Starlight Gazing

Starlight sat down with her back to Trixie's wagon and let out a long sigh. The back of her head touched the wagon, and she closed her eyes. “Well, that was an awful night.”

The Thoroughly Ruffled and Somewhat Bruised Trixie settled down next to her. “You aren't the one who nearly died,” Trixie said.

Starlight nearly shot back that she had nopony but herself to blame for that one, but she thought better of it. There was a little bit of blame on her shoulders as well, in a weird, indirect way.

“Fair enough. I'm glad you're all right.”

Trixie waved a dismissive hoof. “Hardly the most daring feat to my name.” Then she cocked her head and added, “Although, um, thanks for saving me. I appreciate it.”

“I bet you do.”

The wagon was parked on a rise just between Ponyville and the woods. It offered a serene view of the dark town and the bright night sky above. A tranquil end to a hectic day.

“I actually really like this town,” Trixie said after a moment. "I know pretty much everypony here hates me, and… I guess that's fair. I did some questionable things the last few times I came. But… it's nice."

“It feels like a place you could belong,” Starlight said, mostly to herself.

“Exactly. It's crazy, and impossible, but…”

“I don't think it's impossible,” Starlight interjected.

Trixie raised an eyebrow, and Starlight's mouth went a little dry. The rebuttal had just slipped out, and now she was scrambling for something to add. Something witty, or profound, or at least germane. “Uh, I mean, look at me. You may have messed with Ponyville a couple times, but I nearly broke the universe. And they're letting me stay at the castle.”

Trixie's muzzle wrinkled. “Two big differences: you're actually good for something, and Twilight doesn't hate you.”

Starlight suppressed a laugh. “Ponyville isn't some kind of meritocracy where only the magically exceptional are allowed to live, and Twilight's the princess of friendship. I don't think she really knows how to hate somepony.”

Trixie huffed. “If she's such a ray of sunlight, why does her face always turn sour when she looks at me?”

“It would probably help if you didn't sneer whenever you looked back.”

“She thinks I'm trying to steal you away,” Trixie said with a faint giggle.

Again, Starlight almost shot back a denial, but she caught herself when she noticed the playful note in Trixie's voice and the smug expression on her face. With her coat ruffled, her mane askew, and her hat and cape flecked with manticore spit, it made for a goofy image.

“Are you trying to steal me away?” Starlight asked, grinning. “Corrupt me toward petty crime and self-serving magic?”

Trixie glanced away sharply, another short giggle escaping her. “Well, petty crime and self-serving magic are both pretty great when you do them right.”

Starlight shrugged. “I guess I never learned the right way then.” Trixie's eyes lit up, and Starlight raised a hoof. “No, no. Don't even say it. Twilight'll banish us both.”

“How about a trade then?” Trixie said, the epitome of innocence. “You teach me some magic, and I'll show you how to use it the right way.”

Starlight laughed. A real, genuine laugh. For some reason Trixie could draw them out of her like water from a well. “Sounds like something I'll regret later, but… okay.”

They sat there in silence for a time, looking out over town and up at the moon and stars. Starlight savoured the sweet night air and the companionable silence. Trixie savoured the miracle of not being dead. Together they savoured the warm, somewhat unfamiliar knowledge that they had a friend nearby.

Trixie broke the silence with a horrible joint crack and a groan. When she caught Starlight's glance, she ducked her head sheepishly. “Sorry. Apparently cramming myself into a cannon and shooting myself down a manticore's gullet left a mark here and there.” As she shifted, her cape moved across her back, and she cringed. “And I think it left a bit of a stain, too. I could really use a bath right about now.”

Starlight shifted and started to rise. “In that case, I guess I'll see you around town. I mean, if you decide to stay.”

Trixie huffed. “I've got to admit, occasional access to hot running water is hard to walk away from.”

“Oh, yeah. I suppose you can't exactly take a bath in here.” Starlight tapped the side of the wagon for emphasis.

“No. I'll just head down to the river. It isn't exactly pleasant, but at least it's free. And private, most of the time.”

