The Taste of Friendship

Chapters

1: Appetizer
2: Main Dish
Epilogue: Dessert

1: Appetizer

Starlight Glimmer traveled the sidewalk, slurping the best noodles she'd ever had in her life.

Today was full of new experiences, in fact. Watching her eat said noodles was a creature Starlight had, until now, only heard stories of.

"Humans," Twilight Sparkle had called them, stating that they were "a lot of like us ponies, but what they lack in magic, they make up for in determination. And, uh, size." Given what she'd witnessed over the last few hours, Starlight was inclined to believe her.

The young woman who had prepared the noodles for her walked next to Starlight. Her fingers were at her chin, her face scrunched in a pensive expression.

"Okay," she said, "let me make sure I've got this all straight. You're a magical pony from another world entirely. I'm with you going that far, mainly because I can see you right in front of me." She shook her head. "Never would have believed it otherwise."

Starlight nodded. "Completely fair."

"But you're also a mage," the woman—who had earlier introduced herself as "Ukyo Kuonji"—continued, "and you were messing around with some magic spells that landed you here?"

"There's..." Starlight's ears drooped as she looked down at the noodle bowl levitating in front of her. "There's this mirror in one of the rooms of our castle that Twilight Sparkle—my mentor—has only ever told me the barest amount about. Now, she never expressly told me to stay away from it..."

"But it was implied," Ukyo guessed.

"With her, it's always implied." Starlight sighed ruefully. "One day that'll stick with me, I swear. Anyway, I was working on my own experiments in dimensional space magic, as a surprise for a certain... somepony." She rolled her hoof. "One of those experiments exploded, knocking me back towards the mirror, and some sparks landed on it at the same time. Next thing I know, I'm here." She levitated more noodles to her muzzle, slurping one last time to clear her bowl. "These are amazing, by the way."

"Heh. Glad you like 'em." Ukyo whistled. "Gotta say, though, half of this stuff is straight out of storybooks I read growing up." She shrugged and nodded nonchalantly. "But it's not like I have any huge reasons not to believe you. Hearing your story, I'm just glad you survived."

"Thanks." Starlight sighed again. "Though that might be moot since I have no idea how to get back. I've spent hours now tapping into this world's magic as best I can, but it's nowhere near the level of Equestria's. It also just... feels completely different, in a way I can't place."

"So, you're stuck here."

Starlight nodded. "At least for a while. It should be fine, though. All the spell ingredients are back on the other side, along with my full notes. My teacher should put be able to two and two together. Once she... realizes I'm missing."

Ukyo nodded back. "Well, until that happens, my restaurant doubles as my home. You can stay there while you and your teacher get things sorted out."

"R-really?" Starlight perked up. "'I-I mean, that'd be great, thank you! I really appreciate you going out of your way like this. Especially since I tumbled into your shop during what looked like rush hour." Her mind flashed back to the large hole she'd put in the furnishings during her untimely arrival, and she cringed. "Sorry again about that screen door, by the way."

Ukyo waved a hand. "Ahhh, they're not exactly made to take punishment. I'll grab a new one later. Anyway, I've closed up shop for the rest of the day, and right now, I'm taking you to the closest thing to a magic user I know. Speaking of which, we're about to hit the main streets. Go ahead and get that invisibility spell going again? Just in case."

"Okay." Starlight concentrated, and faded from view within seconds.

"Great," Ukyo said. "We're just about there. I just hope the person we're looking for is here, and not her crazy—"

"Spatula-girl face supreme punishment!" a shrill voice echoed throughout the sky.

"Awww, hell."

Ukyo reached behind herself, and drew her massive battle spatula just in time to block a large, colorful mace swung directly at her face. They were wielded by a purple-haired girl wearing a look of pure scorn.

Starlight's eyes and muzzle widened. Just what was going on all of a sudden? Starlight had wondered why Ukyo had carried that large utensil at her back, but this was the last reason she could have ever predicted. She retreated to a nearby alley to watch things unfold.

The new girl didn't let up, alternatingly swinging the maces in her hands at Ukyo over and over. Heavy clangs resounded with each one Ukyo blocked. "Oh, come on!" Ukyo said. "Just what is the matter with you today?"

