Flight of the Valkyrie

by Underwood

Chapter 6: ... Is My Friend

Once again Shooting Star found herself flying angrily through unfamiliar clouds, blindly lost in thought as she rocketed through the sky, not giving a second thought to her surroundings. She didn’t know how long she had been flying for, but her wings ached and the cold evening wind cut at her moist eyes, distracting her from the steadily approaching tail on her six. Despite the wind battering her ears at this speed, a raspy voice managed to make itself heard over the roar.

“There you are! I've been looking all over for you!” Rainbow Dash shouted, slowly gaining on the rogue Valkyrie. “What were you thinking, flying off like that?! Do you have any idea how worried we were?”

Star snarled at the veiled pleasantries. As though these random ponies actually cared about her and what she’s been through—what her corps has been through! She was a scientific oddity to them, a problem to be solved, nothing more. They kept her in glass chains, pretending that she had free will while keeping her under constant surveillance; they harassed her with questions while ignoring the answers, and taunted her with the very monster that caused all this in the first place, while denying his—‘its’—involvement. What even was ‘this’? The future? Psychological torture? Some purgatorial dream after her self-sacrifice? Or perhaps this was Elysium, an afterlife nightmare mis-sold as paradise. One last ‘this is what you could have had if you were nicer’ moral beating to ensure she knew what she was missing before she ceased to exist. Peace, family, friendship, luxury; everything she’d never had.

“Slow down, will ya'?” the older mare shouted again from her flank. “Where are you even going?”

‘Where’?‘Where’ or ‘when’ meant nothing to her in thisdistorted reflectionof her lifeany more. If this whole world existed just to break her, congratulations, it worked! Finish her off however you like after, but for now, just let her be angry.

“What do you want?” she finally spat back, making no effort to slow or meet her pursuer’s eyes.

“‘What do I-’?!” Rainbow Dash echoed in disbelief, turning her own growing frustration into fuel for her wings. “You know exactly what I want—for you to come back to Canterlot with me and be safe! Now slow down so we can talk this out like adults!”

“Right. Back to your Canterlot. Your gilded cagefor me, your pet freak!You didn't give two horsefeathers about me earlier, and you don’t now! Well guess what, I’m done playing along! I’m getting out of here, one way or another.”

The effort she put into her emotional display unintentionally slowed her flying as she lost focus, allowing Dash to make headway. She wasn't actually angry at Rainbow Dash, of course. The blue pegasus had done nothing more than ‘manage’ her back at the Academy, yet Star was lashing out like a teen with her less-than-subtle parental issues. In fairness, Dash had been a fairly good host, given her busy schedule and having to censor the last two-thousand years of history. Watching the Wonderbolts perform had even been fun—dare she admit, inspirational—and given a clearer mind she might have regretted leaving the Academy at all. Still, between their locking of horns, the one-sided diner conversation, and essentially being told to sit in a corner and be quiet, she didn't feel like she owed the Wonderbolt Captain any favours in her current state.

“If I didn't care about you, would I be here right now?” Dash barked over the gale, now slightly ahead of the Valkyrie that was losing speed with every errant thought.

Before Shooting Star could react, Rainbow Dash whipped around and grappled her mid-air, sending the two tumbling as they scuffled. After a few seconds of panicked free-fall—which felt far longer to the pair—the pegasi came to a stop, now hovering with their fore-hooves locked together, pushing against each other with all their might. As strained as their fore-legs were, it was their wings that were doing the pushing here, and the pair appeared equally matched in their current states.

“I can't just drop my responsibilities to foalsit some ungrateful brat at a moment's notice, Lieutenant,” Dash snapped; though as deep as her scowl was, her words didn’t feel spiteful. “Did you ever stop to think about how we have just as little reason to trust you, as you do us? And despite that, look at all the things that Twilight’s done to accommodate and help you!”

Was she… insulted on her friend’s behalf?

“Stop flying away from your problems and confront them like an adult, Lieutenant! That's an order!”

Maybe it was the well-needed harsh words, her commanding voice, being technically outranked, or simply agreeing with her logic, but sense began to retake Star and she chose to comply. The grappling duo’s wings began to slow as their push-of-war concluded, neither side a victor and both seeming self-conscious of their displays.

