Starlight and Aurora: The First Stepby twilightsparkle3562ChaptersChapter 1: "Starlight, Please Come Home"Chapter 2: "Facing the Inevitable"Chapter 3: "We've So Much in Common, Starlight"Chapter 4: "Home Again"Chapter 5: "Iris Junction"Chapter 1: "Starlight, Please Come Home"It seemed like an eternity since more of her troubled past had come out into the open. Starlight Glimmer, a pony who'd once hid her pain and suffering by running a village according to her own ideas, had come to face to face with a pony that she had despised, because when Starlight needed her friendship the most, she'd been turned away. Now, after several unforeseen events and circumstances, Starlight and the pony who claimed to be her mother, Aurora Glimmer, were starting to make some sort of progress. "Well, here we are, Aurora," Starlight sighed, as they sat outside the office of one of Equestria's top psychiatrists, Sweetheart. "Another day, another visit." "Um, Starlight," Aurora whispered. "Hasn't it occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, you could start calling me 'Mom'? It makes me feel bad when you don't call me by a name that most foals use to address their parents." "Sorry," Starlight uneasily replied. "I just can't…not right now. Even after everything that has happened: Trixie's incident with the manticore in Canterlot, the revelation about my father's troubled habits to everypony, including the princesses and their guests, not to mention learning who I'm a descendant of. I just don't think that it can happen yet." Aurora sighed despondently at this and turned away from her daughter. But she knew she couldn't force Starlight to call her "Mom", that was something Starlight would have to on her own time and terms. At that moment, the door to Sweetheart's office opened and Sweetheart herself peaked out from behind the door. "Hi there," She greeted in her high pitched voice. "Come on in." Heeding her call, Starlight and Aurora made their way into Sweetheart's office and sat down next to each other on Sweetheart's sofa. Upon sitting down however, Sweetheart had an impressed look on her face. "You know, it's funny," She began. "It seems like only yesterday since the both of you despised each other. You both still have some work to do, but it seems like things are going in the right direction." "In a sense, yes," Aurora sighed. "But, there is something that Starlight still needs to work on." "What is that?" Sweetheart asked, as Starlight tried to ignore what was being said around her. "She still hasn't called me 'Mom' yet," Aurora answered. "Even if it was just once, I would appreciate if she'd call me that instead of my first name." "Aurora, I'm not ready yet," Starlight cried, giving her mother a sharp look. "You may want me to start calling you that, but that's only when I'm ready. Besides, I'm still trying to absorb all that's recently been happening with the Changelings returning and all." Both Aurora and Sweetheart had to remember, that it had been only a short time since Chrysalis had attempted to carry out her revenge plan against Equestria, only to be stopped by Starlight, Trixie, Thorax, and Discord. "Then, how come you didn't tell me that you were getting a medal?" Aurora asked, trying not to sound too upset. "You could have, I don't know, told me. And I would've been there to congratulate you." "What do you think that would've done?! Besides that, I wasn't ready for the entire town of Ponyville to know my own mother!" Starlight retorted, much to Aurora's shock! "It would have been a great first step," Sweetheart interjected, causing Starlight to end the short tirade she was about to begin. "I feel that not letting your mother attend the medal ceremony at the Castle of Friendship, is a sign. A sign that, while you have made some significant progress, there is still a long way to go for the both of you." Realizing that getting into another pointless fight was not going to do anything, Starlight sighed heavily and surrendered whatever feelings she was harboring at that moment. "Perhaps, even if it's for one day, Starlight," Aurora suggested. "Could you maybe at least come back home for once…" "Out of the question!" Starlight snapped in a cold and sharp voice. "Why should I go back to where the pain and misery all began?! Is this all part of your plan to get me to start calling you 'Mom' after everything that's happened?" "Starlight," Sweetheart spoke up. "It might be good for both you and your mother, if you return to your former home. Not everypony holds animosity against you, and perhaps it might do you some good to reconnect with your former neighbors, and the fillies and colts you grew up with. Revisiting the source of the pain, may finally help you come to terms with it." "I only had one colt who was a true friend to me," Starlight murmured, turning away from Sweetheart and Aurora. "And both of you know of what happened to him after he got his cutie mark. Do you think that there were other fillies and colts in my hometown who opened their friendship to me? I don't think so. If they had, do you think I'd have still set up that village?" A disturbed look came onto Aurora's face, and she felt a small tear trickle down her face as she stared blankly at her daughter. "They did open their friendship to you, Starlight," She remarked. "But, you didn't open up in return, and in doing so, most of them forgot about you, when you could have been friends with them. If you aren't going to come home for me, then do it for yourself and wear the medal