Scootaloo stamped her hooves against the cobblestones of Canterlot’s Celestial Square, just as enthralled by the pyrotechnic finale of One Trick’s last song as everypony else there. It felt for all the world like the band – and especially the lead singer, Star Shooter – had been playing just for her and nopony else.

Of course, the rest of the crowd thundered right along beside her, probably feeling exactly the same way. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle bounced ecstatically on either side of her, both of them squealing just as loud as she was, and she could barely hear them over the crowd.

“Wasn’t that amazing?” she shouted to her two friends.

Sweetie Belle responded by shouting something back – something Scootaloo couldn't quite make out. Apple Bloom didn't seem to have heard her at all.

Whatever. They’d all talk about it later, of course. What mattered now was cheering the band as they gave their final bows and ducked out somewhere behind the stage. The brightly colored lights of the stage stabbed out into the night, making it kind of hard to see where they went.

Apple Bloom leaned in very close to Scootaloo’s ear, managing to make herself heard over the racket. “Come on, let’s get goin’ before the crowd does, or we’re gonna have to wait in line for days at the ice cream parlor!”

As excited as she was, Scootaloo had to admit it was a good idea. Always a practical one, that Apple Bloom.

Neither of them were able to get Sweetie Belle to hold still long enough to talk into her ear, so in the end they just started physically dragging her out … at least until she figured out what was going on and started following them willingly.

The problem, though, was that by the time they got Sweetie Belle moving, everypony else in the crowd seemed to get the same idea. Suddenly, instead of weaving their way through a stationary crowd, they were trying to force their way through a stampede of ponies all trying to beat the crowd and only making things worse.

It was all Scootaloo could do to stick with her two friends and avoid being trampled by all the other ponies, most of whom were much bigger than her and seemed to lose all idea of looking where they were going once the crowd started moving.

“Hey, watch it!” she shouted at a big yellow stallion who nearly flattened her. “You almost squished me!”

Whatever he said back to her, she couldn’t make it out over the clamor of the crowd. But from the look on his face, he’d had no idea she was even there.

It didn't matter. The crowd pushed and jostled, and soon she was separated from him, probably never to see him again. If it weren’t for her holding on to Apple Bloom’s tail with her teeth, she’d have been pushed away from her, too.

As difficult as the stampede was for little ponies such as her, what made it even worse was the occasional pony who – for whatever dumb reason – was trying to cross the square in the other direction, forcing their way through against the crowd … and probably bumping against every single pony in the crowd on their way.

One such, a green unicorn mare, nearly bowled over the pony right in front of Scootaloo. The green mare went down briefly, stumbling and rolling, but popped right back up and doggedly went back to fighting the crowd.

She must have been really desperate to get over to the stage for some reason. So desperate that she didn't notice when a laminated card on a lanyard fell out of her saddlebags in the tumble, coming to rest right at Scootaloo’s hooves.

Scootaloo snatched it up, turning and yelling to the mare, “Hey, you dropped this!”

She didn't seem to hear. She kept on pushing through, and the crowd kept on pushing Scootaloo the other way. In only a couple moments, she was out of sight completely. It wasn’t like Scootaloo had time to go chasing after her – she had a hard enough time fighting her way back to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, even though the two of them were holding back and waiting for her.

By the time she caught up, they were leaving the square and the crowd – starting to break up and head different directions – was a lot easier to walk through.

Now that she finally had a moment to spare from putting all her concentration into not getting stepped on, she took a look at the lanyard she’d picked up. Maybe the mare’s name and address would be on it?

Celestial Square

One Trick

All-access backstage pass

1 Adult

Her jaw dropped. No way! It couldn’t be!

She looked at it again … shook her head and looked at it a third time. Each time, it read exactly the same. It was a real backstage pass – for One Trick!!

“Hey,” Apple Bloom shouted at her, poking her in the side to get her attention. “Are you comin’ or what? We’ve gotta hurry if we’re gonna get our ice cream before the train comes!”

As Sweetie Belle came back to look at her as well, a big, slow smile spread over Scootaloo’s face. The reality of what she held in her hooves was starting to really sink in. It would be a bummer for that green mare, but for the three of them…

“Actually, girls…” She held up the pass for them to read. “I think I’ve got something better than ice cream.”

Both of their jaws dropped in unison, and they let out a pair of squeals that made the crowd flowing around them stop and stare.

Sweetie Belle just stood and gaped, her mouth moving without words. Apple Bloom, though, was a bit more eloquent. “What in the… But…?”

That’s when Sweetie Belle found her voice and finished Apple Bloom’s question: “Scootaloo! What kind of miracle did you – where’d you get that?”

Scootaloo held the pass up next to her face and smiled smugly. “Oh, I have my ways.”

Apple Bloom just gave her one of the deadpan stares her family was so good at. “But seriously, though. Where’d you get it?”

Slipping the lanyard around her neck, Scootaloo shrugged. “Found it on the ground. Somepony dropped it.” She didn't even care if those two believed her or not. “So, are you gonna come with me and meet One Trick or not?”

* * *

Once all three of them had fought their way back through the crowd and found the inconspicuous entrance to the backstage area, they encountered a problem.

It was a big problem – a big, brown, burly problem whose name, according to the tag on his security guard jacket, was Coco Puff.

“Get lost, kids,” he told them. “Backstage is for adults only.” He stood firmly in front of the only door in, and it looked like it would take an army to move his bulk out of the way.

“We are adults,” Apple Bloom lied.

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle was quick to back her up. “We’re just, um … short.”

The bouncer’s eyebrow rose slightly. He didn't budge.

Scootaloo stepped up in front of her friends, getting right up in his face. “And besides, we have a pass! See?” She held up the pass right in front of his face.

After inspecting the pass for a few moments, he snorted. “It’s a valid pass for one pony.” Through his glasses he stared them down. “Not three. Either of you two got a pass?”

The three of them glanced back and forth between each other.

