Tales Of Friendship

by Bluecatcinema

Not What I Expected

Within Twilight's castle, Starlight was in her room, relaxing after a hard day's work. She had helped quite a few students in need of guidance counseling, several of which had put her skills to the test.

'Seems like only yesterday that I was complaining about not having enough work...' She thought, noting the irony.

Just then, there was a knock at her bedroom door.

"Come in!" Starlight answered.

The door opened, and Spike entered the room.

"Hey, Starlight." He smiled, holding an envelope in his claw. "You got a letter."

"Thanks, Spike." Starlight replied, using her magic to bring the letter over and open it.

Dear Starlight,

Good news. Shining Armor and Cadance are taking Flurry Heart to visit her grandparents this weekend, which means I'll be free to drop by Ponyville for a visit. If it's not a good time, let me know. If it is, I'll meet you at the train station at noon on Saturday. I hope to see you soon.

Your friend, Sunburst

"So?" Spike urged. "Don't leave me in suspense!"

"It's from Sunburst." Starlight rolled her eyes. "He want to drop by and visit this weekend."

"That's nice." Spike declared. "Haven't seen him since the map called the two of you for that mission a while back."

"I know." Starlight nodded. "We've both been so busy, we've barely gotten any time to hang out." She took out a fresh piece of paper. "I'm gonna write back and let him know it's all clear for him to drop by right away."

"Cool." Spike nodded. "By the way, dinner's be ready in an hour. Daisy salad with a side of my famous nachos."

"Mmm." Starlight grinned as she readied a quill. "Can't wait."

As Spike left the room, Starlight started writing her confirmation letter.

Dear Sunburst,

I'll be glad to see you this weekend. In fact, I'm always glad to see you. Things have been pretty busy lately, and I'd love to spend my weekend with you. I'll be waiting for you at the train station, just like always.

Until then, your friend always, Starlight.

Putting away the quill, Starlight placed the reply in a spare envelope.

'One hour until dinner.' She recalled. 'Should be just enough time to get this down to the post office...'

Starlight departed her room and the castle, set to have the letter delivered as quickly as possible.

'This day just got better.' She thought.

That Saturday, Starlight made her way down to the train station, eagerly awaiting Sunburst's arrival. There were some other ponies waiting for the train also, though if you were to ask Starlight, she'd claim that none of them would be as happy to see it arrive as she was.

She was so excited at the prospect of seeing Sunburst again, she felt like jumping for joy... if there weren't so many ponies around. Still, there was a definite spring in her step as she paced around the station.

'Almost noon.' She thought, observing a nearby clock. 'The train should be here any minute now...'

At precisely one-and-a-half minutes past noon (a particularly agonizing one-and-a-half minutes for Starlight), the Crystal Empire train rolled into the station. Starlight could barely contain herself as the doors opened, and the passengers disembarked, keeping her eyes open for Sunburst.

"Starlight!" Sunburst waved as he emerged from crowd.

"Sunburst!" Starlight smiled.

As the crowd thinned out, both Unicorns ran to meet each other, sharing their customary hug.

"Is it just me, or is the noon train from the Crystal Empire getting slower?" Starlight asked.

"I was thinking the same thing on the way here." Sunburst chuckled. "I have half a mind to have a word with the conductor on the way back."

"At least you're here now." Starlight grinned.

"Of course I am." Sunburst nodded. "I'd never miss a chance to hang out with my oldest friend."

As he said this, Sunburst used his magic to bring out a couple of suitcases (filled with books, naturally).

"Guess you decided to travel light this time, huh?" Starlight joked.

"Very funny." Sunburst rolled his eyes. "There's a chance that I might have overpacked last time I was here. You know, when I was on non-friendship mission business?"

"Maybe a slight chance." Starlight teased. "But you're getting better. Maybe next time, you could get it down to one-and-a-half suitcases?"

"Anything's possible." Sunburst smiled. "But for now, let's stay in the present."

"You got it." Starlight nodded.

The two headed back to Twilight's castle, sharing small talk along the way.

