Prologue: A New Student
A young woman in her early to mid-twenties was walking down a purple crystalline hallway. She had purple hair was with streaks of light purple and pale grayish aquamarine, her eyes were Persian blue, done with most going back over her left and a rightward part of it. She wore brown boots that went just short of the knee, a dress that went past the knee, near the bottom of her left side were two streams of two different tones of light blue that taper to a four-pointed star a lighter shade of purple than the dress with a long sleeved magenta shirt with a pink jacket that sleeves covered over most of the shirt with golden trim. On her left shoulder was a metal guard with a purple four-pointed star on an inverted white four-pointed star, with a sash that was made of two sashes of two different tones of light blue. On her forehead was a focus gem, unlike the black bar-shaped one she wore before, it was purple gem cut to look like a four-pointed star. This was Starlight Glimmer and she was in the Castle of Friendship and searching for a particular room. She sighed as she realized she was pretty much lost. “Okay.” she sighed again, “Let’s see library” She continued down the hall, as she passed each door she opened them revealing mostly empty rooms, one or two were closets for cleaning supplies. “Where did is the library?” She asked no one present. As she opened another door to nothing. She sighed and went to the next door, “Library?” she asked as she continued. After about five more doors on each side, she gave another sigh. “How is this place so big?” She shook her head as she got to the next door, “This place looked a lot smaller on th the outside.” She opened one more door on her right to reveal a purple-scaled bipedal reptile with green spines along its back, about the size of a thirteen-year-old boy wearing a towel around his waist looking into a mirror bathroom sink mirror brushing his teeth. The room itself was a bathroom, toilet, bathtub and all. Starlight swiftly shut the door. “Whoops! Sorry about that Spike.” Starlight sighed as she let her slide down to the floor. “I am just so lost. Looks like even though I managed to break into this place once and I have moved in…”
The identified Spike opened the door and was no longer wearing the towel or brushing, he was now wearing a pair of denim jeans and red shirt. “Like the new look? Normally I’m not one for clothes, but it’s been over a year since I became bipedal.” Spike seemed to have dismissed Starlight’s intrusion like the event was commonplace.
“You look like a kid.” Starlight answered as she tried to find the best way to answer Spike's question. “If you’re trying to impress Rarity, it’s not going to help, but if you wanted to be a kid, it fits.”
“Oh, and the library is right, here.” Spike said as he walked to the door across the hall from the bathroom he was using and pointed to the sign over the door that read, ‘Library, Castle Occupant Entrance’ and had a big image of an open book. Spike then opened the door to the library, “I’ll draw you a map of the castle after I clean up the bathroom.” Spike then went to the closest closet and took cleaning supplies out of it.
Starlight then went to the door, “Th…” she started.
“Don’t mention it.” Spike waved his talon as he put on industrial grade cleaning gloves and started to clean the bathroom.
Starlight sighed and walked into the library, in sided was a woman about her age with dark sapphire hair with two streaks, one was rose and the other was violet, with violet eyes, and metallic wings purple and gold in color which seemed to float behind her and yet also come from her back with two amethyst six-pointed stars functioning for the wings like her arm's shoulder balls. She wore a headband with a horn-like amethyst focusing gem on her forehead, with a dull blue robe with large golden cuffs, pink pants and brown boots that went up above her ankle. Around her neck was a triangle-like amulet that was colored like a rainbow of orange, yellow, cyan, alabaster, pink and purple. This was Princess Twilight Sparkle, Twilight for short. Twilight seemed to be forming a list. Next to her were several stacks of papers. “Um, Twilight, I am sor…”
Twilight stopped and looked at the time, “Shoot!” she groaned, “I’ve only just finished this. I am sorry, the first day of teaching and I don’t even my first lesson plan together.”
“Well, I could get lost in the castle again for an hour… or three.” Starlight tried to joke, but it went up like a (Author looks over his shoulder) rock.
“HEY!” Starlight and Twilight heard Pinkie’s voice echo in anger from nowhere.
