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// Ch.44 Bonds of Friendship, Part 2 
// Story: The Crystal War Book I: A Spark to Light the Dark 
// by NatureSpark 
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~Chapter 44: Bonds of Friendship, Part Two~


Four pegasus, two unicorns, one earth pony from Equestria and another from the Crystal Empire, a hippogriff and a dragon walked through the grand doors of Canterlot Castle’s throne room ahead of Star as they all left the princesses to discuss their next course of action privately. Star got one last glimpse of her mentor's face, stern and calculating as she began to speak, before the doors slammed together in one deafening crash, leaving the outer hall deathly silent. Soon the only sound echoing off of the walls were the group's various steps as they headed for the great hall, none of them speaking as they contemplated the dangerous turn of events.
Cloudsdale was the main manufacturer of Equestria’s weaponry and had been ever since Discord’s War, Star knew. With the despicable sergeant, Rainbow Strike taking the city hostage, along with his band of traitorous soldiers, it would mean a serious blow to the nation’s war effort. Canterlot had its own forges and there were a few others in the major cities, she remembered, but not nearly enough to supply the entire army. If Equestria was left so defenseless it would mean a heavy death toll that Star was certain neither Princess Celestia nor Princess Luna would settle for. That left them with very few options, the most logical of which would be trying to take the city back before the Crystal Empire or more specifically, Duke Doré Langue, could take advantage of their circumstances.
Everypony stopped walking once they had entered the great hall, the previous solemn silence broken as Spark punched Downpour in the arm and laughed, after which a frenzy of conversation began all at once as everypony rejoiced in being together again after so long. Brass Heart and Dawn Glory walked up to Star amidst the cacophony and tried to smile as they greeted her. She could see that they were happy to see her again, but the news they had been forced to bring was dampening their spirits.
“It’s nice to see you again, Miss Star,” Brass Heart said politely. Star just sighed as she smiled back at him.
“You don’t have to be so formal all of the time, you know,” the black mare informed her armor clad friend. “We’ve known one another for years now.”
“Sorry,” the pegasus shrugged, “it’s just a habit when I’m around the princesses.”
“How have you been doing?” Dawn chimed in, remembering how badly Star had been dealing with the life she had taken. “You look like you feel a little better.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll live,” Star replied, “for a little while longer anyway,” she added with a slight scowl. Both soldiers nodded their heads understandingly a few times. They had seen more than their share of fighting and killing over the years and even they were still bothered by it from time to time, but they had orders to follow, Star knew, while she didn’t. Her decisions were her own and she had to accept that fact.
“Sorry to have interrupted what would most likely have been an otherwise joyous reunion,” Brass Heart added as he peered around the room. Star too gazed at each of her friends, catching fleeting smiles and the occasional laugh.
“I think that there is still plenty of joy to be found here,” Star replied with a flash of white teeth. “It will take more than a war to break our spirits.”
“It looks that way,” Dawn chuckled as he turned to leave. “Brass Heart and I have a bit more business to take care of for now, so if you’ll excuse us.” Brass Heart shot Star a quick smile before turning away and following the other pegasus out the main doors of the castle and into the twilight, leaving Star to talk with her friends.
“Downpour, Backdraft, it’s great to see you both again,” Star beamed as she approached the two brothers, who were in the midst of sandwiching Spark in a rough embrace filled with laughter. 
“Star! It’s great to see you as well,” Draft replied as he broke away from the other stallions and stepped over to her. “I’d like you to meet my coltfriend, Ursa.” Star only lost her composure for a split second as the tall, green earth pony she had seen in the throne room walked up beside her friend. “I think you were late for the first part of our little story, but Ursa and I met when he saved my brother and I from freezing to death in the mountains.” Ursa gave a sheepish smile as he rolled his eyes.
“The only thing that I did was pull two featherbrained pegasus out of an icy cave,” the shaggy stallion interjected I a deep voice that had a notable trace of a northern accent. “Draft was the one who kept him and his brother from dying at the hooves of Windigos.” Star fixed Draft with a look of surprise, since that was the first she had heard of their run in with the mythical creatures of the icy winds. She had only read about the Windigos in legends, but to actually make contact with them was a frightening concept to her anyway.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Draft said as he playfully jabbed the larger stallion in his cutie mark, which Star noticed had two tree branches and a pinecone. “You saved both our flanks more than once.”
“Well, it is very nice to meet you, Ursa,” Star said with a polite nod. “I guess I should thank you for taking such good care of my friends. Luna knows they need the extra eye on them from time to time.” Ursa joined her giggling with a deep laugh, while the pegasus by his side blushed bright crimson.
“I don’t think that we’re that bad,” Downpour interjected as he joined the small group. “We made it back here safely enough.” 
“Yeah, but just barely from what I’ve been hearing,” Spark chuckled as he too joined in the conversation. Soon enough everypony, plus Inferno and Strata, had gathered in a sort of circle as they continued to catch up on what they had all been doing over the past few weeks. They had all told the princesses what they had wanted to know, but the short recaps had done none of their experiences justice, as Star soon found out.
They each told their stories, in as much depth as they cared to share, while the sun set outside and Luna began to raise the moon. Every few sentences one pony spoke would be interrupted by a question or occasional jest by somepony else, but eventually they all got the chance to speak. There was laughter and tears, even some anger, but at the core of everything, the black mare could feel the bonds between her and her friends.
When it was her turn to speak, Star got the chance to tell everypony exactly what she had gone through since they parted ways all those weeks ago. She told them about the Ponyville fire and the deaths of Chestnut as well as Silver Blood, which Downpour and Backdraft had already learned of during their journey home. Star’s dream walking, as well as the terrors she had faced in her own psyche remained as a secret that only she and Luna were privy to, but she happily shared her time on the road to Manehatten with Axel and the days they had spent in the city by the sea with Spark’s older sister, Suri. All her friends even listened as she retold her fight with a Red Eye mercenary.
As soon as everypony had told their stories the group broke apart again. Downpour left somewhere with Strata, while Draft and Spark started to talk with Suri. Inferno took Axel and the two headed for the dining room, presumably to get some dinner while it was still warm. Star walked up to her friends, violet eyes fixed on Suri’s as she approached. Though she had actually seen the white mare again, Star hadn’t yet gotten the opportunity to explain what happened to Spark’s eyes nor to explain how she felt about the older unicorn. Star knew that she might never get the chance to talk with Suri unless she pulled her away right then, so she took a deep breath and interrupted their cheerful conversation.