"You no play dumb! Everyone know you and Ranma gone together for whole week!" Another swing, another clang. "All of Nerima up in arms, but Shampoo be sure to get to you first!"

Ukyo would have rolled her eyes if it hadn't met taking them off of the fight.

"Is that what this is about? Geez, Shampoo, I was away at the yearly okonomiyaki chef's convention!" Ukyo drew a small bag of flour from her jacket and threw it between the two of them, creating a large cloud of smoke. As Shampoo coughed and covered her eyes, Ukyo repeatedly backflipped, then jumped and perched on a nearby fence.

"I didn't even invite Ranma to 'Yakicon," Ukyo said when the smoke cleared. She resheathed her spatula. "He and his jackass pop came to crash the thing and score free eats!"

"Ha!" Shampoo called up. "And you tell me whole time silly spatula-girl never take advantage of Ranma showing up?"

Ukyo slipped into a dreamy, desperate smile despite herself. "Believe me, I tried, but you know the guy, he—" Ukyo saw Shampoo's expression instantly change from miffed to angry. "...uh oh."

"So Ukyo admit it!" Shampoo threw her maces to the ground with a heavy smash. "Now Shampoo mean business! Shampoo ends this today!"

In a flash, Shampoo was on the fence and in front of Ukyo, with the latter just barely able to dodge a hand chop aimed at her neck. Ukyo faltered back, but Shampoo kept up the pressure with rapid advancing punches and kicks, sending Ukyo stepping ever backward on the fence.

Ukyo reached back for her spatula, but the second she did so, Shampoo used her agility to leap behind Ukyo, and to catch her arm. With it disabled, she yanked the spatula from its holster and threw it across the street. "There. Now fight is fair!"

"Seriously?" Ukyo jumped back onto the street, wishing she'd prepared for this. "Why aren't you trying to kill Ranma over this?"

Shampoo jumped after Ukyo, the latter dodging out of the way just as Shampoo landed a downward thrusting punch that cracked the pavement.

"Ranma get what coming to him in due time! By which Shampoo mean romantic dinner by candlelight! Shampoo cooking make sure Ranma never think about cheap okonomiyaki ever again!"

That got Ukyo's goat. She froze, her eyes twitching, staring at Shampoo with reddening vision.

Finally she roared, "The hell that's happening!" She rushed in with sloppy punches—and in between dodges, Shampoo grabbed her arms.

"Silly spatula-girl learn once and for all not to take Ranma from true fiancée!" Shampoo said, before twirling in place. Ukyo struggled, but couldn't break free.

Her world spun with Shampoo, faster and faster, for ten whole seconds, before Shampoo finally let go, sending a screaming Ukyo through a new wooden fence. She groaned as she lay on the grass beyond, but managed to just barely come to her senses and see Shampoo rushing towards her to finish things.

With a growl of desperation, Ukyo threw a flurry of miniature spatulas, all of which Shampoo deflected. However, by the time Shampoo had done so, Ukyo was already hiding in the same alley as Starlight, dizzy and pained.

"Ukyo come out right now to settle fight!" Shampoo screamed to the sky. "If she no come out now, it only get worse next time!"

Starlight stared at Shampoo—whose body, she noticed, was glowing a faint blue. "Is... is that magic I'm seeing on her?"

"Battle aura," Ukyo said, gasping for breath. "Hard to tell apart from magic sometimes, though, I'll give you that. Geez, she must really be on fire today."

"Wait," Starlight said. "You know her?"

"Rival of mine." Ukyo nursed her bruises as she watched Shampoo search every nook, cranny and trash can. "Who's good, don't get me wrong, but she was never anything I couldn't handle before! If I rush back in there, it might actually end badly."

Starlight's mind instantly went to work. "Not while I'm around. What do you have to work with?"

Ukyo gritted her teeth. "Not much. My weapon's still out there, so right now I've just got a few throwing spats and flour bombs left."

Starlight put her hoof to her muzzle in thought. A conspiratorial grin spread across her muzzle seconds later. "We'll make it work." Her horn glowed. "But let's patch you up first."

"You can do that?" Ukyo said, seconds before she looked, amazed, at the bruises on her arms and legs fading away. She felt her pain fade as well moments afterward. Ukyo stood up, and flexed her limbs, gasping happily. "Wow. I... I guess you can."

