Reincarnation: A Glimmer of Hope.

Tome II. Reunion.

The loud whistle of the train woke Starlight up. She wasn’t sure when, but she had fallen asleep at some point. She grunted and mumbled; she really didn’t like falling asleep like this in public transportation. It made her feel like an old mare.

She stretched her legs, hearing her joints popping a little bit, and stood up. A yawn escaped her mouth as she got off the train and into the station. Blue and purple columns made of pure crystal welcomed her, raising all the way to an equally crystalline ceiling, which was thick enough to stop the daylight from passing through, so it was artificially illuminated by magical light bulbs, making it look like a winter night sky.

Starlight found this particular design to be quite delightful. For some reason, it always put her at ease. She particularly liked the way the lights blinked repeatedly, in perfect synchrony with the changing colors of the ceiling. Like the auroras borealis that could be seen all the way north to Yakyakistan.

“Starlight?” A voice snapped her out of her reverie, and Starlight turned her head to look a crystalline white alicorn mare approach her. Her gold and pink mane cascaded over the left side of her face, and her indigo eyes shone brightly as she grinned giddily. “I can’t believe it! What are you doing here?!”

Starlight felt herself smile at the sight of the taller mare. “Hello, Cres. I’m just here for my dosis.”

Crescendo Cantus tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. “Dosis?”

“Nevermind that,” Starlight answered with a shrug. “Just an old mare’s ramble.”

“Old?!” Crescendo gasped in horror. “Old you say?! You look no older than thirty! And you haven’t changed a bit in ten years! And you dare call yourself old?!”

Starlight giggled at that. She had always liked the vivid reactions of this mare. “I am, in fact, one year older than Twilight. I believe I can count myself as old.” She giggled some more. “But, anyway. I believe you are busy, so-”

“Oh, nonsense!” Crescendo interrupted her, raising a hoof to her chest in a very dramatic pose. “I was tasked to deliver a message to the station’s manager, and I have completed it. Even with the festival’s preparations, I have no further obligations for the remaining of the day! And thus, I can at least make myself your company till our paths separate!”

“I see you’ve been reading dictionaries,” Starlight commented jokingly.

“Mother says it’s important to speak fancy. It impresses the representatives of other countries.”

“It does,” Starlight replied simply. “But they also like friendliness and creativity. And I think you have both.” She sighed contently. “Anyway, traveling by train is always uncomfortable. I’ll be going to my place, if you want to come with me.”

Crescendo’s wings unfolded excitedly. “Oh I’d love that!”

Starlight rolled her eyes playfully as she started to walk. “I don’t get why you lot always want to go to my house. It’s not special at all.”

“Are you kidding?!” Crescendo started as she followed Starlight. “Your house is, like, the most interesting place ever! You have all sorts of weird things from other places, and every time you come, you bring a bunch more! We even came up with a system to decide who’ll do the weekly cleaning just so we all get to go!”

“Your love for exposition is always appreciated,” Starlight joked. “But really, I just bring small tokens or souvenirs. Nothing you can’t get in a political visit or something.”

Crescendo huffed. “Yeah, right. Like mother will allow us to go shopping when we’re supposed to act all firm and princess-y. Honestly, I sometimes wish I weren’t royalty.”

“Careful with what you wish for,” Starlight warned absentmindedly.

“Yeah, yeah. It can become real and all that,” Crescendo replied through her teeth. “It’s just… Mother is so strict! We have good relations with virtually all the other countries! And we’re the most powerful one! Why should I keep appearances when I could be just having fun?!” She lifted a hoof to the air. “I mean, look at you! You are practically royalty, but you can do whatever and nopony ever says anything to you!”

Starlight sighed and shook her head. “I am not royalty, unless I’ve recently sprouted some wings. Besides,I don’t get to do whatever either; I travel around the world because I receive a subsidy to spread friendship.”

“They pay you to make friends.”

“That’s one way to look at it.” Starlight couldn’t help but smile. She had told the same thing to Twilight when she came up with the idea of making her a delegate of friendship. At the time, Starlight had been reluctant, but she ended up accepting the offer, and now it had become another part of her life.

Starlight and Crescendo walked down the path the city. Crystal ponies filled the streets, going on about their activities and preparations for the faire. At the sight of Crescendo, all and every one of them stopped for a moment, bowed, greeted, and returned to do whatever they were doing.

“You will tell me you don’t like that?” Starlight asked with a knowing smile.

Unable to hide her blush, Crescendo giggled. “Uhm, well, being a princess does have its perks.”

As they got closer to the palace, more non-crystal ponies started to show. From all over Equestria, and even from other countries, tourists came to the Crystal Empire just to experience the annual ritual at the Heart’s Square.

