//------------------------------// // Let the Stars Be Your Guide. "The Saddle Row Review" // Story: Starlight's Adventures Through Season 6. // by EclipseSight //------------------------------// A loud groan escaped Starlight from beneath the bundle of her bedclothes. She was curled into a tight ball, clutching her aching belly. Whatever she had eaten last night was turning her insides inside out. Gurgling roars of protest sounded from her gut, forcing her to lurch out of bed and into the nearest bathroom. Thankfully she knew where that was by now. Several minutes passed, and the shaky Starlight dragged herself back to bed. With the offending meal now expelled from her stomach, maybe the wretched thing would let her sleep now. Snuggling underneath her soft covers, she closed her eyes and tried to enter the land of slumber. It was several hours later when she finally awoke once more. Yawning loudly, she slipped out of bed. Her eyes widened as she glanced to the clock on her wall. Could it really be almost noon already? Then again, she had absolutely no idea exactly when she had managed to fall asleep, so the notion was not so preposterous. Shaking her head, she grabbed a note that had been left on her bedside table. She already knew exactly what it would be about, but read it anyway. “Hi Starlight, Sorry we couldn't wait for you. Rarity is practically breathing down my neck so I have to keep this brief. Apparently there's a fair bit to be done. And Rarity is about to burst in, I have to go. See you tonight, hope you feel better when you wake and have fun. If you need me you know how to contact me. Twilight.” Everyone had already left to Manehatten for the grand opening of Rarity's new boutique, Rarity for You or something. She knew that they had all wanted to wait for her, but circumstances had demanded they leave. Starlight shrugged and placed the note down. At least this time they were all away to somewhere mostly safe. Probably safer than Ponyville at any rate. That meant she could relax, which her still fragile insides thanked her for. Though what exactly was she supposed to do? First thing to do would be to get some water to wet her throat. Breakfast could wait until she was sure it would stay down. As she neared the kitchens her ears pricked. Someone was humming in there, the soft tune punctuated by the harsh clang of silverware. If everyone was away, then why was someone in the kitchen? Eyes narrowed, Starlight crept towards the source of the noise. Best to keep the element of surprise as long as possible. Unless one wanted to gloat, a desire she knew all about. Immediately upon seeing just who was making the noise, she relaxed. It was only Spike, working away as always. Though it did raise another question. Why was he here, and not in Manehatten? Ditching the magic she had been readying, the unicorn coughed to announce her presence. Spike whirled around. When he saw her, he grinned and waved. “Oh hey Starlight! I was wondering when you'd get up! Want breakfast?” he asked, pointing to a small stack of leftover pancakes. The sight made Starlight's mouth go dry. Shooting the food a disdain filled glare she said, “Eh, no thanks. Maybe later. I'm not all that sure I could keep it down right now.” “Fair enough,” Spike nodded, holding out a glass of water. Taking the drink, Starlight put the glass to her lips and sipped. Raising an eyebrow at Spike, she queried. “So, why are you here? I assumed you'd be in Manehatten helping Rarity get ready for her grand opening.” Here she could not help but grin knowingly. “Might garner you some brownie points.” Spike just flashed her a small smirk in return. “Eh I thought I'd let her miss me a bit. We couldn't just leave you all alone. Not after last night.” Suppressing the urge to smack her face with her hoof, Starlight sighed. Sometimes she wondered if everyone thought she was made of glass, or paper. “Spike. I appreciate the concern...but all I did was eat something bad... There's no need for this.” “Yeah but I did it anyway,” Spike shrugged. “You'd do the same for me. Besides, when was the last time it was just the two of us?” “Uh, let me think,” Starlight replied, pondering on the question for a moment. Sheepishly, she rubbed the back of her head. “Uh I guess, in the Crystal Empire when meeting Sunburst wasn't going well.” Spike nodded. “Exactly. It'll be fun. A lot more fun than trying to open a boutique last minute if you ask me.” “I'm sure they'll manage it somehow,” Starlight said, unable to hold back the amusement in her voice. The image of six very different ponies scrambling to open a boutique was...very funny. “Yep, and we'll hear all about it. So might as well have some adventures of our own in the meantime.” Starlight raised an eyebrow at this. “Like what?” she asked, sipping her water once more. What could Spike possibly have in mind? A small smile crept onto her face when Spike just gave a sheepish shrug. “I have no idea. I was hoping you'd know.” “Surely there must be something you want to do?” Starlight pressed, not willing to give up so easily. If he was giving up his time to stay with her, then he was choosing the first thing they did together. She would not back down in this. Realising that she was being completely sincere, Spike grinned. It was a wide, almost devilish grin. He rubbed his claws together excitedly. Apparently he had a plan. Amused by his over the top gestures, Starlight put down her glass. This would be interesting. Almost two hours later they were leaving Sweet Apple Acres. Spike and Big Mac had been trading Hoofball cards for that entire time, while Starlight just