Guidance Counselor Starlight stood far above the School of Friendship, up the mountainside, overlooking one of the many waterfalls. Classes were done for the day, and so she felt the need to unwind and relax. This was one of her favorite places to go, to enjoy the sound and spray of the rushing waters. A temporary peace filled her mind.
Although she loved to help with class studies, and serving as guidance counselor to the young students, it was indeed a stressful job, more often than not. But to help the young creatures under her care was more than worth it. The powerful unicorn wizard had come a long way, more secure and happy in her own social skills, and content with her lot in life. At least, for the most part.
She breathed a sigh of relief. If it hadn’t been for Princess - no, Principle Twilight’s offer of unconditional friendship…
Perking an ear, she heard a rustling in the nearby tree. “Who’s there?” she asked curiously, a bit wary, mostly irritated. She had been wanting some alone time with her thoughts.
A small squirrel appeared, holding an acorn aloft in its small claws. Breathing a sigh of relief, Starlight turned her back to it. Gazing across the scenic vista, she could stare directly across to Twilight’s castle, the massive pointed star at its top catching her eye.
“She needs me as much as I need her,” Starlight mused aloud.
“Who does?” said the squirrel, much closer now, eavesdropping.
Starlight turned again and stared down at the rodent incredulously, narrowing her eyes. “Ocellus?” she guessed.
The squirrel dropped the acorn and put its paws over its mouth. “Oops!” she squeaked, before transforming back into her natural form. The pale icy blue changedling with ladybug wings stood before counselor Starlight.
Starlight frowned disapprovingly at the insectoid student. She was fond of her, appreciating the inquisitive nature of this young changedling. Ocellus didn’t want to merely mimic others, she sincerely wanted to understand as well.
“You shouldn’t use your natural abilities to spy on others, unless it’s absolutely necessary,” Starlight scolded her. “And shouldn’t you be heading home by now?”
Ocellus looked down at the green moss, crestfallen. “I’m sorry, Counselor Starlight. King Thorax is lenient about how long I take to return home, and I was just so curious about what you were doing up here, and I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Grimacing and averting her eyes, Starlight suddenly felt guilty. She wasn’t completely used to exercising authority again. “It’s alright, Ocellus. You didn’t cause any harm. I understand your curiosity.”
Looking up at Starlight, Ocellus tone became stern. “No, you are right. I want to set a good example for other changedlings, to use our abilities diplomatically and with genuine compassion for others. I should not spy on my elders like that.”
Looking down into the little faerie creature’s glimmering eyes, Starlight could barely see her pupils under the glassy sheen. Now she felt more admiration for this little one, with so much expectation on her shoulders. Ocellus was essentially a diplomatic envoy-in-training for the changedling hive.
Smiling sweetly, Starlight patted a mossy stone beside her. “Sit with me awhile then, and enjoy the sound and scent of the water,” she offered.
Ocellus grinned excitedly, quickly scampering over to Starlight, gasping in surprise as she began to stumble on the sleek wet stones. “Woahhh!”
Starlight immediately caught Ocellus in the glow of her magic, encasing her in an aura of bright turquoise light, gently setting her down, a bit further away from the falls, moving over to join her. “Be careful now,” she warned. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Ocellus blushed deeply and nodded, sitting still, tensing up as Starlight gently placed a hoof around her shoulder and hugged. She smiled softly and returned the gesture, nuzzling against Starlight’s chest. She appreciated how warm and comforting the Equestrian ponies could be.
They sat there for awhile, each creature lost in their own thoughts, listening to the waters ever falling. Ocellus had grown fond of Counselor Starlight, but she had something to speak of, hesitant to give it voice.
“Is something wrong?” Starlight asked, gently removing her hoof. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“No, just thoughts swirling in my head,” replied the little changedling. “I guess there’s more I wanted to talk about with you, beyond my curiosity about your after-school relaxation spot.”
Starlight nodded, not too surprised. “You ask more questions than most students,” she admitted, gently booping Ocellus on the nose. “But that’s a good thing. It means you are eager to learn and understand, and those traits can help you grow into a wise creature.”
The little changedling giggled happily. “Thank you, Starlight….” her voice trailed away, eyes closing, taking a moment to collect herself. “Thank you for everything,” she emphasized, as tears formed in the corners of her eyes.
The guidance counselor felt a bit uneasy. She was not used to anyone gushing praise upon her, besides her own teacher Twilight Sparkle. “What do you mean by ‘everything’?” she asked cautiously.
Ocellus stared back up at the unicorn, her voice stern once more. “King Thorax told me everything. How you stood up against… against her. How you helped Thorax to evolve to the next stage of our existence. How you helped his reluctant brother Pharynx as well. I don’t know if my fellow changedlings fully realize or appreciate the gravity of what you’ve done for us, but I for one am sincerely grateful.”
Starlight felt awash with emotions, dazed and reeling for a moment. So much praise and so much placement of positive responsibility on her shoulders. And yet, why hadn’t she put this all together before? She had always felt deeply invested in Thorax’s evolution and the changedling society as a whole. Was it because it made her feel justified, feel cleansed of her own past sins?
Staring up at the greater heights of the mountain, more waterfalls reaching beyond her, Starlight felt overwhelmed with uncertainty again. Was she manipulating the changedlings, even now? Using the excuse for justice, like she would back at her old village? Was she still being a twisted tyrant, only in the shadows?
Ocellus put a firm insectoid hoof on Starlight’s flank. “Please don’t judge yourself,” she insisted, quietly.
