Royal Ties

Ash gave Star's head a gentle pet as he watched him sleep. The plant pony was back to his original self. He wandered to the wardrobe and perused the many clothes hung in the closet. Ash took a pair of pink slacks and t-shirt. "Perfect!" He laughed. Dressing himself, Ash made his way to the front door, went out and opened the mailbox.

As he got there Ponyville's favorite mailmare was just arriving. "Oh, hi!" She waved smiling up at Ash. "Is Stardu...h..." Derpy trailed off as her eyes spotted the uncontainable bulge he was sporting.

Ash turned and smiled. Many conflicted feelings went through Derpy. He had a shirt that was just a tad short, exposing the muscle lined midriff he so thoughtfully put on display for any passing mare. She had never seen Ash before, and saw his scary eyes and razor sharp teeth. But saw his pink ensemble and thought he couldn't be that bad. Her eyes darted between his eyes, mouth, abs, and crotch. "I'm Ash, pleased to meet you."

"I...I'm Derpy I-it's uhhh nice to meet you..." She blushed.

"Oh! You must be here for Stardust. He's asleep. Him and I had a bit of fun earlier, and he's exhausted... taking a little nap." Ash gave a suggestive wink and a playful laugh.

Derpy's blush grew brighter. " I... I um d... didn't know he w-was into stallions... e-especially cute ones." She mumbled looking away, "B-but I h... have a letter for him..." She rummaged through her mail bag looking for it.

When Derpy looked back she noticed something that even Ash had forgotten. His grass hair was long and lush, hanging down to the middle of his chest. "You're not so bad yourself. Hey, when do you clock out?" Ash smiled warmly. Though based on what their conversation had amounted to, she could only picture what they would do together.

"I... um," She mumbled, "F-five o clock." She paused pulling out a sealed letter. I... here you go." There was a small smile on her face. "Um... I guess... I'll see you later then?"

"This is where I'm staying, you know where to find me." Ash took the hand with her letter and kissed the back of it before relieving her of the mail.

"A-alright! I'll come see you when I get off!" Derpy grinned waving as she flew off.

Ash's smile grew. "I'm starting to like this town." He said aloud, turning around and freezing in place. A pink earth pony was standing in front with a huge smile. Ash blinked slowly, not knowing what to say.

She looked him up and down, "Hi there!" She giggled.

"Are you here for Stardust too? He has a lot of friends!" Ash grinned happily at the new pony's arrival.

Ash extended a hand. "I'm Ash. Nice to meet you."

"We've already met." She said, "I'm Pinkie Pie by the way."

"Have we?" Ash cocked his head to the side and blanked as he tried to remember.

"Oh, it doesn't matter." Pinkie laughed, smiling even more. "I was just wondering whatcha were doin." She bounced up and down.

Ash pocketed the letter and shrugged. "I dunno. I just met a really nice pink pony who made me forget about what I was doing. So there's that." He grinned, playfully hissing and letting his snake-like tongue slither out.

Pinkie giggled, "I bet it had something to do with that letter, who's it for?" She asked. "Or, is it a seeecret ?"

"Said it was for Stardust, so... I probably shouldn't open it." Ash's brows furrowed, clearly thinking about opening it.

"You should! I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Pinkie reasoned, "It could be something really fun too! Just think it could be a glitter bomb... you wouldn't want that all over the house would you?"

"No... not that one." Pinkie giggled. "It's just so much fun to prank other ponies, yah know?"

Ash brought a finger up to the letter, his fingernail shifting into a claw and cutting the top of the letter open. The act made Pinkie oo and ahh for a moment. He shook his head and unfolded the paper inside to read it.

"To my adorable Starry Sky; We're planning a massive bonfire night this year. The entire family is going to be there! We'd love it if you came as well, we're going to pull all the stops, we've been saving up all year for it! You can bring along whomever you'd like, we'd love to meet any of your friends. And... well if you have one marefriend (your father still doesn't understand what you like, though I'm sure you can set him straight with a few words) or if you have a coltfriend I'd love to meet him. I just hope he's treating you right, if he isn't... well still I'd like to meet him! Momma's cooking can set him on the right path, though you'll have to wheel him out in a cart... please do tell me he likes pies... Anyway, I hope to hear back from you soon! Love Momma. PS; Your sister came back home, and she really misses you. So please, even if you don't want to stay for the festivities and to see your relatives, come by to see her." Ash finished reading the contents of the letter aloud.

"WOOOAH! His parents are inviting him to a party! We should totally convince him to take us with him! It'd be really fun!" Pinkie bounced even more, clapping her hands excitedly.

