//------------------------------//
// A Mare's Life Story 
// Story: Ponyville Interviews: Starlight Glimmer 
// by FlameRose-MLP-FiM 
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Interviews.
A very strong word to use for multiple reasons.
Sometimes when interviewing a person, he or she is applying for a job.  Interviews also happen with someone during a radio broadcast, and other times from some who share the best and most important times and the history of their career, investigations into accidents and disasters, the end of a race or sporting event, an investigation at a crime scene, even with criminals in jail, and sometimes in conference rooms when you're planning a new business or making a presentation, as though you were teaching a class in school.
However, this was far exciting and beyond what was going to take place today.

You were going to have an opportunity to interview the beautiful Starlight Glimmer, a unicorn pony who was once bitter, manipulative and evil, due to forcing ponies to give up their cutie marks and become her equal.
You've only heard about her once, but back then you hated her.  Now, thanks to Princess Twilight and her friends, she's a completely changed pony, and had recently become the new headmare of the School of Friendship.
Your interview with her was going to take place today at 9:00 this morning.  You can hardly wait for the opportunity to interview her, because she was going to share a lot of amazing things with you, and be more open about herself from what she once was, to how far she has come, and being the mare we all know and love today.
After having your breakfast and getting yourself all groomed, freshened up and ready, you sit on your sofa and wait patiently for the clock to strike the hour.

When the clock chimed at last, you heard a knock on your door.  When you answered it, there she was... Starlight Glimmer, in the fur.

"Ah, hello, Starlight," you say warmly.  "Glad you could make it."

"Thank you so much," she smiles as she walks in.  Once inside, you generously offered her a chair next to your sofa and table.
"Well, such a gentleman," she praises happily as she takes her seat.
"I also brought some tea and cookies to help brighten your day a little bit more," you also say in a gentlemanly manner.
"Well, aren't you so generous and sweet?" she chimes in, making her giggle a little bit.
"Help yourself to as much as you want," you say to her.  "I look forward to having this interview with you."
"So do I," she smiles.

Once the tea was made, and she helped herself to a few cookies, she was as ready as she would ever be.
"Okay," she says happily.  "Shall we begin?"
"Certainly," you reply, happy that she's warming up to you already.  You could tell by how much a good mood she was in.

"So what do you want to know for starters?" she asks, containing her excitement.

"Hmm..." you ponder, "I think I'll start off with a simple question.  What was it like for you to have studies as Princess Twilight's student?"

This perks Starlight up at once.
"It was really amazing," she begins smiling.  "I had a lot of great times and experience with her.  She helped me a lot into becoming the pony I am today, and she helped to provide support and comfort for me whenever I needed it.  She often talked about her experience as Princess Celestia's student, which I paid close attention to."

"Excellent," you say in astonishment.  "I, for one, am proud of of how she took you under her wing and her tutelage to make you into a better pony, and for how she always helped and supported you."

"Yes," agreed Starlight.  "If it wasn't for her, I'd still be the manipulative pony I once was, and hated for the rest of my life."

"Good, very good," you praise, and then you ask, "Now, next to forcing the citizens in your old home to give up their cutie mark to become your equals, what else would you say are your biggest regrets?"

At that question, Starlight's face nearly fell, but she was going to be honest while maintaining a positive attitude.  So she took a quick sip of her tea before she answered.

"That's one of the regrets that I still have to this very day," she answers sympathetically, then she adds, "but next to that, I think one of the biggest regrets I've ever had is trying to get revenge on Twilight Sparkle, and my chances of attempting to alter the past and future when we were both engaged in our fight together."  She pauses, and you kindly loan her a handkerchief after spotting a tear from her eye, which she accepts.

"Thank you," she says kindly.  After wiping her eyes, she adds, "Even as we moved through time during our battle, I was quick to realize what would happen if we lived in a world without friendship... Equestria would be a barren wasteland.  And if I had actually succeeded in stopping Rainbow Dash from doing her Sonic Rainboom, there would be no friendship anywhere at all.  It wasn't until I showed Twilight what happened between me and Sunburst, who was my only friend, and as our battle came to an end that I finally came to my senses when I started to realize how important friendship was, and how much it means to Equestria."

By now, Starlight was calming down and she was feeling much better again.

"That's good," you say proudly.  "Next to noticing your mistakes and coming to your senses, I can see how impressively well you've improved to better yourself."
This makes her smile.
"So," you ask after clearing your throat, "What   was some of your best times in Equestria?"