“Suri, can I talk to you in private for a minute?” Star asked in the middle of Draft reminiscing about when the three had been living in Dodge. The actress flicked her shimmering green eyes to Star with a small sigh and then excused herself from the conversation before following her Star down the hall without exchanging a single word. Star peeked over as Suri caught up to her and they started up the beautifully crafted staircase. She didn’t expect anypony to try eavesdropping on them, but she also wasn’t willing to take the chance, especially if she really decided to open up to the older mare.

“What is this about?” Suri huffed as she and Star rounded the corner of the empty hallway. The black unicorn stood just a short distance from her, biting her lip awkwardly as she tried to come up with the right words to say.
“Are you mad at me?” Star asked at first, “because I’m sorry for what happened to your brother and I have a way to fix his eyes, so please don’t hate me.” The white mare sighed as she lowered her gaze to the ground.
“I’m not mad at you at all, Star,” Suri explained in a hushed tone. “I know that you would never purposefully do anything to hurt Spark. You aren’t like me.” Star met Suri’s gaze when the actress finally tore her eyes from the floor, only to see tears glistening in the corners. “I’m angry at myself, for the things I’ve done.”
“What do you mean?” Star asked as her friend wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath to steady her nerves.
“Six years ago, just after my mother had her third child, my youngest brother, Sugar Leaf, I left home because I was angry.” Though she spoke in soft tones, the true pain of the older mare’s words still got through to Star and it helped her understand the reason for her friend’s recent actions. “Our father had died eight years before, when I was still very young, but it hurt for so long afterwards. I didn’t understand why it happened and it didn’t help that my mother chose not to smile for a long time after his death. When I found out she was pregnant, I had just finished school and instead of trying to accept the fact that she had found somepony new, I left home.”
“That’s what all of this is about?” Star asked as Suri began to whimper quietly. “You feel guilty because you weren’t around for your family for so long and after seeing Spark, seeing what had happened to him in your absence, it hurt you, didn’t it?”
“Yes… it did,” Suri replied as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I haven’t even seen my youngest brother since he was a foal and I haven’t spoken to Spark in just as long. I know I acted stupid in the past, but I’ve matured since I’ve been gone and I want to be there for my family now, though I’m afraid that it may be too late.” Suri had seemed so care free since the moment that Star had first met her, that the black mare was caught off guard by her friend’s revelation. “What if Spark doesn’t want me around anymore or what if my whole family feels that way? How would I live with myself?” the crying mare asked with in a pleading voice.
“You’re right to be afraid,” Star slowly answered. “There is a chance that he won’t accept your apology and that you will never get the chance to make it up to him.” Star locked eyes with her friend and tried to convey with them some feelings of comfort as she spoke. “Everything worth achieving in life takes risks, Suri, but that makes it so much sweeter when you finally receive what you strived for. I think you should at least try to tell your brother what you just told me, even if it’s frightening to do so. His answer may just surprise you.”
“Thanks for the advice,” Suri replied, with a little more sarcasm than Star had been expecting, “but I already know what I should do. The problem is getting the courage to actually go through with it.” Suri bowed her head in shame as she sniffed back more tears, trying to stifle the sobs that were on the verge of breaking free. “Six years, Star. I left and didn’t even try to talk to any of them for six years. What kind of pony does something like that?”
“We all make mistakes,” Star replied as she reached a tentative hoof to her friend’s alabaster cheek and wiped away one of her stray tears. “It’s in pony nature to do the wrong thing sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you should ever give up on trying to be a better pony. A big part of life is learning from those mistakes and striving to become the type of pony you want to be, but nopony can do it on their own. That’s why we build friendships and family ties, because life can be hard and even downright cruel. It all comes down to enjoying the time you have with those closest to you and hoping that tomorrow will be better than today… Hoping that you will be better tomorrow than you were today” Star finished speaking and pulled the taller mare into her forelegs to comfort her. Suri was surprised at first, but then sank into the contact as her small sobs turned into choking laughter and the stress began to melt away.
“You know, you’re surprisingly smart for your age,” Suri laughed as she pulled back and looked the black mare in her soft purple eyes with a small grin.
“Blame Princess Luna,” Star jokingly replied. Suri took a deep breath and sighed as she rubbed the last of the dampness from her face with the back of her hoof and tried to put on a more cheerful façade before leaving, but as she turned towards the stairs, Star reached out and stopped her. There was something important the small unicorn had been meaning to confess and she wanted to get it over with while she had the opportunity. “Suri, wait. There’s something that I need to tell you before we go back downstairs.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Suri commented, “you were the one who pulled me away to talk and here I am whining about my problems instead of listening to yours.”
“I think I’m in love with you,” Star replied suddenly, much to Suri’s unexpected amazement. “I don’t know why, but every time I think of you I smile and I wanted to get it out in the open before anything else happens,” Star told her friend, hoping against hope that the feelings she had were shared by the beautiful mare before her. “I’m not sure why and I doubt that you feel the same, but since the first time I saw you, up on that stage, I can’t help but to think of your face when I try to clear my mind, Suri.” The white mare’s stunned expression was slowly replaced with a more compassionate one and Star knew her friend’s response before it even left her delicate lips.
“This is about our kiss, isn’t it?” Suri asked with a smile that almost seemed piteous to Star, who simply nodded her head. “Listen to me, you’re a great mare, Star and someday I know that you’ll make somepony very happy…” Star could feel her friend’s words crushing down on her and it became hard for the small unicorn to breath as she listened. “But you’re not in love with me and as much as I consider you a dear friend, that’s all that there is between us. You fell in love with the idea of me, with the excitement that the thought of us together filled you with, nothing more.”
Star stood motionless as time seemed to creep to a standstill around her. She had known that there was a good chance Suri wouldn’t have mutual feelings for her, but Star had still held out hope and confessed how she felt. What she hadn’t expected was for the older mare to completely dismiss her attraction as nothing more than a passing infatuation, as if she were a filly. Star felt a bit hallow inside, even while Suri leaned forward and wrapped her up in a warm embrace.
“No,” Star whispered into her friend’s soft neck.
“What was that?” Suri asked, because the single word had been muffled as it was spoken. 
“I said, no,” Star replied, a bit more forcefully as she pushed away from the hug. “You can tell me that you don’t feel the same and that you never will, but you don’t get to dismiss what I told you as nothing more than a passing crush, Suri. If you don’t love me the way that I love you I can live with that, but it was difficult for me to admit the connection I felt between us. If this isn’t love, then I never want to feel the genuine emotion, because I don’t think I could handle the loss.” Star met her friend’s eyes, which were filled with sorrow and confusion, as she wiped away the first tears that had just begun to form in them.
