"Starlight!"
At the mention of her name, the former villainess looked up from her book, scouring around the library to find, who else, Twilight, now entering the room. Setting the book aside, Starlight hopped off her chair, walking up to her mentor with a curious expression.
"Twilight? What's wrong?"
The young Princess simply smiled at her student.
"Oh, Starlight. Nothing's wrong! I've just discovered something wonderful!"
Starlight tilted her head slightly.
"Really? What?"
Taking on a look of pride, Twilight gestured to her student, before promptly starting to walk back out of the library. After a brief moment's hesitation, Starlight began to follow. As the two mares walked together down one of the many hallways of the Friendship Palace, Twilight glanced over to her friend.
"You know, of course, that there are many magical energies within our world? Almost like invisible rivers, flowing everywhere, always there but known only to a few?"
Starlight nodded.
"Sure. I mean, it's not really talked about, but it's basically the very essence of Equestria."
Twilight smiled.
"Indeed. Well, what if I were to tell you that I, this very afternoon, have discovered an entirely new form of magic within those energies?"
To that, Starlight took on a more intrigued expression.
"Really?"
The Princess nodded.
"Indeed. And here we are!"
The mares turned a corner, leading to the room that Starlight knew from experience was the place that Twilight frequently used as her laboratory. Here, the ex-villainess stood in awe at what lay before her. For there, resting upon Twilight's favourite desk, was a glowing and pulsing orb of energy, which suspiciously looked like the symbol for a heart for some reason. As they approached, Starlight couldn't help but ask the obvious question.
"So...what is it?"
Turning to her, Twilight's eyes met hers as she pointed to this new discovery.
"This, Starlight, is very important. After doing a great deal of research, I can only conclude that this ancient and powerful magic symbolises the very relationships that people have with others!"
Starlight raised an eyebrow.
"Um...pardon?"
Twilight giggled.
"I'll spare you some of the more detailed scientific points, but the bottom line is that this magical field is deeply rooted in the connections one person has towards another. The deeper the bond, the stronger it gets."
Naturally, Starlight seemed intrigued by this.
"Are you certain?"
The Princess nodded.
"I am. Watch."
Turning, Twilight faced the orb, clearing her throat a little before speaking up.
"Snips and Diamond Tiara."
At the utterance of those words, the orb began to glow less, much to Starlight's surprise.
"Wha...what happened?"
Twilight smirked, but instead of answering, she instead uttered two more names.
"Shining Armour and Princess Cadence."
To that, the orb burst back into life, and shone as brightly as an inferno, almost to the point where the mares had to cover their eyes.
"You see?" Twilight remarked.
Starlight nodded.
"Yeah...looks like you're right."
She took on a more thoughtful look.
"But...now that you've found it...what are you going to do with it?"
Twilight looked to her and smiled.
"Oh, Starlight. I have plenty of ideas. But first, there's' something you need to be aware of."
Starlight's face was one of curiosity, prompting Twilight to turn to the heart-orb.
"You see, when I realised what this was, and what it represented, I did a few experiments. I tried a few name combinations, just for fun at first. But then..."
She paused, but only for a short time.
"...I came to you and me."
Starlight seemed somewhat taken aback by that.
"...Pardon?"
Twilight raised a hoof, stopping her, before turning to the heart once more.
"Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer."
The heart burned brightly yet again, and to Starlight's shock, seemed to do so almost as much as that of Shining and Cadence. After taking a while to let it calm down a bit, the Princess turned to her student.
"Don't you see what this means?"
Starlight shook her head, leading to Twilight finally just coming out and saying it.
"The truth is right in front of us. You and me? We were meant for each other!"
The other mare's eyes widened to that, and after a brief pause, she started to chuckle nervously.
"Er...you are joking, right, Twilight?"
But Twilight merely shook her head.
"No, Starlight. I've done this several times over, and the magic makes in very clear that our bond is strong. I mean, it came as a shock to me too, but now that I've spent some time thinking on it...I know is has to be."
Hearing that, Starlight took on a more concerned look.
