//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Meeting you for the first time 
// Story: How to Meet Your Daughter 
// by Piemaster128 
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It’s ok, you are ok. 
It will be FINE. 
All you need to do is walk into a town of earth ponies who have just started accepting unicorns and pegesi as friends and find the pony responsible for bringing magic back to Equestria. 
Simple! 
Then you just need to tell her who you are and why you could never come to see her before and how you met Argyle and how you always made sure to send her a gift on her birthday and how Argyle would always send you photos because you could never be there because of what you are and ohmyancientguardiansofharmonywhyisthissodifficult!? 
Shining Star groaned and plopped down again, her bright blue saddlebags jingling. Out of habit, she gently adjusted her purple glasses. She was so close. She could see Maretime Bay just over the horizon, yet she had spent the last hour just pacing in circles around this small little pond.
Maybe it’s not too surprising that I’m nervous. I guess anypony – wow that still feels satisfying to say and mean all three pony races – would be nervous here, Star thought. Not only was she going into a town that only two weeks ago had been all earth ponies, and very paranoid ones at that, but she was going to meet a pony who had helped restore magic to Equestria! Real, genuine MAGIC, which hadn’t been seen since…her grandmother’s generation at the earliest! Star could practically feel the scientific part of her mind tingling at the prospect of a whole new field of research to explore!  
No pony had been able to study magic in…maybe FOREVER! And now it was back, as were all the possibilities that came with it, thanks to Sunny Starscout.
She was a hero in every sense of the word. 
And she was Star’s daughter. 
A daughter who Star hadn’t been able to interact with for nearly twenty years. A daughter who didn’t even know she existed. A daughter Star had watched grow up from afar. 
All because of one simple fact. 
As if sensing her thoughts, blue magic swirled around her horn, gently winding its way up the curves of the bony protrusion with a gentle aura. It was captivating, like watching water filled with starlight flowing from within herself and taking physical form. It was something that Star had tried to do for her entire life without success. It was also the reason she couldn’t visit her daughter until now. 
After all, how would a town of earth ponies react if they found out that one of their own had a unicorn as a mother? Would they shun her, chase her out of town out of fear? Whisper behind her back and isolate her because of no fault of her own? Keep her locked away from the rest of the ponies due to her mother being a unicorn with the ability to ‘brainwash’ other? It wouldn’t be right. No foal should be judged so harshly because of their parents, especially when their parent’s only crime was being of a different race.
So Star and Argyle had tried to find a solution. They had set up a small house between Maretime Bay and Bridlewood and had spent a few months living there with their newborn daughter. But they quickly realized this wouldn’t work. Their daughter deserved to grow up among other ponies. To have friends, to play with other foals her age, to learn and grow among other ponies. Not hidden away in some hut in the woods because of who her parents were. She deserved to grow up in Maretime Bay with the rest of the earth ponies. 
At the same time, both Star and Argyle hated the idea of having to hide Star’s species from their own daughter. Of needing to lie to her just so Star could stay with them. And so, the two of them had agreed on a plan. One that would hurt no matter what, but one that was the best they could do. Star would stay with them for as long as she could, would spend as much time as possible being a family with Argyle and Sunny, and then she would leave before Sunny’s memories became solidified enough to remember her. Star and Argyle would keep in close contact, he would make sure Sunny didn’t fall into the same paranoid pitfalls as the rest of the ponies, and would do all he could to raise their child right. All the while, Star would continue their research, would keep searching for a way to help reunite the three pony races. 
And so Star had spent most of her daughter’s life watching from afar. Letting her grow up with the hope that one day, somepony (still satisfying) would find a way to bridge the divides that separated ponies. That one day, Star’s research of ancient Equestria might help others see through the prejudices and fear that had consumed so many ponies. That one day, they might see that there was nothing to fear at all.
Receiving news that her daughter had been the one to do just that with a group of friends made up of all pony races had left Star speechless, whether from shock or pure parental pride, she wasn’t sure. But she was proud. Beyond proud, and she knew Argyle would be too, watching over them from beyond the Eternal Hills.
But now she just needed to TELL her daughter that, something that Star just couldn’t seem to bring herself to do. She wanted to, more than anything, but she was so paralyzed by the idea of seeing her daughter. Of trying to explain why she had stayed away, even after Argyle’s funeral. Of why she was coming back now. Wondering if her daughter would even like her as a pony. 
So many thoughts, so many worries, all symbolized by the trail of hoofprints surrounding the pond in a grove of anxiety. 
Take a deep breath Star. You’re ok. You can do this. You know you can. 
Just like her grandmother had showed her, Star gently brought a hoof to her chest, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She held it for a moment and slowly let it out, moving her hoof away as she did so. The knot in her chest started to unravel, just a little, and she took another breath, and then another.
After a couple minutes, her head no longer felt like it was spinning, and she felt calm enough to open her eyes and peek at her reflection in the pond to see just how badly mussed she looked.
Surprisingly, she didn’t look messy at all. Her bright orange coat was still neatly combed despite her stressed pacing. So were her light blue mane and tail, which was even more impressive, since she hadn’t wrapped them in her usual buns and they’d been blowing in the gentle breeze for hours. But what she was most happy to see were her eyes. They weren’t watery or bloodshot at all, like she was worried they would be. They looked fearful, sure, but there was a lot of excitement in them as well. 
She looked…good.
Star found herself smiling as she adjusted her favorite purple glasses - a gift from Argyle, who said they brought out the purple in her eyes – so they settled more securely on her nose. She couldn’t put her hoof on it yet, but she had felt like she looked more…alive now that magic had returned. Especially her cutie mark. Somehow, that gleaming purple star with a rainbow trail seemed to shine in a way it never did before. Either that, or it was just a trick of the light. 
And of course, there was her pendant. A wooden pendant carved with the cutie mark of the Princess of Friendship hanging around her neck, a perfect match to the one Argyle himself had worn. A symbol of their love for one another, made by a special friend who had helped them discover said love all those years ago. 
A friend who had likely greeted Argyle as he passed into the Eternal Hills. 
How she missed them both. 
Yet she could almost feel them cheering her on. Encouraging her that everything would be ok. That her daughter would lover her just as much as Star loved her. 
And yet, to anypony else, it was just a normal pendant, not the symbol of enduring love and hope Star knew it to be. And Star would just look like a normal unicorn with a pair of saddlebags. Nopony would even know that her only daughter just so happened to be an earth pony. An earth pony that, if Star was lucky, would get to meet her mother this very day. 
If only she could get her legs to move in the direction of Maretime bay.
“Hi, new friend!”
“EEEEEEEKKKK!!!” Star squealed as she jumped away from the loud voice as quickly as she could!
POP!
And just as quickly, her hooves were on solid ground again.
