From the day she laid her eyes on the light blue unicorn with the yellow star cutie mark, Sunray knew that Starlight was going to be her best friend and much more. She knew that this unicorn was going to be great; that this unicorn was going somewhere; that this unicorn would make a difference, well, to her at least.
This theory of hers was further justified when Starlight graduated as Valedictorian of her elementary school, middle school, and high school class. She excelled in every subject presented to her, as well as many more that she pursued in her own time. Naturally, she was awarded and praised by her family, friends and peers.
However, Sunray knew that this wasn't enough for Starlight: every time she received a perfect score or a reward, her eyes were always empty. This habit continued throughout their years together, but on their high school graduation day, after they had received their diplomas, Sunray finally asked her best friend about this trend.
"Do you not like the rewards? Do you not like the praise?"
"I do like those things," Starlight replied, "really, I do. It is just that they are not what I am looking for. They do help me towards my goal, but ultimately they are nothing if I do not reach my goal."
"Well, what is your goal?" asked Sunray.
Starlight turned to her friend; her eyes glistened with a childish comfort when she stared into Sunray's eyes. "Do you promise not to make humor of my dream?" she asked.
Sunray tilted her head in reaction to the question, "Why would I?"
"This dream of mine, this energy that has been powering all of my actions, is very ridiculous."
"How so?"
"Well, my dream is..."
Sunray leaned closer to her friend. "Your dream is...?"
Starlight took a deep breath before letting out her guilty motive. "My dream is to become an alicorn!"
Silence stood between the two friends. Sunray tried to process the input her ears had just received. In her mind, she acknowledged that the ideal was very childish. Every mare in her lifetime had once had that dream: to take the gracious form of the princess as her own. What is more is what most mares truly longed for after becoming a princess: the luxurious life of a royal, meeting and socializing with most of society's beautiful and wealthy ponies, and having the entirety of Equestria revolve around her.
"I fail to see you perception of this dream; it is childish, but I do not believe it to be ridiculous," she told her friend.
"It is!" her friend replied.
"Then please, tell me what of it is ridiculous."
"What is ridiculous about this goal is the fact that it is all I am! When people see me, they see me as a star that shines in the night sky; a star that is admired and followed and expected to be sophisticated and elegant. In reality, I am nothing more than a firefly who lives on the instincts he had been born with." Tears welled up in Starlight's eyes. "Why admire a star who is living off of a childish mentality?"
Sunray wrapped her hooves around Starlight and embraced her. "Is that all? I do not know how others would take it, but I think of it as inspiring." Sunray released Starlight and asked "You like that dream, do you not?"
Starlight nodded.
"Then what is the matter? I say, if that is what you truly want, then strive for it, no matter how crazy it sounds." Sunray placed a hoof on Starlight's hooves, "And, I promise you, I will be there with you to help you get there."
"You will?" asked Starlight sheepishly as she wiped her eyes.
"Yes. Honestly, after hearing that, I want you to be an alicorn. Just imagine it: an inspiring tale of a unicorn who followed her dream to become an alicorn and reached it."
"The little unicorn that did."
The mares released a stream of giggles, each enjoying the sound of joy the other made. From this, Sunray's theory about Starlight was now law: Starlight will make a difference, and Sunray was going to make sure that she did.
-
It dazzled them both. The sight of the princess being a measly five feet away from them dazzled them. The experience was truly different from seeing the princess from afar: you could actually feel the warmth of the radiance the princess gave off. Each step she took made the mares shake more violenty under their gowns. The princess approached them and gave them their diplomas.
"I am pleased to give you your certificates. Congratulations, Starlight and Sunray. You have both graduated from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns as Valedictorians. Through your hard work and dedication to the study of magic, I am pleased to say that the entire school and I are very proud of you."
Every word she spoke shook the hearts of the mares. Sunray's head was quickly gaining heat, which can be seen as her head turned more red than the shade of her already red fur. Starlight simply stared in awe at the princess. The princess held out their diplomas with her magic, but the mares were still sunstruck. After a brief moment of awkwardness, Starlight and Sunray gathered what little composure they had left and took the diplomas with their magic. A huge applause came from the crowd.
-
After the ceremony had finished, Sunray caught Starlight staring at the princess. "Approach her," she advised her friend.
"Do you think that she will think of me strange after what I will ask her?"
"What do you intend on asking her?"
Starlight looked at the floor and played with her hooves. "I want to gain knowledge from her about her alicornhood. I want to know how she became one."
"I do not think of that strange. It is just curiosity, after all."
"But... it is just not curiosity," Starlight said, turning her head towards the princess. "It is now desire. It is now the key to my lifelong dream!"
"With that motive in mind, I assume that she will think of you suspicious." Sunray walked past Starlight and headed to the princess. "How about I ask her in your stead?"
"You will? Thank you."
Sunray focused on the princess and started to move her hooves, but her location had not changed. She tried trotting, but she still remained in place.
"Uh, what is the matter?" asked Starlight.
Sunray looked at her hooves and noticed that they had locked in place. "Oh, well, you know, I am just a bit nervous, is all," she said with a shaky voice.
