Pony Tails

by Bluecatcinema

Old Friends

Twilight, Starlight and Spike were finishing up their breakfast.

"Mmm, great stuff." Starlight wiped her lips with a napkin. "My compliments to the chef."

"You're welcome." Spike grinned. "Nice to know my talents are appreciated."

"Careful not to get a swelled head, Spike." Twilight snorted. "Your chef's hat won't fit any more."

"Ha-ha." Spike rolled his eyes. "Hilarious."

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Starlight asked her teacher. "Anything major?"

"Actually, Cadance will be dropping by with Flurry Heart." Twilight revealed. "Since you and Cadance didn't get much of a chance to get to know each other before, I figure this might be a good time to fix that."

"And I guess it wouldn't hurt to get to know little Flurry Heart too." Starlight added. "Especially since Sunburst got her magic under control..."

"I think we're all glad of that." Twilight smiled. "Cadance should be arriving soon. Let's go down to greet her."

"Sure." Starlight nodded.

"I'll be along in a while." Spike declared. "Just gotta clean up here first..."

As they walked down to the entrance hall, Twilight and Starlight were greeted by the sight of Princess Cadance, Flurry Heart, and (to Starlight's surprise) Sunburst.

"Sunburst?" She smiled.

"Hi, Starlight." Sunburst grinned. "It's great to see you again!"

"You too." Starlight beamed. She and Sunburst had exchanged letters on a regular basis since their reunion, but Sunburst's new status meant he had precious little time to visit. Not only was he Flurry Heart's Crystaller, but he had become something of an unofficial advisor to Shining Armor and Cadance, lending them his vast magical knowledge whenever they required it. "But... what are you doing here?"

"Oh, Princess Cadance invited me along." Sunburst revealed.

"Did she now?" Twilight mused.

"Well, as Flurry Heart's official Crystaller, I thought it would help to have him around." Cadance declared. "You know, just in case."

"Of course." Twilight smirked, not believing that excuse for an instant. She could tell by the sly grin on Cadance's face that she had brought along Sunburst purely for Starlight's sake.

"But until any emergencies arise, Sunburst is free to indulge in any activities he would like to... catching up with an old friend, for example." Cadance grinned.

"Only if it's okay with you, Princess." Sunburst chuckled.

"I can't complain." Starlight smiled at Cadance. "But Twilight did want me to get to you know you a little better..."

"Actually, I think this would make for a good friendship lesson." Twilight declared. "New friendships are wonderful, but you should never let them overshadow your old ones."

"That is a good lesson." Cadance smirked.

"Well, I'd hate to not be an dutiful student." Starlight grinned. "I'll go practice that lesson right now."

"And while you two are catching up, I'll be catching up with my favorite niece." Twilight kissed Flurry Heart on the cheek. "Did you miss your aunt Twily?"

"Gle!" Flurry Heart giggled, reaching for Twilight.

"That sounds like a 'yes' to me." Cadance chuckled.

"Come on, Sunburst." Starlight urged. "Let's not intrude on the family reunion."

"I wouldn't think of it." Sunburst grinned, following Starlight down the corridor.

"Come on, Flurry Heart." Twilight cooed. "Let's go say 'hi' to your uncle Spike."

"Ya!" Flurry Heart squeaked.

While Twilight and her relatives headed back to the kitchen, Starlight and Sunburst went in another direction.

"This castle is quite a labyrinth." Sunburst gazed at all the doors and corridors. "It must be easy to get lost in here."

"Tell me about it." Starlight snorted. "Took me forever to finally figure out where everything was. But don't worry, now I know exactly where we're going."

"That makes one of us." Sunburst chuckled.

"So how are you doing?" Starlight asked. "Being a Crystaller isn't too much for you, is it?"

"Not at all." Sunburst declared. "For now, I mostly just read up on possible magic problems Flurry Heart may encounter as she grows."