“You’re right, Star,” Suri replied in a soft tone. “I have no right to make light of what you told me or to pretend that it wasn’t real, but I don’t want to hurt you.” Suri smiled down at her as she continued to speak, making Star feel even worse, for reasons she couldn’t comprehend. “You are a wonderful pony. I’ve seen how much you care for your friends first hoof, but I’m not. I’ve done horrible things to those I cared about in the past and I’m not sure how to start making up for it or even if I can. I’d like to tell you that someday we might be able to be together or that I will eventually grow to feel the same way about you that you do about me, but that isn’t fair… to either of us.” Star’s gaze was fixed on the ground as she listened and it remained there for a few still moments afterwards, until Suri broke the lonely silence. “Please, say something.”
“What am I supposed to say?” Star asked the beautiful mare standing before her as she looked up into her sad, green eyes. “I wanted my answer and now I have it.” Star turned to leave, but this time it was Suri who reached out a hoof.
“Star, wait,” the actress said as she grabbed her friend’s shoulder, “just tell me that we can still be friends. Even if I don’t love you in quite the same way as you love me, that doesn’t mean that I don’t want our friendship to continue to grow. These past few days, through the good and the bad, I’ve grown to care about you more than anypony else since I left my family… I- I don’t want to lose that now.” Suri’s voice held a low note of pain as she spoke and Star wanted to comfort her, but she needed time to comfort herself more than anything at that moment.
“Okay,” the black mare mumbled before pulling away from her friend’s grasp and heading down the hall, towards the stairs and all of their other friends waiting below. Star could feel Suri’s eyes on her back as she walked away, but she wiped the last traces of dampness from her face and tried to force a smile, despite the heartbreak she was feeling. All of her friends were going to be smiling and laughing, as would she, but her smile would be a bit more strained, thanks to her friend.

Everypony was still hanging around in the main hall when Star descended the spiraling stairs and joined them; except for Downpour and Strata who had yet to return from whatever intimate reunion they had been holding somewhere else. Star could feel a bit of bitterness well up in her at the thought of them both sharing in something that she may never get the chance to, but she snubbed the thoughts before they could fully form. Princess Luna had often told her that jealousy was unbecoming, especially in her protégé, so she always did her best to quash selfish feelings before they started.
Even Inferno and Axel had returned from the dining room and were in the process of finishing off their quick meal as they talked and laughed along with the others. Star could feel her tears pushing against the thin veil of contentment that she had constructed as she stepped down from the last stair and joined her friends. Inferno flashed a smile at Star and made room for her mother in the misshapen circle that they had formed. Star took a few slow breaths before grinning back and walking up beside the small dragon, who was licking the last few crumbs from her red lips with a forked tongue.
“Where have you been?” Inferno asked with most of her attention still fixed on Draft and Spark, who were in the midst of telling yet another story from their past. “I left to get something to eat and when I got back you were gone.”
“Sorry, I just needed to talk to Suri in private for a minute,” Star apologized.
“Oh, where is Spark’s sister anyway?” Inferno asked as she cast a quick glance about the room to try and spot the elegant, white mare. Star too looked around, but it appeared that Suri hadn’t followed her downstairs. Star actually hoped that her friend felt at least a small fraction of the heartbreak she had felt, even if it was a despicable thought to entertain. Star cared for Suri more than she had ever wanted, but it was that same care that was forming into bitter jealousy and she hated herself for it.
“I don’t know,” Star finally replied, “I guess she must have gone to bed.” Inferno just nodded her spiked head, most likely because she too was getting sleepy. Star knew that she should have told the young dragon to get some sleep, because it was already getting late, but she also knew that everypony deserved to spend as much time with one another as possible, so she didn’t bother telling Inferno to leave.
“And all three of us are running back to their house as fast as we can manage,” Spark nearly shouted with a huge grin as Star tried to follow the story that she had walked in on, “but what none of us remembered is that Downpour had locked their door before we left. Now the three of us are stuck outside their house-”
“We’re all stuck outside, fumbling with the doorknob, trying to get in before we all start getting sick in the front yard, but my brother can’t seem to find the house key,” Draft broke in, tears of joy welling in the corners of his grey eyes as he tried to contain the laughter bubbling just under his words. “I guess he dropped it at some point, because Spark ended up finding it in the dirt, but by the time we got the door unlocked, it was already too late for us to do anything.” Spark had to take over the storytelling again as Draft collapsed to the floor in a fit of choking laughter. Star wasn’t sure why he thought the tale was so humorous, but everypony else seemed to be enjoying it as well.
“So we get the front door open, but by that point Downpour and I have already started throwing up in the bushes. Draft, on the other hoof, has decided that he can make it to the bathroom and takes off into the house like a bat out of Tartarus, hooves clamped over his mouth as he’s flying,” Spark chuckled before pausing to catch his breath and finish the story. “As it turns out, their bathroom door is pretty solid, because Draft slams into it hard and the damn thing doesn’t budge, until he scrambles back to his hooves and pulls it open.” Star watched as Draft picked got off the ground, all while trying to stifle his wild laughter.
“And I finally make it into the bathroom,” Draft broke in, intending to finish the tale on his own, “but I was just a second too late and as I step in, vomit goes spraying everywhere.” The two stallions broke into whooping laughter again as they hugged one another for support. Axel giggled a couple of times, but it looked to Star as if she was just trying to be polite and Inferno didn’t even manage that much. Obviously Spark and Draft had a different sense of humor from anypony else that was around.
“That is disgusting,” Star informed them with a disappointed sigh.
“Ahem, well I happened to think it was hilarious,” Spark replied with a completely straight face. Before Star could open her mouth to retort the brown unicorn was already laughing again.
“Right… I’m going to get something to eat,” Star mumbled as she walked away shaking her head. Even if their stories were lame, she was happy to see all of her friends again, but Suri’s rejection had still managed to dampen her spirits. It was a problem that the young mare was hoping a good meal could help fix. She hadn’t eaten much all day, mostly because of how busy she’d been, but also because her nerves were wound so tight. Now that her friends had all arrived and she knew they were as healthy and happy as they could be under the circumstances, Star figured that she could spare a few moments to satisfy her rumbling stomach.
Outside the beautifully crafted stained glass windows that adorned the halls, Star could plainly see that Princess Luna had begun to raise the moon at some point, most likely during her conversation with Suri. The stars looked beautiful to her, twinkling behind the colored glass of the windows and Star stopped in her walk to stare into the night for a few moments. The moon was nearly full and it looked like it was a beautiful night out, despite the fact that it had been an especially cloudy morning. Star wondered how her teacher had managed to bring such a perfect night, but felt as if Luna had done it just for her and her friends. The thought made Star smile as she continued on to the dining hall.
“Good evening, Princess Celestia,” Star called out upon seeing her supposedly benevolent ruler on the other side of the dining room doors, in the midst of drinking a cup of tea at one of the long tables. “How are things with your royal highness tonight?”