On the opposite side of the pond.
Oops! Not again! Why does my horn keep doing that?! I couldn’t even make a spark before, so why am I casting spells that supposedly require years of study to pull off? Did all those books I read on magic actually have some sort of effect on me even when I couldn’t cast?
“Ooooooo, you can teleport?” the voice said excitedly, and Star smoothed her mane out of her face to see a violet unicorn with a wavy blue mane that was somehow both chaotic and organized beaming at her from the opposite side of the pond. “I’m still working on spells like that. So far I can only make things levitate and glow.” She pouted, but almost immediately brightened again, her purple eyes sparkling with a light of happy curiosity that reminded Star so much of Argyle. 
“Though it has made my art projects soooo much easier to finish!”
“Y-Yes, I can teleport, but I don’t actually know…how,” Star said, taking a second to get her heart rate back down to a reasonable number. “I’ve had…surges since I got my magic back, and a lot of the time magic just…happens.” With the pounding in her chest dying down, Star took a moment to observe her guest more closely. 
The unicorn was smiling in a way that remined Star of how happy everypony in Bridlewood had been upon her return, making Star want to smile herself. The unicorn’s dark purple hooves made almost no noise as she happily hopped around the pond towards Star. As she got closer, Star couldn’t help but feel her eyes be drawn to the rather beautiful bracelet made of gems around the unicorn’s left forehoof. The gems were glowing softly in the sunlight, the warm colors filling Star with the same hope she had felt when that rainbow had blasted across the sky and magic had come flooding into her. 
It reminded Star of the crystals back home and how they had all started glowing again once magic had returned. How the previously gloomy and shadowy forest had transformed into a beautiful and enchanting place that just screamed ‘Welcome to a place of wonder!’ It had made her return to Bridlewood amazing compared to the dull trot she was used to.
“Sorry about that,” the purple unicorn said, coming to a hopping stop in front of Star. “You seemed worried about something, so I thought I’d try and help get your mind off it and make a new friend all at the same time! Oh, my name’s Izzy Moonbow! It’s nice to meet you!”
She extended a hoof excitedly and beamed at Star. 
“We’ll it certainly got my mind off it,” Star replied, unable to hide a giggle at the young mare’s enthusiasm. It reminded Star of herself years ago, back when she first began exploring the ruins of old Equestria – young and ready for anything the world would throw her way. “I’m Shining Star.” She took the offered hoof, and Izzy gave her a hearty, yet surprisingly gentle shake. “I will say I wasn’t expecting to see anypony else out here.”
“Me too! I was just on my way to visit some friends in Maretime Bay when I saw you walking in circles. But not in the fun way. And when I walked over you didn’t notice me, even when I wasn’t trying to be medium sneaky. Soooo, are you ok?”
Such a simple question. Yet how would Star even begin to answer that?
“I…don’t know,” Star said, taking a deep breath before sighing again. “I want to go to Maretime Bay too, but…” How much should she tell Izzy? They had just met, yet something about her just made Star feel at least a little bit less anxious. Was it the excitement and joy in her eyes, or her innocent and sweet smile? 
I wonder if Sunny is like this too. So happy and carefree, ready to take on the world. I haven’t been able to get new pictures ever since…Argyle…But maybe Sunny is just as energetic as this mare here? She certainly was when she was little, according to Argyle.
“It’s ok to be nervous,” Izzy said sweetly, pulling Star back to the real world. “I was pretty nervous my first time too. Then I remembered the message I found saying there were friends waiting for me there, and I wasn’t so nervous anymore!” 
“You, found a message? From Maretime Bay?” Star asked in surprise. Why does that tickle my memory? 
“Yep! Turns out my friend Sunny sent it out on a paper lantern when she was a foal with her dad, and I found it and came to Maretime Bay to make friends! And then I met my friend Sunny, and we went on this big adventure and—hey, are you ok?”
Star just nodded, giving Izzy a smile as she lifted her glasses so she could wipe the tear from her eye. 
Argyle, you goofball. Who would have thought that you sending Sunny’s little drawing would be the event that eventually led to the three pony races getting back together? You must have been laughing your head off when you found that out. I’m so glad you sent me a picture of it before you sent if off with Sunny. 
“I’m fine,” Star said eventually. “Just remembering something an old friend of mine did years ago. He always wanted the three pony races to be friends again too.”
“He sounds nice,” Izzy said. 
“He was,” Star said, blinking her eyes several times until no more tears welled up. “So, I’m assuming that you’re the Izzy everypony in Bridlewood was talking about? The one who helped bring magic back?” 
Even if I didn’t stay long enough to hear exactly how you pulled it all off. 
“Yep. It was Sunny, me, her friend Hitch, and the princesses Zip and Pipp!” Izzy happily chirped. “And I was actually on my way back to Maretime Bay to visit them all. I just had to run home for some extra glitter. The store in Maretime bay ran out after the celebration party.”
“Can I…go with you?” Star asked, the familiar feeling of anxiety beginning to bubble below the surface again. She could feel a weight in her chest, her legs twitching slightly as she tried to stay calm.
Relax, Star. Just calm down. You’re just walking into town. That’s all. It might still take some time to find Sunny. Just focus on one thing at a time.
“I…I want to meet with Sunny, if I can,” she said after taking a moment to collect herself. “I’m just…having trouble bringing myself to actually go into town.” 
Her horn’s magic twitched as her anxiety bubbled more intensely, almost as if the magic itself was reacting to her emotions. Still such a strange feeling.
“Sure, I love traveling with company!” Izzy said, with a grin and bounce. “And don’t worry, they’ve already removed most of the unicorn boxes.”
“The what?” 
Argyle had never mentioned those. 
“Oh, they were these pressure plates on the ground that would make a metal box fold up around you when you stepped on them,” Izzy said casually. “They were pretty fun to hop around and avoid when I first went to visit, and even more fun to float around in once you detached one from the ground! I spent the whole day as a box once! Though I don’t think the earth ponies liked them as much as a lot of them kept stepping on them when I first went to visit.” 
Star just blinked, then facehooved. 
That sounds like something Phyllis would come up with, if Argyle’s letters about her were anything to go by. It kinda defeats the purpose if it’s just going to capture the earth ponies running around in a panic too. 
“That’s what Zip did too when she first found out about them!” Izzy happily said, smiling innocently at Star’s facehoof. 
That made Star laugh a little bit, and the tightness in her chest lightened a bit. “Glad to see I’m not the only one who thinks those boxes were silly,” she said, lifting her head and matching Izzy’s smile. She could still feel the anxiety bubbling below the surface, but Izzy’s little tangent made it a bit more bearable.
Though seeing Maretime Bay’s lighthouse right behind Izzy made Star realized that she was still stalling. 
