Sunburst trotted across the bridge that linked the school to the rest of the world. It was a nice bridge of stone, without signs of age. That made sense, he decided, with it being so recently constructed.
He was excited, and why shouldn't he have been? He was to give a class! With a glowing horn, he pulled out his notes and reviewed it carefully. "I have to get this right."
"I agree," spoke a female voice that sent shivers down his spine. He lowered the notes to see Stellar Flare seated on the other side of the bridge, watching him. "Hello, son. I'm terribly sorry to intrude on what must be a busy day, but may I?"
A thousand excuses came and went in Sunburst's mind as he stood there looking a little silly. "O-oh, um... enjoying classes?"
Stellar nodded just enough to be seen. "They've been charming, and insightful at times." She rose to her hooves as he came closer. "But I'm here to talk about something more important."
Sunburst's teeth clenched behind his closed lips. Would she ask about his life plans? His romantic plans? His career plans? His plans!? "Yes?" he asked through those teeth, trying to force a smile.
"What do you do, for fun?"
Sunburst crashed to his haunches. Of all the questions she could have asked, that was not one he had thought of. "W-what?"
"I want to spend a day with my son, doing what he enjoys. I want to talk about what he enjoys discussing." She reached a hoof towards him but made no attempt to make contact. "Is there room in your schedule for that?"
Sunburst's jaw worked wordlessly a moment before he shook his head violently. "Who are you and what have you done with my mother?"
She snorted softly at that, a smile curling her lips. "Is that really such a foreign thing for me to ask? I'm not that changeling, I assure you. Adorable little filly, isn't she?" She turned slowly back towards school. "I don't mean to make you late. If you have a time, I'll be there."
Sunburst ventured a little smile of his own. "I'll have to check my, uh, schedule, but, uh, sure. Have you ever tried antiquing?"
Stellar looked baffled at the word. "An-Tee-King, did I get that right? What is that?" She raised a hoof suddenly. "Not that I won't find out, with you, but I've never heard that word before."
"Oh, you'll love it." Maybe, he silently added. "It's a date."
They entered the school together, a friendship lesson applied before the day had even begun.
Sunburst set a pile of papers aside as he trotted past. "What a day," he said to himself, moving for the stairs. "Nothing to relax like a little studying." He thought back over the book and what they had read the day before. "I feel like we're getting... closer?" He opened the door just at the last word to find the room absent of any mysterious tomes.
"Twilight?" He walked into the strangely empty room, just for the door to slap shut behind him.
Twilight's voice rose from the left corner, only visible after he had entered. "I was waiting for you."
"O-oh, Twilight, you startled me." He brushed a hoof over his front and through his frazzled mane. "Are we g--
"No we are not." She stood up from her haunches, stepping towards him slowly. "We have another project to see to first that I consider a higher priority."
"Another project?" His ears twitched softly. "But, we're... making such good progress."
"As your friend--" She reached out and poked him gently on the chest. "--I would be remiss if I didn't take a pause for this. Sunburst, you need help."
Sunburst's ears pinned against his head. "I know that! I mean... isn't that why we're here?"
She reached up and flicked his horn. "Not that. We'll get to that. It's about the thing it's attached to." She trailed her hoof down the horn to his skull. "When you flunked, you thought it was a mark of failure."
"W-wasn't it?" asked Sunburst, sinking to his haunches with a dazed look. "I mean, I literally failed..."
"From one perspective." She slowly circled him, her hoof not leaving him, trailing along his sides in a slow circle. "You shouldn't have been there. You were sick, but your mother, well-meaning, wanted the very best, and she had no idea. How could she know? She set you up to fail, but you tried your best, your absolute best. Let me make one thing crystal clear, beyond any amount of argument."
"What's that?" asked Sunburst in a small voice, following Twilight with his eyes as best he could without turning to face her.
"You got in." She nudged him with the hoof. "You did what plenty of healthy unicorns fail to do. You, a crippled pony, got into the highest school of magic in Equestria. You won that achievement against all biological odds, because you were that determined."
Sunburst sat up a little. "Oh, um... I did that, I guess?"
"It doesn't stop there." She circled to be in front of him, her hoof at his chin, brushing his beard. "My hero, you saved him. If it wasn't for you, he'd still be locked away in a perpetual nothing forever. Instead, he wanders Equestria, seeing the wonders that he helped create and sacrificed to protect." A tear escaped her eyes despite herself. "You gave him life and gave me the chance to speak with him, after so many years of simply thinking of him from a distance."
"S-Starlight had a lot to do--"
Her hoof slid over his lips, silencing him. "Stop that. She helped, surely, but that doesn't take away your contribution. Stop arguing away what you've done. Sit there and accept it. 'I am the pony that did these things.' 'I am the pony that can do so much more.'" She leaned forward, noses almost touching. "I am the pony that will do so much more."
"Is it really that easy to--"
"You said you admire me." Twilight's eyelids lowered to half, peering at Sunburst. "You called me intelligent."