Ash's eyes sparkled momentarily. With a determined gaze, he strode back into the house. Heading back to the bedroom, he paused beside the bed where Stardust was still asleep. He smiled down at the napping pony, taking it upon himself to lift him up off the bed and shake him violently. "Staaardust!" Ash sang joyously.

Stardust was forced awake, "Whaaaat?" He groaned, trying to push Ash off of him.

"Oh good you're awake." Ash smiled, dropping Star into an upright sitting position. "Letter." He continued, setting the page in Star's lap.

Stardust read over the letter. "Uhhuh, you didn't read it. And I assume Pinkie Pie didn't convince you to." He looked up at the bubbly pink mare that had followed Ash upstairs.

"Hi!" She waved.

Stardust glanced to Ash. "Mmm, I'll think about it." He yawned. "It's not for another two weeks." He stretched out. "But, hey, you might want others to come along. It's huge and basically... everypony there is family, regardless of who brought them. So, I'd definitely want you to meet them." He smiled a little.

Smiling so wide it looked painful, Ash opened his arms in what Stardust assumed was a hug. Though he wasn't prepared for the massive pony to fall forward and crush him.

"GGRRKR!" Stardust grunted, being buried underneath him. "BR...BREATHING NOT NE...EEDED..." He coughed out, trying to escape the death trap he found himself in.

Hugging Stardust tightly, Ash rolled over, switching so Star was the one on top. "I can't wait to meet you parents! What are they like?" Ash sat up, resting his head in Star's hair and smiling like a little filly who just got a tub of candy.

"Mmm... mmm..." Stardust muttered. "Mmm... my mom's really nice... but just... don't say no if she offers you food. It's not a choice. She isn't 'offering' it's eat it our have it shoved down your throat... my dad's... not really gonna see us as together. Just saying... he... doesn't really understand it I guess, though honestly I don’t really know... Or he could just is so hell bent on me giving him grandfoals that he doesn't really care. He won't hate you... you'll just be my 'friend' to him. Hell he'll probably treat you like a son." He started.

And of course, the part Ash chose to quote was obvious. "So your family makes a habit of shoving things down your throat... not just you?" Ash chuckled.

Stardust stared blankly at him, "You sucked me down..." He mumbled, blushing a little. "Mmm..." He looked away. "My mom's a cougar too."

Pinkie scoffed, "Why would yo..." She trailed off, "You're weird."

Ash leaned in, bringing his face uncomfortably close to Star's. "Is your mother pretty?" He asked genuinely. Stardust assumed he was joking, but only for a moment. He sometimes forgets that Ash is millenia old, and he would without a doubt mean a question like that.

"Yes." Stardust nodded. "But, you WILL stay down. You're not going after her. She's married, and she's my MOM !" He stated.

Ash cringed, scratching his head slowly. "Yeah... point taken." He mused. "Though in reality..." Ash made eye contact with Stardust. A pair of pupils appeared. Never had Star seen Ash with a normal pony's eyes, and had a feeling that the sky blue eyes he was staring back into wasn't Ash. "You are fucking my daughter." Solaris droned sternly.

"Woah. Woah. We've had one date." Star put his hands up defensively, "We haven't even seen each other since..." He trailed off a little sadly for a moment, his hands falling down.

Solaris put a hand on Stardust's shoulder. "I'm only joking. Stardust, look at me." His voice sounded ragged, tired.

Stardust looked up at Solaris. "Yeah?" He asked.

"In the short time I've known you, you've cemented how much I like you. You'll always be welcome to courte my daughter. I'm proud of you, son." Solaris said with a weak smile.

Stardust smiled back, "Well... I... thank you." He said, pausing for a moment. "Solaris... are y... you still in pain?" He asked.

Solaris didn't say a word, but his eyes told it all. The pain he had taken away hadn't lessened an ounce, and he was still feeling it. "Ash deserves to be happy. Take care of him, alright?" He asked, almost like he was on the verge of passing out.

"I swear I will." Stardust said, wrapping his arms around Solaris, "And please... if you ever need a rest, I'll be here. I can survive."

There wasn't any response. When Star pulled back, the pupils had faded, and the smile was gone. Ash was back, and he was letting out silent tears.

Stardust remained quiet, pulling Ash down into his arms, nuzzling him lovingly. His magic gently wiping away Ash's tears. "Shh... Shh..." He whispered softly, his voice warm and comforting.

Ash pulled away and slowly stood up. Silently, he walked toward the door.

"Ash..." Stardust mumbled, "W... where are you going?"

"I need to be alone for awhile." Ash said, not even giving a glance back. Those words went against practically his entire character, and it greatly concerned Stardust.

