I Can't Decide

by shortskirtsandexplosions

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Romance, Trixie, Starlight Glimmer, Equestria Girls
Length: 4269

Starlight Glimmer takes Trixie for a stroll through the human world.

Starlight Glimmer takes Trixie for a stroll through the human world.

Published 2017-10-08 00:30:07 UTC
Last updated 2017-10-08 00:30:07 UTC

Ta-Daaaa

Even when she was whining, Trixie was adorable.

"Starliiiiiiiiight!" There was a roller coaster lilt to how she pronounced the second syllable to her best friend's name. Not quite childish or adult, but wavering indecisively between. So very "Trixie." Long, narrow limbs flailed as her body wobbled like a vertical windsock. "This is stupid and impossible! But mostly stupid! Whoah!"

Once again, Trixie fell.

And once again, Starlight Glimmer caught her. Fingerless gloves grasped the girl's slender torso and gently pushed until she was standing upright again. The two bipedal bottles of estrogen stood in the center of a crowded public park, and more than a few curious humans were staring at them.

"Sweet Celestia, Trixie," Starlight exhaled. It wasn't a grunt, and the lingering smirk on her face was undeniable. "I thought before we even walked through the mirror, you told me that 'Trixie is the paragon of poise and grace!'"

"Trixie is!" The young woman in question pouted, her blue cheeks turning bluer, accompanied by a frustrated trilling sound issuing from deep within. Clad in a complementary hoodie and a flouncey pleated skirt, she draped loosely over Starlight's shoulder as her lower legs wobbled in and out of pigeon-toed oblivion. "But I'm also not used to having to tilt upright like Trixie is constantly trying to fix a light-bulb!"

"It's not about tilting!" Starlight grunted slightly, struggling with Trixie's frame and throwing occasional off-kilter smiles to the curious pedestrains passing by. At long last—following much fumbling—she was successful in lifting her friend into an upright position. "Tilting will only make you fall down one way or another! You just... have to find the sweet spot!"

"The... sweet... spot...?" Trixie's pink eyes blinked, glittering with confusion.

"The human sweet spot." Starlight let go of her and stood back, arms spread. "See?" She grinned wide. "You've totally got this!"

"Mrmmmmmmmmm..." Trixie bit her bottom lip, gazing down at her pendulously delicate figure. "If you say so, Starlight. But it is simply killing Trixie's fetlocks to be standing like this."

Starlight shook her head. "They're not 'fetlocks' anymore, Trixie. On this side of the mirror, they're called 'ankles.'"

"Trixie doesn't care!" Trixie frowned, stamping down one of the joints in question. "They're tiny and they hurt in these so-called 'shoes.'" Her pupils shrunk as she lost her balance again, arms flailing. "Whoah—ahhh! Trixie doesn't want to diiiieee!"

"Guh!" Starlight lunged forward, catching her friend again. "Trixie-ee-ee..." Her exhale was a shuddering thing, culminating in a girlish laugh as she helplessly hugged her friend close to keep the two of them upright.

Trixie only pouted harder, bluer. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Let's just..." Starlight grasped her gently by the hand and led her—even more gently—towards a collection of brightly-colored tents and amusement rides where the crowds were most densely gathering. "Let's just find some place to sit and relax before you c-cause too much of a scene."

"So?" Trixie tilted her chin up in a desperate attempt to appear dignified in spite of the comical shaved-monkey-body she was now sporting. "What would these hoo-mons care? They don't know we're from the superior pony world."

"Shhhhhhhh!" Starlight hissed, eyes darting around for a brief moment of nervousness. "Keep it down, will you? I pulled a lot of strings with both Twilight and Sunset so we could have a day together on this side of the mirror."

"Trixie was just saying—!"

"Also..." Starlight's glare silenced her. "One. It's pronounced 'hyuu-mens.' And two... let's not use the word 'superior' in describing Equestria."

"Pffft? Why not?! It's the truth!"

"Maybe. Maybe not. It's just that... er..." Starlight tucked her beanie tighter around her crown. "...humans have a really... really unpleasant history with civilizations and 'superiority' complexes. It's the same reason you wouldn't—say—waltz into the changelings' hive just talking willy-nilly about Queen Chrysalis."

"Ah!" Trixie nodded. She was carrying an even stride at this point. "Trixie gets it."

"Good!" Starlight smiled. "Now let's have fun! I chose this day for a reason—they're having a carnival in town."

