//------------------------------// // Fond Farewell // Story: Starlight Glimmer Makes Many Mistakes // by MagicS //------------------------------// In an empty room of the castle that had been cleared of all furniture Starlight and Sunset practiced magic together while Spike watched. Sunset may have had a poor attitude when it came to making friends or the other more social aspects of life but she was Princess Celestia’s student for a reason and she took to Starlight’s lessons like a fish to water. Even now after only a short time Sunset was able to make a powerful circular shield like Starlight could. Shining Armor would’ve been the best teacher she could think of when it came to shields but she and Twilight were good at them too. Smiling as Sunset held the shield perfectly, no longer straining to keep it maintained, Starlight fired a mild beam of magic at it and grinned in delight as it was effortlessly deflected by the shield. She had to admit, it was at least better than teaching Trixie. “Great job, Sunset!” Starlight said as Sunset lowered the shield. “I think someday you’ll be able to make a shield just as strong as I can.” “Well of course.” Sunset smugly grinned. “I’m a prodigy after all. I’ll admit you had a bit of an advantage over me when we first met but I’ll be able to outdo you soon enough.” Starlight frowned and she could see Spike roll his eyes from beside them. “Sunset. You don’t need to make this about being better than me. Learning magic can just be for fun or bettering yourself you know?” The lilac unicorn put a hoof on Sunset’s shoulder. “Don’t you want to make some friends and practice magic with them? Or show off to them in a fun way instead of bragging and making them feel bad for not being as good as you?” “Uh, no?” Sunset shrugged off Starlight’s hoof. “I could care less about that.” Starlight sighed. “I was hoping that this would teach you the value of working with others too.” “Pff.” Sunset snorted. “I already know the value others can give me. I am studying under Princess Celestia too you know?” “Would the Princess be happy to hear that?” Starlight asked. “It doesn’t matter.” Sunset snapped. “She picked me to be her student because I’m the best, and I’m going to keep proving that to everypony. And one day I’ll get everything I deserve for how great I am.” Sunset turned up her nose and walked past Starlight to the door. “Are we done with today’s lesson?” “Yes.” Starlight didn’t try to stop her but she did look over her shoulder at the retreating teenager. “Since we’re finished I was going to ask you if you’d like to get a snack with me and Spike?” Sunset stopped in the middle of holding the door open. She turned around to stare at Starlight with a blank expression on her face. “I’d rather be sent to Tartarus.” And then she left. Starlight and Spike left with nothing to do but sadly stare at the door as it shut behind her. “She’s… not getting better is she?” Spike said. “No. I keep trying to get her interested in making friends and trying to slip friendship lessons into the magic lessons but nothing is getting through to her.” Starlight sat down, her head hung low. “Am I just not good at this kind of thing? I’m a school counselor so I should be able to do this, right?” “Sunset’s just an extreme case, you do a great job at the school.” Spike came up next to her and put a comforting claw on her shoulder. “You do know what it took for Twilight to get through to her after all, right?” At the mention of that, Starlight’s eyes opened wide and her head snapped up. It was like a lightbulb went off in her brain. “Of course!” “Uh, what?” Spike asked, taking a step back in surprise at Starlight’s sudden action. “Ohhhh, I’m so dumb!” Starlight exclaimed as she stood back up. “I should have realized this sooner! Of course just talking is never going to change her. Even Twilight didn’t just talk to her, she had to hit her with a huge rainbow laser thing and make her see the power of true friendship. It was the same with me, too. You were even there Spike! I didn’t care about what Twilight was saying at first, she had to show me how important even just one friendship was before I was willing to open up.” Starlight giddily hopped around, grinning hugely at her dragon friend. “I’ve finally got it, these lessons aren’t going to help Sunset. She needs to really experience what friendship can do! She needs to see how powerful the magic of friendship is!” “Okay, and how are we going to do that?” Spike scratched his head. “We can’t!” Starlight excitedly yelled. Spike paused and tilted his head. “You lost me. Isn’t that a bad thing?” “Well think about it. We don’t have the Elements, we don’t have any of our friends around, we don’t have any sort of huge threat to overcome or anything major to accomplish, so there’s no way for us to show Sunset the true magic of friendship.” Starlight exclaimed. “Then why are you still so happy?” “Because I’ve realized what needs to be done! It might not change her now but I at least know the answer to our little Sunset’s problems.” Starlight happily giggled before bringing a hoof under her chin, thinking deeply. “In fact, it’s probably actually just going to make her really mad for a while. But in the end it’ll be good.” Spike was getting a bit concerned. “Okay, okay, can you slow down a bit? Just what exactly are you going to do with her?” Starlight turned to him with her mischievous smile. “We’re going to send her home a little early.” “No. No, no, no, no.” “Come on Spike, it’s a good idea and we wouldn’t even really be changing anything.” The two of them stood in front of a large mirror that had been stuck in a locked room deep within Canterlot castle. In the present they were more familiar with it being in Twilight’s castle but it’s not something they could ever misremember with its distinctive horseshoe frame and its high importance. Starlight walked towards it and lightly touched her hoof to