“What?!” Starlight cried out, turning back, whipping her mane around. “How do you-”
“You don’t think I’ve been asking Principle Twilight questions about you too?” demanded Ocellus. “Researching about your past? Preparing myself for this moment to meet my troubled hero?”
Starlight laughed softly. “No. No, of course you did. So, you probably know quite a bit about me already. But not enough.” Her voice became cold and resentful. “You’ll never understand what I’ve been through, what I’ve done...”
The changedling prodigy stood up then, moving about to face Starlight, her face a mask of seriousness. Starlight refused to return the gaze, her eyes averted and gazing at the nearby splashing current of water.
The spiraling wave of transformation magic shared by all changedlings swept around Ocellus, utterly transforming her physical form. “This is what I’ve been through,” she declared, her voice deeper and more menacing, as she became a familiar and terrible sight.
Queen Chrysalis stood before Starlight, towering and menacing, a savage monarch of enforced cruelty, save for the tears in her eyes. “I was but a child,” she intoned, “but if there’s one thing my people never let go of, it’s our memories. I only knew her for a short while, a few months… but it was long enough, and I endured her malice! That manipulative monster, she did indeed fill my heart with hate, with hunger, with fear!”
Glaring at Ocellus-as-Chrysalis, Starlight felt her pulse quicken, and her heart ache, deeply disturbed. Why was this child putting herself through such a traumatic transformation? “Why are you doing this to yourself?” she demanded angrily, truly stunned.
A leg full of holes touched the dark chitinous chest. “Why?” declared the ‘Queen’. “So that you understand what you’ve done for me, for my people! You stopped her from destroying my heart, even though you feared her as well. You gave us everything, because you believed in our potential!”
Counselor Starlight shook her head bitterly. “No, it was Thorax who stopped her, I merely advised his tactics! I couldn’t, I wouldn’t manipulate you,” Starlight rambled, finding words spilling unabated. “It would’ve been selfish to do so, to make you all change, just so that I would… so I would feel better about myself!”
‘Chrysalis’ stomped a hoof on the mossy stones. “Just as I suspected,” she mused, a chill running up Starlight’s spine, so similar to her arch-enemy did Ocellus sound. “There is another you fear even more!”
Closing her eyes and bowing down, the magic flaming circle spiraled around Ocellus once again, instantaneously transforming her into a far more familiar shape: Starlight Glimmer. The purple-pink unicorn looked exactly like the counselor, save for two disturbing symbols of her past: an equal sign took the place of her cutie mark on either side, and her mane parted around her horn, symbolic of equality.
“You think yourself so corrupt?” accused Ocellus-as-Starlight, pointing a hoof, glaring. “You think yourself so wicked, even now?” she accused in Starlight’s voice.
Starlight stood up, bristling with resentment, terrified but outraged. “I already know all this! Do you think I don’t understand myself?” she shouted, voice cracking. “I know I’m not like that anymore, but -”
“But you don’t have to fear yourself anymore!” countered ‘Equality’ Starlight, taking a step forward. “You don’t have to keep holding on to your doubts! You are a wonderful counselor!” Tears formed in those light purple eyes. “You have done so much to comfort me since I came here, so please… please don’t hate yourself anymore!”
The real Starlight stood there, dumbstruck and numb, unsure what to say, slack-jawed, when suddenly her counterpart lunged forward, wrapping her soft arms around the real Starlight, hugging her close, leaning over her back, tears spilling down her spine. Starlight felt her muscles tense, hesitating for a moment, before letting out a deep sigh of relief.
Hugging her old self close, squeezing Ocellus-as-Starlight tightly, not letting go, as she comforted herself, and the little changedling, all at once. “Thank you, Ocellus. You really are special.”
They pulled away, smiling at each other. “I just, I wanted to… I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you,” admitted the false Starlight. “I can be over-dramatic sometimes though.” She admitted in embarrassment, averting her eyes.
Starlight laughed aloud at that. “Oh indeed, but you got that part right about me, too. But I needed to hear that.”
Ocellus finally reverted back into her small icy blue and red-winged form, blushing deeply. “You’re not a bad pony, Counselor. It doesn’t matter that you had ulterior emotional motives in helping my people... I’m glad helping us, helped you too.”
Pulling the little bug close, Starlight rested her muzzle against her chest. “When it really counts, you are daring and bold underneath your shy shell, aren’t you?” she praised. “Congrats, because you might be my favorite student now.”
Ocellus squealed in delight, flickering her wings. “Thank you, Counselor Starlight! I would love to spend more time getting to know you: the real you!”
Counselor Starlight smiled serenely. Even in her new role, she did indeed feel a tingling of doubt and uncertainty. But in just a few minutes of confrontational magic, Ocellus had cleared her heart.
“Maybe your transformation abilities can be therapeutic too,” Starlight admitted thoughtfully. “Only… promise me not to give ‘shock therapy’ to your fellow students, okay?”
Ocellus nodded. “I only did it to you because I felt certain it could work, I was a bit scared but… but I felt I owed you. And now, I feel better, too.”
Starlight gently pet Ocellus’ soft translucent crest. “I was frightened, but you made a good call. Maybe you can help me help the students with their needs. You are certainly perceptive and understanding, empathic even. Would you like to work as an assistant guidance counselor?”
Ocellus blushed at that. “I would love to! I love the other classes, but more than anything else, I want to be a changedling that helps others cope with their feelings and troubles. I feel like it’s something my people can excel at, if only we try!”
Starlight nodded in agreement, most pleased with Ocellus. The two of them sat together for awhile in silence, enjoying the rushing waters, both of their hearts at ease now. Then another thought occurred to the guidance counselor - maybe it was time that Starlight had a pupil of her own, after all.