The palace came into view, rising proudly above the skylines directly above the Crystal Heart, as if protecting it. Starlight made a mental note to visit Cadence before she went on her way again.

“Starlight!” Another voice called her. It actually surprised her how long it had taken for this particular pony to spot her.

She turned around with a wide smile. “Hello, Flurry,” she greeted, meeting Flurry Heart with a tight hug.

“How’ve you been?” Flurry asked just a little before ending the hug. “How’s life treating you?”

“Oh you know, a bit of this, and a bit of that,” Starlight answered. She took a better look at Flurry, there was something different on her, but she couldn’t quite place her hoof on it. “And you? I heard you went to Tauria last year.”

Flurry nodded vigorously. “Yes! It was pretty interesting!” She used a hoof to move a tuft away from her face. “I went to the restaurant you recommended, and it was pretty delicious!”

Starlight giggled. “Told you so.” She narrowed her eyes and looked closer. “Hey, is it me or did your horn get smaller?”

“Why is everypony saying that?” Flurry asked with a confused expression.

“Because it is, granny,” Crescendo replied happily. “Or maybe your head is just getting bigger! That’s a possibility, too!”

Flurry rolled her eyes. “Cres, darling. Can you do me a big favor?” She didn’t wait for verbal confirmation as she continued. “Can you go help your sisters with the ball’s preparation?”

“Sure thing! Bye Starlight!” And with that, Crescendo disappeared in a flash of light.

Starlight made a face. “It’s so unfair you alicorns are immune to the side effects of teleportation…”

“You are too,” Flurry replied.

“It only took me two hundred years, whilst you, my dear prodigy, took only one day of your life.”

Flurry cleared her throat. “My case is a special one. One can’t be born with a horn and wings as big as mine and not have an absurd amount of magic.”

“Good thing they look normal now,” Starlight replied with a smile. “You’d look hilarious with wings the size of a house.”

“Oh, yeah, you laugh, I laugh, we laugh. But my foalhood was spent constantly asking my mother why I couldn’t get a little sister.”

Starlight snorted. “Aren’t you grateful you didn’t go through the same thing?”

At that, Flurry smiled. “Oh, yes. I think mother is still very jealous I could have five foals without worries.” She giggled and looked at the castle for a moment. “So, I take it you’re here for the usual.”

“Yes,” Starlight answered. “I know it’s rude to just come for that, but-”

“Don’t worry, Starlight,” Flurry said with a grin. “We understand. I just wish I could tell my family about it and stop lying to them about the reason you’re still alive.”

Starlight’s smile disappeared. “You know I have no problems with that. I’d tell them myself if I could. But you know how Celestia is about these topics.”

Flurry sighed. “Anyway, I suppose you want to get some rest before the ritual. Do you want me to accompany you home?”

“No, I’m ok. Thank you.”

Flurry Heart nodded and turned around towards the castle.

It had been so long since they stopped asking her to stay at the castle, since Starlight would always refuse. She never meant to be rude, but Starburst had left her his house, and she wanted to use it at least a little bit every time she came to the empire.

She smiled at the festive spirits of everypony in the streets. Being in the empire, especially this time of the year, always filled her with good energy and emotions. So much so, that she decided to take the scenic route to her house, or more specifically, she went for a walk through the park.

Everything shined, sparkled, glittered and shimmered in the Crystal Empire. Everything, from the rocks, to the grass, to the trees, to the very ponies that inhabit the city. But even if the sun shone brightly in the sky, the glimmering city never got to the point of being annoying.

Starlight walked through the cobblestone path, admiring the beauty of the big, crystal willow that rose above the small pond. Little foals filled the park, playing and running around. Most ponies would find the place to be loud and annoying, but Starlight had lived so long that there were very few things that could bother her.

She stopped at the highest point of the little bridge that crossed the pond and looked towards the city. She closed her eyes and let out a content sigh, letting a gentle breeze caress her mane and fur. Lately, her life had been nothing but calm. Yes, she had to travel a lot, and many times she had to deal with very stubborn individuals, but even then, she couldn’t think that she had even the slightest trouble.

Life was good, indeed.

Suddenly, the wind stopped blowing, and Starlight felt a hum in the air. It was tiny and ephemeral, almost imperceptible, like the blink of an eye, but she felt it, and it was as real as day and night. It had been a magical aura, small and undeveloped, but unmistakably a unicorn’s magic. In her long life, Starlight had felt thousands, millions even, of magical signatures, but this particular one stood out from the rest. Not because it was special, like an alicorn’s, nor was it particularly powerful, but it was a very specific signature, one that Starlight knew all too well, and that she would never forget.