"Oooooh!" Trixie let loose a little squeal. She did a little hop and "kicked" at the air with both wrists. "Trixie loves carnivals!"

Starlight giggled. "I know you do!" She giggled again.

Trixie blinked. "Starlight? Why are you squeezing Trixie's hoof so hard?"

"Ahem..." Starlight brushed a strand of hair over her ear and walked faster. "It's called a 'hand'."

"You still didn't answer Trixie's question—"

"Oooh!" Starlight broke into a full-on sprint. "Oh gosh! Oh gosh! They're flying kites!"

"Aaaaackies!" Trixie floundered, almost being dragged along. "Not so fast! They'll be the death of you, Trixie swears!"

The triangular paper craft flew into the air, twirled two times on its string, and fell thunderously hard into the fairground soil. Thap! A piece of the material tore off and the framework bent savagely.

Starlight inhaled sharply, eyes tearing. It was all she could do to keep from outright sobbing as her eyes followed the limp string trailing between her and the collapsed kite.

"Well..." Blue palms dusted themselves off. Trixie walked over to the downed kite and placed her hands on her hips. "Trixie told you so—Whoah!" She teetered, flailed, then found her balance. Coughing the spaztastic moment off, she looked down at the fallen object and murmured, "Shall we go for Attempt Number Forty-Seven? I think the wind has died off at this point."

"Yeahhhhhhhhh..." Starlight looked sadly over her shoulder. More and more people were ditching the open field with their kites and wandering back to the fairgrounds proper. The musical orchestrations of various carnival rides danced in the air, unimpeded by windgusts. "I guess I should have known better." She looked down at her fingers and flexed them. "It's just... so much easier with magic."

"Maybe Pinkie Pie can teach you how non-unicorns fly kites." Trixie put on a hopeful smile, winking at her friend. "You could enjoy it, Starlight! It'd be like learning how to enjoy your favorite hobby all over again!"

"Heh... I dunno, Trix..." Starlight put concentrated effort into bending over and gathering up both the string and the damaged kite. "I would look awfully silly in this world trying to fly a kite with my teeth."

"Huh..." Trixie reached up to scratch an ear atop her skull before remembering it wasn't located there anymore. She looked awkwardly at her blue digits. "Trixie never thought of it that way before." Her eyes looked back towards the other girl. "Maybe this 'Shimmy' friend of yours can teach you how the humans do it?"

"Sunset," Starlight corrected. With a grunt, she stood up, hugging the kite to her chest. "Sunset Shimmer."

"Hrmmmm..." Trixie smiled. "You have a tendency for making 'sunny' friends."

Starlight raised an eyebrow. "Yeahhhhh...?" She hugged the kite even tighter.

Trixie winced slightly. "Ahem..." Her eyes fell downward. "Trixie is sorry—Starlight—that you couldn't enjoy your favorite thing here."

"Ehhh..." Starlight shrugged, placing the kite and string down on atop a nearby park bench. "I was just being impulsive. Besides, kite-flying isn't my favorite thing."

"Then what is?"

"Hey!" Starlight smirked. "I know what you'd enjoy over here!"

"Hmmm?"

"Trust me. It blew my mind the first time I tried it!" She reached over and grabbed Trixie's wrist. "Come on! We'll treat it like a science experiment!"

"Guh!" Trixie grimaced, flailing to keep up with her sprinting companion. "Starliiiiiiiiiight! Not so haaaaaaaaaaaard!"

"Try to keep up!"

"Trixie is trying!" Trixie huffed and puffed. "Celestia darn it! When your ears are so small, it's really really hard to tell whether or not you're being serious!"

"Hee hee hee!"

"Well?" Starlight asked, leaning over the table.

Dangling balloons, flashing lights, and spinning carnival rides surrounded them. The air was rich with the smell of fritters and cotton candy. Children giggled and adults laughed and Trixie...

Trixie was munching on a freshly-boiled batch of peanuts. Her eyes searched left... then searched right. She tongued the inside of her mouth and sat in place across from Starlight, consuming, contemplating. "Hmmmm..."

Starlight blinked. She squirmed in her seat with anticipation.

Trixie's blue brow furrowed. Silver-soft white bangs fluttered in the breeze as she sat still, continuing to taste... think... exist.

Starlight bit her lip.

At last...