"Yes and no. Light wounds I can deal with, but Equestria still has hospitals for several reasons," Starlight replied. "Anyway, I think I have a plan..."

"Hey! Shampoo!"

Shampoo turned around to see Ukyo's silhouette standing, hands on hips, in front of the sun.

"Ha! she said. "Silly pretend-chef finally decide to show herse—ow!" Shampoo yelped when a bag of flour impacted with her face, its contents spilling everywhere and making smoke. Just as she managed to wipe the substance off of her face and wave the smoke away, she heard Ukyo's voice behind her.

"Looking for me?" Ukyo's voice was closer than before. "Totally ready for that rematch now."

"Good! Then you stay still and—ow!" Another flour bomb. More smoke.

"Gotta find me first," Ukyo taunted from yet another direction. Shampoo wiped her eyes to see Ukyo wearing a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin a short distance away.

Something was wrong, though. Ukyo was also to the right of her. And the left. And... atop yet another fence? "What? How there so many of you?"

"You're a very lucky girl, Shampoo," all of them said in unison. "It's a three-for-one special—all the Ukyo Kuonji you'll ever need!"

"Shampoo simply punish you all!" Shampoo shouted.

"You're welcome to try," the Ukyos said.

All of them rushed at her, feinting attacks to taunt the other girl. "Gosh, wouldn't it be great if you could wash off in the middle of a fight?" they cackled, as Shampoo threw blind and easily-dodged punches at them.

"This what you want? Fine then: Shampoo kill!" Shampoo let out a blood-curdling scream before letting loose at each of the Ukyos at double-speed, finally managing to strike each of them... and watching them disappear in clouds of flour smoke.

Save for one.

"Guess I'll go ahead and give you that bath," Ukyo said from inside the cloud. Before Shampoo could turn around, Ukyo hit the back of her head with the flat of her recently-recovered battle spatula. The smoke cleared just in time for Starlight to watch in amazement as Shampoo collapsed into a nearby puddle... and turned into an unconscious cat.

Starlight did a double-take. Just what was this world?

"Wow, that was amazing, Starlight," Ukyo said, dusting her hands and resheathing her battle spatula behind her back. "Thanks so much."

Starlight nodded, filing the tactic away in her mental archives. "You're welcome. I'm just glad illusion and healing spells were enough. Light spells like that are about all I can manage on this world." She looked over at Shampoo—the woman-now-turned-cat who was able to break solid ground with one punch. "And yet..." she mused.

"Well, I can't say she didn't have that coming."

Starlight and Ukyo looked towards the new voice to see a short, wizened woman walking over to Shampoo's prone feline form, shaking her head.

"One day my great-granddaughter may well listen when I tell her not to rush into a fight. Especially when powerful magic is nearby. Isn't that right, stranger?"

The old woman looked past Ukyo, straight at Starlight, directly into her eyes. Starlight looked around to make sure nobody else was present. There was nobody. It was true—she'd been made.

"Yes, I see you," the woman said. "And I'm guessing you're here to see me."

Starlight revealed herself, and nodded.

Ukyo looked back at Starlight, then at the old woman. "Y-yes, Cologne. I have a good friend who needs help returning home. Can you provide any?"

Cologne took a good long look at Starlight, studying her.

"I have absolutely no idea," she finally said. "But we'll certainly give it a shot."

2: Main Dish

Three hours later, a frazzled Starlight Glimmer walked back into Ucchan's Okonomiyaki.

Ukyo walked in behind her, carrying a new screen door. The sight of it relieved Starlight—one less thing weighing on her conscience. She stood in the center of the shop, watching Ukyo install it.

"Sheesh," Ukyo said. "It sounds like you two covered every single base except the ones that could help you out."

"Seriously! And yet, I almost feel sorry for you guys. Ancient curses are a bit out of my wheelhouse, along with pretty much every other brand of magic Cologne's familiar with." Starlight sighed. "She wasn't a total loss, though. I have a slightly better idea of how magic works in your world, which... reportedly has its own magic mirrors in it? I'll have to draw up a plan to check those out. That all said, can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Ukyo picked up the old broken screen door and walked towards the back room. Starlight followed.

"Well, no less than three times while talking with Cologne, I kept seeing this one boy being chased by lots of people—and they all kept talking about either marrying him or killing him. Sometimes... both?"

