We Don't Usually Wear Clothes
"Uh, would you mind, turning around, or preferably leaving the room so I can get changed?" Sunburst said, carefully holding up the sheets.
"Oh, eh... sorry... eh heh," Starlight mumbled as she backed out of the room and closed the door.
Once outside, Starlight stared at the door in puzzlement. She hardly ever wore clothes, and as best as she could remember, Sunburst had not worn clothes when they were foals. She HAD barged in on him, so she had no right to complain, but it was a mystery.
A thought ocurred to her. Maybe he had a scar or other injury he was ashamed of. Bitting her lip, Starlight glanced back and forth down the hall. She really should respect his privacy, but if something was wrong with him she wanted to know.
Starlight screwed her eye at the keyhole. Darn, she could only see the other side of the room. Maybe if she...
"Auuh. Hey Starlight. Up early?" a yawn and a greeting made Starlight jump.
"Oh, uh, hi Twilight. Yeah, just... Sunburst and I have a lot planned today, so I thought we'd get an early start," Starlight said, non-chalantly.
"Ok. Are you going to wake him up?" Twilight asked.
"Already did! He's just getting changed. You know how colts are."
"Not... really?" Twilight said doubtfully, "Rarity's often concerned about that sort of thing, though."
"Oh, right, better example," Starlight said, "Well, we wouldn't want to keep you..." Starlight tried to nudge Twilight on her way, but it did not work.
"Actually, mind if I wait with you? I was hoping to ask for Sunburst's opinion on the Canterberry Tails and the transition from Old Ponish to Middle Ponish."
"Umm, but don't you have that... really important meeting to prepare for?" Starlight asked. That was a total guess, but she knew from experience that there was about a one in three chance that Twilight had something she considered an important meeting on any given day.
"Oh my gosh, that's right!" Twilight said, the familiar look of mild panic settling over her features, "There's that meeting with the Equestria Library Society today!" Twilight half-trotted, half-galloped off. "Thanks Starlight!" she said as she left.
Now then, thought Starlight, Maybe if I...
Starlight nearly fell forward as the door opened suddenly.
"Ok, ready to go," Sunburst said. "Did I just hear Twilight?"
"Oh uh, yes, she send her regrets," Starlight said nervously, "Let's go, then, time's wasting!"
Some time later...
"I don't suppose the two of you wanna see a never-before witnessed magical marvel?" Trixie asked.
"Sure!" Sunburst said, a touch too enthusiastically for Starlight's taste.
"Why not," Starlight said with a resigned sigh.
When they reached Trixie's travelling stage, Trixie held up a hoof.
"Now, if the audience will wait here while the Great and Power Trrrrixie prepares..." Trixie said.
"Oh, can I help you?" Starlight asked. While she hated missing out on the few uninterrupted minutes this might buy her with Sunburst, he was clearly too excited to see Trixie's illusions for that to mean much.
"Weeell... I suppose you HAVE already seen most of my tricks," Trixie said, "But I'll have to kick you out before I prepare the new stuff."
Sunburst waved enthusiastically as the two mares stepped around behind Trixie's wagon.
"Say, Trixie..." Starlight said.
"Grab that sparkler over there, will you?" Trixie said, rummaging around inside her wagon.
"Oh, right," Starlight said, levitating the indicated object, "As long as we're here, I wanted to ask your opinion on something."
"Sure Starlight, anything for my best friend!" Trixie said, not turning around.
"Right... well, see, when I woke up Sunburst he asked me to leave so he could change..."
"Uh huh," Trixie replied, not seeming to pay much attention as she pulled out one doo-dad after another.
"And, well, that just seemed weird. I mean, most stallions I know don't even wear clothes, and he never did as a foal... I'm worried he might be injured or scarred or something"
"We-eeell," Trixie said, turning to face her friend. She was seemingly satisfied with the items she had selected. "Maybe he's just... grown," Trixie said, with a mischievous look.
"Well of COURSE he's grown!" Starlight said, exasperated, "I just said we were foals back then!"
"No, I mean... groooown," Trixie said slyly, gesturing with her hooves as if she was measuring something. Starlight stared for a second, before her face reddened.
"What?! But, I mean... Don't stallions usually not... show?" Starlight asked. It was not as if she made a habit of checking stallions' undersides, but she felt certain she would have noticed at some point.
"Mmm... not that the Modest and Self-Restrained Trixie would know such things first hand..." Trixie began, "But I MAY have heard that some stallions are big enough that they can't help but show a bit."
Starlight was not sure what to make of the first parts of that statement, but she really did not want to think about it right now.
"Alright, now shoo, Trixie needs to set up her new tricks now."
Starlight accepted the shooing and went back around to where Starlight was, barely succeeding in keeping the abnormal coloring out of her face.
A bit later, during Sunburst and Trixie's impromptou close-up-magic seminar, Starlight's bored gaze wandered down once or twice to see if she could see anything. But between Sunburst's forelegs and robe, she really could not tell much. That lent some credence to Trixie's theory, but Starlight was never one to accept something without proof. He might still have some injury or other.
