Stellar Flare couldn’t help but notice this time that there were a lot more changelings on the train. And dragons. And griffons. And yaks. And… what were they? Hippoponies? Pegagriffs? Oh, that’s right! Hippogriffs!
As she looked around the train car she was riding, she recalled the last time she rode the train anywhere, the sorts of passengers was less diverse. A few seats behind her, a pair of dragons looked out the window next to their spot. She could almost make out comments they said about admiring the landscape from the ground instead of the air and how they could appreciate more since they weren’t trying to keep their wings aloft. Across the aisle, a young male hippogriff sat with what Stellar guessed was a girl foal, or was it chick? When the male lowered his head to nuzzle the foal, Stellar looked at the necklace he sported.
‘That’s a charming-looking necklace. So natural, and yet so radiant! I wonder if I could ask who made it, and if I could contact the maker. A shop selling those back in Sire’s Hollow would be a hit!’
Stellar looked at the seat ahead of her. A lone griffon sat before her, and judging by the hunched shoulders, was possibly one of those surly loner types.
‘I’ve never seen so many different species on the train at the same time before! I wonder if Sunburst had anything to do with all the diversity. Ooh, what if that’s the important work he does up in the Crystal Empire? His job can’t possibly be that of a glorified babysitter. He’s destined for more important stuff than that!’
“Now stopping at Ponyville!”
The mare snapped out of her thoughts, and felt the train slowing beneath her hooves. Taking that as her cue, she picked up her luggage in her teal magic, and made her way to the nearest exit. As she stepped off the train and onto the station platform, she blinked as the hippogriff male exited beside her with the filly on his back, squealing with delight.
Smiling at the happy family and watching them go, Stellar decided to save her question for somepony else, not wanting to disrupt their trip.
She left the platform, and entered into town. Not being able to recall visiting Ponyville before, the mare marveled at the town’s aesthetic. It reminded her so much of the current state of Sire’s Hollow, blending in the past but also moving towards the modern future.
‘This looks like a wonderful town to raise a family! I wouldn’t mind my grandfoals growing up here, or Sire’s Hollow. I’d prefer Sire’s Hollow so I could see them more often, but maybe them living in Ponyville would be good since it’s also where one of the princesses live. Speaking of…’
Stellar Flare spotted the crystal castle towering over the rest of the neighborhood, and followed the roads to it. As she ventured closer and closer to her destination, she began to learn just how big the castle was. By the time she was nearly at the front stairs, her jaw dropped at the size.
‘I’ve been to the castle in Canterlot before, and it’s huge. While this one doesn’t compare in size, it’s still mind-boggling to know this all grew out of the ground!’
She glanced over at the school that stood next door. Even though it was a Saturday, the school still seemed lively with assumed students and guests alike wandering the campus.
‘That school looks amazing! I wonder if it would be possible to get Sunburst a job there. Being a faculty member of Princess Twilight’s School of Friendship would get him lots of respect and recognition across Equestria!’
Trotting up to the door of the castle, she knocked on the door. Judging by how no guards seemed to be posted at the door, it appeared the castle was treated as more of a home than a place of royalty and so she did what she would do if she were visiting neighbors back home. When nopony opened the door after a few minutes, Stellar Flare frowned before attempting to knock again.
“Hi there!”
Stellar nearly jumped a meter in the air as if the hair of her coat was going to jump off her body, her magic that was lifting her luggage ceased. Her suitcase fell down the stairs, and she whirled around to face whoever surprised her.
In front of her was none other than Pinkie Pie, Element of Laughter, teacher at Twilight’s school, and the absolute master of sneaking up on any creature without a peep.
Pinkie watched the suitcase fumble down the stairs, and briefly smiled in Stellar’s direction.
“Sorry, let me get that for you.” The pink pony bounced down to retrieve the luggage while Stellar recovered.
“You startled the dickens out of me,” Stellar snapped.
“What are dickens? Are they chickens as small as dots?” Pinkie rambled, hopping back up with Stellar’s things. “Welcome to Ponyville! I’m Pinkie Pie!” She stuck out her hoof during her introduction.
Stellar stared at the hoof offered to her, and then cautiously shook it. “Stellar Flare.”
“Nice to meet you, Stellar Flare.” Pinkie pulled back her hoof once the hoofshake was complete, and then stared at the mare with a critical eye. “Say, you look familiar. Have we met before?”
