"Well. Here we are," Night Glider said, awkwardly and unnecessarily. The single road through the town stretched out before them, leading past the two rows of buildings and up to the slightly larger house where Starlight Glimmer had once lived.
"Yeah," Twilight answered, equally uncomfortable. A couple of the ponies had already spotted her, and a wave of hushed conversation was spreading through the town. Clearly they knew about her and Starlight. As Twilight watched, Sugar Belle stepped away from her bakery and walked toward a building that Twilight knew all too well; it was the one where she and her friends had been imprisoned when they'd first visited this place. Sugar Belle was trying to be surreptitious, but the road was broad and open and there was nothing for her to hide behind.
"Starlight's staying there? Twilight whispered to Night Glider.
"Yeah," she answered. "It was the only open house."
The two were silent for a minute. Twilight was reluctant to go any further, even though this was why she'd come. Knowing where Starlight was, and how close, made what she was about to do seem dreadfully real.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Night Glider asked.
Twilight took a deep breath. "Thank you," she said, "but no. This is between me and Starlight Glimmer. This is something I have to do myself."
"Sure," Night Glider replied. "Come find me when you're done. We'll get a muffin before you go."
Twilight swallowed hard. With the way her stomach was twisting, she wasn't sure she'd ever want to eat again.
Night glider laid a hoof gently on her shoulder. "Hey," she said. "It'll be okay. Do what you've gotta do, and whatever happens, at least it'll be done."
"You're right," Twilight sighed. "Okay, I'm going. Thank you for your help these last couple of days. It really meant a lot."
"Sure thing." She scuffed a hoof, not really knowing what else to say. "Well. Uh, good luck."
In spite of herself, Twilight chuckled. She didn't think luck would have much to do with it.
Starlight flung her door open before Twilight even reached it, and had the small satisfaction of seeing her jump back in surprise. While Starlight's anger had cooled down a bit from white-hot, there was still nopony in Equestria that she wanted to see less. Sugar Belle awkwardly crept out from behind her and squeezed past Twilight Sparkle with an apologetic look.
"Starlight..." Twilight began.
"Inside," Starlight interrupted her.
She stepped in far enough to make room for her former teacher, then closed the door behind them and locked it with a spell to make sure they wouldn't be interrupted. With that done, Starlight took off her vest to reveal the wings she hated. She hung up the vest on a hook on the wall, then turned to look at Twilight.
"I assume you're here because you have a way to fix this?" Starlight unfolded her wings. "Because if not, you have nothing to say to me."
Starlight felt a pang of something resembling guilt at the pained look on Twilight's face, but it was quickly burned away by anger.
"We can fix it," Twilight answered. "Together. Just not in the way you'd hoped."
Starlight narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Starlight, there's no way to reverse an ascension," Twilight explained. "I've looked everywhere. Rarity and I went through every book in the castle. Even Celestia doesn't think it's possible."
"Celestia?" Starlight asked, horrified. "She knows?"
Twilight nodded, too afraid of saying the wrong thing to speak.
"And what happens if she announces that there's another princess in Equestria?!" Starlight shouted. "You told the worst possible pony!"
Twilight's eyes flashed. "Celestia wouldn't do that!" she fired back. "She knows because I asked for her help, and I also asked her not to tell anyone else until you decided you were ready! I know you don't trust me right now, but if there's anypony in Equestria that you can trust, it's Princess Celestia."
Starlight exhaled angrily. "Okay, okay. So you went to Celestia for help. And?"
"And..." Twilight shook her head. "It's impossible. It would take magic stronger than Harmony itself."
Starlight's head and wings drooped. She hadn't really expected Twilight to have an answer, but some small part of her had hoped. "If you have nothing to tell me, then why did you come?" she muttered.
"Because," Twilight answered softly, "I'm not here to talk. I'm here to listen."
"You don't want to hear what I'm thinking right now," Starlight snapped.
Twilight flinched, but held her ground. "Yes, I do," she insisted. "I want to hear whatever you need to say."
Starlight Glimmer clenched her jaw and swallowed the onslaught of curse words that threatened to come out. She wasn't quite sure why she didn't let loose, but something stopped her. Maybe it was because, in spite of everything, it was still Twilight. She might have ruined Starlight's life... but only after she'd saved it.
"I can't be this," Starlight said, much more calmly than she'd expected to. She gestured back to her wings. "This is the exact opposite of who I am."
"Starlight, this is who you are—"
Starlight cut her off with a glare. "I thought you were here to listen."
Twilight ducked her head. "I am. I'm sorry."
"You forced something on me that I'd never have accepted if I'd known," Starlight continued. She held up a hoof to stop Twilight from speaking, though the other pony hadn't made any move to open her mouth. "Maybe you didn't mean for me to become an alicorn, but I did. Because of you. Sooner or later ponies are going to find out, and then I'm going to be a princess like you and Celestia." She was speaking more and more quickly as the things she'd held back came boiling up. "I'll be telling other ponies what to do again, and this time I won't even be pretending to be their equal. I can't escape it forever, and I can never go back to how things were. Never."