The sun had fully set at this point, bathing the sky in a rich purple twilight. As a cape of twinkling stars revealed itself above, below glittered the warm suburbia of Ponyville. A far cry from the alien aesthetics of this era’s glassy Pegasopolis and pearlescent Canterlot, Ponyville had retained its rustic country-village charm, despite expanding significantly over the years. Shooting Star looked down at the amber lanterns dotting dirt paths between thatched cottages and wooden stalls, then to the orchards, forests, and fields that enriched the landscape like patchwork. It was homely, even for her. Almost… nostalgic. Nostalgic for what had been the present a mere week ago? What a thought. She had seen this all before, of course, but there was something magical about this view at night. It reminded her of the first time she saw Canterlot Town, despite it being on a mountainside—so different from the city of clouds she had grown up in, yet warm and welcoming. This was what terrans had instead of wings or a horn, she had thought to herself; they had each other.

“I think it’s about time you and I talked this out, pegasus to pegasus,” Rainbow huffed, still catching her breath as she smoothed back her ruffled mane.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Star replied, equally as exhausted and eager to give her strained wing a rest.

With a directional nod from Dash, the two descended toward the orange glow of the town, landing just outside a gingerbread-house-themed bakery, Sugarcube Corner. There weren't many townsponies still roaming the streets at this hour, but those who noticed the pair of pegasi were far more interested in the legendary hero of Equestria, Wonderbolt Captain, and Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash, than whoever was standing beside her. It was a refreshing change of pace for Shooting Star, who had felt as though all eyes had been on her since arriving in this Equestria.

“Why'd you run again? I thought we were past this,” Dash asked, seeming almost personally offended this time. “I trusted you enough to not breathe down your neck, and you go and bolt.”

Star sighed, looking down an adjacent lane for a few moments. “I'm sick of not being in control of my life anymore. I wanted to confront Discord myself, finally get some answers… See what you had been keeping from me.” She kicked at the dry dirt below her. “It was just a waste of time, though. Either he doesn’t know anything, or you’re all expert liars.”

“So Twilight was right,” Dash muttered, almost rolling her eyes at the tautology of it.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. So, you didn’t find out anything new?”

“No. I freaked out again,” she scolded herself, scowling at the floor. “I didn’t even ask decent questions, let alone get answers. He still denies it, of course, and… the yellow pony stood up for him, just like the rest of you.”

“Fluttershy,” Dash corrected her.

“I know what I saw. I'm not crazy; and I'm not a liar. Every pony in Canterlot could back me up—my Canterlot.” She twisted the tip of her hoof into the loose dirt, creating a small divot. “Now I've blown my only chance to get answers. So what, are you here to throw me in the dungeon so I can't escape again?”

“Nocreature is putting you in a dungeon, Shooting Star,” Rainbow Dash stated with blunt exasperation, actually rolling her eyes this time. She could really use a spa day after this. “I just- I don't know what more we can do to earn your trust. We helped you to recover from your injuries, gave you a place to stay, and Twilight has been working her flank off day and night trying to get you back home—the Princess of Equestria putting aside all her royal duties just for you. What more do you want?”

Shooting Star looked Rainbow in the eyes, wincing a little. “She has?”

“Yeah. It’s kind of a problem, if you ask me. She’s been getting real… Twilight about it.”

A moment of silence passed as dusk gave way to the warm glow of Sugarcube Corner’s lights overpowering the darkness.

“Every day I ask myself, ‘why me?’ Why couldn’t I have saved my friends with my final sacrifice and saved Equestria? Why this? Was this some sickness of my mind in its final moments? Was this purgatory? Elysium? Or had Discord caught me, and this was all his sick way of torturing me until I break?”

Rainbow Dash lowered her flank, taking a seat on the still-warm dirt as she seemingly witnessed a breakthrough. Perhaps subconsciously, Star also sat as she continued to talk.

“But the more time I spend here—the more I question my suspicions—the more real this seems, and…” She took a shuddering breath. “The less real my world feels. It’s only been a few days, and yet my bunk, my squadmates faces, the smell of Canterlot’s air… I’m forgetting them. The longer I spend here, the more of myself I lose, and every moment I’m not back home, more of Canterlot is lost to Discord—that Discord, the… evil one, I guess. I don’t understand any of this. If confusing and wearing me down was his plan all along, he’s winning. I just can’t fight this any more.”

