Author's Note
Let's just say... Stardust shares my reaction to Disney's rather new controversial installment of the series. Don't worry, spoilers are none.
The Last Balance
"Twilight! Starlight!"
Both equines in question perked up at the sound of the anxious youthful dragon, turning to the door amidst their moment of private reading. "Spike?" The pink unicorn inquired with a frown, taking note of Spike's panicking expression upon rushing through the doors. "Is something the matter?"
The purple lizard wasted no time in running over and clutching the Princess by the limb, attempting to pull her from the armchair. "You gotta come quick! Something happened with Stardust!"
Twilight immediately groaned at that, setting her novel down. "Oh no, what has he done now?"
"Wait, I thought he was at that private screening Starswirl rented out for him." Starlight pointed out with curious brow, setting down her book in turn. "Wasn't he seeing that new 'Star Wars' movie?"
"He just came back." Spike clarified, motioning to the open doorway. "I went to greet him and ask how it went, but he just ignored me with the weirdest expression on his face. I followed Stardust to his room and... Well, you have to see to believe!"
"Okay, calm down Spike." Twilight proceeded to soothe the anxious dragon, rising from her seat with Starlight curiously following. The alicorn princess smiled lightly with her wing placed atop Spike's shoulder. "He might just be tired from having his mind 'explode' from the experience. We all know how much he's been looking forward to seeing the new movie." Starlight smirked.
"Well yeah but... Look, you need to see him." Spike kept insisting, continuously pulling at Twilight's limb with impatience and distress. "Something's definitely wrong with him! He never acted this way after seeing Rogue One!"
Twilight smiled, deciding to play along to humour the exaggerate dragon. "We're coming Spike. I'm sure it's not as bad as you say."
"It better not be! I wanna see The Last Jedi next, and his reaction right now ain't making me want to see it more!" Both mares rolled their eyes in good humour, following after the hurrying dragon with a leisurely pace.
"He's just in there!"
"Well Spike, this is his room." Starlight commented jokingly.
"But he's just sitting on the couch, staring at the TV!" The dragon added hastily with widened worried eyes. "What if the movie did something bad to him?! Or worse, what if the new Star Wars movie was bad?!"
Twilight scoffed lightly. "With regards to the former, Spike, the worst that movie could do is kill off more brain cells." Even so, there was something stirring in the air emanating from the room, and that sensation perked Twilight's brow. It didn't smell like something was wrong, but something was... Amiss, the closer she approached the door. "He hasn't said a single word since he got back?"
"Not a peep!"
"That's nothing really new." Starlight was clearly more amused by the situation than anything. "We know how silent Stardust can be when he's contemplative. He's probably just tired."
Glancing at Spike's unconvinced expression, Twilight smiled faintly and stated, "Wait right here. I'll make sure nothing's amiss." Despite the unsettling disturbance in the air. The alicorn pushed through the doors without hesitation, seeing that Spike's previous statement was more than accurate.
The golden Earth Pony, with his blue caped back facing the approaching alicorn, stared right ahead at the blank screen with a forlorn expression. Twilight frowned the closer she neared her special somepony, having not witnessed such a look since the time the stallion almost ran away from home. Stardust Balance stared directly ahead, making no indication of acknowledging her presence, seemingly lost in his own little world.
With no hint of that scowl or coy grin he was always accustomed with.
Twilight's brow furrowed, extending a hoof and placing it delicately on the golden pony's shoulder, calling him out by his real name. "Jack...?"
"I don't know what to think..."
The Princess blinked, more puzzled than startled by the solemn tone. "About what?"
"About... What I just witnessed." Stardust didn't so much as glance at her, blinking to himself repeatedly with no other bodily movement, aside from heaving a sigh. "I came in expecting nothing, and came out gaining... Something... Just... Something."
That expression proceeded to shift from forlorn then to lost.
"That... What I just watched... The choices they've made was... So bizarre... So unpredictable... So life-changing... That I literally cannot think of what to say about it..." And finally, uncertain hazel eyes looked anxiously towards violet sparkling ones, Stardust's emotional voice leaking. "That's the first time a movie's ever left me so speechless, and I'm afraid of what's happening because of it..."
Twilight was torn between concern or exasperated. With her boyfriend, it's often both. Instead, she gently pressed, "Did you at least enjoy yourself during it?"
"Oh... Yeah. Yeah there were definitely good parts." He responded quickly, as if to reassure himself than the lavender mare. Stardust then glared at the floor between them thoughtfully. "I just... I just need time to... Adjust by what I just witnessed..."
Half-smiling, Twilight nodded and straightened again. "Well, don't take too long. Spike's beginning to worry the movie may have affected your brain in a negative way." Stardust barely made a response, and the Princess humoured the stallion by withdrawing back outside the room, where Starlight and Spike eagerly waited.
"How'd it go?" Starlight asked in curious amusement, whereas Spike was more impatient before Twilight could open her muzzle.
"Did he like it? Hate it? Love? Don't know what to think? Will he take me to see the next screening?"
And before Twilight could answer, again, the lavender bookworm was interrupted by the ravings of a Star Wars fanatic.
"WHAT THE [BEEP] WAS THAT?! WHAT THE [BEEP] HAS DISNEY DONE?! HOLY STARSWIRL WITH MORGAN FREEMAN'S VOCAL TONES! WHAT HAVE I BORE WITNESS TO JUST THEN?!"
"See Spike?" Twilight said simply after all three glanced at the closed doors, smiling in satisfaction. "He's perfectly his normal self."
"NEVER THOUGHT I'D HAVE PREFERRED THE FORCE AWAKENS OVER THAT! AND I THOUGHT EPISODE VII WAS PRETTY DECENT! I JUST... I DON'T KNOW WHAT I SAW!"
"...He must've not liked it." Starlight added, Spike cautiously reaching forward to open the doors. And Stardust's oh-so typical style of stomping around his bedroom with passionate blue-green eyes and wild gestures all over the place graced their presence.
"TITS! I SAW TITS, IN A STAR WARS MOVIE! ALIEN ANIMAL TITS! IN [BEEP]ING STAR WARS!"
"...What are ti-?" Twilight quickly covered the dragon's mouth with a hoof before he could finish, sternly regarding her raving stallion with disapproval while Starlight was chuckling to herself by their antics.
"NEVER HAS A STAR WARS MOVIE MADE ME TORN IN MY LIFE! HALF GOOD, HALF BAD. IT WAS SPEECHLESS TO BEHOLD; A WORK OF ART UNLIKE ANY CINEMATIC PIECE I HAVE BORNE WITNESS TO! HOLY [BEEP]!"
Spike pulled off Twilight's hoof enough to ask curiously. "So did you hate it then?"
Stardust took one sharp inhale and whirled to them. "No actually. I give it a six-point-five out of ten. Though I can certainly see now why it's so divisive."
