The market place bustled with activity, on this rather warm midmorning, from fillies and colts playing in the streets, to ponies running the various stalls. And while the salesponies had the most tempting of offers that they have ever made, Starlight had something else in mind. It's been about 6 months since the strange bipedal alien - known as Ren - had appeared in Equestria, and in that time she has been assisting the hoomen. . . human? Well, however it is properly pernounced, Starlight has been helping him to adjust to life in Ponyville. For the most part, he seem to be doing very well; even has a home of his own - a gift from Twilight.

Trotting past the stalls and the salesponies, Starlight proceeded towards her destination, with the intent of spending time with Ren. While the two of them have been able to spend some time together, it was mostly when he was at the castle; the key word being 'was', because he had moved into his new home last month. True, Princess Twilight would invite Ren over to the castle from time to time, but it would only be for when she wish to further study him and his magic, or to ask for updates on his quest. Starlight didn't want Ren to have to think about any of that. He has to relax every now and then - the latest trip to the hospital proves that he has been working and worrying far too much. Today is going to be perfect, Starlight thought, going over her mental list of goals she wanted to achieve, all of which involve getting Ren to relax, like the doctor ordered.

She quickly went over her mental list of goals for today, and at the top of the list was to see how he was fairing. Ever since his first night at the castle, she has been worried about him, and she wondered if Ren was still suffering from any more nightmares as of late. The memories of that night were still fresh in her mind. Sweetie Belle woke her up, and was in a panic - saying that Ren was thrashing around and would not wake up. Starlight rushed towards Ren's bed side with the little filly, and found him laying in bed, tossing and turning. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were right - all attempts to wake him have failed, and he was murmuring something incoherately in his sleep. When he finally woke up, screaming, he said that he had a nightmare.

What sort of a nightmare would cause that kind of termoil? Starlight continued to walk past the stands in the market place, frowning her brows, as she tried to establish an answer. When she failed, she let out a sigh in defeat, wishing that he had opened up more to her about what he had seen in his nightmare. Maybe, her mind began to tell her, that he didn't want any help? But if that were the case, then why didn't he just say something? Starlight groaned out of frustration, then, stopping in place, performed Twilight's breathing technique - raising a hoof to her chest while taking in a deep breath of air, and exhaled and extended her forehoof outward simultaneously. It was a technique that has helped Twilight to become more calm and focused in just about any sort of situation, and for the most part it had worked for Starlight in calming down her nerves. Yet she still felt like her stomach had inadvertently twisted into knots. She still felt very nervous talking to him, when their conversations were not about magic theroies, or of his home world - Skyrim.

Whenever she would try to converge in other topics - such as his personal life - she tended to choke on her own words, or would stutter to the point where her words were no longer understandable. OR she would be too nervous to even ask him. If there is one thing that the reformed villain had in common with Princess Twilight, it is that the two of them are always nervous wrecks when it came to matters that seem so trivial in the eyes of others. Yet, to Starlight, stealing the cutie marks of an entire villiage - even the ones from a Princess and the other 5 element bearers, battling with Twilight as they both traveled back across time, to prevent the element bearers from becoming friends, and nearly ending all of existence in Equestria as we know it seem to be far easier accomplishments, than talking to a strange, bipedal creature, gifted with magic about his personal life!

The few times she had finally found something out about him were during his conversations with the rest of her friends. Why couldn't she just ask him? It infuriated her to no end that she could not talk to him, without stuttering, like she use to be able to.

Could it have been . . . that night when he held her close to him? It certainly would explain a lot, like how her mind would occasionally drift back to that night. She had originally intended to comfort Ren, and she did just that. True, there were probably better ways that she could have done so, other than sharing the same bed as him, and she honestly didn't know what came over her when she offered the idea. As she continued to breathe slowly, she thought back to what had happened; he wrapped his arms around her barrel, and held her, whispering, "thank you", softly in her ear . . . and she liked it! Oh sweet Celestia, did she ever so enjoy it. She continued to think back, and remembered that she had moved his hand directly over her heart. Whether it was intentional or not, she didn't know, but Luna dammit it felt wonderful. The more that the unicorn thought about Ren, and the way that he held her, the more calm she began to feel; calm, safe, and warm . . . small blushes had begun to spread across her face. She continued towards Ren's new home, eagered to see him.

Within a few minutes, Starlight had arrived at her destination; a rather large building that housed Ponyville's residental human. It had taken the contractors roughly 4 months to complete its construction, when it normally took them 1-2 months, but maybe it was because of his size. Building a homestead for somepo - someone who is as tall as Princess Celestia is not so easy. However, it could very well be because of the nature of the house design; because of his unusual size, the contractor ponies realized off hoof that no ordinary house would do - he would be far too uncomfortable, from such a small space. So they were forced to go with something more roomy; though it wasn't a rare sight in Ponyville, a house of this magitude was intended for those that were wanting to start a herd, but it was the only kind of house that he could be comfortable in.

Ren's new home was set in a very nice spot in Ponyville - just outside of town, near the edge of the Everfree forest, and Ponyville park, where he was found. It granted Ren the space that he needed, while allowing him to be close to town, should he ever need anything. All around the luxurious looking homestead were makeshift gardens, containing a wide variety of flowers, from roses to lillies of all shades of colors, tulips and so much more.