"They're... remarkably bland," Trixie muttered. She picked up another peanut, broke the shell, and raised the contents up to her mouth. "Perhaps if Trixie had another taste." She downed the next sample... then nodded all the same.

"Whew..." Starlight leaned back. "Then it's not just me."

Trixie swallowed, then squinted at her companion. "You were hoping Trixie would be disappointed?"

"Well, it's not so much that."

"Then what?"

"Well..." Starlight gestured. "Back in Equestria, that would be the most heavenly thing you've ever eaten. Right?"

"Well, yes." Trixie shrugged. "But they're not using enough salt here in human world."

"Wrong."

"Wrong?"

Starlight smiled. "It's actually even more salt than they'd put on nuts back home."

"Even more?" Trixie blinked in shock at the snack. "But... are there even enough quarries in this realm to afford it?"

"That's not the point." Starlight held a finger up and pulled something from her pocket. "I want you to try this."

"What is that?"

Starlight showed off a bright orange wrapper. "Something I bought at the convenience store shortly before you joined me through the mirror."

"What's a 'convenience store?'"

Ignoring her, Starlight undid the wrapper and then exposed two round-shaped chocolate treats. "Hopefully they haven't melted—ah... good." She looked up with a smile. "You like peanut butter, right?"

"Trixie most assuredly does love peanut butter!"

"Heeheee! Well... I think you're going to like this." Starlight pulled another black wrapper from the bottom of the round treat and held it out to her friend. "It's called a 'Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.' Give it a shot."

"Eh..." Trixie took it between two disinterested fingers. "If it's anything like the humans' peanuts, then Trixie isn't too excited..."

Starlight winked. Starlight smiled. "Trust me."

And Trixie always did. She raised the thing gently to her perky lips and took the smallest of girlish bites. A few naked milliseconds after chewing, her pupils shrank and her limbs locked up. A breath later, and she squirmed as a veritable chill ran up and down her spine.

By now, Starlight was leaning forward with her grinning chin propped up on two palms. "Well?"

"This... is..." Trixie was almost close to sobbing. "...the most delicious thing Trixie has ever tasted!" Hyperventilating, she looked at the bitten cup and opened her mouth wide to inhale the rest of it—

"Slowly!" Starlight insisted, pointing. "Trust me. You'll get knocked out."

So, with a solid breath, Trixie slowly nibbled into another bite of the cup. The same wave of pleasure evidently rolled through her body, as telegrammed by her eyelids fluttering shut. "Mmmmmmm..." Her free hand clapsed the edge of the table and squeezed until the knuckles darkened. "Mmmmmmmmm... Trixie likes..."

"Heheheh... yeah you do."

"But..." With a flash of lucid sanity, Trixie paused in the consumption to look at her friend. "...I don't understand. I... I've eaten things like this in Equestria before. Trixie's sure of it. Why's it so much more... scrumptious here?"

"You wanna know what I think?" Starlight took a more scholarly posture. "I think humans and ponies are just wired differently. Back in Equestria, pony bodies are... somehow better equipped to digest large quantities of sugary sweets. I mean, you can't swing a stick around Ponyville without hitting the front entrance to a bakery or a confectionery. But here? For humans, you can only have dessert sparingly."

"Otherwise your poor monkey brain would be disoriented."

"Ha! Yeah, well..." Starlight leaned back, brushing at her bangs. "That's one way of putting it."

"But... what keeps humans from having such wonderful ambrosia all the time?"

"Can ponies have salt licks every hour of every day back home?"

Trixie nodded. "Good point."

"Besides..." Starlight tapped her chin. "Humans stand the risk of several cumbersome ailments if they indulge too much. Sunset was trying to explain it to me... something called 'diabetes.'"

"Trixie doesn't like the sound of that. What's it like?"

"I dunno. Sunset said this world's Pinkie Pie could 'show me' sometime. Something to do with needles." Clearing her throat, Starlight looked up. "You see... it's totally okay to be confused."

"Well... if you like this strange world regardless, then Trixie does too."

"Heh..." Starlight's cheeks turned slightly rosy. "I'm glad I could bring you over here."

"Trixie's glad too." The girl in question squirmed, still holding the half-eaten cup. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the treat, at Starlight, then back at the treat.

"Heehee..." Starlight nodded. "Go on. Finish it up."

