The pair has been walking through the hall for the past five minutes periodically checking the various doors for a possible way to wherever they were going. The two found several broom closets, bathrooms, guest room, small libraries/ reading rooms, and other hallways. But not enough to point them in the right direction. At this point Sunset was worried that she’ll never find her way back to the guest room.
“Sooo, care to tell me a bit about yourself Twilight was lax on the details stating it wasn’t her place to say,” Starlight broke the silence that they had found themselves in.
If I had a dollar.
“Alright, sure let’s get this out of the way,” said Sunset.
“Oh, if you don’t want to then you don’t have to,” Starlight winced.
“No it’s fine; I’ve should have gotten over it by now. Do you want the long or short version?” Sunset tests her horn on a door trying to get the hang of things again.
“Whatever works for you.”
“Short version it is, So Twilight might have told you that I was Princess Celestia’s personal student before her. Well that is true except I wasn’t like Twilight. I felt entitled for everything I ever got and studied solely to become more powerful. One day Celestia showed this mirror to me and asks me what I see in it.
“I say that I see myself as a princess she then hid the mirror away from me and never talked about it ever again. I got really angry at her for not letting me realize my destiny as I called the vision in the mirror. So after a while of getting nowhere I run off into the mirror only to end up in some alternative universe which I proceed to make its inhabitants miserable.
“Over the course of several years I sneaked peeks at the goings-on here in Equestria and I got really jealous at Twilight for replacing me. I then steal her crown to help create an army in the other universe and rage war on all of ponykind. Twilight and that universe’s versions of her friends stop me and I learn the error of my ways.”
No response, Sunset turned around to see if Starlight was still with her.
She was just stood there gawking at Sunset.
“What!” Sunset yelled nearing bringing out her scary voice as Pinkie had called it.
“Geez, it’s just well dang, I thought I did some bad things but that is something else, no offense,” Starlight said finally looking sorry.
“None taken, but what do you mean by you did some bad things.” Sunset hoof wave the stinging comment off.
“Now that is something I’d don’t want talk about.”
“Aww, come on I shared now it’s your turn,” Sunset tried another door again nothing of note.
“Well my past deeds are a little more recent. I haven’t gotten the time you had to get comfortable with talking about it,” Starlight’s voice tinted with irritation.
“Well aren’t friends supposed to share their insecurities or whatever, besides it’s not like I’m going to make fun of you or something,” Sunset’s face showed a warm and gentle smile, “If you think the things I did were bad then I doubt that the things you did were nearly as bad.”
“Agh fine,” Starlight cleared her throat, “When I was a filly my best friend got his cutie mark before me and then I never saw him again. I developed a hatred for the things even after I finally got mine. Later in life I founded a town in the middle of the desert where I took ponies cutie marks away and promoted equality not with just the three races but with each and every pony.
“One day Twilight and her friends come to visit and ruin my plans and liberate the town. I escape and plan my revenge on them. Several weeks and a trip to the Starswirl the Bearded Library later I travel back in time to stop Twilight and her friends from ever becoming friends in the first place. Apparently it worked, several times in fact, though I never saw what the result of my actions were except once and I didn’t particularly like it. Thankfully Twilight talked me down from permanently ending the world all to break up a few friends,” Starlight almost had tears in her eyes and her voice was cracking.
Sunset stopped checking doors and walked closer to Starlight. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“No, it’s alright I’m just haven’t exactly forgiven myself yet,” Starlight wiped away her tears, “Like you seem to have.”
“Ha, you think I have gotten over it. Listen to me sister; Twilight wasn’t the only thing to go wrong my plans. When I put her crown on it changed me into, for lack of a better term, a demon. That was not what I wanted at all and then I proceeded to throw a fireball at Twilight and the others. I still have nightmares over that night. In a way I have forgiven myself but to say I have gotten over it. No, no I haven’t. But the way I see it is that, that was in the past and I don’t let that get to me here in the present and in the future,” Sunset sat down next to Starlight and pulled her into an awkward hug.
“Um… Thanks Sunset? For the assurance that I’m in this boat alone at least,” Starlight had fresh tears streaming down her face, “It has gotten better through hasn’t it?”
“Yes it has gotten better through it would be great if my friends didn’t remind me every five minutes that I turned into a demon,” Sunset had to force herself to say that dreadful word this time.
“Well I can’t say that anypony has done that yet it has mostly been me reminding myself,” Starlight rubs her face and starts walking down the hall again,” Come on let’s get out of this maze.”
The next few minutes proceeded much like the last time. Mostly silence punctuated by sounding out what was behind doors. Both ponies were pretty sure that they were lost and had no hope of really finding their way out or in depending on where they wanted to go.
“Ugh, this stupid castle is so confusing,” Sunset exclaimed after the 50th door check.
“I know, with all my intellect I’m totally unable to figure this dang thing out. It’s like it was made in the 4th dimension or something,” Starlight’s tone was of utter irritation.
“Let’s just go back the way we came,” said Sunset already turning around to round a corner, “It seems that we are getting nowhe-, “
As Sunset had turned to go back down the hallway she bumped into something smaller than herself. Nearly knocking her over as well.
“Oomf, you should really watch where you are walking Sunset,” A certain purple and green dragon spoke, “Ah, Sunset!” The tiny dragon embraced Sunset.
“I missed you too Spike. Well that’s not exactly true I only saw you a few hours ago, but you get the point I guess,” Sunset laughed.
Starlight came over from her side of the hallway, “Thank Celestia, we found you Spike we been lost in here for the past half an hour.”
“Ah come on, it hasn’t been that bad has?” Sunset joked.
Starlight only rolled her eyes and gave Sunset an annoyed look.
“Right sorry, other better uses of said time.”
Spike finally let go of Sunset, “And here I was thinking I was hearing things. I kept on hearing voices coming from this hallway then I remembered that Starlight came down this way for something I figured she probably got lost. Then I also remembered that Twilight told me something about you, Sunset, that you were coming to stay with us for a week and to prepare a guest room. So I put two and two together and now here we are,” Spike said with a flurry of hand motions.
“Aw, you were worried about me?” Starlight teased.
“What, no I just didn’t want hear you complain later that you got lost and how this castle is ‘stupid’,” Spike said.
“You gave Sunset a hug and not me. I’m hurt Spike,” Starlight pouted putting on her best puppy dog eyes.
Sunset tried her best to keep herself from laughing. Her best wasn’t good enough snickers could be heard coming from her mouth.
“If it’ll make you happy,” Spike said with an annoyed look. Spike walked from where he was standing in front of Sunset to hug Starlight.
“Thanks Spike it means a lot.”
“Yeah sure, anyways what are you two doing down here. It wasn’t that hard to get to everywhere else from where we set up the guest room,” Spike changed the subject.
“Oh um, we went right from the room,” Sunset getting a hold of herself now.
“Well that’s your problem you were supposed to take a left. Starlight, I told you how to get to the first floor from there all the time.”
“I forgot,” Starlight was rubbing her left leg with her right hoof and staring at the floor, “Then Sunset became all ‘leadery’ and went right.”
“In my defense, I have never been to this crazy labyrinth of castle,” said Sunset.
“Whatever let’s just get you two back to the rest of castle. It’s almost lunchtime so you two are likely to be hungry,” Spike sighed and turned to go back the way he came.
“Actually I am getting peckish and I would love to stop being lost. How about you Starlight?” Sunset walked after Spike.
Starlight shook her head and held it high, “Yeah I could eat after all that.”