Rainbow Dash sighed thoughtfully, looking up at the ever-more vividly twinkling stars. The temperature was starting to drop, bringing a slight chill to the air around them, though the bakery always managed to keep the nearby area slightly warmer, as well as radiating a delicate scent of fresh dough and icing. Conversations like this weren’t her forte and she'd much rather leave the pep talks to Twilight or AJ, but she was the one here right now, so it was time to step up.

“Look, kid, I know this must be confusing for you—I sure as heck wouldn’t know what to do in your situation—but you aren't gonna get anywhere if you keep everycreature at hoof's length like this. If all my years of saving Equestria have taught me anything, it's that no matter how capable you think you are, sharing the burden with your friends is always the smarter decision. No matter how big the storm cloud, friends can help you break it up and make it manageable; then it's clear skies in no time.” She paused for a breath. “So, are you ready to quit being a one-mare-army and let us help you?”

Dash smiled with an almost motherly smirk, seeming to have warmed up after Star showed her insecurities. But there it was again, all this talk about ‘friends’. Why are these ponies so focused on sharing feelings and personal thoughts? She had nothing against having friends, obviously, she just didn't have time for it, especially in her line of work. Mares weren't exactly lining up to go for long walks on the beach with the angry drill sergeant, and everypony else she knew was a colleague. Still, she wasn't a drill sergeant here—she wasn't anything here—just a lost mare with a chip on her shoulder.

The funny thing was, for as much as they butted heads and rubbed each other the wrong way, she probably had more in common with this cocksure Captain than she did with any of the other ponies she’d met here so far. Perhaps she saw too much of herself in the warped mirror of success, popularity, and confidence that sat beside her. Was it jealousy? Was it seeing the things she disliked about others amplified to a parodic proportion? Did any of this even matter? It’s not like she was planning on staying here and making friends, but she did need those ‘friends’ in order to get back to her Equestria…

Part of her still considered that this might be a sadistic trial designed to see just to see how much it would take to break her… But at this point, did that possibility even matter? Her real friends must be long gone by now, and she didn’t know anything of value anyway—besides, Discord had already overthrown the crown, so what more did he need to know? If breaking her mind was all he cared about, she wouldn’t be able to resist it forever. She was just so tired of flying against the wind. She wasn’t special; all she did was run basic flight drills, work out, and spend long evenings alone. So why not talk about it? At least this old mare was treating her like a pony for once, rather than some thingto be corralled. You win; I’ll sing, for whatever good that will do.

“Just keep in mind that we're doing all that we can to get you back to your time,” the Wonderbolt continued, having waited an uncomfortable length of time while Star was deep in internal monologue. “‘Chin up, fly high, and the sun will always rise in the morning’, right?”

If that was a well known saying, it wasn’t one in Star’s time. Still, she appreciated the sentiment. As the pegasi made their first meaningful eye contact of the conversation and shared a weak smile. Just as Shooting Star opened her mouth to say something, a shrill and half-familiar voice called out, startling them both.

“Hey Dashie! Whatchadooin'?”

“P- Pinkie Pie?!” Rainbow Dash scrambled to her hooves to embrace the approaching mane-to-hoof-pink mare that she hadn’t seen in some time. “What are you doing back from your family thing so soon?”

“Well, turns out there's only so much partying the Pie family can take when there's two super-duper party-planners at the helm, so we ended up coming back two days early. Honestly, I'm impressed Ma and Pa Pie lasted this long at their age. Perhaps two weeks was a little ambitious. Oh, but you should have seen some of the gags and routines Cheesy set up this year; it was a twenty-four-hour carnival-appalooza of non-stop party action! He’s certainly not lost it, that’s for sure.” She sighed dreamily, reminiscing with a slow shake of her head. “I knew I made the right choice when he proposed with that two-hour accordion serenade.”

“Sounds... intense,” an overwhelmed Dash replied, lost for better words.

“It was! The party was good too. S~o, who's your frie~nd?”