watched in amazement as Big Mac was able to both keep up with Spike's excited behaviour and still work the farm. For a pony of few words he was full of surprises. She had most certainly misjudged him before. “I think Big Mac is still a little wary of me after I used that spell to force him to talk,” Starlight murmured sadly, almost to herself. Her eyelids drooped wearily as she turned to Spike. “That was...not my proudest moment,” she sighed heavily. “It'll pass,” Spike chuckled, shaking his head. “Big Mac doesn't hold grudges much. You apologised and won't do it again right?” he asked, looking away from his hoofball cards to meet her eyes. “Yes I apologised and I will definitely not be doing it again,” Starlight huffed, brow furrowing. “Applejack gave me a very liberal verbal thrashing for it. I didn't mean to offend I just, acted without thinking.” Spike only nodded, but instead of responding verbally he simply pulled her down into a hug. “It'll be fine,” he assured her. “Now, got any other adventures? I chose this one.” “Not sure I'd call it an adventure personally,” Starlight said, pulling away from his hug. Hurriedly she added. “But I'm sure it's just because everyone has their opinions on what classes as an adventure.” A nervous chuckle punctuated her statement, followed by a cough to clear her throat. Spike did not appear offended, and seemed to wait patiently for her answer. Focusing on the question at hand, she looked around. Was there anything she wanted to do? Her stomach had been quiet for the last hour, so it would hopefully not be a hindrance. Sunlight reflecting off the surface of the lake caught her eye. Was it a lake, or would she classify it as a pond? As she pondered the question and subjected the offending body of water to her scrutiny, Spike observed the odd behaviour. When she was silent for several moments, he could wait no longer and spoke up. “See something?” he asked, folding his arms. “Not...exactly. I was just trying to decide if I would call that body of water a lake or a pond... It's either a very small lake, or a very big pond. I can't quite decide.” This statement caused Spike to raise an eyebrow. He stared at his companion as if she had just grown an extra head. That was how weird her question had been. Unamused by the implications of Spike's gaze, she countered with an intimidating glare of her own. To his credit the young dragon held his ground for several moments, but inevitably had to back down. “Heh, sorry it's just a weird thing to think about. Honestly everyone in Ponyville just calls it a lake.” Starlight relaxed her expression and gave the lake one last glance. If everyone was just going to call it a lake then she would too, for now at least. Though that still did not give her any more insight on what they could do together. Reading and spell practise were activities she enjoyed with Twilight, but Spike was not Twilight- obviously. Frustrated by her lack of ideas, she scanned her surroundings. Her mind was drawing a blank and the hunger pangs were starting to relentlessly attack her insides. Grumbling inwardly at her own failure, she turned to suggest returning to the castle. The words caught in her throat as a distant scream of horror crashed down upon her ears. “What was that?” Spike yelped, whirling around to try and pinpoint the source of the noise. Starlight was already moving, forcing her hooves to carry her to the commotion. Hurrying after her, Spike tried not to think about what could cause a pony to emit such a terrified sound. Panting heavily, Starlight burst in on the scene with Spike not a moment behind her. What they saw made their blood run cold. The ferocious form of a gargantuan ursa minor towered over a group of terrified foals. The four young ponies were frozen in fear, only able to tremble in the monster's presence. Knowing that she had to act fast, Starlight leapt into action. Drawing on her pool of magic, she grabbed the giant beast and heaved it backwards with all her might. Shuddering tremors almost rocked Starlight off her unsteady hooves as the ursa minor crashed down to earth. Spike could scarcely believe his eyes. The creature was huge, much larger than their last encounter. Evidently it had grown up in the past few years. Even so, Starlight was able to hurl it far back into the forest. Awe locked him in place as he watched the gargantuan bear soar through the air. Snapping back to himself, the young dragon launched towards the terrified foals. Desperately trying to keep himself calm, he started to coax them towards Fluttershy's cottage. His efforts proved fruitless, they were still too scared to move. Lumbering footsteps shook the ground beneath his claws. He was running out of time. Noticing their struggle, Starlight planted herself firmly between them and the oncoming beast. While it would be foal's play for her to teleport or levitate them to safety, that would leave her defenceless for too long. Getting them to safety was Spike's job, and she was going to make absolutely sure he would have enough time to accomplish it. Adrenaline coursed through her in a way it never had before. Only one thought permeated her mind, flooding her with strength. She had to win. Enraged, the ursa minor came barrelling out of the forest. Honing in on the first thing it came across, the beast lunged at Starlight. Giant white fangs, two of which showed the beginnings of becoming the sword like sabres found on an ursa major, snapped together mere inches from her face. As before, she lifted the colossal beast into the air. For a few seconds it struggled against her grip, before she brought it