She tilted her head, and looked up at Ukyo inquisitively. "Is there something I should know? Perhaps about this world's laws? I mean, in Equestria, when a pony likes another pony, they usually just... ask them out."

Ukyo put the screen door against a wall, then faced Starlight, a sheepish look on her face. "It's... a really long story. Can I tell you tomorrow? I had to deal with a magical pony crashing into my restaurant today, then got a workout from Shampoo—it'll take me a good night's sleep before I have the energy to tell you all about Nerima's most eligible bachelor. To say nothing of the chaos he's left in his wake." She hesitated, then asked, "I'm... guessing you also saw Ranma-honey get splashed with water at some point?"

Starlight blushed. "Pretty sure I did, yeah. Another cursed spring deal?"

Ukyo blushed back. "Yeah, it... goes that far."

Starlight snickered. "You know, if I never get back, I'll still have a field day figuring out how your world works."

Ukyo laughed. "I'm sure! Sorry you couldn't find the magic you were looking for, though." She went back to the dining room, to the sink behind the grill, and started washing plates.

"That makes two of us. I guess I'll just have to put my faith in my friends. If they can even do anything. Or..." Starlight hesitated. "...or if they even want to."

Ukyo scrunched her face in thought as she scrubbed a plate. "You know, I'd been meaning to ask you about that. When you originally explained to me how you got here, you said you were doing all this in the name of... friendship? As in, trying to learn friendship? How do you go from high-level magic to that?"

"Because on my world, friendship is magic." Starlight perched on one of the stools at the front counter, and gestured with her hooves. "Things like friendship, camaraderie, harmony, they're like... this invisible glue that holds our world—past, present and future—together. And they give, ponies especially, their reason for living.

"It's... actually a lot like how you told me everyone here has different martial arts styles, but they all have core principles and disciplines, allowing for people to do extraordinary things when they express themselves. The magic afforded by friendship, around Equestria, lets me do what I'm able to do, and be what I'm able to be... but in my own way. And the same goes for everypony else."

Ukyo's eyes went wide. "That sounds incredible! No wonder you want to learn friendship."

"Exactly! Though... yeah. That's the thing. For all my magical skill, I'm behind the curve." Starlight sighed. "Walking irony."

"I'm... not sure I'm following, Star." Ukyo dried her hands, then tended to the dining area. Meanwhile, Starlight rolled a stray grain of rice on the counter back and forth between her hooves. Her next words were melancholy.

"I used to be very much on the wrong side of things, Ukyo. I had a weird, warped sense of what friendship and harmony should be, and I led other ponies on that warped path with me. When I was called out on it, I almost destroyed my world out of petty revenge. Make no mistake, Ukyo: I was one of those ponies you and your frenemies would have banded together to stop."

Ukyo listened, fingers to her chin in thought.

"But Twilight stopped me. More than that, she saved me. And she didn't lock me in a cell for a thousand years. She should have, but she didn't. Ever since then, I've been trying to make it up to her and the rest of my world, but I keep screwing things up!"

Starlight threw up her forelegs. "Other ponies make friends all the time! How is it that I'm unable to get the hang of something so... mundane? So easy? Instead I just keep hurting the ones I want to be friends with! Those five ponies I told you about on the way back here? Twilight's friends? Just last week, I mind-controlled them all, because it was easier than humoring them for a few hours. I knew what I was doing the whole time, but I did it anyway!

"So after learning my lesson there, I decided to work on some magic that, if it went wrong, would only affect me, for once. And here I am. Constantly messing up friendship, and now screwing up the the one thing I'm supposedly actually good at."

Starlight slumped. "Maybe... maybe Equestria's just better off without me. Maybe I really should just stay here. After all, you..." Her lips quivered. "...y-you can't make rotten food fresh again. Right?"

Starlight lay her head down on the counter, despair filling her heart, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't fight them, nor did she fight her decision, because it was clearly correct given stacked evidence.

Maybe she really could start fresh in a world like this. She'd have to find her own place to live, of course—she certainly couldn't impose on Ukyo forever. She idly wondered what the job market was like for magical ponies here.

As Starlight wallowed in sadness, she heard shaking and shuffling above her, but thought nothing of it.

