Dear Sunset,
I realize that this is very short notice, but Starlight Glimmer would like to come for a visit. Would it be alright if she spent the night with you?
Dear Princess Twilight,
I would be delighted to have Starlight over! I can meet her at the portal in two hours.
Wonderful! Starlight will meet you then.
***
Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle waited at the base where the Wondercolt statue once stood. The afternoon exodus of students and faculty had already subsided, leaving them the only ones standing outside Canterlot High School. They passed the time playing a popular augmented reality game on their smartphones. Each pitted her highest-level character - Sunset her katana-wielding samurai and Twilight her fire-conjuring shugenja - against a yuki onna (snow maiden) boss monster.
The girls had just defeated the boss when the statue base suddenly glowed. They glanced up as a girl with long purple hair emerged from the portal. They greeted the newcomer in unison.
"Starlight!"
Starlight Glimmer had visited their world once before when she accompanied Sunset back from Equestria. When Juniper Montage imprisoned them inside a pocket dimension, Starlight proved instrumental in convincing Juniper to release them and turn over a new leaf.
Starlight smiled as she rose to her feet. "Hi gals! How've you been?"
"We've been good," said Sunset. "Keeping busy one way or another, between the occasional incursion of Equestrian magic."
Starlight looked about. "Where are the others?"
"I'm afraid it's just us tonight," said Twilight. "Everyone else is at work. But since you're spending the night, we can see if we can all have breakfast tomorrow morning before you go back."
Twilight opened her phone's messaging app and quickly composed a message to the Rainbooms group.
"Speaking of food," said Sunset. "We were about to go grab a bite. Are you hungry?"
Starlight grinned. "You read my mind!"
"And she didn't even use her geode," Twilight quipped in a feeble attempt at humor.
As they walked down the sidewalk, Starlight brought them up to date on the latest happenings in Equestria. Twilight was always amazed to hear about her Equestrian counterpart's exploits, whether it was mediating a tense negotiation or conducting research into some strange new magic. At times, she wondered if she could ever truly measure up to the Princess who came to their world and united her CHS friends. It was not long before they arrived at The Drip, a popular local coffee shop.
"I got you covered," Sunset said to Starlight. "What do you feel like?"
"I'll have what you're having."
The girls ordered sandwiches and chai tea lattes then sat down at a table off in the corner. As they ate, Starlight recounted the time she went to Canterlot to help ease tensions between Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Sunset could hardly imagine the Royal Sisters switching roles for even a single day. One by one, Twilight's friends responded to her text message. By the end of their meal, they had all confirmed their meeting for breakfast tomorrow morning.
"Our Mrs. Cake makes a delicious Triple Chocolate Mint Swirl Cocoa," said Sunset. Just then, she noticed Starlight curiously staring as another patron, a girl in a midriff-baring crop top, walked by.
"I've been meaning ask," said Starlight. "Is showing one's stomach considered attractive here?"
Sunset quietly laughed to herself, remembering how she had wondered the same thing when she first came through the portal many moons ago. She had been quite surprised to discover just how deeply indented her umbilical scar was in her new form.
"A lot of girls do it," said Twilight. "As did a small number of guys a couple of decades ago."
"What's the appeal?" asked Starlight.
"Baring one's midriff is widely regarded as a sign of confidence, and also an easy way to display how physically fit one is, especially at the beach. It's more common among females since males nowadays tend to go barechested altogether. Rather odd when you consider how many animals bare their bellies as a gesture of submission - quite a paradox, really. Of course, I don't know if that's the case for ponies..."
Twilight trailed off when she noticed the smile on Sunset's face - the knowing smile Sunset always used to tell her that she had launched into lecture mode without realizing it.
Starlight lifted her shirt and gazed down at her navel.
"Guess we don't really notice these things when we walk on four legs."
"I sure didn't," Sunset said as she playfully prodded at Starlight's navel. Starlight gave a startled yelp, her cheeks coloring ever so slightly.
Twilight giggled. "Believe it or not, half a century ago, showing one's belly button in public was actually considered obscene in many places."
Starlight raised an eyebrow. "You sure know an awful lot about the subject."