"Y-yes! Of course."
"Then what I say has a higher probability of accuracy, does it not?"
"Well... I suppose?" He tilted his head a little. "Do you really think... I mean..."
"Stop thinking of why not." She stood up. "You are an amazing stallion that has done amazing things and still has plenty more to do. I am absolutely certain of this."
Sunburst quirked a little smile. "Are you sure you didn't call me here to... fix me, instead of reading a book?"
Twilight's brows raised together. "If I had, it would have been worth it. I'm sorry you didn't have someone to talk to before, but that changes now." She placed a hoof against her own chest. "We are buddies, study buddies, one of the best kinds of buddies in my view. If you ever wonder 'would she want to talk about whatever', the answer is yes."
"Even about grandfoals?" he asked before he thought through his words, his thoughts straying back to his mother and her plans and how strangely she had approached him earlier.
Twilight began to go red swiftly. "G-grandfoals? I don't... even have the normal variety yet. I mean, I did just say anything is alright, so..." She rubbed at one of her cheeks with a hoof, looking increasingly awkward. "In order to have grandfoals, I would need to select a mate. Such a stallion should be intelligent, perhaps a touch eccentric and able to follow my-- oh! Whoever they were, they'd need to be alright with my many responsibilities." She shook her head firmly, lost in her own world.
"I am a princess, and a hero, like it or not. I'm called away on duties more often than I'd like. Whoever I partnered with would have to be alright with that, because I couldn't not save Equestria because they're feeling lonely, and asking me to would be... quite inconvenient at best." She shuffled a forehoof, dragging it over the crystal floor. "I sound so cynical saying that. It's not that I wouldn't not care about the feelings of some other pony that agreed to... partner with me, but there are some things that just can't be argued."
Her eyes suddenly focused on him as if remembering Sunburst was there. "And what would your ideal partner be?"
Sunburst almost fell back at the force of the topic shift onto himself. "Oh! Well... She would--"
"Hetero," spoke Twilight as if taking note. "Do go on."
He blushed softly at that. "Oh, um... I... haven't had experience, but I think I would prefer the company of a mare, yes. I mean... I've... I..." He suddenly burst into nervous laughter. "I've been with them since the start. Starlight was my best friend, and I still love her very much, uh, as a friend. Sure, she's a mare, and doesn't see everything the way I do, but that only made her more..." He snorted softly. "I used to be annoyed by it sometimes, but I've grown since then."
"I share your experience." She nodded firmly. "My best friend as a foal was my brother. I've learned to accept and appreciate the company of stallions and am fairly certain, were I to seek romantic companionship, it would be with a stallion." Her cheeks warmed lightly. "Like my brother, come to think of it. Perhaps a little more bookish, but he was pretty bookish before he became a guard, so..."
Sunburst sat up, ears perking curiously. "Shining Armor, right?"
"That's the one," agreed Twilight with a bob of her head. "Have you talked to him much? You do work with him and Cadance sometimes, right?"
"Oh, yes." He adjusted his glasses lightly. "We discuss many things, um, he even runs an O&O game sometimes, when he has a chance. He usually invites me."
Twilight's wings suddenly popped out to either side. "You play O&O?!"
Sunburst blinked in surprise at the strong reaction. "Not regularly, but a little game here and there can be entertaining. I play an acrobat."
Twilight burst into giggles. "An acrobat?! I would not have guessed!"
Sunburst smiled a little crookedly. "It was the class suggested to me when I was learning, and she hasn't died yet, so I stuck with her."
Twilight's ears danced. "She? Her?"
Sunburst had just about recovered, only to start to darken all over again. "Y-yes, I mean... if you're playing pretend, no one says your character has to match you, right?"
"Of course not," she assured, reaching to pat his shoulder gently. "And I'm guessing you're comfortable with it." She raised her brows in unison. "Flexible identity."
"W-what?!" Sunburst shook his head fiercely. "I am definitely a stallion, one hundred percent, promise."
"I'm not doubting that," she assured. "But you can accept a female title without bristling. I'd call that a positive quality."
Sunburst deflated with relief. "O-oh, yes, positive, so, uh, what did you play?"
Twilight's cheeks lit up. "Oh, it was forever ago..." she attempted to demure.
"Come on, I showed you mine, you can tell me yours," he insisted with a gentle smile. "I promise to not laugh, not that I imagine it's that bad to begin with."
Twilight's eyes darted away as she started to turn the rest of her body away. "It was nothing important..."
"You said anything," needled Sunburst, circling with her turning. "Come on, as friends."
Twilight froze, caught in a net of her own making. Could requesting to know her old character be what made her break her recently forged promise. "Do you swear to not share it with anycreature else?"
"Promise." He crossed his hoof over his heart as he smiled at her. "What were they?"
"They is right... I played two at once..." She ran her hooves against one another in slow circles. "Star Slush the Moustached and his up and coming assistant... Twibright Sprinkle..."