Starlight Glimmer opened her eyes, finding herself in the middle of a dark void. She had no idea how she had gotten there, or even what the place was.
"Where am I?" She asked.
"Good question." A familiar-sounding voice echoed through the darkness.
"Who's there?" Starlight frowned. "Did you bring me here?"
"No." The voice answered. "But I'm glad we finally have some time to chat."
"Wait, your voice." Starlight realised. "You sound like..."
"That's right." The voice replied, as a shape emerged from the darkness.
As the shape came into clear view, Starlight froze in shock. Approaching her was... herself. Another Starlight, albeit with her old manestyle, and (to Starlight's horror) her false equality Cutie Mark.
"You're... me?" Starlight gaped.
"Correction: I'm who you used to be." The other Starlight sneered. "Before you threw away everything you believed in."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Starlight frowned.
"Like you don't know." The other Starlight scoffed. "You had a dream, Starlight. A noble goal: To bring equality to Equestria. And what happened to that dream? You gave it up, just so you could be 'friends' with the most mismatched bunch of ponies Equestria has ever seen!"
"I... I was wrong." Starlight declared. "I know that now. Twilight and the others showed me the light."
"Ha! Is that what you think they did?" The other Starlight cackled.
"Excuse me?" Starlight growled.
"Don't you see it?" The other Starlight smirked. "They did to you what you tried to do to them. They brainwashed you. Infected your mind with their sentimental hogwash."
"...You're wrong." Starlight retorted, getting flustered.
"Am I?" The other Starlight asked. "Think about it. You had Twilight beat. She couldn't win by fighting you, so instead, she used a bunch of flowery words to trick you into stopping."
"That's not true." Starlight said heatedly. "Twilight helped me! Thanks to her, I was finally able to let go of my anger and bitterness."
"I never thought you could be so blind, Starlight." The other Starlight sneered. "Twilight took advantage of you in your moment of weakness. She suckered you into becoming her 'student', which is a nice way of saying 'underling'."
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Starlight said angrily.
"Really?" The other Starlight smirked. "Then answer me this: Why would Twilight and her friends ever accept you, after everything you did to them, and to Equestria?"
"I... well..." Starlight stuttered, unable to come up with an answer. "Th-that doesn't matter. They do accept me. They do..." She was trying to convince herself more than the other Starlight.
"It's time to face facts, Starlight." The disdainful doppelganger declared. "Those ponies aren't your friends. They're your jailors. They're only keeping you around so they can keep you in check. Because they don't trust you not to go off on your own and cause more trouble for them."
"No... you're wrong." Starlight shook her head, her resolve faltering.
"Poor Starlight." The other Starlight taunted. "They played you for a fool, and you didn't even know it."
"Shut up!" Starlight growled, her eyes misting over. Her angry outburst only barely masked her growing doubts. The more her double spoke, the more it felt like she was speaking the truth. A particularly painful truth...
"They don't care about you." The other Starlight declared. "And why would they? You're nothing but a threat to them. A threat they had to neutralise."
"Stop it... please..." Starlight begged, her eyes filling with tears.
"What's the matter? Can't take the truth?" The other Starlight mocked her. "Or did you actually believe they were your friends? That they'd just forget about everything you did to them? Ha! You're an even bigger fool than I thought! I'll bet Twilight and the others had a good laugh behind your back about how they brought you down with nothing but some sentimental nonsense!"
Starlight dropped to her knees, the tears flowing thicker than ever.
"No more..." She sniffed. "Please, just... leave me alone."
"You think I'll leave, just like that?" The other Starlight cackled. "I don't think so. I'm just getting started with you..."
Suddenly, a beam of blue light lanced down through the darkness, falling upon the other Starlight.
"What is this?!" The double snarled, suddenly unable to move. "What's going on?"
The light intensified, and the other Starlight dissolved into dust.
"Nooooo!"
"What?" Starlight looked up, perplexed. "How...?"
"Starlight Glimmer."
Another beam of light illuminated the darkness, this one casting Starlight in its glow. Starlight looked up, and saw Princess Luna descending upon her.
