Twilight rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she left her room and stumbled down the Castle’s dark hallway. It was late at night, and her sleep had been interrupted by a parched throat. I was having a great dream too, she thought. I was a little foal learning how to read all over again… she smiled to herself. It was nice. She yawned and turned the corner, instantly coming face-to-face with another pony. Twilight yelped and stepped back.
“Twilight!” Starlight exclaimed.
Twilight stopped short and hesitantly squinted her eyes in the darkness. “Starlight?”
“What are you doing up?” Starlight peered behind Twilight, and her eyes darted about the hallway in concern. “What’s wrong? What happened?” Her horn sparked to life, and Twilight turned her head sharply, raising up a hoof to shield her eyes from the harsh glow. “Did somepony break in!?”
“Break in? No, I just went out to get a glass of water,” Twilight grunted. Starlight’s mouth formed into an ‘O’ and dimmed down her horn.
“Sorry,” she said quickly, ducking her head. Twilight blinked the spots out of her eyes and smiled in Starlight’s direction.
“It’s okay,” she replied, surpressing a yawn. “What’re you doing up so late?”
Starlight’s eyes darted around. “Er...I had to go to the bathroom?” She winced as she flashed a smile. “Yep! I had to go to the bathroom!”
“Oh...well I guess I’ll leave you to it then!” Twilight trotted past her and made her way past a few chambers before shed stopped and looked back.
Starlight continued to stand there, her eyes gleaming in the darkness. “Uh….Goodnight, Starlight!”
Starlight gave a nod. “Goodnight, Twilight.”
****
“I’m really glad I have somepony in the castle with me,” Twilight told Fluttershy as she inspected a tomato. “I always feel sort of lonely whenever Spike is away.” A sheepish smile crossed her face. “He’s kind of my other half.”
“That’s good to hear,” Fluttershy nodded as she moved over to observe the fresh carrots. “I don’t think any of us should be alone..., especially after the...incident.” She blushed lightly as she brushed her mane behind her ear. “I must sound pretty silly, considering all the other things we’ve faced. You’d think I’d be used to it by now.”
“I don’t think any of us will be completely used to it,” Twilight assured her friend. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve come a long way since we first faced Nightmare Moon! And you’re right. Everypony should feel safe in their own home…”
The clock tower chimed, and Twilight’s hoof slammed against her face. “Oh no…”
“Oh goodness…” Fluttershy’s ears folded back. “I made you late for something, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”
“No Fluttershy, It’s my fault. I should have paid more attention to the time.” Twilight levitated three ripe tomatoes into Fluttershy’s saddlebag and flapped her wings into the air. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy, I promised Starlight I’d be home by now. Have a good night!”
“Bye, Twilight!” Fluttershy called, waving. “Thanks for all your help!”
As fast as she could, Twilight flew through Ponyville, careful not to smash into any buildings on the way there. "Good afternoon, Good afternoon, afternoon," she said to ponies as she passed by. It wasn't long until she finally reached the Friendship Castle just as the sun was going down.
“Starlight!” she called, breezing through the doorway before landing on the floor. “I’m home!” She glanced around as she wandered further inside. “Starlight?”
Just then, she heard a loud creak, followed by a slamming of the door behind her. Twilight whirled around and saw a pony standing in the shadows. “There you are,” Starlight said with a vacant smile. “I was about to come after you.”
“Sorry I’m late,” Twilight said apologetically. She levitated her saddlebag off her body and held it up with triumph. “But I did get us the ingredients we need for dinner!” She nodded her head to the side. “Follow me!”
She and Starlight trotted their way into the kitchen, and Twilight flicked the lights on. “How about I make it up to you with a nice Rice Pilaf for dinner?”
Starlight brightened up at the sound of the dish. “That sounds great. The perfect thing to help soothe my nerves...” She watched as Twilight levitated her saddle bag onto the counter.
The Princess trotted over to the kitchen appliances and searched through the utensils.
“Hmmm…Starlight, have you seen the--”
“Knives?” Starlight said, levitating multiple different sized knives in the air. She looked over at Twilight and beamed. “Found them!”