It was Trixie’s magic signature.

Starlight looked around hastily, her heartbeat fastening by the second. Foals of all ages played and ran around, and the occasional adult that was looking over them. But nopony was doing magic now, so the hum had disappeared. Starlight spun around, looking everywhere, trying to concentrate on the magic in the air, trying to find that magic’s source.

Minutes passed, and Starlight couldn’t feel the magic. Had she imagined it? It was true that for the first hundred years after she became immortal, she’d constantly think she felt Trixie’s magic, only to realize moments later that she had just imagined it. But it had been over a century now since the last time it happened.

She stood there, motionless sans the heavy movement of her chest. Ten, twenty minutes, and she remained in complete silence. Her breathing had returned to normal, and her heartbeat too. She looked around once more. Everything was exactly the same, and the foals still played around.

Starlight looked down and sighed heavily. She hadn’t been lucky, again. She took a deep breath and whispered the same words she had spoken one too many times already.

“Maybe next time.”

~~~~~~~~

Starlight pranced through the streets, extremely proud of her young-looking appearance, knowing full well that she got quite a few glances and stares. It sometimes made her forget about her real age.

She arrived to the square, basking in the glow of the Crystal Heart. It produced a dim, bluish light that could put the fiercest of beasts at ease. She sighed contently and sat down. The ritual was going to start in three hours, so the Square was arguably empty, and only old ponies were patient enough to already be there.

Time passed, and the Square was becoming more and more crowded. Little by little, Starlight spotted more non-ponies arriving; Zebras, Minotaurs, Gryphons, Shapeshifters, and even some Yaks.

She couldn’t help but smile at the growing diversity in Equestria, and knowing that part of it was thanks to her gave her a warm feeling in her chest.

Before she knew it, everyone in the Empire had gathered at the Square, crowding even the largest avenues to the brim. And finally, from her front row seat, Starlight saw Princess Cadence coming from the castle’s main entrance, being followed by her daughter, Princess Flurry Heart, her granddaughters, Princess Aurora, Princess Star Love, and Princess Heart Scratch. Her great-granddaughters, Princess Crescendo Cantus, Princess Moonlight Sonata, Princess Starlight Choir, Princess Starry Orchestra, Princess Heartstrings Lullaby, Princess Columbus Aria, and Princess Acapella. Her great-great-granddaughters, Princess Silky Love, Princess Velvet Heart, Princess Cotton Berry, Princess Diamond Horn, Princess Emerald Star, Princess Aquamarine, Princess Sapphire Love, Princess Jasper Toccata, Princess Garnet Heart, Princess Sterling Silver, Princess Charm Touch, Princess Regina, and Princess Trinity Love.

Starlight stifled a yawn as more and more offspring came out of the castle and lined up in front of the Crystal Heart. When they finished forming their little alicorn crowd, with some normal, male ponies, Cadence stepped forward to address the rest of the commoners, casting a spell to help her voice to be heard all throughout the Empire.

“Fillies, gentlecolts, and visitors from all throughout Equestria! Every year, we gather here to celebrate Love. The love we feel for our family, our friends, our country, and our world.” She paused for a second and her smile grew. “So now, let’s share this love with the Crystal Heart and let the world feel it!”

In that moment, everyone stood up and bowed to the Crystal Heart. It spun faster by the second and glowed brighter, making the snowflake shaped carving below it, and its branches all along the largest avenues shine. The Empire was so bright, that everyone there had to close their eyes. It only lasted a moment, and then the light seemed to be sucked into the spinning Heart just to be released moments after in a gigantic wave of light that bathed everyone in the Empire, momentarily “crystallizing” them.

This moment was the reason Starlight returned every ten years. She had realized that even if her soul was intact to the pass of time, her body was not, and even with the best conservation spells the world had to offer, it was still getting old. Fortunately, during a political visit to the empire that happened to be right at the time of the Crystal Faire, she noticed how the crystallization of her body made synergy with her spells, returning her body to the state it was when she made herself immortal.

At the time, she had thought of returning every year, but Twilight convinced her to do it every decade, in order to avoid any kind of immunization, or something. Starlight wasn’t even sure she could get immune to an ever growing explosion of love, but Twilight had been her biggest pillar of support since Trixie’s passing, so she thought she at least owed her that much.

The crowd began to disperse, all glowing and glittering, although the royal family would traditionally wait until at least ninety percent of the crowd had left the Square to go away. So, Starlight thought it’d be a good idea to at least say hi.

She walked up to Cadence and bowed.

Cadence rolled her eyes playfully. “Hello, Starlight.”

Starlight straightened up and snickered. “Good afternoon, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”

“It is always a pleasure to see you, even if only every decade,” Cadence said. “I’m sure you’ll be thrilled to know that my great-great-great-great-granddaughter, Princess Armoniosa, gave birth to her second foal, a very healthy unicorn colt, last year.”

Starlight had to use every ounce of willpower to remain smiling. “Really?” She looked to the crowd of royals and searched for a moment until she spotted Armoniosa. “Congratulations, Armi!”

“Thank you!” The mare yelled from behind her foremothers.

“I must say, Starlight,” Cadence said. “The girls missed you so much. You should visit more often.”

“I wish I could,” Starlight replied with an apologetic shrug. “But you know how this is, traveling around the world, giving speeches about friendship, searching for you-know-who…”

“Aren’t you… tired?”

Starlight was about to answer, but the subtle implication kicked in, and she fell silent for a moment. She took a deep breath and sighed. “Honestly? A little bit, but I can’t give up, right? Twilight expects a lot from me.”

Cadence gave Starlight what could only be described as a condescending smile. Starlight noticed, and once upon a time, she’d have felt insulted, but at this point, she had gotten used to this kind of stares. She sighed and forced a smile. “Well, I’ll be walking about. I have a few days off to do as I please."

“Very well,” Cadence answered with a solemn nod. “If you need anything, you’re always welcome at the castle.”

“Duly noted, your highness.” Starlight bowed once more, then waved to all the royals still waiting, and walked away.