Coco Puff smiled slightly – the only emotion he’d shown during the entire encounter so far. “Didn't think so.”

With long habit from their days crusading for cutie marks, the three friends retreated a little way away and went into a three-sided huddle, just far enough away that the guard wouldn't be able to hear anything they were saying, though he surely saw the occasional glances they shot his way.

“So,” Apple Bloom said conspiratorially, “rock paper scissors?”

Sweetie Belle shot her a look. “No – come on. Scootaloo should obviously get it. She’s the one who found it.”

“We don’t have to,” Scootaloo said in an attack of conscience. “We could all just go get ice cream like we planned…”

“What? We ain’t givin’ up on an opportunity like this! Sweetie Belle is right – you should go, Scootaloo.”

The idea of going backstage with her friends had been nothing but exciting – just like their old cutie mark adventures. The idea of going in there to meet those awesome ponies all alone… Well, that was exciting and terrifying. Scootaloo glanced back over at the bouncer. Could she really do this … alone? What would she even say to somepony like Star Shooter? It was a lot to even think about. She could hardly imagine actually doing it.

“Then it’s settled,” Sweetie Belle said. “Have a fun time for us, and tell us all about it when you get back!”

As they broke from their little huddle, Apple Bloom gave Scootaloo an ‘encouraging’ slap on the rump. “Yeah – go get ‘em! And don’t forget to get stuff autographed for us!”

Scootaloo laughed a little nervously. “Um, yeah – I will.” She turned and looked at the bouncer again. She wasn’t scared of him. The worst he could do was keep her out, right? And he couldn’t do that when she had a valid pass. It wasn’t that, though. He was the perfect ponification of that dark cloud of self-doubt hanging over her. It was just as bad as the first time she’d met the Wonderbolts. What if Star Shooter and his band didn't like her? What if they blew her off and told her to get lost?

“Well, what’re ya waitin’ for? Go on!”

She jumped a little and then headed quickly off before Apple Bloom could ‘encourage’ her again … and once she got moving, it was much easier to keep moving.

So what if it was like meeting the Wonderbolts all over again? That had ended up being pretty great, hadn’t it? If the band ended up being a bunch of stuck-up snobs who didn't like her… Well, they could stay that way, and she’d go eat ice cream with her friends, and that band would have three less fans from now on! She didn't owe them anything at all.

By the time she passed under the bouncer’s scornful gaze, she didn't even care about him anymore. How could she be scared of a pony named Coco Puff, anyway? She just flashed her pass at him as she trotted on by, and instead of worrying about him, she turned back and waved to her friends. The last thing she saw before ducking in through the anonymous grey door was them smiling and waving back.

She had expected some kind of inner sanctum even darker than the night outside, where she would find the band members alone and brooding together over something … probably something cool. That wasn’t it at all. Instead, she found herself in a well lit room, kind of like a widened hallway, but so packed full of boxed-up musical equipment that the ponies bustling back and forth through it still had to squeeze by one another.

There was no sign of anyone from the band back here, and no real indication of where she should go. Maybe anypony who had a pass was already supposed to know.

At first, she was afraid that the way she was standing and gawking around would make everypony suspicious of her … but no. They barely seemed to see her at all, and they all seemed way too busy to worry about somepony as small as her, anyway.

The only thing to do was to start exploring and hope she came across the band. They had to be back here somewhere, didn't they?

A series of doors led off from this corridor, in the direction leading away from the stage. She’d just have to try those…

The first one was just a dim storage room, full of old sets and props. Even though it was the middle of the summer, most of the things she saw in there seemed to be for the Hearth’s Warming pageant. It smelled musty in there, and the out-of-season decorations in the darkness loomed at her in a vaguely creepy way. She shut the door quickly and moved on.

The next one was clearly labeled as a bathroom, and since she knew the band wouldn’t be hanging out in there, she moved on to the one after that. This one was full of pipes and wires, and the one pony in there – a scrawny stallion with thick glasses – looked up at her as if to ask what she wanted.

“Oh, um… Never mind. Wrong door,” she said, hurrying back out before he might question who she was and whether she really had any right to be there.

The door after that, though … now that looked promising. A slightly nicer, fancier looking door with a sign on it that said ‘DRESSING ROOMS’. Could she really go in there?

She glanced down at the pass hanging from her neck. It did say ‘all access’, so…

Shrugging it off, she made up her mind and barged in through the door, bracing herself for any reaction she might face. If they were going to kick her out, they would. She’d just say it was a misunderstanding.

Nopony yelled at her when she stepped in, though. There was nopony around at all – just another hallway. This one was smaller and quieter than the other, lined with doors on either side and plush carpet the whole way through.

It wasn’t until she started reading the temporary nameplates on those doors, though, that it really hit her where she was: Static Impulse, Moody Blues, Steel Crescent, Flash Fire, and of course … Star Shooter. There were a few more doors, these ones blank, so she stopped there, at the last in line. Star Shooter’s dressing room!

For a long while, she stood there in front of his door, her hoof reaching up toward the doorknob … but no matter how much she tried to psych herself up to it, she just couldn’t force herself to take that last little step and open the door.

When she noticed that she was hyperventilating so much she could hardly see straight, she forced herself to take a step back and relax.

Okay, okay… She wouldn’t go to Star Shooter right away. Maybe she could meet some of the others first and help get her nerves together. Blindly, she opened the door on the other side of the hallway and stepped in, not even noticing whose it was.

And … it was empty.

Somepony had just been here, obviously. The room was really tiny, with just a desk and a well-lit vanity mirror over a sink on one side across from a padded chest that could work as a seat, and in the back, a frosted glass door leading to a little private shower. A smell of cologne lingered in the air in here, and there was still a bit of water in the sink next to the flashy outfit Moody Blues had been wearing on stage. But nopony was here.

Feeling more than ever like she was poking her nose where it didn't belong, she went back out and tried the next door in line. This time, she paid attention to whose name was on the door: Flash Fire.

