//------------------------------// // Ch 5: Friendship Lesson // Story: All These Shining Lights // by InkyTalon //------------------------------// "Follow me," Starlight whispered over her shoulder to Sunset. The lilac unicorn kept her hoofsteps light and careful, a small aura glowing on the very tip of her horn for a light source as she navigated the shadowed castle halls. Sunset was still a bit disoriented coming out of that party. She groaned, tapping her hoof against her skull, as if it would ease the headache she now had. She didn't know where Twilight's student was leading her, but she was hopeful that it would be outside the castle. She could use some fresh air. Thankfully, the two mares found themselves outside the castle doors. The night air was cool and dry. Sunset looked up, being greeted by the sight of hundreds of stars. The stars here were so much different… she'd gotten so used to pointing out Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper. She didn't remember where to look for constellations here, or even remember what she'd be looking for. Just that simple realization made her nervous. Life in Equestria had already become so alien to her. Starlight sat down on the castle steps. Sunset followed suit, and sat beside her, but she sat in a different, weird way. Instead of her legs being tucked directly underneath her, she had them splayed out, supported only by her hindquarters. "So… the Castle of Friendship." Starlight started, glancing at Sunset briefly, trying not to stare at her weird position. "What do you think?" Sunset slowly formed a lackluster answer. "... It's big," the golden mare simply replied. Starlight chuckled a little. "Very big. It's been months, and I still get lost sometimes. Once, I tried finding the library, and ended up getting stuck in a broom closet." Sunset sent a small smile in Starlight's direction, then gazed again at the castle behind her. Again, she couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Twilight seemed to have all the luck. Back when she was a vain and selfish person, this was all she'd ever wanted. Of course she'd heard about the castle. That had been easy enough, but now… actually seeing the evidence of Twilight Sparkle's accomplishments and growth, knowing that another student succeeded where she had failed… it wasn't so easy. Feeling guilty, she quickly tried to suppress these feelings. She knew better now, knew where she had went wrong. It was her own fault. And she looked up to Twilight, adored her even, and that was far more powerful than her feelings of jealousy toward her. Though she'd only spent a short amount of time with Twilight in person… she felt this bond… this chemistry with Twilight she couldn't explain. When she started using the journal to write to Twilight, sometimes she'd find herself staring at the pages waiting for a reply. And when she got one, she'd get this strange excited chill all over her body, something she hadn't felt before. Sunset would always hold Twilight so dear to her heart as the one who changed her life for the better. The one who stretched out her hand to her, offered her a second chance when no one else would. A friend for life, surely… but Twilight was also something else to Sunset. Something… more. But then this Starlight… Sunset glanced at her again. She's her pupil, chosen by Twilight to follow in her hoofsteps. Gets to study with her, learn from her, be near her every day. This, Sunset thought, was far more worthy of her jealousy. She would give anything to be in Starlight's position. Of course, she did get to know Twilight better through the journal, and still got valuable advice, but it was leagues away from being her actual student. "Uh… are you alright?" Starlight blinked, wearing a confused expression. Sunset frowned, realizing she had been staring at Starlight, and silently prayed that she hadn't been glaring. "Oh um, yeah, I'm okay. I'm just… my mind is still wheeling from everything." "Hm. Yeah, I can't blame you. Must be a pretty jarring change." Starlight gave a sympathetic smile. "Do you maybe wanna talk about it?" Sunset cleared her throat lightly. "Oh, well… where I came from... it's pretty different. But not so different at the same time-" "I've heard. And I'll want to hear more about it, too, it sounds so interesting! But I think… maybe something else is bothering you." Sunset felt taken aback. "How? You don't even know me." Sunset flinched at her own words. She had sounded a bit nasty. She couldn't help it. Starlight furrowed her brows, shifting away a bit. "Well, I'm sorry for trying to help." "No no, I'm sorry! Forgive me…" Sunset groaned, hiding her head in her hooves folded in her lap. "I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve that, I know you're trying to be friendly. I'm just not always that great at this 'Magic of Friendship' stuff..." "It's okay." Starlight drew in a deep breath. "I was a little forward, I'll admit that. I can be pretty impulsive. I don't always think things through." She sat in silence for a few moments, wondering what she could say to break this tension. She then thought that perhaps, if she were forthright with Sunset and opened up a bit, maybe Sunset would feel a bit more comfortable and maybe open up in turn. "To be completely honest… I'm not too good at it either. Magic is something I'm familiar with, but friendship? Ha! Trying to make a friend makes me nervous. It's just so complicated! So many things can go wrong, and it's so awkward trying to make an impression… Sometimes I wish I could just use a spell to hurry it along to save myself from the embarrassment. Pretty sad, huh?" Sunset lifted her head, blowing her mane from her eyes. "No… no, it's not sad. I think I know exactly what you mean." "In fact, I'm so insecure about it that I probably wouldn't have came over to you at all, hadn't it been for the friendship lesson I'm supposed to do." Starlight winced a little on the