Finals week came and went; Midnight and Starlight spent most of the week hunkered in their room, venturing out only for food and to take exams.
Sugar Belle came by early in the week and dropped off a basket of muffins; it was empty within the hour. Later in the week, she joined them to study for their shared magic class.
Starlight didn't see Night Glider much, though Sugar Belle made sure the group at least saw each other occasionally at meals. Night Glider grumbled about her parents; her mother had returned to lecture her about her choice to study history.
At the end of it, Midnight followed Starlight to the train station.
She gave Starlight a tight hug. "I'll see you after the holidays. Write me! You got my address, right?"
Starlight produced a leaf of paper from her saddlebag. "Yup, right here. I promise, I'll write."
"Too bad Sire's Hollow is so far from Vanhoover. It would have been nice to visit."
"Yeah, I'd–"
"I need to see those pictures of you in that choker."
"I am going to find them and throw them in the fire when I get home."
"Aw, please? Just send me one!" Midnight pouted, looking at Starlight with exaggerated puppy dog eyes.
Starlight threw Midnight a skeptical look, but broke into giggling soon after. "I promise I'll think about it."
A tinny voice rang from the PA system. "The express train to Sire's Hollow will be departing in 10 minutes."
"That'll have to do."
"I'm home!"
Starlight's voice bounced around the house; no one else was home.
"Yeah, that figures."
Starlight went up to her room and grabbed her guitar. She remembered her favorite song from high school, a song off an unplugged punk rock album whose name she couldn't quite place. She sat on her bed, lifted the guitar onto her lap, and started to play.
Plink.
"No, that's not it…"
Plonk.
"Argh!"
On her third attempt, three of the strings on the guitar broke. They snapped across her fret hoof, the thinnest string leaving her with a small cut.
"Hrngh!"
The cut stung. Starlight went to wash her hoof in the bathroom sink, cursing under her breath.
"Heya, sweetie!"
Starlight screamed and jumped back from the sink, smacking against the tub and nearly falling in.
Firelight peeked in through the open door. "You're home!"
"Dad! When did you get here?" Starlight rubbed her hind leg where it had smacked against the tub.
"Right around the time you started playing on the guitar. Sounded a little different than I remember."
Starlight winced as she applied a bandage to her cut. "Yeah. Guess it's been a while since I played."
Firelight waited for her to finish, then pulled her into a tight hug. "I've missed you so much."
Starlight hesitated briefly, but returned the hug. It was warm. "Me too."
"We have so much catching up to do! Ever since I announced I wasn't going to run for reelection as mayor, I've had a lot of free time on my hooves!"
"You… have?"
"Come on, let me show you."
Firelight walked Starlight to his study. While the shelves of books and her father's desk looked familiar, a new display table sat to the side of the room.
"Is that a rusty horseshoe?"
"Not just any rusty horseshoe. This was the horseshoe that was thrown at the first mayor of Sire's Hollow hundreds of years ago!"
Starlight slapped her forehead. "Dad, where did you even find this thing?"
"At Pie Camp! Remember? They had that antique store I'd always wanted to visit, but never had the time."
"Right. Of course."
Firelight turned away from the horseshoe to face Starlight. "I have another surprise: I took the next couple of weeks off!"
"You did?"
"Yep."
"I don't remember you ever taking a day off in, like... ever."
"Well, when I told the deputy mayor you were coming home, she practically kicked me out of the office."
"Ah."
Firelight coughed. "I'm sorry I didn't do that more when you were here full-time, pumpkin. But I want to do what I can to make up for it now."
Starlight gave him a small smile. "Thanks."
"Just wait until your mother hears! Oh, the look on her face, it'll be priceless."
Starlight's smile disappeared. She gulped. "Mom's coming home?"
"Yes!" Firelight's enthusiasm disappeared when he caught the look on Starlight's face. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. Did she say how long she'd be home for?"
"This time, I'm hoping, for good. I'm sure she'll tell you all about it when she gets here."
"Will she be home for Hearth's Warming?"
"Well, you know what your mother's work is like."
"Yeah."
Firelight's voice softened. "I heard you two fought when she visited you."
"...yeah."
Firelight opened his mouth, but cut himself off before saying anything.
Starlight tried to change the subject. "Hey, dad, do you have any idea what happened to Sunburst?"
Firelight thought for a moment. "Hmm… last I remember, he was at Celestia's School, but that was years ago. You'd have to talk to Stellar if you want to find out what he's doing now."
"Okay." Starlight made for the door. "I think I'll try asking her before it gets dark."
"Alright. Just come back soon; I'm gonna start making dinner."
"Got it."
Sire's Hollow was covered in a thick blanket of snow, courtesy of Cloudsdale, which floated gently above the village. Starlight, armed with earmuffs, a scarf, boots, and a vague recollection of where Sunburst's childhood home was, plodded through the snow.