~~~~~~~~

It was impressive how quickly would the streets of the empire empty out the day after the Crystal Faire. Starlight was aware that most attendants had been tourists, but she at least had expected them to stay one or two more days. She supposed that the fact that the crystallization faded away in just one hour was a let-down to them.

But there was one good thing about it, and it was that she could go to her favorite restaurant in the empire, a little place located on the corner across from her house, and find it comfortably half-empty. She liked the food there, and the service was also very good. The prices were a little bit high, but she supposed she could spend a few extra bits for the quality.

She was enjoying a dish of very spicy red rice with vegetables and a double hayburger while looking at the street. The sky was clear with only a few white, fluffy clouds decorating it. Since the moment she had woken up, she knew it was going to be a very relaxing day.

Just as Starlight was about to bite on her hayburger, she felt a hum in the air. Her magic stopped flowing, and the burger hit the plate. Starlight concentrated on the magic in the air.

It was Trixie’s magic again.

She stood up so fast that her chair fell over, but she paid it no mind. Unlike the day prior, the hum was consistent and a little bit stronger. Starlight spun around a few times, trying to determinate the source of the hum. After a few seconds, she located the direction it was coming from, and she broke into a sprint.

More sooner than later, she found herself in a park, and much to her annoyance, there were quite a lot of ponies there, and some were using magic, thus interfering with the signature Starlight was following. She looked around frantically, fearing that she’d lose the hum again, and if that happened, she was going to get really angry.

Fortunately, the hum blinked a few times, letting Starlight concentrate on it a bit better. She trotted around the park, dodging some foals and their increasingly annoying toys in the process, until she got to a special area in the park. Tables and seats of concrete had been built specifically for ponies to play chess. The area was arguably full, all the tables had been taken, and a few ponies were standing, watching the matches. But there was one table where only one pony was sitting.

It was a pristine white crystal unicorn filly with platinum mane that was tied in a long braid. She was levitating two pawns, idly playing with them with a bored expression on her face.

Starlight gulped and her mouth became completely dry. This filly’s magical signature was, without a doubt, the same as Trixie’s. She was half-aware that she could be wrong, that maybe her mind was becoming senile and playing tricks on her or something, but this was the first time in over four hundred years that she felt Trixie’s magic so vividly like now.

She took a deep breath and approached the table, flashing her most sincere smile. “Hello, little one.” The filly looked up at her with confusion and surprise in her eyes. “Do you mind if I sit here?”

The filly stared at Starlight for a moment, carefully returning the pawns to their place. “Uhm… Sure…”

Starlight sat down and looked down at the board. “Do you know how to play chess?”

The filly stared down at the chessboard between them, avoiding Starlight’s gaze. “Y-yes.”

Starlight’s smile grew. This filly seemed to be so adorably shy, she just wanted to hug her. But knowing that that could not only scare her off, but also create very bad misunderstandings, she refrained herself from doing so. “Do you want to play with me?”

The filly nodded vigorously, smiling brightly at Starlight. “Can I be the black ones?”