"Eeeeeee—!" Trixie clutched at the air with one hand while the other raised the scrumptious peanut-butter morsel to her lips and—"Mmmmmmmmhmmmmmmmm..." Her eyelids fluttered shut.

And Starlight watched.

"Now..." Trixie wagged her eyebrows and held her palms out. "...are you watching closely?"

"Uh huhhhh..." Starlight nodded for the umpteenth time. Night had fallen, and a crisp evening breeze wafted through their hair...

...probably because the two were perched on the slowly rotating seats of a tall ferris wheel. Their carriage had just reached the top of its apex, so that they levitated above a sea of flickering lights and colors and merry crowds.

"Alright..." Trixie smirked devilishly. "Now... it's easy to get distracted because of this crazy gorilla contraption we're seated on, but it's all about the theme and presentation. After all, if we did this in a dark alleyway—"

"Just do the trick already!" Starlight said, stifling a laugh. She failed.

"Ahem!" Trixie held her palm out. "A small silver coin with a human's face on it."

"I believe his name is 'Thomas Washington,'" Starlight said.

"Whatever." Trixie held the item up between two fingers. "Notice. Solid. Round. Definitely not fake. It's just like our bits back at home."

"Uh huh."

"Keep your eye on it..." Trixie held her breath, formed a fist with both hands, then slapped them together. "Now..." She kept both fists closed, facing her friend. "...which appendage do you suppose the coin is being held in?"

"Pffft..." Starlight rolled her eyes. "The other hand..." She pointed. "The one you just 'teleported' it to."

"Hmmm?" Trixie opened the palm in question. It was empty. "What's this? The all-powerful Starlight Glimmer, apprentice to Princess Twilight Sparkle, has failed?!"

"Pffft. Knock it off." Starlight pointed again. "So it's in the original hand then."

Grinning, Trixie opened the other hand to reveal the first palm was likewise bare. "Nope!"

"... ... ..." Starlight's eyes blinked tiredly above a deadpan expression. "... ... ...'kay."

"Heehee!" Trixie smiled proudly. "Has Trixie stumped you?"

"It... uhm..." Starlight scratched her head through her beanie, then looked down at the other carriages of the ferris wheel beneath them. "Did you drop it?"

"Now, that wouldn't be very professional of the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Maybe she didn't even hide it at all!" Trixie stuck a tiny pink tongue out. "Maybe you are!"

"Buh?"

"Maaaaaaaaaybe... wait..." Trixie looked at Starlight's scalp. "Waaaaaaaaaaaait..." She leaned forward... closer and closer.

Starlight's lips parted.

"What's this...?" Trixie's fingers reached in, brushed feather-softly across Starlight's earlobes, and then—"Of course!" Her hand appeared before Starlight's eyes, and the coin had phenomenally materialized between two fingers. "You had it hidden in your head the whole time! Starliiiiiiiiiiiight!" Again, that lilt, only confident this time. "I told you to keep your eyes on the coin! Not your silly monkey ears!"

"Oh." Starlight cupped a hand over her mouth. "Wow."

"And that..." Trixie leaned back and reclined with a smug grin. "...is how you properly run a carnival."

"That's pretty..." Starlight giggled, her mouth hanging open. "I mean... is... is it going to sound really childish of me to say that I've never seen a trick like that before?"

Trixie squinted. "You're joking, right?"

"I'm being honest here."

"It's been done a million times before. Just..." Trixie shrugged. "Not with hooves."

"But you've known how?"

"I read about it ages ago. Griffin showbirds do it in port cities to earn bits. It's as old as time. I've just never had the opportunity to do it until today."

"You mean until you had fingers."

"Mmmmm... yeah..." Trixie looked dispassionately at her blue digits and proceeded to flip and twirl the coin. "I imagine these humans probably learn to do it in grade school. But—hey!" She winked. "So long as you think it's great."

"Trixie, I think it's fantastic that you learned how to do it after only having hands for a few hours."

"Eh..." Another shrug. The moonlight came out of a cloud, giving a shine to Trixie's flax hair. "Like I said, the concept was already in my head. This just gave me an opportunity. You gave me an opportunity by bringing here."

"Well, I'm glad for that, at least." Starlight clasped her hands together, staring into the seat of the carriage. "I wasn't sure you'd like the human world as much as I did."

"Trixie likes it alright." A slight sigh. "I wouldn't mind coming back."

Starlight bit her lip. "You wouldn't...?"