No more of that, Star. You need to go see Sunny and standing around won’t help you achieve that goal. 
“Right. So, off we go?” she asked Izzy, trying to ignore the small spike in anxiety as she spoke. 
Izzy nodded, hopped over next to Star, and began walking towards Maretime Bay at a slow, easy pace that Star was grateful for. Already her legs were starting to shake again, and a voice in her head told her just to go back home and forget this idea completely. But another voice, far louder and backed up by the gentle presence of hope and support found within her pendant, told her to keep going. Sunny deserved to know. 
Star smiled a little, pendant bumping against her chest with each step giving her the boost in confidence she needed right now.
“Don’t worry,” Izzy said, her voice softer than before. “Everything will be fine.”
“You don’t even know who I am, or why I want to meet your friend. How can you be so certain?” Star ask, her anxiety jumping again as Izzy inadvertently interrupted her calming thought process. She winced, looking down in shame. “Sorry. That sounded harsher than I meant it to.”
“It’s alright. Stress can do that to you,” Izzy said sweetly. “I can get a bit stressed too if I’m having trouble finding the parts I need to unicycle a new project. And as for how I know things will be ok…I don’t know how exactly I know, you know?” She looked at the sky in thought. “But if Sunny and our friends can bring magic back, then anything is possible right? Besides, your Sparkle says you’re the kind of pony not to give up easily.” 
That brought Star to a stop, but not out of fear this time.
“My Sparkle? You can see it?!” she asked in shock. The last pony who could see it was…her grandmother.
Can Izzy really see my Sparkle too?! If so, it’s not just a unique skill after all! Maybe now that I – WE – have our magic back, I can try to have Izzy help me figure out how she can see Sparkles! We could experiment, and maybe Sunny can help too! 
No, focus, Star. Science can wait until AFTER you meet your daughter.
“Yeah!” Izzy said happily, pulling Star back to the real world. “It’s like—”
“A nova,” Star finished instinctively. “A purple star shining in the dark, surrounded by an ocean of colored clouds that weave and move through the night sky.”
“That’s right!” Izzy said, looking surprised. “Oohhh, can you see Sparkles too?” she whispered excitedly.
Star laughed a little, the anxiety ebbing once again. “No, no, I’ve never had that ability. My…my grandmother did though. She always said my Sparkle was special compared to other ponies.”
“It’s certainly one of a kind,” Izzy agreed. “Sunny’s is just lavender.”
“I bet it’s still pretty though,” Star said with a small smile. Izzy nodded in enthusiastic agreement. 
“It’s REALLY pretty,” she said as the two ponies began walking again. “Its so bright and lively, and even before we got magic back it looked extra special. Not special like yours, but still special. I bet you two will get along great!”
I really hope so, Izzy. I really hope so, Star thought, but she didn’t feel so nervous as she did before. Izzy’s confidence and bubbly attitude worked perfectly to counter the small bit of anxiety that tried to flare up in Star’s chest.  
“Can you tell me a bit about your adventure with her?” Star asked. It had been so many years, she wanted to hear a bit about her daughter. To see if what she was like now matched up with all of the stories Argyle used to tell her. “I…didn’t actually hang around Bridlewood long enough to get the full story.”
“Sure! So it all started when I left Bridlewood to try and go to Maretime Bay. It was a pretty long walk, and there were so many amazing things to see along the way that I kept getting distracted.”


A short while later…


“It was DESTROYED?!” Star all but screamed in shock. She was vaguely aware that she was drawing a few looks from the ponies of Maretime Bay, but she didn’t care. Argyle had lived in that lighthouse his entire life, as had his family going back generations. To have it be destroyed…it was almost unthinkable. When she had first seen it overlooking the town on her approach, she thought it had just been repainted or perhaps renovated! Not completely broken and then rebuilt! 
I will admit though, I am very impressed and gratefully that they were somehow able to rebuild it so quickly. I hope they didn’t change too much though. Argyle loved it the way it was.
“Yeah, but don’t worry. We were all ok, and everypony pitched in over the same week to rebuild it!” Izzy said, causing Star to sigh in relief. “Phyllis even provided all the supplies for free. I think she felt bad about what Sprout did.”
“Was it rebuilt exactly the way it was before, or did you change it a bit?” Star asked curiously, stopping to look back towards the lighthouse. She could see some new large windows, a few which looked like stained glass depicting the three pony tribes, but it was hard to tell from this distance.
“We changed it quite a bit,” Izzy admitted, “though Sunny had us take some of her ideas for improving it, like some interior crystal designs, ramps to the upper floors, rainbow lights, and mix them with the old design of the lighthouse back before it was destroyed. Then it could be a new beacon for the future, but still acknowledge the past and pay tribute to her dad’s memory!”
That…actually made Star feel a bit better. She might have liked it to be exactly the way it was, but she couldn’t deny that having it be a beacon for the future was a wonderful idea. But hearing that it had been designed to honor Argyle…it made Star’s heart flutter, her magic deep inside sparkling in joy at the care Sunny was willing to show her father. She hoped she would be able to tour the lighthouse someday and see what Sunny had done to improve it. 
“What happened to Sprout after this was all over?” Star asked curiously. Izzy’s animated storytelling combined with Star’s curiosity and made the trip into town pass very quickly, Star only realizing they were here once her hooves began to clack alone the stone pathway that replaced the dirt road. 
“He’s on probation and has been performing some community service to help try and make amends,” Izzy chirped. “He’s really putting a lot of work into it too! Hitch also asked me to hang out with him so he can get over his remaining fears that led to him going all silly.”
“Silly, right,” Star said, but she could at least partly understand Sprout’s behavior. She knew from personal experience that when you grow up surrounded by propaganda, it tends to have an effect, even subtly. Even Argyle hadn’t been immune when she had first met him. 
As the continued to walk, Star continued to admire the scenery, unable to hide the excitement in her gaze as looked at a town that she had previously only been able to enjoy from a distance or in photographs. The brick buildings and bridges, the trolly, the vast view of the sea, the movie theater with a plethora of interesting looking films…everything was just as Argyle had described it, and it made her want to bounce on her hooves like a young filly. But what really made Star’s heart flutter was the three pony races currently milling about together after so many years apart. Star could still see a bit of uncertainty on some faces, which she could understand, but many ponies were talking and learning from one another, and that made her grin and repeat an internal mantra of ‘yesyesyesyesyes’ in excitement. Best of all, three foals, one of each race, where happily playing in the gazebo in the center of town, something that made Star barely able to hold back her giddy squealing. 
It was everything she had ever wanted to see after meeting Argyle. 
“Where could she be?” Izzy questioned, pulling Star’s attention back to…apparently the sky, since Izzy was staring up like she was searching for a very elusive constellation.