"Ash... please..." Stardust said, slowly standing up, "You..." He stopped, knowing deep down there wasn't really any way to stop Ash. "Please... just... don't do anything to yourself..."

Ash left Star and Pinkie alone. The room grew uncomfortably silent. Stardust let out a quiet sigh, sitting back down on the bed and staring at the floor. He just didn't want to move, or really do anything. His eyes shut and he put his head in his hands.

Pinkie sat down beside him, her smile still there surprisingly. "Hey." She said softly.

Stardust looked up at her, "H... hey." He said quietly.

"I'm not as familiar with what's happening right now, but I can tell he's going through a lot. He might be able to hide it, and not think about it. But when he actually has to face what's wrong..." Pinkie trailed off. Star's gaze met her almost unreal blue eyes, something he'd never really noticed before. "He cares too much about you to hurt himself. He just needs time."

Stardust closed his eyes for a few moments, when he opened them again there was a hint of belief in them. "I... Alright... I guess... I should just go out then too, give him some time alone." He sighed, smiling weakly. For a few moments he couldn't stop staring into her eyes. "Thanks... Pinkie." He grabbed her hand for a moment, standing up slowly.

Pinkie gave his hand a squeeze, standing up and letting her grin explode. "If you ever wanna talk..." Pinkie leaned over and pecked his cheek with her lips. "You always have a friend."

Stardust chuckled, "Thanks." He grinned, about to hug her before he remembered he was completely naked. His face reddened a little bit.

It became clear she had known he was naked the entire time, as when he released the hug, she didn't.

"Maybe we could talk later then? I... I think it'd actually be nice to talk to somepony for once." Stardust offered, "Maybe when I'm actually dressed." He joked.

"Yeah, so let's talk later." Pinkie nodded, still not letting go.

"Um... Pinkie?" He asked uncertainly, though he didn't exactly dislike her continued hug, it did feel nice.

Pinkie put a finger to his lips. "Shhh." She hushed. "No talking." The mare continued to whisper. She had her eyes closed, and a large grin on her face. Stardust could tell she was in her own little world, and he had a feeling that [he was in that world too.

Stardust just sighed, his smile growing as he wrapped his arms around her. He just resigned himself to enjoying holding the warm and comfy mare for a bit longer.

Stardust had finally gotten away from Pinkie, though he did enjoy her company very much. Now he was just wandering around town, trying to find something to do. He was lost in his own little world, only paying enough attention to stay out of other ponies way. "Hmm... what... should I do?" He mused, asking no pony in particular

The sound of snoring stopped him in his tracks. Slowly he looked up and saw a pair legs dangling off the roof of the nearest house.

His intrest being peaked, he decided to investigate. He teleported himself up to the rooftop, he grinned, staring down at the sleeping Pegasus. For a few moments he waited before coughing loudly in an attempt to rouse her.

Rainbow Dash choked on her own tongue and snorted awake, her eyes snapping open. "Whahh?" She droned.

"Whatcha up to?" Stardust mused, smiling down at her, "Must have been pretty boring if you fell asleep on a random roof." He chuckled.

Rainbow blinked slowly and tiredly. "I'm not Pinkie... I don't know everypony in town. So who are you?"

"Stardust." He said, "Though... I believe Rarity told me a bit about you, Rainbow Dash, right?"

Lifting herself up with a flap of her wings, Rainbow cracked her neck. "Sup."

Stardust raised an eyebrow, "Nothing." He shrugged. "What about you?" He crossed his arms, his eyes slowly looking her over.

Rainbow wore a black pair of track shorts, and an equally black sports bra. "No clouds today, so I have the day off." She shrugged.

"Must be pretty boring then." He said, the smile not leaving his face. He thought for a moment, his smile growing a bit. He shifted a little, "Well... um, sorry for bothering you on your day off..." He started, glancing down towards the street below. As he looked back up to her he seemed hopeful for a few moments.

"You want something?" Rainbow questioned with a curious glance.

"Just... um maybe you'd like to go do something with me?" Stardust asked.

"I got nothing better to do than go out with a stalker. What's your name?" Rainbow chuckled.

"I'm Stardust." He introduced himself, again. "So, what do you like to do?" He asked.

"Fly." Dash answered bluntly.

"Well I can tell. I've heard you're an amazing flyer." He chuckled. "Besides that though. I mean if that's the only thing, that's fine. I'd be happy to watch you." He added.

"As generous as I am, and as much as I'd love to treat you to some awesome maneuvers... I'm bored of flying right now. So think of something else." Dash couldn't help but smirk.