"So, how have things been since our little trip back home?" Starlight asked.

"Well, I've gotten a little less letters from my mother." Sunburst noted. "Guess our little talk had an effect on her..."

"And my dad's all but stopped calling me 'pumpky-wumpkin'." Starlight declared. "In public, at least."

Sunburst couldn't help snickering.

"Laugh it up, momma's boy." Starlight retorted, giving him a playful nudge. "I'll bet she hasn't stopped trying to cut that beard of yours, huh?"

"Unfortunately, no." Sunburst admitted. "But she won't be succeeding any time soon." He stroke his beard with a hoof. "I didn't go to all the trouble of growing this beard just to cut it off."

"I like it." Starlight shrugged. "Really fits the whole 'wizard' look you've got gong on."

"Thanks." Sunburst smiled.

As they neared Twilight's castle, Sunburst took notice of the nearby School of Friendship.

"That School sure is impressive." He declared.

"You're just noticing that now?" Starlight frowned. "You have seen it before, remember?"

"That was when I was called by the map." Sunburst pointed out. "I was a little too excited about going on my first friendship mission to actually notice my surroundings. Honestly, from leaving my house to reaching Twilight's castle, the whole thing was just one big blur." He gave the school another look. "Not quite as big as Celestia's school, but definitely more charming, and unique."

"Well, it is a friendship school." Starlight pointed. "By its very nature, it has to be unique."

"Come to think of it, I heard something about a friendship University opening over in Las Pegasus last month." Sunburst admitted. "Whatever happened to that?"

"Long story." Starlight declared, having heard about what had happened to it from Twilight. "Bottom line: this school's back to being the only one."

"I see." Sunburst adjusted his glasses. "I trust things have been going well so far?"

"Well... Mostly." Starlight said awkwardly. "There have been some ups and downs, but the school's still standing, still going. And Twilight and the others are doing a great job teaching."

"I suppose Twilight has something of an advantage there." Sunburst noted. "It's not the first time she's tried her hoof at teaching, is it?"

"Nope." Starlight agreed. "And having been her student myself, I'd say those kids are pretty lucky to have a teacher like her."

"They're lucky to have a guidance counselor like you, too." Sunburst smiled.

"Guidance Counselor Starlight." Starlight mused. "I think it's safe to say I never imagined my life going down that particular path."

"Join the club." Sunburst grinned. "I never saw myself becoming a Crystaller until it actually happened."

"From Sire's Hollow to all this." Starlight declared. "Looks like fate had bigger plans in store for us than either of us could have imagined."

"As long as those plans involved us rekindling our friendship, I have no complaints." Sunburst declared.

"Hear, hear." Starlight beamed. "If you want a closer look, I could give you a tour of the school after we drop off your luggage."

"That would be wonderful." Sunburst nodded. "I hope there's enough room for my books."

"Oh, don't worry." Starlight smirked. "I made sure there's be room for twice as many books."

"Thinking ahead, eh?" Sunburst grinned. "That's new."

"Ha, ha, real funny." Starlight nudged him again. "Just for that, I'm giving you the quick tour."

"Ouch." Sunburst chuckled. "Teach me not to mess with the great Guidance Counselor Starlight, huh?"

"Don't worry, I forgive you." Starlight winked. "Now come on. These books are starting to get heavy."

"Right behind you." Sunburst nodded.

After entering the castle and depositing the books in the guest room, Starlight and Sunburst decided to have some lunch. It was nothing fancy, just some daffodil and daisy sandwiches.

"Where's Twilight?" Sunburst asked between bites.

"Grading some tests." Starlight answered. "She is really taking this Headmare thing seriously. Then again, this is Twilight we're talking about. Anything scholarly, she takes super seriously."

"I'd expect no less of her." Sunburst declared.

"Yeah." Starlight nodded. "She just wouldn't be Twilight otherwise."

"And Spike?" Sunburst asked.

"Having a fire-breathing contest with Smolder." Starlight declared. "She's a dragon student at the school."

