[PRP] And I'm Listening (Ready to Mingle/Morning Star)

[So Long Gay Bowser]

"...So as always, listeners, thanks for tuning in to the first half of this morning's show. For those of you just tuning in, after our break, we have a special guest on the show today- the one and only speaker for the stars, the caller from the cosmos, Morning Star! That's right, folks. The world-renowned columnist for all your life advice will be with us, live, in studio! And one lucky caller will have the opportunity to speak to the stallion behind Chart Your Course. Make sure to have your questions ready, and we'll be back after a few words from our sponsors." With that, Ready to Mingle flipped the switch to go off air, the producer taking off her headphones just as he did as well. He stood up from the booth with a stretch, rolling his neck and shoulders in the moment's reprieve from the show. So far, so good. He'd been kinda shaky on calling someone who didn't do love advice into the show, but the fan reception was great. Even now, the call board was lit up with hopeful fans hoping to talk to the fabled Morning Star. Ready to Mingle gave a well-humored eye roll, just as there was a knock on the studio door.

Which meant it could only be one Phony on the other side.

He trotted over to the studio door and pulled it open, offering out a hoof to the stallion on the other side. They were rather comically opposites, just from appearances. Morning Star was well put together, trim and well manicured... yeah. Definitely different from Ready to Mingle. Nonetheless he smiled brightly, glad to meet him.

"Put her there, mate! I'm Ready to Mingle, it's great to have you on. Thanks for taking the time to stop by our little show today!"

Scaramouche Fandango

 

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Morning Star had absolutely no idea what to expect on the other side of the door. All he knew was that he was going to do a live 'reading,' which was going to be interesting. When the station had contacted him about a guest spot, he was more than happy to accept- he listened to as many advice shows as possible, including this one. Primarily he wanted to make sure that he wasn't giving the same sorts of advice- it wasn't good for the brand if the advice you gave was accessible elsewhere. You needed to stand out and have a unique voice. But at the same time, it was also a lot of fun to listen to them and hear how other people would tackle problems. There was something nice about listening to a helpful voice.

But the host? His mental image of the stallion on the other side was a blank. He'd never tried to put a face with it, so before knocking, he took a moment to compose himself. First impressions were everything, and if this went well, it could blossom into a fabulous business partnership.

As the door opened, he quickly adjusted his hair and saddlebag and smiled gently. At the other fellow's appearance, the gentle grin broke into something much wider and brighter. He couldn't help himself- Ready to Mingle radiated a sunny charisma. He'd heard of having a face for radio- and Ready to Mingle certainly didn't have one of those. The bearded stallion was- there wasn't really another way to conceive of it- beefcake. USDA prime beefcake. But more than that, he seemed fun- his enthusiasm was fantastic. Just really, really good energy.

"Morning Star," he said, taking the proffered hoof and shaking. "Thanks so much for having me! This is an impressive setup you've got here- is there space I could put my stuff without bumping anything important?"

Moonstone Dazzle

 

[So Long Gay Bowser]

They had to be a funny looking pair, from the look on his producer's face as Ready to Mingle invited Morning Star inside. She shot him a grin from her side of the booth which he gladly returned,
then returned his attention to their guest. No sense in being rude! He gestured to an open spot on the counter that he'd specifically cleared that morning, glad he'd had the forethought to take care of it already.

"Already set up for ya, man! I wasn't sure if you needed anything specific, so I just went ahead and shifted some of the controls over to give you space. I'll probably handle most of the buttonwork, so you just need to woo the audience! Not that I think you'll have a hard time with that," Ready to Mingle laughed, earnest and loud. He was just that kind of guy. Why pretend you were someone different? He was a big guy with a big personality, and that was that. Said what came to mind, and somewhere along the line, someone had decided that he said pretty good things. Good enough to get on the air to give love advice, anyway. And not that he was a braggart, but he was pretty damn good at it, if his cutiemark had anything to say about it. Plenty of phonies had written in retroactively, thanking him for the honest look at their love lives. It was great.

Double great was meeting yet another advice giver, someone who didn't seem too far up their own rear. Yeah, he'd read Chart Your Course. Even before Morning Star had been invited on, he'd gotten wind of the optimistic columnist who seemed to see the best in everyone and push them to achieve more. Pretty admirable stuff.

"I don't know exactly what it is you do with the stars or anything- that's way, waaaay above me. No joking intended there," Ready to Mingle caught the joke a moment after it was spoken, and was way too pleased with himself, "but you've written some great stuff. It's real nice to find someone else out there who wants to see people happy, you know? Lots of negativity these days. So anyway, I'll lead you in with an intro, you'll talk a bit about yourself, then I'll hand a few callers off to you! Depending on how time goes and how generous you're feeling, we'll see how many that is. I won't make you chat for too long if you ain't vibing with it!" As he spoke, Ready to Mingle went and pulled the chair out for Morning Star, then returned to his own throne. He took a minute to readjust, clearing his throat and taking a drink of the water he kept on hand. Only when he'd set the glass down did he pause, sitting more upright in surprise.

"Oh, shoot! I forgot to offer you a drink. Where are my manners! Any particular kind of poison you're in the mood for? Water? ...Water? Sheesh, usually I can offer real drinks when I say that. Point is, buddy, we've got water. Can I grab you a water?"

