Starlight was there again, among the dust, the howls of the wind, the broken map. No sun shone above, no moon gave its comforting glow in the darkness. Only stormclouds ruled here.
Was this really what she had done? Or had almost done? How had she not seen it coming? She was smarter than that, knew better than to mess with time. But she had, if for no other reason than revenge, to humiliate Twilight Sparkle and tear her friendships apart. How could she have been so wrong about friendship? Why didn’t Twilight punish her for what she had done? It was what she deserved, what she expected!
“Stop it!” she screamed at herself. “Stop all of this! You got a second chance, Starlight. You’re not going to waste it.”
The wind stopped, the clouds parted, the map faded, and Starlight found herself back on the bed in the dimly lit guest room of Twilight’s castle. She blinked, wondering why she was here, why Twilight had let her stay in the castle for the time being. She might have a second chance, but did she deserve this? Could she live in a castle after what she’d done?
She couldn’t. It wasn’t right. Starlight channeled her magic and produced a glow from her horn, then crept out of bed and towards the door. She opened it enough to check the hall in both directions. Nopony or dragon in sight. Stepping lightly she made her way down the crystal halls and made her way to the front door. No way was that opening quietly, so she cast a silence spell around it and pushed it open.
Ponyville was quiet, as to be expected after a day with one of Pinkie Pie’s parties. It had been a special one for Starlight. Nearly the entire town had been there. She couldn’t understand why. They didn’t know her, so why celebrate? It also seemed undeserved.
It didn’t matter. She went off into the night, unsure what she was looking for. A different place to stay, yes, but where? A pony didn’t just go knocking on doors in the middle of the night. So she wandered, looking for any sign of light or life. Should she just run away?
A shadow moved in the corner of her vision.
“Who’s there?” she snapped at it.
“Peace, Starlight Glimmer,” a soothing voice said. The shadow behind it came into the moonlight.
Starlight’s eyes widened and she staggered back. “Princess Luna? Wh-wha—”
Luna held up a hoof. “Peace. I can tell there is much troubling you this night, Starlight.”
“I’m not running away!”
Luna smiled. “Indeed. You have no need to worry, I am only here to speak with you.”
“Speak with me? Why? I—” Starlight glanced down the dim streets of Ponyville, but there was no one else around. How had Luna found her?
“You do not believe you deserve a second chance, do you?”
Starlight’s ears drooped. “Why should I? After what I did, I should be locked up in some dungeon to be forgotten. I almost destroyed everything.”
“But ultimately you didn’t. You know better, now.”
“Yes, but… I don’t really know. I know friendship isn’t what I thought it to be, but I still know barely anything about it.”
“Hasn’t Twilight offered to help teach you?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“No more excuses, Starlight. If you truly wish to learn about friendship, you will stay. There is nopony better than Twilight Sparkle to teach and guide you. I know how you’re feeling. I too once did many terrible things, and when I saw how wrong it was, I began to punish myself for it. Do you feel you should do the same?”
Starlight looked away and nodded shortly.
“Forget such thoughts. Do not make my mistake. You must forgive yourself. It will be difficult and may take time, but I believe you can do it. You must believe it too.”
“I… I will try, Princess.” Starlight looked back at her and managed a weak smile. “Thank you.” The smile disappeared. “But I still want to try making a friend without Twilight’s help. I don’t think I should learn about friendship the easy way.”
Luna chuckled. “Believe me, it won’t be easy even with her help. However, I would not mind to make a new friend this night. Would you care to walk with me for a bit?”
Starlight studied Luna in silence for a moment, wondering. Could she be friends with one of the Princesses? It didn’t seem right to her, but Luna’s smile was nothing but genuine. She really did know what she was going through.
“I’d be glad to,” Starlight said, faintly returning the smile.
They began wandering Ponyville together, sharing their stories, laughing at some parts, listening in silence to others. Starlight told hers from the beginning, carefully watching Luna when she got to her wrong actions. To her surprise, Luna gave no sign of contempt for them, only sympathy, and Starlight felt the same when Luna told her story. Was that really what friendship did? Luna felt so different from her, not only in position and cutie mark, but in experience. She could see it just in the way Luna talked and moved. Yet over time, she felt that, in a way, they were the same.
True friendship was strange.
She liked it.
By the time Luna had finished, they were standing before Twilight’s castle. Starlight stared at the door hesitantly, then looked up at Luna. At her friend.
“Are you ready?” Luna asked.
Starlight took a deep breath and looked back at the door. She would not run, she would not hide. She had a second chance, and if Twilight and her friends believed she deserved it, if Luna believed, she could too. She nodded.
“Good. Sleep and dream well, Starlight. Remember that you will never be alone in your struggle.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Luna smiled, and with a flare of her wings, she flew off into the night.
Starlight approached the castle and opened the door slowly. She quietly made her way back to the guest room, but paused when she saw light coming from under a doorway, which was open a crack.
Starlight pushed it open further and peeked inside, finding Twilight reading a strange book at a desk.
“Twilight?” she called softly.
Twilight turned around. “Starlight?” she asked curiously. “What is it?”
“Nothing.” Starlight smiled. “Thank you. Goodnight.”
Twilight smiled back. “Goodnight.”
Starlight made it back to her room and bed. As she dozed off, she thought about what Luna had said. Friendship would be hard, but no matter what it took, she would learn as much as she could about it. She would make new friends and change Equestria for the better. If her dreams were any indication, she would.