“You could come to the castle,” Starlight offered. “Twilight has more bathrooms than she knows what to do with.”

Trixie grimaced. “Pass. I've had enough of Twilight for one day, no offense.”

Thinking back on the day's events, Starlight couldn't help but agree. In all honesty, she wasn't really looking forward to being around Twilight for the next couple days.

Trixie rose to her hooves and grimaced again at the crusted manticore spit on her cape and the matted spots up and down her coat. “The river's fine. You're welcome to join me, if you feel like freezing your tail off in the middle of the woods.”

On a whim, Starlight stood up as well. “You know what?” she said. “I just thought of a good self-serving use of magic.”

The night was growing long. The moon was overhead. The forest was quiet.

Starlight was preparing a spell.

“You know that's not how… um, physics work, right?” said Trixie. “You can't just—”

Starlight's horn blazed to life, and the slow stream between them started to shift a little faster.

“It's… you know. Moving. Won't you have to keep reheating the new water?” Trixie sounded equally curious and concerned.

“I'm not heating the water,” Starlight said. “That would be like levitating a boulder into the sky. Eventually you'd have to give up or pass out from exhaustion.” She tied her spell off and nodded, satisfied with her work. “The riverbed, on the other hoof…”

Already the slowest and shallowest pools were starting to give off steam, and near the bottom, bubbles surged from where the deepest pockets of water were beginning to boil.

“Um, Starlight, while that's really impressive, won't the rocks burn us if we touch them?”

Starlight grinned, braced herself, and waded into the river. It was strange at first, like she was walking on a perfectly smooth glass floor. It was warm—a little warmer than the surrounding water—but pleasant, like a mug of tea on a cold morning.

“Come on in, the water's great!”

Trixie stepped forward, although she still looked doubtful. One blue hoof entered the water, flicked back and forth a few times, then tapped against the bottom.

“Huh. Magic,” Trixie muttered. She seemed a little awed. She waded in without any further hesitation, not even stopping to remove her cape or hat. The second her barrel was submerged, she shivered. When her shoulders and back followed, she groaned. “Oh, Celestia, this is perfect. You nailed it, Starlight.”

Starlight smiled and paddled over to her friend. “This is a pretty complicated combination of spells, and it's kind of energy-intensive for just bathing, but I could totally teach you how to do this for a bathtub.” She paused, raised a hoof to her chin in consideration. “Actually, some basic temperature magic combined with a filtration spell, and you could turn a small pond into a hot tub with relatively little—”

A blue hoof covered Starlight's mouth. “I love the magic talk. I really do. But right now I need to sit and soak for a minute or thirty.”

So they sat back. One disadvantage of bathing in a river was a distinct lack of comfortable seating. Starlight made do by propping herself on a flat shelf just a couple feet beneath the surface. Somehow, Trixie managed to find a suitable rock that formed both seat and backrest, and rested herself against it with all the luxurious abandon of a cat in a sunbeam. Her eyes fell closed, her cape trailed out downstream from her, gently tugging against her neck. The picture of a pony in repose.

With a couple quick adjustments to her spellwork, Starlight expanded the heat to include Trixie's natural throne. A few seconds later, Trixie cracked an eye open and groaned again as a comfortable warmth filled the stone. “You're definitely a keeper,” she almost purred. Still motionless, she magically unfastened her soaked cape and levitated it and her hat onto the riverbank.

“I know some fabric cleaning spells too,” Starlight offered.

Trixie didn't respond. Her eyes were closed, and a tuneless hum escaped her closed lips. One of her forehooves rose to her chest and massaged a patch of matted coat in slow circles.

Starlight looked away. The water's heat was rising up her body and suffusing her face. Had Trixie forgotten that she was there? It's free and private, Trixie had said. Just how much privacy was she used to? Little tingles ran up and down Starlight's legs and spine. Maybe she should go.

Across the stream, barely three feet away, Trixie let out a moan. Without really meaning to, Starlight glanced back at her friend.

