Later that night...
After a long day of racing and running around Ponyville, Starlight parted ways with Rainbow Dash and sauntered off towards Twilight's castle. The racing not only tired her physically, but magically too. After their race the two ponies took a stroll through Ponyville, allowing Starlight to become familiar with it. The town was surprisingly larger than she had originally thought. Then Starlight and Rainbow Dash wandered through the town to find the local hayburger. Once they ate the two went their separate ways with the promise to race again soon.
Departing for the day, Starlight sauntered back to the castle where she would stay the night. She had no place to stay and had been hiding in the archives for several weeks in the library. Being able to fly made it easy to stay hidden. And with so few visitors, mostly Twilight and Spike, she had ample time to plot her revenge. True she could have ended it all with a decisive blow while Twilight slept after one of her late night study sessions. But Starlight was no murderer. She wasn't a monster. No. She wanted to make Twilight suffer like she did. That burning desire to see her in agony and helpless.
But she was past that now. Now she had a new goal in mind; bettering herself to really help make a change on the world. She wanted to help ponies and others so no one had to suffer. It was her destiny, and it's what her cutie mark told her she needed to do. It would be hard but in the end it would all be worth it. She'd come out on top and be a better pony than she was before. It was her chance to shine like never before.
Her thoughts were broken when she came closer to the crystal castle. Powering her horn, she covered herself in a blue glow and slowly she levitated off the ground heading towards a large balcony above. The dark blue crystal and stone shimmered in vibrant colors as the sun began its decent. Landing on the balcony she skipped a few steps due to her momentum. She loved the sound of her hooves clanking against the crystal. She always loved those kind of sounds; they reminded her of her younger days with her siblings. Following that thought she became depressed. Memories of the past swelled in her mind while she walked into the castle.
She entered through the balcony to the castle archive. It was massive collection of books, tomes, ledgers, and scrolls that could put Canterlots largest library to shame. She walked along the corridors of tomes and paper lighting a candlelight spell to illuminate the way. She had spent a lot of time here. So much time, wasted.
Now she had a real reason for being here rather than petty revenge. She was going to make her mark on the world. Maybe even rekindle the lost friendship she once had when she was young. As she walked along she kept to her thoughts when a peculiar sight caught her eye. A bright flash of green light appeared out of the corner of her eye deeper in the archive. Her curiosity piqued, Starlight followed the light to another source of light from a series of candles.
The candles were laid in brass candle-holders spread out over several piles of books. At the center was a single table with Twilight reading a scroll and Spike at her side. Starlight smiled at the scene. It was one she had seen many times over while she lived here. There were no evil thoughts this time, only a calm sensation. She watched as Twilight scribbled something down on another piece of parchment and gave it to Spike, who inhaled and breathed a green flame over it, turning it into a wisp of smoke that flew out the window and into the night sky.
"Ahem." She grunted, clearing her throat.
Twilight's head shot upright like a sentinel meerkat on patrol. Spike gasped, falling over comically to which Starlight couldn't help but laugh. Spike gave her the most deadpan stare he could muster before climbing back into his chair. He huffed, crossing his arms while Twilight was still caught like a deer in the headlights. When her eyes fell on the pink unicorn she smiled, abandoning her books and greeting her student.
"Star!" she squealed happily, hugging her, "How was your day with Rainbow Dash?"
"It was taxing," she replied, "how have you been?"
"Busy," Twilight replied, gesturing to her books and scrolls, "I've been doing a little research."
Starlight chuckled at the princess, who walked back to her seat and pulled another chair beside hers. Starlight sat down, eyeing all the tomes and noting that they were journals of Starswirl the Bearded on the, Anatomy of Changelings. Which, in it's own right, was completely bogus. His study on the anatomy of changelings was over dead corpses with no scientific backing. His student, Clover the Clever, however, lived among them for a good majority of her life, where she took extensive notes and studied them as not only as a race but a culture. Starlight scoffed at the tome, turning her nose away in disgust. Twilight looked offended by the gesture.