Heh, I guess he does have a soft spot after all, Starlight smirked, once believing that the human wasn't the type to be so interested in flowers. She giggled at the thought of him smelling each of these beautiful flowers, like any mare would. Come on, Starlight. You're here for a reason.

Shaking her head, Starlight went over her mental list one more time. The first goal was the check up on Ren, and see how he was doing. The next goal was to get him to think about things other than his quest. In the last few months, his task on locating those 'mages' has proven fruitless. Even Twilight was having a hard time helping him; the shard that he found was indeed the best chance to find the mages, but unfortunately it wasn't enough. Twilight would need to reforge the crystal, or have a new one to work with. And this only made his anxiety even worse the longer has non-existing luck continued.

The last two objectives on her list were to invite Ren to a little get-together at Rarity's boutique, and when that was over, her last goal was to spend some time with him. . . Well, okay, that last one isn't completely accurate. What she really intended to do was to work past her own fear, and get to know the real Renegade, who he truly is, and all that makes him special. . .

Andmaybealsoaskhimtoholdmeagain, Starlight thought, with a similar speed to that of Pinkie Pie. Her face became warm and turned a shade of red the instant she thought about it. . . Maybe, she hoped, it could happen. . .

Clearing her throat, Starlight raised her hoof to the door and knocked three times. Holding her breath for just a few seconds, she waited patiently. While she waited, she observed the markings upon the door, and saw that in the center of the door, there was an oddly-shaped dragon. What was truly odd about it, was that it was in the shape of a diamond. Ren had said that it was the insignia of the Imperial Legion, as well as the mark of a dragon God named Akatosh. Nopony has ever heard of a dragon God. There have been Dragon Lords - the most recent one being Princess Ember, but that was about it.

Suddenly she heard the audible sound of footsteps approaching the door, as well as the shifting of what Starlight can only guess to be a large amount of papers and books being moved. Ren has been studying a wide variety of books from the Castle Library, all about the terrains of Equestria, hoping to discover any and all hidden caves, or Subterranean Labyrinths - anything that he believes would hold some form of secret power; it was his guess that if the mages would be anywhere, it would be at a place that would give them access to such power. The princesses agreed with him, when the four of them held a counsil with the human. Thank Celestia that they seem to like him, Starlight sighed with relief.

After the council meeting, Twilight agreed to help him find those mages, and to find a way to send them all back to Skyrim, and for reasons that were beyond her, Starlight felt saddened. But that didn't mean that she couldn't figure out a way to open a portal to and from Skyrim! She wasn't about to give up on seeing her new friend, if she could help it. But for now, it was enough that he was here.

The door slowly opened, revealing the large bipedal creature. Once Ren saw that it was Starlight at the door, he opened it up the rest of the way and smiled, greeting her, "Oh, hi Star!" He decided to shorten her name some time ago; not that she minded. Starlight took one glance, and saw the large bags underneath Ren's hazel colored eyes - evidence that he was either up all night going over his charts and maps, again. OR worse. . .that he was still suffering from more of these nightmares. But, in order to maintain civility, and to be polite, Starlight chose to forgo asking him about his activities from the past few nights.

"Hi Ren. Rarity is having a get-together at her boutique, and I -" she stopped mid-sentence, and looked passed him. His home was a mess! Books were either piled and stacks, or they littered the floor with all sorts of charts. On a wall above the coffee table that Applejack had made for him, was a map of Equestria, and it seemed to be covered in numerous amounts of 'X's. Apparently, he has been keeping track of all the caves that he had found, and explored in the surrounding areas.

"Sorry about the mess," Ren's tiresome voice entered Starlight's ears - he must have noticed her gawking into his home. Looking back up at him, she could see that he was a bit upset - not in an angry way, but rather of a more dejected way.

Oh no, She thought. This isn't going well; say something, say something. . . She panicked, darting her eyes from side to side, in an attempt to think of a reply. But before she could, Ren stepped off to the side, and gestered for her to enter his humble abode, all the while having a warm smile on his face. Whenever he would smile, it would make her blush, and smile back at him. Every time that he would smile at her, she felt warm, because it felt as if he was smiling just for her.

Stepping inside, a strange smell entered her nostrils; what was that smell? It sort of reminded the unicorn of a certain adventurous pegasus - of Daring Do; her scent was difficult to describe when the two first met - which left Starlight a bit flabbergasted. She had heard of Daring Do from an overly enthusiastic Rainbow Dash, and even read the books; but to actually meet her in real life was astonishing. Starlight had some trouble pinpointing the nature of her scent, as the adventuring mare traveled far and wide, exploring numerous ruins, all for the sake of recovering lost artifacts, and saving Equestria in the process; yet there was a hint of something else underneath the smell of dust and cobwebs. It smelled like rain. All pegasi - even the timid Fluttershy - had some small hint of rain, or rain clouds mixed with their natural scent, and it was that small trace of rain that helped her to tell the difference between Daring, and Ren. The human shared a near identical scent to that of the adventuring pony; but with him, there was something that made him defferent. She couldn't tell what it was, but it made him smell. . . exotic. But why would Daring's scent be all over Ren's home? True, the two of them shared a lot in common, but that doesn't explain why the stench of airid, dry desserts, tropical jungle, abandoned ruins, and rain clouds would be inveloping the human's home.