“Do you mean Sunny?” Star asked, looking around again. Izzy had mentioned that Sunny was likely in the main part of town rather than the lighthouse, but so far they hadn’t spotted her yet. 
“Yeah. I don’t see her yet. Maybe Zipp and Pip decided to continue with her flight lessons outside of town?” Izzy casually said, prompting Star to stop in place as her brain did a double-take. 
What?
“Flight…lessons?” Star asked, very confused by the concept of why Sunny, an earth pony, would need those. Did pegasi have an invention that let other races fly? Some sort of artificial wings they developed to make up for their own loss of magic? That…actually sounded like an amazing idea! Why hadn’t they made something like that once it became clear only the royals could fly, even if it was later found out to be a lie? 
And now that I’m thinking about it, I would very much want to try it out! Just think of how much easier it would be to explore ruins if I could fly! Or how much easier it would be to get from one remote part of Equestria to another! Maybe we could even use it as a basis of creating flying machines, like boats but in the SKY! HAHA, now THAT would be AWESOME! 
Argyle always wanted to know what it was like to fly, so what better way to honor his memory that to help other ponies fly?
Izzy looked like she was about to answer, only for a panicked shout to cut her off. 
“Sunny, pull up! UP!”  
“I’m tryinnnng!” 
Star’s eyes snapped up towards the voices, and her jaw dropped in shock as time seemed to slow to a crawl.
Sunny, her own daughter, was flying through the air on a pair of glowing yellow WINGS! And she had a glowing yellow HORN! 
What the—
But before Star could process that, Sunny soared overhead, panickily flailing her limbs as she careened directly towards the ONCOMING TROLLEY! The brakes were screeching and the driver was yelling, but there would be no way for it or Sunny to stop in time—
“SUNNY!” Star screamed, her legs moving before her brain had registered what was happening. Her magic flared out and surged forward, trying to grab Sunny, but she was too far away and Star wasn’t closing the distance—
She felt the familiar kick of adrenaline flood her every cell. She needed to MOVE! NOW!
And then she was gone.
There was a flash of blue and suddenly, she was in midair, directly in front of Sunny. Before she could even speak, Sunny smashed into her and the world flashed blue again, and Star had a split second to see Izzy’s still-shocked face before she and her daughter collided with the unicorn and all three of them went tumbling in a ball of flailing limbs. 
“OoooOooOooo,” Star groaned once the three of them stopped tumbling over one another. As her luck would have it, she was the one who ended up on the bottom of the pony pile, and she had lost her glasses in the tumble. 
Why? Why can’t I just do magic on my own instead of it just happening willy nilly? I’m so grateful it helped me save Sunny and I still can’t believe that worked, but is a bit of control too much to ask!? she thought, her heart still racing and her body twitching as the adrenaline began to die down. The last time she had felt that shaken was when she had met Argyle all those years ago.
“Sunny! Izzy! Miss Unicorn, are you all ok?” the voice from before yelled. 
“I’m ok!” Star called out. Thank you for asking even if you don’t know my name, that was very nice of you. Though I’m Mrs. Unicorn, just so we’re clear.
“I’m good too!” Izzy chirped, and the weight on top of Star shifted and lightened as she saw Izzy’s blurry violet form roll off of her. 
“A bit dizzy, but ok, I think. Ugh,” Sunny groaned from Star’s right, and the orange blob next to her started working her way onto her hooves. “Sorry about that, Zipp.” 
How Star had waited to hear her daughter’s voice. It sounded exactly as she had always dreamed it would – so warm and relaxed despite the rather impressive crash they had just endured. Yet, Star could already feel the stress beginning to return. Sunny was right there, right next to her, the closest she’d been in years.
Star’s breathing became a bit shallower as she managed to get back to her hooves. If she could only get rid of the seed of anxiety that was once again blooming in her chest, then maybe this reunion could finally get off on the right hoof. 
Or at least she could once Star had found her glasses. Being farsighted did have its disadvantages. 
“I told you we should have practiced further outside of town,” a new voice called out. “We’re just lucky that unicorn knew how to teleport.”
“How was I supposed to know there would be such strong gusts of wind coming? And I doubt more distance would have helped prevent us from being blown back into town, sis,” the first pony – Zipp, was it? – said. Two sets of hooves landed nearby as Star tried to figure out where her glasses had ended up.
“Did anyone see my glasses?” Star asked, squinting at the blurry shapes around her as she tried to avoid the slowly increasing pounding of her heart. This was her chance. Her first chance to see her daughter standing before her in so many years, to see Sunny’s smiling face as she stood among the three pony races. It was everything she had dreamed about since the day Sunny was born, and the anxiety of anticipation was just getting worse the longer it took for Star to find her freaking glasses!
Maybe I should try those eye surgeries in Zephyr Heights that Star Scout mentioned years ago, Star thought as she let out a snort of frustration. Her heart was racing now. Now that I can go to the city without trouble, it might be worth it so I don’t end up nearly blind without my glasses!  Star saw somepony purple and blue, so probably Izzy unless a new pony had joined them, quickly checking her over for injures, before giving a quick nod in satisfaction and trotting away.
“Oh, here they are!” Sunny chimed, holding out a blurry hoof with a purple blob at the end. Star gave a quick nod as she tried to ignore the now-almost-painful beating of her heart and gratefully accepted her glasses back. 
The moment she put them back on, her eyes adjusted, and she got a sudden close up of her daughter’s smiling face. 
Her heart practically froze, and time itself became irrelevant. 
Sunny had grown up exactly the way Star had envisioned. Her mane was long and flowing, with a small curl just above her eyes sticking down just like when she was a foal. Her braid was there, just like in so many of the pictures Argyle had sent, bound with a special purple hair tie Star had made for her. Her eyes were warm and bright, and still held that joyful spark that Star had seen on the day she was born. The only minor difference was the small band of rainbow that wound its way down Sunny’s mane and through her ponytail. 
She was perfect.
Young, healthy, beautiful, happy. Her eyes were shining with a light that just screamed ‘everything is going to be just fine.’ Something about her…everything just seemed to glow. Star could see it, feel it, even if she couldn’t quite put it into words.
And there, around her neck, was a beautiful crystal pendant that made Star’s eyes go even wider. She recognized the dark blue crystal at being the gem Alphabittle always bragged about in his shop, and she quickly realized the second light green gemstone was the one the queen was always wearing as a part of her crown. But the third piece, the one that fit right in the center of the pendant…was Argyle’s! 
She had seen it so many times, spent so many hours tinkering to see if there was anything special about it…heck, Argyle had incorporated it into the small arch they had constructed for their wedding because of the way it reflected light!