Both of Trixie's hooves disappeared into the tumultuous water, but their trajectory was clear. One around her lower stomach, one even lower, between her hind legs. The image filled Starlight's mind, even when she looked away. Like a projection over whatever she was looking at, there she was. Doing that.

“U-um,” Starlight stammered, the heat of the water suddenly too much. She jerked upright. “I'll, um, see you!” She stumbled toward the bank. The cold midnight air hissed against the warmth still clinging to her coat.

Trixie gasped and shot to her hooves in kind. “Oh! No, no, sorry! I just forgot—”

“D-don't worry about it,” Starlight said over her shoulder as she stumbled away from the stream. The ground was unbearably rough compared to the smooth, textureless surface of her magic. She couldn't handle this much sensation, not now. “I'm just, hah, I've got to—I just remembered—”

“Please, Starlight, come back,” Trixie pleaded. “I wasn't thinking. The water was just so nice.”

One of Starlight's legs buckled, and she nearly fell face first into a nearby tree. This was dumb. She was ruining everything, like usual. She took a breath and turned around.

Trixie was crouched in the water, submerged up to her neck. Her ears were flushed. “I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, or… you know, do that.”

“It's okay. I overreacted.” Starlight walked, on trembling legs, back to river and sloshed back to her seat. She wasn't really cold, but she was still trembling. “Nopony's ever, uh…”

“Masturbated in front of you?” Trixie said. She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, why would they? That's what crazy wagon ponies do, apparently.” She caught Starlight's slightly horrified expression. “Oh, was that too… um, blunt?”

“N-no. I'm not a prude,” Starlight said. “You just caught me off guard.”

Trixie snorted. “It is kind of a gross word,” she mused. “But it's better than the alternatives.”

Starlight was just worldly enough to know what she meant, and she nodded.

The stream foamed past them. Its low, ambient roar was enough to fill the silence.

“Soooo…” Starlight started, “is this how your baths usually go?”

Trixie cleared her throat. “Well, most of my baths aren't warm, so no, not exactly. I usually get in, wash, and get out before my skin matches my coat.” She hesitated. “But sometimes when I'm on tour I like to treat myself to a hotel room, and yeah, usually I indulge a bit. Appreciate the hot water while it lasts.” She bit her lip. “Usually I don't have ponies around when I bathe. Actually, I usually don't have ponies around me at all.”

“Ah.” Starlight could understand, sort of. “I talk to myself a lot. It wasn't until I moved to Ponyville and ponies started looking at me funny that I noticed.”

“Nopony in your village gave you looks?”

Starlight winced. “The ponies in my village were a little bit brainwashed. And when I lived in Sire's Hollow everypony just thought I was a weird teenager.”

Trixie nodded, although her sympathetic expression was undercut by the wide grin that crept across it. “That's a bit less embarrassing than my thing.”

“Hah, yeah.”

Water poured past them. The moon swept across the sky. Starlight almost managed to relax. Then she'd glance back toward Trixie, meet her eyes, and remember why they weren't talking. No amount of small talk could salvage the casual mood now. And Trixie had looked so content before she'd interrupted her, too.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Starlight said, “Seriously though, if you want to, um, pick up where you left off, I don't mind heading back to the castle. It's getting late anyway.”

Trixie let out a breathy laugh. “Pfft, no. I'm not that desperate. I'd much rather spend time with you. Company is a lot scarcer than opportunities to get my rocks off.” Her ears went pink again. “Sorry, sorry. Still gross.”

Starlight giggled. “A little, but I'm starting to get used to it.”

“Oh please.” Trixie scowled. “I'm not always like this. It's the water, I swear.”

“I can't believe all it takes is a hot bath to get you all flustered.”

Trixie pouted. “It's not exactly rare, Miss Calm and Collected. Lots of ponies get a little… sensitive during a bath. And it's… uh, been a while.”

“Hah, what?” Why did she say that? Starlight knew what Trixie meant. Why were they even still talking about this?

“I've been on the road for a while.” She giggled. “My hooves are usually too tired from walking to do much with them at night.”