Starlight brightens up when she's asked this.
"I think," she says after a short ponder, "I would have to say that they would be seeing the adorable little Flurry Heart for the first time at the Crystal Empire for the first time, and attempting to reunite with Sunburst.  Sure he was my only friend, but despite a little difficulty in meeting each other again, we managed to reconcile our differences and have a newer, fresh start."

You are very pleased with this response from her.
"Splendid," you say.  "And from what I've heard about you, you managed to make quite a lot of friends since then."
Then you couldn't resist asking, "What do you think of Trixie?"

Starlight's face didn't fall this time.  As if she was almost frustrated at first, she answers in a laughing manner, "Oh, she's always so mysterious, even when her "great and powerful" ego comes along when I least expect it.  Otherwise, she's a really cool friend.  We had a lot of fun times together, even from our road trip when we were friendship bound."
Her face nearly fell when she also says, "But she still owes me for making Princess Twilight wait for what seemed like an eternity for an important meeting with Princess Celestia, and she still has yet to make up for that."

"That had to have been very hard on you," you say sympathetically.

"It was," she admits, "and among other things, that too was also one of my biggest regrets.  Fortunately I was able to come out of it in due time."

"Good," you say.  "I hope Trixie will eventually learn her lesson someday."

This makes Starlight laugh a little.
"Me, too," she agrees.

Changing the subject during the interview, you decide to ask about one of Twilight's friends.
"What do you think about Pinkie Pie?" you ask her.

"Being around her took some time and getting used to at first, especially when she uses her party cannon, and sometimes pops in out of nowhere" she answers honestly.  "But overtime we got along with each other very well.  Though sometimes I swear, she gets so hyper that she'd make even a hurricane nervous!"
You can tell she's laughing at this point and she has a good point about the hyper party pony.

"I know," you laugh in agreement.  "That does sound like a good way to describe her.  Now that you also mention it, it's a funny idea for the name of a storm."
This makes both of you laugh almost so hard.
After the two of you calm down and recover, you resume the interview.

"Indeed.  So," she asks with a smile after recovering and clearing her throat, "what else about me do you want to know about? I'm really enjoying this interview, and I'm having an excellent time."

"I'm glad you are," you say with a smile, "and I'm having a good time with this too."
After a short ponder, you ask, "Let's see now.  Hmm... oh, I know!  What was it like being in Sunset Shimmer's world?"

"Well," she decided after a short moment, "part of it was completely different there, than it was here in Equestria.  But while it took some getting used to walking on two feet, wearing those clothes and learning many things about her world, I had quite a fun experience there.  Sunset was so amazing, and I had a fun time meeting and getting to know my friends' counterparts there.  Sure they're all of the same personality, but otherwise they all made me feel welcome and happy."
She smiles, remembering her adventures there.

"Well, I'm glad you had a fun time there," you tell her.  "She also mentioned how you were able to befriend Juniper Montage in the process.  What was that like for you?"

Starlight giggled before answering, "I admit it was wild at first, since I watched in shock about how Sunset was warped into the magic mirror that Juniper had.  It was a good thing that I never ended up in the mirror myself, but I was lucky to intervene and help Juniper realize the error of her ways, and save my friends in the process.  If I hadn't intervened when I did, I don't know what would have happened when the mirror broke completely.  Ultimately, though, we all forgave Juniper, as did the rest of us.   She was the second person that I became friends with, and I'm glad she has more friends now, too."

"Yes, that really was a close one," you say, feeling a mix of bewilderment and relief.  Soon another question pops into your mind.
"How's Luster Dawn doing?"

Starlight liked being asked about Luster Dawn, as it always made her feel better and happy whenever some pony wanted to talk about her.
"She's doing quite well as a student," she answers with a smile.  "I'm especially proud of her for giving friendship a chance and becoming Princess Twilight's student, as I once did when I thought it was a waste of time at first.  Even with all our old friends and former students who attended the School of Friendship, we all helped to see that the magic of friendship grows here in Equestria."

"Amazing," you say proudly.  Then you remembered something since Starlight mentioned the School of Friendship.
"Speaking of students again, what was it like being the guidance counselor for the School of Friendship?" you ask.

Starlight remembered this all too well herself.  She loved her role as guidance counselor, so she knew exactly how to respond to this question.
"It was tough, but it was ultimately fun and very soothing," she replies proudly.  "I helped counsel every creature when they needed advice, but I was more thrilled in my career than ever when Twilight made me the new headmare of the school.  That too was a bit of a toughie, and don't remind me of how I tried to look for a vice-headmare.  That was just... dah!"