Just that thought nearly brought a tear to Star’s eye as she felt the gap he had left in her heart. A gap that was filled as she remembered just who was wearing Argyle’s crystal now. It was hanging right over Sunny’s heart, almost as if to say that Argyle was still watching over her. Any anxiety that had been trying to worm its way into this first encounter was snuffed out as she looked at her daughter and the final gift her husband had given her. 
Thank you, Argyle, for watching over her, Star thought, watching as the gems glowed and pulsed with a rainbow light. A rainbow light that that looked so much like the aurora borealis that had covered the night sky two weeks ago. 
Could it be? 
“Hey, are you ok?” 
Star blinked, saw that Sunny was now looking at her concernedly, and blushed. She tried to think of something to say, anything, but her mind was blank and her mouth was refusing to move! After a few seconds, she just nodded, trying not to let her leg twitch.
Just calm down, Star! It’s ok just to say hi! There’s no reason to panic! Just breathe.
“Sorry about that, Sunny,” a voice called out, and Sunny flashed Star a quick smile and turned to one of the ponies nearby. Star just barely held back a sigh of relief. Being the center of attention was never her strong suit, and she needed a minute to recover from her daughter, right there, safe and smiling and happy—
“I didn’t realize the wind would be that bad,” the voice continued.
Star shook her head to clear it and straightened her glasses, watching as Sunny approached the two nearby pegasi who were looking over Izzy for injuries. Star immediately recognized them from Izzy’s story. The one on the right with the pure white coat and red mane with a green stripe (Izzy was right, it really did look like toothpaste) must be Zipp, while the shorter one on the left (she wasn’t THAT short, Izzy) with the light pink coat and the purple mane must be Pipp. Star could easily see from Sunny’s smile that they were all close friends, so she slowly began to inch her way forwards to try and remain near her daughter.
“You could have just checked the weather app,” Pipp said, giving Zipp a deadpan look. 
“Right, the app which was barely accurate even before pegasi magic started messing with the normal weather patterns, and that doesn’t have the range yet to predict the weather in Maretime Bay,” Zipp chuckled. “I’d rather practice sensing the weather with my magic, anyway. Besides, aren’t you the one who says practice makes perfect?” 
Given Pipp’s annoyed pout, Star guessed that the answer was yes.
“Sunny!” 
Star’s head whipped around in time to see an earth pony stallion run up to them and immediately start checking Sunny over for injuries. She instantly recognized him from Argyle’s photos and stories as Hitch, Sunny’s childhood friend. If she remembered correctly from Argyle’s letters, Hitch and Sunny had some differences when it came to their thoughts on reunification of the races. But seeing him here now, worriedly looking over Sunny as Zipp and Pipp continued to chime in, made her smile. He was still her friend, and she didn’t need to do more than watch him to know that he cared for Sunny a lot.
However, she was less sure about why two seagulls and a crab were excitedly following after Hitch, even if it was strangely adorable. Especially the little can one of the seagulls wore on its head like a helmet. It almost reminded her of Argyle putting that empty soup pot over his head as he pretended to be her royal escort when she was eight month’s pregnant. She had ended up needing to rest for a while after she finally managed to stop laughing. 
I need to remember to tell that one to Sunny. I just know she’ll get a kick out of it. 
“Morning, sheriff,” Sunny casually joked as Hitch gave her one final check. “Sorry about the scare. I kinda lost control.”
“Given the pony pile you were just been a part of, I’m pretty sure that’s an understatement,” Hitch said, finally relaxing a little bit, taking the words right out of Star’s mouth. “I mean, seriously, how does flight practice almost end in you faceplanting into the trolley?” 
“Exactly what I was saying,” Pipp said, giving her sister a look that just screamed ‘I told you to be more careful’ to Zipp. The latter winced slightly. 
“I said I was sorry! Every other time we’ve practice there we’ve been fine, so how was I supposed to know things would turn out that way? Next time we’ll just be sure to practice somewhere further away. Or maybe we can ask Phyllis if we can do it inside her old factory floor. That place has some crazy high ceilings,” Zipp said, scratching her chin in thought as Pipp deadpanned at her. 
Hitch, meanwhile, just sighed and turned to face Star with a smile. “Well, we have you to thank for the safe landing” he said with a nod. “That was one heck of a reaction time. I haven’t even seen a unicorn that knows how to teleport yet either. You weren’t hurt in the crash, were you?”
Star felt her legs twitch in anxiety as everypony turned to face her. She was never good at being the center of attention, but the fact that they were all smiling at her helped a little bit. “I’m ok,” Star said, trying not to lose her voice as her eyes met Sunny’s. “And ‘know’ how to teleport might be…a bit of an exaggeration. It just kind of, happens. Especially when I’m stressed,” she added, hoping that this conversation wouldn’t become so stressful that she might teleport away on accident. It had to be done, no matter what her twitching legs said. 
“Thank you for intervening, regardless of whether or not it was intentional. You really saved my skin!” Sunny said, prompting Star to smile slightly. Just seeing how her daughter’s eyes seemed to sparkle in joy made her heart flutter, the throb of anxiety fading ever so slightly. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came to mind.
Come on Star, just say you’re welcome! It’s not that hard to talk to your daughter who doesn’t know you’re her mother and—
“I haven’t seen you before,” Zipp said, cutting off Star’s panicked train of thought before it could really get going. “Is this your first time here in Maretime Bay?” 
“Yep!” Izzy said, saving Star from trying to find her voice again. She wrapped her leg around Star like they were old friends. “Her name is Shining Star and she wanted to come visit Maretime Bay! She was a bit nervous, so I was acting as her guide and telling her how we brought magic back!”
“J-Just Star is fine,” Star said, trying to keep the anxiety out of her voice. “Izzy told me who e-each of you are and about your adventure, at least up until the l-lighthouse was destroyed. I-It’s nice to meet you.”
Sunny started approaching her, and Star’s legs started trembling so much that she was certain her magic would teleport her away whether she wanted it to or not. But then Sunny gave her a big, warm smile that almost made Star’s heart burst.
“It’s nice to meet you, Star,” Sunny said, extending her hoof eagerly. Star took it almost on instinct, shaking her daughter’s hoof. Some part of her was panicking worse than before, and yet another, more firm part simply told her to enjoy the moment. To simply enjoy interacting with her daughter after so many years apart and to enjoy the parental pride that came from her daughter somehow achieving the feat of becoming an alicorn.
And then it hit her. Sunny’s wings and horn were gone! Only the rainbow streak in her mane remained! 
What? How? Where? There is no way I imagined those! And everypony was even talking about them! SO WHERE DID THEY GO!?
“What happened to your wings and horn?!” Star asked before she could catch herself, Sunny blinking in surprise before looking up above her head and at her sides before realization appeared to dawn on her face.
