23: Surprise, Part 1
The days after Nightmare Night were scheduled for a massive rainstorm, so both Starshadow and Starsong accepted Applejack's offer to sleep over at Sweet Apple Acres and spend the day with the Apple family. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were also sleeping over at the farm, and all three Cutie Mark Crusaders jumped for joy at the announcement and begged Starsong to stay in Apple Bloom's room with them. She accepted their offer despite AJ and Granny Smith vigorously shaking their head for her not to, and with simultaneous facehoofs they could only imagine what torture Starsong was subjecting herself to. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash declined to also stay over as they had other priorities; Rainbow Dash said she had to go check up on Fluttershy who had run off home after managing to escape Dash's grasp, and Pinkie said she had a sudden party to prepare for, and as she bounced off into the darkness she shouted back "See you in a few days!"
Nopony knew what Pinkie meant by her parting remark, though Starshadow noticed her sister turning slightly red and avoiding eye contact with her. Having a suspicious feeling that she had told Pinkie about a certain day coming up soon, Starshadow confronted Starsong directly. "You told her?" Starshadow asked with a raised eyebrow.
"W-what? No! I mean, not really. I mean..." Starsong stuttered before she gave in. "She already knew, she just asked me to confirm that it's two days after tomorrow. I don't have any idea how she found out about it, I swear! She said she has a book with everpony's information in it, and that's how she found out."
"It's true!" a cheerful voice rang out, and with complete surprise both sisters saw Pinkie bouncing back over to them. Pulling a rather thick book out from somewhere, Pinkie opened it to that week and pointed at the date Starshadow was asking about. "See? I already knew that yours is that day, and that the next day is Starsong's. But don't worry, I already have both parties planned for each of you!"
"Pinkie, hold on. I don't think that Starshadow wants a par-" Starsong began to say, but Starshadow held up a hoof to stop her sister.
"What she means is I don't think we need two separate parties. You can just throw one big party for both of us." Starshadow said.
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie said happily, once again headed back home. "See you then!"
Starsong turned to Starshadow with a surprised look on her face. "Are you... did you just... you're okay with celebrating it this year?" she asked cautiously.
Starshadow nodded. Starsong followed her sister's gaze and they watched their new friends; Applejack lecturing Rainbow Dash about not scaring Fluttershy anymore while Big Mac tried his best to round up the three small fillies for bed. Finally, Starshadow turned back to her sister with a smile on her face. "Yeah, I think I'm okay with celebrating it this year. With you and all of my new friends here, I'm okay with letting them all know that it's my birthday. Besides, I'll finally be a whole year closer to you."
Starsong returned her sister's smile and playfully nudged her. "Just for one day, little sister."
Just as planned by the weather ponies, a heavy rain fell across Ponyville and the surrounding lands the next two days. Almost everypony stayed at home as they didn't wish to get soaked, the only exceptions being those who had to make deliveries around town. Despite a somewhat rough wind keeping even Rainbow Dash indoors, Derpy continued to dutifully make her rounds around town to deliver the mail. She stopped by Sweet Apple Acres to talk with Starshadow about her upcoming birthday party, and as the bubbly pegasus took off to continue her rounds Starshadow's jaw dropped as she saw Derpy flawlessly take off and fly straight for the first time ever, despite the bumpy winds. Shaking her head in a combination of amusement and bafflement, she returned indoors to wait out the rain with everypony else.
Everypony had something to keep them busy during the rainstorm. Applejack 'miraculously' rebounded from her cold and helped Granny Smith with chores as well as cleaning up the mess Apple Bloom and her friends made as they continued their quest to get their cutie marks. Poor Starsong found herself yet again caught in the middle of the chaos of the three fillies, and despite her attempts to get their minds off of cutie marks, everything she suggested always led one of the three fillies to exclaim a new idea for a special talent. Eventually, Starsong gave up and concentrated on damage control.
With nothing to do themselves, Big Mac and Starshadow spent most of their time together. Having spent the first day just lounging around together, the two ponies started off the second day trying out some new ciders that the Apples had come up with, and Starshadow hugged her special somepony tightly when he told her that she could choose any of the ciders to be served at the upcoming party. Accepting his offer to try out each type of cider, Starshadow soon found herself getting drunk off of the many different flavors Big Mac had come up with despite taking small sips of each kind; Apple-cherry, apple-cinnamon, apple-raspberry... the list just kept on going and going.
With Starshadow now drunk and even Big Mac himself very tipsy, the small pegasus jumped up at her lover, locking her lips to his as the two ponies embraced each other while lying down on the storeroom floor. Starshadow allowed Big Mac to gain the upper hoof and soon found herself underneath his large frame, and while they continued to kiss she could feel his stallionhood beginning to harden.