Again, the room was empty … even emptier somehow, since the lights were off and there was no sign of anypony being there recently.

She tried Steel Crescent’s room next, and this time… Well, this time, she knew the moment she opened the door that he was here! The shower in the back was running at full blast, beginning to fill the small room with steam and fogging the mirror.

Scootaloo closed the door as silently as she could, her eyes going wide as she watched the silhouette behind the shower door move. Steel Crescent – if that was who it really was back there – was scrubbing himself down in a very businesslike way. It still made her fur prickle a little … and her tail rise a bit. She was more sure than ever that she shouldn’t be in here, but she couldn’t make herself look away, and she definitely couldn't force herself to leave like she knew she should.

Who knows how long she spent there, mesmerized by that sight… Steel Crescent was the least masculine of the ponies in the band, by Scootaloo’s reckoning, and his body looked almost like a mare’s, especially with his mane and tail wet from the shower. He was always the one that sensitive, romantic fillies fawned over. Sweetie Belle couldn't get enough of him – she had a poster in her room of just him alone! Scootaloo had always rolled her eyes at that, but now that she was there with him, practically in the same room as he showered, she couldn’t help but think of those hooves going up and down her body instead of his…

He reached down and the shower cut abruptly off.

Scootaloo froze. She suddenly knew she had to get out of there before he saw her … but without the noise of the shower to cover it, he was sure to hear the door opening. She had to do something, and fast, before he–

The shower door opened, and Steel Crescent stepped out, reaching for the towel on a nearby hook. He froze when he saw her.

Scootaloo stared back, gaping at just how blue he was. He’d always been dark grey with a silver, blue-streaked mane, but … but…

“Oh, um…” He looked her up and down again, his eyes finally settling on her backstage pass. “Wow, they really mean it when they say those passes are ‘all access’, don’t they?” As he started toweling himself off, he glanced over at her again. “Don’t worry, it’s not like I wear any clothes on stage anyway, right?”

“I…” She couldn’t force herself to speak. There she was, together in this little room, alone with Steel Crescent of all ponies, straight out of the shower and … blue! That seemed unduly important to her. “You’re um…”

Steel Crescent glanced down at himself, where she was staring. “Oh, yeah. I guess most ponies don’t know that. Everypony just kind of decided I look a lot cooler like that, so I always end up grey. That’s why I take so long in the shower – takes forever to rub all that coat dye out.” He rubbed himself ruthlessly with the towel, drying off quickly. “You, um… Well, you know the meet-and-greet with the fans was supposed to be before the show, right?”

Scootaloo gasped. Of course! She knew that finding this pass had to be too good to be true!

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” He hung the damp towel back up on its hook and effortlessly shook his mane back into its characteristically crescent shape. “Hey, most of the guys should already be down in the lounge. Come on.”

Her jaw dropped. “O-Okay!”

Steel Crescent headed down the hallway, and she followed him – trying not to stare at his ass too much – all the way down to the end, where he led her inside another door without any hesitation at all. Of course he didn't hesitate – this was all totally normal for him. Scootaloo felt like hesitating herself. She really felt like it deserved some dramatic pause before the plunge … but Steel Crescent just walked right in, leaving her no choice but to hurry after him.

When she came in, her eyes went wide. All of them were here – all of them except Star Shooter, disappointingly … but still. There was Static Impulse and Flash Fire. Over there, lounging and nursing a drink that he didn't quite look old enough for, Moody Blues looked up to see who’d come in.

“Hey bro, took you long enough, as usual!” he said with a playful punch to the shoulder. Plopping his drink down on the table next to him, he looked quizzically at Steel Crescent’s obvious follower. “Who’s that?”

“Um…” Steel Crescent rubbed his hoof through his mane. “What was your name, by the way?”

“I’m, uh…” For a moment, she thought about using a fake name, but decided against it. “I’m Scootaloo.”

Flash snickered. “What, are we adopting kids now?” The other members chuckled as well. Steel Crescent shrugged and looked away.

Scootaloo scoffed. “I’m not a kid!”

“Oh really,” Static Impulse said, standing up next to Flash. “Just how old are you, then?”

Scootaloo gulped, feeling a bit of a cold sweat coming on. Crap, she thought. I can’t tell them how old I really am, can I? Am I even allowed back here?

Static Impulse stood up and began to walk toward her.

Come on, Scootaloo, think! She put a hoof to her mouth to steady her nerves. How old should she say? “Eighteen?”

Uh-oh. That was rather less confidence than she’d hoped to force out. It got a small chuckle from Flash and a smile from the rest of the band.

“Eighteen? Really?” Flash said through a fit of laughter. “Okay, when’s your birthday, then?”

Scootaloo felt her head going woozy from the pressure. “Um … Neighvember third, ten twenty nine.” There. That sounded more confident.

Static Impulse now appeared in front of Scootaloo, peering down at her carefully.

“So, based on that, you’re twenty.” Moody Blues raised an eyebrow at her.

Scootaloo noticeably shrunk to the floor. “I, I’m sorry, I have a pass. I don’t mean to be trouble I just...” Tears started welling up in her eyes. Darn it, she said to herself. Not now – not in front of them!

She really didn’t want to lie even more, but she didn’t want them to push her away, either. Then she’d have let all her friends down. Maybe she should have gotten ice cream with them after all.

Static Impulse looked closely at her pass.

“Hey, look, everyone, it’s Sugar Bee! She’s the owner of SuBe Farms! It says right here on the back of her pass.” He laughed, with a bit of a snort. “Remember? She was back here before the show. Really cool gal!” Static led out another deep chuckle. “She looks a bit different now, but hey, ponies change, am I right?”

Steel Crescent looked down at the pass and laughed at the revelation, and the other band members nodded and went along with it. They all seemed to think it was hilarious.

Scootaloo was devastated. Of course passes would have names, just like the ones the band members were wearing. She was ruined. She should probably tell them she’d just leave on her own if they didn't call for security or something.

