Five Star Service – The Day Equestria Stood Still

By Five Stars of Manehattan
Special to the New York Life and Manehattan Post magazines
March 23 issues

Dear readers:

Before I get into this week’s article, I’d like to share a very surprising muzzle-written letter I received just today. It had been my plan to spend an entire article answering letters and reader questions a little further down the line, but I think this one is worth sharing right away. With the author’s express permission, I am reproducing the letter here with names carefully redacted:

Dear Five Stars,

It’s [Burning Heart]. I’m writing to you not from Equestria, but from Earth—I’m enclosing a picture and one of my shed secondary feathers so you’ll know it’s me. I’ve been living and working in Amareica (did I spell that right? I never seem to) for nearly three years now, and it was just a couple days ago I heard my human coworkers talking about an interesting series of articles in the New Yoke York Life magazine.

You can well imagine my surprise at what I found. I’m not going to lie, Five Stars… it was VERY hard reading about our herd from your point of view, seeing all my mistakes and neglect laid out for two worlds to see like that. For what little it’s worth, you were right—I should have stood up to [Autumn] and never let you go.

But as humans say… that’s water under the bridge. I’ve often wondered what became of you, and though I can’t say I’m entirely comfortable with what you do, I’m at least happy to know you’ve found fulfillment in it. It seems the opening of the portal has been good to both of us, then.

(Seriously, though. “Burning Heart?” Was my alias supposed to be a commentary on my penchant for spicy food? Did my cooking really give you Heartburn?)

Since you don’t know the rest of the story after [Willow and Snow Lily] left, I’ll tell it briefly: I did finally come to my senses and ‘dump’ [Autumn] as you termed it, but by then it was too late. She systematically destroyed my herd because she wanted me for herself, and even worse… I let her do it, afraid to stand up to her for fear she’d cost us all our jobs and perhaps careers—something she obliquely threatened on several occasions. It’s no excuse, but in truth I was most afraid for [Willow], worried that if she was let go, there’d be no way she could find work or another herd in the anti-thestrel atmosphere that existed back then.

When I finally left her, [Autumn] threw a fit (to put it mildly) and told me I’d “never work in her town again!” She was, unfortunately, as good as her word, using her influence to make sure I couldn’t find another job in Manehattan. Running out of money and deciding you had the right idea all along, I followed in your hoofsteps, heading out to Las Pegasus to start over, starting out as a line cook but eventually becoming head chef of a restaurant at the Palamino. I half-hoped I’d run into you out there, but… I guess I was too late.

In the end, I did learn my lesson, though I’m afraid the experience so soured me I haven’t taken another herd since. Looking back, if I could do it all again… I’d’ve come with you to Las Pegasus and brought [Willow and Snow Lily] along… taken the herd and left [Autumn] behind. We would have made a new beginning together, as the family we were meant to be. But as you say… there is no point dwelling on what might have been. All you can do is learn from it and move on, painful though it was.

When Neo Equinox finally opened to civilian passage, I decided to make a new life for myself on the other side, learning human cuisine and cooking techniques—I’m currently gainfully employed as a sous chef at the Sheraton Manhattan, for a moment of irony. In truth, I’m rather happy here, and I invite you over to this side of the portal to visit sometime, so we can catch up and I can give you my apologies ‘in person’, as humans say.

Oh, and… after giving it some thought and talking it over with friends, I give you permission to publish this letter and use my real name. Celestia knows I’m not proud of my failures as a herd stallion, but I’m not going to hide from them either.

With regrets and fond memories,

—Cayenne Kick, a.k.a. “Burning Heart”

Thank you for your letter, Cayenne. It’s good, if bittersweet to hear from you as well.

I’ll write you a private response later, but I would like to say this much publicly: I meant it when I said you were my favorite herd stallion, and I’m sorry things worked out the way they did. I believe I will one day take you up on your offer—for as much as I work with humans, I still haven’t crossed the portal to visit the human world. Definitely something I should do. It’s funny how the arrival of humanity and opening of Neo Equinox helped both of us to find what we needed. In many ways, I think that applies to ponies as a species as well.