“Ah, Discipula Star, how very nice to see you, and I am managing just fine,” the princess replied with a polite smile. “Have you been enjoying seeing all of your friends again?” She sipped from her tea as she waited for Star’s response.
“I suppose that I have,” Star replied as she made her way over to the other table, which was still laden with almost cold food. Star didn’t mind the fact that it wasn’t hot and fresh anymore, as long as she got something to eat. “We are all eager to hear how you propose to control this unfortunate situation in Cloudsdale. I trust that you and your sister reached a decision after you dismissed our previous meeting.”
“I believe we have,” the alicorn called over to the small mare, who was busy munching down a few carrots. “Luna and I will call a formal meeting for tomorrow, but once she has finished raising the moon, the two of us will need to speak with you and your friends once again.”
“Of course, princess,” Star replied as she turned away from the buffet, her stomach now content for the time being. “I will let everypony know not to go to bed until then,” she added as she wandered over to the table and took a seat near her immortal ruler, “but I was hoping that the two of us could discuss a few things first.”
“I can see no reason why not,” Celestia told her in between sips of her hot beverage. “What is plaguing your mind, Star?” Star scoffed quietly, because there were many things on her mind, but only one which she needed to speak with the princess about.
“Well, I’ve heard some troubling things as of late,” Star began, staring towards the mystical alicorn, but never making direct eye contact as she spoke. “I’m not sure that what I have heard is the truth or if there is even any hint of the truth in it, but I still feel the need to find out for certain.” Star finally met Celestia’s gaze which was one of quiet contemplation with just a hint of suspicion as she watched the young pony.
“You make this sound very serious, Star,” Celestia explained. “Is this a conversation that would be better had in more private quarters?” Star simply shook her head and continued undeterred.
“Not at all,” the black unicorn replied. “I just heard a passing rumor that Spark’s father, the late Oaken Field, was very loyal to you.”
“That is very true, but I fail to see the point you are trying to make,” Celestia replied, with the suspicion Star had seen in her eyes finally bleeding out into her tone of voice as she responded. “Most citizens of Equestria are very loyal to my sister and I. You are one of them, aren’t you?”
“Of course, Princess Celestia,” Star said with a nod, “but the rumors pertained to him following orders that may have been given behind Princess Luna’s back. I understand the need for harmony to prevail throughout the world, but is it genuine peace if it is attained through shadowy means?” Celestia narrowed her eyes as the magic from her horn gently lowered the small teacup to the surface of the table.
“Discipula Star, I think you have forgotten who you are addressing,” the princess replied in a calm, but cold voice. “I am your princess and you are one of my subjects, the bond you have formed with my younger sister in no way negates that fact. Furthermore, the decisions I make and the methods I employ to procure harmony and prosperity for my country is my own business and you would do well to remember that.” Celestia raised the teacup to her lips once more as she looked away from Star out the window, where the moon hung high in the starry sky. “Have a good night, Discipula Star,” Celestia said calmly before blowing softly on her steaming cup of tea, “and remember that there will be another meeting soon.”
“Whatever you wish, Princess Celestia,” Star replied as she stood up from the large table and took a quick bow. Celestia merely sighed as she continued to stare off at the window, so Star took her leave. The sound of her hoofsteps echoed through the mostly empty dining room as the black mare left her ruler to contemplate what Star had told her. She hadn’t gotten any definitive answers one way or the other from the immortal alicorn, but Star was fairly certain about the truth of what Spark had told her. The confrontation had left her heart racing and she wasn’t so sure it had been a good idea.

The energy level had died down a bit among Star’s friends, the small mare noticed as she approached the small group. Even though Strata and Downpour had rejoined them, looking quite a bit more frazzled and out of breath than they had been just a couple hours before, the noise they were making had been diminished. Everypony looked rather exhausted and Star even let out a small yawn as she walked over to them. Inferno shot her a tired smile, which Star returned before coming up to stand beside the young dragon, who was still listening to everypony else tell stories.
Star met Strata’s gaze and she gave a polite nod, which the hippogriff acknowledged with a quick nod of her own before returning her attention to her coltfriend, Downpour, who was busy joking with his younger brother and Spark. Axel too seemed enthralled by the conversation, though Star couldn’t imagine why after having heard the last story that her friends had regaled them with. It must have been something that relied less on vomit for its comedic value though, because even Inferno had a grin on her scaly red face as she listened with rapt attention.
“That’s exactly why I think we should get a painting done while we’re all here together,” Star heard Downpour telling Spark. The blind stallion shrugged his shoulders, but didn’t protest his friend’s suggestion, so Downpour glanced around to evaluate everypony else’s opinion on the idea. “You think that getting a painting done with all of us is a good idea too, don’t you Star?”
“Umm, yes,” Star replied with a smile. “I think that would be the perfect way to record the friendship we all have. It will be good for nostalgia to look back on this time once this senseless war is finally over with.”
“My thoughts exactly,” the bluish pegasus beamed. “So does anypony know of a good artist around here?” Everypony stopped to consider Downpour’s question for a few moments, until Star spoke up once again.
“I know about plenty of famous artists in Canterlot,” the short mare explained, “but I think I should ask Princess Luna who was responsible for the last portrait she had done, because it turned out beautifully.”
“That sounds like a great plan to me,” Spark said right before arching his back and letting out a tired yawn. “Just wake me up whenever they get here and I’ll be ready to pose for them.” The light brown stallion took his first step away from the group and towards his bedroom upstairs, but the sound of Star clearing her throat stopped him in his tracks before he could take another.
“Actually, Spark, Princess Celestia informed me that she and her sister would need to speak with us one more time before we all retire for the night, so I’ll have to ask you to wait just a little while longer,” Star informed him, much to the blind unicorn’s dismay. “In fact, she should be ready for us very soon.”
“Ugh, I certainly hope so,” Strata commented, “because Downpour and I were just about to go to bed.”
“Notice that she said we were going to bed, not to sleep,” Downpour added with a sly smirk, only to get one of Strata’s elbows in his ribs as a response from the slightly annoyed hippogriff. “Sorry,” he mumbled in apology a second later. Star’s cheeks reddened and she glanced away as they kissed.
“Do I have to sit through this meeting too?” Inferno asked as she stared up at her adoptive mother with large yellow eyes. Star was a pushover when it came to the young dragon and she couldn’t fathom a reason for the princesses to need her there anyway, so she decided to allow Inferno to skip out on the meeting for that night.
“No, I’m sure that the princesses would not mind your absence,” Star replied as she pulled her daughter in for a hug. “I believe that they are just hoping to confer with us about the proper reaction to Cloudsdale being under enemy control.”