Sunray took a deep breath and slowly moved her hooves. This time, her position was changing. With every step, Sunray could feel the princess's radiance become more intense. By the time she had reached the princess, Sunray was practically sweating bullets. She straightened her posture, took a deep breath and, with a squeaky voice, called out to the princess.
The princess turned to her, the simple motion made elegant by the princess's figure as well as the smoothness of the movement. "Yes, Valedictorian Sunray?" asked the princess, the sound of her voice making the already nervous unicorn's legs wobble.
"I-I have something to ask of you, i-if that is okay, your highness."
"Please, ask away."
"H-how did you come to be an alicorn, your highness? A colleague of mine and I have studied the history of Equestria and can find no explanation regarding the beginning of your and your sister's alicornhood."
The princess, for a split second, made a face, but the face was difficult to catch for Sunray. A few seconds passed before the princess gave a reply. "I came to be an alicorn when I was born. All the other princesses were alicorns by birth as well, as it is the only natural way to be an alicorn."
Sunray's anxiety was washed away and replaced with sadness. "R-really? That sounds so fascinating."
"Thank you. I find it fascinating as well. Was there anything else you wish to know?" The princess's tone seemed different when she asked the question, but Sunray could not catch it.
"N-nope. Nothing else, your highness. Thank you for your time." Sunray forced a smile on her face and went back Starlight, a heavy storm looming on her heart. She saw Starlight waiting for her, a huge grin on her face. The storm in Sunray's heart, after seeing her friend, became worse.
"What did she say?" asked Starlight.
Sunray gazed into Starlight's eyes; they were sparkling, similar to the time when Starlight had revealed to her her guilty motive. "I...I am deeply sorry, my friend."
-
Sunray's and Starlight's fascination with magic had led them to become professors at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. For the next twelve years, they continued their research and experiments regarding many aspects of magic.
In this time frame, Starlight developed and perfected the MST, Multi-Spell Technique, which allows a unicorn to cast two or more different spells simultaneously at any instant and for however long the unicorn wants. This revolutionary development created a new branch in the study of magic. It also recognized her as one of the most skilled unicorns in the history of Equestria; some even argue that she comes into par with Clover the Clever and even Starswirl the Bearded himself.
Sunray, on the other hoof, was more involved and interested in the teaching aspect of being a professor rather than being as deep into magic research as her dear friend. Helping and teaching others made Sunray feel happy. As a result of her passion and efforts, she was well loved by her pupils as well as her fellow peers and co-workers in the school. During this time frame, a lavender unicorn filly caught Sunray's eyes.
"Her name is Twilight Sparkle," Sunray mentioned to Starlight during dinner one evening. "I must say, students like her are very rare; you do not often see young ones being deeply interested in complex subjects let alone magic."
"That description reminds me of a couple of unicorns." Starlight finished the rest of her dinner and used her magic to place her plate in the sink.
Sunray released a giggle. "I know, I know. However, I feel different about her; she has this sort of passion, one that I have never seen before. If you met her, I would wager that you would agree with me fully."
"Well, I would love to, but, you know me, research."
"Yes, yes; research, research."
A moment of silence stood between the two. Starlight proceeded to clean the kitchen and headed towards her laboratory in a slow and cautious manner. Sunray watched this phenomenon as she finished her food. Her friend began to spend a majority of her time in her laboratory two years ago. Initially, this habit would occur only once a month; now, it was occurring every single day. Along with this habit, Sunray had noticed that Starlight brought more and more equipment to her laboratory.
Sunray went on to clean the table. "You have been in your laboratory very often, more often than usual," Sunray turned and noticed Starlight quietly opening the door to the laboratory," and, recently, I often see you bring biology apparatus in there. Just out of curiosity, but what kind of MAGIC experiment requires biology apparatus?"
Starlight froze. "This current experiment...requires...interaction with and analysis of effects on living organisms..." she said with her back turned to Sunray.
The cautious tone Starlight gave when she made her explanation was caught by Sunray. "What are you working on?"
Starlight turned to face Sunray, but her eyes were looking somewhere else. "I...uh..."
Sunray walked closer to Starlight. "Well?"
Another brief moment of silence stood between the two. Starlight was shaking and sweating while simultaneously processing a response. Sunray stood in front of her friend with patience; this was not new to her, considering she had dealt with students who were very lazy with their work.
The light blue unicorn gave a sigh. "I do not wish to lie, especially to you."
The red unicorn's head straightened up. "Then do not. You have that choice."
The light blue unicorn turned her head towards her laboratory door. "But the truth is horrifying."
The red unicorn's eyes narrowed. "Not as horrible as lying."
The light blue unicorn closed her eyes. "Do you wish to see for yourself?"
The red unicorn tilted her head, her eyes still narrowed. "Why do you avoid explaining yourself?"
Starlight looked at Sunray, a dark look masking her face. "Once you have seen my deeds, you will know why."
Both mares approached the laboratory door. Starlight prepared to use her magic to open the door, but before she did, she looked at Sunray. Sunray returned with a comforting look, the sort of look that made one forget about their worries. This, however, had the opposite effect on Starlight: her heart felt heavier and started to beat faster. Starlight lowered her head and opened the door.