"What's with you, Starlight?" she asked her student, "Not a fan of Starswirl the Bearded?"
The pink unicorn scoffed at this, "He was a buffoon who got lucky that his fame and stature were so high. His student Clover the Clever was far more... evolved."
This statement seemed to confuse not only the princess, but Spike as well.
"What do you mean by that?" Spike asked, with a shrug of his shoulders.
"His student," Starlight started, lighting her horn and drawing a book from a hidden corner and into the light, "was a great magical unicorn. She also was the first great scientist in Equestria. Her study on the changelings is unsurpassed. She was the true author of the Anatomy of Changelings, not that idiot Starswirl."
Now Twilight was angry. She slammed her hooves on the table ,shaking it and making Spike cringe as Starlight followed suit, knocking a few book piles over.
Twilight responded accusingly, "That's funny coming from you when you used his spell for your revenge scheme!"
"Oh, that's rich!" Starlight replied with a roll of her eyes, "You make that one up yourself? Oh, wait!" she gasped sarcastically, "You probably read it in his journal somewhere while writing your fanfiction on him!"
"How dare you bring that into this!" Twilight exclaimed, pulling a small book close to her chest.
"You actually wrote fanfiction about him?" Starlight asked mockingly.
Twilight blushed, but Spike's next words left them both speechless, "You should hear her when she sleeps. The dreams she has can be intense."
"SPIKE!"
The small drake cringed, running down the book hall saying, "Oh, would you look at the timegottarunbye!"
He ran down, slamming the doors shut just as a book flew across the narrow passage of books and hit it right behind him. Twilight was tomato red in the face and Starlight was now laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. Twilight growled, throwing a scroll harmlessly at the laughing unicorn, bouncing off her head.
"BWAHAHAHA!"
"HEY! You shouldn't laugh!"
"AAAHAAHHHAHAHAH!"
"Oh, you are so busted!" Twilight lunged at her student and playfully began tickling her sides using her magic to hold the unicorns arms at her sides. Starlight struggled against the fit of giggles as Twilight continued to assault her sides. The tickle-fest continued for a minute before Twilight stopped and looked down mockingly at her student. "So, had enough?"
"Ha, you-wish... huff.... huff..." Starlight struggled between gasped breaths.
"As you wish," she leaned close to the unicorns ear, "My faithful student."
With a devilish grin, the tickling continued. For several minutes the two ponies rolled over one another trying to get a better angle on one another to tickle the other back. Once they were both out of breath, they fell on the floor and settled down with pained gasps. Panting and covered in sweat, they looked out at the stars from where they lay.
"Beautiful aren't they?" Twilight asked, rubbing her chest.
"Yeah. Beautiful," Starlight responded, "Oh! Look! It's Ursa Major and Ursa Minor!"
Twilight suddenly shot upright screaming like filly, "WHERE IS IT!?"
Starlight cocked her head at the mares sudden outburst ,pointing to the sky, “Uh, right over there by the constellation, Leo?"
"Oh, sorry."
Sitting back down, Twilight lay beside Starlight, pressing her body close to hers. She then wrapped a wing around the unicorn pulling her closer. She nuzzled the pink pony's violet mane affectionately and Starlight returned the favor with a light nuzzle to the princess' chest. After calming down, they sat the watching the sky as Twilight had done many times before with her mentor, Princess Celestia.
Her thoughts were in disarray. The mention of Ursa Major brought painful memories back of her greatest failure to her title. Her dealings with a mare she should have tried opening up to long ago, before things escalated. Had she been as tentative as she was with her friends and their families and friends, she might have saved a lot of trouble for this mare. But it was in the past, now she had to make amends with her after not helping her the first time. Taking a note down, she left herself a reminder to write a letter first thing in the morning and tucked it away in her journal for safe keeping. For now she had to be there for Starlight.
Trixie could come later.