Deciding to push this to the side, for now, Starlight turned to her friend, "D-do you need any help with this?" She gestered with her hoof around the mess, knowing that he would understand. To her lack of surprise, Ren shook his head. He never really accepted help, except for when he was out exploring the forest, while out on his quest, which was a very frustrating trait that he had in common with both AJ and Daring.

Holding up both of his hands, he used his magic to levitate the charts, as well as the books, into neat stacks on the coffee table and in the bookshelves; thus cleaning up his home. However, this did leave him a little drained. He spoke up, panting. "Simple. . . Telekinesis spell. . .helps with. . .all house cleaning chores." He smiled, weakly. While thoroughly impressed, Starlight face-hooved.

"A simple spell that still left you exhausted." She looked off to the side of the fireplace, and saw that the 'mannequin' still held his armor and crown. "Seriously, why don't you wear your armor?"

That caused Ren to raise his eyebrow in response, making Starlight regret her question. She knew the reason why he won't do it. Within the first month since his arrival, the human had demonstrated more of his magical prowess by summoning, what he had called, a 'Dremora butler'. This 'butler' was holding all the pieces of Ren's armor, which were made from enchanted ice - Stalhrim, just like his sword, which was returned to him - as well as his dagger - sometime ago.

The last two items that the strange, yet polite, creature was holding for Ren were a book bound in leather, and was as black as the night sky; Ren kept that away from all who asked about it, and finally a brass colored crown. The crown was a beautiful craft, and held 3 large sapphire gemstones that appeared to be filled with magical energy. Ren had called it the 'Aetherium' crown, and it supposedly granted him with the powers of the last 'Guardian Stone' blessings that he had aquired during his journies; something called the 'Atronach stone'. He said that, as long as he wore the crown, he could absorb magic more easily - but it would interfere with his summoning spells, for whatever the reason.

"Star," Ren uttered her shorten name, taking a seat on his couch, "you know the answer already."

"Yes, I know," she sighed. "You're trying to 'condition' your magic." When he had first used the term, and nopony understood his meaning, Ren explained the benefits of wearing his armor; it was heavily enchanted to reduce the cost of casting spells from the schools of magic that he was familiar with - as were a ring and a pendant that he had with him. But, much like with his physical training, he wanted to improve the condition of his magic reserves, without the aid of his enchanted gear.

Ren waved a hand, dismissively, and cleared his throat. "Never you mind about that. Now, w-what was it that you wanted, again?"

"Oh, um. . .right." And so it began, her fears were beginning to overwhelm her; but she manage to suppress them, "Rarity, and some of the others are getting together at Carousel Boutique for some tea, and I. . .well, that is, w-we were k-kind of hoping that you would l-like to j-join us?" No matter how hard she tried, she still could not stop herself from stuttering.

Well that could have gone better, the nervous unicorn thought. Ren sat there, eyes locked on the now timid mare, who wish that she was now invisible. But then her ears perked up at the sound of his voice.

"This isn't going to turn into one of those random surprise Pinkie Pie parties, is it?" He asked, groaning, and rubbed the space between his eyes. "Cause, I don't think that I have to remind you of all the surprise parties that I've already attended to in the last couple of months - let alone all the ones that I've been trying to avoid." Starlight chuckled at the memories. When Pinkie caught wind that there was someone new in town, she immediately rushed to the castle, and dragged the new comer by his arm to Sugarcube Corner, all just to throw him 2 parties at once. The sight of him turning around and mouthing the words, 'help me', was funny at the time. His first party was a 'welcome to Ponyville' party - which Pinkie was known for doing for everypony who was new to Ponyville. And finally, the last party was a 'welcome to Equestria' party; it was also how he had officially met the rest of the Elements of Harmony bearers, and reacquainted himself with both Fluttershy and Rarity.

"No," Starlight giggled. "She agreed to take it easy for today."

"Well, in that case," standing up, Ren gestured towards the door. "Let's get going then." As the pair made their way towards Rarity's, Starlight became very giddy with excitement, hoping that maybe she could become closer to him. . .however, she also felt like they were being watched.

The Bell chimed as Starlight held Carousel Boutique's front door open with her magic, gesturing for her companion to enter before her. . .even though he seemed a bit uncomfortable about it. Apparently, it was custom for men - where Ren was from - to hold the door for women. Yet Starlight insisted. The Breton gave out a defeated side, and walked inside the establishment. Surprisingly enough, this was one of the rare few times that Starlight had seen Ren not resorting to his stubborn nature, which was a refreshing change. Normally, when he chose to be nearly as stubborn as Applejack, he would show a bit of anger as well, but would always apologize shortly after. Starlight smiled to herself.

"Coming~" came the singing voice of the shop owner - Rarity. Since Ren's arrival, Rarity would invite him over for a few fashion lineups, and would offer him some new clothings - like what he was currently wearing; a long-sleeved white shirt, and his repaired sweatpants. Ren has been given so many new outfits, that he and Applejack had to make several custom-made dressers, and Ren was ordered calling his 'Butler' creature just to hold on to all the clothings from the generous unicorn.

The alabaster white unicorn trotted from around the corner, and began her usual sales pitch, "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is-" but stopped when she saw that it was Starlight and Ren standing in the lobby. "Starlight, darling! Thank you for coming." Then she cast her gaze to the human - arching her neck to do so, "And I see you managed to bring Ren along. It's always good to see you, dear." Rarity stated with a very large smile, and proceeded to hug her guests. Though, Ren had to kneel down to hug her.