“Oh, uh-” Rainbow took a few steps back to re-include the equally overwhelmed third-wheel. “This is Shooting Star. She's... Uh-”

“Wait, lemme guess! Hmm...” The frizzy mare got in uncomfortably close to Star, scrutinising her face in intimate detail while tapping her own chin, lower lip protruding. Without warning, she zoomed around the already overwhelmed pegasus, pulling tools from her stuffed mane as she sized her up, measured her wing-span, and even took her temperature, before returning to her original spot in a flash. “She's an Honorary Lieutenant from the Valkyrie squadron of the Royal Guard—the precursor to the Wonderbolts—who accidentality time-travelled two-thousand years into the future, and you're trying to figure out how to send her back?”

Rainbow's jaw dropped. “Wha- How do you do that?”

“Oh, call it a mother's intuition,” Pinkie giggled smugly. “Besides, Twilight sent me a scroll explaining everything a couple a’ days ago.”

She slapped her hoof to her forehead as the earth pony continued.

“So when the opportunity presented itself, how could I resist being back in time to meet your new friend and make another one? Hah! ‘Back in time’! Get it? I've never had a two-thousand-year-old friend before. Apart from Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. And Discord, I guess. Plus the Pillars. Come to think of it, I've had LOADS of really old friends!”

The Wonderbolt sighed, shaking her head with a wry smile. “This… is Pinkie Pie, one of my oldest friends.”

“Uh, hi.” Star was rendered speechless by the staggering energy of this new arrival, lowering her voice in an attempted aside. “She… doesn't seem like your type of pony.”

She replied with a non-committal groan.

“I'm Pinkie Pie! Oh, but Dashie already said that, didn’t she? Nice to meetcha’, Shooting Star!” she beamed, holding out her hoof to shake, which Star reflexively mirrored, receiving a vigorous reception. “It's not often I get to meet a new pony these days, so I hope you stick around long enough for me to throw you a ‘Welcome to the Future’ party!” She suddenly gasped. “What even IS a ‘Welcome to the Future’ party? I've never thrown one of those before! I’ve got so much research to do, and supplies to order, and invitations to emboss!” She squealed, prancing on the spot.

The blue pegasus cleared her throat loudly. “So what are you doing out here anyway? Kinda far from home at this hour, aren’tcha’?”

“Oh, well it's kind of a tradition for the Cheeses to end a long trip with some warm sweet rolls from ol' Sugarcube Corner, and Pumpkin and Pound were kind enough to stay open late for us. We were catching up with the Cakes and that’s when I thought I heard you talking outside, so I came out to see.”

“The family’s here too?”

Peeking behind Pinkie, Dash saw Cheese Sandwich very clearly standing in the illuminated doorway of the bakery with their son Cheese Slice sitting atop his head, both waving heartily to the group, their faces covered in pastry crumbs. Rainbow smiled, giving them a more subdued wave back.

“Plus it's kinda nostalgic to see the old place again,” the pink pony continued with a wistful sigh. “So many memories.”

“Pinkie, you come here, like, multiple times a day. Sometimes I wonder why you even moved out.”

“Yeah, but it's not the same as actually living there, you know? Falling asleep to the smell of baking dough. Sprinkles and edible glitter everywhere. All-you-can-eat cupcakes at any time of the day or night...”

“I'm pretty sure that last one wasn't part of the deal, and I'm not sure going to bed with something in the oven is a good idea either. Besides, you're always sending us cakes and—” She visibly shuddered. “Pies. Somehow I doubt your home-life is much different.”

“Yeah, you're right, it is pretty great. By the way, I was working on a new song for our new friend on the way here, it goes a little something like this:—”

As Pinkie cleared her throat, Rainbow Dash spread her wings and turned to Shooting Star with a look of urgency in her eyes. “That's our cue to leave.”

Still thoroughly bewildered by this sudden change of tone, Star followed her lead and stood up, giving the Pinkie Pie an awkward, bemused smile before taking off after the Captain, who had already shot into the sky.

“Wait! Come back!” Pinkie Pie screamed from below. “I haven't sung in almost an hour! AN H O U R!”