“Okay… what was…”
“It’s Pinkie Pie, the rule of thumb around and concerning her, don’t question it. It will save your sanity.” Twilight informed as she wiped her forehead as if she completed a difficult task. “Well, there’s no sense in dwelling on the past. Okay back to selecting a lesson plan.”
“Okay… well, I see you actually did narrow the lesson plans considerably.” Starlight said as she pointed to the smallest stack of papers, which were in a box labeled ‘Approved Lessons’
Twilight looked at the stack and had a little giggle, “These are just the A's.” Twilight then turned to twenty-five other stacks, all of them reached the half-way mark of the bookshelves. “I still need to do the B's, C’s, D’s, E’s, F’s….” Twilight continued to cite the alphabet as she pointed to each stack of paper. Starlight’s right eye twitched when she saw the number of stacks and their size. She made a note to probably be wary when Twilight asked if she could do a few things for her. From the looks of things, Twilight’s definition of “a few” was much different than most other people out there. Starlight, could only nervously laugh.
Chapter 1: The Invite
After Twilight had finished the list of stacks she flew back to Starlight. Starlight picked up the stack of the approved lessons for A and gave a slight sigh, and skimmed through them, “I know this is the first time in my life learning about friendship.” She placed the stack down then looked to all the other stacks of the unsorted piles. “but there are so many lessons, more than I ever imagined for anything.” She then hung her head in defeat.
Twilight looked at Starlight then to all the stacks of paper, “Well, maybe I should go through these again and narrow them down before we actually start.” Twilight gave a light chuckle as she looked back at Starlight. After she took a second to think. “Well, the Summer Sun Celebration is tomorrow and my brother Shining Armor and my sister-in-law Cadance are expecting their baby any day now.Perhaps you can go to the throne room and help the others plan.” Twilight suggested. “It will take me a little bit before I can join up with you all.” Starlight nodded and started to leave the library, Twilight saw the door Starlight went to, “Wrong door.” Starlight stopped and turned back to Twilight. Twilight then pointed to the door that was behind her (Twilight), “It’s the door under the sign of my Aura Mark with my friends’ as the five smaller stars on a circle.”
“Oh... thanks…” Starlight then went to the identified door. “Guess I’m still trying to get my bearings. Spike said he’d draw me a map. But thanks for the directions.” Starlight went through the doorway and found herself in a short hallway that led to the throne room. In it were five women about her age each sitting on a throne. Starlight first noticed the woman seated in the throne with the rendering of the rainbow lightning bolt, had hair that was like a rainbow in color and that was done in a high ponytail with a hairpin that looked like a stylized cloud and a tri-colored rainbow of red, yellow and blue, with cerise eyes. She wore black sock-like boats that went above her knees, with a dull purple skirt and light a dull blue shirt with white and gold wing styled sleeves. On her waist was a quiver and a bow and from her ankles came ethereal wing. Also on her shirt was a pin of a stylized lightning bolt with wings, the wings were gold in color while the lightning bolt had the coloration of a rainbow of orange, yellow, cyan, alabaster, pink and purple. This was her youngest closest friend, Rainbow Dash.
The next woman that Starlight noted had long deep-magenta hair with a small tiara on her head with three sapphires cut as kites, this was Rarity, she had azure eyes, and she wore a long alabaster gown with some pinkish-purple with a long shawl that was composed of two rainbows in color, a traditional rainbow going the length of the shawl save for the width of one of the shorter edges which running perpendicular to the rest of the shawl was a rainbow of orange, yellow, cyan, alabaster, pink and purple, going around her back and hanging from her elbows and sat in the throne with three sapphires cut as kite.
Next was a blonde woman with green eyes, named Applejack. Her hair was done in a low ponytail and was dressed in brown pants, brown boots, a red leather jacket with some pieces of armor most notably pauldrons with stylized apples, brown gloves, a scabbard with a longsword in it. Around her neck was a black cord that had a coin with a rendering of apples on both sides but looked like a rainbow of orange, yellow, cyan, alabaster, pink and purple. Her throne had three apples similar to the ones on her pauldrons.