(And to answer your question… yes, as much as I enjoyed your cooking, sometimes your food did give me heartburn. It was nothing an occasional antacid potion couldn’t fix, though.)

A New Year and New Mare

After an unhappy arrival in Las Pegasus, the Winter Holidays had turned my life around.

I used to scoff at the idea that a single night or encounter could forever change a pony, but in the space of a week, a dentist and cowcolt taught me differently… and to this day I remain very grateful to them for it. With a new attitude and outlook, I hit the ground running at a full gallop into the New Year, determined to not let the lessons I’d just learned go to waste. My resolution list was a short one: I would become the best worker I could. I would regain my old post of concierge. I would make a name for myself in Las Pegasus…

And when all that was accomplished, I would find a new herd.

Recalling the advice of Rising Star, who was quickly becoming something of a mentor if not mother figure to me, I spent the next month throwing myself into my server job, menial and beneath me though I considered it before. No longer. My heart fully into it and starting to truly enjoy my work, my tips soared and I quickly became a favorite among both our regulars and out-of-town guests alike.

And to answer the question I’m sure somepony or person is thinking… yes, I did indulge with guests, both mares and stallions a few more times over the next several months. I won’t share them since they weren’t as good or eye-opening as my Hearth’s Warming and New Year’s Eve encounters, but to be fair… those were pretty high bars to clear! All I will note is that I took Rising Star’s advice on the subject to heart—that it was fine as long as it was for mutual pleasure and benefit, with no strings attached…

That it was fine as long as it helped a server enjoy their job and a guest enjoy their stay. Unlike some coworkers, I didn’t do it to earn a good tip (I was pretty well set for bits anyway after my dentist friend gave me her winnings), I did it to help our guests enjoy themselves… and myself as well.

I did notice a bit of a pattern, though. It seemed my interests tended more towards unhappy or down-on-their-luck stallions… and in one case, a mare. Much like what happened with my dentist and cowcolt friends, if I saw a pony not enjoying themselves, I automatically gravitated towards them and did what I could to perk their spirits up; help them have fun. In at least three instances… that was how I did so. And they were always grateful—if a little surprised—for it, one stallion remarking to me that he never dreamed he’d have a ’what happens in Las Pegasus stays in Las Pegasus’ moment until I came along!

Looking back, it was a pattern that would later carry over into my time with Gentlemen. My ‘recruiting’ techniques have gotten me in hot water on more than one occasion, but it’s usually pretty simple the way it happens: I see an unhappy human male, I want to help them… show them a good time and the kind of life they can have if they so choose. If that’s “seducing them into my lifestyle”, as I’ve heard others so disdainfully or sneeringly refer to it, then so be it. I don’t do it just for myself; I do it for them and for other mares. Another Gentleman means another happy human and more happy mares.

But that was still years away. After a month more in the serving trenches, Rising Star called me into her office to discuss my future at the Mystique. She had told me on New Year’s Eve that she wanted to see me succeed as server before she began moving me up, and she was now satisfied I had done so, asking me what I wanted to do next. I told her I wanted to start making the climb through the ranks, and asked her what she saw for me.

She smiled broadly like she was all but ready to adopt me, saying that she was looking forward to ‘grooming me to eventually take her place’. Though flattered (and a little frightened!) by the suggestion—me, running an entire resort?—I set my sights a little lower first. A casino resort was a far cry from even a high-end Manehattan hotel like the Shemareaton, after all, and if I was going to move into management or even my old post as concierge, I wanted to first experience everything—do all the low-level jobs so I could truly understand how the place operated and what it took to run it.

Though surprised by the request, Rising Star eagerly acceded and began shuffling me around, rounding out my skills by giving me month-long stints as a bartender, card dealer, and guest check-in. I learned each job quickly and did them without protest and with aplomb, swiftly learning what I needed to (I still amaze Gentlemen when they see how well I can shuffle and deal cards with just my hooves!), proving I could do each job and do it well before moving on.