Then she felt fingers nudge her face up. Starlight opened her eyes to see a blurry Ukyo right in front of her. Ukyo wiped the tears from Starlight's eyes and face with a handkerchief, wearing a concerned look.

"Look, Starlight? I know we haven't known each other for very long, but... I'd really like to say something here. If it's okay."

"No, it's all right," Starlight sniffled. Looking around, she saw lots of vegetables situated behind the grill in front of her, along with spices, oils, and a few bowls. "Go ahead."

"Okay. Well, I just want to say that I'm... actually pretty jealous of you."

Starlight blinked. "Why?"

"Because you totally hit the nail on the head with the 'frenemies' bit, that's why," Ukyo said with a chuckle. "Sometimes I have a really hard time figuring out what I see in the people I call friends. To say nothing of what they might see in me. Heck, it seems like anyone I would call a friend around here, I also call a rival. We're at odds so much. We fight so much.

"But we also have our good times. Sometimes we work together. Sometimes we also have fun. Shampoo and I don't even hate each other—we're just ga-ga over the same guy, and sometimes we get... passionate about it. But true-blues like the one you've got? Yeah... in my life, few and far between."

Starlight slowly nodded.

"I've had to learn something over the years—in training, in being a suitor, and in owning this place. And that is..." Ukyo walked behind the grill. "...well, that friendship really is a lot like cooking."

Starlight blinked. "You're... not just saying that because you run a restaurant, are you?"

Ukyo chuckled. "Hey, when all you have is a spatula..." She held up her cooking tools of choice. "But no, seriously. You said you have a big group of friends, right?"

"Close to ten of them," Starlight replied. "At least I'm... trying for their friendship? And I know they are too, even with my... shortcomings. They're... they're so nice to me, even when I make them angry. But they're wasting their time." Starlight sighed.

Ukyo shook her head. She cracked the eggs into one of the bowls and whipped, adding liberal amounts of the bottled oils, sauces and spices, then added flour.

"Yeah, no," she said, whisking the mixture as smooth as she could. "Here's the thing about friends, especially in groups." She added vegetable after vegetable, along with some... very familiar-looking noodles. The spatula joined her spoon in the mixing of each new ingredient, this time much more gently.

"Each of those friends is great on their own, and totally bring their own flavor to the table. But sometimes, to get something even better out of all these folks you just lumped together?"

Ukyo's eyes glinted, moments before she overturned the contents of the bowl onto the already-heated grill in front of her. A deafening sizzle accompanied an almost opaque cloud of smoke. Starlight gasped, jumping off the stool.

The smoke cleared, revealing Ukyo with a toothful, cocksure grin.

"You need heat!" Ukyo shouted over the din, sweeping her arm wide."Fires lit under you! Sometimes you're going to make mistakes, or they are, and when they happen they're going to hurt!"

Ukyo let the mixture sizzle for a little while longer as Starlight stared, transfixed by both the sight of her and the increasingly good smell filling the restaurant. Ukyo then flipped the food, and the loud, intense sizzle returned. Starlight winced again.

Ukyo kept grinning, then beckoned with one hand. Slowly, Starlight walked back and retook her seat.

Ukyo removed the now disc-shaped food off of the grill and placed it onto a plate. She took a bottle, and squirted with several florid motions, switching the bottle between her hands repeatedly in the process.

As she did so, she spoke again—and her voice was tender once more.

"Funny thing, though: if you have real friends? If they really are right for you? All those bumps in the road never last longer than they need to. And they keep going, with the lessons learned from those mistakes in mind, until they transform you, and those around you..."

With one final flourish, she added garnish from a nearby cannister, slammed both the cannister and the sauce bottle on the table with a confident pound, then slid the plate in front of Starlight.

"Into something truly special," Ukyo finished.

Starlight peered at the steaming dish in front of her. It looked a little bit like a pancake, a little bit like a pizza. The more she looked, the more she could see layers and bits of ingredients everywhere.

It smelled absolutely fantastic. And atop it, Starlight saw a sauce-based illustration of her own cutie mark. She held back the urge to squeal.

"This is your specialty?" Starlight asked, wide-eyed. "Your 'okonomiyaki?'"

Ukyo beamed. "The very same."

"It's... it's beautiful," Starlight whispered.

"Thanks. But it's not meant to be stared at." Ukyo looked at Starlight expectantly. "Eat up, hon. You've had a long day."