"Big Mac, ya in here?" Applejack's voice rang out.
Freezing for a moment, Big Mac scrambled to remove himself from his position on top of Starshadow, managing to stand up just as Applejack rounded a stack of barrels and came into view.
"There ya are, Ah've been lookin' all over fer ya!" Applejack said. "Ah need yer help, Apple Bloom an' her friends knocked over all'a the hay stacks out'n the barn. Ya comin'?"
Big Mac sighed. It had taken him over a day to stack all of the hay in the barn, and with Pinkie demanding that the barn be kept clear for the upcoming birthday party, he had no choice but to clean up the mess with Applejack.
"Eeyup. Be there one moment." he said. Applejack nodded and trotted off to start cleaning up the massive mess while Big Mac helped the tipsy Starshadow back upstairs to his room, helping her into bed so she could sleep off her drunkenness.
Before he could leave his room, Starshadow planted one more long, wet kiss on his lips. "Better clean up fast, I want to continue where we left off." she said seductively.
Big Mac could only nod before he ran off after Applejack, pausing only to make sure he wouldn't expose a certain body part to everypony else in the house. Luckily for him, his shaft had softened and disappeared back into its sheath, allowing him to pretend that everything was normal. However, the mess that met him in the barn was beyond what he expected, and he facehoofed himself as he saw that Apple Bloom and the other fillies had indeed managed to upset every single bale of hay. Applejack was already sweeping up the hay into a large pile in the center, and with a heavy sigh Big Mac joined his sister in the cleanup.
About an hour later Starsong made her way upstairs to Big Mac's room. After bringing the stallion a bucket of water and hearing about the state Starshadow had been when he'd left her, she took it upon herself to go to her sister's aid. A tall glass of water in her magic grip, Starsong quietly opened and closed the door to his room.
There on the stallion's bed lay her sister, covers kicked down and legs splayed open in a decidedly unladylike position, snoring quietly. The unicorn stifled a sigh, but couldn't suppress the giggle that followed it. Her sister was so uninhibited, so very much unlike her, and a part of her envied the freedom that seemed to come with that. Starsong walked around to the side of the bed, setting the glass down on a nightstand beside it, smiling down at dear sister.
She began to pull the covers over her sister but stopped just past the pegasus's flank. Memories began to flood her mind unbidden, memories of the many nights the two had spent together in her bed in Los Pegasus. Back then, Starshadow had been so desperate for her attention, her training telling her that sleeping with her Mistress was what a good pet was meant to do. For a long time there was an awkward sexual tension behind the action, but once Starshadow began to truly break free from that training they had continued to sleep together, celebrating the bond they shared having grown stronger than ever.
Starsong had always been slightly uncomfortable with sharing her bed with anypony, but until that moment she had no idea how much she missed that closeness she and her sister once had. She froze for a moment, uncertain. What would the others think if they caught her like this? What would Starshadow think if she woke up? But then, Starshadow had never minded before and in fact had been the one to initiate the contact. And from what she saw in the barn earlier, Big Mac was likely to be occupied for a while...
Starsong carefully climbed into the bed next to Starshadow, pulling the cover over both of them with her magic. She brought her hooves over her sister's side and the smaller mare rolled over into the embrace. She gently ran a hoof through her sister's mane, a simple contented warmth settling in her. 'I've missed you so much, my dear little sister.'
Content in her innocent cuddling, Starsong failed to notice her sister's hooves encircling her head. The pegasus moved with purpose, her hooves meeting behind her head before pulling forward. Caught completely by surprise, Starsong wasn't able to even mount a token resistance as her sister suddenly pulled her into a kiss.
A million different thoughts warred for Starsong's attention in that moment. What just happened? Was Starshadow awake the whole time? What was she doing? Was she mad at her or... While her head was lost in confusion, she finally became aware of one of Starshadow's hind legs making its way up towards her crotch. Finally the storm in Starsong's mind cleared and she decided on a coarse of action... She had to stop this before it went any farther.
Starsong lit her horn and directed her magic towards the hoof moving dangerously close to her marehood and struggled to pull away from her sister's grasp. "S-Starshadow, what are you doing? Please stop!"
Starshadow finally relaxed her grip and her eyes slowly opened, reflecting her confusion. "Huh...? AJ, why'd you stop- oh, hi Starsong." The pegasus threw her hooves around her sister once again, though in a much more familial manner this time, nuzzling against the side of her sister's face. "Did you come to sleep with me?"