After a short pause, all the band members snickered and then laughed out loud, taking Scootaloo by surprise. It was a boisterous laughter, one that belied the seriousness of the situation.

Static Impulse came around, put his hoof over her shoulders, and smiled in a way that reminded her of Pinkie Pie. “We’re just messing with you, kid. We don’t care about any of that! It’s all good!” Then he leaned in close. “The only questions that really matter are whether you’re a fan of our music, and if you feel up to hanging out for a while.”

Steel Crescent nodded. “Seriously. We’re not gonna be doing anything important. Just playing some games and getting some food before the night’s out. If your parents gave you permission, then you’re good to go.”

Scootaloo was flabbergasted, taking a little longer to process the complete reversal the conversation had just taken. She’d been so sure they wanted nothing to do with her … and now they wanted her to hang out ... with Them? Like, all night?

Lack of parents aside, Scootaloo knew her friends would have her back because they told her aunt that they would be staying at the Apple family’s tonight. She knew Apple Bloom would cover for her.

“Absolutely! I’m down. And yeah, parents won’t be a problem!” she said with an ear-to-ear grin.

Static jumped for joy. “Then it’s settled! Now where’s Twinkle?”

“Um, Twinkle?” Scootaloo asked. Who the heck was that?

“Oh, that’s just what we call—”

The door opened again, and in came Star Shooter. He was a pegasus pony, just like her, and the only thing that shone brighter than his snow-white coat was his royal blue eyes. Swinging his golden mane as if he was making his grand entrance on stage all over again, he posed for a moment, as if anticipating praise from his band members – praise that wasn’t forthcoming – and only noticed Scootaloo after giving up on his grand entrance. “Hey, who’s the filly?” He gave her a heart-melting smile.

Scootaloo’s jaw dropped open at the sight of him. That had to be him – the real him! – even without seeing his star-glitter cutie mark, she knew that no other stallion could ever look like that. “I… I’m, um…” She just couldn't make her mouth work. She couldn't believe she was even in the same room as him.

“Her name’s Scootaloo,” Static Impulse said. “Don’t worry, she’s cool.”

She’d given up on trying to force words out of her mouth for the moment. But hearing someone she admired so much say that she was ‘cool’ made her glow from inside all over again.

“Usually she talks a bit more, though,” Flash Fire added with a little chuckle.

Her face burned hot. “I’m just, um… Hi, Star Shooter. I’m a really big fan.”

Before Star Shooter could respond to that, Static Impulse barked out a quick laugh. “Too bad you spent so much time on that beauty routine. While you were gone, Steelie here seduced this sweet little filly and claimed her.”

Scootaloo’s fur stood on end. “Hey! I haven’t been–”

“I did no such–” Steel Crescent stopped himself as the rest of them burst out laughing again. “Oh come on, you guys. Just because she wandered into my dressing room…”

“She just happened to wander into your dressing room?” Star gave him an incredulous look. “Likely story. But, I guess, if she’s already claimed…” He grinned, looking back into Scootaloo’s star-struck eyes, hoof on his chin.

“No, no! I’m not already claimed. I’m, um…” Wait, what was she going to say, again? ‘Down for anything that might happen’? ‘Totally in love with you’? ‘Ready to go right now’? “... Not claimed,” she finished lamely.

“Well then.” Smiling he came up to her, taking one of her hooves in his. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Star Shooter, but my friends just call me Star.”

“Filthy lies!” Flash Fire yelled out.

“Yeah,” Moody Blues chipped in. “Your real name is Twinkle Star, and all of your friends I know call you Twinkle.”

He sighed slightly. “Ugh, fine. You guys never let me get away with anything, do you?” Looking back down at Scootaloo, though, he smiled. “Really, though, you can call me anything you want.”

“I, um… Okay.” Scootaloo couldn’t help herself. She felt dizzy.

“Uh-oh,” Moody Blues teased, “Looks like lover boy here’s got another not-so-secret admirer!”

Star looked away, his ears dropping against his mane. “It’s … it’s not like that.”

Flash Fire stomped a hoof down. “Not like that? Ha! What – do you think we’ve never seen you with the fangirls before?”

“Guys, come on!” Star actually began to blush.

Moody Blues came over, sidling up to the lead singer. “Ooh – he’s totally hooked, just look at the way he’s—”

“Hey,” Star said suddenly. “Are we going to hang out here all night, or are we going back to our suite?”

“I don’t know…” Moody Blues wagged his eyebrows. “Are we?”

They all laughed when Star turned and huffed his way through the door … but also all followed him. Scootaloo followed as well, feeling awed to be in such company.

The idea of going to their suite with them weighed pretty heavily in her mind as well. She wasn’t about to turn down an invitation like that – not a chance – but what did it mean? Did they invite all kinds of fans to hang out like this, or was it just her? Was she that special somehow? No, she couldn’t be. But she sure felt special. Even if she wasn’t the only one ever, she was the only one tonight. And as stressful as it was to suddenly be thrust into this group of tight-knit friends as the stranger, there was also no ignoring just how awesome this all was. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were never going to believe her!

As they left the concert hall and headed out into the now-empty street, Static Impulse came up alongside Star. “Don’t worry about Flash and Blues,” he said. “They’re just giving you a hard time ‘cause they’re jealous.”

“I know, Sparky – I know. I just wish they wouldn’t do it quite that much in front of the fans.”

Scootaloo hurried up to come along his other side. “Hey, did you just call Static Impulse ‘Sparky’?”

Static Impulse gasped. “Crap...”

Flash fire came up behind Scootaloo. He gave a laugh that would have been better suited to a villain about to unleash his doomsday weapon. “His real name is Moonlight Sparkler.”

Static Impulse hung his head low. “Ugh, not again. That’s no relation to the Sparkle family or the new princess, by the way – everypony seems to think that.”

“Oh come on,” Flash Fire teased. “If I had a name like that, I’d let people think I was related to the new princess. Makes the name ten times cooler.”

“They just call me Spark.”

“Sparky,” Star corrected.