“Of course,” Starlight replied. The filly used her magic to slowly, but surely, organize all the pieces on the board. Starlight’s heart beat a little faster as she recognized the signature once more. “So, my name is Starlight Glimmer. What should I call you?”

The filly blushed and kept her eyes glued to the board. “Uhm… R-Radiant Awe,” she replied quietly as she finished placing the pieces.

“That’s a beautiful name,” Starlight said. She moved a pawn.

Radiant moved a pawn, still blushing. “T-Thanks…”

Minutes passed, and they continued playing in silence. The more Radiant used her magic to move the pieces, the more convinced Starlight was that it was Trixie’s magic in all senses. As the game progressed, Starlight noticed that Radiant’s face progressively changed from genuine excitement to a frown of concentration and maybe frustration.

Their game took a while, more than Starlight had anticipated. Radiant was good, very good indeed, and it showed in that some ponies actually came to the table just to watch them play. Starlight briefly thought about letting her win, but she had gotten to a point where it’d be pretty obvious if she did just that, and she supposed that’d only make things worse.

And before she knew it, they had gotten to the part where everypony knew that Starlight was the winner, but Radiant was still trying to figure out if she could do a heroic comeback with only two pieces.

Sadly, she couldn’t.

“Checkmate,” Starlight said with as much tenderness as she could. But Radiant was already at the verge of crying, and Starlight wasn’t sure exactly whether it was out of sorrow or frustration. Her heart ached at the fact that she was making a little filly cry, and that she was making a very bad first impression. She uneasily cleared her throat. “Wow, you’re really good! Have you considered being a professional, or something?” It wasn’t a secret that she sucked at soothing foals.

Radiant sniffed, and Starlight cursed herself. She should’ve let her win! Now she was going to hate her! She needed a plan, and quick. She looked around, the ponies that had surrounded them had dispersed and returned to their activities. It was only Starlight and a crying filly.

She was so in trouble.

“...ry…”

Starlight’s ears perked at the voice of Radiant. “W-What?”

Another snif. “I’m sorry.”

After a few seconds of processing the reply, Starlight spoke up. “What? Why are you sorry?”

“F-For crying…” Radiant answered, refusing to look up at Starlight. “I-I just… I’m sorry…”

“Whoa wait a second!” Starlight stood up and walked up to Radiant. “You have nothing to apologize for! It’s normal to feel bad after a loss. I had an unfair advantage, if anything I should apologize!”

Radiant shook her head. “It’s just… I-I’m really good at chess, and… I never lost before…”

Starlight felt her stomach fall at that. “H-Hey, it’s ok. There’s always a first time for everything, and a loss today may very well become a win tomorrow!” Starlight wasn’t even sure if that was proper advice in this situation, and her trembling voice betrayed her lack of wisdom. But, against odds, it seemed to work.

Radiant now looked up at her, staring with those big, shiny blue eyes, expecting to hear more. So Starlight complied. “You know, there are three ways to learn: By study, by instinct, and by experience. All three are equally important, and all three have their cons. In the experience’s case, it’s that it can make you feel bad at first, but its pro is that, if you focus on the good things, it’s also the one from which you learn the most!” She was positive she was just rambling now. “So, instead of crying, you should analyze the situation and try to learn from it.”

For a moment, Radiant frowned in concentration, pondering what she had just heard, and after what seemed like an eternity, she again turned to Starlight. “So, what you’re saying is that I can beat you if I keep losing?”

Fighting back the urge to smack herself, Starlight forced a smile. “Well, not exactly. Just that, uh, you can learn from your mistakes to be a better pony.” She now wished she had paid more attention to Twilight’s lectures.

Radiant looked down and nodded quietly. “Ok…” She breathed deeply a few times to stop herself from crying again, and after a full minute, she looked at Starlight again, but this time, with a confident frown. “Can we play again?”

Warmth wrapped Starlight’s heart, and her shoulders relaxed. She had saved the situation, somehow.