Starsong was at a loss. She had been caught red hoofed sneaking into her sister's bed to do just that, though not in the context her sister had likely meant. She could smell the distinct scent of apples and alcohol on the pegasus's breath, the mare was clearly still drunk. Fortunately, her sister didn't give her time to dwell on the awkward question, instead leaning forward to nuzzle against her sister's muzzle lovingly. There was nothing overly sexual in her movements and after a moment Starsong let herself relax.
"It's just like old time, huh sis?" Starshadow continued after a moment. "I'm glad you came; I had no idea how much I missed this closeness."
Both mares thought back to the last time they had shared a bed. The night before Starsong sent Starshadow to Cloudsdale, which had until recently been the last time they had seen one another. Though most of their memories of that time were far from pleasant, they had forged their already close bond even stronger. Starsong smiled down at her sister, recalling the time she spent taking care of her; the pegasus smiled back before suddenly snapping her mouth shut to stifle a belch.
The sudden turn reminded Starsong of her reason she had come to her sister's room in the first place. "Oh, here sis. Drink this, it'll make you feel better." She levitated the glass to her sister who gave a nod of thanks before taking it in her hooves and drinking down a sizable amount out of the water.
Setting the cup aside, Starshadow turned back to her sister. "Thank you. You're always taking care of me like this."
"It's okay, little sis, somepony has to." The words were past her lips before she had a chance to consider how they old sound and she immediately regretted them. Fortunately, her sister didn't seem the least bit upset, rather she cuddled in closer to her, laying her head across her older sister's chest. The heat in the unicorn's face redoubled but she smiled down at her sister, letting her hoof drape lightly over her mane.
"I hope you can stay this time. I love Big Mac and Applejack and all of my friends here, but having you here with me as well has made me happier than I can remember being."
"Well, I don't know how long the orchestra is going to be on hiatus, but of course I'll be spending as much time as I can here." Starsong's gaze turned distant. "When we do start touring again, I hope you'll be able to come see us sometime."
"I'd like that. And of course I'd love it if you could come watch me play at the club this weekend."
"O-of course." Starsong wanted to support her sister of course, but she knew next to nothing about the kind of music she played. All she really had to go on was what Octavia had told her about when she had lived with Vinyl. The words 'obnoxiously loud' and 'violent' came up a lot when the cellist spoke about the DJ's music. Also 'wubs', whatever that meant... In any case, it all sounded dreadful and she wasn't sure she would be able to enjoy it. Still, if it was for Starshadow, she would do whatever it took to be there for her.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you have the best seat in the house!" Starshadow said excitedly. "I'm glad you'll be here for this. It's my first show in weeks, not since..."
The pegasus looked down at her hooves. The memories from the night flooded back to her, and a tear threatened to slip from her eye as she remembered the attack... how she had almost betrayed her Master- no, her special somepony.
The sudden change in her mood did not go unnoticed by her sister. "Starshadow, what's wrong dear? What happened at your last show?"
Before that moment it had never occurred to her to wonder if anypony had told Starsong about the attack. She certainly didn't want to think about those days, reliving her troubled youth to her special somepony, fearing that Thunderlane might come back again... Hardest of all though was that she had been so terrible to him during those days, afraid to even go near him out of irrational fear of reprisal...
After a long moment, she finally responded. "It's nothing," she lied. "A part of the stage collapsed under some of the equipment. Nopony got hurt but the owner had to cancel further shows until the repairs are done."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I know how much it meant to you to have a stable schedule."
"Yeah. Really though, I just miss performing." That much at least was true.
"Well, soon enough you'll be on stage again. And of course I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Thank you," she said earnestly, wrapping her hooves around her older sister once again. The two embraced for a long moment, and when they finally parted again, Starshadow's lively smile had returned.
Starsong spent most of the afternoon with her sister, the two taking the opportunity to catch up on everything and anything from the past several years spent apart. All the while the older sibling made every effort to make sure her sister wasn't going to suffer through a hangover. The two were completely absorbed in their conversation until Granny Smith called to them for dinner; both ponies blushed at the realization that several hours had passed while they had chatted away like young lovers.
Dinner was a rather simple affair, at least as far as the Apple family was concerned. Afterwards, Starsong decided to go back into the orchard, citing that somepony needed to keep an eye on the Crusaders, lest they incite some new disaster. Starshadow laughed but agreed with her. As she turned to head back upstairs though, she heard Starsong call out to her.
"Here," the unicorn said, levitating a small bottle to her sister. "For when Big Mac is done in the barn."
Starshadow stared at the bottle for a moment until realization dawned on her. "That's a great idea. Thanks Starsong, you really are the best sister ever."
"I'm your only sister, dear," the unicorn responded, a somewhat bemused expression on her face.
"Still the best." Both mares smiled at this before Starsong finally turned to head out into the orchard.
