After a brief moment of tossing and turning, Starlight opened her eyes and climbed out of bed, exhausted from a lack of sleep. Ever since she had been reformed, Starlight Glimmer had been staying at Twilight's castle until she got back on her feet and was able to find a home of her own.
"Ugh, I can't sleep and I can't think," Starlight thought as she left one of the several guest bedrooms of Twilight's castle. "Where is Twilight? I need to clear the air with her on my latest thoughts."
But, Starlight knew very well that if she did clear the air, then the memories of her evil doing would return. Had it not been for Starburst receiving his cutie mark, then she was sure her life would have been a lot different. In some ways, Starlight was a pony who was troubled and wanted nothing more than to bury her past forever.
If only it were that easy.
"Twilight? Are you around?" called Starlight, her calls echoed in the hallways as she walked towards the throne room. "Twilight? Where are you?"
Starlight walked further and further, until she noticed a piece of paper posted on the doors to Twilight's throne room. Taking the paper with her magic, Starlight read the words that were posted:
"Starlight," the letter read. "I am in Canterlot with a pony that resides in another world. Her name is Sunset Shimmer and both you and she have some things in common. I would like you to come to Canterlot as soon as possible and be introduced to this pony. Sorry if I didn't tell you sooner, but you and Spike were both asleep. Come when you can, Twilight"
Starlight placed the paper back on the door and walked into the throne room. There was a thought going through Starlight's mind.
“Somepony who is similar to me? That can’t be possible, nopony else ever desired to get rid of cutie marks and change the past just for the sake of revenge. I don’t know who this ‘Sunset Shimmer’ is, but I fail to see what we could possibly have in common.”. Starlight went over to Twilight's throne and sat down in it, remembering what little information about Sunset Shimmer she had learned from Twilight.
Just then, the doors opened and in walked Spike, holding a blanket in one of his claws and a stuffed toy of Rarity in the other. He rubbed his eyes. "Morning, Starlight," he yawned. "Guess you were up early this morning. I could hear the hoofbeats from my bedroom. You sure walk loudly, don't you?"
"Sorry about that, Spike," chuckled Starlight as Spike climbed onto the map and walked over to where Starlight was sitting. "I didn't mean to wake you, and I actually didn't really sleep all that great last night either."
"Why? What happened?" Spike asked. Though he wasn’t quite as trusting as Twilight and the other girls, he was still concerned about Starlight’s well being. In fact, he’d started to see her as something of a sisterly figure "You’re not still thinking about the time travel stuff, are you?"
Starlight sighed when Spike brought that event back up. It was a bad memory for Starlight to relive her attempts at stopping the Sonic Rainboom, and for good reason. “What if I hadn’t listened?” Starlight thought to herself “Would I have really doomed all of Equestria as Twilight said I would?”
Spike decided to rethink his next words when he saw Starlight lower her head in sadness. "Sorry if I said that," he said, nervously. "I know it upsets you when we talk about it."
"It's alright, Spike," replied Starlight, trying to hide her feelings. "I know that Sunburst and I are not meant to be. But, there is something else I’ve been meaning to ask you about."
"Sure, go ahead," Spike said, as Starlight looked over at him. "You can tell me anything. I can keep it between us and Twilight."
Starlight used her magic to open the door and remove the note that Twilight had written to her. After reading it, Spike then began to think of that other world he and Twilight went through on at least two separate occasions.
“Just who is this Sunset Shimmer?” Starlight asked Spike “If you don't mind my asking?"
"Sunset Shimmer was a student of Princess Celestia," answered Spike. "Or ex-student, if you get what I’m saying. Right after Twilight's coronation, she emerged from this other world where ponies are these things called humans, and walk on two legs. She stole Twilight's crown, which had her Element of Harmony."
The words "element of harmony," sounded very foreign to Starlight Still, she allowed Spike to continued explaining who Sunset was.
"Twilight and I went through this mirror and we ended up in a world where Twilight was something else, and I was a dog,” Spike continued “So, they had this thing called a fall formal where the winner was crowned princess. Sunset tried to take the crown by using me, to get Twilight to be in her presence. Then, she became a she-demon and…"
Starlight couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the thought of seeing Spike as something other than a dragon. But, nevertheless, was still intrigued by the story that Twilight and Spike were a part of. In fact, it made her more and more curious about this Sunset Shimmer that Twilight spoke of.
"Well, I'd much rather be a dragon," remarked Spike. "Because that's how I came out of the egg. Anyway, Twilight and the other world’s counterparts of her friends defeated Sunset Shimmer, and afterward she seemed to be really upset. Next time we met, she was still struggling to overcome the reputation she’d built up in the past, and it took until the faith of that alternative world was at stake for her to finally move on. When she did, she transformed along with Twilight and the other girls, and saved the day. But all I know after that is, Twilight went to answer one of her distress calls, and said she’d back. When she returned, she said Sunset had everything udner control, and nothing more."
After hearing the story, and knowing that Twilight was expecting her to come to Canterlot, Starlight trotted out of the throne room. She opened the doors of Twilight's castle, taking in the cool and crisp air that came with the early morning in Equestria.
Spike ran out of the throne room and caught up to Starlight. "Wait, Starlight!" he called. "Do you even know how to get to Canterlot?"
"Actually, no I don't," Starlight sheepishly admitted. "Can you show me the way?"
"Sure," said Spike, jumping onto Starlight's back. "I know the way to Canterlot like the back of my claw."
“Very well then, but I didn’t bring any money for the train,” Starlight said to Spike “Guess I’ll have to fly.”
“Do what you have to do, just don’t try to fly too fast.” Spike replied.
Levitating herself into the air, Starlight headed towards Canterlot with Spike telling her where to go. Soon, she was going to meet Sunset Shimmer and make her first friend other than Twilight and her friends, as well as Sunburst…