A few streets later, Starlight took a deep breath and knocked on a door.
It opened. A blue pegasus peeked his head outside. "Who are you?"
Starlight stumbled back a few steps. "Oh, sorry, this must be the wrong place. I'm looking for Stellar Flare."
"Well, it used to be the right place. Bought it from her a couple years ago."
"Oh…"
"But I can give you her forwarding address."
Another door, another knock. Starlight was in a newer part of town, a neighborhood filled with small bungalows.
The door opened. "Starlight?"
"Mrs. Flare?"
Stellar Flare opened the door wide. "Starlight! It's been ages! It's good to see you."
"You too."
"What brings you here?"
"I was wondering if Sunburst was home."
Stellar's smile dropped for a fraction of a second. "Oh, no! He's far too busy to visit home. Far, far too busy."
"Oh, I guess he would be. Big important wizard things, right?"
"Of course!" There was a long pause before she spoke next. "Well, it's cold out! You should probably get home before it gets dark."
"Uh–"
"I'll let Sunburst know you came by."
"Thanks–”
The door slammed shut.
Starlight walked home, head hung low. It was night when she reached the town center. Carolers roamed, singing and reveling.
She saw several familiar faces among the revelers: old classmates who'd either stayed to work at home or were visiting for the holidays.
She couldn't remember any of their names.
Some of them saw her, too, and squinted briefly before shrugging and returning to their songs.
They couldn't remember hers, either.
Starlight shivered.
Firelight called out as Starlight returned home. "You're just in time for dinner!" As she came into the room, his face fell slightly. "What's wrong, Chipmunk Cheeks?"
"Mrs. Flare said Sunburst is busy off doing important wizard stuff."
"That's good, isn't it?"
"Yeah, sure, but I'm just… here! Doing normal school things!"
"What's wrong with that?"
"I… ugh.” Starlight tossed herself onto the couch in the living room. “UGH!” She threw her forehooves into the air.
Firelight came into the room, carrying a dish in his magic aura. Starlight could smell tomatoes and herbs, the air sitting warm and heavy on her tongue. “Well, do you want to talk about it over dinner? Your dad made his world-famous lasagna!”
“UGH!”
“I thought you liked my lasagna.”
Starlight sat up, sighing. “No, dad, I do, I’m just–”
“You’re frustrated.”
Starlight nodded. Firelight set the lasagna down with a clank as he wrapped Starlight in a hug.
“Dad, I…”
“It’s okay, sugarbun.” As he backed off, he lifted the lasagna to fill Starlight’s view. “Let’s eat!”
Later that night, as Starlight lay in bed, she started to speak, but caught herself. Midnight wasn't there.
She moved to her old desk and swept aside her diary to grab a piece of stationery. After liberally applying correction fluid to cover the skills adorning the paper, Starlight started writing.
Downstairs, she could hear the front door opening. She froze. She heard her mother's voice, muffled as it was through her bedroom floor.
"Firelight? Starlight? I'm home."
"Aurora, honey, you're home! Everything go alright?"
"Yeah, nothing I couldn't handle. Is Starlight home?"
Starlight tensed.
"She's upstairs; I think she's asleep."
"I'll say hi tomorrow, then."
Starlight heard the creak of the stairs. Every hair on her coat tensed as she heard hoofsteps move along the upstairs hallway. They stopped in front of her room.
Firelight spoke softly. "Starlight, you awake in there?"
Starlight tried to keep writing, but stopped. The scratch of the quill on paper was far louder than she expected. Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes darted to the door.
Her father again. "She must be asleep."
More hoofsteps, but this time they grew quieter. Finally, she heard the master bedroom door open and close.
Starlight let out a long breath. She continued writing. Finally, with a flourish, she signed the paper and folded it, placing it into an envelope.
Slowly, Starlight opened the door to her room. She scanned the hallway for movement, then crept down the stairs, pleading with it not to creak. The front door was thankfully silent as she tenderly pushed it open. The streets were empty, something for which Starlight was grateful as she walked to the mailbox at the end of the street.
Her gratitude ended when she opened the front door again. Her mother stood at the entrance to the kitchen, a glass of water in her magical grasp.
"I thought you were asleep."
"Were you waiting here for me to come back?"
"No. Should I have been?"
"I was just sending some mail."
"Hmm." Aurora took a long drink from her glass. "I wanted to talk to you."
"Can it wait until tomorrow? I'm tired."
"I–" Aurora cut herself off. Her voice lowered, barely above a whisper now. "Yes, fine."
Starlight moved quickly up the stairs and back into her room. She watched the door, waiting. Eventually, she heard hoofsteps move past her door again.
Finally, sleep took her.