Starshadow watched her sister until she disappeared among the apple trees in the setting sun before she turned to go back to her special somepony's room to wait.
By the time Big Mac heaved the last hay bale onto the newly made stack the sun had set hours ago. He had sent Applejack back inside once the piles of hay along the walls became too high for her to toss the remaining bales onto while he finished up the work alone.
Sitting down to rest, he looked over his work and nodded in satisfaction. He still had absolutely no idea how three small fillies had managed to knock over every single bale of hay, nor how playing around in a barn was supposed to earn them a cutie mark in scuba diving, but he reminded himself that they had tried stranger things before.
"Hey, there you are." a gentle voice behind him said. Big Mac didn't have the energy to even turn around to look at the pony, but as he felt a set of small hooves embrace him and a soft kiss and nuzzle against his cheek, he knew it could only be one pony.
"Finally feelin' better?" he asked, not surprised that her drunkenness had worn off long ago.
Starshadow nodded, gently tightening her grip on her special somepony. "M'hm. What about you? You've been out there all day."
"Jus' a bit tired. 'Least Granny Smith brought out supper earlier for me'n AJ."
Starshadow gave him one more peck on his other cheek before releasing her hold on him. "Well, Starsong and the fillies are all asleep after their day today, same for Applejack and Granny Smith. Why don't you go wash off and get in bed. I have an idea on how to help you relax."
Big Mac nodded, a relaxing hot shower sounding like heaven to him. He managed to find the strength to make his way back into the house and up the stairs to the bathroom, and once he was under the stream of hot water he felt some energy return to his body. He stood under the revitalizing liquid for fifteen minutes before he finally willed himself to shut off the shower and dry off, his mind now clear enough to wonder what Starshadow had planned. As soon as he took a step out of the warm bathroom and into the cooler hallway, he felt his muscles tense up and he grimaced at the thought of having another rough night's sleep due to his aching muscles.
As he entered his room, Big Mac saw Starshadow waiting for him on his bed. As he neared her, she got up and motioned for him to lie down on his stomach, and once he had done so she quickly trotted over to his dresser and retrieved a bottle of lotion she had waiting. Once she returned to where he was lying she flicked the top open and poured a generous amount onto his back.
Big Mac stiffened slightly as he felt the cool lotion come into contact with his back, but he let out a deep sigh and relaxed when Starshadow began to firmly massage his back, making sure to spread the lotion over as much of his back before rubbing it into his coat and skin. The small pegasus could feel Big Mac's muscles beginning to loosen up immensely, signaling that she was doing a good job and her technique was still correct.
"How is it?" Starshadow asked, but Big Mac could only let out a jumbled murmur softly in response. She smiled, happy that he was enjoying her massage and started on his limbs. One by one, she carefully rubbed away the tension spots she felt in his legs, causing them to go from rigid and stiff to loose and limp. Once she was done working on his legs, she turned her attention back to his back, starting her treatment over from the beginning to ensure that she didn't miss a single spot.
Feeling better than he could remember, Big Mac finally began to notice the scent that the lotion Starshadow was using on him. Sniffing again, he was still unable to figure out the exact scent and decided to ask Starshadow. "Hey, what's that smell called?"
Starshadow slowed her pace. "It's Jasmine. Starsong let me borrow it, it's her favorite scent. Why, do you not like it?" she asked, slightly worried.
"I do, it smells nice. Just figured that this is probably the first time Ah don't smell like apples." he said.
Both ponies laughed, though Big Mac's statement was more than likely true. Once the laughter ceased, Starshadow went back to concentrating on the task at hoof, and a few minutes later Big Mac couldn't help but nod off, falling asleep after his long, exhausting day.
Fully aware that he was now asleep, Starshadow dutifully kept up her massage. The short sighs of relief coming from his mouth brought a smile to her face, and almost an hour later she decided that her work was done. Gently flapping her wings she placed the bottle of lotion back on the dresser before making her way back to the bed. Having thankfully remembered to push the blankets down to the end of the bed before Big Mac finished his shower, she pulled them up over Big Mac's large frame before crawling under the blankets herself, wriggling her way in between Big Mac's hooves and up directly against him.
Taking a few moments to just look at Big Mac's face while he slept, Starshadow gently nuzzled his cheek and kissed him before settling in to go to sleep herself. "Goodnight, my special somepony." she said, unable to stop from softly giggling to herself. She never thought that she would ever call anypony that in her entire life, or at least not of her own volition, but the stallion she was sleeping next to was able to dramatically change her life in such a short amount of time. Blushing slightly from still being not used to saying it, she closed her eyes and said one last sentence before drifting off to sleep with her lover;
"I love you, Big Mac."