“Oh...good!”
Starlight magically opened Twilight’s bag and carefully maneuvered a few carrots onto the counter. She glanced at the different sized knives in the air and selected the second largest knife with a slender and sharp tip. “Wouldn’t you... like to use a butter knife instead?” Twilight asked.
“I like this one better,” Starlight replied, turning to the carrots. With great velocity, she began to chop them up into thin, paper-like slices.
“Huh... I guess the sharper ones do work better.”
Starlight finished chopping up the first carrot, and slid the knife across the cutting board, moving the chopped pieces aside. “Where were you today, Twilight?”
Twilight looked up. “Huh?”
“You said that you’d be back by 3:30. It’s 4:28.”
Starlight stuck the sharp end of the knife into the cutting board and shifted the weight of her gaze onto her friend. “Where were you, Twilight?” Twilight’s heart skipped a beat and her mouth went dry as she looked into Starlight’s eyes. They looked almost...accusatory?
Twilight’s mouth opened and closed for a moment before she shook her head. “It...it took a bit longer than I thought. I bumped into Fluttershy at the market and...helped her look for the ingredients for Angel’s...dinner?” Twilight squeaked out the last word as Starlight’s gaze grew harder.
After a moment, Starlight smiled. “Alright.” She picked the knife back up and cheerfully went back to chopping carrots. “I’m sorry for getting on your case like that. It really wasn’t my business. I was just a little worried about you, that’s all.”
Twilight’s features relaxed a little. “Oh, uh...that’s really sweet, Starlight, but there’s really no need to worry. I almost always get sidetracked by something in Ponyville.”
“But I do need to worry,” Starlight said, her brow furrowing. “Ever since Chrysalis came back, I’ve realized how unsafe it is for you here. Everypony knows where you live, and you never lock your doors!”
Twilight chuckled. “Of course not. Before I came to Ponyville I always locked my doors. But now I’ve learned to be more open, in more ways than one. I want to let ponies in, not shut them out!”
Starlight lifted an eyebrow. “It wasn’t hard to break in, Twilight. Heck, I wouldn’t even call it a break-in. I walked right in through the front door, and nopony batted an eye. They gave me directions!”
“And now we’re making dinner together!” Twilight smiled. She lifted a hoof and slowly booped Starlight’s nose. “Friendship.”
Starlight rolled her eyes. “And what would you do if a changeling that’s still on Chrysalis' side comes back?”
Twilight thought a moment. “Well…I guess I’d--”
“I know what I would do,” Starlight murmured, bringing the knife down harder against the carrots. She paused. “I’d grab him by the neck…” she traced the knife along the cutting board in one smooth action. “And I’d cut his face so bad...he’ll have a second chin…!”
Twilight’s eye pupils shrunk as Starlight chuckled. “They’ll ALL have chins!”
A shiver shot down Twilight’s spine. She swallowed hard and managed a weak smile. “Wow...,you’re, uh... really getting into it, aren’t you?”
Starlight lowered the knife and looked at Twilight fondly. “Of course I am,” she said sweetly. “You’re the best teacher anypony could ever ask for. Chrysalis swore her revenge on me. I wouldn’t want her using you to get to me…” She reached out a hoof and patted Twilight’s cheek. “We can’t have that now, can we?”
Twilight’s smile stayed frozen on her face. “Can’t have that…”
Starlight chuckled softly as she gently tapped the knife against Twilight’s chin. “Try not to be late, Twilight. It’s not nice to worry your friends.”
That night, Twilight quietly nudged her door open and peered out into the hall. Her stomach lurched when she spotted Starlight at the far end, slowly rocking back and forward in her chair.
Twilight tried ducking back inside her room, but Starlight had already stopped rocking. “Another glass of water?” she called out.
Twilight shook her head and waved a hoof. “No thanks!” she squeaked, closing the door.
Starlight resumed her rocking.
******
“I’ve been feeling a lot better since our talk yesterday,” Fluttershy said happily. She half skipped through the market place with Twilight slowly trailing behind her. “I admit that I’ve been a little uneasy for the past week, even though there’s almost nothing to worry about now…”
Twilight fidgeted, her eyes stayed glued to the clock tower.