“Of course.”

~~~~~~~~

Starlight rummaged through one of the drawers of her dresser. It had been eons since the last time she opened it, but thanks to Cadence’s offspring always offering to clean the place, it looked like new. Well, it probably was a new dresser that looked exactly like the old one, for all Starlight knew, but she didn’t particularly care.

At last, she found what she was looking for. A sole blue quartz carved into a circular base made of pure gold that was encrypted and enchanted with powerful spells. Starlight grabbed it and placed it upon the dresser. She then cast a simple activation spell, and the quartz reacted to it. It pulsed with a blue glow for a few seconds, and then it produced a light above itself, projecting a magical circle in the air that eventually showed Twilight’s face.

“Starlight?” Twilight asked, and her voice sounded electrical. “What happened? Is there an emergency?”

Starlight smiled. “No, don’t worry. I just… Are you alone?”

Twilight looked around. “I’ll be right back.” The circle became completely blue for a few moments before showing Twilight again. “Ok, you can tell me now.”

“You better sit down,” Starlight said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice. “I found Trixie.”

For a long moment, Twilight only stared at her with a dumbfounded expression. She blinked twice. “What?”

“It’s a little crystal unicorn filly named Radiant Awe,” Starlight said. “She’s eight years old... Still doesn’t have a Cutie Mark…”

“Wait, not so fast,” Twilight interrupted her. “Tell me what happened, from the beginning.”

Starlight complied, telling Twilight everything that happened since she felt the hum of magic, to her meeting with Radiant, and up to their matches of chess.

“Are you completely sure it’s Trixie’s magic signature?”

“Positive,” Starlight replied. “There’s nopony in this world that knows that signature better than me.”

“I can’t believe it,” Twilight said, looking away with a thoughtful expression. “It may be possible…”

“May?” Starlight asked with a raised eyebrow. “I’m telling you, Twilight! It’s Trixie reincarnated!”

Twilight sighed and quietly shook her head. “I know you are excited, and I’m not saying I don’t believe you found a sign, but I want to confirm the signature for myself. Even then, you know that is only one indication. We can’t be sure it is even possible for a pony to reincarnate.” She looked around for a moment then added, a little more gleefully. “But it certainly is a very promising sign! You’re going to be there for a few more days, right? I think I can arrive there tomorrow.”

“You could just teleport,” Starlight grumbled.

A moment of silence passed as Twilight considered the option. “Do you mind if I teleport inside your house? I can cast an illusion spell once there so I don’t draw unnecessary attention to myself.”

Starlight shrugged. “Yeah, whatever.”

The image returned to blue once more before disappearing. Starlight sighed and sat down on her bed. She waited for only five minutes whenTwilight appeared in a flash of light. She looked at Starlight and smiled.

“Hello.”

“Hi,” Starlight replied, looking straight at Twilight’s eyes. It was kind of unfair, she thought, that alicorns would always grow tall and slender, like models. And although “converted” alicorns still went through a growth spurt, they never got as tall as the others. Thus Twilight and Cadence were the shortest alicorns, but still taller and more stylized than Starlight.

Twilight looked around. “So, where’s this Radiant filly?”

“It’s the middle of the night, Twilight,” Starlight replied with a smirk.

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?” Twilight asked with a frown.

Starlight snickered. “Because it’s funny.”

Twilight grunted. “I was in a study session with Stardust. You could’ve called in the morning.”

“Oh, come on, Twilight. If this subject wasn’t as important to you as it is to me, you wouldn’t have come in such a hurry.” She sighed through her nose and gave Twilight an honest smile. “Besides, we haven’t seen each other in two years. I think this is a good time to catch up.”

At that, Twilight smiled warmly and gave a soft sigh of defeat. “Alright, you win,” she said as she sat down next to Starlight. They talked about all the things they have done in the past two years. Surprisingly enough, Starlight had more stories to share than Twilight.

As the old, old friends they were, Twilight and Starlight spent the whole night talking, and as time passed and cider was drunk, they made more jokes and raved more. They didn’t even notice when they had fallen asleep on the floor, right beside the bed.

Starlight was the first to wake up. She felt a little dizzy, but she reckoned some coffee wouldn’t hurt, so she went to the kitchen and began brewing some. Minutes after, Twilight walked in, stumbling at every step, looking nothing like the regal princess many ponies knew her for.

“Ugh, how long has that cider been stored here?” Twilight asked, slowly sitting down on a chair.

“Ten years at least,” Starlight answered with a shrug. “Maybe more.”

Twilight huffed. “Blessed be this immortal body.”

Starlight only smiled as she poured coffee in two cups and placed them on the table, offering one to Twilight. “Blessed be coffee for us petty mortals.”

Twilight shot a glance to Starlight, but didn’t say anything as she sipped on her coffee. She let out a long sigh and smiled. “So, what’s your plan, exactly?”

Starlight raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, we’ll go to the park, and I’ll see this filly. Let’s say I confirm she really does have the same magic signature as Trixie. Heck, let's even say we somehow confirm right then and there that reincarnation is possible and this is definitely Trixie... What are you going to do then?”

Starlight frowned and looked down at her cup. “I… I’m not sure… I always thought that when I’d find her, she’d be a grown pony, but… Radiant is just a filly that doesn’t even have her Cutie Mark… What am I supposed to do?” She sighed heavily as she considered her options. “I suppose I’ll just wait until she’s an adult.”

“And what then?” Twilight asked with a frown of her own. “Are you going to try to become her special somepony?”

“Well, duh!” Starlight replied, rolling her eyes. “I’ve loved Trixie for over four hundred years.”

“That raises an important question, though,” Twilight said, staring straight into Starlight’s eyes. “Even if she is a reincarnation, Radiant won’t be Trixie as you knew her… Will she love you, too?” Starlight didn’t answer right away, and Twilight decided to continue. “Besides, don’t you think the situation is more than a little weird? We’re talking about a filly here, but you’re already making plans for marrying her when she grows up.”

Starlight looked down again. “You’re right. That does sound kind of messed up…” She then frowned. “But I’ve waited for too long, Twilight. I…” Her eyes widened as an idea occurred to her. A cheshire smile appeared on her face. “Oh, I know! I can just talk to her, become her friend, and just be there. That way, when she grows up, she can decide!”

“I just want you to realize that this whole situation is quite, uh… yeah, it’s creepy.” Twilight shifted in her place. “You’re just interested in Radiant because she might be Trixie’s reincarnation. You want to be with her when she becomes an adult. But have you stopped to think on how she will feel when she finds out that’s what you were after all along?”

Starlight opened her mouth to answer, but immediately closed it.

“And there’s also the age difference. You know how those relationships are difficult, you’ve seen it countless times. And between you and Radiant there are over four hundred years apart. That is not an easy difference to deal with.”

Starlight stared down at the ground, wordlessly.

“Hey,” Twilight wrapped one wing around Starlight, “I’m not saying this to discourage you, but I think you have to really think about her.” Twilight closed her eyes and hummed softly. “I suppose…” She opened her eyes and looked at Starlight. “If this is really what we hope it is, we need somepony to monitor her… As long as you don’t try to manipulate her feelings, who better than you?.”

“Hah! I knew you’d be interested in some experimenting!”

“Careful, Starlight,” Twilight warned. “This isn’t something you can just see as an experiment. We’re talking about a real, living pony. A filly at that. If you’re not careful, you can ruin her life. And that, Starlight, I won’t tolerate.”

Starlight didn’t answer right away. She considered Twilight’s words and weighed her options. She took a deep breath and nodded. “Don’t worry, Twilight. I’ll behave, I promise.”

“I trust you will.”