Starlight used her magic to cut and levitate a piece of the patty to her muzzle, and took a tentative bite. That hesitation turned to gusto the second the dish hit her taste buds, and she chewed enthusiastically.

"It's... actually a little bit sweet," she said, then took another bite. Her eyes went wide again. "...Wait a minute. Is there hay in this?"

Ukyo giggled. "I may have gone on a special ingredient run while you were at Cologne's."

Starlight chowed down in earnest, making appreciative noises the whole time and doing her best not to faint from just how good it was. Ukyo simply watched Starlight clean her plate.

Eventually, Starlight did just that, and pushed said plate aside with a satisfied sigh. "You... are a master of your craft."

Ukyo's smile was big and warm. She walked around the table, pulled up a stool next to Starlight, and sat.

"I understand how you feel, Starlight," Ukyo said, "and, I think, how your teacher feels, too. As you've already seen, there's someone in this town I'd like to be friends with. Really, really close friends. " She winked... then sighed. "But to make that happen, it's going to take a lot of work on my part. On top of a lot of forgiveness I've already had to dish out.

"You, though? You have a teacher who hasn't given up on you, you have other ponies you haven't given up on, and vice versa on everything. Even though it's been hard, even though it's been painful, and even though it's been months, they've stuck with you, and I've heard you speak nothing but fondness for them.

"Friendships aren't flawless. They're also not 'easy', or as 'mundane'' as everyone thinks. But when they're real? They endure. And they get only stronger with time."

Ukyo placed her hand on Starlight's cheek, the both of them relaxing into the moment.

"Don't write yourself off, Starlight. Please. I've only known you for a few hours, but I'm absolutely ecstatic to call you a friend. And I hope you feel the same."

"U-Ukyo..." Overwhelmed and at a loss for words, Starlight simply levitated herself into Ukyo's outstretched arms. "Of course I do," she whispered. "Thank you so much."

Ukyo stayed silent, hugging back. Chief among the things Twilight had neglected to tell Starlight about travel between worlds was just what it was like to embrace a human. It was much different from hugging another pony—they were smoother. Less ticklish on her coat. And, of course, stronger.

Certainly just as warm, however.

"What... what do I owe you for the meal?" Starlight asked when the two separated. "And for... you know, everything else?"

Ukyo waved a hand dismissively. "Please. It's all on the house. Mainly because... oh, this is going to sound so silly." Ukyo's expression went sheepish. "But... do you believe in kindred spirits? I... just get this feeling that you and I..."

"...might be connected somehow?"

"You do get it." Ukyo's face scrunched. "It's just something I haven't been able to stop thinking about since we first started talking."

"Me neither."

The two stared at each other, studying each other, for a long time, before both simply shrugged.

"Well, stranger things have happened," Starlight said. "Often because of me. Anyway, I suppose I should get ready to make arrangements if I'm going to live—"

The whole restaurant lit up just then. A nearby mirror—the same mirror Starlight had tumbled through when arriving in Ukyo's world in the first place—shone brightly.

And a voice that Starlight instantly recognized called out.

"Starlight? Starlight, are you there?"

"Twilight?" Starlight gasped, rushing to the mirror. "It's Twilight!"

"Are you absolutely sure these are the right coordinates, Sparkle?" A haughtier voice then said.

"One percent margin of error," Twilight replied. "Why?"

"Well, I suppose that's the best we can hope for with you driving. Starlight! Starlight Glimmer, so help me, if you got yourself hurt over there, The Great and Powerful Trixie will make sure you get hurt over here!"

Starlight grinned from ear to ear. "Trixie? Trixie, Twilight, yes! Yes, I'm here!" she called. "Please say you can hear me!"

"That's her! I just heard her! One side, 'Princess!'" Trixie declared. "Trixie is going through!"

"But you can't!"

"Like Tartarus I can't! Don't treat me like some filly! If it weren't for me, you would never have decoded her dimensional magic notes! Now if there are no more objections, Trixie has a best fr—er, assistant to rescue!"

Starlight blushed. "It's okay, Trixie. I'll come through myself. How long can you keep this portal open?"

"Couple of minutes tops!" Twilight replied.

"Got it!" Starlight turned to Ukyo. She didn't expect to feel tears welling up behind her eyes again so soon, but there they were.