It didn't take long for the flying pair to make their way back to Canterlot, soaring over the lavishly opulent town centre and toward the castle gates, before elegantly descending into the same rose garden they had left earlier that day. As the rainbow-maned pegasi stood beside one another, taking in the cool air and delicate fragrance of the flowers, lit only by the soft candlelight of nearby windows, it was clear that a lot had changed since this morning.

“Home sweet home,” Rainbow Dash quipped. “Brace yourself, Twilight might be a little-”

As if on cue a bright flash of purple light near-blinded those in the starlit garden, revealing the imposing stature of an alicorn that was no longer playing games, standing directly in front of Shooting Star. As the Valkyrie’s eyes recovered, the first thing she saw was what seemed to be the Princess’ eyes glowing high above her, before streaking toward her and stopping within an inch of her face.

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!”

Almost literally blown back by the Royal Canterlot Voice, Star back-peddled in shock, landing rump-first into a rose bush as the unimpressed alicorn stood tall once more. This was not frizzy Twilighting or a strict librarian demanding overdue books from a filly—this was a Princess. The Princess, of Equestria. And she was angry.

Taking a breath to centre herself, Shooting Star carefully stood from her prickly throne and solemnly returned to her original position in front of the Princess, who was tapping her hoof in anticipation. Swallowing the lump in her throat, the Valkyrie Lieutenant formally and clearly answered the question like she was a recruit fresh out of flight camp.

“R- Recon, Ma'am!” She stamped her hoof and saluted, screwing her eyes shut as she waited for judgement.

Twilight's intimidating posture melted beneath the surprise of this reply. “‘Recon’? … ‘Ma'am’?!”

“Yes. M-Ma'am! I- uh- I went AWOL from the Academy without Captain Dash's permission to seek... Discord. In an attempt to gather intel with the aid of Ms. Fluttershy, I... Well, I failed to discover anything meaningful, Ma'am, that’s all. I realise that my actions have caused you a lot of trouble, going so far as to potentially threaten your lives, and I am prepared to face the consequences of my actions.”

Star lowered her hoof and then her whole body, prostrating herself in front of the Princess in a display that briefly made the alicorn question if this was a changeling diversion. She looked to Rainbow Dash, who returned her equally bemused expression, both stunned by this complete turn of character.

“What happened today?” Twilight thought aloud.

“Don't look at me, she wasn't like this earlier.”

Twilight leaned down with careful concern and gently encouraged the pale pegasus to rise by lifting her chin. Star finally opened her eyes, looking up into the soulful eyes of the Princess, which told her it was okay.

“Shooting Star, I would never punish anycreature for acting out of fear. Yes, your actions were reckless, but you chose the right path in the end, and that’s what matters. You’re here now. Being able to recognise that you made a mistake is the first step towards mutual understanding.” A warmness filled her eyes as she looked down at the pegasus, perhaps in this moment feeling more like Celestia than she ever had while lecturing Luster Dawn. Of course, Luster Dawn had yet to threaten reality as they knew it. Yet. “It doesn’t matter how badly you think you’ve messed up; my friends and I will always be here to listen to you, whether it’s a confession, concern, or question you have about your past or our present. We never sought to keep helpful information from you, only things you aren’t supposed to know yet.”

Shooting Star found her mouth slightly ajar, both taken aback by her lack of reprimanding, and for this intimate and understanding speech given to her by a princess, who until this very moment she had treated as little more than an enemy to mock. In her Equestria, going AWOL against the King’s orders would have been a court-martialable offence and almost certainly lost her her title, and yet here and now, she stood humbled.

“And technically,” Twilight continued, a smile creeping across her lips; “the proper etiquette of royal protocol would be to address me as ‘Princess’, ‘Your Highness’, or ‘Your Majesty’—not ‘Ma'am’.”

“S-Sorry, Ma'am! Uh- I mean, Your Highness!”

Twilight giggled into her foreleg. “I'm only teasing you, Shooting Star; the Guide to Royal Etiquette is long overdue for a revision. Here my friends call me Twilight.” She held out her hoof, sole up. “Would you do me the honour of being one of them?”

Star blinked, dumbfounded by this culmination to days of flagrant insubordination. Her mind began to race again. Had anypony ever asked to be her friend before? Is this how it worked? How are you supposed to respond? Yes? Thank you? Should she shake hooves? Salute? Kneel? This was a Princess, after all, and she had certainly never been briefed on the proper procedure for this situation.

