Mid-morning sunlight shone through the window of Starlight’s bedroom, lighting up the sleeping pony who was curled up in a rather adorable position, in a cocoon of blankets. At the moment, she was now screwing her eyes shut in an attempt to block the strong sunlight and go back to sleep. But it was no good. Starlight’s eyes opened and she sat up, looking around her room somewhat blearily. What a sleepover party that was … she thought, and got out of bed. She lifted her mane brush and began to brush her mane, which helped to banish some of her sleepiness.
The sleepover had turned into a real party, once she and Spike entered the room where their friends were. Apparently Pinkie Pie couldn’t wait until tomorrow to throw her ‘We-Defeated-The-Changelings-With-Friendship-And-Queen-Buggy-Is-Gone’ party, so they celebrated it in that room, in this castle, tonight.
Pinkie Pie’d ‘voomed’ up most of the sweets. Rarity had enchanted half a dozen different coloured jewels to glow their respective colours, and, with Starlight’s help, levitated them into the air for the duration of the party. Fluttershy had brought along her rabbit companion, Angel, who’d immediately gone into a staring contest with Gummy. He desperately tried not to lose, but to no avail. Applejack and Rainbow Dash spent half an hour hoof-wrestling, and then an hour of full-body wrestling. Starlight didn’t know which’d seemed stranger to her. As for Twilight, she’d gone slightly tipsy with ginger beer and had spent half of the dances staggering slightly in her movements.
When Twilight almost passed out on the fourth dance, Pinkie and Rarity decided to end the party. Starlight herself was almost as exhausted as Twilight was, so she didn’t say much beyond a simple ‘Good night’ to her friends before going to her room and falling asleep.
Starlight smiled a big, happy smile. It’s moments like that, that really brings out the joy of friendship. Turning her mind to more important matters, she glanced at her bedside table and saw a note. She opened it up.
Dear Starlight,
We’ve gone to Sugarcube Corner for breakfast. Sorry for not waking you up but we didn’t disturb you because you’d a hard day yesterday. When you’ve woken up, you can certainly join us if you want to.
Your friends.
Idly, Starlight glanced at her bedside clock … and froze in her tracks.
10:00! When have I ever slept in that late before? Oh, no. Twilight is going to be more than a little peeved. I’d better go now.
She lit up her horn and teleported to the dining room.
When Starlight arrived, she was surprised to find only Spike reading one of his comics there, and not Twilight as she’d expected. She very quickly teleported to the castle library, expecting to find her mentor there … but no. Starlight then went to the throne room, but yet again, it was empty of ponies and one dragon. The pink unicorn backtracked to the dining room, feeling very confused.
“Errr … Spike, you wouldn’t happen to know where Twilight is, do you? I’ve looked in here … and the throne room, and the library. She’s not in any of them! Do you think that she’s been kidnapped again?” Starlight was pacing quickly in circles (one of the things that Twilight does when she gets frustrated).
“Hmmm …” Spike privately thought that Starlight was overreacting a bit. Just like Twilight. The two of them are, at times, so similar that it’s almost freaky.
“Have you checked her room?”
Starlight opened her mouth to reply, and then closed it. “No, I haven’t”, she admitted.
“There you go. She does sometimes study in her room, it’s a habit of hers.”
The unicorn smiled, “Thanks, Spike.”
“No problem”, the dragon replied and turned back to his comic.
Starlight appeared in Twilight’s room in a flash of turquoise light and looked around. It seemed quiet and tidy, nothing out of order … except a slightly scruffy striped pony tail poking out of the bundled up sheets.
“What?” The pink unicorn exclaimed and walked over to the bed. “Twilight?” she asked, and was rewarded by a quiet grumbling sound. The usual sound made by a pony or other being that really, really doesn’t want to get up.
“Are you kid … no, wait. You have to be kidding me!” The student stared at the sleeping form of mentor. Twilight Sparkle sleeping in?! Wow, she must be even more tired than me. Maybe it’s because of that pod the changelings stuck her in. “Twilight?” she murmured.