“Couldn't you use magic instead?” It was like she couldn't stop.

Trixie blushed, as if even she was taken aback at Starlight's frankness. “I like to feel… um…” Even her face was getting flushed, rendering it a really cute shade of purple that wasn't too far from Twilight Sparkle's coat colour. “You know, we should probably head back to town. I think the spell's wearing off.”

She was right, although the water hadn't started to cool yet. Unless Trixie knew how to interpret magical energy falloff, it had to be a guess.

“Yeah, good idea,” Starlight croaked. “Wouldn't want to get pruny. Hah.”

They fumbled to shore. Trixie recovered her hat and cape, and Starlight tossed a quick drying spell over the garments.

“Thanks, but we're still dripping.”

Starlight's heart skipped a beat. Then she retrieved her mind from the gutter. “Right. Duh.” She cast the drying spell over their bodies as well, giving certain parts of her own body extra attention.

She decided to leave the river's heating spell alone. It would fall apart harmlessly in an hour or so. Hopefully she hadn't killed many fish with it. They began the walk back to town on lightly tingling limbs.

“Sorry again that I made things so awkward,” Trixie said. “I've gotten way too good at being alone.”

Starlight swallowed. “I know that feeling. And seriously, don't worry about it. By next week it'll just be a fun inside joke.”

“Let's make sure it stays inside.” Trixie blinked. “Ugh. Inside, really? What is wrong with me tonight?”

“I dunno, but seems like it's not just the water,” Starlight teased. “I think it's a good thing you're headed to bed. Celestia knows what you'd get up to otherwise.”

“I sure hope she doesn't.” Trixie stuck out her tongue.

They crested the ridge, and soft grass gave way to a dirt road leading into town. Trixie's wagon stood just off to the side.

“Thanks for the hot bath. And the company.” Trixie unlocked her wagon and raised a forehoof inside. “Oh, and for saving my life.”

“Uh huh. In that order, I'm sure. Goodnight, Trixie. I'll catch you around town. And maybe… lunch? Tomorrow?”

Trixie grinned. “It's a—a plan. Your pick, but make it good.”

Starlight waved goodbye and continued down the path.

The refreshing night air helped Starlight's nerves, and by the time she reached the castle, she felt almost normal. It was nearly three in the morning and the building was silent save for her hoofsteps. She teleported instead of walking. The last thing she wanted right then was to bother Twilight in the middle of the night.

She brushed her teeth in a kind of trance, and stared at herself in the mirror, examining every feature, every twitch. All normal.

She turned and made her bed with some deft telekinesis, then slid under the covers.

Sleep, then.

The ceiling was made of crystal. Every hint of light in the room ended up bouncing around up there, soft and dim, like a swirling nebula. It was usually a nice distraction.

Go to sleep.

She closed her eyes. That was an important aspect of sleeping. Or going to sleep, at least.

The inside of her eyelids looked exactly like the dancing lights on the ceiling. Fuck. She was tired. Tired ponies fell asleep. That was a primary characteristic of tired ponies.

My hooves are usually too tired from walking to do much with them at night.

Her hooves weren't tired.

Starlight let out a shuddering breath and raised one hoof up to her neck. She felt her pulse, loud and fast, and the muscles around her throat, tense and warm. Her coat was freshly washed and magically dried, leaving it incredibly soft, almost like cat fur. The coarse material of her hoof was a sharp contrast to the fluffy bedsheets, rippling across her nerves like electricity.

I like to feel…

Feel herself, her own body. That was why Trixie didn't use magic. Starlight bit her lip.

Her hoof traveled down, down to the middle of her chest. It was a little hard to reach, and her knee joint complained at the motion it took. Trixie had made it look so easy. Comfortable, even. Maybe performing on stage for so long had done something for Trixie's flexibility.

Her chest wasn't quite as soft as her neck, the hairs a little thicker, a little shorter. Her coat and skin slid ever so slightly against the muscle and bone beneath, pushing and pulling. Her heart raced. Her hind legs twitched. Her breath hitched.