the reflective glass surface and was rewarded with a shimmering reaction as ripples spread out across the mirror. “Seems my luck is pretty good today.” Starlight grinned, pulling her hoof away from the mirror. “And what is Celestia going to think when Sunset suddenly goes missing?” Spike asked from behind her. “Well I’d say probably the same thing when Sunset naturally abandons her.” Starlight shot back. “We don’t know when exactly Sunset left but she did leave. It’s going to happen anyways and Celestia will be just as upset either way.” “If the same thing is just going to happen then why even bother doing this now?” “Because I want to give Sunset a head start. And maybe the shock of it and her being unprepared will contribute to changing her for the better too. Without needing to get hit with a giant rainbow.” Starlight thought. “Now that I think about it maybe this will actually help her instead of just getting her on the right path early.” “What do you mean?” Spike raised an eyebrow at her. “Think about it. When she first went into that other world she was fully aware of it, it was her choice, she knew what would happen, etc.” Starlight explained. “But now? How would she deal with suddenly losing her magic? She doesn’t have anything else, her strength in magic is who she is. She’d be stuck in some foreign world all alone and she couldn’t rely on the only thing that makes her special here!” “Uh, now you’re making this sound kind of dangerous.” Spike said. “Oh she’ll still be fine. I’m just saying that she’ll have to learn how to live another way, she’ll have to start forming friendships and bonds with others. This’ll be the big climactic event that shocks her into changing!” Starlight pumped her hoof in the air. “It’s time to help Sunset!” Spike sighed, looking between Starlight and the mirror. She was right that eventually Sunset would ditch out on Celestia anyways, and come back to cause some big problems herself, so it probably wasn’t the worst thing to send her on her way already where there was the possibility she might actually change for the better. Finally, he shrugged. “Fine. As far as bad ideas go it’s at least one of your better thought out ones.” “That’s what I like to hear.” She dragged him over with her magic and hugged him. “It would probably be best if we avoided Celestia for a while afterwards. Or came up with some kind of cover story, you know?” Spike suggested. “Hm, maybe I can forge a letter.” Starlight considered. “Also you’re not just going to throw her in the mirror are you? You’re gonna give her some warning at least?” Spike asked. “She still hasn’t really done anything bad bad yet, you can at least tell her it’s something that will make her happy in the future, right?” “Don’t worry, it’s not like I was just gonna blindfold her and kick her in or anything. I’ll tell her about the great friends on the other side waiting for her.” Starlight smiled. “And that’s the truth after all.” “If it doesn’t have to do with my magic lessons why are you bothering me again? I figured after earlier today you’d take the hint.” Sunset said as Starlight and Spike walked with her down one of the hallways of Canterlot castle. They had gone searching for her immediately after their decision was made since neither of them knew just how long the mirror portal would be open. Sunset at this point seemed to be unaware of its existence and had no idea where they were going. Maybe she had never bothered to really explore the castle, she probably only stuck around Celestia or the library or stayed in her room practicing magic on her own. “It may not have to do with teaching you magic but it’s still a lesson. You wanted to learn from me didn’t you? And no, I didn’t take the hint.” Starlight replied. Sunset scoffed. “I wanted to learn magic from you. That’s it. Are you trying to teach me another one of your dumb friendship lessons?” “Sort of. But it’s more like a… life lesson.” Starlight said to her. The annoyed unicorn raised an eyebrow at Starlight but didn’t feel like asking her what that meant. It was already enough trouble for her to be in Starlight’s presence. While Starlight and Spike led her to the room with the mirror portal Sunset couldn’t help but notice that the lighting in the castle was getting lower and lower, the hallways were darker and they seemed to be getting far away from any of the usual places in the castle ponies would go. She was actually getting a little worried but she was far too proud to show it or ask where they were taking her. There was no way Sunset was gonna let them think she was afraid. At last they reached a large door, Starlight pulled it open with her magic and stood to the side, letting Spike and Sunset walk in first. Sunset looked around, it was a fairly unassuming and nearly empty room. The ceiling was high up and there was only a single window facing the sun that let in just enough light to keep things from being in total darkness. As her eyes searched for any reason that Starlight and Spike would’ve brought her here she saw the large mirror propped up against the back wall. “So… what?” Sunset asked as she turned around to look at Starlight. Starlight closed the door and walked up to Sunset with a big happy smile, Spike following alongside her and looking a bit more unsure. “Sunset.” Starlight started. “You are a very special pony. And before you say “Tell me something I don’t know” I need to follow that up with how you’re also very self-absorbed and mean. But I know from experience that simply talking to you isn’t going to work, you need to really experience something before you can believe in it. I know you have it in you to become a really great pony who’s kind and caring and treasures her friends. You just need to be set on the right path first.” “What the hay are you talking about?” Sunset’s face was screwed up in confusion, Starlight’s words actually making her really uneasy. She unconsciously