slamming back down to the ground. By this time Spike had managed to corral Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Pipsqueak into Fluttershy's cottage. Every one of Fluttershy's animal friends had piled in with them. Trembling, they all crowded around one of the small windows to watch the confrontation outside. The dragon could only watch helplessly as one of his best friends took on a monster more than twenty times her size. Again and again Starlight used her magic to slam the ursa minor into the ground. Crystallising something this massive was out of the question, and her magical bursts would do nothing more than irritate it. This was the only way, keeping it completely under her control until it gave up and fled. However, by now she was panting heavily, every breath ragged and strained. Sweat poured in rivers from her brow. Meanwhile the ursa minor showed absolutely no signs of ending its furious rampage. Time slowed to a crawl. Starlight's magic finally faltered and a huge paw effortlessly swatted her aside. A hastily erected shield spell did little more than muffle the powerful blow. Spike could only watch in horror as Starlight slammed into a tree and landed in a crumpled heap at the base of the large oak. However, when the ursa minor started to stalk towards its downed quarry, Spike acted. He launched himself out of the cottage, slamming the door behind him to make sure he was not followed. It was a stupid, reckless plan, that just had to work. “Hey! You!” he bellowed with all the air in his lungs. Then he set off running. He did not have to look back to know that the monster was following him. The earth shaking beneath his frantic steps told him that. Angling his dash towards the forest, he tried to lure the infuriated bear back to its home. The tree line was close, so close, but the ursa minor was gaining on him too fast. He would not reach the safety of the trees before it was upon him. Already he could feel its hot stinking breath on his neck, curling his scales. Putting on a burst of speed, he desperately tried to outrun the monster snarling at his heels. Just a little more. Suddenly the heat on the back of his neck vanished. Whirling around, he was instantly blinded by a brilliant teal light. Arcane energy had erupted from the ground, engulfing the entirety of the ursa minor in a pillar of illumination. For several seconds the light persisted, electrifying the surrounding air. Spike's scales raised from the skin underneath and he could almost taste the energy crackling around him. When the light faded, a very frazzled looking ursa minor let out a pathetic whimper of surprise before scrabbling back into the forest. For several long seconds, Spike could only stare. Light sparks of teal magic still arced across the ravaged ground. A quiet shuffling drew his eyes away from the scar in the earth towards the one who had caused it. Starlight had risen unsteadily to her feet and started to stumble over to him. Hurrying as fast as his heavy legs would allow, he closed the distance between them and flung his arms around her neck. Starlight had to fall to her haunches to prevent herself from buckling under Spike's weight. Wrapping a hoof around his shoulders, she held him tightly to her chest. She could feel him shaking against her and her first thought was to try and calm him down. Having an ursa minor breathing down your neck was not something she would wish on anyone. “Thanks for the save,” she murmured, hoping that the compliment would lighten the mood. “You too,” Spike chuckled weakly, his throat tight. His eyes stung with tears; he squeezed his eyelids shut to prevent their flow. Unsure of what to do, Starlight stroked his back with her hoof. Only now did she realise that he was not the only one who was trembling. A combination of exhaustion, hunger and relief had turned her into a quivering mess. The patter of four sets of small hooves drew her attention. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Pipsqueak had exited the cottage and dashed over to them. “Is everyone okay?” Sweetie Belle asked, skidding to a halt. “I'm fine,” Starlight nodded. “Just... a little scrambled.” That was putting it very mildly, but getting into a discussion about just how horrendous she was feeling right now did not seem appealing. Feeling Spike start to squirm in her grip, she lifted her hoof. “How about you? You all okay?” Spike asked, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He pushed himself away from Starlight to look at the assembled ponies. “We're fine now. Thanks to you,” Apple Bloom said in that thick accent that cemented her as Applejack's sister. The pink bow that adorned her mane bobbed as she spoke, similar to how Applejack's hat occasionally did when the farm mare was excited or agitated. “Good,” Starlight sighed, wishing she would stop shaking. It was definitely unsightly. “What were you all doing so close to the forest?” “We were trying to help Pipsqueak find his cutie mark,” Scootaloo piped up. “And Fluttershy said we could watch her animals while she was away. Starlight could not help but silently question Fluttershy's judgement. The group meant well but the Crusaders were practically magnetised to trouble. Then again, she was hardly in a position to judge. Shaking her head, she continued, “Okay, I guess the ursa minor just heard a commotion and came to investigate... They get restless in their adolescent years.” “So it wasn't trying to hurt us?” Pipsqueak asked, now sounding confused. “But it seemed so angry.” “I don't know,” Starlight sighed. She was fighting the urge to pass out and sleep for the rest