Inside the room was a standard magic laboratory: the walls were lined with oak shelves that were filled with magic tomes and jars filled with different metals, the middle contained a magic circle designed to adjust the magnitude of spells and the wall facing the door contained oak cubbies with numerous papers and scrolls that were filled with research notes. On the left side of the room was table with numerous biology apparatus on it and an object that was covered with a blanket.
When she notice them, Sunray gasped. "W-why are they covered in blood?!"
Starlight hesitated to move, but she forced herself to walk towards the table and levitate the blanket off the hidden object. "This is why."
What the blanket covered was a dead bird whose body had been dissected. Most of the openings on the bird's body were around the joints that connected the wings to the bird's main body. The rest of the bird was untouched but were covered in blood.
"This is what you have been working on?!" Sunray's tone rose in volume and emotional prowess. She approached the table and observed the bird. Her face turned pale and her body shook with fear. "...how many?"
"...eleven..." Starlight replied solemnly.
Silence stood between the two. Violent emotions raged within Sunray. The proof of her friend's dark acts not only disgusted her, it also made her feel foolish; she should have kept an eye on Starlight all these years, and this was the price she was paying for not doing so. Sunray raised a hoof and punched Starlight on the left side of her face. The contact made a loud noise and sent Starlight to the floor. Starlight regained her posture and rubbed the area that had been hit. Tears snuck out of the eyes of both the mares.
Starlight released a small cough. "I-I warned you..."
Sunray's face scrunched. "Why..?" Her voice was shaking and her eyes were flooding.
The light blue unicorn released another cough before answering. "...my dream-"
"HOW DOES THIS HELP THAT!?!?", yelled Sunray. The red unicorn stomped her hoof on the floor; the energy from the stomp released a spark from the magic circle. "Have you gone mad?!"
"Maybe I have!!" Starlight shouted back. Her eyes were now staring at Sunray's, both piercing the other with hot knives. "After learning what the princess said to you, I became lost! All my life, I had worked hard to reach my goal! Now, I have no way of getting to it! Do you know how it feels to have your sole purpose in the world be denied to you after everything you've done!?"
Sunray wiped the tears from her eyes. "No, I do not." Her voice was still shaking, but she forced herself to maintain a clear tone. "However, that does not justify your actions regarding the current issue. There is no legitimate reason for one to take the life of another. And even if you say that you acquired them already dead, that still does not allow you to meddle with their corpses. The issue is not about your dream anymore, it is about your morals." She walked closer to Starlight and placed a hoof on the area she punched. "Do you intend on going this way? Is this how you want to achieve your dream?"
Starlight closed her eyes, quivered her lip and dropped her body to the floor. "I do not know! Oh Celestia! What have I done!? Oh Celestia! What do I do!?" The sound of her crying and wailing echoed throughout the house.
Sunray's heart ached more and more at the sight of her friend. She wanted to comfort her, but she also knew that that would not do Starlight any good. Conflicted, she rationalized her thoughts. "I will not stop you from doing these experiments, but I will ask that you reflect on yourself whenever you decide on performing more." She made her way towards the laboratory's door. "I hope that you make a truthful decision." With a heavy atmosphere, and a heavy conscience, Sunray left the room and went to bed.
The following day, on her way to the school, Sunray noticed a pile of boxes outside the house. Right next to the pile were a series of mounds. At the sight of the spectacle, Sunray gave a small smile.
-
"What joyous news this is!" announced Starlight.
It was a bright summer day and they were both reading the newspaper on their front porch. The entirety of Equestria was abuzz with the most revolutionary event to ever occur in modern history.
"Not only were the Elements of Harmony recovered, but Princess Luna has also returned!" said Sunray cheerfully.
"Who would have known that your student was the key player in all of this."
"I told you that she was different. However, I can see your point: Twilight was not the most sociable student I had taught. To think that she saved all of us by making friends..."
"A miracle, I would say. But in my opinion, I believe that the Elements were the most important aspect in this event. Without them, they would not have saved Princess Luna let alone all of us."
"But in order to control them, Twilight needed the help of others."
"True, true."
Starlight settled down her paper and looked up at the sky: it was clear and one could see the numerous rainbows the pegasi have made in celebration of the event. "Do you think that she will be great? That she will go somewhere? That she will make a difference?"
Sunray turned to her friend with a curious look. "Why do you ask?"
"Twilight reminds me of us: obsessed with magic and always studying. I feel like I have lost to her in some way."
Sunray gave a small smile and placed her hoof on Starlight's shoulder. This seemed nostalgic to her, seeing Starlight like this: the uneasiness, the anxiety and the cautiousness regarding the future, all of it just seemed to tick within Sunray's mind. "Now now, do not be like that. Comparing yourself to a student is silly. I believe that she will go far, but I do not believe that she has outmatched you. I mean, who was it that invented a revolutionary magic technique that opened up a new branch in the study of magic?"
Starlight blushed slightly. "Well, when you put it that way..."
"See? There is nothing to worry about." Sunray rose from the porch and headed inside the house. "Now, come. We must prepare our reports for Princess Celestia."
