The Starlight Student

"What is friendship?"

Twilight looked up in confusion, and Starlight dragged her hoof across the ground nervously. They were in the castle's library, reading up on The Crystal Empire. Starlight really would have rather gone outside and played in the sunshine, but she was Twilight's student now, and had to do what the princess said. She closed her book, and looked at the purple princess in wonder.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"I mean what I said," Starlight said. "What is friendship?"

"Friendship is the state of being a friend or association as friends," Twilight rest her hoof on her chin. "Or a friendly relation or intimacy."

Starlight stared at her, wondering at what Twilight just did. "Did you just quote the dictionary at me?"

"Maybe..."

"I'm asking what friendship is. What is friendship from your experience?"

Twilight closed her books, and levitated them back on to her shelf in alphabetical order. She took a few back off the shelves and put them in the correct place, taking the books that were there before and putting them in the correct place as well. Starlight tapped her hoof on the ground waiting for Twilight to start.

"Fine, I'm just procrastinating now," Twilight sighed. "Friendship..."

"Friendship is more than one thing. It can be loyalty, kindness, honesty, all sorts of things. Friendship can be a feeling, or a relation to another pony. It can be forgiving someone for their faults, or helping another in their time of need. It can be helping somepony overcome their fears, or others supporting you to overcome your own. It even be saving the universe with ponies you just met!" Twilight giggled. Then she lit up. "And...you're staring right at it.

Starlight shot her a confused look.

"You were bitter and angry, turning a whole village's population into brainwashed anti-cutie mark ponies. No offense," Twilight added shamefully.

"None taken," Starlight rolled her eyes with a smile. "Please can you get to the part where I care?"

"Yes, anyway," Twilight giggled a bit. "I showed you what you were doing was wrong when we traveled through time, and we went home in peace. You never expected me to forgive you for what you did, yet I forgave you, gave you a home and let you become my student and learn about friendship. I didn't punish you for what you did, I rewarded you for realising what you did was wrong.

So friendship is what we believe to be to be intimacy between ponies, but in truth it's much more than that. Friendship is forgiveness without deserving it. Kindness without reward. Loyalty without necessity. Honesty without holding back. Laughter when times are rough, and generosity when nobody steps up to help.

"Okay," Starlight muttered to herself. "Twilight, I've made up my mind."

"Made up your mind about what?" Twilight looked astonished.

"I'm going to help ponies lives I've ruined," she said, determined. "I'm going to go around Equestria and fix what mistakes I've made, and teach true friendship to other ponies, unlike the empty lies I put into my philosophy. I'm also going to replicate the spell I used to travel through time, but so I can travel through space instead and go to the other worlds that happened when I stopped the race.l

"Can you do that?" Twilight was incredulous. "It sounds scientifically and magically impossible!"

Starlight nodded. "Starswirl's law of space and time makes it possible." Starlight levitated a book off the shelf and shoved it into Twilight's face at the correct page. "If worlds have the possibility to exist, when time has changed to make them real, they exist forever, and if magic in the spell is strong enough, then you can travel to those worlds."

Starlight giggled at Twilight's face. That was probably a lot to take in when it was said it all at once. I thought you were smart Twilight! Starlight thought, laughing in her head.

"And I'm going to start with reuniting with... Sunburst," Starlight gulped. "If I'm allowed to, of course," she added quickly.

"Well, despite me being your teacher, I have no right to stop you doing that, I suppose," Twilight sighed. "But I can help you prepare!" she added, excited.

Starlight facehoofed.

"So we've got a checklist, a quill and paper, books, a blanket, a pillow, books, the time spell, did I mention books?" Twilight said excitedly, her mane sticking up in very specific places.

"Twilight, you need to calm down," Spike said, looking to Starlight pleadingly. "You don't want a Lesson Zero replication, do you?"

Twilight jumped, and her mane went flat. "Celestia, no."

"That was so important we gave it a name, so we are not having it again," Spike said firmly, and walked out of the room with a smile.

Starlight gave a laugh, and levitated out some of the less important magic books out of the saddle bag onto the table in the throne room. She pulled the bag onto her back, and breathed in and out. She was ready to start her journey. Through time, space, and Equestria. But reuniting with Sunburst was her first priority, as he was her first friend, and she left him.

"Do you think you'll be able to meet alternate world me?" Twilight said. "Ooh, what if you meet alternate you and make a crazy time space paradox thing where the world explodes?!"

"I pretty sure we don't want that to happen," Starlight said, smiling. She took a deep breath. She was ready.

She opened the door.