Starlight put her hoof to her chin. "Well, the best place to start is the beginning. See, one of my first friends and I hung out all the time..."
----------------------------------------------
"...and then he got his Cutie Mark. Before me. I wouldn't see him again for years. That's why loneliness is such a big issue for me."
Sunset blinked. "Wow. I had no idea..."
"So then as time went on, I studied spells and eventually came across this oddly-shaped stick. I started up a town and started ridding ponies of their Cutie Marks. But you already know that part. Now, as for what happened when Twilight and the girls arrived..."
----------------------------------------------
"...and I was infuriated. I galloped out of the caves after that, swearing revenge on Twilight and her friends. As I plotted, I followed her around while she was none the wiser."
"Wait." Sunset said, holding up a hoof. "You actually stalked her?!"
Starlight blushed. "Yeah. Not one of my prouder moments. Anyway, I sneaked into Twilight's lecture about Cutie Mark Magic..."
----------------------------------------------
"...and that's when Twilight convinced me to give friendship a chance."
Sunset stared at Starlight, mouth agape. "You...changed the course of history several times over by using an old Starswirl spell?!"
Starlight nodded.
"Wow. I'd love to hear what Twilight experienced." said Sunset.
"Well, you can ask her yourself when you see her at the library." said Starlight. "Anywho, a few months had passed and Twilight's brother and his wife were expecting a foal..."
----------------------------------------------
"...then Sunburst and I promised to keep in touch just as the train was pulling away from the station."
Sunset was shocked. "A fifth princess?! And a naturally born alicorn at that...she's going to be incredibly powerful when she grows up."
Starlight nodded. "Tell me about it. I still can't believe she shattered the Crystal Heart, and I was there! But anyway...a while after that, Twilight wanted me to make a new friend so she could show Princess Celestia how good a teacher she is..."
----------------------------------------------
"...and even the Princess was frustrated!" Starlight laughed.
"Wow. You and I both befriended our respective worlds' Trixies...what are the odds?" Sunset wondered out loud. "I can't believe Twilight preferred Muffins, DJ PON-3 and Cranky Doodle over her as a friend. I'd love to hear the history between those two."
"Anyway," continued Starlight. "Twilight, Spike and I went to the Crystal Empire to visit Flurry Heart, Shining Armor, Princess Cadence and Sunburst. But when we arrived, nopony was there..."
----------------------------------------------
"...and that's when I told Twilight that she was right. You really can find a friendship lesson anywhere!"
"Spike made friends with a changeling? Wow..."
"But wait!" said Starlight. "There's more. One day, Muffins delivered a letter to me, and it was from my old village! You have no idea how nervous I was..."
----------------------------------------------
"...and that was when I judged a baking competition."
"You...you reformed all of the changelings?!" Sunset said in awe.
"Well, not all of them. But I'll get to that later." Starlight said and winked. "So after that, me, Discord, Trixie and Thorax were going to be awarded medals for our victory over Queen Chrysalis and the reformation of the Changelings..."
----------------------------------------------
"...and Twilight gave me an awesome mirror as a gift! I was all choked up over it." said Starlight.
"So, you're still staying at the castle?" asked Sunset.
"Yep!" said Starlight. "Not going anywhere anytime soon. But...speaking of unlikely friendships..."
----------------------------------------------
"and after that, Pinkie Pie finally let us be."
"Wow. You made friends with Maud? That's...interesting."
Starlight giggled. "You think that's interesting? Wait'll I tell you about the first time I got called by the map!"
----------------------------------------------
"...and then Twilight dragged me off into the castle to wring every last detail out of me."
Sunset stared at Starlight. Eyes wide from pure shock. "You...changed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's...Cutie Marks?"
Starlight shrugged. "Hey, the map called me. I did what I thought was best, even though I almost got in serious trouble. One of my strongest moments of self-doubt."
Sunset shook her head to snap herself out of it.
Starlight laughed. "You okay there?"
Sunset blushed and smiled. "Sorry. That was just a lot to take in."
Starlight grinned. "Totally understandable. But don't worry, this next one, while still eventful, isn't as...intense. Anyway...Thorax was having trouble under his new role as leader of the Changelings, so Trixie and I decided to surprise him by showing up unannounced..."
----------------------------------------------
"...and Pharynx was the final Changeling...you know, besides Queen Chrysalis, to transform."
"Nice." said Sunset. "Too bad Trixie tried to throw you under the bus..."
"Meh." said Starlight. "Okay, prepare yourself. Out of all the stories I have, this one's going to blow. Your. Mind!"
Sunset's eyes lit up. "Oooh, do tell!"
Starlight grinned. "Well, one day Sunburst came over to visit me in Ponyville..."
----------------------------------------------
"...and then Twilight thanked me for helping her see things clearly!"
Sunset stood motionless. If the jaw of a pony was capable of hitting the floor while sitting a couple of feet above it, Sunset would have succeeded in doing so.
"Sunset? ...Are you okay?" Starlight said, a touch concerned.
"...Starlight." said Sunset, still staring on in disbelief.
"Yes, Sunset?" she answered, still worried about her friend.
"Can you indulge me for just one sentence?" Sunset said, still frozen from the neck down.
"...Okay, sure. Just...try not to be too loud." said Starlight, suddenly realizing where this was going.
Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath, and exhaled to calm herself. It worked...for all of about two seconds, as Sunset shouted "Holy fucking shit, you met Starswirl the Bearded?!?!?
Everypony on the train gave both Starlight and Sunset dirty looks.
Sunset blushed. "I'm sorry, I just had to get that out of my system." she said to Starlight and the passengers.
Starlight looked mortified for a moment.
Sunset's ears drooped. "I'm sorry. I got a little bit carried away there." she smiled sheepishly.
Starlight quirked an eyebrow. "A little?"
"Please, I'm embarrassed enough as it is." said Sunset. "I can't believe his initial attitude towards you." she said, in the hopes of changing the subject. "You think you know your legends of Equestria..."
Starlight sighed. "Yeah, he was kind of a tough nut to crack. But enough about that. A while later, all of Equestria was preparing for the Festival of Friendship..."
----------------------------------------------
"Unfortunately, Trixie and were in a cage during the action. You'd have to talk to Twilight about that."
Sunset smiled. "Don't worry, I will."
"After the festival, we all got back to the throne room and noticed the map had gotten bigger. This was when Twilight got the idea to build the School of Friendship..."
----------------------------------------------
"...and the school stayed open, despite Chancellor Neighsay's protests."
Sunset blinked. "Wow. Now I know why I hate bureaucratic paperwork."
Starlight laughed. Suddenly, the train braked to a halt.
"Canterlot Station!" the conductor announced.
Starlight and Sunset smiled.