" Well I could treat you to lunch. Maybe go to a movie... um, well..." Stardust paused to think for a bit, tapping his chin. "Or, just... hang out? Talk a bit, get to know each other and see where it goes from there?" He offered.

"There some reason you smell like sex?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

"Mmm... things. Sex. Lots of it." Stardust shrugged, "Why else would I smell like sex?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Because you're a pervert that likes watching ponies sleep." Dash suggested, making his brows furrow.

"Look. I heard you snoring. I teleported up here and just decided to see what you're doing. If I was a pervert, why would I have woken you up?" He challenged. "I didn't have time to shower, my best friend is... going through something I can't help. And I just... don't know what to do. If you're going to accuse me of things I'll just leave." His voice quivered a little as he spoke, it was clear that he wasn't acting, "I'm just... I don't know anymore." He sighed, turning away from her.

"Hey, hey relax... I'm just screwin' with you." Rainbow's expression went a bit lax. "Was there anything I could help with?" She asked, smiling eagerly. Stardust of course knew she was one of the elements of harmony. When it came down to it, Rainbow was a nice mare. The way she treats Scootaloo says everything about her character, and the whole town knew it.

"Just... want somepony to be friendly with. To forget about things for a while." He sighed, turning back towards her, a weakened smile on his face. "Everything's just... bad today. I... really don't know how to handle it."

Rainbow stepped up to his side and wrapped an arm around him. "Well, you found somepony. Forget what I want, let's do something that'll cheer you up."

He unconsciously pressed a bit against her. "Why don't we... go somewhere a bit better and talk?" He asked, smiling a bit more as he relaxed in her grasp, feeling a bit more at ease now.

"Where to?" Dash grinned at his closeness, tightening her own arm around him.

"Why not the park? It'd be a bit more peaceful and less crowded." Star asked. He felt warm and comforted wrapped in her arm, and it only made his smile grow more, now he seemed to be becoming genuinely happy again.

"Sounds good." Rainbow nodded. The arm wrapped around him slipped under his arm and tightened. She lept off the roof with him, making Stardust cling every limb to her. Dash's wings parachuted their fall at the last second, landing on her feet with a gentle thud. "So, you want me to carry you there or something?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow. The suicidal leap had made him quite literally leap into her arms.

Stardust shook lightly for a few moments, he did surprisingly enjoy being in her arms. "U... uh n-no I'm fine... I can walk..." He mumbled, his face turning a bit red out of embarrassment.

Regardless of his answer, Rainbow started walking toward the park. "So, how's your day been?" She asked, her gaze focusing on the road ahead.

"M... could be... better..." He sighed. "What about yours?"

"Mine just got interesting." Rainbow gave him a wink. The moment he said he was feeling bad, her entire personality changed. Now she was dedicated to making him feel better. He was starting to understand why she was the element of loyalty.

"I'm... glad I could make it interesting." He smiled up at her. "You're... an amazing pony. I'm sure that you get that all the time though." He mumbled.

"Eh, I'm okay." Rainbow shrugged. Her world famous ego seemed nonexistent, bringing Stardust to a stage of utter confusion.

"Just... okay?" He laughed. "Rainbow Dash, you are amazing." He affirmed quietly, "Plain and simple." He wasn't going to let her get away with being humble. If anything he wanted to see her smile now.

And smile she did. "Twilight's right. It's much more fun being humble." Dash smirked. It took a moment for Stardust to realize what he had just done.

He only grinned a little more, "Oh? That's what you were doing?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Just trying to get compliments out of random stallions... my, my." He said, his tone overly joking, clearly even in jest not wanting to harm her, almost as if he enjoyed stroking her ego.

"Just something about random ponies I've never met telling me I'm great." Rainbow's smile for once started to fade. The mare slowed to a stop, seemingly lost in thought.

"Dash?" Stardust asked, reaching up and touching her cheek to draw her attention back. "Are you alright?"

"Uhh yeah..." Rainbow nodded slowly. She set Star back on his feet. "You... mind walking for a bit?"

"Did you want me to carry you now?" He joked, though he was entirely serious in the offer.

Rainbow paid the thought no mind. "Hey, I know you wanted to go somewhere to talk but uh... you mind if we stop somewhere first?"

"Where did you want to stop?" Stardust asked.

Rainbow just motioned him to follow and began walking. After a bit of a walk, Stardust noticed their destination. There was a small clubhouse with a ramp leading up to the door. An orange mare spotted Dash from the window and bolted out the door toward the two. Rainbow lit up, bursting to a sprint as the two practically tackled each other. "Hey Dash!" Scootaloo giggled.