"Speaking of which, I'm guessing the little one's parents are having a much easier time thanks to that spell you gave them?" Starlight asked.

"For the most part." Sunburst nodded. "But while Flurry Heart's magic has been restrained, she still has a surprisingly well-developed set of wings at her disposal. More than once, I came by the castle to find her flying around like an overexcited hummingbird. Fortunately, she tires herself out pretty quickly."

"Fortunately for her parents, you mean..." Starlight grinned.

Starlight led Sunburst into the study, where they both took a seat on the coach.

"So many books..." Sunburst smiled as he gazed around.

"Yeah, I figured you'd like it here." Starlight grinned. "Growing up, you always had your nose in a book or a scroll..."

"Yeah." Sunburst smiled. "Those were the days, huh?"

"They were." Starlight smiled. "Just you and me, the best of friends..."

"Hey, remember that one Nightmare Night when we made our own costumes?" Sunburst chuckled.

"Boy, do I." Starlight snorted. "I was Princess Celestia, you were one of the Royal Guard... with armor made out of empty cans."

"A decision I came to regret." Sunburst grimaced. "I used too much metal, and the suit really slowed me down. I didn't get much candy that night..."

"But lucky for you, you had a friend who was willing to share her haul with you." Starlight grinned. "Between us, we ate that candy up in no time."

"We were so sick the next morning." Sunburst chuckled. "We really should have seen that coming..."

"Yeah, we were young and foolish back then." Starlight grinned.

"Not any more." Sunburst noted. "You've really grown into an exceptional mare, Starlight."

"Oh, thanks." Starlight blushed lightly.

"When you first came to my door, I barely even recognised you." Sunburst admitted. "Call me silly, but before that day, I always pictured you still wearing your mane in pigtails. Not to say I don't like your new style..."

"It's more new than you think." Starlight admitted. "I used to have another style after the pigtails, but I changed it. It... just wasn't me any more. Besides, I'd say you've changed more than I have. Just look at you. What happened to that little colt I used to know?"

"I had a growth spurt or two." Sunburst shrugged. "And a bit of a wardobe change." He flapped his wizard cape impressively.

"Nice cape." Starlight rolled her eyes. "Not a fan of the beard, though. No offense, but it looks like you've got another tail growing out of your chin."

"Hey, it pulls the whole look together!" Sunburst said defensively.

"I do like the glasses, though." Starlight admitted. "They make you look... distinguished. Wise, too."

"You really think so?" Sunburst blushed.

"Of course I do." Starlight nodded.

The two old friends smiled at each other awkwardly for a moment.

"So... how's being the student of the Princess of Friendship going?" Sunburst asked.

"Pretty well, actually." Starlight grinned. "I even made a new friend lately. Her name's Trixie, and she's really great. And powerful. And a ton of fun..."

"She's really all that, huh?" Sunburst frowned.

"You're not jealous, are you?" Starlight giggled.

"Of course not." Sunburst snorted. "I'm happy for you, really I am."

"Well, you don't have anything to worry about, anyway." Starlight assured him. "Like Twilight said, I won't let my new friendships overshadow the old ones. Trixie's great, but she travels around Equestria a lot. And even if she didn't, you'd still be my best friend."

"That's good to hear." Sunburst smiled. "I'd hate to lose you again, after we just found each other."

"You'd be okay." Starlight declared. "Not like I was..."

"How do you mean?" Sunburst asked.

"I was so lost without you, Sunburst." Starlight sighed. "When you left, I ended up going into a very dark place. I hurt so many ponies, in pursuit of what I thought was right... Who knows how far I would have fallen if Twilight hadn't managed to talk some sense into me?"

"If I'd known how badly you would have taken me leaving, maybe I wouldn't have been so eager to go to magic school..." Sunburst said regretfully.

"No, don't blame yourself." Starlight told him. "Let's face it, I could have taken you leaving a litle better... or a lot better."