“I think I would remember meeting somepony like you,” Stellar remarked.
Suddenly, Pinkie pounded one hoof down into the other. “Wait, wait, wait. Give me a second… do you know anypony by the name of Sunburst?”
Stellar nodded. “Know him? I raised him. He’s my son.”
Pinkie gasped sharply, jumping in a very pegasus-like manner that Stellar found odd considering the pink mare didn’t appear to be a pegasus. She thought she was seeing things when Pinkie hung in the air for longer than a second, and then flopped back down to the ground with a large grin.
“That’s what I thought was so familiar! He’s got your coat, his mane’s orange, and he has all the white marks on his hooves and his muzzle like you!”
“You’re acquainted with Sunburst?”
“Yeahuh,” Pinkie bobbed her head, and began to wag her tail like a dog excitedly. “I was there when he helped fix the Crystal Heart, and when he was at Starlight’s graduation, and when he helped us free the Pillars and Stygian-“ Stellar cut her off at that point by putting her hoof on Pinkie’s muzzle.
“I get it,” Stellar said, and pulled her hoof back.
“Oh good, I was out of examples of when I saw Sunburst.”
“Anyway,” Stellar changed the subject, “speaking of Starlight, do you know where I can find her? I’m here to visit her.”
Pinkie nodded. “Yep!”
The two of them fell into silence after that, Stellar staring expectantly at Pinkie while Pinkie looked back at her obliviously. Pinkie must’ve thought Stellar was looking at something on her muzzle, because she soon became cross-eyed and rubbed her hoof over her face to get whatever it was off.
“Could you tell me where Starlight is? Or take me to her?” Stellar finally asked, exasperated.
Pinkie stopped rubbing her muzzle, and beamed at her. “Sure!”
Though classes didn’t occur on Saturdays, Starlight still opened her guidance counselor’s office for a few hours just in case someone needed help over the weekend. With the school year entering the part where coursework started to pile up, more students came to see her and work out their stresses. Thankfully, she was busy enough now that she didn’t have to constantly reorganize the few books on her shelves to keep herself occupied.
Hanging up a new kite on her ceiling, she was so focused on her task that she nearly jumped and lost her focus when the door to her office opened with a shrill cry of, “Hey, Starlight! You got a visitor!”
She turned towards the door, a reprimand for Pinkie disrupting her in her muzzle. The warning vanished when she saw who Pinkie was referring to.
“M-Mrs. Flare?” Starlight stumbled.
Stellar couldn’t help but chuckle at the greeting. “Starlight, you’re a grown mare now and my son’s best friend. You can call me by my first name.” Glancing at Pinkie, she nodded at the pink mare. “Thanks for leading me here.”
“You’re welcome! I gotta go. You’re a very special friend of Sunburst, so I’ve got to prepare an extra special party for you!” Eager to get started, Pinkie bounced away like a pogo stick.
“Party? For me?” Stellar Flare gaped as her guide took her leave. “But we just-? We’ve only-?”
Behind her desk, Starlight chuckled at her friend’s mother’s flabbergasted look. “That’s Pinkie Pie for you. She likes to set up parties for anycreature new she meets that comes to Ponyville. Thank goodness she doesn’t meet every new creature that visits here, otherwise there would be a lot more parties happening and I think we’d get tuckered out.” Waving a hoof, she motioned to invite the other mare inside. “Anyway, come on in. I was just putting a new kite up.”
“Thanks,” Stellar said, levitating her luggage bag into the office before following it and closing the door behind her. She took a look around. “Nice office.”
“Thank you. I try to make an inviting space so students can feel free to discuss any troubles they’re having. I also serve snacks.” Ducking behind her desk for a moment and rummaging around, Starlight brought up two cups and a thermos, pouring brown liquid into one cup for her and into the other for Stellar. She levitated the second one over to Stellar, who took a seat on the couch across from her. “Empathy cocoa?”
“That’d be delightful.” Accepting the cup into her own magic aura, she brought the cup under her nose and sniffed deeply, sighing contently at the scent.
“So, Mrs. Fla- I mean, Stellar, what brings you by Ponyville? If you’re looking for Sunburst, you’re in the wrong place. We’re not meeting up until next week.”
Sipping her cocoa, Stellar answered, “Actually, I’m here to talk to you.”