~~~~~~~~

A few hours later, Twilight and Starlight were in the park where Starlight had met Radiant. Of course, Twilight had cast a powerful illusion spell on herself to look like a young unicorn mare with white fur, pink mane, and a single purple star as a Cutie Mark. As impressive as the illusion was, it was all undone by Twilight’s insistence that ‘Terra Incognita’ was a perfectly inconspicuous pony name. Starlight knew she was just proud of the terrible wordplay.

Starlight sat at the chessboard table while Twilight remained standing. Some time passed before Starlight sighted a certain filly in the distance.

Radiant Awe happily trotted closer, carrying a pair of soft pink saddlebags. She was humming to herself as she approached the table Starlight was sitting at.

“Hello, Radiant,” Starlight greeted with a kind smile. Radiant was about to answer, but then she noticed the mare standing at Starlight’s right and shrunk back. “This is my friend, White Out.” Twilight glared at Starlight, but she ignored her. “You don’t mind if she watches a few matches, right?”

Radiant nodded slowly and sat down, looking at ‘White Out’ for the longest time before taking her chess pieces out from her saddlebag.

Twilight inhaled sharply as she felt Radiant’s magic signature. It indeed was very, very similar to Trixie, but she didn’t want to just confirm it right there, so she waited and analyzed it for the rest of the game. Even when Radiant had seemed to forget about her and was focused on the match itself, Starlight shot glances at Twilight every now and then.

The game went on for a whole hour before, once again, Starlight achieved an overwhelming victory. Maybe she should teach Radiant how to yield.

When Starlight declared checkmate, Radiant slumped down and her ears folded against her head. It struck her as weird, yesterday, Radiant had seemed to understand that losses weren’t that bad, then why was she so down now?

“That was incredible!” Twilight said, and Radiant immediately looked up at her with a mix of surprise and expectation. “It’s been years since the last time somepony forced Starlight to sacrifice a bishop like that!” She offered Radiant a bright smile. “You must be gifted in chess!”

“Thank you Mrs. White!” Radiant said happily.

Twilight had to admit that the filly was painfully adorable. “Anyway, I really need to return home now.”

Radiant’s ears dropped again. “Uhm… did we take too long? Were you going to… play?”

“Oh, no, I only came to watch. I’d love to see another game, but I left my daughter home alone.”