"If only I had stayed in touch, maybe we both could have had a better time of it." Sunburst sighed. "I wanted to write you while I was at magic school, but I couldn't. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I was afraid you wouldn't want to be friends with a failure like me."

"That is ridiculous." Starlight admitted. "I missed you so much. I wouldn't have cared a bit about how you were doing at some dumb school."

"But I did. I knew every spell by heart, but I couldn't perform any to save my life." Sunburst frowned. "To my classmates, I was a joke. An outcast. I didn't belong. And eventually, I decided they were right. I started to distance myself from everypony. In fact, that's why I moved to the Crystal empire in the first place; It was isolated, out of the way, and nopony would know me up there. The perfect place to spend the rest of my life, with just my books and my own sense of inadequacy."

"Oh, Sunburst..." Starlight sighed. "All those years, and it never occurred to me that you could have been as lonely as I was."

"I was more disappointed in myself than lonely." Sunburst admitted. "I really thought I was a failure. That I'd wasted my big opportunity. That I couldn't use my magic knowledge in any way. That I'd end up doing nothing with my life..."

"Hey, look on the bright side: At least you never enslaved an entire village." Starlight joked.

"Well, I guess there is that..." Sunburst grinned in spite of himself.

"Or used a time travel spell to try and ruin six ponies' lives out of spite." Starlight added. "That use of magic is definitely not something to be proud of."

"But I'll bet it was an impressive showing." Sunburst noted. "Even if it was used for the wrong reasons..."

"Yeah." Starlight nodded. "I was actually a little surprised that I managed to pull it off, even with the Tree of Harmony's help..."

"I'm not, though." Sunburst declared. "You always were great at magic. Whenever I showed you a new spell, you seemed to master it right away."

"Funny, I always chalked it up to me having a great teacher." Starlight smiled.

"And I thought it was because you were a great student." Sunburst grinned.

"Maybe I could return the favor sometime." Starlight suggested. "I've picked up a few tricks over the years. Some of them were used for bad stuff, but there are a few helpful spells in there I could show you."

"I'd like that." Sunburst smiled. "Especially since it would mean spending more time with my best friend."

"That is a nice fringe benefit, huh?" Starlight chuckled.

"The best." Sunburst nodded. "But for now, what do you say we have some fun, like old times?" He levitated several books over, forming them into a stack. "Remember this?"

"Like I could ever forget." Starlight smiled. It was during one of their book-stacking games that Sunburst gained his Cutie Mark, setting in motion the events that led to the present. "Let's just hope you don't have to save me this time..."

"Oh, you'll need saving, alright." Sunburst grinned. "I always was great at this."

"Since when?" Starlight joked.

"Since always." Sunburst smirked.

"Prove it." Starlight urged.

"With pleasure." Sunburst nodded. Using his magic, he pulled one book out of the stack, and placed on top. "Your turn."

"It's been a while, but..." Starlight moved another book. "Heh. Still got it."

They went back and a forth for a while, until, on Sunburst's turn, the stack came tumbling down.

"Ooh!" Starlight nudged him playfully. "Guess you're not as great as you remember, huh?"

"You're not the only one who's rusty, you know." Sunburst pouted, adjusting his glasses, which had slipped down his muzzle. "Rematch?"

"You're on." Starlight grinned.

They actually indulged in several rematches, but more for fun than for competitiveness. Playing their childhood home brought back such fond memories, neither felt like they could ever stop. But as their fifth game in a row ended, there was a knock on the door, which opened moments later to reveal Cadance carrying Flurry Heart.

"I'm afraid it's time we headed back, Sunburst." She announced.

"I understand, Princess." Sunburst nodded.

"Guess we'll have to call this one a tie." Starlight shrugged. "I'll get you next time, though."

"In your dreams..." Sunburst chuckled.

Starlight, Twilight and Spike walked their visitors to the front door.

"Thanks for the wonderful visit, Twilight." Cadance smiled.