-
For the next two years, Equestria witnessed the many feats of Twilight Sparkle and her deeds in Ponyville, as well as her deeds in other places. With each, the news praised Twilight Sparkle for her actions.
Sunray and Starlight kept track of Twilight's progress as much as they could, only missing a select few events. Whenever they hear or read about Twilight, the two unicorns couldn't help but feel proud: Sunray being proud for seeing her former student excel and Starlight for seeing the strength of Twilight's courage.
This trend that the two unicorns practiced lasted for two years until one day, arguably the most monumental day in all of Equestrian history, presented the latest, most revolutionary feat Twilight Sparkle had ever done.
Starlight had taken the day off of work to finish the rest of her book regarding the MST. Sunray, having no classes to teach that day, offered to teach in Starlight's stead, knowing the other's teaching style and targeted subject area very well. At around noon, Sunray was walking around the campus with some students, chatting about other professors as well as some ordinary gossip.
"If you ask me, professor, Ms. Starlight is too obsessed with the MST, " said a purple unicorn mare. "When she tried to teach it to us, none of us could follow her descriptions about it let alone her instructions on how to do it."
Sunray released a small giggle. "I agree that Ms. Starlight may not be the best teacher, but she does try her best to convey her ideas. Having known her for a long time, I am an expert in interpreting her vocabulary and language. So, if you ever have trouble, you are always free to ask me help."
A yellow unicorn mare released an exaggerated sigh. "Thank you, ma'am. I've been struggling in her class for the last few weeks! If I had known about this, I bet I'd be at the top of the class right now!"
"But that won't guarantee in you passing the class though," interrupted a brown unicorn stallion. "Thirty percent of your class grade comes from being able to perform the technique in finals. I've been stuck on just trying to perform two at a time but I've heard that to get the complete thirty percent, you'll need to be able to perform four!"
"Goodness, that's tough!"
"Absolutely!"
The purple unicorn mare turned to Sunray. "Ma'am, is there any way you could persuade Ms. Starlight to lower the number of spells we need to use with the MST for our finals?" she asked nervously. "As you've heard, we're really struggling with it and trying our best but there's just no way we can cast four!"
Sunray stopped in her tracks and placed a hoof on her chin. She knew that Starlight's classes were very challenging, but she never really heard about this kind of problem in it. However, she also knew that these students were trying their best and, if what they were saying was true, that the criteria for the final did seem unfair. "I'll see what I can do about that."
"Thank you so much, Ms. Sunray!" said the unicorns in unison.
Sunray released another giggle. Suddenly, the group's atmosphere was interrupted by the shouting of the newspaper pegasi flying above in the campus.
"Breaking News! Breaking News! Read all about it!"
A Pegasus threw a newspaper at Sunray's group. The rest of the group cowered in fear of being hit by the newspaper, but Sunray stood still and caught the newspaper with her magic. After the students checked the sky for the clear, they released a sigh and turned their attention back to Sunray.
Sunray's eyes scanned the paper with the speed of a Wonderbolt. "Twilight Sparkle.....mnmnmnmn......by Princess Celestia......mnmnmnmn.....to be.....coronated? In three weeks?"
The yellow unicorn scanned the back side of the newspaper and released a loud gasp. "Twilight Sparkle's a Princess?!"
The rest of the unicorns gathered around Sunray and frantically looked over the newspaper. "It says here that Princess Celestia has recognized her as a princess!"
"And it also says that Twilight....is now an ALICORN?!"
Excitement and confusion exploded within the group. Sunray, however, could only read one particular section of the article:
"sources say that last night in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle, having just solved one of the many unfinished spells of Starswirl the Bearded and fixing the chaos it had brought to the town, was turned into an alicorn..."
Sunray removed her magic from the newspaper and made a mad dash off the campus, leaving the students in a state of confusion.
-
Sunray zoomed through the streets of Canterlot and into her neighborhood. She paid no mind to those around her, but did apologize to those she came in contact with. Throughout her mad sprint, Sunray only had one thought in her mind: has Starlight heard of this? This question kept bouncing in her head with every step she took. The adrenaline from her anxiety added to her speed and pacing. After a few more twist and turns in her neighborhood, Sunray reached her house and barged through the front door.
In the middle of the living room was Starlight sitting on the main couch. In front of her was a coffee table, a cup of coffee and an opened newspaper. Sunray noticed that the coffee was still full. She closed the door behind her and approached her friend slowly.
"....are you okay?" she asked.
Starlight remained frozen. When Sunray was close enough to see her face, her eyes widened: Starlight's eyes were flooding with tears and remained their focus on the newspaper.
After a long moment of silence, Starlight turned her head and looked at Sunray: her face was covered with a dark shadow and its features made it look like it was decaying. At the sight of this, Sunray's heart sank. "W-what did the princess tell you...?" she asked with a shaky voice.
Sunray, still recovering her mind and body from the sprint, tilted her head slowly. "What did the princess tell me?"
"Yes. During our graduation, when you asked her my question, what did she tell you?" Starlight's voice increased in instability. Her eyebrows and lips were quivering more violently.