"Thanks for inviting us," he spoke. The trio proceeded to Rarity's kitchen, where Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle were sitting around the kitchen table, already sipping on their cups of tea. Starlight had explained that Applejack and Rainbow Dash were busy with their personal lifes to join, sadly. With a wave to the others, Rarity offered her new guests a seat at the table and some green tea. Starlight sat next to Ren, blushing sheepishly.

"So," Twilight cleared her throat, and spoke to the Breton, "How is your search? Any luck yet?" She offered him a friendly smile, and levitated her cup to her muzzle. Starlight deadpanned at her mentor; she did not want Ren to even think about his self-appointed quest. Yet, he responded after mixing in some sugar into his tea, and took a sip.

"I think that I have explored every cave in the Everfree Forest, but haven't found a trace of them." He groaned at the thought of where to search next. "It might be time that I start looking around the mountains." Starlight watched, mesmerised, as he held the teacup aloft; holding it gently with his dexterous fingers, and being careful so as to not drop it. Truthfully, it was amazing how useful his hands were, and they gave him an advantage for performing a great deal of tasks that hooves couldn't accomplish. As Starlight continue to ogle at his strange appendages, she thought of how wonderful it would feel to have those hands move across her coat, through her mane and tail; maybe it could happen?

Wait, she began to think more about her friendship with the alien. That just seems weird, he is just a friend. And why is it getting warmer in here, all of a sudden?

"Hey, Star?" Ren's voice woke her from her daydreaming, and was offering a gentle smile, "Are you feeling all right?" He kept up with his smiling. Oh dear Celestia how she adores that smile.

"O-oh um. . .y-y-yeah," damn stuttering. For the remainder of the afternoon, they chatted about the day's events prior to Ren's appearance, and the various subjects of Skyrim that he and Starlight had discussed over the first couple of months, since he came to Equestria. He told them of one of the battles that he was involved in; he was sent to ambush the rebels, who were transporting some valuable cargo - a shipment of weapons and bits, enough of both that could have shifted the balance of the Civil War.

"It was decided that the best course of action was to launch a-"

"A surprise party?" The ever so innocent voice of Pinkie Pie interrupted, and giggled. Ren didn't seem amused.

"Yeah, sure. Let's go with that. Poor bastards never saw it coming."

"Well duh. That's why it's called a 'surprise party'. Silly Renny.I " Renegade placed a hand on his face. A hand version of a face-hoof, maybe? Either way, he groaned, and proceeded to speak.

"I know. . .it's a figure of speech, Pinkie."

"How do you 'figure' a speech?" The party mare giggled, and so did the other mares around the table. In truth, Starlight couldn't resist giggling herself, and shortly after making gestures with his hands that he wanted to strangle Pinkie Pie, Ren burst into laughter. Yes, everything seem to be going very well indeed. Ren was out of his house for something that wasn't based around his self-appointed mission, or for numerous amounts of Twilight's studies on him and his magic, and he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Everything is going to be perfect, Starlight grinned with happiness. Still, there was an unnerving question that has been lingering in her mind; how does he feel about her? He has shown to be very friendly - and for that she was truly grateful for, but what if there could be more between them? Another doubtful thought crept into the forefronts of the young mare's mind: what if he doesn't like the thought of being with a pony? Ren has spent this whole time being alone, thinking of nothing but his own undertaking; oh sure, he would make it to the occasional gathering, and would always lend a helping hoo - hand whenever somepony asked for his assistance, but his social life is very lacking; safe for his morning workout routines with Rainbow Dash, and Twilight's experiments every couple of weeks. Starlight's smile - now a wistful one, for she longed to be happy with. . . hang on, why does it feel like somepony placed the hoof on her withers?

"Starlight, darling?" Rarity's majestic entered her ears, breaking her out of her worrisome dilemma. "Are you alright?" Starlight saw that the generous unicorn seemed vexed about something; but whatever could it be? Normally whenever Rarity would show concern about something, it would be over a new fashion line up, or if she needed more fabric and jewels for order that had a deadline that she needed to meet, or if a certain stallion would ever return his feelings towards her. Yet this time it feels so different, somehow.

"Y-yeah, heh. Why wouldn't I be?" Starlight hoped that by lying, she could keep up the appearance of being happy. Rarity's unamused facial expression had told her all that she needed to know - Rarity wasn't buying any of it.

"Darling, could you help me with my latest outfit? I would most appreciate it." The Fashionista fluttered her eyelashes, and dawned a captivating smile, one that Starlight has seen her use many times on poor Spike, and it would always work on him. Starlight simply nodded, and followed Rarity to her office.

"So, how long have you been thinking about him, deary?" Rarity asked, levitating over some pins from her workbench. The fashionista ask Starlight to pose in a new outfit, and already found a few flaws. Though one has to wonder, why she couldn't have used one of her mannequins instead. Starlight suspected that this was merely a ruse to allow them both to have some privacy. The question that was asked almost nearly proved her theory, but still. . .

"I don't know what you mean." Better safe than sorry.

"Oh come now, darling," the generous mare scoffed. "I'm talking abo-"

"She'stalkingaboutRenny!" The two unicorns jolted upwards, when a blur pink rust through the do- no wait. . .Starlight vaguely remembered seeing that one of the mannequins seemed to be out of place. Like it wasn't the same as the others - maybe it was pink for a brief second, and then it quickly reverted back to normal when she took a second glance at it, perhaps? She wasn't completely sure though.