“She’s not a filly anymore,” Starlight mentioned casually. “She can take care of herself.”

Twilight turned to Starlight with a frown. “I’m afraid that, much like me, she loves to spend entire days reading without sleeping. That’s not exactly properly taking care of herself.”

“Whatever you say, Whitey,” Starlight replied with a smirk.

“Anyway, Starlight, may I have a word with you before I leave?”

“Oh, sure,” Starlight said. She turned to Radiant and offered her an apology before following Twilight to a secluded place, where Twilight sneaked a muffling bubble around themselves.

“First off, what’s up with the name?”

Starlight shrugged. “Yours is terrible. Besides, it's your fault for always picking the same disguise. Of course I’d have come up with a better name by now.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Well, to the point…” She took a deep breath before speaking again. “I analyzed her magic and… whilst not exactly the same, it’s so similar to Trixie’s that she might as well be her reincarnation.”

“I thought we already went over that.”

“No, you went over it,” Twilight said with a frown. “I wanted to make sure she was who you thought she was and-”

“Yeah, yeah, save me the speech, Twilight,” Starlight interrupted her. “What’s your point?”

Twilight frowned. “My point is: You know that we can’t be a hundred percent sure that this is really happening. We found a sign, but it’s not enough; we need more data. From now on, it’ll be your job to observe her and see if she exhibits Trixie’s traits, manners, etc. But, always have in mind that they’ll never be the same pony, so I trust you not to manipulate her feelings.”

“Of course.”

“Good. I don’t want to hear you hurt her because you tried to make her look or act like Trixie.”

“You have my word.”

“Just to be perfectly clear, I also don’t want to hear you made her act like Trixie without hurting her either. You are not to influence her, understood?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Pinkie Promise?”

Starlight deadpanned, then sighed heavily. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” she recited while rolling her eyes.

“Thank you,” Twilight said with a smile. “Now, if you excuse me, I have to go.”

“We’ll keep in touch.”

Twilight nodded and, after looking around to make sure nopony was looking, she teleported away.

Starlight returned to the chessboard table to see that Radiant was still there, patiently waiting and having organized the pieces for another match. Starlight complied, of course, and for the following hours, they played.

Three games later, Starlight still ended victorious with ease. Of course, she took any chance she got to remind Radiant that a loss wasn’t a bad thing if it helped one improve.

“It’s a little late,” Radiant said softly. “I think mom is waiting for me…”

“Oh, then don’t let me delay you,” Starlight replied.

Radiant smiled and began placing the pieces inside her saddlebags. “Uhm… c-can we meet in the afternoons? I have school in the mornings.”

Starlight was about to answer, but her eyes widened in horror. “Oh, well, I have to leave tomorrow.”

“Oh,” Radiant’s ears bent backwards. “When are you returning?”

“I’m… not sure, actually,” she said, considering her responsibilities. “My job is practically traveling around the world... “

“Really?” Radiant asked with adorable curiosity.

But Starlight was so concerned that she didn’t notice. “Yes, really,” she answered absentmindedly. “If everything goes right, I think… Maybe I can return in six months or so.”

“Oh…” Radiant looked down again. “So… We’re not playing anymore?”

Starlight’s heart shrunk at that. “No, it’s not that! I just have some responsibilities to take care of! I wish I could stay, but a pony’s gotta do what a pony’s gotta do!” She bit her lower lip for a moment. “But, hey, you can use this time to practice, and who knows? You can even get to beat me!”

But Radiant didn’t look convinced. “But… you’re the only pony I can get to practice with…” She sniffed, and Starlight started panicking. “All my classmates prefer to play anything else because at least they can win a few times, but in chess I always win, so…”

“Have you…” Starlight began before her mind had finished forming the thought. “Have you considered playing with adults?” Radiant looked at her and tilted her head. “Like me.”

Radiant blinked. “You’re an adult?! I thought you were in highschool or something!”

Had Starlight been eating or drinking something, she’d choke on it right then and there. “Aww you’re so nice.” She refrained herself from adding ‘and so cute I just want to snuggle you’. “But no, I’m an adult, so, maybe you can play with other grown ponies. I’m sure they’d love to play with a filly as smart as yourself.”

Radiant blushed and smiled a little bit. “Ok, I’ll try…” She then looked at Starlight straight in the eyes. “But, you’ll come back in six months, right?”

“At least,” Starlight answered. “It can take a bit longer, depending on many things like flight delays, train delays, meeting delays…” She then gave Radiant a confident smile. “But don’t worry, I’ll return. And then we can play again.”

Radiant smiled brightly at that. “Ok!”

Author's Note

This was a very hard chapter to write...