//------------------------------// // Aurora- Fifteen Years old // Story: The Starlight Path // by RandomHumanBeging4112 //------------------------------// Aurora sighed. She was about to go back to Ponyville to meet her parents for the summer. She had just finished her first year of being Princess Luna's apprentice, a role that demanded many long hours of night training. She loved being able to stay in Canterlot, away from her fretting mother, or her overprotective father. But she mostly loved that her role required her to train at night while her sister, Sparkler trained in the day, meaning that the two would hardly interact with each other. So, Aurora didn't have the greatest reaction when Princess Luna told her that she was going home for two and-a-half months. She took her bag and got onto the Friendship Express along with her sister. The two had grown apart over the years and had barely spoken to each other since they were twelve. They took their seats on the train and waited for it to start moving. "So, how was training?" Sparkler asked. Sparkler had grown into her alicorn figure a lot more than Aurora had. Meaning that she was much taller, and had larger wings and a horn. Aurora, however, was only at the height and size of a normal pony. "It was fine, how about you?" Aurora asked as she looked out of the window. "Pretty good, but I seem to be having a lot of trouble keeping the sun on it's path throughout the day." Sparkler said. "Oh, I just seem to always forget some of the stars, there are so many." "Yeah, the night looks beautiful though, I take it you're doing well?" "Yes, well, as well as an alicorn who's magic hasn't fully developed yet." "Yeah. Hey, I'm sorry for how I treated you when we were kids, it wasn't very friendly of me." Sparkler said. "It's fine, hey! The train's finally moving!" "Yay! We finally get to see Mom and Dad again!" Sparkler said excitedly. "Whoohoo, yay! We get to see Mom and Dad fight!" Aurora cheered sarcastically. "What do you mean?" Sparkler asked. "Oh, right, you weren't there for our two-day spring break. Well, Mom and Dad are still fighting about Flash, it's pretty annoying." "Oh, well, maybe we should help them stop fighting! I was given a friendship mission from Celestia, I wonder what it is." Sparkler said as she pulled a scroll out from her saddle bag. "Oh, Celestia gives you friendship missions? Luna only gives me homework, and lots of it." "Hm, it says that I have to help fix broken friendships! Yay! I can help Mom and Dad! And I'll kill two birds one stone!" Sparkler said, ignoring whatever Aurora said. "Um, I don't think you're supposed to help couples, I think you're supposed to-" "Nonsense! Any positive relationship counts as friendships!" "Did Celestia say-" "Of course she didn't! Mom did! And she's better at friendship than anypony!" "When did-" "Hearthswarming when you weren't there." "O-Okay, but what's more powerful, the magic of friendship, or true love?" Aurora quizzed, sort of. "That's easy, true love, it doesn't have to be romantic to be love, and friendship is a form of love, but romantic love is also very powerful, so both the power of love and friendship combined is pretty powerful." "Interesting, so did Mom tell you that?" "No, I actually read it in an old book in the library of the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters." "Oh, when did you go there?" "Oh, Celestia took me there so I could learn more about the history of Equestria." "Oh. Hey look! It's Ponyville!" Aurora pointed out. "Yay!! We get to go home!!" Sparkler said happily. "Whoopee." Aurora said sarcastically. "Oh, come on, sis, lighten up a bit! We finally get to sleep in our own beds again!" "But I actually liked the Canterlot Castle beds." "Well, too bad, you have to at least spend two and-a-half months in your own bed." "Well, actually, I think I've decided to only spend two weeks here, since I started training pretty late, I'd like to get in as much as I can, and two weeks is enough to spend with you, Mom, Dad, and Pine." Aurora said. "Oh, but you really should stay, it won't be the same without you!" "But if I don't train enough, I might not be able to raise the moon or the stars soon enough, and if something happens to Princess Luna," "Oh, I'm sure Celestia can do that, after all, she did do it for a thousand years, then she can teach me how to do that as well! And I can raise the sun, moon, stars, and control the aurora borealis! That would be amazing!" "Sparkler! Celestia would continue to teach me, Luna chose me as her heir, and that's how it's gonna stay, you always want to take away what little power I have!" "Ugh, you always say that, you're just jealous that I'm gonna be the ruler of Equestria, and the Princess of friendship one day, and you'll only control the night, that everypony sleeps through." "No! You're just jealous that I'll be able to control more things than you will! And you just want to have all of the power to yourself!" Aurora yelled. "Um, you two gonna get off? The train's been in Ponyville for five minutes now." the conductor said as he walked up to them. "She is, I'm going back to Canterlot, where my annoying sister isn't." Aurora said through gritted teeth. "Um, you'll need a ticket then, would you like to buy one at the station?" the conductor asked. "Sure, I'll spend a few minutes here." Aurora said. "Um, the next train to Canterlot doesn't leave for another nine hours, you highness." the conductor said. "Well, then, I guess I'll just spend nine hours in Ponyville." "Okay, but you still have to get off the train." "Right, right." Aurora said as she got off the train. "I can't believe you." Sparkler said once they were in the station. "Why not? Because I won't give up my power to you?" "No! Because you won't even visit Mom and Dad in their time of need, and what about Pine?" Sparkler asked on fury. "The Crystal train will be here in the next nine hours, I can see him when he gets here, now, if you'll excuse me, I have a train ticket to buy." Aurora said as she pushed past Sparkler and up to the ticket window. "Whatever! Just know that you're a disappointment!" Sparkler yelled as she headed to the castle. "One ticket for the next train to Canterlot please." Aurora said to the lady at the ticket window.