"Pinkie, what are you doing here?" Starlight yelped, her mind still trying to process everything that had happened in the span of 10 seconds, and wondering if any of it was real. "And how did you know what we were talking about?"

"Well duh," Pinkie rolled her eyes, and began to bounce over to her friends. "I mean, come on Starry, it should be pretty obvious by now."

"Wha- wha-?"

"Pinkie sense." The party pony giggled, then she stopped in mid-air, and pointed an accusing hoof in Starlight's direction. "Now, do you like Renny as in like or as in like like?"

Starlight became very ill, all of a sudden. Her light violet fur took on a more pale version as she stood motionless, pondering on Pinkie's question; to be honest, Starlight was not so sure if her feelings towards the alien were genuine or not. She liked him well enough to find him interesting, and valued their friendship. Yes, she wanted to see if perhaps there could be something between them, but she didn't want to push the subject, fearing the worst that he wouldn't want to be anything other than friends. That he didn't view ponies. . .that way.

"Starlight, darling." Rarity began. "Are yo-"

"Idon'tknowalright!" Starlight burst out, speaking nearly as fast as Pinkie Pie could. The others jumped a bit, shocked from the uncomfortable looking mate's reaction, and gazed upon her. This form of behavior was not entirely like her. She had shown such behavial traits on a few occasions - such as the time she cast a spell on her friends, in order to work on several friendship lessions. . .that was a time that nopony wanted to ever relive again. Looking back at the others, Starlight could see how her vexing dilemma was affecting her inability to remain calm and have a good time. "Sorry, girls. . ." She sighed in dismay, and looked away from her friends. "I like him, but I-I'm not sure if he likes me in that sort of way. Or if he even thinks of-"

"Now now," Rarity cleared her throat, while casting a spell on Starlight's muzzle, holding her mouth closed and turned her gaze back. "My dear, you worry far too much."

"Try talking to him," Pinkie suggested, with a playful giggle. "I mean, what do you have to lose? It's not like he'll never want to be friends with you or even want anything to do wi- mmph" a hoof shoved to the pink pony's lips forced her to stop babbling on, and possibly further diminish Starlight's confidince. It didn't stop Pinkie from trying to speak, though her words were reduced to muffles.

"What Pinkie is trying to say, darling, is that maybe you should go and speak with Ren, and see where you two stand. Where's the harm in it?" Rarity released the spell, and removed her hoof from Pinkie's lips.

"What, just go out? like its that easy?" Her friends only offered a simple nod in response. "B-b-but this isn't so easy! I don't really know anything about him, and what if I-" Starlight was interrupted by a pink hoof with a scroll, labled 'Ren'. Confused, she looked back at Pinkie, who had just put away a filing cabinet back into her mane.

"Everything you need to know about him is in that scroll." Starlight held the rolled up scroll aloft, and looked between it, then Pinkie, then back to the scroll again. Could she really learn about the alien from this? She had known Pinkie Pie well enough to learn that she makes it her business to know everything there is to know about everypony she meets, so as to throw the best kind of parties for any individual, but did it seem right?

"Wouldn't it be better if I asked him about all he likes, dislikes, and hobbies - to get to know him better myself?"

"There's nothing wrong with asking for help from your friends every once in a while."

"I know, Pinkie. But that's not what I'm talking about." The unicorn gave the scroll back to Pinkie. "I want to try and ask him myself, but that's the thing. I-"

"You don't know if you can?" Starlight nodded. "Well, how will you ever learn anything about him if you don't try?" For once, the pink earth pony was making sense. . . perhaps they were right? A pink hoof gently pushed back against the scroll. "You should read up about him, then see about starting a conversation with him." Starlight glance towards Rarity, whom replied with a nod, and a friendly smile. Starlight opened the scroll. She hoped beyond hope that she could learn something new about him. In fact, she was confident that she would.

Starlight and Ren waved goodbye to their friends, and proceeded to walk to the park. After reading what was on Pinkie's scroll, Starlight learned on more than what she had originally attended - such as his method of combat/self-defence. What the hay is 'Brazilian Jiu Jitsu'? Maybe Rainbow knows? Well, either way, she now knows enough about her alien friend, but there was still the issue of talking to him without stuttering. But Pinkie was right - what did she have to lose?

Here goes nothing, the unicorn thought. She had chosen the park as the scenery was beautiful this time of year, but also because he likes being outside, when the weather would permit it; allowing him to get his exercise, with the outdoors as his personal gym. Perhaps she could see this 'Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu' in action?

Taking a deep breath, she began. "That was fun, wasn't it?" Off to a good start. In truth though, the only reason why she wasn't stuttering over her words, was because she was refusing to make eye contact. While it appeared to be working, she felt ashamed for not making eye contact with him.

"Yeah," the soothing voice of Ren filled her ears. "It's good to enjoy time with friends, and to relax, every now and then." From the tone in his voice, he seemed to be more at ease. Good, the less stressed that he was, the better and the easier it would be to talk to him. Entering the park, he pointed to an unoccupied bench just off to the side of the road, underneath a tree. He headed off in the direction of the bench, and she followed in pursuit, thinking that he wanted to sit down for a bit. . .that wasn't the case. Instead, he placed one of his legs on it, and began to stretch.