“But seeing you and the others so confident, it makes me feel confident too. It always lets me know that everything will be alr--”
“3:28!” Twilight announced, her horn charging up. “Gotta get home. Bye!”
Before Fluttershy could process what was going on, Twilight had already vanished in a flash of light and sparkles. She glanced around, blinking confusedly. “Uh..., bye...Twilight?”
******
“Twilight! Psst! Twilight!”
Twilight looked up from the dining table and saw Applejack and Rainbow Dash peering in through the window. Twilight’s brow furrowed. “Girls? What are you doing here?”
“Checking on you, Sugarcube,” Applejack grunted, pulling herself up on the windowsill. “We haven’t seen much of you lately.”
“Fluttershy mentioned you saying something about Starlight when she saw you last,” Rainbow Dash said, her forehead creasing. “Is, uh...everything okay between you two?”
Twilight gave them a strange look. “I’m not sure what you mean--”
“Twilight~!” a voice trilled from the other room. Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack quickly hid against the wall outside as Starlight trotted in with a tea kettle. “The voices in my head say it’s time for tea~!”
She strode up to the table and smiled. “Would you like some, Twilight?”
Swallowing, Twilight picked up her cup with trembling hooves. “Yes, please.”
Tea sloshed around in Twilight’s cup as Starlight poured more into it. Slowly, Twilight brought the cup to her lips and took a careful sip, aware that Starlight was watching her. “Soooo? How is it? Is it good?”
Still trembling, Twilight nodded curtly. “Mmmhmm!”
Starlight’s face lit up. “Thanks! Spike taught me. He makes the best tea, doesn't he?” Her face fell when she looked over the table’s contents. “Oh, shoot. I forgot the sugar.” She set down the kettle and began to leave the room. “Don’t go anywhere~!”
After Starlight left, Rainbow Dash and Applejack appeared in the window again. “Come on, Twilight,” Rainbow said, extending her hoof. “Grab my hoof and let’s go!”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Twilight said firmly.
“Twilight,” Applejack deadpanned. “The girl straight up admitted she has voices in ‘er head. That’s your cue to bounce! She needs help and fast!”
“I can’t just leave her.”
“Uh--yeah you can,” Rainbow Dash argued. “You’re an alicorn. Why are you living like this? The town shrink is a few houses down from you!”
Twilight turned to face them in her chair. “You have to understand. The whole changeling thing has everypony a little bit rattled, including her. It’s...just her way of coping, that’s all. I don’t think it’ll last long. Once she finally feels that everything’s safe and sound, things will go back to normal.”
Her friends still looked doubtful. “I don’t know, Twilight,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “You look more nervous than a hen on a chopping block. You sure you’re alright?”
“She saved Equestria from another invasion. If she thinks this is for my own protection, then I trust her judgement.” She tapped her hoof against the table and shifted her eyes. “But if you don’t hear from me in three days, then maybe you should come and get me.”
“What are you two doing here?” The three mares gasped as Starlight appeared by the window. “Twilight didn’t make any plans to see anypony today,” she said, suspicion clear in her voice. For a long moment, nopony moved.
Then Rainbow Dash hesitantly spoke up, looking away. “Uhh...Starlight? Can Twilight come outside any time soon?”
Starlight’s aura gripped the drawstring by the window. “Twilight can’t play right now, girls,” she said, slowly pulling the curtains closed. “Perhaps another time.”
******
Spike shifted around in Twilight’s bed and peered over the alicorn’s shoulder. Starlight smiled at him, slowly rocking back and forth in her chair. He laid his head back and raised an eyebrow. “Uh...Twilight?”
“Hmm?”
“Why is Starlight--”
“Shhh,” she whispered, wrapping her hooves around him. “Just go back to sleep, Spike.”
The dragon frowned and rolled over on his side. “Why can’t I just sleep in my own bed?”
Twilight’s eyes flickered to Starlight’s shadow that cast itself on the wall above them and held Spike closer. “Just go with it, Spike. It’ll all be over soon.”
Author's Note
Bad Glim Glam! 