"S-she told me..." Sunray took a moment to calm down and analyze the situation: Starlight was in a state of shock and was very fragile. However, Sunray knew that Starlight knew the answer she was asking from Sunray and that Sunray's answer would be Starlight's justification and link back to reality.
"...well....what did she tell you...?" Starlight's voice was becoming more unstable.
Sunray was now in a state of mental conflict: she knew that telling the truth would break Starlight further, maybe even to the point of no return. But, Sunray also knew that lying to her best friend would weigh the same. Sunray straightened her posture and, in a clear tone, said, "She told me....that she came to be an alicorn by birth and that it was the only method to be one."
When the last word had been said, Starlight got off the couch and threw the table at wall with her magic. "THEN WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!?!" Starlight's face was now twisted with anger and rage. Her eyes were bloodshot, her teeth were grinding and her nose was flaring. "WHAT IS IT?!?!"
Sunray could only stand still in horror. She took a step back before making a reply. "I-I do not know-"
"Do you mean to tell me that Princess Celestia lied?!"
"I-I am not saying that!"
"Then tell me! Tell me what this is!"
"I-I have no idea what this is! I am as lost as you are!" Sunray's hooves were now shaking. The volume of Starlight's raging tone had drained all the composure she had.
Starlight stomped her hooves and released a loud grunt. She stared at the floor for a second or two before bolting out of the house.
Sunray chased after her. "Where are you going?!"
Starlight looked back at Sunray; her eyes were filled with fire, hatred and tears. She then turned away from Sunray and casted a teleportation spell. The sparks left by the spell blinded Sunray and made her skid to a stop. She rubbed her eyes and looked around her friend.
"Dear Princess...what have I done?"
-
Three weeks have passed since that day. Sunray had utilized every possible service she knew that dealt with this type of problem, but every single one of them returned nothing. Sunray even spent a majority of her days personally looking for her friend. However, like the help she seeked, she founded no traces or leads that would help her.
Starlight's disappearance did not only affect Sunray alone. The publisher of Starlight's book have taken a hiatus; they have been losing sales lately and have placed a large amount of hope in Starlight's book. The class Starlight taught also suffered from her absence: they were getting behind their studies and had even resorted to dropping the class.
When Twilight's coronation day came, Sunray attended it, but left after ten minutes into the event. She truly did feel happy for her former student, but witnessing the event without her best friend made her feel uncomfortable. She believed that they should marvel at this miracle together, not her alone.
More weeks passed without a word from Starlight, that is, until the first day of winter. Sunray had just finished a long day of lectures and signing papers. With Starlight gone, she had to work twice as hard to keep up Starlight's class in her spare time. Sunray also lessened the time she spent looking for Starlight. Her hopes on finding her beloved friend have nearly reached zero, but she always reminded herself that there was still a chance; a chance that Starlight will come home, injured or not, and Sunray would welcome her back with open hooves and comfort her in any way she could. When Sunray reached her home, she noticed a large envelope in her mailbox. Grabbing it with her magic, she trotted inside her house, curious as to what the package held.
After opening the envelope, Sunray pulled out several documents; documents regarding several locations in Equestria. One paper had been a report from the Gryphon Kingdom, which Sunray tilted her head to. After reading the first report, she learned that these were a series or sightings of ponies that bore a resemblance to Starlight. Most of them held close descriptions, but were not descriptive enough to accurately tell Sunray that it was Starlight who was seen on the location. Then, she came across a report that came from Ponyville. The report described what the rest did; a light blue unicorn with a yellow star cutie mark. This one, unlike the rest, went on to a witness description of the pony in question's behavior. The witness described the pony as depressed, but anxious, like she was in a rush. The witness also stated that the pony kept asking others about the Everfree Forest. Intrigued by this news, Sunray immediately made preparations to take a trip to Ponyville.
When she arrived at the lively town, Sunray made quick work with her time and looked for the witness she read about in the reports. After asking a few ponies, she discovered that the key witness was a light yellow pony named Fluttershy. Sunray did not hesitate to quickly question the Fluttershy pony. When she arrived at Fluttershy's house, Sunray noticed that it was near the outskirts of Ponyville, in fact it was the closest house to the Everfree Forest. Sunray knocked on the door and waited, but not too long; the door was opened by a little white rabbit.
"Why, hello there, little one. My name is Sunray. If I may, can I speak to the owner of this house?"
The white bunny turned its head and hopped inside the house. In a few seconds, a light yellow pegasus appeared in front of Sunray. The pegasus was a pleasant sight to behold: the soft colors of her hair and fur complemented the smooth shape of her body, mane and tail.
"Hello. My name is Sunray. You are Ms. Fluttershy, correct?"
The pegasus did not answer right away and took a second observe Sunray. When she did answer, she did so in a soft and gentle voice. "Yes, I-I am Fluttershy. Is there a-anything I can help you with?"
"Ah, yes. I have received a report regarding your descriptions about your sighting of a light blue pony with a yellow star cutie mark. You are not in trouble or anything of the sort, I assure you. I am a close friend of a missing unicorn whose appearance was similar to the description you gave. I just came to ask more specific questions regarding the pony you saw."
