t seen one since school,” she stuttered, turning back forward. She touched a hoof to her temple, her cheeks flushing.

Thorax pressed his lips together, nodding slowly before replying, “Oh, and do you think you could send that letter?”

She quickly uttered a 'yes', allowing for a swift departure. She barely heard his ‘okay’ while trotting down the hall, sighing. It was almost like the teenage years she’d taken for granted was creeping back up on here to make up for lost time.

With a quick retrieval of a scroll and quill, a letter was sent away to some unfortunate drone who’d have no idea it was coming. She left her writing on the desk as soon as the letter vanished and wasted no time prepping Thorax’s room, grabbing for a pillow with a quick spell. Perhaps she’d spent a little bit too much time fluffing a pillow when her mind spaced out, the recent memories of the day replaying like a video looping in her mind.

How could she act upon these feelings? What would she do if she discovered she really, really liked him? The next pillow felt the true intensity of her magic, threatening to tear as she grit her teeth. She didn’t need a special some pony, or a special changeling. Her parents could deal with it; she was a princesses’ student, a prodigy in magic who’d saved Equestria. Why in the world would she want love? A little voice spoke of how she was creating excuses, another part of her mind shoving it away. Yes, there were issues between the two. Not only were they different species, but he also knew nothing about pony culture. Celestia, he barely even knew the castle...

A glance above the door showed the clock tick its way closer towards nighttime. It had taken her a whole five minutes to calm her thoughts of Thorax becoming lost within the castle. A few quick spells finished the room. Nodding to herself, she walked down the hallway, pausing in front of the library. Could she…? A blush quickly spread across her muzzle. No, she couldn’t. Too many things were already racking her mind, and another awkward encounter would only worsen things. Besides, she would look clingy. She went downstairs to the kitchen. Thorax didn’t need her anyways. If Thorax needed anything, she would be right downstairs, drinking her tea and totally not blushing while remembering every encounter she’d had with him like a school filly. Not at all.

Perched on Twilight’s chair, her hind legs securely crossed, Starlight stared with unfocused eyes at the cutie map. Remembering the warm tea in her hooves, she took a thoughtless slurp. What’s wrong with me? . She closed her eyes, allowing droplets of orange-flavored tea to dribble down her snout. Leaning back into Twilight’s throne gave her some comfort; sitting in it made her feel powerful. Thorax... Thorax made her feel weak, shaky, embarrassed.

Her cheeks crimsoned a sun-kissed red, ears flattening against her head. She was overthinking again. Setting her cup down, Starlight leaned forward and massaged her temples. With a sigh, she forced herself to open her eyes. The familiar sight of the overly sparkly castle greeted her, the soft shades of purple flooding her mind while beams of light refracted into her eyes. Her optometrist would have a field day with all the ponies going blind in here within the year.

A castle made mostly of crystal was a hindrance in many ways; the jagged edges of the hallways were not kind to her sides, and the floors could be terrible to walk on when one was drunk out of their brains and blundering about like a newborn foal. But it wasn’t like she had secret meetings with Dash and Applejack to get wasted. And it wasn’t like she was thinking of setting up said meeting for this night because dealing with her emotions made her uncomfortable. She shook head, staring back at the crystal to put her mind in place. It was like Twilight’s castle just ripped off the Crystal Empire. It could’ve been original. Maybe a volcano castle. A volcano would be pretty cool.

Still, unwanted thoughts crept back in her head, rearing their ugly heads. Why was Thorax different, and why was she feeling this way?

Her nose crinkled as a sudden tickle overwhelmed her. Her body contorted, tensing in anticipation of an impending sneeze. Her eyes watered while her nostrils flared, but the sneeze refused to come. After what felt like hours, the release came with a bellowing snort. The blast rocked Starlight back into the throne while her tea rattling towards the edge of the table. Groaning, she rubbed her eyes. Her hoof felt heavy, and there was an ache in her legs and back that wasn’t there moments ago.

Groaning, she looked at the clock. It was only around seven something, surely she couldn’t be that tired… Still, her eyebrows creased as another sneeze made its way out, the teacup courteously provided by Trixie threatening to spill while her hooves pressed against the table. What was coming over her?

She shook her head. Thorax had wanted a day out tomorrow; she needed to get a scroll and quill so she could plan it out. She wanted Thorax’s visit to be perfect, and that meant no more troubling thoughts of… relationships. She shuddered at the word. Her efforts would not be out of anything beyond friendship, of course. She wasn’t seriously considering all the wonderful dates she and Thorax could have together. Dates. Starlight kicked her hind legs out, hooves growing icy cold as the heat in her cheeks flared up. Her heart pounded inside her chest, beating to the rhythm of her quickened breathing. Her ears rang, muzzle contorting.

Why? She’d never felt any of these strange feelings before, especially the confusion that bubbled throughout her when his image popped into her head. Why did she feel so… weird? Were there words to explain it? Was this a... a crush?

