Changes

Trepidation.

Fear.

All of it was present in her.

Twilight knew her nephew or niece was going to be born any minute and everything would change.

The only thing is... would it change for the better... or the worse?

What their friendship had built, nothing could destroy. No one wanted to destroy it.

All forces of evil had all but relinquished into good.

All hate they had seen in others had diminished...

Except one creature.

A changeling

A changeling... never changes.

Or was it possible?

“I worry sometimes.” Twilight said to her friends, sensing that the time was coming close for the new arrival... a new child into the world. “I

worry that this world... won't always be this good.”

“Why, Twilight?” Applejack asked. The orange mare looked quite confused and Twilight just sighed.

She looked away to the ground, then back up again and just when she was about to speak Pinkie jutted in.

“I think she is just worried about the birth of her unborn nephew or niece.”

“I hope it's a boy.” Rainbow Dash said out of no where.

The six were in the kingdom talking around the map and they looked at her lost at that remark.

“Why?” Applejack questioned, sounding offended almost by that and Dash just continued.

“Because, there is like an extreme surplus of females to males... I think that it's kinda... y'know... bad.”

“A foal is beautiful no matter the gender.”

“And I'm not complaining.” Rainbow Dash said back casually. She really wanted to end this fight as she didn't, for once, want to fight Applejack on this... she was just giving a small outspoken thought.

“Good.” Applejack continued and Twilight rolled her eyes, frustrated as she said to the five ponies.

“Listen, I'm worried...”

“About what, Twi?” Applejack asked again and Twilight looked at her, concern deep in her eyes.

“I'm afraid that the foal... will be born into a dangerous world.”

“Why?” Pinkie asked, naively, smiling and blinking her eyes shut in a simplistic manner.

“Because... of changelings... because of everything... because it seems that fights just keep getting harder and harder to win against the forces of evil.”

“Dear, I wouldn't say they are getting harder.” Rarity inputted with a calm happy smile, “More like we are getting stronger because of the hardness.”

“Look, I know we are getting stronger...” Twilight had to reinstate. “But sometimes... these changes they just come... all too fast.”

“But changes help us grow...” Fluttershy said with a soft smile and Twilight had to nod her head.

“I know.”

“And you became a princess because of it.” Applejack also had to add in and Twilight nodded again.

“I know.”

“So we just become stronger when things become harder... we evolve.”

“But don't you see!” Twilight said, and nearly had tears in her eyes... though she didn't know why. “I don't want to evolve anymore... I'm... I'm...”

“Yes...?” Fluttershy said, weakly. Twilight looked at her and replied in pain.

“I just... I can't handle it sometimes... I can't handle... the changes...”

“Change is good.”

“Yeah, it makes each of us better.”

“Or worse.”

The six blinked when they heard a new voice speak and they all turned to the door to see Starlight Glimmer standing there, nervously.

“Oh... you're up.”

“Yeah, I am...” she said quietly, and walked over to them... looking at Twilight. The seven of them had had a sleep over, but Twilight had only awoken five in the night to speak to in private. And Starlight... she wanted to say something. So she pretended she was asleep that night as they all talked in hushed words as they left the bedrooms.

“I lost my best friend to change... I became cold, heartless and shallow in myself to change. I know change isn't always good.”

“But you changed back.”

“No... I changed again... into this new form... this new self... but I know what it's like to have nothing... and to want everything because of it all.”

“Starlight... please, this is just girl talk... Twilight is just a little worried.”

“No. This is more than girl talk. No conversation I've had with any of you has just been girl talk to me. And you all know.”

The six remained silent until Twilight swallowed, and looked at Starlight with quiet eyes.

“What do you want to say?”

“Just that... death... and rebirth... they are both painful.”

“Exactly... how... and also... what?” Rainbow Dash said jokingly, but honestly confused and Starlight looked at her a little annoyed. But she continued.

“I gave up my old self... my ambitions... and accepted the death of my old ways... I had to change... because I didn't want others to lose it all... like I had. But rebirth... finding yourself in a world which is so strange. When something enormous happens to you. And you have to change. It's scary. The future is scary.”

“I know.” Twilight said, looking at her and agreeing with that, understanding Starlight's understanding, but the unicorn continued.

“No, I don't think you do exactly.”

She stepped before them all and looked sadly down to the ground. “I saw what the future was a long time ago... when I first learnt how to time travel. I went to the future first... not the past.”

“And-” Rainbow Dash immediately said, desperate to know spoilers of reality, “And?!”

“And it was glorious... a hundred years from now... a utopia... but I wasn't in it... I wasn't there...”

The six suddenly remained silent and Starlight continued in pain, walking around the table and crossing them all as she spoke.

“I checked again and again... each time, I had been destroyed in my future... I had lost my cause... and you girls won... and the future was glorious... because you rejected me.”

“What are you saying Starlight?”

“This... right now... this is the future I want... I want friends... but I'm afraid that me being happy... may destroy the happiness of billions.”

“Don't say that...” Applejack said quietly and Starlight just gave a weak smile. She had to say that.

“If one pony should've been erased from history... do you know who it should've been...”

“Not you.”

“Me.”

“Stop it!” Pinkie suddenly yelled, “Have you seen this new future? Have you?”

“I... no...” Starlight whispered. “I haven't... because I'm afraid to.”

“We make our own paths.” Rarity said, upset now too, and the princess only kept quiet... so quiet. As she finally whispered.

“The future... it will be fine... it will be okay.”

“I hope so.”

“I know.”

“But changes...”

“They gave us you...” Twilight continued, helplessly trying to help. She loved Starlight as a new friend could, she knew there was so much good she could do.

“I'm sorry every pony.” Twilight finally said to the gang. “I'm sorry I woke you... I was just... argh, being stupid.”

“No, never say that, Twilight.” Applejack said back seriously, and Twilight just giggled. Starlight sighed, and nodded her head at this all, saying quietly.

“I'm going back to bed.”

“Who wants a late night snack?” Pinkie said with glee and the ponies all giggled beside Starlight who just walked away.

As the unicorn walked back into her room, she paused at the door, and just peered in.

She could see her current self pretending to sleep in her bed still, soundless... happy.

Because this Starlight wasn't from this time... this Starlight, was from three years in the future... and she was terrified of what was to come for these naïve friends.

These stupid girls.

As she had seen oblivion... and she knew now... they would see it too.

She used her horn just then and she was gone in a flash... returning back to the destroyed equestria...

Her beloved home.

And her friends all fighting to save their souls...

Her friends...

Her friends...

Mistakes can sometimes hurt too much.

But she was happy... in this world where she was still apart of.

Because of a change.

Because of a death.

A death of an old self... and a rebirth as a friend.

And they would never remember those words she spoke to them that night three years ago.

Because this was her future... no matter how many times she warned them that fateful night.

This was her future...

And this... was happiness.