"Princess Luna?" Starlight gaped as Luna landed.
"It is good to see you again, Miss Glimmer." Luna smiled.
Starlight was surprised to hear Luna say that. They had only briefly encountered each other during Flurry Heart's Crystalling, with no real interaction between them.
"It's good to see you too." She said weakly. "But... what are you doing here?"
"As the Princess of the Night, it is my duty to safeguard the dreams of my subjects." Luna declared. "Your anguish was like a beacon. I couldn't help but be drawn here."
"This... is a dream?" Starlight frowned. "My dream?"
"A nightmare, to be precise." Luna nodded.
"So the other me was...?" Starlight started.
"A manifestation of your doubts and fears." Luna declared.
"Really?" Starlight mused. "Well, at least you got rid of it."
"I'm afraid I have only temporarily warded it off." Luna corrected her. "It shall return. And the only one with the power to banish it for good is you, Starlight."
"Me?" Starlight froze in fear. "I... I can't..."
"Of course you can." Luna encouraged her. "It was your mind that created it, and your mind can destroy it."
"It's not that easy." Starlight sighed.
"I never said it was." Luna declared. "Talk to me, Starlight. Share your fears."
"Well... it's kind of a long story..." Starlight admitted.
"I have nothing but time." Luna encouraged her.
Starlight quickly explained the situation to Luna.
"...I guess a part of me is afraid that Twilight and the others only accepted me into their group so that they could keep an eye on me." She confessed. "That they're just keeping me in check, so I don't almost ruin Equestria again."
"I understand your plight, Starlight Glimmer." Luna admitted. "I know what it is like to be so full of guilt over past misdeeds. To think one does not deserve forgiveness, only punishment. It is not an easy thing to overcome. But it can be overcome. I did it, and I know you can too."
"But what if it's true?" Starlight despaired. "What if Twilight and the others really are just my 'jailors'? What if they don't trust me? What if they did just take me in because it was the only way to keep me under control?"
"...Come with me." Luna instructed.
Using her horn, Luna created a portal through the darkness. Starlight followed her.
"Where are we going?" Starlight asked.
"We are entering your memories." Luna answered. "Your recent memories, in fact."
They passed through the other end of the portal. Before them, frozen in place, as if in an oversized picture, was Starlight, surrounded by Twilight, Spike and the others, who all wore broad smiles.
"This is the day I became Twilight's student." Starlight recalled.
"Take a close look at those faces, Starlight." Luna urged. "Do those look like the faces of distrust, and manipulation?"
"...No." Starlight admitted, looking at the warm smiles directed at her memory self.
"Of course not." Luna smiled. "Those are the faces of acceptance, and forgiveness. They do not see a threat to be contained. They see a lost, lonely soul, in need of guidance and friendship. And that is exactly what they gave you."
"I can never thank them enough for that." Starlight declared. "Especially Twilight. I tried to ruin her life, and she completely turned mine around..."
"Come, Starlight." Luna opened another portal. "There is more to see."
Starlight followed Luna through the portal, finding that they were in a cloudy, star-filled, etheral hallway lined with doors.
"Now what?" Starlight asked.
"Choose a door." Luna smiled.
Starlight picked a door at random. She opened it to see herself reading alongside Twilight and a sleeping Spike.
"We read books all night." She admitted. "I can't remember the last time I had so much fun reading..."
"Now, try the other doors." Luna told her.
Starlight complied, and behind each door was another memory revolving around herself and her new friends: Rarity making her a dress, Fluttershy introducing her to her animals, her applebucking with Applejack, baking with Pinkie Pie, flying with Rainbow Dash through her obstacle course... She even saw herself reconciling with her former followers. The final door showed Starlight standing with her new friends outside Twilight's castle. Seeing all those memories, one after another ignited a great joy in Starlight, her heart practically glowing with happiness.
"You're right." She admitted. "They really are my friends. But still..." Her doubts grew once more. "I've done so many awful things... What if I don't deserve any of this?"
"You cannot think like that, Starlight." Luna told her.
"Why not?" Starlight frowned. "With all due respect, you don't know what I've done. What I had planned to do..."