“Thank Luna, because I can barely keep my eyes open right now,” Inferno yawned in reply. “I’ll see you in the room when you’re done down here.”
“Alright, hopefully it won’t take too long,” Star replied as the small dragon turned tail and began ambling slowly towards the stairs.
“You’re serious then?” Spark asked as he turned in her direction, dull brown eyes looking bloodshot around the edges while he fought the urge to hide somewhere and sleep in peace. “It’s got to be well after midnight now and Celestia really wants to hold another meeting?” He followed his complaint up with an exhausted sigh.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Star told him, “not to mention the fact that they’ll be holding a much larger meeting sometime tomorrow to tell the rest of their citizens the decision they have reached.”
“I can understand that,” Draft interjected from his place beside the large green stallion, Ursa, whom Star had only spoken a few words to. “I just don’t see why she needs to speak with all of us tonight. We played our parts, did we not? I thought after we got back from her little missions that would be the end of it.”
“Draft, this is your home that you’re talking about,” Ursa scolded his coltfriend, “Don’t you want to do everything in your power to keep it from harm?”
“I have to agree with Ursa on this one, little brother,” Downpour added, with a nod of his head, “as tired as I am of all of this devious shit, I want to help in any way I can.” At that moment, Star noticed the large tattoo over the brash pegasus’s right eye. It was obvious enough that the black mare wondered how in the world she had ever missed it, even if she’d had many things on her mind. It looked like a large zebra glyph and Star couldn’t hold back her snickering as she stared at the mark. “Are you okay, Star?” he asked when her laughter finally got out of control.
“What did you do to your eye?” she giggled, much to Downpour’s confusion.
“Oh, you mean my tattoo,” he replied flatly, “I’ll have you know that it is the zebra glyph for patience.” Star tried to keep a straight face as she responded, but failed miserably and nearly fell over as laughter wracked her chest.
“I know what the hay it means,” Star explained in between gasping breaths and giggling, “but that still doesn’t explain why you, a pegasus, got a giant zebra glyph tattooed over your eye.”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” the black maned stallion mumbled, “besides, Strata likes my tattoo, don’t you, honey?” The hippogriff gave a weak smile and glanced around without actually answering, which made everypony except Downpour break into laughter. “Everypony here is a prick,” he pouted.
“Easy there, Downpour,” Strata said with a teasing smile, “I was just joking with you. The tattoo doesn’t actually look that bad, but you should definitely ask me before ever getting another one… especially on your face, because I’m the one that has to see that when were-”
“Anyway, as I was saying,” Star interrupted with a slight blush beginning to form on her dark cheeks, “I’m fairly certain that the princesses will want to respond quickly to the situation in Cloudsdale.” Everypony nodded their heads in agreement because they knew that without Cloudsdale’s expert forges, the Equestrian military would be hard pressed to keep out an invasion from their neighbors to the north. “Unfortunately the city is basically a fortress, capable of holding out for a very long period of time.”
“Exactly,” Spark replied. “That is why I don’t see how we can be of any help to her. It isn’t as if any of us have a military background.”
“True,” Draft agreed, “but look at how much we’ve accomplished for them anyway. It is thanks to us that the princesses know who are real enemies are and that the hippogriffs have agreed to be our allies in this war. As much as I hate to admit this, we have all shown an uncanny ability to muddle through dangerous tasks and come out alive.” Though the younger pegasus’s words were very true, Star still found herself agreeing more with Nature Spark. She had already taken one life and the thought of getting further involved in matters made her cringe, but she was loyal to Luna and would do whatever the princess asked of her.
“Now you understand, if we can help provide a solution to our country’s problems then we should at least offer our services to the crown.” The group seemed somewhat divided to Star. The pegasus brothers, as well as Strata and Ursa, seemed to be in favor of more fighting at the moment, but Spark and Star were apprehensive. Axel hadn’t said much up to that point and Star glanced in the earth pony’s direction to try and gauge her opinion.
“Axel, how do you feel about all of this?” Star asked her.
“Me?” Axel questioned with a look of surprise, “Well, I don’t know that I can be of much help anyway, but I certainly don’t think that I could hurt anypony.”
“Even so,” Downpour cut in, “you can provide a service that nopony else in Equestria is able to. You can give us total control over the skies.”
“You mean by building more sky chariots?” Axel asked. The tattooed pegasus merely nodded his head in response. “Yes, I suppose that I could begin manufacturing chariots for the military, but there’s no way that just one or two vehicles will make a difference. I can only work so fast with two hooves and I don’t think I can get more hooves, unless there’s a spell for that”
“…or, what if they gave you control of an entire crew to manufacture chariots on a larger scale?” Spark asked once Axel had finished. “Would you be willing to provide the princesses your service, even knowing the death toll that it would have on our enemies?” The more Star thought about what the light brown stallion was asking, the more she saw it as a genuine possibility. Princess Celestia would undoubtedly want the advantage that a fleet of flying chariots would provide, but Axel seemed to be rethinking her previous response.
“I suppose that I hadn’t really given that too much thought,” the normally bubbly mare replied in a more demure tone. “What do you all think I should do if she offers?” All of Star’s friend cast unsure glances between one another and even Star had to admit that she didn’t have an answer for Axel.
“I think that only you can decide for yourself whether or not you would be capable of something such as that,” Spark told her, “but we may be getting ahead of ourselves,” he added with a smile that Star assumed was less than genuine. Spark had been the one to bring up Celestia’s previous questionable actions regarding her foreign affairs to Star and she knew that he was the most likely of all her friends to approach the princesses’ requests for them with some reservations.
“Spark makes a good point,” Ursa agreed. “I think that we should hear your rulers out before making any final decisions.” Everypony else seemed to agree with the large crystal pony and muttered as much to one another.
“It looks like we won’t have to wait too long for their response to the situation,” Downpour observed. Star glance back towards the doors leading into the throne room of the castle and saw both Celestia and Luna approaching them with very serious expressions on their faces. Star couldn’t shake the feeling that the royal sisters looked as if they had been arguing once again.
“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna,” Spark greeted them with a bow, which everypony else copied as the alicorns approached them.
“We have come to request an audience with all of you,” Luna told them without even a hint of a smile behind her flat expression.
“Please, join us in the throne room,” Celestia added as she looked at them each in turn. “There are some important matters that we wish to discuss with all of you.”
“Of course, your highnesses,” Star replied with another bow. Princess Luna nodded in reply before her and her sister turned back to the doors through which they had just exited. Star glanced over to her friends, as both alicorns disappeared back into the throne room, and she was met with looks of apprehension as well as seriousness. They all seemed to know how important the next few hours would be in deciding their future and none of them were taking the fact lightly.