He must be getting ready for a workout. Sure enough, he was doing his warm-ups, and preparing his body for workout session. He would be at this for roughly 30 minutes, according to Pinkie's notes about him.

"Sorry Star," Ren spoke up, "but I missed my workout this morning."

"Oh, it's okay. I know how important your exercises are to you." In that moment, Ren had begun his workout by performing push-ups. He has tried on many occasions to beat Rainbow Dash's record of 100, but he hasn't been able to, thus far. Still, he has proven, time and time again, that he can give both her and Applejack a run for their bits. Watching him plant his hands on the ground, lowering himself as close to the ground as possible - while keeping his arms close to his sides - and rising back up again, she remained quiet and marveled, as he repeated the process again, and again, and again - 12 times in fact. Then he did it again.

"Hey Ren?" The human, still doing push-ups, grunted and tilted his head in her direction; the message was clear, he wasnt about to stop until he was done, but he wasn't about to ignore her either. "Why do you only do 12 push-ups, and then repeat?" Pinkie's notes didn't provide an answer, and this excited her. She was going to learn something about him that even Ponyville's party planning pony didn't know.

"My workout routine involves me doing 3 sets of 10-12 reps and pausing for a bit of a break, so as to get the best results. If I did all 30-36 reps in one go, without time to rest in between sets, it would defeat the purpose." Okay, that made scense, and it explained why he kept on repeating the process. Finishing off his remaining sets, he alternated his push-ups by bringing his hands closer together, and proceeded to lower himself for another 12 reps; except this time, he couldn't lower himself as much as he did before.

According to the scroll, these were called 'diamond push-ups'. Though Starlight couldn't, for the life of her, figure out why. The way that his hands were did not create a diamond pattern. Nevertheless, she continued to watch him complete his sets, and saw that he was now starting to glisten with sweat. She watched, as his toned muscles moved the longer he pushed himself further and further; those same toned muscles that had held her so close to him in what she would describe as an inescapable embrace. . .or, at least she had hoped that it would be inescapable. An unusual scent started to fill her nostrils; she recognized it. . . it was her own musk. She instantly turned red in the face from embarrassment, and breathed deeply to calm her nerves. She could only hope that he doesn't smell her scent. . . but then again, maybe it would be- nonononono, she pushed such perverted thoughts - and how wonderful it would be to feel his dexterous digests across her coat and through her mane - out of her mind, and resumed her breathing. Observing her hopefully soon to be more than best friend, she saw that he was more focused on his workouts, and wasn't sniffing the air. Or perhaps his nose isn't all that sensitive, she mentally added, which meant that she was safe from explaining the smell of lavender. This was it, if she was going to see if she can be with him, she has to make her move. . .NOW!

"Hey Ren," the human was now working out on the bench - using it not for what it was intended for. He placed the 'palms of his hands on the bench, behind his back and then lowered himself, bending his 'elbows' and knees simultaneously, and he once again repeated the process of lowering himself as far as he could, and lifting himself back up again for another 3 sets of 12 reps. "can I talk to you about something?"

"Yeah, Star?"

"Well. . .I-I-I was just wondering. . .w-w-what is it t-that y-you -" a hand over her mouth caught her off guard.

"Deep breaths, Star." Ren said gently. Doing as he had recommended, she breathed and slowly, and exhaled. Once she had done this a few times, she felt more calm and collective. "Feel better?" The sweat covered alien asked. Starlight offered a simple nod in agreement. "Good. Now, what was it that you wanted to ask?" He then resumed his workouts.

"Well I was wondering, w-what is it t-that y- you do f-for fun?" Damn stutters. To her amazement, rinsed out his exercises, and turned to meet her days. A curious expression etched upon his face.

"You know, I think that this is the first time that you ever ask me a question like that." He scratched his goatee for a little bit as if in deep thought. "It's weird." Starlight held her breath and -

"Doesn't that scroll you got from Pinkie Pie tell you that kind of stuff? Or were you wanting to ask me yourself?" Wait, how could he have known? It was impossible for him to find out, wasn't it?

"I-I-I don't know what yo-" she tried to lie - to deny ever knowing about the scroll, but Ren's stern look ended any attempts.

"Starlight, I know about the scroll. I helped Pinkie write all that info about me in order for her to stop pestering me." He offered a simple smile, and extended his hand outward, where it gently held onto was shaking hoof. Still confused as to this revelation, the unicorn remained motionless; her eyes - which were now enlarged upon hearing such news - were glued onto his own. Could it have all been true? His calm demeanor told her yes - that he was telling the truth. Though that didn't really explain how Ren knew that she, indeed, has the scroll - let alone read it; however, Starlight had her suspicions.

"How did you know?"

"Psychic powers. . ." He whispered. Upon hearing this, Starlights expression took on a look that said, 'really' and was completely unamused. For reasons unknown at the time, the human simply laughed, "I'm just messing with you, Star." Starlight freed her hoof from his embrace, and playfully shoved him back, letting loose fit of giggles from him; she joined him shortly after a few seconds. This was him playing a joke, something that she had only seen him do once or twice, and that was in the company of Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Perhaps he is also into pranks? If he is, and were to join forces with Pinkie, Rainbow, AND Discord. . .sweet Celestia, there would be no place that would be safe - except for the moon. The giggles ended, with the two of them sitting comfortably on the park bench, and smiling at one another.