At that moment, another door appeared in front of Starlight. This one was larger, more ornate than the others. It swung open of its own accord, revealed a scene of several ponies with equality Cutie Marks marching in perfect synch. The old Starlight stood before, holding up the "Staff of Sameness" in triumph.
"This is..." Starlight murmured.
"Once your fondest hope." Luna realised. "Now, one of your greatest shames."
"Why is it showing me this?" Starlight asked, her lip quivering.
"This is your mindscape, Starlight." Luna declared. "It is responding to your emotions. You must restrain your feelings..."
More doors appeared, swinging open to show some of Starlight's less proud moments: Stealing the Cutie Marks from Twilight and her friends, trying to attack her former followers, battling Twilight, and even trying to tear the scroll with Star Swirl the Bearded's time travel spell, in a last-ditch attempt to beat Twilight. Starlight's guilt and despair grew with every passing moments.
"Look at everything I've done." She sniffed, tears welling in her eyes once more. "I don't deserve friendship. I don't even deserve to be happy..."
"ENOUGH!!" Luna yelled, snapping Starlight out of her despair.
"Princess, I-" Starlight gaped.
Luna blasted each of the new doors in turn, destroying them.
"Do not give in to pity and self-hatred, Starlight." She declared. "As painful as it is, you must let go of the past, so that you may have a future."
"Easier said than done..." Starlight bowed her head.
"Indeed. As I said before, I know how hard it is to overcome such deep feelings of guilt." Luna declared. "In fact, I even created the Tantabus, a creature of nightmares, to punish myself, night after night, for my actions as Nightmare Moon. But the creature grew stronger from my self-loathing, almost becoming powerful enough to threaten the waking world."
"It did?" Starlight gasped. "How did you stop it?"
"With more than a little help from Twilight and her friends." Luna smiled. "They were able to show me what I could not see myself; That my subjects had truly forgiven me for my former wicked ways, and that I needed to forgive myself. Once I did, the Tantabus lost all its power."
"Wow..." Starlight mused. "They saved Equestria again..."
"And what they taught me, I pass on to you." Luna nodded. "Forgive yourself, Starlight Glimmer. Just as your friends have. If you can accomplish that, your guilt will no longer have any hold on you."
"I guess I can try..." Starlight lowered her head, unsure. "But what if trying's not enough?
"It's up to you, Starlight." Luna told her. "You can stay here until you wake, safe among your happiest memories, and face the other you another time. Or you can face your demons this very night. The choice is yours."
Starlight looked around the etheral corridor, gazing upon the happy memories through their open doors. It would be so easy to stay, and lose herself in the good times...
"No." She shook her head, a determined look on her face. "I have to face her now. Send me back."
"As you wish." Luna smiled, opening a portal. "And if I may offer one piece of advice: Fight the doubts in your mind with the truth in your heart. You will soon see which is stronger. In the end, this is your dream. You hold the power here, not your inner demons."
"I'll try to remember that." Starlight nodded. She took a moment to steel herself, then stepped through the portal.
"Good luck, Starlight." Luna declared.
Starlight passed through the portal, back into the dark void. Immediately after, her other self appeared once more.
"Well, look who's back." She sneered. "All done crying, are we?"
"Yes, actually." Starlight declared.
"Good." The other Starlight grinned. "Does that mean that you've accepted the truth? That I was right about your so-called friends, and you were wrong?"
"Ugh, is this really what I used to sound like?" Starlight cringed. "All smug and superior? How embarassing..."
"Joke all you want, but it won't change anything." The other Starlight growled.
"I know what you are, now." Starlight said, determined to stand firm. "You're all my guilt, regret, and self-loathing, right in front of me."
"That's right." The other Starlight nodded. "Took you long enough to figure it out..."
"But just because you're a part of me doesn't mean I have to listen to you." Starlight declared.
"Oh, really?" The other Starlight sneered. "You think you can push me aside so easily? You'll never be rid of me, Starlight. I'll always be with you, no matter what. Always. And there's nothing you can do about that."