Static Impulse sighed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah. I guess so.”

Scootaloo couldn’t help but giggle slightly, which she immediately felt bad for, especially after seeing the way he looked at her. “It’s a great name,” she said, putting enough heartfelt admiration behind it to make him smile.

“Yeah,” Steel Crescent said from behind her – why were so many of these stallions wanting to walk behind her? – he chuckled nervously. “Don’t even get into what my real name is.”

Flash Fire laughed. “Yeah, with a name like—”

“I said don’t even get into it!”

That earned Steel Crescent some more laughs from the other stallions, but none of them offered up his real name. Scootaloo shrugged it off. Calling him ‘Steel Crescent’ was good enough for her!

In seemingly no time, they were at the hotel. It was only about a block away from the concert, after all.

They crossed the fancy lobby – suitable for even the best hotel in Canterlot – in a rush. Scootaloo barely took any of it in before they made it to the elevator on the other side.

And once there, everypony crammed into the same elevator. Nopony wanted to wait behind for a second trip up.

It wasn’t a very big elevator. With five full-grown stallions stuffed into it along with her, it was quite cramped indeed. Scootaloo was keenly aware of the bodies pressing against her on all sides, and even though everypony had been talking and joking in the lobby, nopony said a word in here.

Moody Blues, the slimmest of the bunch, ended up pressing against her left side; Static Impulse’s warm, charcoal-colored coat rubbed against her right. And Star… He was right behind her, his soft chest fluff pressed against the top of her rump. It reminded her of the one time she’d had a stallion – or a colt, rather – a fumbling, unsatisfying little romp with Rumble. She tried not to think about it. Her tail kept wanting to lift up as it was – she had to keep it clamped down and not think about … that. She would not embarrass herself by rubbing herself against her longtime idol like that.

The elevator ride was long and slow, apparently going up to the very top of the hotel. By the time the doors dinged and slid open, Scootaloo was trembling in place, almost certain that she wouldn't be able to hold her body in check long enough.

She darted out of the elevator in a rush, glad to be free of the crush of warm, tempting stallion bodies around her. Her headlong rush was immediately stopped by a locked door – the only door in a small anteroom outside the elevator.

Trying to act nonchalant, she propped herself up against the wall by the door jamb. Hopefully, they wouldn’t notice how heavily she was breathing … or guess the real reason why.

Thankfully, none of them did notice. Or if they did, they didn't say anything about it.

Star came up to the door, grinned at her, then fumbled in his mane. He frowned, then fumbled some more. Eventually, he sighed. “Um, does anybody else have their room key?”

Steel Crescent pushed his way past Star, a key already in his hooves. “I swear, Twinkle, you’d lose your own tail if it wasn’t attached to your ass.”

Looking away, Star sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

The door clicked open. As Flash Fire went inside, he gave Star a playful poke in the ribs. “Oh, don’t be like that. We all know you can’t help it.”

Star rolled his eyes as the others laughed, then ushered Scootaloo inside before coming in himself.

Inside, the hotel suite was even swankier than the lobby had been. It was beyond anything Scootaloo had ever experienced, except maybe her brief visits to the Castle itself … and this place was much more modern and trendy than the centuries-old luxury of the Castle.

This place, though, this place was just cool. Everything was squared-off and sharp-looking, from the chandelier made of a dozen sheets of horizontal glass to the long, low couches around the room with their angled cushions that somehow managed to look silky soft despite their shape.

She paused just to stare at everything as the stallions all walked past her.

All except for Star. He stopped next to her. “Yeah, pretty incredible, huh? Always liked doing gigs in Canterlot. Even Manehattan and Las Pegasus can’t really compete.” Taking a few more steps, he glanced back at her over his own rump. “Come on, make yourself at home.”

Scootaloo followed him deeper into the main room of the suite … but she wasn’t quite sure how to ‘make herself at home’ here. At first, she followed Star, but when it became clear that he was headed for the bathroom, she peeled away, suddenly nervous, and propped herself up on one of the couches. She hoped the way she held herself there looked nonchalant … not as silly and phoney as it felt.

For a few moments, she was completely at a loss and just hoping to go unnoticed for a while … until Flash Fire and Moody Blues fired up their game console, lighting up a huge screen on the far wall.

She gaped at it. “No way! You have a game sphere in your hotel room?”

Steel Crescent sat down next to her, a little closer than he really needed to. He laughed. “Nah – it didn't come with the room or anything. But Moody never leaves home without it.”

“My name’s Blues – just Blues!”

“Right, right.” Steel Crescent laughed again. “I keep forgetting that, don’t I?”

The game booted up into some fighting game she wasn’t familiar with. The two players immediately went at it against each other, one of them playing as some kind of sheep and the other as a cow. Weird.

“You won’t forget it when I kick your ass in Fightin’ Herds,” Moody Blues called out without looking away from the screen, his hooves frantically mashing the controls.

“You’ve got to beat Flashy first. Good luck with that.”

Scootaloo wasn’t sure which character on the screen was which, but from the look on Blue’s face, it wasn’t going well for him. It looked like Steel Crescent was right.

But then Steel Crescent nudged her with an elbow. “Hey, you want to take a round next?”

“Me?” Scootaloo stared at the frantic action on the screen and gulped. “I don’t know. I probably wouldn’t be very good at it.”

“Can’t be worse than Moody,” Steel said.

And indeed, the moment Steel said that, the cow on the screen collapsed and stopped moving. From the way Moody Blues groaned and dropped his controller, it seemed he’d lost, and lost badly.

“Aw, come on – that’s cheating!”

Flash Fire looked at him condescendingly. “It’s not cheating, it’s called a combo move. Maybe you should try one someday?”

Moody Blues stomped away from the game in a huff. “Whatever. Let’s give the new girl a round. What’s her name again, Scootaloo, right?”

“That’s right,” Scootaloo confirmed, with a bit of pride.