“Oh, right. You’re new here, and Izzy didn’t get that far in the story,” Sunny said with a small giggle. “Well, to answer your question…” 
She took a step back, and then— 
NO. WAY. 
Star’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she witnessed something incredible. From within the crystals around her neck, one of which Star could confirm was definitely Argyle’s, a rainbow stream of magic emerged. It gently wrapped around her daughter, condensing and solidifying until it became solid gold wings and a horn, just like they had been before!
“I’m still learning how to use it, and if I lose focus for too long or am surprised badly enough, they vanish,” Sunny said as the magic retracted back into the crystals again. “I can summon them without the crystals too, but I’ve found them to be less…controllable if I don’t have the crystals to help me. I am trying to spend time without the crystal so I don’t need to rely on it too heavily, but for times when I need to use my wings or horn consistently, I tend to keep the pendant close at hoof.”
“And she makes a lot more glitter without the crystals, too!” Izzy agreed, hopping next to Sunny and wrapping her in a quick hug. 
“How?” Star whispered, taking a step forward, any anxiety washed away under the pure force of her scientific mind kicking into overdrive. She reached out, gently touching the crystals and feeling the magic tingling below her hooves.
I was right. Argyle’s crystal wasn’t just a heirloom. I was RIGHT!
“After the lighthouse was destroyed, I…well, I made a final plea to everypony,” Sunny said, and Star quickly picked up on the sorrow in her voice. She felt a pang of sympathy in her chest for her daughter, but was happy to see her friends immediately move closer, with Hitch quickly wrapping a leg around Sunny. Clearly, they had all become very close in the short time they’d all known each other, and it warmed Star’s heart to see that her daughter had so many loved ones. 
I’m so proud of you, Sunny. You’ve done what Argyle and I had been trying to do for years, all on your own. 
“I told them it wasn’t the magic that was important, it was us,” Sunny continued, the joy slowly working its way back into her expression. “That we, as ponies, needed to come together and try and fix things between us. And as a sign that they were willing to try, they all helped fix the picture frame of…my dad.”
Star knew what picture she meant almost instantly. She had a copy of that photo in her bag. 
“And then, once everypony agreed to try and fix things, the crystals just…reacted. They flew out of the rubble, and lifted me into the air and…well, this happened.”
“And then there was a big explosion of magic when the crystals finally joined together, but for real this time!” Izzy said excitedly. “And there were rainbows all across the sky, and horns were glowing, and wings too, and boom, we all had magic back!”
“Flying for real definitely beat those stupid wires,” Zipp said, her wings flapping in excitement. 
“It was like watching a movie! I soooo wish I had been recording it!” Pipp said. 
“It certainly was not what any of us were expecting,” Hitch said, though Star only half heard it as she felt her scientific mind begin to kick into overdrive. 
“When the three are joined, a spark is all that is needed to light the way,” she said, her mouth turning upwards as she remembered the ancient piece of text she had translated. A small laugh bubbled its way up through her chest. “I told him.”
“Told who?”
“Argyle! I told him it was a special crystal, but noooo, he insisted it was just a random family artifact and nothing more,” Star giggled, unable to stop herself from prancing on her hooves excitedly. All the anxiety she had over meeting Sunny was quickly being morphed into excitement at the possibility of the two of them working together to discover the secrets of these crystals. It would be just like her and Argyle researching long into the night! 
Star could remember some of the pictures Argyle had sent her of Sunny trying to help with his research. Of her trying to read his scientific journals and of him telling Sunny some of the legends he had uncovered as bedtime stories. If Sunny still loved research as much as she had in the past, then studying the crystals would be the perfect bonding exercise! 
“But it’s not normal! It was the key I’ve spent YEARS looking for to restore magic! And it was under my nose the whole time! Oh, I need to write this down! Take notes! Sketches!” Star exclaimed!
At the thought, her notebook and pen appeared next to her with a small burst of teleportation. She had no idea how that happened, but was happy it did.
“Perfect!” Star said, grabbing both from midair and beginning to write and sketch madly as her mind began to form all types of questions. She could see it now, her and Sunny studying the crystals, learning the secrets of magic, practicing with magic to learn how their horns worked and would stop just teleporting things (that might just be her though). “Oh, this is so exciting! A new frontier of the old world to study! Sunny, I need you to tell me everything about the crystals! EVERYTHING!” Star said, grinning as widely as biology would allow.
This will be just like that picture of you and Argyle researching Grogar’s bell, only with something that’s still actually magical! EEEEEEE, this will be so much fun!
“I need to know what you know so we can begin our research in earnest!” Star exclaimed, her eyes darting between the crystal and her notebook. “Do the crystals stay stuck together now that they’ve been reunited? Does using your alicorn form make you tired more easily? If so, do you just need to dispel the form to recover, or do you need to eat something and rest for a while? OH! I have a cupcake recipe I can make for you if it’s the latter! They’ll help you get your energy back, trust me!
“Have you discovered how earth pony magic works? I’ve found references to it in ancient text, but Argyle and I could never find much discussing it in detail. I can share my notes with you though if you think it will help! OH, can other ponies use the crystal’s powers too? Or is it just you? If multiple ponies can use it, can I try it? It would be the perfect way to see what they can do! We could learn how the alicorn form works together! Actually, can you use the wings and horn individually or do you always need to use both at the same time? Is the horn as sharp as a unicorn’s? That can be a problem if you run head first into things. Trust me, I know! Have you accidentally gotten anything stuck on it? What—”
“Hey, woah, slow down there! Give us a second to answer between questions at least.” a loud voice exclaimed. 
Star’s rambling came to a screeching halt as she realized that everypony was staring at her with varying degrees of concern and curiosity. Sunny’s eyes were particularly wide in shock and confusion. Only Hitch, the one who had silenced her, looked mildly amused. 
I did it again, Star thought, her face getting so hot she was sure she was as red as her grandmother’s coat. I got to excited and went on a science rant. Why now? Ok, I know WHY, but still! 
“Sorry!” she squeaked and instinctively tried to hide behind her notebook. “I, uh, get over excited sometimes, especially about artifacts from the old world. And magic.”
“It’s fine,” Hitch said, chuckling. “Sunny’s the same way.”
That’s not a coincidence, I assure you, Star thought to herself. She put the notebook down, or TRIED to, but her magic had regained its independence and was scribbling furiously with her pen, finishing a sketch of the crystals. She pushed at it again, harder, but all it did was draw faster.
No, bad magic! I can finish the sketch later! Just put the pen down…I hope Sunny wasn’t too mad about that little outburst, Star thought as her magic finished the sketch and, seemingly proud of itself, finally let Star grab the notebook again.