Starlight's resolve faltered, before she remembered what Luna told her.
"You're right." She said quietly.
"Of course I am." The other Starlight smirked.
"I can never be rid of you." Starlight said solemnly. "And I can never undo the awful things I've done. I'll probably always carry the guilt over all the mistakes I've made."
"Good to know you've seen sense at last." The other Starlight grinned triumphantly.
"But that doesn't mean I have to let it rule me." Starlight's face set in determination.
"What?" The other Starlight snarled.
"I'm not going to wallow in self-pity anymore." Starlight said firmly. "I'm going to move on with my life, and there's nothing you can do about it."
"You really think it'll be that easy?" The other Starlight scoffed. "I'm a part of you, Starlight! You can't get rid of me, just like that!"
"I know." Starlight started walking away. "But I can make sure you can't cause any more trouble."
"You think you can just walk away from me?" The other Starlight snarled.
"Not exactly." Starlight smiled, recalling another piece of Luna's advice. "I'm just getting some reinforcements."
Starlight closed her eyes in concentration. There was a flash of light, and dream versions of Twilight and the others surrounded her, the area in which they stood bathed in light.
"Oh, please." The other Starlight sneered. "Can't face me yourself, it that it? You need your so-called friends to help you?"
"You're wrong about them." Starlight declared. "They do care about me. They forgave me for what I've done. And now I'm ready to forgive myself. Which means you will no longer have any power over me."
"What a load of-" The other Starlight approached, only to be repelled by the light. "Ahh! What is this?"
"It's simple, really." Starlight smiled. "You're a disease. They're the cure."
Starlight closed her eyes, remembering all the good times she'd had with her new friends. She now knew without a doubt that they cared for her, and that they truly believed her worthy of forgiveness. The light around them intensified, pushing the other Starlight back as it grew.
"This can't be happening..." The other Starlight groaned, vainly trying to hold her ground. "No! No!"
"Yes." Starlight whispered softly, as more happy memories entered her mind.
Starlight joined hooves with the dream versions of her friends. The light intensified once more, enveloping the entire void, and blasting the other Starlight backwards.
"Noooo!" She screamed, as she was flung into the only remaining spot of darkness, far into the distance.
"That's right." Starlight smiled triumphantly. "Get back into the darkness, where you belong."
The black void was now pure white, a warm glow about it. Starlight looked upon the dream versions of her friends.
"Thanks, guys." She smiled. "I couldn't have done it without you."
"Anytime, Starlight." The dream Twilight smiled, as she and the others hugged her. "That's what friends are for."
As Starlight enjoyed the hug, another portal opened, and Luna emerged.
"And thank you, Princess Luna." Starlight beamed.
Luna nodded proudly, before rising up and vanishing in a burst of blue light.
Starlight returned her dream friends' hug. As she closed her eyes, the light of the void enveloped them all. When her eyes opened again, she found herself in her bedroom, The light of the morning sun shining through the window.
"Morning already?" She yawned. "Figures the dream would end right after everything was fixed..."
A short while later, Starlight joined Twilight and Spike for breakfast. Three stacks of pancakes were on the table, one standing before Starlight's chair.
"Good morning, Starlight." Spike smiled.
"More than good." Starlight grinned, as she took her seat. "It's a great morning!"
"Well, aren't you chipper today?" Twilight chuckled. "Any particular reason?"
"I just had a really good dream last night." Starlight shrugged.
"Me too." Spike grinned. "I dreamt I had a mountain's worth of delicious emeralds to eat..."
"You sure dream big, don't you, Spike?" Twilight rolled her eyes.
"Twilight?" Starlight spoke up.
"What is it, Starlight?" Twilight asked.
"I just wanted to say... thank you." Starlight smiled. "Thank you for taking me in, showing me a better life. But most of all... thank you for being my friend."
"You're welcome, Starlight." Twilight beamed. "Really. Now, let's eat. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, after all."
"Yeah." Starlight nodded, carving and chewing a piece of her stack. 'The first day of the rest of my life.' She thought to herself. 'And a good life it'll be, too, as long as I have my friends close by...'