You tried not to snicker, but eventually prevented yourself from laughing since you remember how she previously tried to hire Trixie, and how terrible, next to how disastrous it turned out.
Recovering from that, Starlight concluded, "But I love my job as headmare more than anything I've ever done since living in Equestria, and the castle."

"Very good.  And we wouldn't have it any other way," you say to her.
This makes her nod and smile.  Looking at the time, you can see that it was more than half an hour since you began the interview.

Patiently waiting to be asked more, Starlight looks at you and asks, "Do you have anymore questions for me?"

"Just a few," you answer, and then you add, "I don't want to take up too much of your time."
But Starlight didn't mind it at all.

"Oh, no-no-no, it's perfectly okay with me.  I've been enjoying this interview very much, and I love sharing all these wonderful things about myself with you," she smiles reassuringly.
That makes you feel more cheerful in knowing that she doesn't mind it if the interview lasts any longer than how long it was originally meant to be.

"Very well," you say with a confident smile.  "Now then," you ask, "what do you think of Discord?"

Starlight's face fell and her mood nearly soured at such a question.  But since she was in a good mood, she decided to be funny and serious at the same time.
"Ugh, he's so annoying!" she bursts out.  "I'm sure he's nice and means well, but he gets on my nerves so much, and every creature's."

You just had to laugh and agree at this remark.
"Don't we know it!" you groaned with laughter.  Once you and Starlight recover from your laugh, you then ask her,
"What do you think of Princesses Celestia and Luna?"

Starlight's face perks up with a loving smile.
"Oh, they were so amazing," she says with such joy.  "They're both beautiful like Cadence, and being around them made me see how life was like for Twilight as Celestia's student.  They had a lot of fun times together, and I especially love Princess Celestia's motherly personality.  I still feel terrible for when I switched her and Luna's cutie marks when I had to solve their problems in Canterlot.  But despite that, they too were great mentors to me, and much like family to me, just like Twilight and her friends."

"Well, it warms my heart to know how much you loved being around them, and having great times together," you smile warmly.
"Okay, just one last question.  How did your mane go from your old style to... well, the way it is now?"

Starlight loved that question.  It was a memory that she really loved when she was slowly beginning to adjust to her new life in Equestra.
"I asked Rarity to help me out with that, by asking for a completely new haircut and makeover."

"And what was your first reaction when you saw your new mane style in the mirror?" you as her.

"My eyes went wide," she remarks, "I couldn't believe what I saw.  I immediately fell in love with it, too.  I thought I looked beautiful, because it was as though I was being told "this is the new me", and I've loved this style ever since."

"I love it, too," you say proudly.  Starlight smiles from your compliment, and then say, "Thank you so much for joining me for this interview, Starlight.  I enjoyed doing this with you very much."

"I did, too," she smiles.  "Thank you so much for having me here today."

"You're welcome, Starlight," you say, accepting her thanks.  Then you remembered.
"Oh, before we finish," you begin slowly, then you pause and reach out your hand.

"Uh, yes...?" she asks, sounding very confused about your gesture.

As if to answer and solve her confusion, you then reach behind her head and pet it very gently, as though you were petting a cat.  Then you stroke her mane and scratch behind her ears very softly.

"Mmm.... Starlight likey..." she says, feeling paralyzed with relaxation and affection.
"Good girl," you say to her, and carried on with what you were doing.
A full minute later, once you stopped and now that the interview was over, Starlight reached out her hoof, which you gladly accepted it as if you were shaking someone's hand.

"Thanks, that felt good, " she sighs in relaxation.  "Thanks again for having me here, and I hope to see you next time."

"So do I," you smile, shaking her hoof.  As you helped open the doorfor her, you add, "I hope you enjoy the rest of your day today, and feel free to come back anytime you want to."

"Sure, I probably might do that again.  I'll see you later.  Bye-bye," she smiles, waving her hoof as she leaves.

You waved until she was out of sight.  Once she had gone and you closed the door, you cleared your place up and felt that this really was a good day today.
Because you interviewed Starlight Glimmer who had so many amazing things to share, you wondered who you would interview next someday, but you decided to worry about that later, and take a nice stroll through the beautiful countryside.
"Thank you so much for being here, Starlight.  We all love you," you say to yourself as you leave your house.
This was going to be a really good day today.