Sunray noticed that the Fluttershy pony had started to quiver and sweat. She thought that she probably scared the pegasus with the long opening statement she made.
"Sorry for giving such a strange reason, I meant no animosity or harm from it. I am just really worried about my friend and this is the only acceptable lead I have had since she disappeared."
The pegasus hesitated to answer. "I-I understand. I have lost some of my friends before, s-so I can see where you are coming from. Um, I actually saw the unicorn a few times in town a couple of months ago. She t-talked really fast and didn't really stayed in one place for long. When she talked to me, I was o-overwhelmed from her questions. She kept asking if there was anypony who could help her reach the Princesses' old castle in the Everfree Forest. I told her of my friend Z-Zecora who lived in the Everfree Forest. I also told her that Zecora doesn't come into town that often so I r-recommended to her that she should just wait for Zecora since the forest is very dangerous, especially if you go alone. When I did tell her, she thanked me, b-but she sounded annoyed when she said it. I guess whatever she's looking for must be very urgent."
Sunray lowered her head; "That is what you are after, Starlight?" she said to herself. Sunray gave herself a psychological slap for not thinking of this course of action Starlight took: of course she would go and pursue her dream, but Sunray did not think Starlight would be so desperate as to go to such a dangerous place just to obtain some old tomes from the Princesses' past. "Did you see her any other time after that?"
"Y-yes. I saw her a few more times after I talked to her. After a week passed, I didn't see her anymore. I did hear from a couple of friends of mine, very trust worthy friends, that they saw a unicorn go into the Everfree Forest. I didn't think it would be her since n-nopony would dare go to the Everfree Forest alone. Now that I think about it, if she was that desperate, she probably did."
"She would do that, yes she would." Sunray commented. "My friend, Starlight, the one I am looking for, is a very powerful and brave unicorn. She is among the most skilled and well known unicorns in the Magic Research community in Equestria. Knowing her, she would be more than ready to take on any monster that would obstruct her path. The only reason she would need help is for directions. Did you hear anything about her after that?"
"W-well, there have been some rumors about a pony who came out of the forest and left town. I don't know about this bit that much since, you know, it's just a rumor after all. I do believe that, from what you've said, that your friend is powerful but she may have had some trouble in the forest. I-I'm very sorry if that is the case, but there are more than just monsters in the forest."
"If her fate came to that, then I can accept it with an open heart. However, I must verify on my own about this rumor. If you could be so kind, can you tell me the names the names of the ponies you heard the rumor from?"
The Fluttershy pony nodded eagerly. "O-of course! Their names are-"
Just then, a loud noise emitted from the direction of the city. The sound startled both the mares, but mostly Fluttershy which caused her to jump into her house and close the door on Sunray. The noise rang so loud that it hurt Sunray's ears, so much so that she had to cast a muffler spell around them. When the noise stopped, Fluttershy opened the door to her house.
"I-I'm very sorry about that! I just don't know what got into me!"
"That is fine, Ms. Fluttershy. If I am not mistaken, I believe that noise to be the sound of a government alarm. It seemed to be coming from the town. What say you and me head over there and you tell me anything else you can tell me on the way there?"
"A-alright. C-can I feed my animals first before we go? It'll only take a-a minute."
"Why sure, of course."
-
The walk from the small cottage was very serene and peaceful; wherever she looked, Sunray was greeted with the signs of nature preparing for its long awaited sleep. They came across several small critters gathering food for hibernation, to which Fluttershy commented and explained what the critters were called, what food they gathered and why they gathered them. This live-action commentary on nature fascinated Sunray: not only was this an area she was not familiar with but the construct of the process of hibernation allowed her to relate many aspects of it to magic and its systems.
When they arrived at the town, there was a huge crowd gathered at the town hall. The ponies buzzed with shouts and yells over a subject that was covered with the chaos of the multiple conversations that crossed at every second. A group of ponies saw Sunray and Fluttershy and immediately approached them.
"Oh Fluttershy! It's just SO horrible!" said a pink earth pony.
"W-what's going on?" asked the light yellow pegasus.
"Well, everypony was just minding their own business, but then the alarm came on." said a pegasus with rainbow colored hair.
"Yeah. An' when we went t'see what all the hussle was 'bout, we saw the mayor in a fritz." said an orange eath pony.
"Yes, oh but the worst part was this: she told us that Twilight has been KIDNAPPED!" said a white unicorn.
"WHAT?!" Fluttershy and Sunray exclaimed simultaneously.
"I know, right?" said the rainbow mained pegasus. "Who in Equestria would do such a thing!?"
"A horrible deed too, I say!" commented the white unicorn. "We need to start looking for Twilight! I just hope she's alright."
"Yeah, who knows what could be happenin' t'her right now?" said the orange pony. "If they messed a single strand on Twi's hair, they are gonna get it!"
Suddenly, Sunray's mind snapped and everything around her stood still. Her thoughts and observations came into focus: Starlight, the disappearance, the desperation, and now Twilight. It all made sense to her, too much sense. When her thoughts were gathered and completed, fear struck her entire being.
Sunray's body started shaking; then tears started forming on her eyes. "Celestia, please, do not tell me. Oh please, do not tell me!" cried Sunray.
