//------------------------------// // Episode 12: Friends Make Amends // Story: EoH Evolution: Season 5 // by Bahamut0 //------------------------------// Twilight smiled as she looked over the view of Unityville that she was granted to her by the balcony of her new castle. She then went back inside her castle, and felt a lot more comfortable in her new dwelling thanks to the efforts of her friends, and her newly acquired boyfriend Nightfall Silver. Her friends had crafted some crystal orbs that contained precious memories they'd made since she'd moved into town, and Nightfall had made a projector that displayed a hologram of Golden Oak Library. He'd originally wanted to make a larger projector to create to-scale image, but he figured she'd appreciate something that was just as heartfelt. "This place really does feel like home now." Twilight said with a fond smile as she levitated a duster over to herself with her magic. "And like any good home, I need to keep it in good shape." "I can't really argue with your logic, Twilight." Spike said as he was setting down a box filled with photo albums filled with pictures from Twilight's life. "But couldn't you just get this place clean with a snap of your fingers?" "Well, I wanted to get this place clean myself." Twilight said with a proud smile. "But I've always wanted to try out a spell like this when I was little. So what the heck!" And Twilight cast the cleaning spell all over her castle. "And it works just as well as I imagined it would too." That was when she spied the box full of photo albums. "I guess the memories I've made here aren't the only ones that I have with me." "Yup. The good old days." Spike said with a nod. "Back when I only went up to your waist, when we were at Celestia's School for Gifted Magi, and your infamous days of being a total shut-in." "Yeah." Twilight's smile faded the instant she heard Spike's innocent remark about her past demeanor. While she had changed for the better, Twilight Sparkle was still incredibly conscious about her actions. Especially since becoming the Princess of Friendship. "I was pretty anti-social back then, wasn't I?" "Yeah." Spike said innocently. "You didn't talk to any people much outside of me, Princess Celestia, or the few friends you had back then! Heh, even then you didn't go out and socialize much. You mostly buried yourself in your studies. Heck, you even refused the invitation to Moon Dancer's party that was being held the day we were sent to Unityville!" "I was really that bad, huh?" Twilight said sadly as she set the photo album down. "B-But you've gotten a lot better than you were back then!" Spike frantically said as he caught onto the fact his innocent reminders had upset Twilight. It may not have been intentional, but the young dragon still proceeded to perform damage control. "You're a great friend now!" "That doesn't exempt me from apologizing at the very least." Twilight said as she picked up the box of photos, and set them aside. A cheerful smile on her face as she exited her castle and spread her wings. "I think it's time for a little reunion." And she flew all the way to Castalot. But not before scooping Spike up and carrying him during the flight. The pair soon landed at Celestia's School for Gifted Magi, and Twilight set about finding her old friends. Fortunately, she didn't need to search for very long as they soon found her. Much to Twilight's relief, most of her friends were happy to reconnect with her. However, Twilight noticed that there was one person missing. Moondancer. The same girl whose party she had blown off the day before she moved to Unityville all because she thought it wasn't important. But instead of Twilight despairing about her past actions, her eyes hardened with the resolve to make things right. Unfortunately, Moondancer had become a more advanced version of what Twilight had used to be: a total recluse. And she literally slammed the door in Twilight's face. "This doesn't make any sense." Twilight muttered to herself as she walked away. "When I first met her, Moondancer was always a bit anti-social. When I first struck up a conversation with her, she didn't even sound like she was paying attention to me. Like she didn't even want to talk to me and just focus on her work. But, not that many people tried to talk with her and-Oh." "Twilight?" Spike asked. "What is it?" "I just realized it Spike." Twilight said with an ashamed look on her face. "I was probably one of the first people she thought of as a friend." "What do you mean, Twilight?" "Spike. I was the first person to try and be friends with her." Twilight stated firmly. "It's easy to see why because the two of us were pretty similar. Both of us had our noses buried in books, and generally opted out of any social interactions. But I had you and Princess Celestia. Moondancer? She didn't have anyone to begin with. That party I blew off before we moved? That was a chance for Moondancer to meet with all the people she considered friends, and have fun. Can you imagine how crushed she must have felt that I wasn't there Spike?" "Oh, man. . . " Spike