"Why not?" A softer sigh. "In a place like this, Trixie can truly be magical. Here... what's fake is real enough." She held the coin up and—with a flick of the wrist—made it vanish from her palm. "Tadaaaaaaaa..."

"Oh Trixie..." Starlight brushed her bangs aside, smiling sweetly. "Your magic is always real."

"Pfffft..." Trixie rolled her eyes. "No it isn't."

"Yes it is!"

"I'm no Princess Twilight."

Starlight gulped. "Don't you think I know that?"

Trixie raised an eyebrow at her. She was about to retort—

—when the ferris wheel began moving once again. No longer stationary, the metal ride rotated with a pronounced hum, lightly jostling the carriage the two girls were seated in. If Trixie and Starlight were normal human beings, they would have prepared themselves better for the sudden movement. However, as they were...

"Guhhh!" Trixie fell all over the seat.

And Starlight. "Waaah!" Fell all over Trixie.

"Ooomf!" Trixie winced, then stared up at her friend. "Uhhh..."

"Pffft..." Starlight fussed and struggled to sit up.

"Hrmmmfff..." Trixie smiled awkwardly, likewise wriggling to undo the collapsed calamity. "This is what happens when you give monkeys a wrench."

"Hahaha..." Starlight laughed lightly. "Stop calling them monkeys!"

"But they are—guh—" Trixie struggled.

"Here." Starlight gently grasped Trixie's arms. "Allow me."

She held her close as the two sat up straight on the slowly revolving ride. There was a sacred little moment there—suspended between light bulbs and the cosmos—where the two blinked nose-to-nose. Neither dared to breathe... until naturally it was Trixie who gave in first. Starlight could smell the peanut butter and chocolate in her breath, laced with something else just as sweet, albeit frightening. The moment she opened her human mouth, she felt the same old chill rushing up and down... the chill that brought her there.

"Oh gosh." The truth flowed breathily through Starlight's mouth, chiseling a smile on the way out. "I can't decide."

Trixie could only blink.

The moment lingered upon the precipice of shattering.

Thankfully, the carriage rattled to a stop, reaching the loading platform at the bottom. A carnival operator dutifully unlatched the gate, and two very quiet, very straight-faced girls walked out. One after another.

They weren't holding hands this time.

Hours later...

...deep in the crystalline chamber of a crystalline castle...

A magic mirror rippled to life. Two pastel-colored ponies hobbled out in mid-conversation.

"...in desperate need for the fossil fuels that sustain them!" Starlight explained. "Which is why humans are hesitant to switch to a different source of energy!"

"Yes, but if the byproducts are scientifically proven to be warming up their entire globe, then why not switch sooner—?" Trixie suddenly flailed. "Whoahhh!"

"Guhh!" Starlight likewise kicked at the air, realizing that she too was walking on her hindquarters. With more or less grace, she landed on all fours. Quick-witted, she threw out a field of telekinesis to catch Trixie before she fell on her tummy.

Soon, both horse-ladies were glancing at one another. They had a collective giggle... then a collective yawn.

"You were right..." Trixie smiled, eyelids heavy. "It does take some getting used to. But it works!"

"Yeah... and then you come back and it's like having to ride a bike all over again," Starlight said.

"Oh wow... can you imagine riding a bike as a monkey? Trixie can't!"

"Heeheehee..." Starlight smiled... yawned... then smiled again. "Whew... that was fun."

"You must be exhausted."

"Back at ya, Trix."

"Heheh... well..." Trixie took a moment to admire the familiarity of her fetlocks. "Methods not involving boxes and mirrors take a lot out of me on the first try. I... uh..." She looked up sweetly. "I'm sure you understand."

"Totally do."

"Huh..." Trixie's eyes narrowed. "Your clothes and headwear are gone. Guess you were right about the mirror and its peculiar style of transmogrification."

"Mmmmm..." Starlight rubbed her left eye... then her right. "It's very perplexing. Sunset and the Princess and I are thinking about performing some experiments on the matter." She yawned, stretching her backbone like a cat. "Mmmmm... another time, though."

"Wow. You really need to sleep."

"I knew this would wear us out ahead of time." Starlight teetered slightly where she stood. "That reminds me. Did you ever take the Princess' invitation?"

"Mmmhmmm!" Trixie nodded. "Trixie has her very own great and powerful guest room!"

"Hoo boy." Starlight rolled her eyes, teetering some more. "I bet Twilight's excited about that."