After her, was a woman shorter than all the others with bouncing cotton pink hair, blue eyes, this was Pinkie Pie, she wore a bear legged leotard with blue cruelly toed shoes a pink jester coat and a dark pink jester’s hat with three balloons, one was yellow and two were blue and on her jacket’s waist was a rubber chicken called ‘Boneless’, unlike other rubber chickens his right leg wasn’t the regular orange but a rainbow of orange, yellow, cyan, alabaster, pink and purple. Pinkie’s throne had three balloons that matched the ones on her hat.
The last woman in the room, and the oldest of them, also had pink hair and teal colored eyes, but her hair was lighter shade of pink and her eyes were teal, she was Fluttershy she was dressed in a green, yellow and light blue dress with a stylized pink butterfly as a brooch for her hood, and above her left ear was a blue flower but one of its pedals was a rainbow of orange, yellow, cyan, alabaster, pink and purple. On her throne were three butterflies much like her brooch.
Rainbow was clearly annoyed, “Come on! We should leave on the next train!. I don't want to miss the Crystalling!”
Applejack rolled her eyes, “Wah got the Summer Sun Celebration to prepare for. Don’t ya remember it’s tomorrow!” Applejack replied with a groan. “Wah can’t leave until the day after at the earliest. And wah don’t know when the baby will be born, it could be today, tomorrow, Wednesday or next week.” Applejack seemed to quite on point with the argument. “Also, wah know next tah nothin’ about a Crystallin’. Even if wah get the invitation.”
“Um, what's a Crystalling?” Starlight asked this was not a term she knew, in fact, she wasn’t sure if anyone knew this
“Well, that's just it, darling.” Rarity pointed out, “As Applejack had just pointed out and likely Twilight have most likely informed you,”
“That her brother and sister-in-law are expecting their baby any day now.” Starlight completed, “But what does that have to do with what I asked.”
“Well from Ah been able to gather, it involves a newborn, the Crystal Heart, some sorta energy…” Applejack turned over to Pinkie and nodded to her.
Pinkie inhaled and then screamed as she pulled out one of her party cannons, “A PARTY!!!” and she fired the cannon off.
“Yes, yes, a party.” Rarity dismissed. “And there is the fact that Krystalopolies had vanished over one thousand five years ago and returned about a year ago. So to most of us in Mystica, the lost city’s customs are a bit… well... murky.”
At that moment Spike came in with a vase, a book and a piece of paper, He walked up to Starlight, “Here’s one map of the castle.” as he handed Starlight the piece of paper “It’s enchanted to be self-orientated, so you’ll never get lost.”
“Thanks, you are a god among men.”
“Nay, I am just your friendly neighborhood dragon,” Spike seemed to dismiss as he walked to his throne, which was the one closet to Twilight’s throne, which itself was denoted by having a purple six-pointed star with a white six-pointed star that was inverse of the purple star and surrounded by five white stars, and smaller than the others. However, his smirk revealed he loved the praise as. He took his seat on his much smaller throne and placed the vase on the table. Depicted on the vase were several images, “It's actually very easy to understand.” Everyone raised their eyebrows at that, Spike then gave a nervous chuckle, “Well maybe after a bit little of research on the matter.” Spike couched, “Well, the starting point for understanding a Crystalling is an infant baptism, like the ones Big Mac performed on the Cake Twins.” Spike started with a comparison to something five of the young women knew.
Applejack then spoke up, “Let the record state, the Cakes’ asked for an infant baptism, given how old the two were when they had them.”
“But Sweetie Bella was baptized as an infant, and Granny Smith didn’t have a problem performing it.” Rarity chimed in.
“Yeah, my sisters and I were all baptized as infants,” Pinkie added.
“Fair enough, but Big Mac is the one doing baptisms now, and he while he understands the reasonings for an infant baptism, he prefers to do adult baptisms as they are old enough to make an informed choice for themselves, something babies and most children aren’t old enough to have the maturity to make them. He’ll do as young as thirteen years old willingly, but under than that.” Applejack stopped as it was clear that she agreed more with her brother than her grandmother on the matter and that it was hotly contested subject in the family.