Sunset sipped her latte. "She should. She is the belly dancer extraordinaire of our group."
Starlight cocked her head incredulously. "Belly dancer?"
Twilight opened her mouth, but then it thought it might be better to show rather than tell. She pulled up a video on her phone and presented it to Starlight.
Starlight's eyes widened. There on the screen was Twilight, clad in a beautiful elaborate pink and gold outfit - definitely something crafted by this world's Rarity. Twilight gracefully circled and swayed her hips to a tune that sounded very much like a Saddle Arabian folk song. Starlight watched in awe as Twilight rippled her abdominal muscles in ways she did not even think possible. The girl in the video seemed an entirely different person from the unassuming bespectacled girl holding the phone - she was definitely not some submissive creature. The difference was nearly as stark as that between a unicorn to an alicorn! The video concluded with Twilight shimmying her hips to a crisp staccato drumbeat.
"That was amazing," said Starlight. She listened intently as Twilight proceeded to tell about the belly dance class she attended twice a week with Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and two other girls. Starlight was astounded to learn that this world's Celestia, Luna, and Cadance also belly danced. She watched enrapt as Twilight shared videos from their teachers' recital held at CHS. They might not be princesses in this world, but when they performed, they exuded the same majestic presence as their Equestrian counterparts.
"This belly dancing sure looks and sounds like a lot of fun!"
Twilight sighed wistfully. "If it were Bring-A-Buddy night at Chiffon Veil's studio, we would have gladly invited both of you."
"I'll admit, I have been curious for a while," said Sunset. "Too bad my job keeps me busy Mondays and Wednesdays."
Then an idea sparked in Twilight's mind. She could teach Starlight and Sunset to belly dance! This was a prime opportunity for her to get some practice instructing others and for her friends to try something new. She wanted to be more than just a know-it-all, spouting endless facts and figures - she wanted to educate and inspire. She smiled as she adjusted her glasses.
"Well, if both of you are willing to learn, I am willing to teach!"
Starlight's eyes lit up. "I'm up for it! It would be a good way to work off this dinner."
Sunset quickly scanned Starlight's figure. "You and I are about the same size. I'm sure I have a top and pants that will fit you." Turning back to Twilight, she added, "You are welcome to spend the night as well."
"Sounds good," said Twilight. "Let me stop by my place quickly, then we'll head to yours."
With that, the girls finished up their meals and cleaned up their table. This evening promised to be a lot of fun!
***
An hour later, they arrived at Sunset's home. A quick dig through Sunset's dresser yielded an extra black sports bra and matching exercise pants that were just the right fit for Starlight. Once they were dressed, they joined Twilight, already clad in her own workout clothes, on the living room floor.
Twilight synched her phone to Sunset's sound system. She then reached into her overnight bag and produced a trio of bright colorful hip scarves, each lined with coins. She tied the green scarf around Starlight's hips, the red scarf around Sunset's, then the pink one around her own.
"Ready to get started?" asked Twilight.
Sunset and Starlight answered in unison. "Ready, Professor!"
Twilight tapped her phone and a mellow percussion rhythm poured into the room. They spent several minutes warming up their bodies, rolling their necks and shoulders, then stretching their arms and legs. Once they were limbered up, Twilight formally began the lesson.
"Keep your feet directly under your hips with your knees slightly bent. We'll start with hip slides."
With her hands out to her sides, Twilight slowly slid her hips first to the right, then to the left, all the while keeping her upper body still. Sunset and Starlight followed suit. For Sunset, it was fairly simple to fall back some of her past flamenco training. Starlight struggled a bit to avoid bouncing with each sway, but her moves gradually smoothened.
"Now, add a little bump to it," said Twilight, giving her hip a short, sharp snap at the end of each slide. Each bump caused the coins on her hip scarf to jingle. From there, the lesson moved to hip circles, lifts, drops - the latter two movements reminding Sunset and Starlight somewhat of how they pawed the ground with their front hoofs as ponies. The motions were subtle, but they were soon feeling the burn in their thighs. Here and there, Twilight inspected their stances, correcting them as needed.