Before Scootaloo could get up, though, Static Impulse came back from where he’d been rummaging around in one corner of the room. “You nerds and your games. Is this how you impress a fan? Here.” He gave her a glass full of amber liquid. “This is the kind of round we ought to be giving her!”

She stared at it. “Is this…?”

“Just a little gift from the mini-bar. Most of the stuff in there isn’t very good, but Hoofington Hops isn’t bad at all.”

Scootaloo sniffed the contents of the disposable plastic cup. Kind of like sweet fruit that had gone bad, but also something like wheat or hay. It almost made her eyes water.

Moody Blues was getting interested, coming over to them as Static Impulse quickly drained his own cup. Moody Blues looked at her knowingly. “Go on, give it a taste. I bet it’s better than all the other stuff you’ve had before.”

“Yeah.” She put on the most convincing grin she could manage. “All the other stuff I’ve had before.”

Well, there was nothing else but to give it a try. If she was going to convince them that she was a cool pony who deserved to be here, she had to play the part.

She took a careful sip. It filled her mouth instantly with a pungent, fuzzy taste that made her eyes go wide. If the two stallions hadn’t been watching her, she would have spat it out instantly. Instead, she forced herself to smile and swallow, hoping that they wouldn’t be able to see the way her eyes were watering. “Wow, that’s…” she blinked away the tears trying to form. “That’s great!”

Static Impulse smiled back, apparently oblivious to her suffering. “Knew you’d like it! I’m gonna go back and get a few more – anypony want some?”

A bunch of voices called out in answer. Apparently, everypony wanted some of that vile stuff. It was by far the worst thing Scootaloo had ever put in her mouth. She had no idea why they seemed to like it so much, but she clung to her own cup, pretending to take another sip without letting any of it actually pass her lips.

Moody Blues was still there, smirking at her. He seemed to see right through her. “New favorite brew, hm?”

Instead of answering him, she took another sip, actually drinking a bit of it this time. She just nodded.

After that, it was easy enough for her to settle in on the couch between a couple of the stallions and watch them take turns playing their fighting game. She’d only drank half her cup while most of them had already gone through two or three, but none of them seemed to mind, and nopony called her out on it. She just kept slowly suffering through hers and hoping she wouldn’t need to drink another one.

“So, where ya from?” Moody Blues asked. “You don’t seem like the usual snobs from Canterlot.”

She kept one eye on the screen. Star was doing so much better against Flash Fire than Moody Blues had. It wasn’t even close. And as for Moody Blues’s question… Some ponies might be ashamed about being from a tiny town, but Scootaloo would never be ashamed of where she’d come from. “Ponyville!” she said proudly.

Blue just furrowed his brows. “Ponyville?”

“Oh come on,” Flash Fire said. “You must have heard of Ponyville.”

Moody Blues shrugged.

“You know, the site of the Summer Sun Celebration when Princess Luna returned? The place where the Elements of Harmony live? The town with the brand-new sparkly castle where Princess Twilight lives?”

Blue shrugged again. “I guess I don’t read the news much.”

Flash Fire groaned. “Please excuse our idiot. I’m sure the rest of us all know about Ponyville. It’s a real up-and-coming town, isn’t it? Hey … maybe we should have a concert there someday. You think the Princess would let us use her ‘sparkly castle’, as Sparky here so elegantly called it?”

Scootaloo perked up even more. “Yeah! I’m sure she would. Twilight’s really nice! This one time, she—”

“Wait.” Static Impulse reached out and held Scootaloo with a hoof – she secretly thrilled at the touch.. “You know the hottest new Princess in Equestria? Like you know know her?” he said.

“Oh here we go,” Flash Fire said. “Sorry about Sparky. He’s got a bit of a crush.”

“Well, um, yeah.” Scootaloo blushed a little under the intensity of Static Impulse’s relentless interest. “I have a kind of study session with her sometimes. We call it Twilight Time. This one time, when I was racing along on the scooter I’d just finished building, she—”

“Racing, you say?” Moody Blues jumped up. “Come on! We’ve got to play Wonderbolts Derby – it’s been forever since anyone could give me any real competition in that, and I bet you can do it. Besides, it’ll be better than watching Star beat Flash Fire in Fightin’ Herds again and way better than listening to Flashy go on about his favorite purple princess for hours!”

Nopony actually moved to switch out the games, though, not with the way the competition between Star and Flash Fire kept heating up. A couple of the others were so interested in it that they were actually cheering the two on.

The couch was a little bit cramped for so many ponies lounging on it. She was pressed between the warm orange fur of Flash Fire and Static Impulse’s charcoal black. And even though there were a lot of other things on her mind, there was definitely a part of her – a very deep part – that only cared about how close those oh-so-desirable stallions were to her own body. She hoped she wasn’t leaving a stain on their couch.

And as the night went on and cups became emptier, she began noticing that their restraint was slipping a bit. She saw Static Impulse shift his legs to hide the way he was beginning to slip out of his sheath, but she still saw a little bit of what he was hiding. Flash Fire seemed to think that holding his empty cup over his lap would hide things, but that orange mottled cock was much too big to be hidden behind a little plastic cup. Scootaloo did her best not to stare. That would be rude. But she did sneak quite a few glances.

In fact, she was so busy sneaking glances that she didn't even notice Steel Crescent going around and asking ponies what they wanted … until he came right up to her and said, “Feel like getting anything from room service?”

Scootaloo blinked up at him, her mind struggling to change gears that fast. “From room service?”

“Yeah … that is what I said.”

“Oh, um…” What did ponies even order from room service anyway? She’d never stayed in a hotel this fancy, and all she knew for sure was that it must be horribly expensive. She couldn’t afford it, and she couldn’t ask them to pay for her. “I, um… I don’t really need anything.”

Just as Steel Crescent was about to walk away, Flash Fire cut in from the side. “Hey, now – you’ve got to get something.” He’d finally lost to Star a while ago, and as the others played on, he scooted even closer to her. “I know they don’t allow any food in that concert, and you haven’t gotten anything since then, right? You must be starving!”