Spike coughed in an attempt to get everyone to focus away from Applejack and back to the topic at hand, “Well, you see whenever a baby is born in Krystalopolies, the parents bring him or her before the Crystal Heart.” Spike pointed to the vase, specifically to an image of two parents with an infant, holding the child to be seen by others present. Spike then turned the vase to show an image of the couple and infant with a third adult with a crystal in his hands. “With the purest shard of crystal they found, and a crystaller,”
“Is that something like a godparent?” Rainbow Dash interrupted as she tried to wrap her head around the concept of the cyrstaller.
Spike shrugged his shoulders, “Pretty much. Now the parents present the baby to everybody who comes. Then they all share the light and joy they feel, very much like a Crystal Fair,” as he spoke he turned the vase to an image of people kneeling much like they do at the end of a Crystal Fair with crystalline blue magic flowing to the parent’s feet. Spike the turned the vase to show the Crystaller putting the crystal on the ground to abord the magic and then placing it on the child’s crown for a second. Spike then turned the vase once more to show an image of the crystaller placing the crystal in the dip at the top of the Crystal Heart. “The energy collected and the crystal that collected it, are then joined to and merge with the Crystal Heart and the Heart’s power increases.” Spike then put the vase aside, “And since this Crystalling will not only be the first after a Crystal Fair in over one thousand five hundred years, it will also be the first Crystalling for a child of Krystalopolies’ princess, Mi Amore Cadenza, And its on the week of the Summer Sun Celebration, it might even be on that day. That means the whole city will show up!”
As the five seated on their thrones were caught up in cheer over the upcoming event, something caught Starlight’s attention. The power of Crystal Heart, she was not unlearned on relics, as her ability to pass off a stick as a ninth Mage Meadowbrook artifact. So she knew about their power, but an artifact increases in power, that was something that made almost no sense to her. “Spike, could you explain what you meant that a Crystalling increases the Crystal Heart’s power?”
Spike thought about it at first, “No idea how, maybe with each person that takes part of the Crystal Fair, it absorbs more love and light and while a Crytal Fair is an annual thing, and not everyone who was in attendance for the last one will be there for the next one, while for a Crystalling there is a guaranteed increase to the number of people that can give their love and light to the heart.” Everyone could Spike was winging it, but they really couldn’t question it as it was a plausible answer
“Okay,” Starlight commented, “But do they need to increase the power of the Crystal Heart?” She knew there had to be a reason for a ritual, people don’t just things for more no reason, it’s not always a good reason, as she could attest to, but there is a reason.
Spike opened the book he had and after he read through a few pages much faster than most expected, rivaling Pinkie and Twilight. “Well from what I can gather, its so that increases the energy the Heart emits and uses to protect the city and the surrounding area.”
“But protect it from what?” Fluttershy asked the question on everyone else’s mind.
“Yeah Sombra was blasted into like a trillion pieces, I doubt even his focus gem could have survived his explosion.” Rainbow Dash added. “Pretty awesome explosion by the way.”
“Who?” Starlight asked, she was not familiar with the name, nor much of the world outside of her village, save for the absence of the ‘Maiden in the Moon’, but she chucked it up to the moon had spun on its axis to show a part of it without the image, Nightmare Moon was a myth after all.
“An old foe of Princess Celestia from a thousand and five hundred years ago. He returned along with the city and tried to reclaim it.” Rarity began her answer as she levitated the book Spike had to herself and flipped it to the pages that she knew would talk about the tyrant. As she looked, “He ruled Krystalopolies with an iron hand and was banished below the ice of the north for his crimes.” Once she found it she levitated the book to Starlight, who read the text as Rarity continued to speak after walking over to be next to Spike. “Spiky-wiky is a real hero.” She said and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “He helped Twilight deliver the Crystal Heart to Cadance and saved the city. You should read one or two of the recently printed history books and a few articles from the Krystalopolies and Chantalot newspapers, Darling.”