And what was Trixie doing now? Had she passed out right away, the weight of the previous day knocking her cold? Or had she—was she—finishing what Starlight had interrupted?

“Ah h-hah,” she whimpered. It burst free somehow. At least it was quiet. Her legs kicked, and the blankets fell down past her navel. She gazed across her body, toward her hooves, at the perfect position of the blankets. It was… nothing, really. Nothing she hadn't seen a hundred times. In the dim light, all she could see were indistinct shapes that vaguely defined a mare's torso. An even less distinct lump under the blankets that could be a pair of hind legs. Not enticing in the slightest.

But what kind of egotist fantasized about herself?

Starlight's head fell onto her pillow as her hooves roamed in gently expanding circles. Her eyes rested on the faint light of the ceiling, noticed its perfectly flat, smooth surface. Without really thinking about it, she formed a spell and loosed it. The ceiling became a hundred times more reflective in an instant, a portal to a perfectly identical bedroom. An identical pink mare sprawled in a luxurious bed, the sheets gathered around her hips.

A moan of anticipation escaped Starlight's lips. She nearly fumbled the next spell, a mistake she hadn't made for nearly a decade. It had been that long since she'd been this worked up. The mare in the mirror changed. Pink to light blue, a different mane, some subtle changes to the face, the physique. Trixie was slighter than her, leaner. A slightly coltish figure, all in all. The magic wasn't complicated: a bend to the light here, some extra colour there.

Starlight gasped when Mirror Trixie met her gaze and gasped in kind. There was a long moment as they locked eyes, their hooves moving in synchronized desire. But Trixie would never touch herself while looking at Starlight Glimmer. No, she was the kind of mare who looked down, focused on the matter at hoof. Another quick spell turned Trixie's gaze downward, toward her own legs, torso, and crotch. Her movements sped up. That wasn't an illusion. Starlight's left hoof ran back and forth across her stomach, tracing the butterflies beneath, while her other hoof ran lower, grazing over her pelvis.

If only she was better at sound illusions. For some reason she'd never devoted the time to mastering them, so the mirror Trixie was silent, but diligent. Oh, was she diligent. Conveniently, her magic glowed and gently caressed her own thighs, shedding some light on the situation. The blankets glowed a sweet pink colour, unlike Starlight's own turquoise. She made the change without even thinking, although she'd only seen Trixie's magic aura a few times.

Her legs were unbearably hot beneath the covers. Unbearably sweaty, or damp with some unknowable combination of moisture. She kicked the blankets away, not caring where they landed. The mattress groaned at the sharp movement, and the moment was nearly ruined. Spike was only a few doors away. If he heard…

Maybe it was only her imagination, but the Trixie in the mirror ceiling seemed to look her way and wink. There was no going back, of course. She'd come this far.

With the blankets out of the way, Trixie's full form was revealed. Her silver tail wrapped up and around one leg, nearly obscuring her marehood, but not quite. Her chest and shoulders heaved with her shallow breath, and the gentle motions of her hooves grew more frantic, jerky. Starlight's subconscious was providing her horn with the details it needed to maintain the illusion. She knew that.

Starlight's left foreleg wrapped all the way around her torso and gripped the opposite side of her ribs. She clutched herself tight in a kind of half hug as her other hoof drifted toward its ultimate goal. She had always hated this part. All the buildup, the tension, culminating in disappointment.

In the mirror, Trixie flashed a grin and dug in. Her hoof shuddered over her marehood, her back arched, her lips parted in a silent moan. Her hips jerked up off the bed in a deliciously lewd thrust, and a quiet sound filled the air, wet and wanton. Starlight felt herself wink, an actual, honest to Celestia wink, and her own hips lifted off the bed. Her hoof redoubled its efforts, the tip plunging between her lips and reaching for depths she'd never considered before. It was futile, of course. Her hoof was way too big. Starlight stared, wide-eyed, at Trixie's image.

Trixie could probably fit her whole hoof. Right, brain?