"That's nice." Sunburst smiled. "It'll be good for Spike to interact with another dragon."

"Those two do seem to have hit it off." Starlight nodded. "They have those contests all the time."

"I hope there haven't been any accidental burnings." Sunburst frowned.

"Not so far." Starlight shrugged. "They seem to know what they're doing."

"So I'm guessing Smolder is a good student?" Sunburst asked.

"They all are." Starlight nodded. "Some are a little rough around the edges, but they're all good kids at heart."

"Good thing they have a guidance counselor to help smooth out those rough edges." Sunburst added. "You must have helped a lot of them, right?"

"Not at first." Starlight admitted. "For a while, no students seemed to need guidance. I felt like I wasn't needed at all..."

"I'm sorry." Sunburst comforted her.

"It's okay." Starlight assured him. "Things got better. First one student came to me for guidance, then more, and more. Some days, I have back-to-back counseling sessions. I almost have more problems than I know how to fix. Careful what you wish for, right?"

"Tell me about it." Sunburst grinned. "Being the Crystal Empire's 'big, import wizard' has it's downsides too. Just last week, I had somepony asking about what kind of spell to use in order to get the right kind of sheen on a Crystal Ewe's coat. That took longer than you'd think. By the end of it, I felt like I'd never want to see wool ever again!"

The two shared a chuckle. Moments later, Twilight entered the dining room, her mane slightly dishevelled from her work.

"Afternoon, Princess Twilight." Sunburst greeted her.

"Hello, Sunburst." Twilight smiled. "Starlight told me you'd be visiting today. Hope your visit's been going okay so far."

"Well, I haven't been here too long, but yes." Sunburst nodded. "Starlight was just telling me all about your school, and how hard it can be to teach."

"It is tough sometimes." Twilight admitted. "But teaching others how to be better friends is more than enough of a reward."

"And that's why you're the Princess of Friendship." Starlight noted. "After lunch, I'm going to give Sunburst a tour of the school. You wanna come with?"

"I'd like to, but I have to get lunch myself." Twilight declined. "Not to mention I still need to put together next week's lesson plan. I haven't quite decided between a field trip to Canterlot, or one to Appleloosa..."

"I'm sure you'll work it out." Starlight smiled. "You always do."

"But first, a little brain food." Twilight departed, her new destination being the kitchen. "Hope you enjoy the tour, Sunburst!"

"With this tour guide, how could I not?" Sunburst said fondly.

"Oh, I get it." Starlight smirked. "Trying to butter me up into giving you the long tour? Nice try."

"Can't blame a stallion for trying, can you?" Sunburst teased.

"Watch me." Starlight joked.

After finishing lunch, Starlight led Sunburst through the School of Friendship. Since it was Saturday, most of the students were out, either enjoying their weekend in Ponyville, or having fun in the surrounding areas. Starlight showed Sunburst each of the classrooms, at the same time regaling him with stories of life at the school.

"...And then I lost my temper, and banished him." Starlight declared, part-way through detailing one such tale.

"Wow, you really banished Discord, the Spirit of Chaos?" Sunburst gaped.

"Yep." Starlight nodded. "Not that it was much help."

"How do you mean?" Sunburst asked.

"The spell only banished his body." Starlight recalled. "He was able to still cause trouble as a spirit. In the end, it took some good old guidance counselor talk to straighten things out."

"It's still very impressive, though." Sunburst pointed out. "I can't think of many ponies who could handle Discord like that."

"That was nothing." Starlight scoffed. "You should see how Fluttershy handles a Discord temper tantrum. Now that is impressive."

"I'll take your word for it." Sunburst said weakly. "I don't think I could stand to watch a Discord temper tantrum..."

"It's not pretty, that's for sure." Starlight admitted. "Thankfully, those are few and far between. Most of the time, he's not that bad. A little annoying, but not so bad."

"Again, I'll have to take your word for it." Sunburst repeated.

Not long after, they arrived at Starlight's office.

"And this is where the 'magic' happens." Starlight smiled.