“Um, okay, I’ll do that sometime,” Starlight said as she put the book down, having gotten the shorthand of the topic, not enough to claim any real knowledge on the topic, but enough to get a basic understanding. “but I am with Fluttershy, if not from Sombra, then what or who does the Crystal Heart protect Krystalopolies from?”
Spike shrugged his shoulders, “No idea, that knowledge seems to have been lost to the sands of time.” Starlight was not sure how to take that. If the Heart existed before Sombra, then Sombra’s apparent death had to be an off-warranty use of the Heart, what could possibly need the love and light of an entire city reflected in a crystal to be driven back.
“Well, I am going to let Twilight know what you girls decided, she’s still…”
“She still tryin’ tah find thah perfect first lesson?” Applejack asked.
“Yes, how did…”
The five women and the dragon all giggled before Fluttershy spoke, “Twilight’s a bit of a perfectionist. It’s good for when a plan can take a week or more to form before action is needed, but…”
“She’s kind off slow when action is called for.” Rainbow Dash completed Fluttershy’s statement.
To which everyone but Starlight said in unison “I’M COMING, DARING DO!” and had a laugh at that as they began to leave the throne room and the castle, save Spike.
“I knew I shouldn’t have let Twilight tell the story.” Rainbow pouted as she flew after them.
Starlight was about to ask but elected that now was not the time, she still had to meet with Twilight. After she re-entered the library, “Well the footnotes are that Spike explained as best he could about the Crystalling and that Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy will be staying here for the Summer Sun Celebration which is tomorrow, and can’t attend the Crystalling unless it’s after that.”
“Oh,” Twilight said in a defeated tone, “I had hoped that they would attend. This would make the second time we were separated on the anniversary of our friendship.”
“Um, how long have you…”
“Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy go back to their childhood, Rainbow couldn’t have been older than nine, as do Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity, think back to the Sonic Rainboom. As for all five have been friends, they have been friends since Rainbow and Fluttershy moved to Magiville four or five years ago, Rainbow was seventeen then. But for all five of them with Spike and me, this would mark the second year.”
“Your friendships seems to be a really important to you.” Starlight then noticed that Twilight had three pieces of paper on the table in the library. Starlight sighed with relief, maybe Twilight accepted the otherwise universally accepted meaning of ‘a few’ after all. However, Starlight had to voice a concern. “On an unrelated subject, there’s something I would like to ask you about Krystalopolies?”
Twilight’s eyes dilated in delight, “YAY, oh thank Celestia it’s true that great minds think alike. Because I was going to ask you something about Krystalopolies too.” Starlight could only tilt her head to her right slight and leave her mouth slightly agape. Twilight then levitated the three pieces of paper, “As you can see, I have successfully narrowed your first friendship lesson down to three options. And my friends thought I couldn’t do it!” Twilight then went to the window opened it and called out. “TWENTY MINUTES! I TOLD YOU I COULD HAVE IT DONE IF I HAD AN EXTRA HOUR!!!”
Rainbow Dash’s voice was heard almost cursing, “BUCK!!!”
Twilight then shut the window and returned to Starlight, “Sorry about that, but Rainbow and I made a bet and I just won. Anyway, back to the lesson.” Twilight then gave the pieces of papers to Starlight, “As you can see one of the lessons is in Krystalopolies!”
Starlight was not sure which lesson Twilight was talking about as the one on top was about the CMC. “Really?” she asked as she looked at the second one, which was about visiting Gryphonstone.
Twilight nodded her eyes closed as she flew over to a stack of what looked like yearbooks with the words ‘Celestia’s School for the Gifted’ printed on the spine. “You see, I found out that's where the first person you ever cared about lives!” Twilight was so happy with herself as she pulled out of the stack, the yearbook of the first year Twilight attended and flipped it to the photos and hand it to Starlight.
Starlight accepted the book and saw a picture of a boy…. “You don’t mean you found Sunburst?” she asked utterly at a lost.