"Well, it sure doesn't sound like you're in too much trouble," Ukyo said with a smile.

Starlight chuckled and sniffled. "You haven't met Twilight or Trixie. With them, trouble comes in different flavors. It won't be so bad, though."

Ukyo nodded. "No kidding. It sounds like you've got some very good friends to me. And it doesn't sound like they think you should give up and stay here, either. Looks like they think you're worth the trouble."

"Yeah, looks like. It also looks like it's goodbye." Starlight sighed, and gave up holding her tears back. "Will... will I ever see you again? We only ever got to know each other for a few hours, but—"

"Hold that thought."

Ukyo ran out of the kitchen, and after a short time, came back with a miniature spatula with a ribbon tied around it. "Little rough, but I think you get the idea," she said, kneeling and down and tying it into Starlight's mane. "Want an okonomiyaki for the road?"

"I would love one, really," Starlight said, "but I have no idea what that would do to Equestria's ecosystem. I'll see if I can get one made over there."

"See?" Ukyo clicked her tongue and pointed at Starlight. "Looking out for others. No way you're a rotten egg."

Starlight did her best to not be distracted by the warm feeling in her chest. "I know this sounds like a cliché, but... I'll absolutely miss you."

"Yeah, well," Ukyo said with a sniffle, "looks like we're both full of clichés today. Funny, that." She opened her arms for a hug, which Starlight accepted. "Take care of yourself."

"You too," Starlight replied, squeezing as hard as she could before letting go and walking towards the mirror. "Especially since you get in a lot more fights than I do!"

Epilogue: Dessert

Starlight Glimmer tossed in bed. She didn't enjoy not being able to sleep, but she was also rather used to it.

After returning from the portal, Twilight and Trixie had both suggested—amidst incessant bouts of passive-aggressive bickering—that Starlight get some rest while they ran more tests to ensure the magic mirror was safe to be around. They'd also both promised to spend time with her "later." Starlight was both looking forward to and somewhat dreading the occasions.

She looked out of her window, at the shining dots in the sky which bore her namesake. What do I even do now? She asked herself. Where do I go from here? I understand I have friends that won't give up on me easily, but if I'm still going to keep causing trouble for them like this...

She sighed forlornly and turned over in her bed again. Even worrying about it was tiring, so she elected to put that off as well.

The second she closed her eyes, she heard a knock at the door. "Starlight?" a muffled voice said. "Are you awake? It's Twilight."

Starlight pondered whether or not to respond for a few moments, then finally replied, "I am."

Her door opened, and Twilight walked in, lighting each of the room's torches with magic as she did so. As Twilight came closer, Starlight could see that Twilight she was levitating... something next to her. Slowly it came into focus, and Starlight could make out... a slice of pink cake with a candle on top? She looked at it quizzically.

Twilight noticed. "Pinkie insisted I give you this. It's a 'Happy Crossing Dimensions And Not Getting Killed By An Evil Supervillain While On The Other Side' cake." She blushed. "I've had three now."

"Whoa." Starlight boggled, then grinned. "Ah, well. It wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I'll be alright." She snickered. "Heck, what's more dangerous is the fact that Trixie's got some sort of all-day thing planned for the two of us tomorrow that she won't specify the nature of. I'll need you to make sure she doesn't outright kidnap me."

The two ponies giggled.

"Thanks to the both of you for rescuing me, though," Starlight continued. "I really could have been stuck there forever had you not worked together to figure things out." She looked away. "Would've finally had to lie in the bed I made, I guess."

Twilight's eyebrows furrowed. "Starlight."

Starlight didn't move.

"Starlight, please. Look at me," Twilight pressed.

With a sigh, Starlight slowly turned her head to see Twilight looking at her empathetically. Twilight gestured towards the foot of the bed. "May I?"

Starlight nodded, and Twilight sat on the bed across from her. Starlight sat up to meet her.

"Starlight," Twilight began, "you have been beating yourself up ever since you got back. To be blunt, I want you to stop. For two reasons.

"First, I know you think everything that happened today was your fault, but the truth is, it wasn't anypony's fault. I put that magic mirror in the the magic studies room so the mirror's magic could be studied in the room where we study magic. You had every right to be in there, doing what you were doing. And we both figured removing the book from the mirror's mechanism had rendered it inert." She rolled her eyes. "I guess we both know better now."