Forcefully pushing her thoughts aside in fear of the pause being read as hesitation, while also not wanting to lose this opportunity for a fresh start, she extended her own hoof and gratefully placed it on the alicorn's.

“I have no idea what just happened,” Rainbow Dash announced, rubbing the back of her neck as she ruined the moment, “but it seems like you two have this under control. It's getting late, so I need to head back to the farm—got some early drills tomorrow morning.”

With a flick of her hoof from her forehead, the Wonderbolt Captain took to the sky without waiting for a reply, briefly looking back to see her junior saluting after her. What a wild day, she thought as she flew off, eager to swap the cold night air for a warm, shared bed.

After watching her friend disappear into a speck within the darkness, Twilight looked up at the vivid tapestry of stars above them. Having taken over Princess Luna’s duties some time ago, she had since grown a deep appreciation for the night sky—a jewelled tapestry of infinitely distant diamonds, sorely taken for granted by those who slept beneath them, including herself.

“She's right, it is getting late,” she almost whispered, her voice warm enough to ward against the creeping cold. “Hopefully Starlight won't mind our late arrival, but I think it will do you good to get some decent sleep somewhere other than the infirmary for a change.”

“Can't argue with that, Ma'am,” she replied, equally wistfully after sharing the star-gazing moment with her freshly ‘official’ friend.

“Please, ‘Twilight’.”

“O-Oh! Twilight.”

The Princess gave another small giggle, quickly growing to this new side of the time-travelling mare. “I know you love to fly, but it's getting a bit cold now. Would you mind if I take us to your new lodging with magic?”

Star swallowed. “I've never- been teleported before. Well, once—by Discord. Twice, actually. I don't care for it.”

“I think it’s a little different when it’s against your will. Discord tends to… play a little rough. Thankfully he’s mellowed in his ‘old age’.” Twilight lowered her hoof, which Star had forgotten was still being held, and moved to stand beside her. “Don't worry, you won't feel a thing, I promise you. If you’re scared, close your eyes, and I'll tell you when we're there.”

Shooting Star swallowed the lump in her throat again, though whether this was from the unknown fear of magical translocation, or the feeling of Twilight’s large wing wrapping around her like a soothing blanket of feathers, she wasn’t sure. The Princess smiled as she watched the pegasus close her eyes, and after one final look at the starry watercolour above them, the pair disappeared in a flash.

Three gentle raps echoed throughout the Castle of Friendship’s library room as Twilight Sparkle peaked her head around the crystalline door. Starlight Glimmer looked up from the books covering her table, her face dimly lit by a green-topped desk lamp that cast an unflattering shadow over the bags under her eyes. She was wearing small, circular reading glasses, and a comfortable, quilted, red velvet jacket—clearly dressed for bed, and just as clearly wishing she were there.

“You've learned how to knock, I see.”

Twilight smiled apologetically as she entered. “About earlier—I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me. This whole fiasco has had me reliving our old problem-solving days—back when we used to get our hooves dirty—for better and for worse.”

Approaching the pony-sized table, she lowered herself to the floor, putting her at an equal height to her old friend. Something about this scene felt so nostalgic, and yet so distant, too.

“Speak for yourself. Some of us don’t have the luxury of being a Princess,” Starlight teased, turning herself to face her guest. “Maybe I should find somecreature I can delegate my work to, too.”

“If only mentoring was that simple. I hope you don't mind, but I showed Shooting Star to one of the spare bedrooms; the third one in the east wing, with the nice view of the school.”

Starlight sighed, relaxing back into her ornate, matching velvet wingback chair.

“That's fine, of course. Pony knows I've got enough rooms to spare here, even after the school staff moved in.” She looked away and held her chin, lowering her voice. “Although, after what Trixie did in that room…”

“What about the room?”

“Oh, nothing,” Starlight smiled, waving away the justified concern.

“Hm… So how come you're up so late?”

