A bead of sweat trickled down Starlight Glimmer's forehead and without taking her eyes off of the house of cards, she carefully levitated the next card and gently placed it atop the structure. It was an exact replica of the Canterlot Opera house and had taken her two and a half hours to get to this point. Normally something like this would take a split second but Twilight Sparkle was keen on teaching Starlight patience so the house had been painstakingly put up card by card. One card. Only one more card and the building would be complete. The anticipation was practically maddening!
Ignoring the perspiration, Starlight lifted the very last card from the pile and gradually floated it over to the house, her breath coming in little whistling bursts. She licked her dry lips, her mouth clamping shut to prevent her breathing from accidently knocking the house over. The card was hovering over the front right corner. Starlight's chest was pounding. Slowly, the card slid into place and Starlight released her magic, feeling herself deflate like one of Pinkie Pie's balloons.
"Finally...all done..."
"Whoa, nicely done Starlight!"
She looked over to see Spike inspecting the opera house with appraisement. It stood proudly atop the Friendship Map, a four-foot monument to Starlight's perseverance and dedication. Plus, with the holographic magic background, the opera house just popped in the light.
"Thanks Spike! It took two and half hours and six-hundred playing cards but my masterpiece is finally...-"
A burst of raspberry energy erupted nearby and the house of cards came tumbling down.
"...done."
Twilight Sparkle, oblivious to the devastation her teleportation had wrought, pulled a scroll from her saddlebag and unfurled it, no doubt ready to launch into one of her exposition dumps.
"Starlight, Spike, I'm glad you're both here! I just got back from...-"
"Dang it!"
The two watched as Starlight powered up her horn and a bolt of light turquoise blasted the piles of cards, completely incinerating them. Little pieces of burning paper littered the room like raindrops and Spike scrambled to catch them before they hit the floor. Twilight quickly cast a repair spell, creating a swirling river of playing cards that zoomed across the room and landed into several neat piles. She wiped her brow and turned her attention to a heavily-panting Starlight.
"What was that about?"
Starlight's head snapped up, her eyes darting around the room as though she were only now realizing the implications of her actions. Her eyes widened in epiphanic understanding , her hooves clamping around her mouth as she gawked at the princess.
"Twilight...I-I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me."
"You freaked out and set a bunch of playing cards on fire!" Spike incredulously reminded her.
"Spike, you're not helping." Turning back towards Starlight, Twilight took a moment to stare at her apprentice. "Starlight, what's wrong? I doubt you got worked up over a spilling house of cards."
Sighing deeply, Starlight apologetically met Twilight's gaze. "I'm so sorry. I don't know, I guess I'm feeling a little unsure of myself. I mean, I'm not happy with how my reformation is coming."
Twilight was stumped. "But you're making such progress! You're doing so much better than how you were."
"That's just it. I don't like how I was. I was terrible!" Starlight was practically shouting. "Am I just evil or does it come from somewhere else? Do I come from a line of criminals or what?"
Seeing her friend and pupil so distraught made Twilight's heart sink. Starlight was making a real effort to try to make up for her past mistakes and could use a confidence boost. Thinking long and hard on the matter, a lightbulb suddenly and metaphorically went off. "That's it! Starlight, have you ever thought about looking into your family's history?"
The unicorn cocked her head. "My family? Not really. They were small town types so the thought never occurred to me."
Twilight wrapped a wing around Starlight's shoulder. "Well, I'm giving you an assignment. Research your family's genealogy and give a presentation at the end of the week."
"A genealogy report? I don't know..."
"Think about it! You don't know about your family's origin. Who knows? You could come from a background of really nice ponies, like architects or entrepreneurs."
"Or a background of miscreants," Starlight mumbled.
"You never know! Just give it a try."
"I think it's a great idea!" Spike patted Starlight on the foreleg. "I know I'd jump at the chance to find out where I come from. Maybe this could be therapeutic."
Starlight glanced between the two and finally nodded. "Okay, I guess I could give it a try."
"That's the spirit! I'll write to Sunburst to ask him for assistance." Twilight was on her way out when she said over her shoulder, "You could try contacting your family."
"Um, yeah...I could definitely do that," Starlight replied with a nervous faux-laugh.
Spike raised an eyebrow at this. "What's the matter?"
Starlight rubbed the back of her head. "You see, my dad still treats me like a filly and it's irritating."
"Well, you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family. I'm sure it'll be fine."
"I only hope so," Starlight mumbled.
~*~
Sire's Hollow was a nice little hamlet tucked away in the westmost region of Equestria. It was your typical small town and due to its relative isolation, it was one that nopony had ever heard of. Amongst its residents, Sire's Hollow was famous for how un-famous it, a truly unremarkable place. No great philosophers or playwrights were born there, no politicians visited or died there. The only significant events that occurred in Shire's Hollow were the town's own local history.
Firelight finished his paperwork and signed his name, satisfied that it was finally done. Said paperwork was a proposal for the restoration of the town's original windmill, which had sadly fallen into disrepair. As head of the Shire's Hollow Preservation Society, it was his solemn duty to conserve the town's history. Meanwhile, that loathsome Stellar Flare would try to have the windmill torn down to make a new smoothie restaurant...as if they needed another.
He peered down at the picture on his desk, which contained a younger version of himself alongside a mare and a filly. Ever since his divorce from Guiding Star, Firelight did the best job of raising Starlight as best as he could, which meant working long hours and not seeing his precious Starry-Warry as often as he would've wanted. Was his absence what caused Starlight to run away? He often wondered if he'd failed at being a proper father.
An envelope slipped through the door mail slot and curious, Firelight magically tore it open and read the paper inside. It was a letter from his Li’l Glimmy-Wimmy! He was so happy that he started dancing with joy.
Dear Dad,
I know it's been a long time since I last wrote to you but please don't take it personally. I had a lot of private matters to attend to and I needed to do it on my own. At the moment, I'm doing pretty well. I'm actually the student of Princess Twilight Sparkle! Right now, I'm living in Ponyville, which is a pretty nice place and I have a lot of friends. So there's no need for you to worry about me.
Anyway, the real reason that I'm writing to you is that I've recently become curious about our family's history. As the head of the town's Preservation Society, I was hoping that you could send me some genealogy reports or family trees, just anything that could clear things up. Even if you don't find much, it'd still mean a lot to me. Hopefully, I'll see you soon.
Love,
Starlight
Firelight wiped a tear away. "My little Starlight wants to learn about the family's history. I'm so proud!" Books, scrolls and documents flew around the room. His daughter wanted answers and by Celestia, he was going to give them to her!