The meeting was due to start any minute, but Star knew that Suri would want to attend so she hurried up the spiraling staircase and trotted down the empty hallway, her hoofsteps echoing off of the smooth, white walls as she ran. Despite her and Suri’s previous talk, which ended rather badly on Star’s part, she was aware that the white mare would want to be a part of the coming discussion, especially considering the fact that her younger brother had decisions to make as well. Whether or not Suri would want her brother to join in the conflict, she couldn’t be certain, but Suri was her friend and needed to know what was happening.
The bedroom door loomed in front of Star as she raised a hoof to knock, but the memory of how she had acted after being rejected by the actress made her pause as she considered what her friend’s reaction would be. There was a good chance that Suri would still be a bit upset with her, which Star knew she probably deserved, but the importance of the meeting took precedence over her feelings and she reluctantly rapped on the solid wood. It took a few minutes before Star could hear the sounds of her friend crawling out of bed and making her way to the door.
“Star?” Suri asked, still half asleep as she pulled the door open. “What’s going on?” Suri blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the change in lighting that the torches along the wall caused.
“You need to come downstairs with me,” Star informed the taller unicorn, who still seemed a bit confused by her unexpected wake up call. “The princesses have requested our attendance in a private meeting to decide their next move and I thought that you might like to make an appearance, seeing as how Spark will be deciding whether or not to assist the war efforts further.” Suri shook her head, as if trying to dislodge the last, lingering traces of sleep before replying and it looked to Star as if the actress had been crying.
“Yes, of course I want to be there,” Suri replied with a yawn as she retreated back into the dark bedroom. “I’m a little surprised that you came to get me though. I thought you would still be mad at me, after the whole… well, you know.”
“I wouldn’t say that I’m mad at you,” Star explained as Suri’s horn lit up with a pink aura. She appeared to be searching for something, but Star had no idea what it might be. “I’m… disappointed with how that whole conversation went and displeased with my reaction to everything, but it wouldn’t be right of me to blame any of that on you, Suri. You’re my friend and even if that is all that we’ll ever be, I would never do anything to lose that.” Star tried to hide the sadness she was feeling behind a smile and it seemed to work, because the white mare just smiled back at her as she lifted a comb with her magic.
“Thank you, Star. It means so much to me to hear you say that,” Suri replied as she began to run the comb through her flowing mane. Star stood in the doorway, simply staring at the pony in which her affections rested, until she remembered the reason for waking the elegant unicorn in the first place.
“Your welcome,” Star replied finally, “but we really don’t have time for you to be standing around trying to fix your hair.” Star walked into the room and gave her friend a magical push towards the door, much to Suri’s surprise. “You look fine anyway and it’s just our friends that are going to be there.”
“Not to mention the princesses,” Suri added in a huff as Star ushered her out of the room and down the hallway. “Fine, fine, I’m going.”

By the time that Star led Suri down to the first floor, everypony had already entered the throne room and were waiting on them. Star’s friends glanced back; a couple even rolling their eyes, as she and Suri pushed open the large doors and entered the nearly empty room. The tall, double doors swung shut with their usual loud booming that reverberated in Star’s ears as she hurried down the red carpet and took her place beside the other ponies. Celestia cast a less than understanding glance in her direction which made Star cringe back, even as she felt Suri wander up next to her.
“It is so nice of you to join us,” Princess Celestia addressed them, clearly very annoyed at having been kept waiting for even a few moments during such an important meeting. Star blushed as she opened her mouth to reply, but Suri cut in before she got the chance to speak.
“We are very sorry princesses, it is my fault that Star was late,” the white mare explained with a low bow. “It will not happen again.” Star followed her friend’s lead and dipped into a bow. Luna nodded at them both politely, but her older sister seemed to have already moved on from the minor show of disrespect.
“Sister, I think it would be best if we were to cast a silencing spell before we begin,” Celestia suggested as her horn began to glow.
“A wise decision,” Luna agreed as she joined her elder sister in casting the spell.
“What exactly is a silencing spell?” Suri asked Star in a whisper. The studious mare wasn’t the least bit surprised that the actress didn’t know of the spell. Silencing a room was something that was generally only used in very specialized fields such as mining and the like, where loud noise could be disastrous. The princesses, of course, were using it for a slightly different reason.
“They must be considering the possibility of more traitors within Equestria’s government,” Star explained in a hushed voice as the princesses finished casting the spell. “A silencing spell will effectively mute our voices to anypony outside of this chamber, so there is a much lower probability of an enemy eavesdropping on our meeting.” A small flash of light from both alicorn’s horn signaled that the room had been silenced and Star turned her attention back to the raised dais.
“That should prevent any unwanted listeners,” Celestia said as she looked back down to the faces gathered before her. Everypony waited quietly for either Celestia or Luna to begin speaking, but it was Spark who decided to speak first, much to Star’s disbelief. It was unthinkable for one of the princesses’ subjects to address them in the throne room without being spoken to first, but the blind stallion didn’t seem to care.
“Am I wrong to assume that the two of you have already agreed on your approach to this problem with Sergeant Strike?” he asked, staring up at the alicorns sitting upon their thrones, just as if he could actually meet their disapproving gazes. It almost seemed as if Spark had lost a small portion of his humility when he lost his sight, but Star also considered that he may just have been growing tired of having to deal with the politics that obfuscated most Canterlot pony’s true intentions. Star could relate to a distaste of the political aspect, although she would never have dared to speak as disrespectfully in the same setting that he had.
“No, Nature Spark,” Luna replied, seemingly uncaring of his lax mannerisms while addressing her and her sister, “you are indeed correct. My sister and I have decided that the threat posed by Rainbow Strike is to be considered our top priority.”
“That said,” Celestia continued, “we believe that it would be in the best interest of our nation if we withheld the severity that his treason poses from the general population. It would be quite counterproductive to panic the citizens of Equestria needlessly.”
“Needlessly?” Spark asked, practically spitting the question to the princesses. “Pardon me for any disrespect, Your Highness, but I can’t help feeling that the possible deaths of an entire city, not to mention the capture of a few major weapons manufacturing facilities would be something that your citizens would want to be informed of.” Star cringed as she watched her friend recklessly lecturing his immortal matriarchs, but didn’t dare speak, for fear of reprimand. “I find it morally reprehensible that you would even consider keeping this a secret from ponies who look to you for truth and guidance.”
“Nature Spa-” Luna began, until her older sister held up a gold clad hoof to silence her reply.