Twilight giggled, “Well, of course, I found him, Celestia has kept details on all the students of her school and the information is available to everyone who attended the school, in case you want to meet up with someone before your class reunions or visit an old friend.” Twilight then changed gears, “Of course, that's just one idea….” Twilight’s voice faded to Starlight’s ears and was replaced with a high-pitched ringing, as Starlight dropped the book and the papers as she was hit with the realization… she was going to have to face not only Sunburst but more importantly and more dauntingly, her past. Starlight was trapped in her fears until, “Starlight?” Twilight asked backing Starlight out of what she experienced. “Something wrong?”
Starlight did a double take, “Oh, no, everything’s fine.” she lied as she tried to collect herself as she picked up the book and the pieces of paper. “It’ just that all three options sound perfect to be the first lesson!” She cheered with a closed-eye smile on her face as she got back up.
“I know!” Twilight cheered as she took the book and the pieces of paper. She took a moment to look at the three lessons. “Hum, I guess you were right –” she then flew back to the table and took out a pencil, and another piece of paper “It is gonna be hard to choose one! Better do pros-and-cons. Guess your first lesson will be later today than I expected. Well, time marches on. While I am doing this, why don’t you check on Spike.” Twilight then looked down at the lessons and started tapping the table with the eraser on the pencil as she began to think.
Starlight could laugh nervously before she left. It took her fifteen minutes to find Spike’s room, which was her best time ever, she knocked on the door. “Hey Spike, can we talk?”
In less than a second Spike open the door, he had taken off the red shirt, “Before you say anything, I was feeling that everything was going to fast.”
“Too fast?”
“Reptiles, well all exothermic animals don’t feel the heat like endothermic animals, when it’s cold, for us it feels like everything, especially us, are slowing down, which why reptiles in deserts are able to run as fast as they do. So what can I do for you?” Spike said as we walked back into his room. On the wall were various posters showing his various interest, a bookshelf with all the books for playing Ogres and Ogiletes, a stack of comic books, and on a nightstand at the bedside was a bowl of gems and stones, a desk, and chair. The room actually fairly organized. Spike jumped back onto his bed.
Starlight sighed before answered as she took a seat on the chair, “Well Spike, Twilight’s still figuring out that she wants my first lesson to be.”
Spike rolled his eyes, “She still at it. I know better than most that she likes to have her ducks in perfect little rolls but this is ridiculous.” Spike sighed, “How many did she narrow it down to?”
“Three.” Starlight answered.
“Three stacks that reach the library ceiling, far from ideal but it’s …”
“No, she narrowed down to just three options.” Starlight interrupted Spike.
Spike’s jaw dropped. After it hung open for a second, “Well, I’ll be. I would never have guessed that.” Spike then looked to his comics, “Good thing I didn’t take Rainbow up on that bet.”
“Wait Rainbow likes comic books?”
Spike shook his head, “There is a graphic novel that’s part of the Daring Do series, it’s actually the introduction of the character, written by Twilight’s mother by the way, and I have one of the few surviving copies of it.” Spike said as he got off of his bed and went to get the graphic novel in question to show Starlight, “And before you ask, the differences between a graphic novel and a comic book, are 1) is it serialized, if no, it’s a graphic novel by default. If not, then 2) what’s the page count? Because once you have about… pages it’s no longer a comic book.”
Before Spike could actually get the graphic novel, “I’ll take your word for all of it.” Spike shrugged his shoulders and went to his bed. “But back to Twilight’s lessons, well you see…” Starlight was not exactly sure how to continue.
“You not to keen on at least one of them, so which one is it?” Spike asked in a slight deadpan.
Starlight took a breath, “Twilight would like for me to reunite with my first friend, and my only friend during my childhood, Sunburst.” She then dipped her head in sorrow, she didn’t really want to face Sunburst, but more so what Sunburst was a symbol for, her past. “You see, as kids, Sunburst and I would study magic almost all the time. He knew pretty everything. I was a bit of a dunce.” Spike narrowed his eyes at that, he didn’t believe that for a second, this was not unnoticed by Starlight, but her focus was on Sunburst, on her past. “He always knew what to do, or at least was able to figure it out like greased lightning. Left to my own devices, it would take me days if not weeks to figure out what Sunburst could learn in an hour.” Starlight chuckled a little before a tear formed in the corner of her left eye, “But he was always able to explain and show me in a way I could understand. He was always there to help me…” Starlight stopped, it wasn’t that she couldn’t continue, but she didn’t want to. She didn’t want to face the part of her life that followed.