But Sunny didn’t look mad. Instead, she looked like she was in shock, her eyes wide and her breathing shallow. She opened her mouth as if to ask Star a question, but no sound came out and she closed it again. 
…Sunny? What’s wrong? Star thought as her daugher’s mouth continued to open and close.
“Hey, Sunny, you ok?” Zipp asked in concern. Hearing her friend’s voice seemed to finally help Sunny find the words she was looking for. 
“You…You knew my father?” she whispered.
A lump of ice instantly formed in Star’s chest. The notebook nearly tumbled from her hooves as she realized her mistake.
I said his name. I said his name and I said I knew about the crystal. Of course she would pick up on that, of COURSE.
Star opened her mouth, but just like Sunny, no words would come out. 
Why? Why NOW? She was JUST talking to Sunny, and now she couldn’t say a thing. She closed her mouth and nodded shyly.
Why is this so hard?
“My father knew a unicorn,” Sunny said, soft and distant, as if her mind was a million miles away. “He…He met…a unicorn, and he didn’t tell me.”
“It was to keep you safe,” Star whispered, speaking both to Sunny and herself as their eyes locked. “We didn’t know how everypony in Maretime Bay would react if they found out. We didn’t want you to be hurt or ostracized just because of who your father knew. Or because…” 
And then her voice died out again.
Come on Star, just SAY IT! Just three words! I’m. Your. Mother. It’s simple!
“Who are you?” Sunny asked, her voice uncertain yet demanding answers. 
Star tried to open her mouth, but again no sound same out. Why couldn’t she say it? She had just been taking to Sunny two minutes ago, just as easily as she’d talked with Izzy! So why couldn’t she speak now?! She just needed to say it. Say it, then pull out the photo album to prove it. 
Her horn flashed on its own again, and then there were three photos floating between her and Sunny. 
The only three that mattered. 
“What are those?” Izzy asked, trying to get a look, but Star snatched them out of the air and hug them to her chest before she could see. 
“S-sorry, Izzy,” she apologized as the younger unicorn flinched back. “I just…Sunny needs to see them first. They…They explain why I’m here, and w-who I am.” 
A small voice of anxiety rose up in her mind, desperately trying to tell her to leave. To hide the pictures and just LEAVE!
Only for the voice of her reason and logic to come out of nowhere and suplex the anxiety voice. Sunny deserved to know. Even if it ended badly, she had the right to know that she still had a parent who loved her. Somepony who had known and loved her father just as much as she had. 
And that second voice was right. 
Taking a quick peek to make sure it was right, Star levitated the first picture to Sunny, trying to fight the shaking of her magic so she didn’t drop it. As the photo gently flew through the air, Star could feel the memory it held begin to take shape. That day was perfectly ingrained into her memory. A day unforgettable for all the right reasons…

She stood at the small altar she, Argyle, and their friend had built. The arch above them was lined with flowers that had attracted a flock of butterflies to gently flap above them as the ceremony began. She was dressed in her grandmother’s wedding gown, the flowing white garment perfectly adjusted to fit her. Her mane was brushed into a set of flowing waves and woven with midnight blue flowers. She felt so nervous, but oh so very excited. 
Across from her stood her fiancée, Argyle. He was dressed in a dapper black suit with a large pink flower acting as his corsage. His mane was well combed, and his eyes couldn’t hide the foal-like glee that he was feeling deep inside his heart. Star could still remember how shy he had been when he finally popped the question. How nervous he had been, and how overjoyed he was when she said yes. 
  And finally, standing between them with nothing but an old copy of Princess Twilight’s friendship journal and a bow tie that he absolutely refused to stop tugging at was their elderly and perpetually grumpy pegasus friend, Star Scout. Though today, he was wearing one of his rare ear-to-ear smiles as he prepared to unite his two young friends in marriage.
  Even if they were, in his own words, ‘a couple of young troublemakers that were always roping him into their crazy adventures.’ 
  The ceremony had been short and sweet, Star Scout keeping the two lovers laughing as he added his own silly and somewhat crotchety dialogue to make up for the lack of an audience. He had even managed to grab a marriage license from Zephyr Heights, saying ‘Yes, I know this is unnecessary being a secret wedding and all, but I’m gonna do this right, you goofy ponies!’  
And once the magical words had been spoken and the two newly married ponies had shared their first kiss, Star Scout had presented them with a gift he had made them. 
  A matching set of wooden pendants, each carved with the cutie mark of Princess Twilight Sparkle. The perfect substitute for a wedding ring that showed how love could overcome any boundary. 
 
The memory faded almost as quickly as it had come. Star watched as her daughter took the photo, then nearly dropped it in shock. She sat down hard, the crystal bouncing lightly against her neck as she stared at the picture in her hoof. 
“Sunny?” Hitch asked worriedly. “What is it? What’s the photo show you?” 
Sunny didn’t say anything, her mouth simply hanging open in shock. Star could understand why perfectly, wincing in sympathy for the titanic shift that must be shaking Sunny’s world. It was the same feeling she had felt deep in her chest the moment she realized that she was pregnant.
Sunny took a minute to just stare at the photo, before she silently turned it so that her friends could see it. It was a photo of Star’s wedding day, her and Argyle standing their hoof in hoof with their new necklaces hanging proudly around their necks. It was the first photo Star Scout had taken of the newly married couple.
Their reactions were mixed. Hitch’s jaw dropped just like Sunny’s had, his eyes unable to look away from the photo. Pipp and Izzy both looked as though someone had just proved that the moon was made of cheese and stammering as they tried to find something to say. Eventually, Izzy managed to speak.
“Wow! That’s…that’s an old Bridlewood style I haven’t seen before! And…that’s you?” Star nodded, chuckling a little at the awkward look on Izzy face. But she understood Izzy’s predicament, and could remember at least several instances when she had asked odd questions too when she just couldn’t think of what else to say. 
I still remember that time I asked Argyle if earth ponies had toilets. He just would not stop laughing! 
“That dress is even prettier than my mom’s wedding dress was! Any chance you still have it? It would be a great piece of inspiration for a designer I know back at Zephyr Heights.” Pipp said, prompting Star blink in confusion. Izzy’s stumbling question made sense, but she honestly had no idea how to respond to Pipp’s. At all.
I do still have the dress, but I was saving it to maybe one day give to Sunny. And wouldn’t the picture be enough? Though I am going to need that back too, even if I do have copies… 
Thankfully, Zipp came to Star’s rescue as Pipp’s question immediately broke Zipp from her own stunned pose to look at her sister skeptically. “Really, Pipp? Really?!”
“What am I supposed to say!?” Pipp exclaimed. “It’s not every day a pony shows up with a photo of them in a wedding dress next to one of your best friend’s father!” 