backpedaled a few steps, stopping right in front of the mirror. “Trust me. This is going to get you everything you want, even if you don’t know it or believe it yet.” Starlight pointed behind Sunset at the mirror. Sunset looked over her shoulder at it, her reflection staring back at her. “That mirror leads to a whole new world. You like being a special pony right? Well you’ll be even more special since you can become the first pony from Equestria to make that world your home.” “Excuse me?!” Sunset gawked at her. “Just what are you getting at here? Are you trying to get rid of me or something?!” “No, I’m trying to help you. That’s what I’ve always been trying to do. Like I said, everything you want is on the other side of that mirror. You’d eventually have gone looking for it anyways even without me.” Starlight calmly explained. Sunset looked back at the mirror again. The concern was evident on her face as she furrowed her brow in thought. But as much as she didn’t like Starlight and didn’t agree with her on that silly friendship stuff Starlight had never really lied to her about anything either. “Really?” Sunset asked. “Yep, that’s your future.” Starlight smiled. Sunset frowned at her, narrowing her eyes at Starlight. “This isn’t actually a portal to Tartarus or anything is it?” “It’s really not, if you can’t trust Starlight then can you trust me?” Spike said, trying to reason with her. Sunset’s gaze flickered to him before her face finally relaxed. “Fine, you’re not annoying like she is at least.” She turned around to face the portal again, tilting her head. “So how does this thing work? And I’ll get the respect and power I deserve over in this other world?” “Everything your heart desires.” Starlight said as she walked up beside her and draped a hoof over her shoulders. Even if you don’t know what’s in your heart yet. She left out. “And all you have to do is walk through it.” The soon to be former student of Princess Celestia hesitantly place a hoof on the mirror and watched in awe as it sunk through the surface, she could already feel the magic racing into her body. “Wow...” Starlight nodded. “And a last word of advice from me. But be on the look out for some… creatures… named Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle. I know you won’t believe me or care right now but they’re the best friends you could ever have.” “Well you’re right, I don’t care. And how do you even know all this stuff?” She glared at Starlight, temporarily pulling her hoof back from the mirror. “And Princess Celestia isn’t going to be happy to hear I’m missing or that I’ve suddenly gone to wherever this other world is. I’m still her chosen personal student after all.” Sunset seemed to be reconsidering. So Starlight decided to sever the only important connection she had here. “Yeahhh, about that. You see there’s a young filly in Canterlot right now who’s actually better than you at magic and she’s going to be Celestia’s personal student in the near future.” “WHAT?!” “Bye-bye, now!” Starlight said with a friendly smile as she pushed Sunset into the mirror portal. Waving goodbye to her while Spike smacked his face and shook his head. “I HAAAATE YOOOOU!” Sunset cried out as she disappeared through the portal. The mirror quickly settled down and as soon as Sunset was fully through it it went back to looking like a normal mirror. Starlight and Spike now being the only ones left in the room. “That went pretty well, don’t you think?” Starlight asked Spike. “You didn’t need to say something like that to her. You were just being spiteful.” Spike disapprovingly glared at her. “Was not! And besides, I think Applejack would appreciate me being honest with Sunset. It was the truth about Twilight after all.” “Yeah? Well would Fluttershy appreciate your kindness?” “Nopony’s perfect, Spike.” A small cracking noise like ice breaking suddenly reached the both of their ears and the two of them looked around to see where the noise was coming from. But they couldn’t see anything despite more and more sounds of cracking coming from every direction as if they were on a frozen lake whose icy cover was about to split open. “Where’s that coming from?” Starlight asked as she looked around, horn lighting up just in case. “I dunno, what is it?” Spike gulped as the sound got louder and louder. “Look!” Starlight said as cracks started appearing around them. But not in the ground or on the walls, in the air… no, not simply just the air either. Glowing white cracks started to form everywhere and space itself seemed to be falling apart. Like shattered glass, pieces of reality fell and disappeared into nothingness when the cracks connected. Starlight and Spike huddled together in the middle of the room trying to avoid it but all that did was delay the inevitable as the cracks, the fissures, in reality tore around them. “Starlight, what’s going on...” Spike held close to her. “I don’t know, this is different from any time before.” Any magic she tried using didn’t do anything, the fissures seeming to turn it into nothingness the same as everything else. Finally the inexorable progress of the fissures erased everything around them and the two fell into a white void, it felt like they were in free fall, neither of them could even scream or see themselves anymore. They were thrown about in a rushing river of nothingness. Before they finally returned right back to where they were. Starlight and Spike stood alone in the room, shaking thanks to their limbs feeling more like jelly than flesh and bone. The mirror portal was there, Sunset was still gone, everything was the same as before. “I guess that was an, uh, especially big shift in the timeline. Or something.” Starlight said, looking around to make sure things were back to “normal”. “Or something is right.” Spike unsteadily sat down. “I don’t know about you, but how about we take a break from, well, everything for a while?” “Good call.”