It couldn’t be. Pushing her hooves into her lips, she suppressed a noise, tapping her hind leg against the chair. Fillies had crushes. It was a side effect of a young brain raddled by glands producing way too many hormones way too fast. No different from how she craved greasy hash browns covered in cheese and hot peppers after a few shots of that stuff Applejack makes. Grown mares didn’t get crushes. They just didn’t.

It was almost infuriating. She wanted to take Thorax out and make him feel happy and watch him smirk at her with that same genuine smile that made her feel like he was using it just for her and nobody else. Having a bad date along with having an eligible stallion show up who was bright, charming and adorable was not good for her confused emotions. And his smell. A dopey grin spread across her muzzle. Surely it was some sort of changeling cologne. She needed that cologne for… academic purposes.

There was a knocking on the door, tearing her gaze away from the wall. Liquor! She sprung from the chair like a dog rushing towards its owner after a long day alone, thrusting the doors open and smiling from cheek to cheek. An awkward cough ensued from the pony standing before Starlight.

“Trixie is uncomfortable,” the blue mare stated roughly, brushing strands of her hair with a fore hoof. “Your smile is weird. Stop it.”

Starlight’s countenance contorted into a grimace, eyes narrowing.

“You don’t have beer,” she moaned, turning around. “Enter.”

“Doesn’t Trixie feel loved?” Trixie puffed back, deadpanning while closing the door behind her. “Somebody’s a bit frustrated, I see?”

Starlight didn’t bother to face her, wriggling into the chair, hooves instinctively wrapping around her teacup. Only, her hooves caught nothing but thin air, the force of them knocking the cup straight to the floor. Both mares winced, the loud clang of porcelain shattering echoing throughout the large rooms of the castle. Starlight breathed in, an audible sniffle following.

“Great,” she grunted, before sneezing once more. Her ears pricked up at the sound of hooves clamoring down the stairs. She craned her head to the side.

“Is something the matter!? I heard something break,” Thorax said, worry written all over his face as he trotted swiftly down the stairs and towards Starlight. His eyes first landed on the shards of the teacup, before setting his gaze around the rest of the room and eventually on Trixie, eyes widening.

“I'm fine-” Thorax cut Starlight off, beaming.

“Hey! I didn’t expect you to be here, Trixie.”

“Is there a problem with me being here-”

Starlight could only watch while he practically sprinted over to Trixie, scooping her up in a large hug as she struggled against his green hooves wrapping around her. He rubbed his face against her cheek, grinning.

“It’s great to have so many pony friends nowadays!” he commented, still embracing Trixie. “It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago I was living in the freezing snows surrounding the Crystal Empire. To think I’d get to-”

Trixie shoved a hoof to Thorax’s face, forcing him away and breaking their embrace. She growled, wiping herself off with a huff while she turned her snout up.

“Trixie is not in the mood for rambling or long hugs.”

Thorax was quick to crease his brows, looking away. Trixie awkwardly shuffled her hooves.

“B-But Trixie's glad to see you too, anyways,” she added.

His eyes instantly lit up at her words, his wings buzzing about while a shamefaced grin spread across his muzzle. “I do apologize; I guess I’m still in a bit of shock at how fast things have been progressing.” He stepped back, rubbing his face. “I’m just excited to have so many new friends. Pony ones, especially.”

Trixie’s demeanor followed his, a giggle spurting from her lips. “Trixie understands that feeling. Trixie feels the same with Starlight-” Her eyes fell upon said mare. Her brows wrinkled in confusion. “Starlight, are you with us?”

Starlight was sitting, her eyes fixated on Thorax when she noticed Trixie and Thorax’s piercing gazes in her direction. She let out a squeak, spinning around in her chair and quickly burying her muzzle within the safety of her hooves. She could feel the heat coming off her cheeks.

Starlight cursed herself as the image of Thorax in that sweater danced in her mind. Black and baggy with Ponyville written on it in a plain white font and slits cut out for his wings on the back. It was basic. Oh so basic. Basically cute. But the size raised questions. Had the shop pony hoped to sell it for princess Celestia?

There was one thing and one thing only that Starlight couldn’t resist, and that was the softness, comfort, and nostalgic style of a hoodie. She ran her village with one. She would’ve saved Equestria in one. She went to anything professional in one to spite ponies who thought they could control her with rules.

It was a mild obsession left over from her school days. They were popular at the time, used as both a way to keep warm and a marker of relationship status. Almost all of her old school friends would mark their special somepony as theirs with the triumphant claiming of the colt’s sweater. She never got to experience the classic thieving of the sweater. Held hostage for the day, until it was traded back at the price of a kiss. Maybe taken home, with the challenge that he should come get it.