“But I…”

“Oh come on – don’t play tough with us. I know you must be…” Flash Fire caught the nervous look on her face. “Oh, you’re worried about how much it costs, aren’t you?”

Her cheeks heated. She looked away, but she did manage a slight nod. Surely now they’d lose interest in her, now that they knew she wasn’t one of the high-class mares they were probably used to hanging out with.

To her surprise, though, Flash Fire laughed. “Don’t sweat it – our contract says that our stay in Canterlot is all-expense-paid. As long as you don’t order enough food for fifty ponies or something, they’ll never notice one or two extra meal orders on the bill.”

“Oh…” Scootaloo smiled now. That sounded more like something she could deal with.

“So,” Steel Crescent said, “Are we finally ready to order now? I guarantee I’m twice as hungry as you are.”

“Um, is there a menu or something?” Scootaloo felt her blush coming back on. So much of this was still unfamiliar territory for her.

Steel Crescent rolled his eyes, but Flash Fire leaned in close … excitingly close. “Maybe in other hotels, but this is the best place in Canterlot. You just tell them what you want, and they’ll do it.”

“Oh, um… Maybe just a hayburger and fries, then?”

Both Flash Fire and Steel Crescent startled her with their laughter. Star choked, which lost him his match against Static Impulse.

As Static Impulse celebrated his victory, he patted Star roughly on the back. “Looks like the two of you have a lot in common!” He laughed as well. “Maybe you two should get married! Then you could settle down and raise a batch of burger-eating kids!”

Scootaloo had shrunk down in her spot at all the commotion she’d unexpectedly caused, but Steel Crescent pulled her out of it with a friendly nudge to her shoulder. “Don’t let it get to you – we just like to tease Star about his ‘simple tastes’. It’s funny that out of all the foods in the world, both of you would pick plain old hayburgers.”

She forced a little laugh, but the smile was genuine. She was actually a little pleased to see that her idolized lead singer was actually just as down-to-earth as her … at least in some things.

The food arrived fast – shockingly fast. It was delivered by a tall, lanky unicorn mare who sneered at them – especially at Scootaloo – as she wheeled a cart full of covered plates into the room.

But she was quickly sent off – in a rather more pleasant mood after she’d gotten a tip – and everypony except the two in the middle of their match rushed over to the cart.

Scootaloo bunched in with them just as fiercely as the rest, pushing her way through the feeding frenzy as ponies uncovered plates and tried to figure out whose was whose.

“‘Scuse me,” she grumbled as yet another bigger-than-her stallion blocked her view of the plates. Even though the food had come quickly, she was absolutely starving. “Does anyone see which is mine?”

“Here you go, here you go.” Steel Crescent passed her a plate with the delicious-looking burger on it. “Just have a little patience, okay?”

Static Impulse took a short break from chowing down on his tray of cupcakes to glance over at her flank. “Say… What kind of a cutie mark is that, anyway?”

She glanced down at her own flank where Static Impulse was looking – where everyone in the band was suddenly looking. All that male attention on her rump felt … interesting. She had nothing at all to be ashamed of, though. “I got my cutie mark for helping other ponies find the purpose of their cutie marks! Me and both my friends got matching ones at the same time, all three of us!”

“Three at the same time?” Static Impulse said before summarily going back to his cupcakes. “Just like us, guys! That’s wild!”

Steel Crescent eyed her speculatively, though, rubbing his chin.

She glanced over at him. “Hm?”

“Oh…” He smiled deviously. “I was just wondering if your two friends are as cute as you are.”

“They’re not…” She stopped herself and blushed a little. How could anypony even answer a question like that? If she told him her friends weren’t as cute, that would seem conceited, but if she told him that they were cuter, the stallions might start being more interested in them than in her. “I, um… I don’t know.” Were her friends cuter than her? Maybe Sweetie Belle was a bit more nicely groomed. Maybe Apple Bloom was better endowed when it came to having a nice thick rump to draw stallions’ eyes.

Flash Fire nudged her. “Don’t let him get to you – he’s only teasing. “You’re the cutest filly I’ve seen in a long time, let me tell you.”

“Flashy really doesn’t get along with the fillies well,” Steel Crescent added as an aside.

Flash Fire ignored the gibe. “Although … if they are as cute as you are, I could definitely see the possibilities of having all three of you here at the same time…”

“No!” Scootaloo shouted, surprising herself with the vehemence of it. She blushed as all the stallions stared at her. “No, I mean, um… Not now, though maybe I could introduce you guys to my friends some other day?”

Looking in her eyes very meaningfully, Flash Fire smirked. “We might just take you up on that.”

Had she … just set up another date with them, with the other Crusaders? Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were going to be so amazed when she came back to Ponyville! She could already imagine the faces they’d make when they found out...

What was more interesting were the looks some of these stallions were giving her now. She shook herself a little, reminding herself to stay in the moment and enjoy what she already had. When she met the appraising look Moody Blues was giving her, he broke eye contact, looking away and blushing slightly. But when she met Steel Crescent’s gaze, the illicit heat she felt behind it made her look away and blush.

Eventually, the food was all gone, and everyone had taken a turn on the game but her. It definitely wasn’t her kind of game, but the others insisted that she couldn’t just sit there and be bored all night. At first, she still refused, but when Star himself insisted that she should have some fun, she shrugged. “Okay, why not?”

Steel Crescent ended up being her opponent – a right he claimed by having defeated everypony else so far … or at least being the most recent winner. Scootaloo wasn’t entirely sure whose character was whose on the screen.

Once she’d figured out the very basic controls and the match began, it was obvious why this wasn’t her kind of game. She didn't stand a chance against the stallion’s experience and practice in it. The only thing that saved her from complete embarrassment was that Steel Crescent had been through a few cups of Hoofington Hops already, which slowed down his reactions a little bit … almost enough for Scootaloo to keep up with him.