My big break came when the feather flu swept through the pegasi staff in early April and we lost two of our three concierges for a week. I reminded Rising Star I’d held the position before, so she gave me a try at it. I did it so well I kept the job afterwards, becoming second-shift concierge. The position entitled me to hotel lodging, getting me out of the seedy motel I was staying in and into much better environs. In fact, as winter turned to spring (not much of a Winter Wrap Up needed in the desert!), I was doing as well as or even better than I had back in Manehattan…

Except for the fact I didn’t have a herd. But that was deliberate on my part. There wasn’t much point in me trying to find a herd or herd stallion until I could help provide for one and had made a name for myself. Yet, now that I more or less had… I found myself hesitating, making excuses not to. I’d seen enough dumped and jilted mares at that point that I was worried that the same thing might happen to me, and truth be told, I was rather enjoying my time in the trenches and the occasional encounter with guests. I’d notched nights with three more stallions and another mare to that point, the latter during my latest heat (would you believe that pegasus server from next door I made out with on New Year’s Eve?), and enjoyed them all. So why change what was working for me?

In truth, I would probably have kept putting it off indefinitely… but then something happened to not just me, but my entire nation. Something that reminded us all of how fleeting and ephemeral life can be… of what you have and what you don’t…

And how everything you know and love can come crashing down when you least expect it.

A Royal Wedding

Spring was well underway as April began, and business on the Street was somewhat slow—it had been the same in Manehattan; at that time of the year we were in the long lull between Royals Day (celebrating the birthdays of the Princesses) and Remembrance Day in late May, which is a holiday that marks the armistice of Equestria’s long-ago war with the Gryphon Kingdom… and the unofficial start of the summer vacation and tourist season.

Which is not to say there weren’t some notable events happening in Equestria during that time. As mid-April approached, the newspapers and tabloids were filled with articles about the impending nuptials between one of our (then) three pony princesses and Shining Armor, captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard. What was especially noteworthy (and cause of some consternation) was that he was not taking a herd—just her. They would become what my parents were; a ‘matched pair’ consisting of but a single stallion and mare. And for once, the papers weren’t so snarky about it, calling them neither selfish or accusing them of engaging in ‘inharmonious practices’ for it.

Then again, you hardly can when the relationship in question involves your Princess of Love and the Captain of the Royal Guard… who also happened to be the older brother of the Sun Princess’ prized pupil (nepotism? I wasn’t the only one to wonder, but from all reports, he more than earned his rank… and definitively proved it that day).

The wedding was scheduled one warm Saturday morning in mid-April. They had live unicorn-fed feeds set up on The Street and in the casinos so ponies and other interested parties could watch the proceedings in real time via transmitted telepathy; we were literally watching the wedding through the eyes of ponies present—I don’t even want to think how much magic and how many unicorns that must have taken to pull off (and you humans can transmit and record video with ease using your technology? You have no idea how good you have it!)

Regardless, we’d all wondered if our ageless alicorn rulers could in fact love a mortal. On this day… we learned they could, and just how much. All activity in the casino and out of the Street came to a halt as the moment of the marriage approached; pony and non-pony alike turning to watch the projected images.

It was a scene out of a storybook as our Princess of Love, Mi Amore Cadenza was led down the aisle in bridal dress and veil with three button-cute fillies preceding her, tossing flowers as she went… her paramour awaiting in full dress uniform on the elevated end of the hallway, Princess Celestia and a slew of rather colorful mares waiting at his side. There was one notable absence, however, remarked upon in passing—the Sun Princess’ personal protégé, a violet unicorn (and future alicorn) named Twilight Sparkle was not present, and a few guests and coworkers openly wondered why.

We got an answer quickly as a sudden cry to stop was heard, the eyes we were watching through turning to behold… an undressed and dirty Twilight Sparkle, head lowered and eyes blazing with anger. That was surprising enough, but you can imagine our shock as a far more filthy and disheveled Princess Mi Amore Cadenza followed her in on shaky legs, announcing she was the true bride and Princess, and the one at the altar was a Changeling imposter!

The fact was verified as the bride’s face contorted in fury and her horn suddenly erupted in a pillar of green magic, transforming herself to reveal… a large shiny black being with antennae and gossamer moth-like wings attacked to a pony-like body… though there was no mistaking her for one with her glistening black chitin, sickly green eyes, hooves with holes in them, wickedly crooked horn and wild blue mane that gave her a very evil and demonic appearance.

In true supervillian fashion, she announced herself as the Queen of the Changelings and outlined her plans in what sounded like a very rehearsed monologue (and I thought that only happened in bad movies and cheap comic books!), announcing her intention to conquer Canterlot, have her army feed off the love of her citizens, and then use the stolen power to take all of Equestria. The crowd at the wedding recoiled and so did we watching remotely… was she insane? Did she truly believe she could pull that off in the face of the Royal Guard, to say nothing of Celestia herself, who was standing right there listening?

As if reading our thoughts, the Sun Princess stepped forward, her head lowered as she rather dryly pointed that by revealing herself, the queen had exposed herself as well. Ponies stepped back as the two rulers turned to face each other. Announcing she would defend her subjects, Princess Celestia took flight on her massive alabaster wings and her horn ignited, launching a powerful beam of magic at her changeling opponent, who responded with a green-tinged beam of her own.

“Kick her flank, Celestia!” I heard somepony shout, and for a moment, it seemed she would easily as their energy attacks intersected, our regent initially appearing to gain the upper hoof. But it was all too fleeting. The crowd fell silent as the beam was slowly forced back on the Sun Princess, a look of shock on her face as she watched it approach her glowing horn. The last thing we saw before the feed from inside the palace was cut was Celestia overpowered and thrown back hard, her crown knocked from her head.

I don’t know if humans or even non-ponies can understand exactly how it felt to witness that… to see our proud nation under attack and watch one of the pillars of our existence struck down. To witness one of our leaders, who we saw as goddesses felled, our capital city invaded by an enemy we’d barely heard of or cared about, but who now promised to bring us all to our knees. There were a few more brief but very chaotic moments of vision from unicorns outside the palace, showing glimpses of a shattered defensive shield, hundreds of changeling soldiers raining down from the skies and quickly overcoming all resistance, the Royal Guard caught flat-hooved and unable to effectively fight back when they couldn’t tell friend from shapeshifting foe.

Within minutes, all feed was lost and all attempts to reestablish contact with Canterlot failed. We stood stunned watching the now empty screens, unable to believe what we had just witnessed.

And so the rest of that horrible day went. The game tables were empty and the streets deserted as we all huddled inside, unable to do anything but wait and pray, not knowing what was happening or what we could do.

We all congregated around dragonfire dispatch stations awaiting news and for some, trying unsuccessfully to contact relatives in Canterlot. A thousand miles from the battle raging in Equestria’s capital, news was sparse and the rumor mill ran wild. We variously heard that Canterlot had fallen, The Royal Guard was crushed, Celestia and Luna were dead, the Elements of Harmony were defeated, and Shining Armor himself was now a mindless slave and consort to the Changeling Queen, who, we feared, would shortly be dispatching her shapeshifting minions to conquer all of Equestria…

And if the Royal Guard and Celestia could not stand up to them, how in the name of our vanquished rulers could WE?

It was like we were facing not just the end of our nation, but the end of the world itself. If Celestia and Luna were truly gone, what would happen to the sun and moon? Would we die a frozen death or would Queen Chrysalis (we only learned her name later) assume their powers and use them to make sure we couldn’t challenge her? What would happen to our country, if not the entire planet? Were there changelings among us at that moment, leeching off our love? How would we even know if there were?

Disasters and attacks tend to bring out the best and worst of folks, pony or no, and it was no different here; I saw everything from petty attempts to steal money and merchandise to a massive minotaur who’d been giving a self-help seminar looking after a frightened foal separated from her mother. Some ponies were passive but others urged action; many pegasi in particular urged us to form militias and march on Canterlot immediately, suicidal though that seemed. Their fighting blood up, some pegasi didn’t wait for word before taking flight for Cloudsdale (never mind they couldn’t possibly fly that far), determined to do what they could to help.

It might have all turned into anarchy had it not been for Rising Star. To our great relief, she took command of the situation immediately, organizing her security teams to keep order both in the casino and out on the surrounding plaza; within an hour she and her fellow hotel managers had The Street more or less secure. Thankfully, we had a couple Wonderbolts in town on leave, and they quickly organized the Las Pegasus police and weather teams into a defense force, giving the greater city some semblance of order again and preventing any mass outbreaks of chaos or looting. Also helping the effort was the elite griffin Silver Wings aerial performance team, on a goodwill tour of Equestria and spending the week in Las Pegasus. Far from just performers, they were also veteran and experienced wind knights in their nation’s military, and lent their skills to the cause here.

The sight of them flying overhead was reassuring and their presence, to borrow a griffin phrase, was ancestor-sent, but also drove home the point that outside of the Royal Guard, we ponies had no standing military. The only ones that did were the griffins, whose nation lay overseas and it would take weeks for them to muster enough force to retake Canterlot. If the worst should happen, there might not even be an Equestria to save by then.

In the face of such fears and doubt, Rising Star was a rock, going from pony to pony, worker to guest, offering assurance and comfort, making sure we were all occupied with various tasks (mine was basically my regular job—seeing to the needs and comfort of our guests). She had our kitchens and lounges open and serving a steady stream of snacks and comfort food for free, but forbade alcohol consumption, ordering all stocks put under strict lock and key, worried (quite rightly) that adding drink to the mix would just make a bad situation worse. She was everywhere, it seemed, always teleporting on scene when you needed her, even personally breaking up a couple fights with her magic, giving the combatants a dressing-down that made their ears burn.

It was especially impressive given I knew by then she had family in Canterlot, including her son, two daughters and the mares of her former herd. A widow, her herd had broken up following their stallion’s death some six years earlier, though she apparently kept in close touch with her former herdmates. But if she was worried about them, she didn’t let it show.

Many tense hours passed without any word. Then suddenly, as evening fell contact with Canterlot was reestablished and Celestia’s voice was heard clearly in our heads via relayed telepathic magic, reassuring us all that the Changelings were defeated and both she and her sister were safe. We were shown a recorded memory of bride and groom uniting, using the sheer power of their love to activate an enchantment that expelled the changeling army and their queen from Canterlot, flinging them to the far corners of the kingdom…

You know, if anypony had told me before such a corny thing could ever happen, I’d’ve told them to pull their heads out of their plots and face the real world. But on this day… the power of love was real, and it did save us all.

The brief war was over, but the victory celebration had just begun.

To say we were relieved would be an understatement as we watched the wedding—the real one, that is—finally take place at dusk in a visibly battered but unbowed Canterlot, followed by the reception (rather interesting and reassuring to see Celestia and Luna dance!) The day and our nation saved, the patrols and curfew were lifted, our bars and restaurants were thrown open, food and drink were declared free for the night, and the entire city of Las Pegasus erupted into an open-air Street party the likes of which usually only happened on New Year’s Eve. I took back on the role of bartender and server for the occasion, eagerly filling food and drink orders in my concierge outfit while actively partaking in the party myself, drinking and flirting freely and even thinking this might be a good time to find some lucky stallion to celebrate with properly.

But before I could, I realized there was somepony missing from the festivities.

A Manager, Mare and Mother

Where is Rising Star? I suddenly asked myself as the clock struck 1am and the party continued unabated. I wasn't the only one to wonder; there’d been some hope she’d engage in another… show with the Palisades manager next door, who had been seen out on the street partaking in the festivities herself.

As I delivered fresh drinks into the plaza, I could see my manager sitting behind her desk in her fourth-floor office that overlooked the plaza, head down and not moving. Wondering why she wasn’t participating in the celebration after all she had done for us, I told my coworkers I was going up to check on her. Arriving at her office only to find it guarded by two buffalo security bulls, I asked politely if I could see her—I’d certainly been up to her office often enough lately that her security teams knew me quite well—but they told me apologetically she’d left instructions that she wanted to be alone. As if on cue, a muffled sobbing was heard; visibly worried for their boss, the bulls relented and let me pass.

“Rising Star?” I called to her tentatively as I entered. She looked up, startled at my entrance, her mane and uniform disheveled and eyes bloodshot. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you joining the party?” I asked, very concerned. In response, she pushed a pair of crumpled parchment pages at me with a hoof, seemingly too spent or distraught to levitate them with her magic. I recognized from their letterhead they were dispatches from the Canterlot Post Office. Remembering that she had family in the capital city, my guts clenched as I picked up and uncrumpled them, certain they held some horrible news…

I’m very happy and relieved to say it was anything but. The first was a very brief dragonfire-sent missive from her eldest daughter, reassuring her mother she and her siblings were safe and sound; the second was from a former herdmate, saying she and the other two mares of their former herd were also alive and well. The Changelings, we later understood, didn’t want to kill ponies, just to feed on our love for each other—and they needed us alive to do so. But in the fear and shock of the day, we didn’t know that, and for those who had friends and family potentially caught in the crossfire between the Changeling Army and the Royal Guard… it had been a harrowing day indeed.

It was only then I realized how harrowing as I beheld Rising Star, my mentor and mother figure, the mare who had gifted me with a new outlook, the rock on which we had all relied during that terrible time… now sobbing like a baby as she received late word her foals and former herdmates were safe. All the fears and emotions and she’d held in the whole day came pouring out uncontrollably now that it was over, and I couldn’t help but tear up as well to see it, immediately going to her side and taking her into an embrace.

I held her in silence, saying nothing. For what could I say? How could I know what it was to be a mother fearful for the fates of her children? How could I know what it was to worry you’d lost not only your foals but all your former herdmates and lovers in one fell swoop and agonize over their fate for hours? I didn’t. So I did the only thing I could: I hugged her tightly and let her cry on my shoulder for as long as she needed. It seemed to help; after twenty minutes she had finally cried herself out.

Once she had composed herself enough, I fixed her a drink and led her outside onto her office balcony so everypony could see her… so she could hear and see their heartfelt gratitude for herself. The assembled staff and guests let out a raucous cheer at her appearance, ponies alternately stomping hooves or rearing up to pinwheel their legs in deep appreciation for her efforts, several pegasi and griffins flying up to give her their thanks firsthoof. She stood there on shaky limbs, just absorbing the acclaim for a minute, before giving the crowd a parting wave and heading back inside.

Emotionally and physically spent after that long day, she fell heavily back on her haunches once the blinds were pulled and asked me to help her to bed—her quarters adjoined her office; it was only a short walk yet it was all she could do to get there. She was leaning heavily on me the whole way and stumbled repeatedly; I didn’t really understand how much the day had taken out of her until then.

She had to unlock the door to her suite magically and could barely do it, nearly collapsing from the effort—I’d heard that for unicorns, magical exhaustion equated to physical exhaustion and vice-versa, but never had that illustrated for me until that night. Her strength spent, she could go no further, so I picked her up and put her on my back to take her inside her private quarters. She was bigger than me, a large yet elegantly slender unicorn mare, but having the strength of an earth pony I had no trouble carrying her.

I’d never seen her private suite before. It was a decent-sized and well-appointed apartment filled with trophies and various mementos of her life, everything from pictures of her foals and old herd—have to say, she had a good-looking stallion—to news clippings and awards from her former career as a singer. Judging by the photographs, she’d made the climb from a simple street performer all the way to manager of the Mystique—a Rising Star indeed!—and even owned a own record company on the side. She was also quite striking in her youth; she had the looks to turn the heads of stallion and mare alike…

And still retained a good portion of her allure now, the thought crossed my mind as I helped her into bed and loosened her uniform, trying to stop my thoughts from going in various naughty directions as I bared her long and beautiful orange neck… doing my best not to remember how she’d magically groped my flanks on New Year’s Eve. I’d been using the party to work myself up into a randy mood, looking for a worthy partner… and was suddenly thinking I had one right in front of me, in the form of my manager. I quashed that thought hard, disgusted with myself for thinking it, vowing I would watch over her at least until she fell asleep then quietly depart.

That plan, like so many others, went swiftly awry. She fell asleep relatively quickly but wasn’t resting well, tossing and turning frequently, breaking into a cold sweat and breathing raggedly like she was having nightmares, her horn occasionally sparking weakly with what little was left of her magic. I’ve heard—and have good reason to believe—that Princess Luna watches over our dreams, but if so she was either overwhelmed or unavailable that night, because Rising Star was finding no relief.

My heart breaking as I watched her and held her hoof, I realized she needed company—somepony to hold and mother her—and that I had a choice to make: I could stay and climb into bed with her to fill that role myself, but a voice was warning me that if I did so, something else would likely happen by morning that would ultimately be good for neither of us. Shamefully tempting though the idea was, I knew full well that would be a very bad idea. But if not me, then who…?

The answer came to me quickly. It was hardly a secret that Rising Star was in a relationship with Limelight, the unicorn manager of the Palisades next door. Their public displays were rare, but it was clear they cared for each other, and I’d seen Limelight out on the Street earlier.

Cracking open the door to her suite, I told the buffalo guards outside that Rising star needed ‘company I couldn’t give’, asking them to go next door to the Palisades and find Limelight. Though surprised by the request, one of the guards immediately departed and I returned to Rising Star’s side, wondering what would happen if they couldn’t find her. In that case, I both hoped and feared… I would accept that as a sign from fate and get into bed with her. I would hold her in my arms and take care of her as she had taken care of me…

And what would be would be.

To my great relief—and if I’m honest, a little disappointment—it never came to that. Less than five minutes later there was a popping sound outside the suite I recognized as a teleport, followed by a gentle knock at the door. With various privacy and security enchantments guarding Rising Star’s private quarters, the door could only be opened from the inside, so I did so, finding Limelight outside. She was surprised—and a little suspicious—to see me there, her eyes narrowing, so I explained quickly what I was doing and what had happened, showing her the dispatches from Canterlot and saying it was me who summoned her, the two buffalo security guards quickly confirming that fact. Apologizing, Limelight thanked me and said she’d take it from there, swiftly undressing herself with her magic as she trotted into the bedroom to be at her lover’s side.

Rising star was clearly in the throes of another nightmare as she arrived, huddled in a fetal position and shivering despite her covers. The other unicorn mare broke the spell by nuzzling her counterpart gently, flaring her horn to bathe her mate in the familiar warmth and comfort of her aura.

My manager’s teal eyes opened at the contact but appeared very fearful and unfocused. “W-who’s there?” she called out in a foal-like voice, not unlike a frightened filly calling for her mother.

“Shhh…” her green-furred Palisades counterpart soothed her, using her touch and aura to drive her lover’s demons away. “It’s Limelight. I’m here and going to take care of you, okay?” she told Rising Star gently, giving her a kiss on the forehead beneath her horn.

“L-Limelight…” Rising Star all but sobbed, reaching out for her with trembling hooves.

Tears began to flow again as the Palisades manager climbed into bed with her and I withdrew, quietly taking my leave—Limelight holding Rising Star’s head to her chest, catching my eye and mouthing thank you before I departed.

I nodded and bowed my head. Take care of her, I mouthed back unnecessarily as I closed the door behind me. I knew she would.

I left Rising Star’s quarters knowing I’d done the right thing, but still feeling troubled.

My mood now considerably more subdued and the party outside winding down, I distracted myself by helping clean up and get a few drunken ponies to bed before grabbing an open bottle of buffalo whiskey and returning to my own room.

Sleep did not come easily for me either—in fact, not at all—and as dawn approached I found myself starting out the window sipping at the whiskey (damn, that was some strong stuff!) and reflecting on the previous day’s events. As Celestia’s sun rose on the morning, the world seemed… if not different, at least far less taken for granted than before.