"Your own office." Sunburst looked around. "Funny how being the royal Crystaller doesn't get me an office of my own..."

"Guess being a close personal friend of the Headmare has its perks." Starlight joked.

"And you've helped so many students within these walls." Sunburst declared.

"Not just students." Starlight declared. "Not so long ago, Rainbow Dash and Rarity had a falling out, and both came to me for guidance... at the same time."

"That must have been tough." Sunburst surmized.

"You have no idea." Starlight rolled her eyes. "I needed some serious back-up to solve that problem. Me, Twilight and Spike actually faked the theft of a magical artefact in order to get those two to work together again."

"Now that's an unconventional technique." Sunburst noted.

"Well, this is an unconventional school." Starlight pointed out. "And something tells me it won't be the last problem around here that requires an unconventional solution."

"If anypony can put together unconventional solutions, it's you." Sunburst smiled. "You've always had a knack for thinking outside the box.

"Thanks." Starlight said bashfully. "Guess a place like this is where that kind of skill really comes in useful. It can be tough at times, but helping those troubled students really gives me a warm feeling in my heart. You wouldn't get that at any other school..."

"Speaking of which: On the inside, this school is even more impressive than I imagined." Sunburst declared, looking around once more. "Enlightening and educating young minds truly is a noble calling. I have to admit, I'm a little jealous of you all."

"Well, if you ever have some spare time, I'm sure Twilight and the others wouldn't mind having you as a guest teacher." Starlight offered. "I sure wouldn't."

"Really?!" Sunburst smiled.

"If you think you're up for the challenge, that is." Starlight grinned.

"That would be great!" Sunburst cheered. He hugged his old friend. "Thank you!"

"What are friends for?" Starlight hugged him back. "Seriously, some of the school essays revolve around that question."

"Of course they do." Sunburst rolled his eyes as they broke the hug. "I'll have to put together some notes when I get home..."

"Or better yet, I'll lend you some of my notes from when I was a friendship student." Starlight offered. "That should help point you in the right direction."

"I'm sure they will." Sunburst beamed. "Thanks again, Starlight."

"Any time." Starlight nodded.

The tour complete, Starlight and Sunburst returned to the castle for some relaxation, reading, and eventually, dinner. That evening, they, along with Twilight and Spike, played the 'full-size pony' version of Dragon Pit Sunburst had envisioned during his last non-map mission to Ponyville together. Sunburst won, though only by a small margin.

"Way to go, Sunburst!" Spike smiled.

"Nice move!" Twilight added.

"Thanks." Sunburst nodded, removing his dragon costume.

"I almost had you on that sixth dice throw, though." Starlight declared, also removing her costume.

"You sure did." Sunburst admitted. "Good to see all that guidance counselor work hasn't made you rusty."

"Like I'd ever lose my edge when it comes to this game." Starlight boasted. "Just you wait, I'll win next time."

"I look forward to it." Sunburst smirked.

The next day, Starlight and Sunburst, after taking some time in the morning to walk around Ponyville and enjoy the sights together, returned to the train station.

"As always, I had a great." Sunburst smiled, patiently waited for the train. "Until next time, Guidance Counselor Starlight."

"Sooner rather than later, Crystaller Sunburst." Starlight chuckled. "And I promise I'll have a chat with Twilight about getting you that guest teacher spot. Expect a letter on the matter very soon."

"Sooner rather than later." Sunburst knowingly repeated her words.

Once the train back to the Crystal Empire rolled in, the two childhood friends shared one last hug before Sunburst boarded. He waved to Starlight out of the window as the train continued its journey north. Starlight waved back, missing him already.

'And tomorrow, it's back to being a guidance counselor at the one and only School of Friendship.' Starlight thought. 'The job destiny led me to. The job I wouldn't trade for anything...'

Starlight made her way back to the castle, already looking forward to Sunburst's next visit.

Comments

[SuperSonicHeroes]

Starlight and Sunburst are so cute together. It is pretty amazing to see how far they have come when they look back on how they started.