When Starlight didn't speak for a few seconds, Twilight took a small step toward her. "May I say something?"
Starlight exhaled heavily. "Sure."
"When I said we could fix things, I meant it," Twilight said. "You'll always be an alicorn, but you don't have to be a princess. You can be whatever you want, and ponies will accept you as you are. I'm sure of it."
Angry as she was, Starlight had to acknowledge that Twilight had a point. "Two ponies know," she admitted. "Sugar Belle and Party Favor."
"And how did they react?" Twilight asked eagerly.
"They were surprised, but... I asked them to keep it a secret, and so far they have. They haven't really been treating me any differently," she answered.
"See?" Twilight said. "Your friends are still your friends. A pair of wings won't change that."
Party Favor was more terrified of her than friendly, but that was beside the point. "Won't they?" Starlight demanded. "Even if I never put on a crown, which I won't, everypony will still think that I'm somehow more than them."
"Starlight..." Twilight started hesitantly.
"What?" Starlight snapped.
"Um." You've come this far, Twilight. Just ask. "Are you... afraid of being in charge again?"
Starlight turned her head and eyed Twilight. "What are you talking about?" she asked. "I don't want to be—I'm not—more important than anypony else. That doesn't mean I'm scared!"
"You've been running ever since your ascension," Twilight answered. "I came here to listen, Starlight, but I can't do that if you don't tell me what's really going on. What are you so afraid of?"
Starlight's eyes narrowed, and Twilight immediately knew she'd pushed too hard. "I'm not afraid of anything," she spat. "I'm angry, and hurt, and confused. Everything has changed, I don't know what happens next, but I know it's nothing that I want. I'm the living embodiment of what I've spent my life fighting against! And you did this to me."
That last sentence hit like one of Applejack's kicks. Her ears drooped and she lowered her head. "I know," she said quietly, "and I'm so sorry."
"You're sorry," Starlight mocked her.
"I am," Twilight whispered. "I know it doesn't fix anything, but I am."
Starlight snorted. "No," she answered, "it doesn't fix anything." Her horn lit up as she used her magic to float her vest back over to her. She slipped into it, then broke the locking spell on the door using more power than was needed. It resulted in the door banging open noisily. "We're done here. Get out."
Fighting back tears, Twilight did as she was told.
Night Glider hadn't realized that a knock could sound despondent, but this one did. It was soft and slow, as if the pony knocking didn't quite have the strength to do it properly. She crossed to the door with a sinking feeling in her stomach, and her fears were confirmed when she opened it.
Twilight looked awful. Her eyes were red-rimmed and sunken, her lowered head not quite hiding the tear stains underneath. Her tail was dragging through the dirt, kicking up dust that settled into her fur. She looked like she'd aged years in the minutes she'd been with Starlight.
Night Glider didn't need to ask what had happened. She simply drew Twilight inside and folded her into a tight hug.
"Starlight?" a hesitant voice called from outside, followed by a quiet knock. "Are you in there?"
Starlight bit back an angry retort and took a deep breath. "Of course I'm here, Sugar Belle," she called back in a more measured tone. "Where the hoof else would I be?" Maybe not that measured.
The door opened slowly. When Starlight didn't shout at her to leave, Sugar Belle stepped inside. "I saw Twilight leave. What... what happened?"
Starlight huffed and used her magic to pull the door closed. "She thought she could spout some friendship lesson and fix everything. She couldn't."
"What did she say?" Sugar Belle asked.
Starlight rolled her eyes. "That ponies would accept me as I am, that my wings wouldn't change anything, that I don't have to do anything I don't want to do, yada yada yada. And then," Starlight snapped, "she asked me if I was scared!" The more she thought about that, the angrier she got. "I'm not scared, I'm mad! What the hay would I be afraid of?"
"It's a big change," Sugar Belle answered. "It'd be normal to be kind of scared."
"I'm not scared!" Starlight practically shouted.
"Okay, okay, you're not scared!" Sugar Belle squeaked, holding up her hooves as if to ward off an attack. "Only..."
"Only what?" Starlight asked exasperatedly. It seemed like everypony was just here to test her patience today.
"Only, well, you said once that you didn't want to make the same mistakes again. Not that I think you would! Just, I could see how being a princess would be a scary idea for you, being in charge of other ponies again. I mean, it might bring up bad memories, that's all I was thinking!" She was nearly whimpering by the time she finished speaking.
Starlight growled, started to respond, and stopped. She tried again but the words still couldn't make it past the anger and frustration locking her jaw shut. Finally, with an aggravated yell, she teleported away and left Sugar Belle alone in the jail-turned-house. She wanted to find someplace private, which sure as Tartarus wasn't here.
I am not afraid...