let out a sigh as the realization hit him as well. "No wonder she wanted you out so fast." "Yeah. I practically dismissed her as my friend." Twilight said sadly. However, any further regret was banished as Twilight clenched her fists. "Maybe I didn't care then, but I can show that I care now." "You gonna call up Pinkie Pie?" Spike asked. "I know she'd throw a sick party!" "No." Twilight shook her head. "I already have the perfect people to throw a party for Moondancer. We were just talking with them." And so, Twilight informed her old friends of her plan. Much to her delight, the party was a huge success as her old friends got Moondancer to show up. Moondancer was in awe when she heard what Twilight had done for her, and almost burst into tears. "You don't need to accept my friendship, Moondancer." Twilight said with an encouraging smile. "Just accept the friendship of the people who are willing to be there when I wasn't." But just as Moondancer was about to extend her hand, a black-and-green portal opened up. Starlight Glimmer stepped through, clad in her stranger armor. Her mask pulling back to reveal the cruel smile on her face. "Oh, you don't want to do that, Moondancer." Starlight hissed as she directed her gaze at Twilight! "Does her throwing you this little party, and telling your 'friends' to come, make up for flaking out on you?" "Look lady, I don't know who you are." Moondancer began. "That all happened years ago. Just one little event from my past. Did it hurt? Yes. But that doesn't mean I'm going to hold it against Twilight for the rest of her life, or blame her for everything that goes wrong! I accept what happened. And I have no one to blame but myself for not trying to contact her." "And I have no one to blame but myself for not thinking about how Moondancer would be affected." Twilight finished. "Starlight, whatever your problems are, they don't have to due with Talent Crests. They have to do with you not being willing to accept the fact you didn't try to solve them and deciding to make your troubles everyone else's!" "Lies! LIES!" Starlight screamed as her mask covered her face! "Talent Crests make us all different! They make it so we can't have something in common!" "Seriously?" Moondancer asked with a raised eyebrow. "EVERYONE has different talents! But that doesn't mean they don't enjoy similar things! Who raised you to have such backwards logic?!" "This mask taught me!" Starlight screamed! "It told me how to perfect this world! To usher in true, PERFECT harmony! One where all are the same! No one will ever have to know the pain of-AAAGH!" Starlight's rant was cut short as she was hit with a massive blast of magic from Twilight! Twilight's staff smoking from the massive discharge of magic! "Keep this in mind: I don't want to destroy you, Starlight." Twilight said with a glare as she approached the fallen form of Starlight Glimmer! "But you tried to go after one of my friends with the same twisted thinking that makes you so alone in the first place. The world's not he problem, Starlight. YOU are. You can't admit that you're wrong, and that you've done the wrong thing. You're no savior. You're a villain. And if you put my friends in danger, I won't hesitate to put you down if I have to. A friend of mine made the ultimate sacrifice for me and the rest of my friends. I won't let it be in vain by allowing your continued rampage!" But before Twilight could cast her capture spell, a violent green aura flared around Starlight's unconscious body! Teleporting the crazed Magi away! "Damn!" Spike growled as he dismissed his Duelist Arm. "She got away again!" "Maybe so." Twilight said with a nod. "And there's a good chance she could strike again. Maybe I should have Nightfall install that security system for the castle that he suggested. Just to be safe." "Twilight?" Moondancer asked. "Something's definitely wrong with this girl. Whatever 'problem' Talent Crests caused her? It shouldn't have been enough for her to go totally bonkers." "What are you saying Moondancer?" "What I'm saying, Twilight, is that someone or something manipulated the root of Starlight's grief into trauma." Moondancer answered. "And whatever did it? It's clearly bent on preventing her from moving through the cycle. Whatever this thing is,it must have struck her at a vulnerable time. And it has a very strong hold because it's exploiting that vulnerability." Meanwhile, Starlight was far away and regaining consciousness. Looking at the mask she'd donned with a frown. "You said that you would give me the power I needed!" Starlight fumed as she glared at the mask! "And I still get beaten by Twilight Sparkle! Who was still holding back! I should have beaten her!" The mask glowed before summoning a bunch of gears that fell to the ground in a massive heap! "Gears?! What are these useless hunks of junk supposed to do?!" As if in response to Starlight Glimmer's anger, the gears began to shift and form into what looked like mechanical soldiers. An evil smile spread across Starlight's face. "Oh, I think I'm going to enjoy playing with these new toys. . . "