"...Twilight? How much time have you spent with this thing?"
Twilight giggled.
"Oh, a few days. I wanted to spend as much time as I possibly could understanding the magic going on with it."
Taking in her mentor's words, Starlight suddenly seemed very worried all of a sudden. But, before she or Twilight could say anything else, they both turned to the sound of the room's doors suddenly bursting open. Both took on a look of shock to see that it was none other than Starlight's other close friend, Trixie Lulamoon. Once inside the room in earnest, the show-mare took a few aggressive-looking steps forward, before pointing her hoof angrily at Twilight.
"J'accuse!"
The unicorn began to stomp angrily forward, towards Twilight, all while Starlight looked on, bearing that same confused look she'd been wearing during this entire series of events. Eventually, the blue unicorn stood mere inches away from her royal rival, glaring intensely at her.
"I always knew you'd try something, Twilight Sparkle. And now, I see it with my own eyes!"
Raising a hoof, she pointed straight at Starlight.
"You're trying to take Starlight away from me!"
Here, Starlight stopped.
"Wait, what?"
As for Twilight, she looked as if she'd just been insulted.
"What, you think you deserve her?"
Trixie chuckled.
"Of course I deserve her! I, the great and powerful Trixie, am her closest companion. I am the one she has chosen to be with time and time again."
She narrowed her eyes.
"So if anypony is going to be with her till the end of her days, it's me!"
After taking those words in, Twilight began to scoff in an uncharacteristic manner.
"Oh please! What proof do you have that you two are destined to be together?"
Trixie smirked at that, walking right past Twilight and towards the glowing heart. After taking a moment to clear her throat, she spoke.
"Starlight Glimmer and Trixie Lulamoon."
The words caused yet another reaction for the heart, making it glow about as brightly as it had for the combination of Starlight and Twilight. And speaking of the latter, she stood aghast at this display, while Trixie looked to her with victory in her eyes.
"You see? Even your precious magic agrees!"
After a brief pause, Twilight glared in a furious manner, stamping her hoof to the ground.
"You wanna throw down, show-mare?"
Trixie assumed a more aggressive stance.
"Bring it on, Princess!"
They lunged at each other, only to stop when, to the surprise of all of them, the doorbell rang. All three heads turned in its direction, and Starlight herself, now eager to get away from all of this, ran towards the entrance of the palace. Reaching for the knob, she turned it, before opening up the door and finding, to her eternal shock, that it was her childhood companion, Sunburst.
"Wha...Sunburst?!"
The stallion nodded, smiling nervously at her.
"Hey there, Starlight."
Starlight glanced over her shoulder, seeing both Twilight and Trixie eyeing the newcomer, which prompted her to look back to him.
"I'm happy to see you again, but...what brings you over?"
Sunburst sighed.
"Starlight...I've been a fool. A complete and utter fool!"
His childhood friend titled her head, leading to him continuing.
"I spent so much of my life trying to find something to make me feel whole, to make me feel...complete. And all that time...it was right in front of me."
Starlight took on a concerned expression.
"What do you mean?"
To this, Sunburst got down to his knees and, with his magic, brought forth a small black box from within his robes. Starlight stared at it, her eyes bearing a look of horror, as he began to speak yet again.
"Starlight Glimmer...will you mar...?"
He couldn't finish before the door suddenly slammed shut, with Starlight holding it in place with her magic.
"Nope! Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope!"
She looked on, seeing that her other two friends had, sadly, decided to continue arguing with each other during her absence. Realising the craziness that now surrounded her, the former villainess realised that she had only one person in this entire place she could turn to.
"SPIKE!!!"
She ran as fast as her hooves would carry her, right up the stairs, through the halls, up to the door where she knew the dragon's bedroom would be. Knocking furiously, she waited and waited, until finally, it opened. The young drake looked up at her, a completely deadpan look upon his face.
"Magic gone wrong?" he asked.
Starlight nodded.
"Twilight under some mind control?" Spike continued.
Starlight nodded again, and Spike sighed.
"Alright then, what do we do?"