No. She had never gotten to play those games. Instead, she had bought her own and convinced herself it only the jacket’s warmth that she really wanted. But that was a lie. She wanted a colt to grin and complain when she took his. She wanted to snuggle into a too-large sweater that smelled of a colt that quickened her pulse. Her days had been wasted with the bittersweet allure of revenge.

Starlight sighed and shook her head. Those were the games of fillies and colts. She was too old for that silliness now. She had missed her chance for that a long time ago. Or... had she? Maybe Thorax would see the humor in her nabbing his Ponyville souvenir? Platonically, of course. Or not? Butterflies flew in her stomach. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted with a rather noisy sneeze forcing its way out of her snout.

Trixie and Thorax walked up, the latter speaking first. “Are you okay?” he asked, stepping close to Starlight as she squirmed in the throne. “You look kind of red. Are you sick?”

Her cheeks burned brighter, her voice muffled by her hooves. “Y-Yes,” she shakily stated, avoiding his piercing ruby eyes. “I might’ve caught a cold.” She wasn’t entirely lying; she did feel her nose growing stuffy alongside a tightness in her chest. Oh, Celestia, the sweater.

Thorax nodded, pausing as if to think for a moment. “Well, if you’re cold, just take my sweater,” he concluded, his magic aura already wrapping around the hoodie currently resting on his body.

Starlight tensed up. “What?”

He didn’t respond, instead opting to levitate a sweater neatly around her head. Well, neat until her vision was blotched out by the baggy, flowery smelling cloth of said sweater. Trixie’s unmistakable kind of obnoxious laughter burst into her ears while she struggled to fight out of her sweater prison.

“Pft, Thorax, a cold means she’s sick. Heh. Not literally,” she said between chuckles, coming into view as Starlight finally finished sliding her hooves through the sleeves. Thorax blushed.

“O-Oh, I… Didn’t know that,” he stuttered out. He turned to Starlight. “I can take it back-”

“No!” Starlight’s response came out faster and louder than she had intended; her hooves quickly wrapping around herself. She had conquered her high school insecurity, securing the sweater that marked their relationship- no, they weren’t in one… What was she thinking? She used her magic to start pulling the hood over her face. She was putting more meaning into these small gestures than should be done. She should just return the sweater and be done with the situation…

“I’m sick... and cold, I guess.” Celestia darn it, Starlight. You had one job. The hoodie slid back into place over her body.

Thorax shrugged. “Alright.” Why was he so unquestioning?

Trixie cleared her throat. “Ahem. We’ve gotten off track. What I came over here for was a…” she paused dramatically, leaning in. Thorax followed suit, pushing his ears forward as if to listen to her whisper. Starlight leaned carefully from the safety of her sweater cocoon. “...sleepover,” Trixie finished. Straightening up, her voice went from a whisper to a bubbly proclamation. “Twilight’s done it with her friends. Shouldn’t we, as the clearly superior friends, also have a sleepover?” she stated matter-of-factly.

Starlight could only nod and pet the black fabric under her hooves. She felt utterly embarrassed, like she wanted to shrink away into the darkness of the sweater. This wasn’t a relationship thing; it was simply one friend helping another. Yes, nothing else. Just a simple the friendly gesture between two beings who were friendly. She took a deep breath, filling her nose with his sweet scent. A perfectly natural thing for friends to do.

Thorax squealed, his wings flapping frantically. “Oh, I’ve never heard of a sleepover! Is it some sort of pony ritual?” he chirped, coming closer to Trixie, who grinned.

“Oh no. It’s much better than a simple ritual,” she commented, lowering her brows. “We get to hang out and talk overnight. Get to know more about each other.” She locked eyes with Starlight. “The things we get to talk about can be about food, games, crushes.” She laced the last word with deadly intent, simpering like a classic cartoon villain. Starlight froze. “But it's mostly just being together and doing whatever.”

“What’s a crush? Nevermind, I want to go get a book from the library I found most interesting. Is it appropriate to talk about a book in this ‘sleepover’?”

“Of course,” Trixie swiftly said. Thorax nodded eagerly, turning to the staircase. The moment he was gone, Trixie set her focus on Starlight.

“Do you have to be so obvious about it?” she groaned, rolling her eyes. Starlight tugged at her hoodie strings.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she muttered, staring at her hooves.

“Denial doesn’t work.” Trixie crept closer to the throne. “Tell me more. Trixie loves drama.”

“There’s nothing else to talk about!” Starlight yipped back, turning away, pouting. “Sure, he’s kind of cute, but… we… couldn’t…” she shut her mouth, blushing. Trixie grinned.

“We’ll talk about it later. For now, I have a plan.”

Starlight tensed. “Why do I feel like it's a terrible plan?”

Comments

[Gar-Lore]

8118497 Really?! Oh stop it! I'm sure plenty of people besides me

[LucarioMaster41]

Please continue with this story it's really good. Thorax and Starlight are my new OTP!!!

[ponijeff]

I love this story, great work!