Spike, however, contined where Starlight left off, he wasn’t going to let Starlight runaway from this, she had to face it head on if she ever wanted to move forward into the future she wanted she had to accept the past for what it was, “And when he discovered his aura mark and was sent to Princess Celestia’s School For The Gifted, you blamed the mere existance of aura marks, stripped a village worth of people of theirs, and when Twilight and her friends stopped you, you plotted for the better part of a year to go back in time stop Rainbow Dash’s first Sonic Rainboom and make Twilight watch it, which almost led to Mystica and likely the world’s destruction. I think that about sums it all up.”
Starlight wiped the tear away, “Yeah, pretty much.” She sighed, “I am not eager to tell him about all that.” She then looked at the band on her wrist. “I used my magic to such terrible things and now I cut off from it for likely most of the rest of my life. He’s probably some powerful and important wizard now.” She then looked at the piece of paper in her pocket as another tear formed in the corner of her eye, “and I need a map to find my way around my own home.” She lowered her head in defeat.
Before she knew it, Spike had wiped the tear from her eye and gave her hug. She returned it. Once it was over, Spike placed his right talon on her left shoulder, “Well, if your right and Sunburst is that good at magic,” Spike sincerely doubted it, he never heard of Sunburst before the whole time-warp thing and if he was a powerful wizard he would have graduated from Celestia’s School For The Gifted, which would be something he’d remember. However, Spike elected to not challenge that notion. “then he'd admire your, uh…” Spike had to clear his throat as he tried to find the most tactful way to say it.
“I know they were terrible actions,” Starlight said with a deadpan. However, it shifted to a smile, “But thanks for trying.”
Spike nodded as he took a step back and headed to the door, “Look Starlight, you’re not going to get anywhere on the subject just by talking with me on it, at best I am a soundboard. What you need to do is talk to Twilight about it. She’ll hear you out and will give some think about.” Starlight then got up to follow Spike as the two headed towards the library “Heck maybe she’ll say it’s too soon for your reunion, but in any case, I'm pretty sure she wants to hear your opinions.”
“I know, Spike.” Starlight down to the floor, “But what if I make her think that I’m not ready? What if I come off as ungrateful for everything she and you have done for me and are doing?” She turned to Spike and looked at him like she was a lost child and maybe he was the path home, desperate. “I really don’t want either of those.”
Before Spike could respond to Starlight and attempt to ease her concerns, “SPIKE! STARLIGHT! COME QUICKLY! TO THE BALCONY!” the two heard Twilight call so load that she could be heard anywhere in the castle. The two ran and arrived in less than five minutes, mostly because Spike knew his way around, but Starlight was clearly getting better. As the arrived they heard a north wind blowing.
Starlight shivered a little, “Why is it so cold all of a sudden?”
Before she got an answer a fairly large snowflake drifted towards Twilight, who flew up and caught it and brought it with her back to the balcony. “Is that a Crystalling invitation?” Spike asked.
Twilight then read the snowflake, which was large enough to be a letter or invitation. A massive smile grew on her face. “I'm officially an aunt!” Twilight shouted before she gave the message to Spike and Starlight, “Well, it is settled!” She then turned her attention to Starlight, Starlight knew she was not going to like where this was going, “Since we're going to Krytalopolies, your first friendship lesson will be…”
‘Please send me to Gryphonstone.’ Starlight muttered in an attempt to pray, ‘I’ll take working with the CMC, anything but…’
“Reuniting with Sunburst!” Twilight finished and hugged Starlight. She then broke the hug, “We got to pack. If we're fast enough we can catch the next train in two hours. Come on Spike!” Twilight then flew back into the castle laughing gleefully as Spike followed her leaving Starlight on the balcony alone.
Starlight gave a nervous laugh, “Yeah, great…”