The events of the rest of the day drove the whole matter out of Starlight's mind, but much later, after their game of Giant Dragon Pit wrapped up, Starlight was reshelving the books they had used (they really HAD to make better spaces), and she found Maude sitting beside her. The others were cleaning up on the other side of the room, so Starlight posed the question to Maude.
"Hey, Maude, you like to wear that dress... do you worry about people seeing you without it?" she asked.
"Nof really," Maude said, reshelving a book with her mouth, "Why do you ask?"
"Well, Sunburst didn't want me to see him without his cloak earlier, and it seemed... odd. Trixie thought maybe he's... ummm... well-endowed... but I'm worried he might be hiding a scar or injury," Starlight said, keeping her voice low.
"Mmm," Maude said, "Maybe he was excited to see you."
"Huh?" Starlight said, not sure she followed.
"I mean, maybe he wants to mount you like a picture frame," Maude said in her usual monotone.
"WHAAA?" Starlight began. She quickly covered her mouth. The others in the room glanced over her way.
"Oh, uh, just..." Starlight began.
"I was telling her a joke," Maude said, "But I don't think it works yet."
"Oh, can I hear it?" Sunburst asked. Maude blinked slowly.
"Maybe once I've perfected it," Maude said, "I don't like telling unfinished jokes."
Sunburst looked quizzical, but shrugged and went back to organizing the non-boot bits to fit in the closet.
"Whew," Starlight said it relief, "Thanks. That was some joke, though."
"It may have been a joke, but it was also serious," Maude said, "I think maybe you should have a talk with him."
"No! No no no no!" Starlight said, remembering to keep her voice down. Maude stared at her placidly.
"I mean... not right now. I don't know if I... or if he... I don't know if either of us feels that way," Starlight said nervously, "Besides, he's about to go home to the Crystal Empire."
"It's up to you," Maude said, "But if you wait too long, he might give up and move on."
Starlight stared at her usually taciturn friend. She could not help but wonder if Maude was speaking from experience. She shook her head quickly. No, no, she could not think about this right now. The others had finished up and were coming over anyway. And Starlight realized she had fallen way behind on reshelving the books that went up high.
Later that night, once everypony had gone to bed, Starlight was unable to sleep. What Maude said was bothering her, and she did not know what to make of it. Sighing, she got up and went to Twilight's room.
"Twilight?" she said, actually knocking this time instead of barging in as she had done to Sunburst.
*Yawn* "What is it, Starlight? It's late," Twilight said as she opened the door.
"Can.. I talk to you for a minute?" Starlight asked.
"Sure," Twilight said, her tired face taking on an expression of concern as she let Starlight in, "What seems to be the problem?"
"What... do you think of me and Sunburst?" Starlight asked.
"What do you mean? You're both amazing ponies and obviously great friends," Twilight said.
"No I mean," Starlight began. She pawed at the floor with her hoof a little. "What do you think of us... as a couple?"
Twilight was shocked. "What? Did... did something happen between you two?"
"No, nothing like that!" Starlight said hastily, "It's just... Maude said something earlier, and it got me thinking. I mean, sure, it's normal to be jealous of a friends' attentions, but maybe... maybe I wasn't jealous just as a friend, you know?"
Twilight sat silently for a moment, uncertain what to say. "I'm... not really the princess for this," she said at last, "Maybe you should try talking to Cadence."
"Maybe," Starlight said, nervously not-quite looking at Twilight, "But I barely know her..."
"Oh, I'll introduce you next time there's a chance," Twilight said, both grateful and a little guilty for pushing this particular problem off her own plate, "No need to worry about that. But in the meantime... Maybe try to sleep on it? I know I often find things are a lot clearer after a good night's sleep. And if you decide it's something you want, then find out how he feels and go from there."
Starlight thought about it. It was sensible enough. And she supposed there was no need to decide this right now. Once she sorted through her own feelings, she could plan a trip out to the Crystal Empire.
"Thanks, Twilight," Starlight said with a smile. She paused for a moment.
"Actually, maybe I should ask you about this too... the thing that started all this was when Sunburst didn't want to put on his cloak in front of me. I was worried he might be hurt, but Maude said he might have been... ummm... excited?"
Twilight colored slightly. "Maybe," she said, "But then again it could have just been nocturnal penile tumescence."
Starlight took a moment to parse that sentence. "How is that different? Like from a dream?"
Twilight shook her head. "No, it's an autonomic response in stallions to prevent leakage of urine during the night.* My mom had to explain it to me once after I woke my brother up..."
Twilight colored a bit again at the memory. Starlight's face followed.
If she did pursue a relationship, Starlight reflected, there was clearly a lot she had to learn.
*That's somewhat controversial but it's the simplest and best-known explanation.
The next day on the train, Sunburst was reading a book from his blind barrel when the snack cart came by.
"Snack?" the stallion pushing it asked.
"Oh, uh, sure," Sunburst said. He levitated his prized bookmark out of the pocket of his cloak to mark his page. Wider than a normal bookmark, it sported a picture of a smiling Starlight Glimmer.
Author's Note
Author's Notes: I moved a scene I had put after the end back to where it belongs chronologically. It ruined the ending mood. Had to add in another sentence to make the flow work a bit better.