of the day, right there on the grass. “Ursa minors are, not particularly well studied. I've heard they mellow out but from all accounts they are somewhat...aggressive in their younger years.” “The way you fought it off was so cool though!” Scootaloo suddenly exclaimed. Starlight's only reaction was to flick her ear at the obnoxiously loud yell. At the mention of that, all five pairs of young eyes became fixed on her. The intensity of their gaze brought a hot flush of blood to the skin under her cheeks. Magic had always been something she had been proud of, yet lately she felt very mixed on the whole subject. Next to Twilight, who could learn any spell at lightning speed, she felt a whole lot less special. Most of her huge accomplishments were also nothing to be proud of. Duelling an alicorn to a standstill was nothing to be proud of if one happened to be on the wrong side of the moral compass at the time. “Yeah it really was quite amazing,” Apple Bloom agreed, in a thankfully much more subdued tone. “I just, did what I had to,” Starlight said with another sigh, shrugging her shoulder. A little part of her wanted to bask in the accomplishment, but now was not the time or the company. Thankfully, a low growl pierced the air, halting any more outbursts of praise. “Oh...uh,” Starlight stammered, once again remembering that she had still not eaten. “I'm assuming you'll want breakfast now?” Spike asked, playfully elbowing her in the ribs. Returning his teasing gesture, she chuckled, “I... might be a little hungry.” “Let's get back to the castle,” Spike said, jabbing a thumb at the towering crystal structure. To the four young ponies he asked. “Want to come? I'm sure I can make enough for everyone.” “Sure,” Apple Bloom said with a nod. “We pretty much all agreed that Pipsqueak wasn't going to get his cutie mark in animal care anyway. Maybe he'll be better at cooking.” Spike paled, and Starlight could not help but let loose a light laugh. Swooping in to save him, and Twilight's kitchen for that matter, she put forward a suggestion of her own. “Maybe you can all help me set the table. Leave Spike to deal with break- actually it would be lunch right now wouldn't it?” “That sounds like a good idea,” Sweetie Belle agreed. Admittedly most of their cooking escapades had been somewhat disastrous. “Setting tables does sound like a very fun thing to do,” came Pipsqueak's optimistic response. “And a little less messy too,” he added. He was right, whatever they had been doing with Fluttershy's animals had left all four foals a complete mess. Not that it was any problem. One quick spell from Starlight whisked the dirt from their coats and left them as fresh as daisies. Admiration glinted in the foal's eyes at the effortless display of magic. Sweetie Belle in particular looked ready to burst. “All clean,” Starlight smiled, trying not to once again lose her composure under the weight of all the attention. It was the right kind of attention, sort of. It certainly beat the uneasy stares or hushed whispering but still her empty gut squirmed. “C'mon, before Starlight faints of hunger,” Spike called, ushering the group towards the castle. The aforementioned unicorn rolled her eyes, quickly taking control of her own hooves and walking at her own pace. A pace that included a limp, originating in her left forehoof, which forced her to deflect several suggestions to go pay Nurse Redheart a visit. “I'm fine,” she grumbled, after the third time. “I just landed on it badly. Spike narrowed his eyes but finally dropped the subject. Starlight was perhaps the most stubborn pony he knew. Once her mind was made up, that was it. One short walk later and Spike was in the kitchen, whipping up his own kind of magic. Which left Starlight and the foals to set the table. Half a second was all that would have been necessary for her to magically get everything in order. However, she instead decided to let her magic rest and allowed the crusaders to do what they did best. How they managed to make setting a table seem like such an arduous task truly baffled her. Even so, as she lazed with her head in her hooves, she could not help but find the display both adorable and amusing. After relatively minor levels of chaos, the table was set. Maybe not the exquisite silverware placement that one would employ for the visit of a princess, but every place had everything they needed: a fork, a knife, a plate and a spoon. Ignoring the nag to straighten the slightly haphazard cutlery placements, Starlight left the group to check on Spike's progress. She wanted to make sure he was really okay- not many ponies, or dragons, would be after such a close brush with an ursa minor. “Hey,” she called out cheerfully, announcing her presence before the doors had even fully opened. “Hey Starlight,” Spike greeted, waving back at her. “This is familiar.” “A little,” she acknowledged with a smirk. Walking over to the young drake, she asked. “You feeling okay?” “Huh? Yeah...why wouldn't I be?” Spike asked, turning and fixing with another raised eyebrow stare. After allowing her eyes to roll, Starlight placed her hooves up onto the counter to regain the height advantage against Spike's stool. She was unsure of the best way to approach this. After running through all of Twilight's friendship lectures in her head, she settled on just being direct. From her own experiences, dancing around the bush only ever delayed the inevitable. Though this had never stopped her before. Huffing at her own doubts, she forged onwards. Her words came out a little more blunt than she meant them to but at least they came out. “Well you did