"So, what's the real answer?" Starlight was the first to speak up.

"I snuck up to Rarity's office after a while." Ren's answer only added to the confusion festering in the mare's mind.

"Wha-"

"Twilight and Fluttershy were discussing something about a second upcoming 'Breezie' migration, or something like it - I wasn't paying much attention, really. But shortly after Pinkie had vanished, I figured something was up, and I snuck up to Rarity's office and decided to eavesdrop on you." Well, that completely destroyed Starlights earlier suspicions. She had thought that he used magic to some sort of degree, such as being able to hear much better than a dog could, or if Pinkie had merely told him what was going on. But how could a creature as large as the royal sisters - if not larger - be so stealthy, without Fluttershy and Twilight even realizing that he had suddenly vanished?

"So, since you heard about all of that. . .what do you think?" The moment of truth; Starlight silently prayed that he would agree.

"Well, I find it funny that you couldn't talk to me as you normally did before. Why is that, anyway?" So, rather than talk about her feelings towards him, HE would prefer to discuss her nervousness? Does he even feel the same way about her?

Only one way to find out, Star. Starlight tried mentally encouraging herself, while at the same time preparing for the worst. She took in a deep breath and exhaled.

"Ren. . .what would happen if you can't get back home?" He raised an eyebrow in response. "Hypothetical question, of course." She spoke rather quickly. When he remained silent for a few minutes, Starlight felt guilty for even asking, and was about to ask if the two of them could simply forget about it, when his expression changed from concerned to dumbfounded.

"So is that what this is all about? You merely want to know what it is that I would do?"

"Well. . .not exactly," Starlight said dejectedly, rubbing her forehoof with her other hoof. "Let me ask you another hypothetical question; say if. . .somepony w-was I interested in being m-more than j-just f-friends with you, what would you do?" The line has been cast. . .but what will he do?

"Well," he continued to scratch at his goatee. "Do I know this pony? Do I like this pony enough to even consider the possibility of being with her? Does this pony have an issue with me not being a pony? These are the factors that I need to know first." Well, now this was starting to get a little interesting. He was asking all the good questions, the last two she couldn't answer without revealing too much. For now, she tried to think of an answer for his last question: does she have an issue with him being different? She sat on the bench next to him for what felt like an eternity, trying to determine some answers. She briefly toyed with the idea of just 'going for it' as rainbow would say - meaning that she thought of being direct with him and tell him how she felt, but thought that perhaps it would be too forward. Her anxiety began to build up. She had to do something, and soon.

"Starlight?" Ren called out to her. She must have been silent for a while. "Are yo-" she couldn't take it anymore - her anxiety was driving her to the brink of insanity, and her doubts were eating at her. What if he IS able to return home, and she never told him of her feelings? What if she couldn't find a way into his world? What if he doesn't feel the same way about her? Deciding that it was now or never, she leaned forward, that's bringing herself closer to him, and proceeded to wrap her hooves around his neck. Her heart was pounding so loud that she was surprised that Ren couldn't hear it. A gasp escape from his mouth, his eyes widened to the size of. . .really small pin pricks? He has very small eyes - how can he even see anything? Questions for later.

Starlight hesitated, only briefly; then leaning forward some more, she shut her eyes closed, and kissed his lips. It was only for a second, and was only a small token of her affection but regardless, it felt necessary, in order to work past her shyness, and for him to know of how she felt. The big question, however, is would he return her feelings?

Pulling back, but still holding her Embrace around his neck, she directed her Gaze on his face. His face was unchanged, as if you were uncertain of what had just happened. In that moment, it felt as if time has stood still. . .had she made a mistake? He hasn't moved or even spoken up, nor has he even made the attempt to do either; he seemed to be broken.

I messed up. . .oh, sweet Celestia, I bucked up. tears threatened to flood her eyes, and sadness was always never far behind. What have I done? Her heart came to a standstill, and she felt very ill. This was the end. . .how fitting that it never truly begun. . . She relinquished her hold on him, and started to - hold on, why couldn't she move? Looking down, she notice that his arms were still holding her still. Oh, that's right, so that he can lecture me. Starlight thought. But if that were the case, then why hasn't he started yet? She took a chance to look up at him, again. Still unchanged? Maybe he WAS bro-

"What the hell was that?!" Ren's flabbergasted voice broke the silence.

Aaaaaannnnnd here we go, Starlight mentally steeled herself, preparing herself for the worst. She felt like she could not breathe - nevermind talk. Nor could she even bring herself to look at him anymore, and decided that looking down at her forehooves would be best. Her mind began to tell her that he, no doubt, did not want to be friends anymore.

"I. . . I. . ." Starlight stuttered, her sobbing caused her to choke. "I'm sorry. . . I should go. . ." However, as she attempted to leave, she felt that something was still holding her down; he was still cleaning to her, refusing to let go. "Why. . .why are you still. . .holding me?" She barely managed to speak, feeling as if her whole world was crumbling around her.

"I. . . I don't know. Why did you kiss me? Strangely, there was no hint of anger within his voice; why wasn't there?

"I. . . I. . ." Starlight muttered something that the alien couldn't hear, it would seem. She tried, again, to break free - to turn away from him. She couldn't move much.