The mare turned, heading back down the hallway, with Spike close behind her.
"We need to get a closer eye on that thing, Spike. Whatever it is, I'm sure it holds the key to getting our friends back to normal."
Spike followed, looking on with interest as they re-entered the main reception room, wherein Twilight and Trixie were still arguing. The two walked as quietly as possible, lest they draw attention, before finally finding themselves back in the lab. Spike closed the door behind them, while Starlight stared closer at the glowing heart.
"It may be part of the inherent magical fields of Equestria...but this thing is still dangerous!"
The dragon nodded, looking up to her.
"So...what do we do?"
Starlight sighed.
"I guess...we start by trying to go through Twilight's notes...then try and come up with a counter-spell to whatever effect this orb is emanating."
Spike smiled.
"That's...pretty amazing if you can do that, Starlight."
Starlight nodded.
"We can only hope."
Spike poked his claws against one another.
"I mean...not that you're not amazing already, you know?"
Hearing that, Starlight looked down to him, raising an eyebrow.
"Spike? Are you...feeling alright?"
The young dragon gave a laugh to that.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about me. Just as long as you're doing great."
Starlight's eyes widened, and she reached forward, placing her hooves upon the child's shoulders and shaking him slightly.
"No, Spike! Don't give in to this thing's magic! Stay with me, buddy!"
She stopped, and after a brief pause, Spike spoke once more, a happy smile on his face as he did so.
"Has anypony ever told you that you look really pretty?"
Starlight stepped back, horrified by this.
"NO!!!"
She slapped her hoof against her forehead, looking to the orb with frustration.
"Ugh! That's it! I've had just about enough of this thing!"
Spike looked to it, then back to her.
"What are you going to do?"
Starlight snorted.
"The same thing we ponies always do when we're faced with an overwhelming problem!"
She lowered her head, her horn now beginning to glow.
"I'm gonna shoot lots of magic at it until something even more magical happens!"
And with that, she did indeed shoot. Bolt after bolt of magical power burst forth from her horn, striking the orb with point-blank range. For a time, nothing happened, but after this continual barrage, there was a blinding light, forcing both Starlight and Spike to shield their eyes. When it was finally over, they looked on, now realising that the orb was gone, as if never there in the first place. After looking around slightly, they realised that it was, indeed, gone, leading to a sigh of relief on the part of Starlight.
"Phew!"
Spike placed a hand upon his head, as if nursing an ache there, but before Starlight could ask him about it, she turned to see that both Twilight and Trixie were now re-entering the lab.
"What happened?" Trixie asked.
Twilight turned to her, a smile on her face.
"Well, Trixie, given my research notes, I've concluded that..."
But, she was halted, as Starlight now rushed towards her, placing a hoof upon her lips.
"Ah! I've had a long hour, Twilight. And I really don't need any backstory or detailed explanation right now. Just tell me this...is it gone?"
After a brief pause, the Princess nodded, prompting Starlight to continue.
"You're sure? It's never coming back?"
Again, Twilight nodded, and this time, Starlight merely sighed, lowering her hoof.
"You know...I'm going to bed early. This whole thing was...it was just nuts."
She walked to the nearest set of stairs, with everypony else looking to her. Before going up, she gave them one final glance.
"Goodnight."
They all waved her goodbye, staying silent until she was at last out of earshot, at which point Trixie decided to speak up.
"So...this was rather embarrassing."
Everypony nodded in agreement, with Twilight speaking next.
"It was...but at least we can all relax now."
But Spike seemed a little more concerned.
"Um...are we sure nothing bad is gonna happen since we...you know...blew up a magic orb connected to people's relationships?"
Twilight giggled.
"Oh, Spike, what's the worst thing that could...?"
But, once more, she was kept from finishing, as Spike suddenly let forth a massive belch, resulting in the expected magical scroll being conjured into being. Using her own magic, Twilight took hold of it, opening it and reading the thing intently. After taking a few moments to do so, here eyes widened.
"Wha...what do you mean my Brother's getting a divorce?!"