almost get eaten by an ursa minor. I'd be more surprised if that didn't shake you up.” Part of her had expected him to scoff, and play it off as nothing. Another part of her expected him to make some offhanded comment about how horrendous she was at starting a conversation. However, none of her expected him to just slump. The wooden spoon fell from his limp fingers, but was caught in her magic before it could clatter to the floor. Well aware that she had stumbled onto something well out of her depth, Starlight tried to stay calm. Losing control of herself now would only aggravate the issue. “Breathe Starlight,” she muttered under her breath. “In...out...in...out.” The brief breathing exercise only delayed her inevitable fit of panic but it would have to do for now. Spike was still just staring blankly into space. Cursing her own inadequacies, she leaned forward and gently pressed her muzzle against his shoulder. The warm scales were rough against her cheeks. After a moment she pulled away, replacing her muzzle with her uninjured hoof. “Want to talk about it?” she asked softly, using the same tone he always used with her whenever she was panicking or upset. “It's nothing really...” he shrugged, fidgeting with his claws. Unconvinced, Starlight simply let the disbelief flood her face. Knowing that she was not about to let this go, Spike relented with a nervous chuckle, “Okay, maybe it's a little more than nothing. It's just... well, whenever Twilight gets roped into saving Equestria...again, I get worried. What if one time... she gets really hurt, or...or...” here he paused and coughed, trying to clear his throat. “What if she doesn't come back?” Starlight paused, having to think over her next words very carefully. Biting back any annoyance at herself for sticking her hoof where it did not belong, she forced her voice to stay soft and comforting. “Have you told Twilight about this?” He shook his head. There really was nothing to tell her. She already knew he worried, just not how much. He knew that she had to go off and save Equestria, it was just what she was meant to do. Sometimes, he just wished someone else would step up for once. Just once he wished that Equestria could be saved without his friends being in mortal peril. “I've kept it mostly to myself,” he sighed. “I just...when you hit that tree I saw them. All of them, lying there...not moving. It was...so clear...so...real.” “But it wasn't,” Starlight rebuked softly. “Yes, Twilight and the others go off to save Equestria a lot. Twice it was against me...” Spike rolled his eyes at that. It certainly was not making him feel any better. Starlight resisted the urge to snort, instead keeping the same softness in her voice. “Yet every time they manage to prevail... They're tough... I fought Twilight again and again...and even after all those futures she was sent to...I still couldn't beat her.” Here she paused, swallowing down the bitter taste that had risen to the back of her throat. “They were chosen to save Equestria again and again for a reason...” Seeing the still downcast frown he wore, she sighed and shook her head. “Okay, that isn't helping...umm...” “I...I get what you're trying to say...” he replied, a heavy sigh causing him to slump even lower. “But, what if...” “Don't think about the what if Spike...” Starlight interjected immediately, cutting him off. “I thought about the what ifs...it, did not go well. As Twilight keeps teaching me..you have to live in the now. You can't change the past...I've, tried that too...” “Still doesn't stop me worrying about them,” Spike shot back, squaring his shoulders. “Can't someone else just...save Equestria for once?” Biting her lip, Starlight racked her brains for a response. If everything Twilight had said was true, and she had ample reason to believe it was, then the young alicorn and her friends had saved Equestria more times than most ponies would read about in history books. It had never occurred to her before now, but they really were constantly hurling themselves into the fire for the sake of others. “I'm sure someone will step up when the need arises,” Starlight said finally, trying to be as diplomatic as possible. This was evidently not the right way to approach the situation, as she was instantly met by the wave of Spike's anger. He ground his teeth for a moment before his small body practically erupted with rage. “When?” he yelled, waving his arms frantically. “How long will that take?” Starlight flinched away from the young dragon's outburst. Feeling stung at being yelled at for expressing concern, she was about to snap right back. However, before she could utter any rebuttal, Spike slumped against the counter and murmured, “What if it's too late?” Slowly, Starlight moved over and wrapped her hooves around Spike. He offered no resistance as she pulled him into her chest. For a moment he remained completely still and listless but soon he was clutching her tightly with trembling claws. At a loss, Starlight merely started patting his back awkwardly. She was quiet for a long time, then in a voice that was barely a whisper, she said, “I'm not going to let that happen...” Spike's reaction was immediate, he stiffened in her grip and jerked his head upright. His eyes glistened with tears he refused to spill. All Starlight did was offer him a small smile. “I promise...” she affirmed, letting him go and dropping gingerly back to all fours again. “T-Thanks...” Spike replied gently, roughly drying his eyes with a forearm. “I'm okay now...” “You sure?” the unicorn asked, her sapphire gaze so piercing Spike felt like he was being x-rayed. He nodded, so