inside, hoping she wasn't breaking any rules by letting Sunset know about the lesson. But she felt like it was what she had to do. "Friendship lesson?" Sunset turned to her, her voice full of intrigue. "What lesson?" "Twilight tasked me to try to be your friend," Starlight said bluntly. "Make you feel comfortable here and everything. So... I really am sorry I was so sudden with the bonding stuff. I just really wanted to prove to her I could do it. I really look up to her, you know." "Me too…" Sunset admitted quietly. "So you get me, then! I definitely wouldn't want to fail her. But then again…" She looked up at the starry night sky, with a sigh. "...I know I would probably feel really uncomfortable in your position. I want to make Twilight proud, but I also don't want to be in a forced friendship just because she wants it to happen. So if you don't want to keep talking, I'd understand." Sunset shook her head, grinning. "Are you kidding? You already sound like the kind of pony I can really talk to. You don't know how much I appreciate you telling me that. That took guts." The golden unicorn gently "punched" Starlight on the shoulder, playfully. "But if we become friends, as much as I respect Twilight, we should do it our own way, not the Twilight way." "I totally agree. Not because we have to, but because we choose to." Starlight nodded, her face lighting up with a grin mirroring Sunset's. "Right!" "Right." The two ponies gazed at each other for a moment, both of them excited, but also nervous. "So… what else did Twilight have you do as her student?" Sunset asked. "Just… out of curiosity." "Well, not much really yet. A lot of it is just hanging out with her friends. I really like them! But I don't have as much in common with them. I struggle sometimes, but I'm getting better I think. The most notable thing I've done was helping to fix the Crystal Heart when Twilight's niece broke it." Hearing all this, Sunset couldn't help but feel a little better, a little less jealous. It sounded as if Starlight hadn't accomplished a lot yet. But she'd try not to dwell on that any longer. If she wanted to be friends with Starlight, she'd just have to start hoping for her success. She almost didn't hear what Starlight said next. "But the most difficult thing I've done was visit my old best friend, Sunburst." "Sunburst..?" Sunset's lips parted, staring wide-eyed at Starlight. Starlight stared back, very confused. "Uhhh… yeah?" She smiled, a bit too wide. Weirded out. "Sorry," Sunset apologized, blinking several times. "It's just… If we're talking about the same Sunburst… that's my little brother." "Wha–? Small world! Or… worlds..." "Yeah. How... How is he doing?" "He's doing good! Wow, I… never knew he had a sister." Sunset sighed. "I don't blame him for never mentioning me. The whole family has probably swept the whole abandoning-Celestia incident under the rug. I haven't talked to them in years… they've probably practically disowned me by now." "How come I never saw you? I've been friends with Sunburst since we were really young." "Well, I left for Celestia's School of Magic when I was just a kid– er, filly. And he was just a baby. He probably only barely remembers me, if at all. I'm sure Mom just doesn't care to talk about me. She was always about making sure everything went just right…" "Stellar Flare. Yeah, Sunburst was put under a lot of pressure by her, too. She was always telling him he needs to 'be prepared' and 'have a plan for success'... it's no wonder he flunked out of Magic School. He spent all his time reading about magic and never actually practicing it." Sunset groaned, hiding her face in her knees again. Starlight winced, and realized she might have said too much. This friendship thing really was hard. "Hey… I'm sorry if I— that I made it worse." "Nooo, you didn't…" Sunset assured her. "It's just… I can't help but see that the bad stuff I did caused a lot more harm than I realized. Mom was probably extra-overbearing on Sunburst because of me. Just more side effects of my failure…" Starlight frowned, staring at her own hooves, thinking about what she should say to help Sunset feel better. "I'm sure Sunburst and the rest of your family would be thrilled to know you've come home. I bet deep down, they really miss you. Celestia, too." Sunset lifted her head up, meeting the lilac unicorn's eyes. "You really think so?" "Well, sure! Sunburst was really accepting of me when I visited again, even after all of the bad things I did. Granted, it was an awkward reunion to begin with, and it was hard for me to go see him at all. But it all worked out. It will for you, too." "And… Celestia?" Starlight frowned again, wondering if it was her responsibility to tell Sunset what was going on with the Princess. Ultimately, she decided that it should be left to Twilight. They hadn't been friends long enough, and Sunset was already dealing with a lot of emotion here. Twilight would know better what to do, and when. "You know… maybe it's better if you tackle things one at a time. Nopony expects you to come and give out a bunch of apologies all at once. Give yourself a break and some time to process." "I think you're right." Sunset smiled, letting out a breath. "Clearly, or Twilight wouldn't have thrown that party." "I think I hear the music quieting down now…" Starlight jerked her head towards the castle. "More our speed. Want to head back inside?" The golden unicorn nodded. "Sounds good to me— …if… we stick together?" Her aqua-green eyes fixed on Starlight's. Wide, hopeful. At that, Starlight felt her cheeks grow warm beneath her fur. "...Mmm-hm!" she replied in a squeak, before getting up and hastily trotting up the steps. "Let's go." And the two ponies rejoined the party, sipping punch, eating cake, and chatting with all their friends… and the whole time, they indeed stuck together, and it made all the socialization somehow so much easier. That is, until the party abruptly ended.