Starlight fidgeted. "Well... I suppose, but—"

"Second, on top of nopony getting hurt, it sounds like you learned some pretty good friendship lessons on the other side. You selflessly jumped to the aid of somebody you trusted, and made a real friend out of them, too. All in all, I'd count today as a win for your studies."

Starlight stayed silent. She supposed Twilight had a point there, too. She hadn't considered taking pride in any of what she'd done today, but the more she thought about it...

Twilight scooted closer, and placed a hoof on Starlight's shoulder. She looked at Starlight with caring eyes.

"I always notice when you're being down on yourself, Starlight. I know you try to hide it around me, but I know the signs because I was there myself a lot. Seriously, I got discouraged all the time learning about friendship from Princess Celestia." She paused, then smiled mischievously. "I've mind-controlled ponies too."

"W-what?" Starlight balked amidst Twilight's giggles.

"Yep!" Twilight proclaimed with a jovial nod. "I was so desperate to learn a lesson about friendship—by having a friendship problem to solve—that I tried to make one. I kept trying crazier and crazier plans until, finally, I put nearly all of Ponyville under a mind-control spell just to get them to act how I wanted. Nopony was themselves for hours!" Twilight laughed, and sighed wistfully. "Gosh, it all seems so long ago now. Still..." She stared at Starlight with a smirk. "...sound familiar?"

"But... b-b-but..." Starlight fumbled for words. She clutched her head with both hooves. "All of Ponyville? Why did you never tell me this? Why did you and Spike read me the riot act last week?"

Twilight sobered. "Because sometimes the pain of knowing exactly what you did wrong to ponies who didn't deserve it, helps strengthen your knowledge of what it means to be a friend. And for you especially, that isn't new territory, is it?"

Starlight inhaled through her teeth. "Ouch."

"But it wasn't for me, either." Twilight squeezed Starlight's shoulder. "Mistakes are great things to learn from. But they always hurt. That's the secret of their effectiveness."

Twilight looked into her eyes, and Ukyo's earlier words pushed to the forefront of Starlight's mind.

"It's easy to feel like you just can't win sometimes," Twilight said. "I know you feel that way, and I did for the longest, too. I was always scared of failing those I most wanted to make happy. Trust me, though: everypony is scared of exactly that. That's the punchline of comparing yourself to others—because once we get to know each other? It turns out that we're always more alike than we think we are."

Twilight got off of the bed. "Except for the moment. Starlight, however accidentally, you actually made a magical breakthrough today! Be proud of yourself." She chuckled. "Also, uh, be happy you survived to tell about it."

"I'll... I'll try." For the first time that night, Starlight felt like she could relax, just a little. "Twilight?"

"Yes, Starlight?"

"I... I know I don't say this enough—you know, in between my blowing up magic experiments and messing with ponies' livelihoods—but..." She tapped her hooves together repeatedly, before gathering the courage to look at Twilight with an earnest, appreciative smile. "...Thanks. I'm so glad you're my teacher. And my friend."

"And I'm so glad to be both." Twilight nodded, mirroring Starlight's expression. "I know it's been a hard road, but not a day goes by when I don't think you're worth it, Starlight. I just hope you do too."

Starlight looked away, doing her best to hide an involuntary blush. "Baby steps. Good night, Twilight."

"Good night, Starlight."

Once Twilight was gone, Starlight took a bite of the cake—it was of the usual Pinkie quality. She wrapped the rest in plastic, then lay back down. As she did so, something poked into the back of her head. "Ow! What the..."

She felt behind her head, and recovered a small metallic spatula. Starlight gasped—she'd completely forgotten it was tied to her mane.

There was a pretty bow attached to it... and a note as well. Starlight opened it, and was greeted by a crude drawing of Ukyo's grinning face and a two-fingered V-sign.

Dear Starlight,

Wherever you are, I hope this note finds you at the right moment.

I'm so glad to have met you. I hope it can happen again—I wouldn't mind learning more about friendship myself!

But whether we do so again or not, just remember: never stop cooking. The meal's always worth it.

~Ucchan

Starlight put the letter on her nightstand and snuggled into her covers, smiling ear to ear.

Finally, she could sleep comfortably.