"What's the matter, Sunray?" asked Fluttershy.
Sunray looked at Fluttershy and the group of ponies with her. Naturally, Sunray inferred that the other ponies were Fluttershy's friends. Not only that, but they seemed to know Twilight very closely as well. Now knowing this, Sunray knew that she must act now if her fears are correct.
"I thank you for your help, Fluttershy. However, I have come to a conclusion that I fear gravely. If my thoughts are correct, I am deeply sorry." Sunray casted a teleportation spell and disappeared from the scene.
"Who was that, Fluttershy?" asked the pink pony.
"Her name was Sunray. She came to my house asking me about my description about her friend..."
-
Sunray appeared at the destination she feared at the moment: her home. Her neighborhood was a ghost town, seeing as how all the other ponies left for Canterlot Castle. The alarm must have gone off just now, Sunray thought. Turning her focus to her house, she felt a huge surge of magic energy emit from it. Not wasting anymore time, Sunray dashed into the house prepared for the worst.
When she entered the house, she saw lights coming out of Starlight's laboratory. Sunray took a deep breath and charged into the room. After entering and recovering from the blinding lights, Sunray gasped at the sight in front of her: her friend Starlight was in the middle of her magic circle casting three spells on a frightened Princess Twilight that was strapped onto a chair. One of the spells Starlight was casting was covering Twilight's horn, most likely a spell that nullifies a pony's horn from casting magic. The others were targeting the magic circle and Twilight herself.
"What are you doing!?" yelled Sunray.
Starlight turned to her friend: her face was covered in blood and scratches. Sunray also saw that her friend's fur was very dirty and that her body had thinned a little. "Hello, Sunray dear friend. I am just acquiring some answers from our beloved princess here regarding her transformation into an alicorn," Starlight said with a grin. Starlight's voice was shaky, similar to how she sounded before she disappeared.
"Ms. Sunray?! Is that you?!" asked Twilight; her face was pale and it expressed fear in the most pitiable way possible. "Please! Help me!"
"Silence!" shouted Starlight, "You shall only speak when you answer my questions!"
"Starlight, stop this right now!" yelled Sunray, "Leave Twilight out of this!"
"How can I!?" asked Starlight, "She is the only source of answers I have left! When I went through the Princesses' old tomes of their time, I founded nothing about their births or about how they turned into alicorns! Seeing as how asking the Princess would only raise controversy, I figured the only other way to know was from a third party!"
"This is not right!" said Sunray, "You know very well that Princess Celestia turned her into an alicorn. Twilight has no knowledge about the magic that the Princess used to turn her into an alicorn!"
"She's right! I don't know anything!" begged Twilight, "Princess Celestia just turned me into an alicorn right after I solved Starswirl's unfinished spell. Even the Elements of Harmony had a part in it!"
"Even so, she still has the magic that turned her into an alicorn, whether or not she knows what it is or how it works!" said Starlight. "If I can take away that magic from her and develop it myself, my dream can finally come true!"
Sunray's heart sank. It was still about that after all, that dream that drove her mad all these years. Now, look at where they were: on the brink of possible murder and a high chance of being sentenced to life in prison. Sunray couldn't put all the blame Starlight alone, it was her fault too: she was the only witness of this development within Starlight and did little to nothing to erase that dream.
"Sunray, do you remember your promise?" asked Starlight gently, "The promise you made to me on the day we graduated from high school?"
Sunray made a small grin, a grin out of sadness. "Of course, I would. How would I forget such an important part of our friendship?"
Starlight turned and faced Sunray. "Now. Now is the time to fulfil it. After all these years we have been together strengthening our bond, now is the time to put it to the test." She reached out a hoof to Sunray, a gentle and warm smile appearing on her face. "Please, I am very close to it. All I need is you."
Sunray knew that face hid no lies, that that face would not turn into an evil expression: it was pure, just like Starlight. Sunray knew that Starlight did not plan on hurting Twilight Sparkle, but since it was the only way, Starlight was pushed to resorting to this method. The only obstacle now was Sunray herself: in order to pull out that powerful magic from within Twilight, a pony would require a huge amount of magic energy to detach it from Twilight's spirit and another equal amount just to get it out of her. Starlight just needed another pony with high magic power to help her, and Sunray was more than qualified for that.
Sunray raised her head up high and stared Starlight in the eyes. "Starlight, I did promise that I would help you fulfill your dream in whatever way I can. I also promised that I would make sure of that. However, this was not the way I was expecting it would go at the time. I am sorry, but, as I made you reflect on your morals and ideals before, I have reflected on mine." She noticed the smile on Starlight's face go away. "And, after reflecting, I have decided to break my promise and not help you, since it has come to this. I am deeply sorry, beloved friend."
Starlight's expression turned from a face of betrayal to that of solemn content. "I see. I...I am very disappointed to hear that. I thought that after all we have been through, you would be at my side throughout my quest until the very end. I do not blame you for this, and I understand." A shadow formed over Starlight's face. Then she casted another spell targeting Sunray's horn, throwing Sunray to the ground. Sunray tried to counter it, but the nullification spell was just too powerful. "But, seeing as how I am now all on my own, I will fight with all my might and see to it that my dream shall become a reality!"