“To me? Why?”
“Well, you weren’t giving me a straight answer in your letters about your plans, so I thought the best thing to do would be to discuss them with you in pony.”
At Stellar’s reply, Starlight found herself groaning and dropping her muzzle into her hooves. “I should’ve known you were up to something when I didn’t get another letter from you pressuring me for details.” Raising her head again, Starlight sipped a bit of her cocoa to compose herself before staring at the mother of her best friend. “Look, if you came all this way for answers, then you’re wasting your time. I thought Sunburst made it clear when we visited home that you can’t go and press ponies about their plans for the future. Our plans for the future are our business, and not yours.”
“I know that,” Stellar said, seeing Starlight was growing irritated and trying to defuse the young mare’s short temper. “I just want-.”
“Do you?” Starlight cut across. “Because if you did, then we wouldn’t be here having this conversation. I get that you want the best for Sunburst, but you need to step back just like my dad needs to do. Did you know about his trip to the Crystal Empire to see Sunburst?”
“He did what?” Stellar gasped. “Why didn’t he tell me that’s where he was going? I knew he was going somewhere on an overnight trip, but if I had known that’s what he was doing, I would’ve gone with him.”
“Well, according to a letter I got from Sunburst, my dad went up to see him and find out how we became friends again, then scared him with warnings of what he’d do if Sunburst dropped out of contact with me again.” Huffing, Starlight leaned on her desk to sulk. “I gave him a real earful about that.” Thinking for a moment, she eyed Stellar warily. “You didn’t tell him you were coming to see me, did you?”
“No, he would’ve wanted to come like I wanted to go with him to see Sunburst; I felt if we were going to be talking about plans, then it needed to be the two of us.”
“Good. I’m still mad at him, and do not need to see him right now.” Sitting upright, Starlight pointed a hoof at the older mare. “As for you and your plans, let me make this clear- do not ask me about my plans. They are mine, and mine alone. Do not ask me about marrying Sunburst either. Our relationship is nowhere close for that to be a possibility at this time. Even if his goatee is kinda hot, and his cape and glasses make him look like an adorable dork,” she gave a small smile to herself as she pictured her friend in her head before becoming stern again, “there’s still a lot of ground that would need to be covered until we were ready for marriage, like first dates, the coltfriend-fillyfriend stage, and so on. There’s also you and my dad’s unexpected trips to visit us. No more of that. From now on, there are boundaries. Along with no asking me about my plans and no asking me about marrying Sunburst, no threatening Sunburst and no more surprise trips! Understand?”
The office went silent as she let that sink in. She picked up her cocoa again, and tried to calm herself. She sat there, watching as Stellar processed everything she was told.
At last, Stellar asked, “You actually like his goatee?”
There was a slight bang as Starlight dropped her head on her desk once more, pointing at the door without looking up. “Out.”
“I just think he’d look more distinguished if he-.”
“I said ‘out’.”
“Okay, okay, clearly this isn’t going as I thought it would.” Picking up her bag in her magic aura, Stellar Flare got off the couch and made her way to the door.
“Stellar.”
“Yes?” Stellar looked back to see Starlight still had her head down.
“Leave the empathy cocoa.”
Realizing the cup was still in her telekinesis, Stellar drank the last of the cup’s contents and set the empty cup on Starlight’s desk. Opening the door, she sauntered out into the hall with her luggage, and closed the door behind her.
For about ten seconds.
Poking the door back open, Stellar peeked her head back in. “Um, if it’s not too much trouble, could I ask about possibly getting Sunburst a job here-?”
“Out, Stellar.”
“Right, pushing again. Sorry.” Retreating back into the hallway, Stellar closed the door with a solid click.
After a minute of silence had passed, Starlight deemed it safe to raise her head once again. “I feel bad for the mare that ends up with her for a mother-in-law.” Realizing she had said that out loud, she blushed as she glanced around. “And now I’m talking to myself… should get a plant or something to talk to when I’m alone like this.”
For once, Sunburst answered the door right away when the mailpony came around. Taking his mail into his study, he shuffled through it, mumbling, “Junk, junk, bill, oh hey a letter from Starlight…” Opening the last one, he unfolded the letter that was enclosed within, and began to read.
Shortly after, every corner of the Crystal Empire heard a grown stallion’s indignant cry of “Mom!”