‘Grumble.’
“Twilight!”
‘Grumble.’
“TWILIGHT!”
“Whaaa…”
“Uggh”, Starlight facehooved. This is getting ridiculous. Then she suddenly had an idea.
This might just work. She smirked, and then whispered sharply into Twilight’s right ear.
“You’re late!”
“AAAHHH!” screeched Twilight as she literally jumped out of her bed and then proceeded to dash around the room, muttering as she went. Her eyes seemed to be wide with panic. “What did I miss… oh no, this is bad … Princess Celestia is going to be so disappointed in me … my friends … I…”
“Twilight!” Starlight stepped in front of her, and gently stopped her with a hoof. “It’s okay.”
Twilight’s eyes came back into focus, and she frowned. “Starlight, that was not funny. You know how I feel about being late.”
“Weeeell …” Starlight smiled nervously before levitating Twilight’s clock up. “It wasn’t a fib.” Twilight’s pupils shrank again, but before she could dash off; Starlight caught her in a stasis field. “Twilight, I don’t think that our friends aren’t going to be cross with us. Yesterday was a hard time for both of us, so they decided to let me sleep in a bit.” The pink unicorn glanced at Twilight’s bedside table, and saw a folded piece of paper with Twilight’s name on it. “From the looks of it, they left you a note too.” She put her friend down, and Twilight took some deep breaths.
“You’re right, Starlight. I guess it was a trying day: getting kidnapped by changelings in my case, and saving Equestria in yours.”
Starlight blushed. “Well, I had some friends who helped me; it wasn’t just me alone."
"And that’s why I’m proud of you. You’re learning how to use friendship to help others.”
The unicorn smiled. “Thanks, Twilight.” And maybe I can use it to help … her. The image of Chrysalis’s emotion-ravaged face swam into mental view for a moment. Starlight dismissed the picture after a second. Somehow, the events at the Hive kept coming back to her.
“Well, let’s not keep our friends waiting!” Twilight said, and teleported with a flash of magenta magic. Starlight followed suit in a blaze of turquoise light.
They both reappeared in Sugarcube Corner, and were immediately greeting by bursts of confetti from Pinkie’s party cannon. “Surprise, sleepyheads! I made a special breakfast for you … or is it elevenses? Brevenses? Elevenfast?” Pinkie Pie frowned for a moment, her frown drooping across her face … and off it, making Starlight facehoof in confusion.
“I’m never going to get used to that”, she muttered.
“Oh, don’t worry, darlings”, Rarity’s cultured voice made Starlight and Twilight turn around to see the rest of their best friends sitting at a table that was crammed with food. “You’re not the only one, you know,” she said, flipping her stylish mane.
Meanwhile, Applejack and Rainbow were busy demolishing the food before them.
“Well, come on then if you’re hungry!” Rainbow Dash tapped her hooves impatiently.
“Yeah”, Applejack chuckled. “Or else ya’ll be out of luck.”
Twilight and Starlight both smiled and sat down. “So everyone’s okay then? No lasting side effects?” the alicorn asked.
The ponies all shook their heads. “None at all, darling. Although that disgusting green gunk really ruins your hair. I was at the spa for most of the evening, trying to salvage what was once perfection.” The Princess of Friendship and the rest of her friends all rolled their eyes at Rarity’s perennial obsession with fashion.
All this time, Fluttershy had been unusually quiet, even for her. “Fluttershy?” Twilight turned to look at her shy friend. “Is everything okay?”
The pink-haired pegasus crossed her hooves and stared at them. “Um, I … earlier on, I was tending to some of my animal friends that had been scared by my imposter self … and …”
“And what?” Rainbow Dash flew over to her, starting to be really concerned.
“Well, after yesterday, I was a bit scared about them … and when …”
“Fluttershy,” everyone said together, and Fluttershy sighed.
“Well, it was like this …”