"Nooo!" screamed Twilight.
"I am now casting four simultaneous spells! Marvel at this, princess and friend of mine! I will now tear from Twilight the magic of her alicornhood!" The spell targeting the magic circle shined and increased in size. The magic circle glowed even brighter, to the point that it made the whole room appear white.
"Starlight, no! If you do this, there is no turning back!" yelled Sunray.
"I do not intend to! Since the beginning, I knew that aiming and working for this dream would make me face difficult choices, but I have long made up my mind!" The spell targeting Twilight followed the other spells. Twilight yelled in pain and her eyes started glowing. "I apologize, princess. Imposing my selfishness on you is indeed unforgivable, but since I have come this far, I care not for forgiveness!"
"Nooo!!! Starlight!!!" Sunray yelled at the top of her lungs.
A small energy ball appeared between Starlight and Twilight. It then exploded, causing the whole room to shake and everything to be blindening white. For a split second, Sunray saw Starlight's face: it was smiling, crying and laughing childishly at the same time. Right after, everything was covered in white light.
-
Sunray awoke in a hospital bed. The room was familiar to her for she had visited a similar room to check on a fellow collague of hers; it belonged to the Canterlot Royal Hospital. On her bedside table, Sunray noticed that it was full of "Get Well" cards and gifts. She also noticed the IV channel from her hoof to the Iv stand. Sunray looked around for Starlight, but saw no sign of her.
A nurse walked into the room and introduced herself. She then proceeded to tell Sunray the events that happened when she was unconscious: the house collapsed from the magic explosion. Fortunately, the laboratory had a very strong structure, which protected Sunray and Twilight.
"What about my friend?" asked Sunray, "There were three of us in that room: me, the princess and my friend Starlight. Where is she?"
The nurse turned quiet and crossed her hooves. "I am very sorry, madam. The report says that only you and the princess were the only living bodies founded at the site. There was a third, but it had been..." The nurse stopped explaining there and just stared at Sunray with compassionate eyes.
Sunray nodded and looked at her hooves. She was gone, no longer existing in the physical world. The only thing she left Sunray was the ruins of their friendship and their last moments together. Sunray's lips quivered, her face scrunched and her eyes squinted. She first started releasing small hiccups, but then the flood gates opened and she bawled with the strength of all her hatred, sadness and despair. The nurse attempted to embrace her, but Sunray pushed her away. There was no way she could ever mend this wound, ever.
When she was admitted out of the hospital, Sunray immediately attempted to apologize to the princess in person, but she was denied access of meeting her. Twilight had been awake, earlier than her, and gave her testimony about the events that occurred in the laboratory. While Twilight tried to avoid doing so, the descriptions still indirectly made Sunray an accomplice of attempted murder and forced-upon magic manipulation. She understood this and decided to write an apology letter to the princess instead.
Sunray's house had collapsed and was currently just a pile of rubble. Sunray attempted to gather what she could, such as clothes and dining ware, but could only gather little. Miraculously, the explosion had only shattered the windows of her neighbors. After seeing that damage and salvaging what she could find, Sunray went on to repair the broken windows of her neighbors' houses with her magic. She then proceeded to clean up and put the property on the market and used her magic to hammer down the "For Sale" on the lawn. That day marked the last time Sunray's horn lit up.
The red unicorn could not gather the courage to attend her deceased friend's funeral. It was expected of her, since she knew the light blue unicorn best. However, the thought of seeing her friend anymore than she has ached her heart. Due to this, she, with acceptance to shame and cowardliness, wrote a letter to the deceased's family, offering her condolences and apologies.
Sunray deemed herself unworthy of magic: since Starlight had been a big part of her magic career, Sunray saw no point in pursuing it further without a companion that she could deeply connect to. She also decided to cut all possible ties she had with magic and the communities she had been a part of. She was very sad when she submitted her resignation letters to the school but her students, peers and fellow co-workers cheered her on instead. "A new leaf" was the slogan they chose for their support. Sunray appreciated this with all her heart.
Having decided to lay low from now on, Sunray went on to work on a rock farm in the outskirts of Ponyville. She had been inspired by her time with Fluttershy and settled on living a peaceful and hardworking life that interacts with nature. Her employer and his family were very eager to take her in and even provided rooming and food for her. Sunray told that that she was there to stay, which the family was also happy to hear.
The rest of her days passed in serenity as she worked day in and day out on the rock farm. There were the occasional interesting events, such as a pink pony visiting the farm every now and then, but otherwise the farm just continued on working. However, every night, Sunray was plagued with a recurring dream; a dream that attacks her core and makes her shed a tear every night. She would dream of her best friend, her beloved friend, her one and only partner. She would dream that both of them were in a place of peace: an ethereal plane covered with light and clouds. Whenever that dream started, her friend would always start by prancing around her, joyously jumping around with her wings spread out, her horn casting a firework spell and a halo bobbing on top of her head. And, every single time the dream ends, she would always hear her friend say those words, those cursed words:
"Look, Sunray! I finally became an alicorn!"
