The snow came down in slow, drifting flakes around Sugarcube Corner. It's stark whiteness contrasted with the colorfully decorated pastry shop in the middle of Ponyvilles, but in a way that was more pleasing to the eye than was anything else; all the brightly colored lights and glowing plastic statues just made the place feel like a magical wonderland, in small part to the extravagance of it.
But, that was to be expected, thought Applejack as she wiped her brow with her wool covered hoof; Pinkie Pie always did like to go all out on Hearth's Warming Eve, and this year would definitely not be any different.
She looked back away from the almost holy glow of the shop back to her long shovel sticking out of the heavy snow before her. She sighed seeing as she had only gotten a mere twenty or so feet of the snow cleared away from the entrance to the place. She'd been at this for awhile, and was starting to wish Rainbow Dash would go sabotage the weather factory again, just so she could have a little chance to catch up with the weather itself.
She knew Pinkie Pie would've gladly helped her out, but she was inside getting the sweets ready for tonight, and that was just as important at gatherings like this, at least to the pink party pony. Not that Applejack disagreed with her, but it would be a shame if the others got here and couldn't get inside because of all the snow. Who would eat the delicious baked goods she'd slaved over then?
She supposed she should stop thinking so much and get back to shoveling. Before taking the handle back in her teeth, she looked over to her left, attempting to see over the large snowpiles that littered the streets.
"Starlight?" She called out. "How much snow you got done?"
There was a flash of bright cyan magic, and Starlight, dressed in similar attire to Applejack, only it was a more pinkish color than red like the farm ponies, appeared before her, her own shovel in her magical grip.
"Sorry, AJ, I have some snow in my ears." She explained, poking a hoof into one, trying to clear it out. "What did you say?"
Applejack chuckled. "I asked how far you got with the snow."
"Oh!" Starlight beamed. "I'm almost done on my half! Just got a few more rows to push out!"
The orange earth pony whistled, impressed. "You must be pretty strong to be pushing all this snow that fast..."
"I owe it to my many years of magical training." She explained with a proud smile. "If I can lift myself for extended periods to fly like pegasi, surely I can handle some snow with a shovel and a little extra telekinesis."
The mare in the brown Stetson looked out over what she had left to do and gave a groan. Starlight must have noticed, because she instantly spoke up.
"If you want, you could go take a break and I can finish up here."
"You sure about that, sugarcube?" She asked. "I don't wanna feel like I'm putting this all on you now."
"Nonsense!" Starlight replied. "I'm more than happy to lend my magic to something...helpful for a change."
Applejack looked at Starlight, then over at the large snow cover, then back at Starlight with a thankful smile. "Alright, Starlight. Thank ya kindly for--"
Before AJ could finish, another lash of magic, this time lavender in color, burst forth out of seemingly nothing, and once it vanished, Princess Twilight Sparkle stood between the two mares happily with her wings out. She instantly folded them to her sides and gave a yelp as she scrunched up, feeling the cold hit her uncovered body.
Applejack laughed. "Twilight, in case you ain't noticed, it's snowing."
Shivering, the alicorn turned to her longtime friend. "Right, must've missed the last two months or so."
She gave a chattery laugh of her own before explaining.
"I actually only came out here for a second. Starlight," She turned to the unicorn beside her. "I'd like you to come with me really quick inside."
The pink unicorn looked confused. "But...why?"
"It's important." Was all Twilight said in response. "Now come on."
With a glow of her horn, Twilight teleported both herself and Starlight inside the warm shelter that was Sugarcube Corner, and leaving a disgruntled Applejack to stare in exasperation at the workload she now had to do alone.
***
The two magical ponies materialized inside the upstairs bedroom of the shop were Pinkie usually stayed. At the sight of this, Starlight expected Pinkie might need her help for something, but as she looked around she saw no bouncing pink earth pony in sight. She did, however, do a swift double take when her purple eyes scanned over a rather bright splotch of orange standing at the other end of the bedroom.
She gasped quietly and stared at the "splotch", and once she did, she was unable to take her shocked eyes off of it. Or rather, off of him.
Sunburst turned towards the mares, hearing the pop of the teleportation spell and smiling nervously at Starlight with a small wave. Starlight did not return the gesture; mostly out of inability to even think as her jaw became ten times heavier.
"Starlight," Twilight tried, stepping into her view. "you obviously remember--"
"Sunburst...?" The unicorn finished, not really aware of the Princess' presence any longer. She took of her winter gear, making sure it wasn't the sudden heat causing her delusions.