Her brain didn't oblige.

Trixie pressed her hoof hard against her pussy for a moment, then relented. She traced her entrance, grazed the top and flicked at her hood, then returned to the bottom, pressing just like Starlight was, the edge of her hoof teasing the widest part of her marehood and the sensitive flesh beyond.

A trickle of moisture ran down Trixie's thigh and rump. The light was too dim for Starlight to actually see it. She could feel it though. Her left hoof joined her right, rubbing at the damp streak below her crotch. So long as she could pretend her own reflection was Trixie…

In the mirror, Trixie teased at her clit and at her taint. One hoof took over orbiting her marehood while the other rose up again, caressing her tummy as it shuddered up and down. The hoof rose even further, over Trixie's throat, where her pulse pounded several beats a second. Her silver tail whipped at nothing, her marehood winked several times, desperately gripping at her own hoof.

Starlight slammed her eyes closed and froze solid. Little electric whips traveled up and down her body, especially her groin and her core. She was so close, but she needed something.

There, in the reflection, Trixie duplicated. One by one, the illusion fell away from the clone, until it was the spitting image of Starlight Glimmer again. Plain old herself. Mirror Starlight was just as interested in Trixie as real Starlight was. Or had been. Now the real Starlight looked between the two. Every part of her was on fire.

Her hooves and magic returned to her body with a vengeance. One hoof took the bottom of her marehood, stroking the winking passage with each contraction, pressing inside for every inch it could. The other hoof massaged the hood of her clit, dancing closer whenever she could bear it. Her magic roamed over her body, ass and hips, belly and torso, shoulders and neck. Her aura had never felt quite as shapeless, quite as comforting. Her tail tensed and strained against the mattress, trying in vain to pull away from her crotch.

Trixie's eyes were locked on Mirror Starlight. Her hooves moved with practiced certainty, stoking fire and eliciting twitches and moans. Mirror Starlight was just a little prettier, a little more confident than her real counterpart. She met Trixie stroke for stroke, quiver for quiver, and grinned, challenging her partner to last a little longer, to show off a little more.

Everything disappeared in an explosion of light and sensation. Starlight's pussy winked wide, and her hoof suddenly slipped inside. Her marehood clenched tight around it, and other muscles she wasn't quite aware of clenched in turn. The other hoof glanced against her clit directly. Her magic tensed around her throat, nearly suffocating her. The blood rushed to her head, and it was almost like a shot of liquor. Mirror Starlight was gone. Mirror Trixie was gone.

Her body twisted and bucked. The mattress squeaked. A wave of pleasure and release lanced up her spine. Her pussy spasmed, releasing her hoof, among other things. Her breath wavered, and she nearly choked on endorphins.

Hah. Fuck. Damn.

Her hooves were heavy, her body infinitely heavier. Where was she lying, anyway?

One leg drooped over the edge of the bed. The blankets were long gone, left behind centuries ago.

The world pressed in on her. Sleep beckoned.

Why were the sheets so damp under her hips?

“Ff-fuck it,” she mumbled into her pillow. “Trrixx…”

Wasn't she straight? Her lips curled into a smile. Trixie.

Light faded, and her spent body slumped into a deep, satisfying sleep.

On the other side of Ponyville, a blue mare pulled her hoof away from her own damp sex. She sucked in a shallow breath.

“Starlight, huh?” Trixie shook her head. “Damn.”

It had snuck up on her. Just one bath together, and it was stamped into her brain. Shame it would never happen for real. If Trixie's awful personality and social status—worthless—hadn't turned Starlight away, then accidentally masturbating in front of her—stupid, stupid!—had done the trick. She'd be stuck with aimless fantasies for the time being.

She raised her hoof to her nose and sniffed. Hmm, her favourite self-scent. Not like those days she only tolerated, or even avoided, her own odor. A happy ending to a happy fantasy.

“Maybe one day,” Trixie muttered as she rolled over, ignoring the newly matted fur between her legs and the disheveled sheets wrapped around her. “One day.”