“Your objections have been noted,” the larger alicorn replied as she lowered her hoof back down again, “but you would do well to remember your place, Nature Spark.” Celestia’s normally friendly expression turned much colder as she stared into his faded brown eyes. Being unable to see, Spark remained undeterred, but Star shrank back enough for both of them. “Though I respected your father greatly and placed a high value on his opinions, your minor accomplishment in the hippogriff clan has not granted you amnesty from Equestrian law and I will remind you that it is my sister and I, not you, who have led this country into prosperity over thousands of years.”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Spark replied in a voice that sounded much less sure than it previously had, “I apologize for my uncouth reaction to your decision.”
“To combat the problem posed by this treason in the military, we have decided to send in a small contingent of ponies who we know to be loyal to the crown. They will enter the city discreetly and take care of the problem with a minimal amount of casualties to either side,” Luna said, clearly trying to draw the attention of her sister away from Spark. Star had never actually seen either of the princesses react as sternly as Celestia had, but she had also never seen anypony who had behaved so abhorrently as Spark. It was very clear that he disagreed with Celestia’s preferred method of ruling and Star wondered if he would even consider helping either of them again.
“Yes, what is it, Downpour,” Celestia asked as she glanced at the bluish-grey pegasus with a hint of confusion in her eyes. Star too looked in his direction, only to find that he had one hoof raised above his head, as if trying to ask his teacher a question in school. Star had to bite her lip to stifle a laugh that tried to escape at the sight.
“I volunteer to go with the group that is infiltrating Cloudsdale,” he explained in a more eager voice than Star would have expected, considering what it was that he was asking to do. “That bastard locked my brother and me up in a cell for most of a day and I should have known he was a treasonous little basilisk when I found those Crystal Empire bits in his desk drawer.”
“Mhmm, I wouldn’t mind the chance to kick his flank around either,” Draft agreed, “of course, that is for you to decide, princesses,” he added quickly, having seen the reaction that Spark’s previous outburst had gotten.
“I suppose that makes our decision much easier to make then,” Celestia replied.
“Yes, we will send the both of you, along with a small group of trained soldiers,” Luna explained. “I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you that casualties, especially of any innocent citizens, will not be tolerated.” Downpour and Backdraft nodded their agreement, which seemed to satisfy the princesses.
“If Downpour is going, then I will go as well,” Strata stated, without even a small hint of asking for permission. It sounded to Star as if the hippogriff took the conditions of the alliance between her clan and Equestria quite seriously, because she seemed intent on making her own decisions, regardless of what Princess Celestia or Princess Luna wanted.
“That is acceptable,” Celestia replied with a slight nod of her head.
“I would like to go as well,” Ursa chimed in, only to be silenced by Draft’s hoof against his lips.
“You can’t even fly Ursa,” the younger pegasus explained to his lover, “besides, you’re going to have to get in contact with Spade and help him communicate with the princesses. I have no doubt that the resistance will prove to be invaluable.”
“Draft is right, Verd Monts,” Celestia told him, “It would only hinder the efforts of them and our soldiers to have to cart you into Cloudsdale. Fear not though, if you truly wish to lend your support, then I am certain we can use your help.” Ursa nodded his head without another word while the two alicorns whispered to one another.
“Then we are to be separated once again?” Spark asked the royal sisters, clearly unhappy with the idea of being apart from his companions so soon after being reunited.
“I am afraid so, Nature Spark,” Luna replied in a sympathetic voice.
“While they are busy in Cloudsdale, I would like you to go with Ursa and meet with this resistance, Nature Spark. They may be able to get you into the capitol of the Crystal Empire and, because this Duke Doré Langue has yet to have seen you, I believe that you may be able to take him by surprise,” Celestia explained. This time Star was unable to hold her tongue, as she had been during the entire meeting up to that point.
“Have you forgotten that Spark is blind, princess?” Star asked in disbelief, while her mentor sighed and massaged the place between her dark blue eyes with one silver clad hoof. “Perhaps once I have fixed his sight he could accomplish such a task, but to ask now, while he is still in this condition, seems thoughtless.”
“Star, I am perfectly able to function without sight,” Spark cut in, eliciting a smile from the elder alicorn. “However,” he continued, which caused Celestia’s smile to vanish almost as quickly as it had appeared, “I have other business that I must see to first.”
“What business is more important than protecting your country?” the princess of the sun asked him.
“That is my business, but if you would still like my help after I have finished with it, then I would be willing to lend you some assistance,” Spark explained, on the verge of overstepping his boundaries for the second time that night.
“Very well, we will accept these terms, although that will not prevent us from finding a secondary solution to the problem,” Luna stated before her sister could yell at the brown stallion again. “As for our last decision, Celestia and I have decided that Axel’s sky chariots would be a valuable asset to have in the coming battles, so if she is willing to lend her talents, we have set aside an entire building dedicated to manufacturing her vehicles.” Axel swallowed dryly and cast quick glances to her friends as she tried to decide what she would do. “I would also place Star by your side to help with the enchantments that you use to make these chariots defy gravity,” Luna added.
“I, uh, I- I think I need to think about it,” Axel stuttered.
“Very well, Alexia Lynn Sapphire, but time is of the essence,” Celestia replied, “so I will need your answer come sunrise.” Axel nodded her head meekly in response.
“If she does agree, then I will be more than willing to assist her,” Star spoke up from her place beside Suri, who hadn’t said a single word since they had both arrived.
“I expected as much, my faithful student,” Luna said with a hint of a smile.
“Then, I believe we can end this meeting on that note,” Celestia informed them flatly. “I will give each of you until after I have raised the sun tomorrow to decide your answers, but before you go, I would strongly urge you to consider what it means to be a patriotic citizen of this country and remind you that countless lives hang in the balance.” After the princess’s voice fell, silence permeated the air of the throne room. Everypony seemed to be measuring the weight of their rulers’ words as they slowly bowed down in respect one after another, even Spark who had shown the least respect out of them all.
“It is late, so you eight should try to get some sleep,” Luna told them. “These decisions may be the most important choices you make in your life, so I would suggest that you do not take them lightly.” Once the younger alicorn had finished speaking, they were all dismissed from the room. Suri was the first one out, being the closest to the doors, but Star wasn’t far behind.

An heir of discomfort hung about as Star and her friends left Canterlot Castle’s throne room and walked through the eerily empty halls. On any other day, Star would have expected there to be a few stray servants and maids taking care of what jobs hadn’t been attended to during the day, but on this night she assumed that they had been ordered away by the princesses in an attempt to prevent sensitive information from leaking out. It made sense to the small unicorn that the royal sisters would be so careful after the betrayal by one of their sergeants, yet Star couldn’t help thinking that the deception needed to stop somewhere. 