"Uh...hey, Starlight..." He replied a bit sheepishly, still trying to keep a smile on his face.
"What...why...I..?" She shook her head promptly before continuing. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you..."
She looked at him a moment longer, and then knitted her brow, turning away form him. "Shouldn't you be in Canterlot?"
The orange unicorn stallion before her seemed to die a little inside at this action. "I actually finished my studies a couple years ago--"
"Oh, is that so?" Starlight cut him off.
"Um...yeah..." He said, all traces of a smile gone as he looked at the floor, seemingly thinking of what to say.
"So, why are you here?" Starlight questioned, still not looking at him. "What could've possibly interrupted your 'gifted stallion' schedule to make you come out here?"
"Well..." He began, trying to make his voice louder. "Princess Twilight came to me and said that you wanted to...uh...see me..."
The unicorn mare turned her stare onto Twilight, who shrugged nervously with a smile to match the expression.
"Did she now?" She said. "Well, perhaps you misheard her, because I certainly didn't want to see you."
She turned and began to walk out of the room, but Twilight cantered in front of her.
"Starlight, wait!" She exclaimed as calmly as she could. "Just hear him out here."
Starlight looked back at her once child-hood friend and then away from him again. "He's got five minutes."
"Thank you." Twilight breathed.
She moved aside and motioned for Sunburst to speak. As the stallion breathed in, though, he was once again interrupted by Starlight.
"Why?"
"Um...what..?"
"Why? Why did you do it?"
"Why did do what...?" He asked, trying to clarify her sudden question.
He immediately regretted it as the pinkish mare did a one-eighty and glared daggers colder than the icicles in the window at him; it was enough to snuff out his bursting sun in a flash.
"What do you mean 'what?' ?!" She nearly shouted. "Did you forget?! Was I that unimportant to you that your blatant disregard for my feelings when you left me all alone was lost on you?! Huh?!"
Sunburst shrank back as she stepped closer with each angry question. Soon, he was pressed against the wall, Starlight mere inches from his face. At that close proximity, he could see the small traces of tears forming in her eyes while she stared him down with them.
He gulped and tried to look away, but found himself unable to; his eyes instead darting over her facial features.
It really had been awhile, he thought. The signs of age were showing on her features at this range. He swore he could see a few strands of gray in her mane as well, but he figured that, as well as the bags under her eyes were more from a life of stress and anger rather than time.
"I'm sorry..." He managed finally. "I didn't--"
"Didn't what?!" She pressed on. "Didn't care?!"
"No, that's not it at all..."
"Then what?!"
Sunburst opened his mouth to speak, but found he didn't really have an answer. He remembered the day he got his cutie mark, and how he had left Starlight all by herself in his excitement. He hadn't even said so much as a word to her before galloping off to tell his parents.
There was a tense silence for a few moments, before Starlight finally tuned and walked away from Sunburst, brushing past Twilight to get to the door.
He got back on all fours and started to move towards her.
"Starlight..."
Without a word, Starlight galloped out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She gritted her teeth harshly together as she ran, trying to keep herself together as long as she could.
She raced past Pinkie Pie, who nearly toppled over and dropped the four-hundred-and-twenty-seven boxes of cupcakes she had just baked all over the place.
The fleeing and distraught unicorn threw open the door, heading headlong into the cold without a care as to her lack of protective clothing and barreling by Applejack, who had barely gotten more than ten extra feet from where she had been previously.
The orange earth pony watched in confusion as Twilight and Sunburst passed by her not more than a few seconds after.
Sunburst galloped as hard as he could, pulling on his own jacket with his magic. Twilight on the other hand, started to shiver again, and slowed down. She gave Sunburst a nod and he sprinted ahead, following his old friend into the dark winter night.
***
Starlight finally came to a halt on the edge of Ponyville, falling to her haunches and letting go of her composure. She let her tears fall freely from her face, each one freezing before it could hit the snow covered ground as she started to sob into her hooves.
Why did Twilight have to bring him here? All that stupid pony had done was cause her misery when he threw her aside that fateful day.
"That stupid, stupid stallion..!" She mumbled through her tears.
"Yeah," Came a breathless voice from behind her. "what an idiot, am I right?"
The next thing she felt was a warmth cover her. She looked up from her crying and noticed she had been wrapped in a jacket, brown in color with a fuzzy white collar, and it bore a familiar cutie mark on the side pocket of the chest.
She turned around to see Sunburst standing behind her, breathing a bit hard through his nostrils and sweating a bit. She turned huffily away from him and shouted, "Leave me alone!"