That seemed to break Sunny’s trance, her gaping mouth easing closed as her legs began shaking. Suddenly the humor was gone, the uncertainty and stress clear on Sunny’s face. Star wanted nothing more than to try and reassure her daughter that everything would be ok, but she just didn’t think that words would be enough.  
“You…married my father?!” Sunny stammered to Star, unevenly, as though she wasn’t sure if this was real or not.
“It was one of the best days of my life,” Star whispered, nodding, trying not to let the tears leak out. She levitated the second photo towards her daughter before she could talk herself out of it. 
Sunny’s hooves were still trembling as she passed the first picture to Izzy and took the second, and Star was certain it would only get worse. She could still remember how badly her legs had trembled the day she had learned she was pregnant, barely having the coordination and strength she needed to leave home and tell Argyle the news. Already, Star could see the memory from that day begin to solidify before her eyes, playing like it had just happened yesterday.

Star had never felt so fat, no matter how much her brain reminded her that this was just how pregnancy worked. Six months along, and her belly had become nice and round, the little bundle of joy occasionally making their presence known with soft kicks. Each little kick was a reminder at the love she and her husband shared. It was a wonderful feeling that made being so fat worth it. 
  She and Argyle were relaxing below the large tree with pink leaves a short distance away from Bridlewood, surrounded by a beautifully rolling field on all sides. He was being adorably goofy as always, feeding her grapes as she lounged there in the shade. He would stop occasionally to place his head against her belly and listen for the sounds of their child, rubbing his hooves over her belly to see if he could feel any kicks himself. Star would sometimes pull him away, though, so she could snuggle happily against his fluffy chest as he held her close. 
  Soon she would need to go back home to take care of her house and say hi to her parents, but Star would find a reason to leave again as soon as she could. Pregnant or not, she wanted to spend as much time with her husband as physically possible, swollen hooves be damned. Their trips together were becoming harder because of her pregnancy and all the ‘wonderful’ effects that came with it, but Argyle promised that he would carry her with him if that’s what it took.
Such a loveable goofball. How she wished this could last forever.

“Y-Y-You…Y-You’re,” Sunny stammered, her hooves shaking badly now, the photo trembling in her grasp. Hitch quickly draped a leg around Sunny in comfort, but even he couldn’t stop his eyes from bugging out when he saw the photo. Thankfully however, when Zipp opened her mouth, he quickly held up a hoof to stop her before any questions came out. Star was grateful for that, because right now she couldn’t speak anymore than Sunny could and she didn’t think she or Sunny could handle questions.
She gave Sunny an unsteady nod, trying and failing to stop her own tears as she passed her daughter the final photo. 
The one showing her on the day Sunny was born.

Star was exhausted, more so that she had even been in her entire life. Everything hurt, but the payoff was worth the pain. The moment she had heard the first cries of her daughter as she entered the world, everything else had ceased to matter as much as the small bundle of joy that was currently resting in her forelegs. She was beautiful, perfect in every way, and Star was going to spend as much time with her as she physically could.
  Argyle was right there with her, gently nuzzling Star and their new daughter and jumping up to get anything either pony needed. Star Scout was there too, having nodded off on a pile of cushions just a few minutes ago. Star still couldn’t believe he’d made it. Zephyr Heights wasn’t exactly close for a pony his age. But perhaps she shouldn’t be so surprised – he’d been eager as a young colt to put his clinic volunteer skills to use for her delivery. 
Both he and Argyle had been a wonderful help, calm and collected after the initial shock had worn off. Quite impressive given how Star had gone into labor at three in the morning, but they had been perfect. The training Star Scout had given Argyle had really paid off. And Star had been able to welcome her daughter alongside her two best friends.
  Outside the window of Argyle’s lighthouse, the sun had begun to rise, casting the room in a beautiful orange and yellow glow. A dawn of not only a new day, but of a new life in the world. One that was physical proof that ponies of all races could live in harmony. That friendship and love weren’t restricted by race. A life that only existed because an earth pony and a unicorn had found one another, and a pegasus had helped them realize just how much they love one another.  
If not for Star Scout, it was entirely possible that Star and Argyle would have never reached this point in their relationship. And so what better way to thank the stallion that had brought them together than to guarantee he would live on in their daughter’s name? 
  The newborn filly gave a small yawn and snuggled into Star’s chest, making Star giggle and nuzzle her. 
  She was perfect. Their perfect little Sunny Starscout.

Sunny wasn’t moving. Star wasn’t even sure if she was breathing. She was just sitting there, looking at the final photo with a thousand-yard stare. Then slowly, her gaze rose until her eyes met Star’s once again. 
“Mom?” Sunny whispered, her eyes afraid, curious, uncertain, hoping. So many emotions, all desperately searching for an answer as tears began to form.
“Hi, Sunny,” Star whispered back, everything except her daughter unimportant in this moment. She was crying too, her tears freely flowing as she finally found the voice she needed to speak. 
“l-I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you all these years,” she began, her voice trembling as the memories of the day she said goodbye began to surface in her mind: their final hug, Star giving her one last kiss on the forehead, her soft promise that they would see one another again. “T-That I wasn’t there when y-your dad passed away. I-I wanted to be with you, to see you, but I, I didn’t want to ruin the life you had in Maretime Bay.
“I-I’ve spent years trying to find a way to fix things. T-To bring back magic, or find something that could prove to ponies that we didn’t need to be apart. That we didn’t need to be afraid all the time. T-That what Argyle and I had wasn’t something to be afraid of.”
Star’s head fell and her eyes clenched shut, her mane falling forward as she cried. “I-I don’t know if you want me to be here, i-if you can forgive me for missing so much of your life. B-But I still love you, and y-you deserve to know you still have a family. T-That I’m so proud of you, and I know your f-father would be too. I—” 
Whatever she was about to say was cut off as something rammed into her chest.
Star gasped in shock, falling to the ground as she felt a pair of strong legs wrapped around her. She opened her eyes, and saw something she had always dreamed about. 
Sunny was in her arms. 
Sunny was hugging her with all her might.
Sunny was hugging her and laughing with pure joy. 
She…She’s hugging me. Star though, all other thoughts drowned out as the ice in her chest was replaced with a small sun that grew larger every second. My daughter is hugging me. 
Star moved almost on instinct, her hooves gently wrapping around Sunny and pulling her as close as physically possible. She could feel Sunny’s tears on her chest, but the sound of choked laughter told her everything was all right. 
“I-I-I have a mom,” Sunny sobbed happily to no pony in particular. “A MOM!”
“A-And I have a d-daughter,” Star whispered, nuzzling the top of Sunny’s head.
The outside world was forgotten as the two ponies simply enjoyed the feeling of being together again after so many years.