Keeping the capture of Cloudsdale out of the citizen’s knowledge, she could almost understand. Panic would only lead to more problems and if Rainbow Strike caught wind of the princesses’ plan to take the city back; it could lead to the deaths of innocent ponies. What Star couldn’t understand was why she and her friends were the only ones whom the alicorns trusted with the information. None of them were part of the government or military and yet, for some reason Celestia and Luna had an inordinate amount of faith that they could change the tides of the conflict. The young mare couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else, some other truth, just under the surface of her matriarchs’ words.
“Are you still set on going to Cloudsdale?” Spark asked, his tired voice breaking the silence and stirring Star from her confused thoughts. Though he didn’t look at them, the black unicorn was fairly sure she knew who he was addressing with his question and Downpour’s answer confirmed her guess.
“Even if the lives of innocent citizens weren’t at risk,” Downpour replied with a hint of bitterness permeating his words, “I would still fly my flank into that city and beat the living shit out of that waste of airspace. He locked me in a damned cell and then acted like my brother and I were the ones who had done something wrong. Him and all of his little traitor buddies need to be brought to justice.” Draft nodded his head along with his older brother’s little speech, apparently feeling the same.
“Then I suppose that there is nothing left to say except good luck, to both of you,” Spark replied with a twinge of sadness. “I hate to see my best friends rushing of so eagerly to fight, but I understand the need to end this problem, so please, just take care of each other.” Spark walked over to the brothers and draped a foreleg around each of their next in a sort of group hug, which Downpour promptly wriggled his way out of.
“And what about you, Spark?” the shorter brother asked. “Why are you so reluctant to fight for your country?” Spark pulled his remaining leg from around Draft’s neck as he turned towards his oldest friend with a look of sorrow.
“I’m not reluctant to fight for my country, Downpour,” Spark finally replied in a quiet voice, “I’m reluctant to fight at all.” Star watched as Spark’s shoulders visibly slumped, as if straining under the weight of his emotions. “My father fought, for years and years, without ever telling me. He took lives in the name of protecting his country and while I can see why he did it…” Spark’s voice trailed off as he closed his dull eyes.
“You don’t have to be afraid, Spark.” Suri’s voice was quiet, but she had remained silent for so long that Star could hear every word and every tiny flicker of sadness and comfort that were mixed in it. “No matter what our father did, no matter what lies he told us to try and protect our views of him and no matter how much of him you see in yourself, you are not him, Spark. You are my brother and a kind hearted stallion. If you don’t want to fight I can understand and I will support you in your decision, but don’t you think that if you have the potential to help end the bloodshed before it grows worse, you should stand up for what you know is right?”
“Suri? I-” Spark’s words were cut off as his sister wrapper her forelegs around him and squeezed gently as she continued to speak.
“I know that you may not agree with everything that the princesses have done in the past, that’s clear even to me, but the fact is that at this moment, they are only doing what they must to win. The line between saving lives and taking them may be blurred or even nonexistent from time to time, but I know that if anypony can walk it, you can,” Suri explained as a shimmering tear, seen by everypony except the one who it was for, rolled down her soft, white cheek.
“I’ll… I’ll think about it,” Spark said before pulling away from his older sister’s embrace and turning towards the stairs, while his magic glowed faintly. “I think I should try to sleep on this,” he told them as he walked away, “…and you may all want to do the same,” he added as his hoof made contact with the first stair. Everypony stared after him, faces a mixture of teary eyes and warm smiles, until his two-toned tail vanished around the corner at the top of the spiraling stairs and broke their trance.
“Oh Celestia, I think you two made me tear up,” Axel said with a tone that sounded like something between sniffling and laughter. “That was beautiful, Suri.”
“Yeah, it looks like running off to be an actress had some real world applications after all,” Downpour joked, only to receive an icy glare from the white mare in response.
“Don’t be a dick,” Draft told him with an accompanying jab to the ribs, “or next time I’ll kick you in your busted up shins.”
“I guess that duke really did a number on you, didn’t he?” Star asked as she glanced down at Downpour’s forelegs which looked fine on the outside, aside from some dark bruising and what may have been a bit of swelling.
“Sort of,” Downpour chuckled in reply. “He left me chained in his freaky basement dungeon and I broke my own bones to get free. Of course I passed out immediately after that and Ursa had to save my flank, so… not exactly one of my finer moments.” He scowled a bit as he recalled their escape from Doré Manor. “Thankfully the Crystal Resistance ponies had some medical training and managed to get me walking around again, although the bad weather makes my legs ache something terrible.”
“I know how to make you feel better,” Strata broke in, flashing him a seductive smile as her clawed hand grasped the short crest of his mane and she tugged him towards the stairs, much to his delight and Star’s embarrassment. Even now, the black mare still blushed crimson around gratuitous displays of affection and she entertained the thought that her bashfulness had something to do with Suri’s rejection.
“I’ll see you all in the morning,” Downpour called out as he and Strata took to the air and flew straight up to the second floor. Star could hear their combined laughter as they disappeared from view.
“I think they have the right idea,” Draft agreed as he took a step towards the white, spiraling staircase.
“You mean sex?” Ursa asked with a bit more enthusiasm than he had probably intended, causing Star to burn an even brighter shade of red.
“I meant sleeping, but if you play your cards right…” Draft shrugged his shoulders as he began to ascend the stairs. Ursa mumbled a quick ‘good night’ to Star, Suri and Axel before trotting after his young love and leaving the mares alone in the empty hall. Star wished that she could have had a special somepony like all of her friends seemed to have and cast a quick glance over at Suri, who was staring off at nothing, before pushing the self pity from her head.
“It’s getting close to dawn and Celestia will be waiting for our answers,” Star yawned, “so I think I’m going to call it a night as well.” Axel nodded her head in agreement; hazel eyes only half open as she took the first step towards her bedroom. Star followed her for a few seconds before turning around to see Suri, still standing in the same place she had been. “Are you coming?” she asked the strawberry blonde unicorn.
“Yes,” Suri replied in a voice just over a whisper, “I’ll be going to bed in a little while, don’t worry. I just need a few moments of peace to think is all.” Suri flashed a weak smile to which Star responded with one of her own before giving a quick nod and turning back to Axel, who had nearly gotten to the top of the stairs already. Suri had said she needed some time alone and Star was fairly certain that she knew why; to figure out what she wanted to tell Spark before he figured out his answer to the princesses.
Axel mumbled something intelligible before slipping through the door to her own room and Star continued down the hall by herself. It had been an unusually long day and her hooves were aching right along with her head as she pushed open the door and stumbled inside. There was just enough light for Star to make out the sleeping form of her daughter taking up most of the bed, but after a small flash of magic she was able to make room to lay down. Star leaned over and gave the young dragon a kiss on her red cheek. Small wisps of dark smoke accompanied Inferno’s snores, but the black mare was able to completely ignore all of that as she closed her heavy eyelids, falling asleep in an instant.