"Starlight," He began. "please listen to me.."
"No!" She cried out.
"Please, Starlight..." He persisted. "Let me explain..."
She whirled to face him, nearly throwing off his jacket. "Let YOU explain?! No! You let me explain! Do you have any idea how hard my life was after you left me high and dry like that?! Do you?!"
"I--"
"Because of you, I didn't make another true friend for years! YEARS! I spent a majority of my life chasing a fantasy that all ponies could be equal and never have to be without each other! A fantasy that was torn down by reality! The cruel reality that no matter what I did, I couldn't change anything...! I couldn't MAKE ponies be friends! My life has been utterly lonely since then! You left me all alone, Sunburst!"
The orange stallion listened intently, no intention of stopping her in his mind at all. She needed this; she needed to let it all out. To finally say the things she wanted to say for all these years. He just hoped that afterward, he'd have time to say his own piece.
"I never trusted anypony after you..." She said, much quieter now. "Twilight and the others are the first friends I've had in years...and I'm still not sure if they even really are my friends...and not just pitying me...like an orphaned foal..."
She began to sob softly again, wrapping her own forelegs around herself and shaking horribly. She looked as though she was going to literally fall apart any moment.
Sunburst motioned forward, stopped, and then inhaled before moving forward again to take Starlight into his own embrace. Surprisingly, she did not try to fight out of it, and instead leaned into him, burying her face in his chest.
He stroked her mane for a moment, trying to think of what to say to help her. When he couldn't think of anything, he decided to just say what he had come to say.
"Starlight..." He began. "You asked me earlier why I came here...to see you."
She suppressed her sobs enough to hear his words.
"It's true that it was because of Princess Twilight that I finally came to see you again, but the reason for that is because...she was the only one who knew where you were."
Starlight looked up at him, a questioning look on her face.
"I tried to find you after I graduated from Celestia's school." He continued, looking into her eyes. "But, you were nowhere to be found, and everypony I asked either didn't know, or wasn't sure. Some of them...even told me you had...well..."
He decided to eave that specific part out.
"Anyway, I searched for you with every ounce of free time I had, as little as that was. Bu when I found no trace of you after a couple years, I...I gave up, thinking that by this time you might have forgotten me."
Starlight suddenly gave a snort. "Ha...if only..."
"I'm sorry I cased you so much pain..." He said. "It was absolutely stupid of me to just gallop off and leave you there like that...but I was a foal excited and happy that I'd found my cutie mark. I know that isn't an excuse, but...it's the truth. I wasn't thinking."
He breathed in deeply, feeling his own eyes stinging a bit.
"Y'know, I wanted to go back and say good-bye after my parents enrolled me in Celestia's School...but the terms were immediate, and I couldn't leave the grounds. I asked my parents to tell you, but I guess they just forgot or something..."
Starlight's glistening eyes never left his as he told his tale. After a moment of silence, she spoke up in a cracked voice. "Really..?"
Sunburst simply nodded.
"How do I know you aren't just saying this to make me forgive you?" She asked.
"I have no reason to lie, Starlight." He replied. "It's up to you whether you forgive me or not. I just wanted to let you know...I missed you, and...and that I'm sorry I did this to you..."
Neither pony spoke for a moment, and Starlight felt another wave of tears coming on, melting the thin ice trails her previous ones had left on her cheeks. She noticed Sunburst was starting to sniffle, and remembered he didn't have any winter gear on and was sweating up a storm chasing her earlier. He'd catch a cold if they didn't get back inside soon.
"Come on..." She said finally, standing up on all fours again and releasing herself from his embrace. "We should get you something hot to drink. You wouldn't wanna get sick out here..."
As she began to walk back, Sunburst called out. "Starlight?"
She stopped and turned to face him.
"You think...you think we can resume our friendship...?"
She seemed to ponder that for a moment, looking down at the snow and hoofing at it a moment. After a bit of contemplation, she looked up at him.
"The way our friendship ended made my life a living Tartarus..." She said. "I don't think we can salvage something like that."
The stallions ears and eyes fell instantly at those words.
"But.." Starlight continued, capturing his attention once more. "Twilight always told me that friendship is like a phoenix; from the ashes of sadness and loss can be found newfound hope and a brighter future. A new chapter in life. So even though we can't save our old friendship...I have no problems starting a new one."
She put her hoof out towards him with a gentle smile. "My name's Starlight Glimmer. It's nice to meet you, friend!"
Sunburst looked at her for a moment, then smiled, taking her hoof in his own and shaking it. "Sunburst. Likewise!"