she softened her penetrating stare. “Okay...well, I'd best go and make sure we still have a dining room.” She forced out an awkward chuckle and left just as Spike turned his back to continue working. Instead of returning immediately to the dining room, Starlight displaced herself to the nearest bathroom. By the time she had reappeared inside the small space, she was hyperventilating. What had she just said? Had she really just thrown herself into ensuring that Twilight and her friends would stay safe...against everything? How in Equestria was she supposed to do that? Coloured blotches started to blur her vision. Realising that she was quickly becoming light headed, Starlight forced herself to regulate her breathing. Once air was flowing properly into her system, she raised her head. “Okay...no need to panic...I just need to relax, I'm sure it'll all be fine...right?” The words, when said aloud, eased her worries slightly. Still, the pit in her stomach deepened. She had just made a promise that truthfully she was unsure that she would be able to keep. However, that was just something she would need to worry about later. At the very least, the immediate problem was solved for the moment. Which did remind her...she had a dining room to save! Gathering her strength, Starlight winked out of existence and reappeared back in the dining room. Nothing was out of place, but the Crusaders and Pipsqueak were gone. Muttering darkly under her breath, Starlight flourished her magic and threw open several doors to allow her voice to travel further. “Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle! AppleBloom! Pipsqueak! Where did you go?!” she called,walking through into the main hallway. “In here!” Apple Bloom called from the living room. There was trepidation in her tone, which made Starlight sigh. What was she going to find? Following the voice, Starlight came upon the young foals, and the carnage they had wrought. Somehow in the few minutes that she had left they had managed to blacken a large portion of the room with soot from the fireplace. Her eye twitched, old feelings of hatred for all things out of place threatening to surface. Forcing herself to remain calm, she contented herself with presenting them with her flattest stare. It had the desired effect, and they were quickly in front of her and sporting sheepish smiles. Dropping her hard gaze, she relaxed her posture and sighed heavily, “I'm going to assume this was something to do with cutie marks?” “Yes ma'am!” Pipsqueak piped up. “They were trying to help me get my cutie mark in chimney sweeping!” “I...see,” Starlight replied, drawing out the words while her mind tried to calculate just how they went from setting silverware, to chimney sweeping. Giving up on the endeavour, she directed magic to her horn. Thanking Celestia that she was a unicorn, enabling her to deal with such situations, Starlight had the room back to normal in a few heartbeats. Then she turned her attention to the still very soot coated foals. Her face was scrunched in concentration, and she once again brandished her magic. One quick flash of light later, the Crusaders and Pipsqueak were as clean as their surroundings. Satisfied that everything was in order, Starlight ushered them all out of the room. “Lunch should be soon,” she said. “So why don't we all just...sit in the dining room until it's ready?” No on argued, all quickly filing out of the living room. Following behind, Starlight allowed her thoughts to once again wander to Spike. The dragon was obviously being eaten by worry, even if he had been able to hide it until now. Barely paying any attention to her surroundings, Starlight took a seat at the table. Her mind still firmly on the current predicament, it was only when Scootaloo gently tapped her her shoulder that she realised every piece of silverware in the room was currently levitating. “Is...something wrong?” Scootaloo asked, while Starlight hurriedly replaced the assortment of cutlery. “No,” she said, far more sharply than she meant to. Wincing at how everyone flinched away from her, she sighed and idly picked up her plate. Staring into the polished surface, she apologised, “Sorry...I just have something on my mind right now.” “You...wanna talk about it?” Apple Bloom asked tentatively, still a little taken aback. Almost immediately, Starlight shook her head. This was going no further, for a multitude of reasons. For one, the Crusaders had more important things to be worrying about. Their own sisters for one, and just enjoying their childhood for another. Laying her elbows on the table, Starlight rested her forehead on her hooves. Suddenly, she brightened and jolted upright. An idea had just struck her. It was a simple idea, but it just might work. “I'm afraid I can't tell you exactly what's going on...but do you think you all could maybe do me a favour?” she asked. The three Crusaders and Pipsqueak all looked at each other, then nodded. Sweetie Belle took it upon herself to be the one to agree vocally. “Sure,” she replied, nodding vigorously. “What is it?” “Do any of you know what Spike likes to do, aside from assist Twilight?” Starlight looked around. The confused looks that question received squashed her previous moment of elation. “Well...I know he hangs around with Big Mac but I dunno what they really do,” Apple Bloom answered after a moment, shrugging her shoulders. “Hoofball cards,” Starlight answered mechanically, the afternoon's session with the weird little collectables coming to mind. “Okay...Apple Bloom, if you can...try and get Big Mac in on this too... What I need is...” she paused and took a deep breath. “I need help to give Spike a little fun.” “Fun?” Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” Starlight almost groaned. Beating around the bush and twisting words was so easy when she actually knew what she wanted. Another deep breath helped her reign in her frustrations. When she was reasonably calm she sighed, “I just...want him to be happy, and I don't think he really is right now... He just needs time to enjoy himself, more than he's getting right now.” Her words were slow, unsteady and had a tired air to them. Taking on an ursa minor was nothing compared to this. Her energy was spent, and her words were used up. Thankfully, she did not need them. The four foals shared a look, then a smile. “We got this,” Scootaloo proclaimed, raising her hoof into the air and striking a heroic pose. Relief flooded Starlight, and she perked up. Now invigorated she looked to each of her companions in turn, sapphire eyes brimming with gratitude. “Thanks everyone.” “No problem,” they chorused in unison. Just then, Spike entered the room, carrying several platters of food. Several of the platters were balanced precariously, prompting Starlight to grasp them in her magic and complete their journey to the middle of the table. Spike flashed her a smile, which she returned. As soon as the food was set in front of them, Pipsqueak, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom tore into the piles like ravenous wolves. Spike was not far behind them, with Starlight content to wait until the mad rush was over. When the plates were polished clean, Starlight shared a wink with Apple Bloom. Clearing her throat, she grabbed the dishes in her magic and started towards the door. “I'll clear up,” she said, “Have fun.” Confusion passed across Spike's face, but it could only last a moment. His arm was suddenly yanked by Apple Bloom's hoof and he found himself being dragged towards the door. As he was dragged away, he got a good view of Starlight tittering behind her hoof. Well aware that a conspiracy was afoot, he huffed and decided to go with the flow. It meant Starlight was cleaning up after all. Still chortling under her breath, Starlight began to hum a tune as she undertook the monotonous task of washing dishes. There was a mountain of them, thanks to the voracious appetites of four active young ponies and a dragon. However, a lifetime of practising magic won out and before the tune had even finished all mess had been dealt with. Left with the rest of the day to herself, and confident in the crusader's abilities, Starlight shut herself in one of the more spacious libraries. Some magic practise would be the perfect way to pass the time. Spell weaving helped her relax and think. Comfortable now, she let her mind turn back to her promise. Keeping Twilight and her friends safe was going to be difficult. It was true that she had only promised to try, but being content with just a decent effort was not her way. Perfection was what she strived for, even if she was not sure what that was any more. For now all she could do was wait. Darkness was not looming over Equestria, and her friends were not involved in adventures any more taxing than opening a store or stalking her across Ponyville. Smiling slightly at the latter one, she flicked through to a list of complicated combat spells. It could not hurt to be prepared after all. Evening was just transitioning into night when the library door opened again. Greeted by the familiar sight of a powerful mage casting a symphony of spells, he waved at her. Seeing the young dragon, Starlight dispelled the crystalline cocoon she had been conjuring around herself and flashed him a smile. “Have fun?” she asked, eyes alight with a mischievous glint. Matching her grin with one of his own, he nodded. It had been an exhausting day, but one he had needed. Keeping up with the Crusaders' idea of fun left his mind no time to wallow. He was able to enjoy himself, content that nothing was going to fall apart if he stopped worrying for even a moment. Flopping down on one of the comfortable cushions, Spike waved a claw at her. “So, I guess you asked everyone to help huh?” he surmised. Starlight nodded quietly, moving over to him. She settled down next to him, letting the heat from her body wash over him. For all the times he had helped her, now it was time to at least begin to repay the debt. “No one can prevent disasters from ever happening. No one can predict what tomorrow is going to bring,” she paused, and turned away affixing her gaze out a nearby window. Her eyes became unfocused and tired. “It might bring joy or it might bring pain... You can try to change it, you can try to prepare...but what you can't do is live your life dreading it. If you do the dread will only get worse, until you start doing the unthinkable just to protect yourself-” A low growl echoed within her throat and she bit her tongue. That was something Twilight would say and, while it worked for the princess, it did not work for her. Rolling her now sore tongue around in her mouth, she searched for the words. In a barely audible whisper, she said, “Spike, I've made the mistake of trying to worry over every little thing, so has Twilight and I'm sure everyone else. It gets easier to make the more bad you see. I know you've seen a lot Spike, so I'm not going to tell you to stop worrying... Just don't let it overwhelm you, like I did. You still need to enjoy yourself, for as long as you can.” The way she uttered the last line made Spike feel heavy. It was with a note of finality, telling him that everything always came to an end sooner or later. Feeling