“Well, you know what it’s like as Headmare, and things have only gotten worse as more students joined. Between expansions, accommodation, catering to different creatures' needs, the exponential paperwork, and, of course, managing the curriculum, I can barely find the time to sleep, let alone have a moment to myself and unwind. You were smart to get out when you did.” She slouched down, her eyes glazing over the top page of the stack of teacher reports in front of her, before pressing her hooves deep into her sockets, grateful for the momentarily cold relief.

“When you put it like that, it almost sounds like a punishment.”

“Almost? … No, no. I love this job, you know I do, I'm just... burnt out, y’know?”

“Yeah, I do,” she sympathised, both as former headmare and as a princess.

Twilight loved her job, which is why it was so hard for her to admit that she had long needed a break from the non-stop stress of mentoring a personal student, the administrative work of running a country, small- and large-scale mandatory appearances, and oh my gosh the backlog of books that had built up! Being the Princess of Friendship was nothing compared to the responsibilities of being the Princess of Equestria too—a job that had until now been split between two. No wonder Celestia and Luna were always so busy.

The princess looked around at what was once her own library, feeling nostalgia wash over her once more. The glistening crystal shelves that circled them were filled with significantly fewer books than the days she spent here, but held just as many memories.

“Have you tried spending some time with Golden Oak's roots? That always used to help me put things into perspective. Seeing it yesterday really helped perk me up.”

“The chandelier is beautiful, Twilight, but those are your memories, not mine.” She sighed, disgruntledlypushing away the paper she was failing to read. “Maybe it's time I take a long vacation—go with Trixie on one of her world tours, or maybe find that beach resort Celestia and Luna wrote about. I hear Trixie’s new caravan can comfortably fit two whole hammocks now… Wait, what do you mean ‘yesterday’?”

“There aren't many creatures that work as hard as you, Starlight,” the princess continued, ignoring the question. “You need to take breaks now and then, trust me. Nocreature would blame you, and it wouldn’t be fair if they did. Being Headmare of the school is so much more work now than it used to be, and you’re doing far better at it than when I was in charge, too. We all know how that went.”

“Don't say that, Twilight, the school wouldn't even exist without you! Running a school is one thing, but starting an original curriculum from scratch? That’s nuts! And besides, look at you! You're the freakin’ Princess of Friendship! It's not like you get to take a break.”

The alicorn chuckled, nodding. Giving advice was one thing, but following it was another, especially when you’re supposedly the most important pony in Equestria. Some days she wished she could go back to being that naïve little unicorn peacefully reading books in her tower, but then she remembers the good times.

“We both know I wouldn't take a day off unless I was dragged kicking and screaming out of the castle,” she joked, hoping to assuage this pity-party. As she thought this, an image of Pinkie Pie trying to throw such a party popped into her mind, which she quickly shook off. “Work is my comfort zone, whichI know can’t be said for most creatures, and I certainly shouldn’t be seen as a role model or goal in that regard. I may be many things, but ‘normal’ is not one of them.”

Starlight snorted, pushing herself and her chair away from the table to stand up, though still at eye-level with the Princess. “It's been a long time since we've had a chat like this.”

“Yes, it has. Too long.” She glanced down. “I can't help but feel as though I've let my job as Princess of Friendship overshadow my own friendships over the years. Ironic, isn’t it? The more creatures I meet and problems I solve every day, the less time I get to spend with with you,the ones who taught me all about friendship in the first place.”

“That's not your fault, Twilight, it's just a part of growing up.” Starlight’s look of concern momentarily broke into a smile when she realised she wasn’t counselling one of her students. “Look, we're all busy with our own things, our own jobs, our own families… I still consider you all my best friends, but I’ve not seen Applejack, for example, in—gosh—at least a year; and we live in the same town! Sometimes life just… gets in the way of living. Or something.”

Twilight let out a quiet snort, absently turning her attention to the ornate windows that sat high atop the bookshelves, beyond which sparkled the velvet night’s stars. How many nights had she spent in this room, back when it was hers? Between the quiet evenings of candlelight reading and frantic research all-nighters, it was easy to forget that she had given it all away decades ago now.

“Yeah,” she sighed.