Stardust remained a bit back, smiling a little bit more as he saw the two. He didn't say a word, not wanting to spoil the moment of pure joy the two shared.

Rainbow glanced back at Star and motioned him over. "Scootaloo, this is my new friend Stardust."

"Hi!" Stardust waved at Scootaloo, smiling warmly at her.

"Hey, why don't you head inside. I'll be right up." Rainbow gave Scootaloo's cheek a nuzzle, making the orange mare giggle. Soon, Dash and Star were alone again.

Stardust looked at Dash for a few seconds, "Dash... what brought you here?" He inquired, genuinely curious.

"You did." Rainbow finally turned her attention back to him.

"What?" He asked. "How... did I bring you here?"

"You got me thinking. I've done a lot of stuff for Equestria, and I've done a lot for my friends. And the fact ponies still come up to me who I have never met, and tell me how amazing I am. Then I start thinking about where I was before all of this. I was just a weather pony with an ego. When it boils down to it, I still am." Rainbow sighed.

"Hey, that isn't a bad thing." Stardust started. "Look at how you treated her, that's not ego, that's you genuinely caring about her." His hand gently touching her shoulder. "You are an amazing pony and a hero. Ego or not. How much have you actually done that was purely for yourself?"

"You're missing the point. I'm not here because I'm doubting myself. I'm here because... I'm grateful." Rainbow's eyes returned to the clubhouse. "For everything I have... especially Scootaloo." She finished. Stardust had heard about Rainbow, but didn't really know her. These words, however, was all he needed to hear to know he loved her. "So you know... the least I can do is make sure she's happy."

"Then why don't we make sure she stays that way?" He offered, giving her a small hug. "I'll do anything I can to help you both." He smiled widely.

Rainbow smiled, the faintest hint of a pink filling her cheeks. "Thanks..." She breathed, leaning into him.

Stardust held her for a few moments longer. lightly nuzzling her. "We'll have plenty of time to ourselves later. Why don't we go do something with Scootaloo?" He asked, keeping her in his arms.

Rainbow's face scrunched up. She slithered out of his grasp and forced a frown. "Who the heck are you anyway... makin' me get all mushy." She huffed.

"Oh, wasn't it good?" He teased, "You must be a great actor too. Don't worry though, your secret is safe with me..." He laughed, grinning widely.

Rainbow ground her teeth together, stomping defiantly up the ramp to the clubhouse.

Stardust followed her up, stepping in right behind her. "Alrighty then." He chuckled, leaning against the wall, he looked between Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, his smile up the entire time, bathing the clubhouse in an aura of happiness that just radiated from him. "So, what's up?" He asked Scootaloo, his eyes falling on her now.

Scootaloo stared at Stardust, then Rainbow. Then Star, then Rainbow... with a gasp, Scootaloo stared at him with awe. "Are you and Rainbow together?" Scootaloo gaped at the two.

Rainbow's eye twitched, smacking Scootaloo in the back of the head. "Oww!" Scootaloo cringed. "What'd I do?"

Stardust stood up straight, "Well, I'd assume not by that reaction." He sighed, staring at Dash for a moment. He walked up to Scootaloo now, "Here I thought she was taking me to meet you because she liked me. I guess, she just wanted you to have more friends." He smiled. "Either way, it's wonderful to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." Scootaloo beamed, one hand on the sore area and extending the other to shake.

Stardust took her hand, and she felt a tingling where he touched her, the soreness instantly vanishing. "So, whatcha do for fun?" He asked, taking his hand away. Shooting a small glance towards Dash, one that was almost disapproving.

Rainbow rolled her eyes and plopped down onto the floor. "Yeah Scoots. I thought you said Sweetie and Applebloom were here?"

Scootaloo shook her head and sat down beside her. "Earlier. I just knew this is the first place you'd look for me." She smiled joyfully at Rainbow.

Dash's entire body slumped at that. She seemed to be going through several emotions. Joy, guilt, sadness. Rainbow wrapped her arms around Scootaloo without a word.

Stardust sat beside them, wrapping his arms around them both, attempting to calm Dash down. His warmth washed over them both, the unicorn bringing a surreal calm and serene feeling to Dash, and his happiness seeming to further infect Scootaloo. "Well... they may not be here, but I know I'm going to be here for you. And hey... if you want a place to stay, I can show you where I live. You're always welcome to come stop by, grab a bite to eat, and just hang out. What's mine is yours." He smiled.

Rainbow and Scootaloo exchanged as long look. The two nodded, grinning from ear to ear and turning their attention to Star. "Sure!" They both agreed. Star didn't expect them to want to go now.

"Um... a-alright." Stardust smiled, slowly standing up. "Just follow me."