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// Chapter 1: Meet Aurora 
// Story: Starlight and Aurora 
// by twilightsparkle3562 
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                It had been only a few months since Starlight Glimmer had abandoned her equality ways of life and become a protégé of Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. Starlight had come a long way since her friend, Sunburst, had become one of Princess Celestia's students and later, the Crystaller to Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire. Furthermore, she had recently become friends with the Great and Powerful Trixie and was now acting as her assistant during the magician's apologetic, repentance tour. However, little did Starlight and her friends know. that her past was about to catch up with her in a very big way. 

              It all started one night when a cloaked figure came towards the gates of Canterlot. Other ponies took notice of the cloaked figure and felt slightly scared of it. This caused the night guard on duty to take notice, flashing his lamp at the figure's face. 

"Please remove your hood at once!" he commanded. “Are you a friend or foe of ponykind?!”

             "I swear I’m not trying to scare other ponies," the figure replied in a female voice that had a slightly panicked tone it. She continued to keep the hood up. "I’’m a pony that has been searching for her daughter for several years, I mean no harm! All I ask is to be directed towards  Canterlot Castle!"

             "It's to the west of here," the guard told the figure. "But, I do urge you to remove your hood as a precaution, miss. Security is tight around here!" 

The figure said nothing, walking off into the night and leaving the befuddled guard to wonder who the figure was. Walking into the streets of Canterlot, the cloaked figure continued to make her way towards the gates, while under the eye of the night guards that had been in place.

             "Why must they give me an evil eye?" the figrue wondered to herself. "I mean no harm and my identity must be kept secret from everypony for personal reasons. I have heard rumors about my daughter, and if they are true, what would ponies think of me?"

             Soon, the figure came up to the gates of Canterlot castle where two night guards stood on duty. The two guards used their wings to stop her from advancing any further and pointed their spears at the figure, causing her to step back in surprise.

             "Halt!" cried the guards. "Who goes there?! Identify yourself!"

             "I mean you no harm," protested the figure. "I have been searching all over Equestria for my daughter and I need to speak to Princess Celestia at once! As for my name, just call me Aurora."

             "Princess Celestia has retired and is asleep, Miss Aurora," replied one of the guards, giving the figure a hard stare.

             "Then where is Princess Luna?" Aurora asked "I must speak with one of the princesses at once! I need their help!"

             "We can’t be certain of your intentions unless you reveal to us who you are," said the guards, pointing their spears closer and closer to the figure. "Lower your hood if you want to pass."

             Still, the figure hesitated and was reluctant to do as she was told. But, if there was any chance of her achieving the goal of finding her daughter, she needed to do this, even though it wasn't easy.

             "Well?" asked one of the guards, still pointing his spear at the figure. "Who are you really? Lower your hood and show us who you are!"

             Finally doing as she was told, the figure removed her hood and revealed herself to be a light purple coated unicorn with a blue and purple mane that was done in a loose curl (not unlike the look of Princess Twilight’s new pupil). She had on a pair of small red glasses that hung on her end of her nose, and her cutie mark display a small magic wand. 

“As I said before, my name is Aurora. Now, will you please let me pass?”

            "As you wish," the guards noddded, lowering their spears and allowing Aurora to enter the castle. “But please do not disturb the princesses if they are busy. And don’t try any funny business!”

            



            As Aurora made her way into the castle, she was very much troubled by what had transpired. She’d had very good personal reasons for wanting to conceal her identity. Even if this was Canterlot, the capital of Equestria and home to Princesses Celestia and Luna, surely there was no need for such heightend security. 

"Why must they be so hard on me?"  Aurora wondered as she stuck her hood back up. "I mean nopony any harm in any way. All I want is to find my daughter and bring her back home! Is that so much to ask?!"

           Finally, Aurora came up to the doors leading to the interior of Canterlot Castle, specifically the throne room. and not wanting to have a repeat of what happened at the gates removed her hood. "I've come seeking the help of the princesses," she told the guards. "My daughter is missing and I need help in finding her!"

           The guards were still just as suspicious as the guards at the other locations had. Yes, the pony before them had removed her cloak, but they no had no idea who she was or why she wanted to meet with the princesses. So, like their comrades before them, they reluctantly raised their spears at the pony.

           But just as the guards were about to start their interrogation, a sharp and royal voice broke the silence caused by the tension. "What is going on here?" demanded the voice. The guards turned to see that the pony in question was Princess Luna, her horn glowing to provide some light on the situation.

           "This pony says that her daughter is missing," said one of the guards. "We couldn't be so sure since she was wearing a cloak and all. All we were told is that her name is Aurora, she hasn’t given a full name."

            Luna summed up the situation and carefully approached the pony, looking her over to see if she was not as much of a threat as the guards were making her out to be. She scanned Aurora carefully, checking for any signs of dark magic or changeling influence. After a few moments, the inspection was finished. 

 "She is not a threat," Luna concluded, then she told the guards. "I’ll find out what this mare wants. Return to your posts at once!" The guards saluted Luna, who led Aurora into the castle interior.

           "Now then," Luna spoke up, once inside the throne room. "You've come seeking your daughter, is that correct?"

            "Yes," replied Aurora, grateful that she was now in an environment without hostility. "For ten years, I have been travelling all over Equestria to find my daughter, but to no avail. Recently I learned from the village she used to occupy, that she is now the student of Princes of Friendship, and lives with her. Is that true?"
            
            "Indeed,” Luna nodded, lowering her head for a moment. "Your daughter is living in Ponyville if that is to believed. Tell me, why have you been searching for your daughter?"

              "She ran away after her cutecenera,” Aurora explained, tears welling up in her eyes. “ Ever since then, I’ve been trying to find her, trying to bring her back home. I need you and your sister to help me find her, Princess Luna. Please, I beg of you!" The unicorn with a coat a rather pale shade of purple bowed down to Luna and clutched her front ankles. Luna could see that Aurora was in pain and not just any pain. It was the kind of pain that she had been harboring for such a long time. In a way, Luna couldn't help but sympathize with her, remembering this was how her sister, Celestia, had felt upon banishing Luna to the moon..

               "Very well," Luna replied. "My sister and I will do everything in our power to help reunite you with your daughter. But, if you don't mind my asking, what is your full name? And why you have sought to conceal it?!"

               Aurora got to her feet and took a deep breath, she began mustering up the courage to answer Luna's question. Finally, after a moment, she found the courage to say her name to the Princess of Night. "My name is Aurora Glimmer. And Starlight Glimmer is my daughter."