Scaramouche Fandango

 

[Scaramouche Fandango]

"Water would be lovely," Morning Star said, sitting delicately in the offered chair, sweeping his tied-back tail out of the way. "I don't want the old throat to be too dry- I'm nervous enough as is. It's my first time– I hope your audience is gentle!" He dryly chuckled at his extremely little joke, mentally smacking himself for being so loutish. "But seriously, I think it'll go ok. I'm excited to do this- I think that this kind of collaboration is really neat. If all goes well, perhaps we could go out for a stiffer drink afterwards- and I can show you some of my secrets. You know, lift the veil on the arcane mysteries and all that," he said with a wink- and a genuine laugh this time, because the arcane mysteries weren't all that mysterious at all. And certainly not arcane. He found it inconceivable that the relative position of the planets and the stars could have a special, deep significance or meaning that exclusively applies to the one person reading their horoscope- but he believed wholeheartedly in that person reading their horoscope. Sometimes people needed to hear that a higher power encouraged them- they needed to hear from something unknowable and uninfluenced by the goings-on of life. So he framed advice as if it was coming from this place of supernatural authority, when in reality, all he was doing was giving the nudge they needed.

it was a good job, really- helping people find that confidence within themselves. He kept all the followup letters he ever received, people thanking him for letting them know what the stars had in mind. It wasn't the stars. It was never the stars. It was them, always them- the stars just brought out the help they needed. That was it.

As he watched his host, he was left with the distinct impression that Ready to Mingle certainly didn't need that kind of advice or help. The stallion seemed to wear himself on his sleeve- or lack of sleeve. Bicep? Hm. There wasn't really a metaphor for it. But that's why he'd agreed to do the show- he wasn't the sort of advice-giver who was in it for the ego stroking it could bring. He, like Morning Star himself, genuinely wanted to help- and that was what made him attractive.

As a prospect. To work with. Professionally. Professionally this was a very attractive business prospect.

Yes, that was it. Morning Star's inner voice was shouting at him for getting off-focus, so he drank the water and re-centered. "I think I'm good- whenever you're ready!"

Moonstone Dazzle

 

[So Long Gay Bowser]

Morning Star might've thought the joke was little, but Ready to Mingle found himself laughing uproariously, offering the other stallion a solid thump on the back with his hoof. The laughter died to something calmer, and he was all too eager to get a lift on the arcane, or whatever ever crazy dark thing Morning Star wanted to call it. All that magic stuff was beyond his purview, being a stallion without any fancy schmancy unicorn work. Sure, earth ponies had their own sort of magic, but it wasn't the literal stuff. None of that glowing and tapping into some sort of inner core, or... whatever they called it when they did their magic.

"I'll definitely stay on my hooves, if it means getting a look beneath the kimono," he teased back, finally getting his own water and taking a drink. Ready to Mingle took a steadying breath, and rolled his neck and his shoulders. Time to get into it, then. He nodded over to his producer, the light went on, and he once more hit the button to take them on air once more. That practiced nonchalance came back once more, and he leaned into the mic.

"Welcome back, everyone. I'm your host, Ready to Mingle, and you're back on In Good Hooves. As
I mentioned before the break, we have special guest Morning Star in house to answer your questions.
When the ordinary just won't do it, Morning Star of Chart Your Course can consult the stars. Let me tell you, folks- I tried consulting with the stars once, and I still don't think they'll let me within fifty feet of Sia!" He laughed to himself, entirely too pleased with the terrible joke, especially when his producer rolled her eyes. Across the glass he shot her a grin, then went ahead and gestured for her.

"Morning Star, we've got a caller on line one with a question about her love life," the mare crooned,
and Ready to Mingle hit the sound board once more.

"Alright, listener! You're on."

"Oh, um! Hi. Hi there. So, um. I have this friend. And I don't know if she likes mares? But the more time we spend together, the more I realize my feelings aren't totally platonic. Am I lying to her, just staying her friend? And should I try confessing? Please help me, Morning Star!"

Scaramouche Fandango

 

[Scaramouche Fandango]

"I said the veil, not the kimono- the kimono only gets worn after a shower, so- and HEY, we're on the air!" Morning Star scrambled to composure and listened to the caller. This wasn't an unusual problem, but he didn't have his computer and fifteen tabs of Astrology Today pulled open to figure out exactly which stars and planets were where at that exact time. God, how did anybody do this before the internet? Even if you were a True Believer, it was still a pain to try to figure out where the celestial bodies actually were. He looked at his notes- where was Venus? Everybody knew that if you had a love question, you looked to Venus. Venus- love. And it was in Sagittarius- oh good, that one was risk and luck. Two sides of the same coin could be interpreted however you wanted. That was the tricky part. He knew just what to tell her- and deep down, she surely knew too- but how to nudge her? He cleared his throat and spoke into the mic.

"Well, Venus is in the ninth house right now- which is the house of risk, but also of luck. When it comes to matters of the heart, Venus uses her influence- but even with the fortune of the stars, you can't always predict how the other person is going to react. She knows you care for her, but she doesn't know how deep your feelings run- so don't let risk overrule your good sense. Just blurting out a confession doesn't usually lead to harmony- pick a place and a time and prepare yourself. In one week, Mars enters Libra, which means that the planet of passion and the stars that influence relationships align. If you give yourself that space to think and plan, you may find that you can influence luck yourself! The heavens help those who help themselves, after all, and actively thinking and planning for a week will help clear your head. Mars's values are honesty and bravery- you owe it to yourself to take this step. Mars is decisive- and so is Venus, when it comes to matters of the heart. But the stars merely influence- they don't control. Be prepared for a possibly negative outcome; she may not return your affections, and she may be upset to hear such news- and even if she's not, it may come as a surprise, and surprises can certainly be startling. But don't let Mercury's retrograde shadow guide your own emotions- this doesn't have to end the friendship. Just think it through, take time to plan what you will say to her, and be open and honest. Good luck, caller! I hope you have luck with mares and Mars!" He smiled gently, though he knew it couldn't be heard through radio. It was just like writing- it came through in your voice and tone.

"Also, dear listeners, if you could give me your birthdate- or sun sign, if you know it- that can help me understand what the sky is saying."

Moonstone Dazzle