"Starlight. . ." Ren uttered her name, repositioning her back to face him, and lifted her chin up to look directly at her. "What's going on?" The human was showing concern for her; but why, she didn't have the faintest clue. "I know that you wouldn't simply do something irrational for no reason." The unicorn's emotions have been been building up, up, and up, until they were so overwhelming that she could no longer contain them.

She flared up, "FINE! I LIKE YOU, OKAY?!" She yelled out, frustrated. Frustrated more with herself than with him, because this wasn't the way that she wanted things to go. Silence fell upon them, once more, as the odd pair remained rooted to the bench; the alien's embrace never relented. Please, just say something. . . Starlight mentally begged. The silence was maddening - why wouldn't he say something?

"How long?" Ren finally broke the silence, after a few moments.

Taking a deep breath, the unicorn spoke up next, "For a while. . .since I met you, actually. . .and with the way that our conversations went. . ." The tears, which had been building up, for now falling; thus causing her fur to become matted, and her sobbing caused her to choke on her words again. Taking a few brief moments to collect herself, Starlight resumed. "I wanted to show you that I care, but I didn't know how to show it. I thought that if I messed up, it would ruin our friendship." Then a new feeling became known to her - a sense of calm, as a gentle hand caressed her cheeks, and wiped away the tears.

"Star. . ." He still referred to her by the shorten name he gave her; why?

"Don't. . ." She lifted her hoof, and pressed it firmly on his shift lips. "Let's just enjoy this, while we can. . .and then afterwards, if you don't want to see me any more, I'll undterstand." She concluded, still sobbing into his shirt.

Starlight eventually manage to stop herself from crying. But then she felt herself being pulled into a tighter hug, though not so tight that she could not breathe. Seeing her in such a state of misery, so distraught, must have caused Ren to feel sympathy for her. His hands began to stroke her mane, while he shushed her, whispering that everything would be okay. . .but would they? Her ears flickered, as in unrecognizable tune hummed in her ears; she could not recognize it, but she instantly fell in love with it. This unknown tune must have been something from his home world, she thought. When the tune ended, she heard him speak up. The tone in his voice was rather clear to understand: he was conflicted, uncertain of things now. And it was all her fault. . .

"Star, doesn't it bother you that I'm different?" He did up a valid point, he was different. "I mean, I'm not even a stallion - let alone a pony," then bringing a hand in between them both, he used a finger to gesture from himself to her, and back to him, several times. "So how would this even work?" Another valid question. But she remembered her secret council with Princess Cadence. The Princess of love stated that what Starlight must do is she listen to her heart, to let her love for him to blossom, and when the time was right to show it. Sadly, that's not what happened. Her heart was aching. . .she wants to be happy. . .with him. Her hooves wrapped lovingly around his neck, again, and he didn't stop her. Her feelings clouding her judgment, and rational thoughts, the mare leaned in for another kiss - believing that maybe he would understand and accept her feelings. She succeeded. . .and to her amazement, she felt him kiss back! Was this for him returning her feelings? Or was this some kind of cruel human trickery, as a means to set her up for failure? She silently prayed to the royal sisters that it wasn't the latter.

"We could just roll with it," Starlight declared, not wanting to admit that she didn't have a clue either. But the heart wants what the heart wants, as the old saying goes. Ren's facial expression softened, after the second kiss. His hand returned to his goatee, once again.

"Just roll with it?" He began to chuckle, "I didn't. . .hmm. . .I never knew that you had a thing for tattooed, renegade freaks." He spoke, rather calmly. . .and with a sheepish smile on his face. How she loves that smile.

"You being different doesn't really matter to me. I mean, do you know about Spike's feelings towards Rarity, don't you?" He nodded, and resumed his thinking. After a couple of minutes of waiting and anticipation, with her anxiety building up, he finally spoke.

"Well. . why the hell not?" Wait, was he actu- "I mean, there are few other ponies that I respect more than you." Starlight's heart began to beat very heavily; could he he actually be considering it? "And. . .if this is what you really want , and if we can figure out how to make it work, then. . . Yeah. Diffenitly." Starlight's heart almost leapt out from her chest - he actually said yes! The tears from earlier came back, except this time, they were for joy and happiness, for he was now hers; and she was his. She leaned in for yet another kiss. However, Ren removed his hands from her back, and wrapped them behind her head, as he brought her in for a deep, passionate kiss. One that they were both enjoying. . .and there will be many more of those to come.

Yet, Starlight couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Who is out there?

Author's Note

Hey guys I'm back! Sorry that this one took me so long to finish, but I had a bit of a writer's block LOL. Anyway, this was part 1. I am currently working on part 2, which will take place from our favorite adventuring Pegasus Daring Do! And then, for all of you waiting for a clop chapter, it will come after part 2. I really hope that you all enjoy this chapter, and that you're enjoying the story so far. Any advice for future chapters would be welcomed. On a side note, I have been thinking of doing other stories, but would like to finish this one first. So expect some other great future readings! And even though some may think that this fandom is slowly dying, I'm going to be onboard this ship for the rest of my days.

And for those of you wondering about the tune that Ren was humming, it was 'Rue's lullaby' the adrisaurus's cover. I recommend that you give it a listen if you havent already. Whenever I'm feeling sad, it's my gf that holds me together and she always sings that song to me and it makes me feel better.