Every now and then Sunset stole a glance at Starlight, remembering how quickly the latter had adapted to walking on two legs upon first coming through the portal. Despite her rocky start, she was picking up on these moves fast! Twilight likewise noticed her students' quick progress. She had originally planned to stick to these basic moves, but both of them already seemed to have a good grasp of them. It could not hurt to raise the bar a tiny bit.
"I think you're both ready for shimmies."
Twilight proceeded to shimmy her hips. At first glance, it appeared as though her belly was wobbling, but then Sunset and Starlight realized that her legs - her knees specifically - were doing all the work.
"Looks simple enough," said Sunset.
It was a challenge for Starlight to keep her upper body steady while her lower half worked. Sunset had to stop herself more than once from stamping her feet as she did in flamenco. When Twilight increased her tempo after several minutes, both of them quickened their paces to nearly match hers. Twilight decided to take the lesson up one more notch.
"Wanna give belly rolls a try?"
Starlight smiled eagerly. "Sure, why not?"
Twilight placed her hands on her hips and proceeded to slowly ripple her abdominal muscles, pulling her navel in, up, out then back down again. Sunset and Starlight giggled as they did their best to emulate Twilight's smooth undulations. As ponies, neither of them had ever really used any of their abdominal muscles. The in-and-out motion was a little easier than the up-and-down, but after several minutes they managed to get the hang of it. Most of it, anyway.
"Trust me, these will take some practice," Twilight giggled. She was nevertheless impressed. In the span of an hour, both Starlight and Sunset had made phenomenal progress! They needed a chance to shine. She tapped on her phone and a lively drumbeat filled the room. She gestured to her students as she stepped off to the side. "The floor is now yours. Don't think, just dance!"
After a moment of hesitation, Sunset and Starlight began lifting and dropping their hips. Sunset incorporated some flamenco movements into her dance, gracefully circling her arms and wrists as she shimmied. Up until this very moment, she thought she fully mastered the use of every muscle in her human body. She was very pleasantly surprised to discover that she was wrong. She had never felt a rush like this!
Starlight had far less experience dancing (as a pony or a human), but that did not stop her from fully immersing herself in the exotic melody. She imagined herself and Sunset clad in beautiful ornate bedlahs, each the color of their hip scarves. In her mind's eye, the two of them danced within the torch-lit courtyard of an opulent Saddle Arabian palace. Every one of their movements jingled the coins and baubles lining their costumes. Compared to Sunset, her own moves were a little rough, but she put her heart behind every sway and snap of her hips, every roll of her belly. The feeling was almost magical. As the song ended, Twilight's applause brought Starlight out of her fantastic reverie.
"That was beautiful! Take a bow, you two!"
Twilight handed them towels. Starlight and Sunset cheered as the wiped the perspiration from their brows. Belly dancing had proven to be an even better workout than they expected. Their thigh and abdominal muscles felt as though they were on fire, but they felt great!
"That was fun!" said Sunset.
"Thank you, Twilight," said Starlight. "You are every bit the teacher that Princess Twilight is. It was a real pleasure to learn from you this evening."
Twilight's heart soared. Starlight's words meant a great deal to her. While she might not ever rule over a kingdom, or battle against magic-stealing centaurs and storm-conjuring tyrants, she now knew she shared yet another trait with the Princess of Friendship.
"The pleasure is all mine, Starlight."
One by one, the girls showered and dressed for bed, Starlight borrowing an oversized t-shirt from Sunset. They were all excited to share their evening with their friends at breakfast, and Starlight now had an exciting new experience to share when she returned to Equestria.
Author's Note
Considering how quickly Starlight adjusted to her human body, I imagine that she would pick up belly dancing easily, as would Sunset with her flamenco experience as seen in Dance Magic.
I actually began writing this story before In Her Own Skin. After running into block after block, I shelved it for a while before coming back to complete it. As much as I enjoy the group performance stories, it was nice to keep things simple with just three characters having fun this time around.
I imagine the performance song sounding something like this, one of my favorite tracks:
As an added treat, here's a piece I did of Sunset Shimmer in full belly dancer garb the year Equestria Girls first premiered:
