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 would 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.”

Despite his previous day of hard labor, as well as not having his usual tasks to complete today, Big Mac still woke up at his usual time out of habit. Stretching his hind legs, he found it a little odd that his entire body felt so refreshed and well rested, as all his joints were usually aching and stiff after spending an entire day conducting manual labor. His memories eventually recalled the wonderful massage that Starshadow had been giving him before he fell asleep, and as he leaned down to kiss her forehead in thanks he saw that she was already awake.

“Did I wake you?” he asked her.

Starshadow shook her head no. “I’ve been awake for a while. Feeling better than last night?”

Big Mac sat up and looked over his body with a grin. “Eeyup. Much better.”

Catching her by surprise, Big Mac quickly turned over and pinned Starshadow underneath him, giving his mare a long, deep kiss as a token of his appreciation. “Thank you.” he said after finally breaking his lips away from hers.

“Anytime, big boy.” Starshadow said with a sly grin on her face.

Big Mac leaned forward and gave Starshadow another, more intimate kiss. “Happy birthday.” he said, remembering how important today was.

Starshadow couldn’t stop from blushing. Big Mac was the very first pony outside of her family to say those two words to her and truly mean them, causing a single tear to make its way down her face. “Thank you.” she said, her heart beginning to flutter.

Raising a hoof and gently pulling his head down, Starshadow and Big Mac reconnected lips, and as they continued to kiss Big Mac lowered his body so his stomach was pressed up against Starshadow’s. It didn’t take long for Starshadow to instinctively start grinding her hips, trying to stimulate Big Mac’s body enough to fulfill what she wanted.

Thanks to Starshadow’s teasing during the past week still fresh in his mind, it didn’t take long for Big Mac’s body to respond to her movement, and with his own desires and needs beginning to show he tried his hardest to position himself correctly for a certain activity as discreetly as possible. Despite his hardest attempts to not be caught Starshadow knew exactly what he was trying to do, and to help him fulfill both their desires she spread her hind legs as far as she could, involuntarily gasping as she felt his now-rock hard shaft bump against her soaked slit. With both ponies consumed with lust, Big Mac began to firmly press forward, letting the tip of his cock slowly slip inside of Starshadow’s small body.

“Mmm, yeessss.” Starshadow moaned softly as she felt Big Mac finally penetrating her for the first time in what seemed like forever. She wanted to thrust her hips down to take as much of his shaft as possible, but she managed to find the willpower to refrain from doing so as she was curious to see what he had planned for her.

The large stallion stopped once the first inch of his dick was inside of her and gave her one more quick kiss. She returned his kiss, her eyes looking straight into his and begging for him to continue. It had been ages since Big Mac claimed Starshadow as his own, and without any further delay Big Mac prepared to reconnect with his lover once more.

“Big Mac...” Starshadow said softly.

Big Mac opened his mouth to respond, but he never got the chance to.

“Starshadow!” rang out a chorus of three familiar voices. Both Big Mac and Starshadow froze, their minds trying to figure out what was going on but it was too late. With a loud ‘BANG’ the bedroom door flew open and in rushed Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Completely oblivious to what was going on, the three fillies ran around in circles before rushing over to the bed, looking up excitedly at the birthday mare.

Big Mac felt his heart stop cold. Thankfully, the bed sheets were covering most of his body, hiding the fact that his erect stallionhood was just penetrating Starshadow’s soaked pussy. However, he was unable to stop a small groan from escaping his lips as he felt Starshadow’s body tighten up, causing her wet hole to squeeze him even tighter.

For now, none of the fillies noticed anything amiss, and with wide grins all three of them looked excitedly at her. “Happy birthday, Starshadow!”

Starshadow offered a meek smile in thanks, her face beet red with embarrassment. Mistaking her redness as a sign of getting sick, Apple Bloom voiced her concern. “Ya’ll aren’t getting’ sick, are ya Starshadow? Ya can’t get sick on your birthday! Hang on, Granny Smith should be able t’get ya better real quick.” she said, turning to leave and get the eldest Apple.

“No!” Big Mac and Starshadow yelled out in unison.

The sudden outburst caused the Cutie Mark Crusaders to look confused, and with her mind racing for an excuse Starshadow slowly spoke. “N-no, don’t. We, uh... we were- hnng, wrestling. That’s why I l-look like thi-this.” she managed to say, her voice faltering as she tried her hardest not to give in to the temptation to pull Big Mac all the way into her.

Apple Bloom nodded in understanding. “Oh, that makes sense.” she said.

“Hey, can we join you? Maybe we’ll get our wrestling cutie marks!” Scootaloo said excitedly, her wings buzzing excitedly. “I bet I’d be a great wrestler! My name will be Rainbow’s Revenge, my sole mission in life is to avenge Rainbow Dash!”

“Avenge Rainbow Dash? But nuthin’s happened to her.” Apple Bloom pointed out.

Scootaloo shrugged. “Well, I’ll avenge her somehow!”

“And I’ll be the mysterious White Knight of Canterlot!” Sweetie Belle said, striking a pose more comical than intimidating.

“An’ Ah’ll be the Apple Crusher! All of mah opponents get turned to apple sauce when Ah’m done with ‘em!” Apple Bloom joined in.

“And for our first opponent, we’ll take on the Big Red Hulk and his sidekick, Midnight Mare!” Scootaloo said, turning to the two ponies still in bed.

The entire time the three fillies were making up names for themselves, Starshadow and Big Mac had been silent as they tried to think of a way, any way, to get Apple Bloom and her friends out. Only when it was too late did they finally notice all three fillies charging at their bed, jumping up at the last second and sailing through the air towards them.

“Gotcha!” Apple Bloom cried in victory as all three of them hit their target; Big Mac’s back. The large pony buckled under the sudden force and with a muffled grunt felt himself forced down, causing his erection to slam hard deep into Starshadow’s body, filling her completely in one motion. Being on the receiving end of everything, Starshadow couldn’t help letting out a ragged cry of ecstasy as her special somepony reclaimed her. Quickly covering her mouth, she held her breath in hopes that none of the young ponies noticed, and while they did hear her strange sound they assumed that it was her playing along with their wrestling ideas.

“We got ya now!” Scootaloo said, all three jumping up and down on Big Mac’s back. The red stallion clamped his eyes shut and held his own breath as he felt himself being forced to thrust in and out of the mare below him, and Starshadow herself had to bite down on her own hoof to stop from crying out.

“Heya Starshadow, happy birthday! Have ya’ll see-” a voice started to say but abruptly stopped. Big Mac and Starshadow didn’t have to look over at the door to see that Applejack had just walked in, nor did they have to wonder why she stopped talking. Though the Cutie Mark Crusaders couldn’t see the pained yet erotic expressions Big Mac and Starshadow had, AJ could tell what was going on from just one glance, though she had no idea how the situation got this far.

Facehoofing herself in disbelief, Applejack quickly called her sister and the others over to her. “C’mon ya’ll, let the poor ponies get up. Why dontcha go on over ter tha barn an’ help Pinkie Pie set up?” she said.

The three fillies bounced around gleefully, finally finding their way out of Big Mac’s room as Applejack herded them out and downstairs. Applejack glanced back and couldn’t help but cast a humored look at her brother and Starshadow before she closed the door, finally leaving the two ponies in peace.

Half expecting him to finish what he had started, Starshadow felt Big Mac lift himself off of her and withdrew himself from her body. “Aww, come on...” she whined, pouting in hopes that he would change his mind.

To her great disappointment Big Mac shook his head. He said nothing, but his glance at the door was more than clear. Sighing, Starshadow was forced to agree. “Yeah, I guess we shouldn’t push our luck.” she said.

Hopping out of bed, she looked back at her flank and saw the large wet spot on the bed that she had caused. “Ugh, I need a shower.” she said, headed for the door. Peeking into the hallway to make sure that nopony would see her in her current state, she turned back to Big Mac and stuck her tongue out at him. “You owe me big time tonight, big boy. Don’t disappoint the birthday girl.” she said before she dashed across the hall into the bathroom.

Momentarily thinking about joining Starshadow in the shower to finish what they started, Big Mac shook his head to clear his thoughts of lust. “Nnope.” he said to himself. He sighed and lied back down on the bed, deciding that he’d better calm himself before he left his room.

By the time Starshadow and Big Mac had finished getting themselves ready it was almost noon. The two lovers found Starsong, Granny Smith, and Applejack putting the final touches on a large assortment of freshly baked treats for the party today.

“Mm, that smells amazing.” Starshadow said, quickly snapping up a still-hot apple turnover and popping it in her mouth. Her taste buds were quickly flooded with the rich flavors of the special recipe the Apples used, and with her willpower gone she quickly downed another two in quick succession.

“Hey now, be sure to leave some for tha party later!” Applejack said before sneaking a fresh apple fritter off of a tray for herself.

Noticing her sister was finally awake, Starsong trotted over and happily embraced Starshadow. “About time you’re awake. Happy birthday.”

Starshadow blushed slightly. “Hey, guess what, big sis? I’m a whole year closer to you.”

Starsong smiled. “Only for another twelve hours, dear sister.”

Both sisters laughed at the small joke they always shared every year. Unable to help noticing that the kitchen was calm, Starshadow looked around and with some relief saw that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were nowhere to be seen. “Hey, where are Apple Bloom and the others?” she asked.

Starsong looked slightly relieved herself. “They’re out helping Pinkie Pie gather some last minute things. Cutie Mark Party Planners, I think they’re calling themselves now.” she said with a sigh. “At least Pinkie said she could handle them, I heard that they woke you and Big Mac after somehow getting the idea to be wrestlers. Honestly, I don’t know how such young fillies can come up with so many hard things.”

Applejack couldn’t help but snicker. “Ah don’ think they were the only ones that were comin’ up wit hard things, righ’ Big Mac?” she said.

“Eeyu- hey!” Big Mac said, the joke taking a few seconds to hit him. Before he could respond Applejack galloped off laughing, her older brother in hot pursuit of her.

Starshadow went red in the face yet again, but to her relief Starsong looked over at her in a confused manner. “What did she mean by that? Were you and Big Mac thinking of becoming wrestlers also?”

Holding back her laughter, Starshadow just shook her head while smiling. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.” she said, not daring to tell her what had happened earlier and abruptly changed the subject. “Are you sure you don’t want to move the party to tomorrow? It’s not fair to just celebrate my birthday.”

“No, sister, I am happier that we finally get to celebrate your birthday today. If celebrating your birthday with you every year meant not having a party myself, I’d be more than happy with that decision.” Starsong said firmly. “Besides, this party is for both of us.”

A loud crash from the barn reached the two Star sisters in the kitchen, causing them to flinch. Once they saw that the house wasn’t going to collapse around them, Starshadow couldn’t help but laugh as she thought what mess the little foals had probably just made. “Assuming the barn survives until then.” she said jokingly.

Despite Applejack’s protests, Starshadow and Starsong insisted on helping with carrying the countless platters of food over to the barn for the party, not out of kindness but so they could sneak some more of the delicious apple pastries and snacks before the guests began to arrive. Walking into the barn both sisters gasped as they saw the extent that Pinkie Pie had gone to with decorating. Somehow in the span of a few hours the hyperactive pony had repainted the entire interior of the barn a bright blue and had covered the entire ceiling with hundreds and hundreds of balloons. Along the entire back wall of the barn were enough games to rival the local Ponyville Arcade Center, and one of the side walls had table after table of goodies Pinkie had brought over from Sugarcube Corner. The wall opposite of the food tables had a set of familiar DJ equipment and speakers, the head of a popular and now infamous pony popping up from behind one of the speaker.

“Yo roomie, happy birthday!” Vinyl said with a wide grin.

Starshadow was surprised that Vinyl was here to DJ her party. “Vinyl! You’re going to be playing here? Awesome!” she said excitedly, running up to hug her fellow musician.

“Of course, wouldn’t miss this opportunity for anything! Even got Octavia to agree to play along for a few songs with something I got her a long time ago.” Vinyl said, pointing over behind the turntable station.

Looking over, Starshadow saw the renowned cellist trying her best to figure out how to plug in and set up what looked like an extremely expensive electric violin. She looked up and quickly waved a hoof at Starshadow and Starsong before turning her attention back to her instrument, uttering what sounded like a curse as she received a small shock from one of the many wires lying around her. “This would be so much easier if you told me which ones I needed, Vinyl.” she said dryly.

Vinyl stuck her tongue out at her friend. “Hey, you always said that my job was easier than playing Manezart’s String Quartet in some major or something.” she replied.

Octavia sighed. “You also know I’ve never played the violin before, especially one like... this.”

“Oh come on, they’re the same thing! Right, Starsong?” Vinyl said, somewhat proud she knew that fact.

Starsong shrugged. “Well, they do share many characteristics, and almost everypony I know who plays one can play the other...”

“Aha! See? I told you!” Vinyl gloated gleefully.

Octavia let out a huff and continued working on getting her violin, gratefully accepting a helping hoof from Starsong while Vinyl and Starshadow went over the list of what songs would be played during the party.

It took only another 30 minutes for the Apples to finish laying out all the delicious treats on the tables and for Pinkie Pie to finally give the set up her seal of approval, and Octavia finally managed to set up her electric violin a few minutes later.

Almost as if they knew everything was ready, some of the guests began to arrive. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy arrived first, the two pegasi chatting with one another, at least until they reached the door to the barn. “Hey everypony happy birthday you two sorry gotta go take care of something bye!” Rainbow Dash said in a rush the instant she saw the group standing by the entrance. Before anypony could respond, she raced over to the barrels of cider, all but knocking the barrel over in her haste.

Starshadow, Fluttershy and Applejack all chuckled, as their friends insatiable desire for the Apple family’s cider was the stuff of local legend. Starsong however looked on in concern. “Um, Applejack,” she asked after a moment. “Isn’t that one of the barrels of hard cider?”

The group turned to where Rainbow Dash was lying on her back with her mouth wide open under a barrel, literally pouring the cider straight down her throat from the tap, her eyes rolled back in her head in utter bliss. A closer look at the barrel showed that it was indeed stamped with the green apple, indicating that its contents were alcoholic. “Whoa nelly!” Applejack exclaimed. “Ah better go stop her ‘fore she kills herself.” The others nodded in agreement and Applejack rushed over to attempt to save the cider-crazed pegasus from herself.

With the crisis more or less averted, Fluttershy joined the Star sisters in greeting the other guests as they arrived. While they waited, Flurrershy was telling them in detail about all her bird friends and how she’d just recently seen them off on their migration. Starshadow couldn’t help but flashback to the jail a few short weeks ago when this same sweet innocent mare was ready to tear a stallion limb from limb for attacking one of her friends. She couldn’t help but wonder where that pony could possibly be hiding within their normally shy, fearful friend.

Derpy was next to arrive, landing surprisingly gracefully, albeit slowly and deliberately outside he barn. The reason for her uncharacteristic caution became clear when, once she landed a pale purple filly hopped off her back and walked in beside the mailmare. The walleyed pegasus waved to them as she approached.

“Glad you could make it Derpy,” Starshadow called out to her warmly before confusion crept into her voice. “Um... is this your daughter?”

“Yup! This is my little muffin, Dinky.” She smiled at the filly as she introduced her. For her part, Dinky blushed at the strange pet name but smiled warmly at the group. She then turned to join the Crusaders who were already making use of the absurd amount of party games Pinkie managed to cram into the barn.

While they greeted Starshadow’s old friend, she and Starsong couldn’t help but wonder about her daughter. There was little doubt that she filly was in fact her daughter, the resemblance was uncanny. That is, until you factor in that the little filly was a unicorn... Though she ultimately couldn’t bring herself to pry into her old friend’s personal life, it warmed Starshadow’s heart to know she wasn’t he only foal ever to be born a different race than her parents.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MA’AM!”

Starshadow had been so absorbed in thought that she’d completely missed the approach of a massive white stallion. His equally massive greeting nearly scared the diminutive pegasus out of her skin and she dove for cover, cowering behind Fluttershy. Even Starsong involuntarily backed up a pace at the sight of the absurdly huge pegasus.

Remarkably, it was Fluttershy who diffused the tension in the air when she spoke a moment later. “Now now Bulk Biceps, what have I told you about startling ponies like this?” she politely admonished him like a mother to a child.

“SORRY MISS FLUTTERSHY!” Bulk said with just as much vigor despite appearing visibly cowed by the smaller pegasus.

Fluttershy turned to find her friends staring at her incredulously. “Bulk and I are going to be teammates on Ponyville’s air relay team for next summer’s Equestria Games,” she explained. “Don’t worry, he’s as harmless as a snowflake. He’s just, well... he’s not very good at ‘inside voice’.” Behind her, Bulk Biceps gave a giant, cheesy grin as if to illustrate her point.

The Star sisters visibly relaxed after that and exchanged pleasantries with the overly large pegasus, though Starshadow couldn’t help but flinch every time he spoke.

Twilight and Rarity arrived next, with Spike and Nightshade in tow. Spike was, predictably, following the marshmallow pony’s every move like a puppy, though Rarity’s attention was mostly on Big Mac while she used Fluttershy to cover her outright ogling of the big red stallion. Starshadow bristled at this but reluctantly kept her mouth shut. It wouldn’t do to pick a fight now...

Nightshade was her usual humorless self despite Twilight’s insistence that everything was fine and she could relax and let her mane down for once. Starshadow couldn’t help but giggle at how awkward the bodyguard was in this setting. Twilight meanwhile was whooping it up quite shamelessly, reminding her of their pink friend more than the calm, collected princess she knew.

As the afternoon turned to evening more and more ponies from around the small town arrived to help celebrate; Mr. and Mrs. Cake stopped by with their twins to see how everypony was enjoying their pastries, Aloe and Lotus from the local spa, Cloudchaser and her younger sister Flitter along with their friend Blossomforth (their good friend, Starshadow guessed based on how she and Cloudchaser kept making eyes at each other), and even Mayor mare, to name a few. Though Starshadow had never had much interaction with many of the ponies in attendance, they all knew her name and treated her like she was a life-long friend. However, she gravitated back towards Applejack and her friends, and thankfully Starsong was more than happy to meet and talk to the other ponies.

Starshadow tried to spend some more time with Fluttershy in an attempt to find out more about this ‘stare’ she kept on hearing about, but to her displeasure Rarity was always hanging around the shy pegasus. She didn’t have too much time to dwell on the annoyance though as she was approached by a then very drunk Rainbow Dash.

The next few hours were spent almost exclusively talking to (or more accurately being talked at by) the sporty pegasus. It had started harmlessly enough with her synopsis of the Daring Do novels. The latest book had just come out about a month earlier and Rainbow proudly proclaimed that she’d finished reading it almost immediately, then gone back and reread the entire series. Starshadow, for the most part, was able to avoid any major spoilers and just politely acknowledged her friend’s fanatical enthusiasm for the series.

The topic then shifted to her own awesome exploits, ocasionally interrupted by wild bouts of laughter when she remembered a particular moment. From there the conversation quickly devolved into Dash grilling her about her own professional life. The coolest places she’d played, the famous ponies she knew, whether she’d bucked anypony famous... what it was like... whether or not the rumors were true about Vinyl’s infamous after-parties... And while she listened to Starshadow talk about her and her DJ friend’s wild exploits, Starshadow noticed she was becoming noticeably aroused as the conversation went on.

Then she started getting a little touchy. While Dash didn’t outright come on to her, Starshadow had been around enough to know when somepony was trying to flirt with her. And in her heavily inebriated state, Dash’s flirting wasn’t as subtle as she may have thought hem to be... While Starshadow had to admit that a late night romp with the athletic pegasus was far from an unattractive prospect, the athletic pony was very attractive in her own tomcoltish way, the situation was just too awkward for her to really consider it. The whole time she was hanging on Starshadow, Rainbow Dash couldn’t stop talking about her oldest and closest friend Fluttershy.

Thankfully, before the other pegasus thought to actually try to make a move on her she was saved by Big Mac and Applejack who lured her away with a cider drinking contest (nonalcoholic this time, thankfully). Starshadow silently mouthed a thank you to the siblings as they led her away.

Once darkness had fallen the younger ponies in attendance were being led out by their parents. Starshadow and Starsong caught sight of Dinky and Sweetie Belle talking excitedly to Derpy and Rarity respectively about a big sleepover the Crusaders were hosting in the clubhouse. Behind them, she caught Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, along with a few other fillies she didn’t recognize, quietly rolling and untapped cider barrel out of the barn along with a few trays of snacks. She smiled at this, the fillies were sure to have quite a night. Her smile faltered a bit though when, just as the barrel rolled out of sight, she thought she caught sight of a green stamp... She shook her head of the thought a moment later; Apple Bloom worked on the farm, same as all of them, she wouldn’t make such a mistake.

Once the little ones had cleared out, Vinyl dimmed the lights and did what she did best, her loud music accompanied by the softer tones of Octavia’s electric violin. Almost everypony still present made their way over to the clearing in the center of the barn that served as a dance floor. However, when Starshadow tried to make her way over with everypony else, Vinyl yanked her up to the stage instead.

“Nuh uh, you gotta try out your birthday gift first.” the DJ said, pointing to an object covered with a sheet. Dramatically pulling the sheet aside, Vinyl grinned as she saw Starshadow’s eyes go wide with awe as she saw that Vinyl had gotten her a brand new top-of-the-line electric keyboard. A keyboard that she had been looking at and wanting to get for years, but could never afford.

It suddenly dawned on Starshadow that buying such an expensive gift was something Vinyl couldn’t afford thanks to recent events, and she most likely had to part with some of her own items to buy it. But before Starshadow could question Vinyl on how she managed to get her hooves on it she was silenced by the unicorn DJ. “Shush, just play. Everypony is waiting.” Vinyl said, pointing at the audience.

Nodding, Starshadow took her place at her new instrument and gently let her hoof graze along the glossy untouched keys. Letting the toned-down beats Vinyl had put on and with Octavia waiting for her lead, Starshadow quickly programed in the lines for the set they had planned (which was remarkably easy on her new system). As soon as she was ready, she gave a signal to the DJ she was ready. With a grin she turned back to the audience milling about the dance floor. “Alright everypony, you ready to kick his party into high gear?!”

A thunderous cheer rolled through the crowd and Pinkie Pie was literally bouncing up the walls in her excitement. Starshadow and Octavia meanwhile smiled to themselves; after a rough couple of weeks, it seemed like Vinyl was back in her element. And once the music started she definitely fell right back into her groove; while their performance wasn’t quite as lewd as some of DJ Pon-3’s more famous shows, she definitely still had that edge to her. Their friends were getting swept up in the enthusiasm of their music and all three mares allowed themselves to give in to the simple joy of their art.

After a few songs, Octavia gracefully surrendered the stage to the duo. With a knowing glance at one another, Vinyl and Starshadow confirmed each other’s idea to rehash some of the moves they’d rehearsed for their show all those weeks ago. Having everypony’s eyes on them as they pushed the limits of decency in time to the driving beats made them both feel so alive.

Finally as set they’d prepared came to an end, Starshadow asked Vinyl to keep playing while she set something up. There was something Starshadow had always dreamed of ever since she was a filly, and tonight she was going to live that dream. Vinyl gave her a comforting hug and smile when Starshadow explained what she had in mind.

Vinyl put on a slower tempo beat to set the mood for what her friend had in mind. Starshadow meanwhile found her sister on the far side of the room with Octavia. “Hey Starsong,” she waved to her as she approached, “I was wondering, that solo you were preparing for your next tour, are you ready to perform it?”

It took Starsong a moment to realize what her sister was actually asking. “Y-yes, it’s ready. But I can’t perform it without the accompaniment, it’s not really timed to be performed a capella...”

Starshadow nodded. “I figured as much. Octavia,” she turned to the earth pony. “My sister told me a lot about how, um, prepared you always are in terms of your music.” Satrshadow tactfully avoided mentioning how anal-retentive her sister had made her sound.

Octavia just smiled knowingly. “Indeed I am. And I do have the sheet music for the piece, if you’ll just give me a moment.” She walked over to where she had left the electric violin and retrieved a small briefcase. Inside was dozens of sets of sheet music, presumably for every possible piece the orchestra was considering for their upcoming tour. She dug a little bit until she produced he proper piece, handing it to Starshadow. “There you are. The piano line is just above the vocalist.”

“Perfect. Thank you, I knew I could count on you.” Starshadow gave her an appreciative nod before turning back to Starsong. “So how about it sis? I’ll play the piano part and you sing your solo. Can we do it, huh? Please?” The pegasus babbled on like a filly begging her parents to let her stay up past her bedtime for the first time.

Starsong pressed a hoof to her mouth to shield the giggle that threatened to slip out. In truth, she was just as excited about the prospect of performing alongside her sister as Starshadow, but she had to keep her composure. “I’d love that, sister. Will you be able to play it on sight though?”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Your little sister’s pretty good with her hooves.” Starshadow suppressed a giggle of her own as she returned to the stage and her new keyboard. She quietly played through the piece a few times while Vinyl continued to keep the crowd occupied. The piece was admittedly very complicated, but thanks to the keyboard’s playback functions she was able to get the more difficult parts recorded while she played the melody. She had wanted to play the song legitimately, but maybe next time.

Satisfied that she was ready, she signaled Vinyl. The DJ cut the music before addressing the crowd. “Okay everypony, we’ve got a special treat for you tonight. As you all know, the birthday mare here is an accomplished, and dare I say awesome keyboardist. Well, what you may not have heard is that our other birthday mare is also an accomplished musician. Starsong here,” she gestured to the unicorn, “is one of the vocalists attached to the Canterlot Orchestra. As a special gift to all of you for attending their party, our two birthday ponies are going to give us all a show of their own. Give them a warm welcome everypony!”

The crowd gave an appreciative stomp as Starsong joined her sister onstage, stepping to the side of the keyboard. She smiled back at Starshadow, both siblings excited that their foalhood dream of performing together was finally coming true. Strangely, Starsong found herself feeling more nervous than she could remember being for a long time. Behind her, Starshadow began the long introduction. Starsong took a deep breath and waited for her cue; once she was actually singing, there wouldn’t be time for such foolish things as nerves.

As soon as she started singing, Starshadow looked on in awe at her sister. It had been so long since she’d last heard Starsong sing, and she silently thanked Celestia she’d decided to prerecord this early part of the song so she could just enjoy the sound of her voice. It was sublime, so much better than she remembered. And playing along with her made Starshadow feel so honored and happy. She switched off the playback and picked up the song herself seamlessly.

The audience watched with rapt attention as the sisters played, just as much for each other as for them. Starsong’s solo was a far cry from the high energy beats her sister and Vinyl had been playing before, but there was no denying the mare’s talent or passion. When at last the two were done, they gave an enthusiastic cheer for the duo and cries for an encore range out.

“What do you think, Starsong, should we give them some more?” Starshadow asked, beaming at her sister.

“Hmm... What other songs do we both know?”

Starshadow thought about hat for a moment before she answered, “What about the lullaby mom always used to sing us?” Starsong nodded after a moment. Their mother had only sung the first verse of the song to them as fillies, but the song actually had several verses.

With that settled, the sisters began the melody she knew by heart. Starshadow just let her hooves play, reveling in the joy and happiness she felt in that moment. At least until she noticed a certain pair of ponies in the back of the room that caught her attention. Fluttershy was watching them play along with Rainbow Dash. The still quite drunk pegasus was hanging all over her friend while they talked. It was clear to Starshadow that she was trying to hit on her friend but the shy pegasus wasn’t taking the hint, or perhaps she was too concerned for her friend’s health...

Her advances ignored, Dash’s apparently decided a more direct approach. While Fluttershy turned back towards the stage, Rainbow slipped her wings over and around one side of her. Before the other pegasus could stop to ask what was happening, her friend pulled up as close as she could to her side, pulled her head towards her and into a kiss!

Starshadow blushed as she was forced to watch, likely the only pony in the room that had seen. Fluttershy meanwhile was taken completely by surprise; her eyes and wings snapped open and she tensed up completely. A moment later though she found herself starting to relax into it, slowly bringing her wings down and a hoof up to her friend’s face. Just before she made contact though she seemed to realize what she was doing and, with an intense blush on her face, flew out one of the barn windows. Surprisingly, Rainbow made no attempt to go after her, settling for licking her lips to savor the lingering taste of the other pegasus.

It was all Starshadow could do to remind herself that she was in the middle of a performance; had she been playing a song she didn’t know by heart, she would likely have faltered and ruined the show. As it was, she could only pray that nopony could see her blushing under her deep blue coat.

Somehow she was able to make it through the rest of the song without incident and once again the crowd cheered the Star sisters’ performance. Once the song was over, Starsong came over and hugged her tightly. Starshadow hugged her back without hesitation. “I’m so glad we finally got to do this,” Starsong whispered in her ear. “Was it everything you dreamed of?”

“It’s was the best thing ever. Thank you so much.” She closed her eyes and shut out the world around her, wishing simply to revel in that perfect moment for as long as she could.

Standing off to the side with Octavia, Vinyl looked on at how happy Starshadow looked playing her new gift alongside her beloved sister, as well as how everypony present was having such a great time. She remembered how much the keyboard still cost her, even with her celebrity status, and though she felt a twinge of regret in her stomach she forced herself to push certain thoughts out of her head once again. ‘No, no... it was worth it. It was just one video.’ she thought to herself.

It wasn’t until almost 4 am that Pinkie Pie waved goodbye, having once again cleaned up the entire barn using just her mysterious party cannon. Staggering back to their rooms, Starshadow and Big Mac said goodnight to Applejack and Starsong and retired to his room.

Jumping into bed, Starshadow let out a long exhale as she thought back to the wonderful day. The morning had started off tense with the sudden intrusion of a certain three fillies, but the party definitely made up for the mishap. Everypony had given her a gift, and as much as she disliked Rarity, she had to admit that the dress the unicorn had made just for her was extremely well made and eye catching. There were also some quite memorable moments, one of her favorite ones being Rainbow Dash coming on to Fluttershy and kissing her. She hoped that Fluttershy wouldn’t be too freaked out over it; she kind of liked the idea of the two as a couple.

“You have fun today?” Starshadow heard her special somepony say.

Opening an eye, she smiled and nodded as he climbed into bed next to her. “Yeah, it was perfect.” she said, snuggling up next to him. “Thank you.”

Big Mac nodded and closed his eyes, but moments later he felt Starshadow poking his chest over and over. Opening his eyes again, he saw that she had a frown on her face. “Somethin’ wrong?” he asked, not sure what had just happened to her good mood.

“You still owe me one more birthday gift.” she said.

Big Mac racked his brain, trying to recall anything he may have forgotten. Unable to think of anything, he helplessly shrugged his broad shoulders, causing Starshadow to feign shock.

“You mean to tell me you’re not going to finish giving me your gift that you started to give me this morning? I thought you were supposed to give the birthday girl whatever she wanted, right?” she said, turning over to lie on her back and spreading her legs.

Big Mac turned slightly redder than normal but took the hint and nodded, managing to get one word out before he rolled over to resume where he had left off. “Eeyup.”