a subtle trembling sensation deep within his chest, he opened his mouth to speak. Starlight beat him to it. “Doesn't mean you have to just sit back and let it happen either.” He looked up at her, taken aback by the sudden change in her tone. Her voice was louder now, quiet confidence singing through her words. “You're friends are the most talented and powerful ponies in Equestria. They were chosen for a reason. Just remember that. They'll be fine. They've got allies just as they have enemies...and have a habit for turning the latter into the former.” He chuckled at this, the irony not lost on him that he was talking to an example. “Trust me Spike...if something does happen, they'll be ready for it as always, and so will we...” Overcome by her words, Spike could only dip his head. The trembling in his chest remained, but his shoulders felt lighter. The worry that had been plaguing him for months, or perhaps even longer, was not lifted but it was lessened. Finally finding his voice, he raised his head. “Thank you,” he murmured, brimming with absolute sincerity. Starlight pulled Spike into her side, her mane falling over his shoulder. “No problem,” she said gently. A comfortable silence followed. Spike laid his head on Starlight's shoulder, and the mare curled herself around him. Part of Starlight was convinced she would have dozed off like that, if Spike had not nudged her back into wakefulness. “We didn't actually have an adventure today, together I mean. We were interrupted.” “True,” Starlight replied, the thought having not occurred to her. Her mind had been occupied by other matters, but his words rang true. They had been interrupted before she had decided what she wanted to do. After pondering the question for a moment, she raised her head and tossed her mane back behind her shoulders. “I might have a few ideas for another day,” she said gently. “But I think for now we're both a little too beat for most of them. However, I'm pretty sure you have a few stories to tell.” When she received a blank look in response she smiled and dropped her voice to an almost silky giggle. “You never did tell me about how you saved the Crystal Empire during the Equestria Games.” Realisation dawned on Spike, and his face split into a grin. Just as he was about to launch himself into the tale, a low rumble emanated from Starlight's stomach for the second time that day. “Uh, how about you tell me over dinner?” she suggested. Echoes of hearty laughter bounced throughout the living room. After scavenging together quick dinner of whatever leftovers they could find, Starlight and Spike had adjourned to the comfortable room to eat. Starlight's hoof would now take her weight properly again, though a dull ache still crawled up her leg whenever she walked. Having finished the story of his epic rescue of the Equestria Games, Spike had decided to tell of the more embarrassing tales surrounding that day. Apparently, the thought of him improvising a horrendous rendition of the Cloudsdale anthem was enough to send Starlight into fits of laughter. “I have no idea,” she wheezed. “Why that's so funny!” For a full minute she cackled under his deadpan stare. When she finally surfaced, tears streaming from her eyes, he fed into her sense of pride, just as she had fed into his ego. “I told you an embarrassing story, how about you tell me one about yourself?” That quickly put a stop to Starlight's laughter. However, she took the challenge in good faith, and delved into her memories for a suitable tale. There were disturbingly few, as bitterness had taken a stranglehold of most of her life. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to find anything in her past. A warm claw came to rest on her shoulder. Spike was beside her now, smiling up at her. His bright green eyes glimmered with understanding. The comfort he provided allowed tranquillity to wash over her. Her mind now clear, she allowed a small smile to touch her lips. “How about the first time I ever tried to teleport?” Already knowing of Twilight's first attempts at teleportation, Spike settled himself in for a very interesting tale. Eventually, the levity had come to an end, due to Spike's need for sleep. It had been an exhausting day for both of them, both emotionally and physically. A quiet click of the wall mounted night-light shrouded them in darkness. "Night Spike,” Starlight whispered, turning to leave his room so that he could sleep. Before she could close the door, Spike's voice rang out into the gloom. “One more thing,” he said, causing her to turn and look at him. “Yes?” “It isn't just Twilight and the others I don't want to leave,” he muttered, not sure if she would hear. There was no reply, and for a long moment all was still. Then, under his blankets, he felt his hand be squeezed by an unseen force. The pressure was brief, but unmistakable. A soft thump told him that the door had closed. Smiling, he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him in its embrace. Closing the door, Starlight let one single tear fall down her cheek. She did not wipe it away, letting the small drop complete it's journey and splash to the floor. Leaving the solitary glimmer of emotion behind, she walked back to the living room. Settling down, she prepared to curl up in front of the fire with a good book until Twilight returned. Twilight returned to find her student fast asleep, curled up on one of the sofas. Smiling at the display, she allowed herself a rare moment to see Starlight at peace. Then she quietly left the room, closing the door behind her. Whatever stories they had to tell, could wait until tomorrow.