Events like the Changeling invasion shock you to your core, let you know how fragile life and all you know really is. It reminds you what’s important and what’s just plain petty, and puts into sharp relief what you have and what you don’t. For me, two things stood out at that moment—I didn’t have my family close by and I didn’t have a mate or herd; there was no Limelight there for me as there was for Rising Star. I couldn’t take care of the latter right away, but I could do something about the former. So after I got off shift the next day, I wrote a long letter and went to the post office, paying the additional fee for dragonfire dispatch—meaning it would arrive at its destination within a day instead of the week it would take to send across Equestria by train. Copies of the letter went out to all my siblings, letting them know where I was and what was happening with me—that I’d lost my previous herd and was now starting over in Las Pegasus, doing well… and I intended to visit them shortly.

A still-spent Rising Star made a brief appearance the next day, informing the staff she was taking two weeks’ leave to visit her former herd and family in Canterlot, passing her duties to several trusted floor managers in her stead. The last thing she did before departing was grant my request to do the same, telling me (and several others) to go visit my family and not come back until I’d reconnected with them. “Find them, hold them, and tell them you love them,” were her exact words to us all.

Actually, I take that back. There was one more thing she did, That afternoon, she called me into the office to thank me personally for my efforts that night…

By giving me a heartfelt hug and a motherly kiss on the forehead before closing up her office and departing for the train station.

For those of you disappointed this story didn’t end in intimacy, that’s actually part of the point of me telling it. I don’t deny it could have happened or even that I was thinking about it; that with a nudge here or there I might have ended up in bed with Rising Star and the night could have—no, would have—ended in sex.

But thankfully, it did not… and looking back, nor should it have.

There is a time and place for rutting, and this wasn’t it. For me to have been with Rising Star that night would have been taking advantage of her emotionally fragile state and inappropriate in the extreme. It would have tainted our still-budding relationship, and, though I have no qualms about being with a guest or Gentleman, doing so with one’s superior or subordinate is simply not a good idea. It leads to favoritism, hurt feelings, lowered morale, poor job performance and ended careers. I’d already lost one herd and career in part because our lead mare was also the hotel manager with professional as well as personal authority over all of us, and she abused it. That is not to say Rising Star was anything like that, but… when it came down to it, it’d been a long time since I had a motherly influence in my life, and ultimately I didn’t want to hurt that.

I can well imagine certain colleagues will be surprised to hear me say so, but I do have rules and standards I follow regarding sex, and one of them is that I don’t rut people or ponies that are emotionally compromised and can’t offer their full consent. Since I can hear some scoffing sounds out there, yes, I’ll admit there have been times I’ve violated or at least stretched that rule… and I’ve generally regretted it.

The friends I’ve lost or lovers I didn’t keep were when I didn’t follow it. Some lessons you have to learn repeatedly before they finally sink in. I’m just grateful that night with Rising Star wasn’t such a teachable moment.

As I conclude this chapter, I’m reminded of some stories gentlemen have told me of clients they visited… but never got intimate with. All some mares wanted or needed was to be held and listened to; all some mares wanted or needed was a shoulder to cry on. Sometimes you need a snuggle and sympathetic ear more than sex. That’s another lesson we trainers pass on; to always see to a mare’s needs and understand just what they need; not try to force intimacy if it’s not called for. As Platinum Corona herself said, the job of a gentlemen is first and foremost to provide companionship—to give care and comfort. And here, that’s what I did.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel left out as I went to the train station myself for the trip back east to visit my brother and sisters. That Rising Star and our guests had gotten what they needed that night, but I hadn’t.

I needn’t have worried, though. I didn’t yet know it, but my life was about to turn again.

They can't all be clop, but hope you enjoyed this one all the same. Kind of wanted to establish that she *does* have standards and rules. It'll be back to business next chapter, promise!

As always, comments welcome and invited. Happy New Year, folks!

--Firesight