Eventually, though, he did claim victory – with a truly spectacular finishing move that blew Scootaloo’s character clear off the screen.

“Oh come on,” Star said. “You could at least let the girl win once. Are you really that competitive?”

As much as it made Scootaloo tingle inside to hear Star sticking up for her, Scootaloo was that competitive, and she had no intention of being coddled and condescended to. “Hey! I don’t need any kind of special treatment. Whip out a racing game, and I’ll beat the pants off of all of you!”

“We don’t even wear pants,” Flash Fire quipped.

Only allowing herself the briefest of glances between his legs to appreciate just how true that was, Scootaloo hopped up from the couch. Without her even realizing it, her tail flagged high, giving all the stallions a peek underneath.

She rummaged through the box of games, her flanks wiggling a little behind her as she dug through them. “Nope, nope, nope…” Most of the games were single-player and the ones that weren’t were fighting games. “Nope, nope, nope…” It wasn’t until the end of the stack that she finally found a suitable one she could kick these stallions’ flanks at: Pony Dance Revolution. “Yeah! That’ll do!”

When she turned back toward the stallions, holding the game cartridge up in her hooves, her jaw dropped and her heart skipped a beat. They were all showing now, all five stallion cocks at least halfway erect. All of them were doing their best to inconspicuously hide it, but sitting on the couch like that, it wasn’t easy. Was that all in reaction to watching her? Only then did she realize how high her tail was sticking up. Oh wow … she’d really been giving them a show as she went through the box of games, hadn’t she?

“So, um… The game, then?” Steel Crescent said slowly.

Eager to distract from the state she’d put them in, Star hopped up and came toward her, his pale pink cock swinging underneath him and vying for her attention.

Both he and she pretended to ignore that and instead got the game up and running. They did so wordlessly and in a rush, both of them sneaking glances at each other where they shouldn’t be and trying to ignore the stallions still on the couch and quite obviously doing the same.

Once they’d rolled out the controller mats that would register their dance steps and fired up the game, Scootaloo was able to sink into it a little and forget about who she was dancing with, forget about what was still swinging between his legs.

It took all her concentration to keep up with the steps, but she was managing it. She was managing it better than Star, at least.

Their two controller pads were right next to each other. Probably too close to each other, in retrospect. She could practically feel the heat of him moving alongside her; he panted a little as he tried to match the same steps she was doing.

Scootaloo just grinned all the wider. She was crushing it now – way ahead on the scoreboard as Star began to tire. But she could keep this up all night!

As they neared the end of the song and got into the really tricky part, though, it turned out to be too much for Star. Trying to keep up with the increasing tempo, he somehow got his hooves crossed.

Scootaloo didn't see just how he managed that – she’d been too busy trying to keep up with the beat herself – all she knew was that Star’s end-over-end tumbling body suddenly crashed right into her, sending them both sprawling on the plush carpet.

Harsh ding-ding-ding noises came from the game as they both missed all the last steps of this dance. But Scootaloo barely noticed that. She’d ended up on her back, and Star had somehow wound up turned around and on top of her. And there was his … his cock, right there in front of her face, just inches away. It hung halfway out of his sheath and moved up and down a little with every panting breath he took. She was breathing heavy, too, and every breath carried a whiff of his clean but very masculine scent.

She stared for a few long moments before Star seemed to realize the position they were in. He shot up off of her, darting almost all the way back to the couch. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry I didn't mean to … um…”

Scootaloo hoisted herself up and sat on the carpet where she’d fallen. She stared at him with a grin.

“It … it was just an accident, I swear!” The authenticity of Star’s apology was undercut a little by the growing laughter of the other stallions.

This was an odd position for Scootaloo to find herself in. She actually had an odd kind of power over him at the moment. Over him. Wow. For once, she didn't feel like the intruder, like she didn't belong. And she could finally speak her mind without worrying about it.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, then winked. “I kind of liked the view, anyway.”

That had far more effect on the stallions than she’d thought it would. Their giggling stopped. Their jaws dropped. And that wasn’t the only thing that dropped. Whether it was what she’d said or the tone she’d said it in, it caused all five cocks to come sliding back out of their sheaths.

Scootaloo’s eyes went wide, staring at them all. Was that all for her? She’d never had that kind of effect on so many stallions before. And it made her feel … powerful, in a way.

She picked herself up carefully, very aware of all the eyes watching her. When she stepped back onto her controller pad and coyly said, “Who’s next?” everypony except Star jumped forward at once. She grinned. Oh yes, this was going to be fun.

And it was fun. None of the others were quite as bad at it as Star. Or, at least none of them actually tripped over their own hooves and fell. The only one who actually gave her a challenge was the drummer, Flash Fire, who turned out to have a really good sense of rhythm. Even then, though, Scootaloo was a little better with her hooves and ended up beating him … if only just barely.

She danced in front of them, shaking her hips behind her as she gloated. “Now that’s how it’s done! Pony Dance Revolution champion! Woohoo!”

None of the stallions were very good dancers – that explained why there wasn’t much choreography in their show – but they weren’t sore losers about it, either. All of them were grinning almost as much as she was. They seemed to enjoy seeing her so happy.

When she happened to glance up at the clock on the wall, though, she froze. It was almost midnight! How had it gotten so late already?

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Star asked.

She deflated, seeming to shrink a few inches shorter. “Ugh… It’s getting pretty late. I should probably… You know…” She didn't even want to say it, but she knew she should probably be going home soon. Damn! And things had just started getting really awesome, too!

Star glanced over at his fellow band members. All of them met his eyes and gave slight nods as some unspoken signal passed back and forth. Then he looked back to her. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I think we’d all be fine with it if you wanted to stay the night. Right, guys?”

The four other stallions all nodded again, giving various grunts and “Uh-huh”s of approval.

“You mean…” Scootaloo stared wide-eyed. “... Like a slumber party?”

Star chuckled. “Yeah, um… Something like that.”

Scootaloo beamed. “Yes! This is going to be so awesome!”

Author's Note

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