"Ehhh... Trixie won't overstay her welcome." She winked. "I am learning."

"Mmmm... that you are." Starlight waved before trotting for the distant hallway door. "Well... it's been fun. Nini."

Trixie suddenly bit her lip. She stood in place.

"We should totally do this again sometime. Next week?"

"Uhm. Sure." Trixie gulped hard. "Uhm..." She reached a dainty hoof out from a distance, eyes round. "Starlight?"

"Hmmm?" Starlight turned to look over her shoulder. "Yeah, Trix?"

Starlight looked at her best friend. One heartbeat. Two. Three. "... ... ...Sweet dreams!" she said with a bright, blue smile.

"Heh... back at ya." And Starlight made her exit.

Trixie sat on her hindquarters, rubbing one fetlock with another. After a few lonely breaths, she trotted off... and reluctantly headed towards her guest room.

Sometime later...

In the middle of the night...

The door to Trixie's guest room creaked open. She trotted out with a tired—albeit grumpy—expression plastered across her muzzle.

"Grnnnngh..."

She plodded down the long, empty hallway.

"Stupid castle..."

She shuffled into a bathroom.

"...stupid dry muzzle..."

She poured herself a glass of water and took a long, hearty sip.

"... ... ...stupid nightmares."

At last, she emptied the glass of water and exited the bathroom, rubbing her muzzle dry.

"Hrmmmfff... wished I'd seen it sooner." She clenched her eyes shut in mid-trot, grumbling. "It's a ferris wheel. A ferris wheel. Grnnngh... stupid, unimaginative monkeys..."

Just then, her fuzzy nose bumped into something not-so-fuzzy. Thwump!

"Ouchies!" She leaned back, rubbing her great and powerful muzzle. Eyes flickering open, she saw that a door was cracked open.

But just not any door.

"Mmmm...?" Trixie craned her neck. Her ear could pick up the sound of squeaky, tender breaths. Starlight's. "Huh..." A tiny smirk. "Small castle."

She was about to leave and trot the rest of the way to her guest room...

...when that squeaky breath bled into a pitiable whimper.

"...?" Trixie turned to look at the cracked door. Against her better judgment, she stuck her head in. "Starlight...?"

The shadows of the room obscured the bed. It took a couple of seconds for Trixie's eyes to adjust, but when they did she saw Starlight lying curled on the bed. Most of the blankets had been kicked off. The mare grimaced, clutching herself and shivering.

"Mrmmmff..." Starlight mewled. "Didn't... d-didn't mind control the humans, Twilight..." One leg kicked, then the other, and the mare resumed shiveirng. "I swear... j-just... just took Trixie for funsies..."

Trixie blinked. With a warm breath, she snuck boldly into the room. Pink telekinesis grabbed the far corners of the fallen blanket, and she lightly draped it over Starlight's body before tucking her in warmly.

"Mmmmmmm..." A foalish smile swam gently across Starlight's face. The slumbering unicorn relaxed under the warm fabric. "Gghhhhh... th-thanks, Spike..."

Trixie had to fight the urge to giggle. "Don't mention it—!" Her eyes went wide as she held a hoof over her muzzle.

Thankfully, Starlight didn't wake. Instead. "Don't... mention... what, Sp-Spike...?"

"... ... ..." Trixie bit her lip. She looked left. She looked right. Then—with a tense breath—she leaned over her best friend. "What... did you mean... earlier?"

"Mmmmm-earlierrrr...?"

Trixie gulped. "You said 'you can't decide.'" A deep breath. "What couldn't you decide, Starlight?"

"Hmmmmmmmmm..." Starlight nuzzled her pillow, smiling even more. "Which is cuter."

Trixie blinked at that. Her eyes searched the bed... the room... the unseen stars above. Eventually, her eyes widened... and she felt almost as dizzy as she did earlier, wobbling on weird feet in weird shoes in a weird world. All the while, one hand held her tight—paradoxically the same hoof that led Trixie to where she was now.

And she couldn't help but smile.

With a final touch of magic, Trixie tucked Starlight in tighter... snug. Safe.

"Next time... we're gonna find out how to fly a kite," she whispered... then backtrotted gracefully out of the room. "That's a promise."

Starlight's smile lingered, until sleep pulled it into a nebulous direction. She cuddled up to a brand new warmth.

Trixie left the door open.