Her entire life, ‘growing up’ had always been a contentious subject for her. As a filly, even the avid bibliophiles that her parents were encouraged her to ‘get out more’ and ‘be a kid’, going so far as to enrol her in the School for Gifted Unicorns just so she would be around other fillies her age. Come her teen years, the then-Princess Celestia forced her to leave Canterlot for much the same reason, and in doing so kickstarted the greatest adventure of her life; learning the value of true friendship. Yet as late as she was to this concept, she suddenly found herself launched onto the path of princesshood, with more to learn now than ever before. Despite her intelligent persona, she always found herself catching up to others’ expectations of her; and yet little did she realise just how much ‘growing up’ that would require.

Former Princesses Celestia and Luna are living legends for how long they had been in power—and for how long they had been alive, for that matter—with much of their history shrouded in mystery and lost records; the only exception to this being The Journal of the Two Sisters, which she herself found locked deep within the Sisters’ old castle, with a little help from Spike, of course. And just like all alicorns before her, ever since that day in Ponyville when she ascended into the sky and bore wings, time would slowly begin to lose meaning to her, too. Years passed like months, and before she knew it her friends stood around her with greying hair and wrinkled smiles. She had learned a lot over the years, but she was still behind on growing up, just like she always had been, except now the goal had been unfairly moved so much further away—maybe infinitely, for all anycreature knew. Doorways that once towered over her now threatened to clip her horn, while the ‘adult’ face that met her gaze in the mirror felt both unfamiliar and dishonest, belying both her insecurities and her true age. Growing old is a natural part of life; not something that anycreature wants, but something they shall always experience, whether rich or poor—all equal under time. Except for alicorns. Except for her.

Now that the Sisters were little more than quill pals, she counted her blessings knowing that she could share this uncertain future with at least Cadence and Flurry Heart—heck, even Discord was a comforting thought—but she couldn’t dare to face what that meant for her other friends. It wouldn’t be long before her job was all she had, and then what? Would she, too, rule Equestria for ten-thousand moons, every day a sea of faces; lifelong friends and acquaintances just names on a list, coming and going like ephemera? Sure, she had book-smarts, but how could that possibly prepare her for the prospect of immortality? Even Luster Dawn would grow old before her. How did the Sisters bear this burden, especially during those thousand moons apart?

“Terra to Twilight? Hello?”

The purple alicorn came out of her daze with a start, finding Starlight Glimmer up close to her with a look of confused worry in her eyes.

“Sorry, sorry,” she laughed, waving off the embarrassment as she stood up. “Just got lost in thought, that’s all.”

The Headmare grunted in reluctant acceptance, taking a step back to allow the princess to tower over her once more.

“I feel like there’s more going on with you than you’re letting on.”

Twilight chuckled warmly. “You weren’t picked as Student Councillor for nothing. But no, I’m fine. It’s nothing I haven’t been dealing with for a while now anyway.”

“You can’t keep these things bottled up, Twilight. Trust me, I know.” She smirked, thinking back to Trixie once more. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

“Really, it’s fine. I’ve taken up too much of your time already. You have school tomorrow, after all,” she poked with a joking tone.

“It’s the weekend tomorrow,” Starlight replied, half-smiling in case that was the joke. “I know I work hard, but even I have my limits.”

“Oh, it is? Sorry, I’ve been so focused on this time-travel issue lately that it’s been hard to keep track of time,” the princess chuckled, before letting out a sigh. “These late nights of research never phased me when I was younger.”

“Tell me about it,” Starlight quipped as the two began for the door. “Before you go, can I get you a cup of bedtime tea? I just received a new shipment of ginseng straight from Neighjing. Some nights I can’t sleep without it.”

Twilight smiled warmly, closing her eyes as she pictured simpler times. No matter how much time passes, creatures always remain true to their true selves, it seems.

“That would be nice.”

Starlight pulled the desk lamp’s cord with her magic as the pairleft the library, their hooves clacking against the crystal floor as they walked to the castle kitchen. Rather than any heroic deed or friendship lesson taught, it was these quiet moments of comfortable small talk and giggling as they sipped tea that Twilight hoped would stay with her for eternity. If their time together was finite, she would ensure that these memories were not.

Author's Note:

1st Edition - 8^th October, 2022 (Release) (6,695 words)

Comments

[Phetiamwantip]

This new chapter is going great, I like it!

[p61blkwidow]

great chapter well done!