"I should be thanking you." Twilight grinned. "Seeing my sister-in-law and favorite niece makes for a pretty great day. Right, Spike?"

"Yeah, sure..." Spike cringed, as Flurry Heart gummed on his head frills.

"Come on, little lady." Cadance picked up her daughter. "Time to go home and see daddy."

"Dada!" Flurry Heart squealed.

"Come back, soon." Twilight hugged Cadance and nuzzled Flurry Heart. "Aunt Twily will be waiting."

"Twi!" Flurry Heart giggled.

"It was really great to spend time with you again, Starlight." Sunburst smiled.

"You too." Starlight nodded. "Let's just hope Princess Cadance needs you to come down with her again next time."

"You know, just because you're Flurry Heart's Crystaller doesn't mean you can't take a day off once in a while." Cadance told Sunburst.

"Really, Princess?" Sunburst grinned.

"Of course." Cadance nodded.

"And Starlight, I wouldn't object if you took a break from your studies to see Sunburst every so often." Twilight added. "You are studying friendship, after all. What better way to learn than from experience?"

"Thanks, Twilight." Starlight grinned. "I'll keep that in mind."

"So will I." Sunburst nodded. "But I'll still write whenever I can."

"You'd better." Starlight joked.

The two old friends hugged each other goodbye.

"See you soon." Sunburst declared.

"Not soon enough." Starlight beamed.

Cadance, Sunburst and Flurry Heart soon departed.

"Bah!" Flurry Heart waved.

"Bye!" Twilight waved back.

Once their visitors were out of sight, Twilight, Starlight and Spike went back inside.

"Great day, huh?" Spike asked.

"The best." Starlight grinned. "It was so nice to just catch up with Sunburst without some catastrophe interrupting things."

"Welcome to my world." Twilight chuckled. "Now, how about lunch?"

"Sounds good to me." Spike smirked.

"I could eat." Starlight nodded. "Nostalgia makes me surprisingly hungry."

As they made their way to the kitchen for lunch, Starlight continued to reflect on how great it was to have Sunburst back in her life. As wonderful as Twilight and the others were, having her first friend with her again gave her a warm feeling, unmatched by any other. She was already awaiting their next meeting with joyful anticipation. A meeting that could be sooner than she thought...

Comments

[Panzerzerstorer 1]

"You too." Starlight beamed. She and Sunburst had exchanged letters on a regular basis since their reunion, but Sunburst's new status meant he had precious little time to visit. Not only was he Flurry Heart's Crystaller, but he had become something of an unofficial advisor to Shining Armor and Cadance, lending them his vast magical knowledge whenever they required it. "But... what are you doing here?"
"Oh, Princess Cadance invited me along." Sunburst revealed.
"Did she now?" Twilight mused.
"Well, as Flurry Heart's official Crystaller, I thought it would help to have him around." Cadance declared. "You know, just in case."
"Of course." Twilight smirked, not believing that excuse for an instant. She could tell by the sly grin on Cadance's face that she had brought along Sunburst purely for Starlight's sake.

Cadance, you sly little shipper-of-an-alicorn, that's an underhanded move. Though I like where this is going.... *smirk*

[OmniFox]

Are you curious what Twilight, Cadence, Spike, and Flurry Heart are up to while the awkward lovers doing there thing?

Please make it happened!!!

[Bluecatcinema]

7375621 I didn't really see much of a story there, to be honest. With Flurry Heart's powers under control, and her being under the watchful eyes of her mother and aunt, she couldn't get up to that much mischief.

[OmniFox]

7375890 Babies have funny, adorable moments.

[Sky Blazer]

Whether they're called SunGlimmer or even Starburst, one thing is certain:media.giphy.com/media/RpqSdirqOryI8/giphy.gif

[superfun]

"Well, I'd hate to not be an dutigul student."

I think you meant "dutiful".

You're not the only who's rusty, you know

Missing "one" or "pony" between those two.

Overall a very sweet and entertaining chapter.