commemorating you saving Equestria from the Changelings. Please, Starlight, come home for your own benefit." Starlight absorbed what she had just heard, realizing of the gravity of possibly returning home…her home. When Starlight returned the Castle of Friendship that night, she conferred not with Twilight, but Trixie in her wagon (since Twilight had already gone to bed, as had Spike.) "I think it might do you some good, Starlight," Trixie commented, as she stood in front of her mirror, putting on her nightcap. "If there's one thing I've learned from past experiences, it's that it's better to face them, rather than hide behind a cloak of lies." "Says the pony who was always boastful." Starlight bitterly remarked, recalling the incident with the table map that was still fresh in her mind. "Look, Starlight," Trixie explained. "All I'm saying is that it's better to face your problems head on. Trust me, when I used the Alicorn Amulet, it was a wakeup call that I needed to be a better pony and be open to others, even though it won't be easy at first. The incident with that bottle and the table map only served as a reminder that I need to redouble my efforts to be a better pony. For the sake of your mother and the sake of our friendship, please go back home for a few days, and open yourself up to those you ignored for such a long time. You can't keep all this bottled up inside you, we both know what happens when you do that. Please, if not for your sake, then for my sake, go back to your old home." "I…I don't know if I can, Trixie," Starlight nervously replied, pacing back and forth. "My home was a toxic environment to grow up in, and I don't know if I can survive going back into it. So many bad memories and experiences, things I'd rather forget." "Time heals all wounds, Starlight," Trixie replied, as she climbed into her bed. "But they can't heal unless you start the healing process. That's what I've learned from my years on the road," With a yawn, Trixie then added. "Good night." Leaving her friend to sleep, Starlight trotted back into the castle, and went to bed, thinking of the inevitable visit to her former home that was about to take place. All for the sake of continuing the mending process between herself and her mother. Was it really worth revisiting all those repressed memories? Chapter 2: "Facing the Inevitable"Starlight tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep because of all that was on her mind. Returning to her old home, not Our Town, but to where it all began? That was not going to be an easy thing in any sense of the word. She hadn’t been home in over a decade, would anything even be remotely the same anymore? Even returning to that old village seemed tame in comparison to going back to her childhood home. “Can’t sleep,” Starlight moaned to herself, getting up and sitting up against her bed. “Why would I make such a foolish agreement to go back home? I can’t just set hoof in a place like that so easily. If I go back, I’ll break. Besides, everypony will probably have forgotten who I am by now. Why did I agree to do it?” And thus Starlight remained in that troubled position for the rest of the night. By the next morning, she was struggling to make her way down to breakfast. Twilight noticed this right away and gave her student a very concerned look. “Seems to me like you didn’t get enough sleep last night,” She commented. “Anything on your mind?” “Well,” Starlight sighed, sitting herself down next to her teacher. “I just think going back to where I used to live will be unhealthy for me. I don’t even know if this is all a ploy that Aurora’s trying to get me to move back in with her. Doesn’t she understand why I left home in the first place?” “It’s obvious that you don’t want to go back,” Twilight replied, taking her attention off of her breakfast. “However, I think your mother has good intentions, and a good reason. There are probably ponies there who want to have a chance to talk to you. You really should give it a chance.” Starlight turned her attention away from Twilight, and was so tired from her lack of sleep ,that she took a banana and ate the peel instead of the fruit. “Um, Starlight?” Twilight meekly commented. “You just ate the peel of the banana.” “So what?” Starlight grunted, swallowing the peel. “Now you’re going to tell me that not eating banana peels are essential to going back to my old home?” “No, it’s just that banana peels are disgusting,” Spike answered, playing with his Rarity plushie. “Got to go with the fruit. That’s the best part!” “That’s beside the point, Starlight,” Twilight added, getting back to the topic at hoof. “What is the point now, is that there’s probably more to your old home than meets the eye, Starlight. You just assume that everypony there will be hostile and unforgiving to you, but none of the ponies in your old village were like that, even after everything you said and did to them. I doubt anypony in your childhood town even knows what’s become of you,” She then commented. “There’s an old saying that goes as follows: ‘Sometimes we need to do things that we don’t want to do.’ And I’d say this is one of them. If it makes you feel better, why don’t you bring Trixie along?” “This is a matter that doesn’t concern her, Twilight,” Starlight countered. “And neither does it concern you. Why should either you or Trixie come with me and Aurora? I mean, it’s not like either of you came from my old home as well. I know this because I’ve met your parents, and Trixie had no parents growing up.” “Perhaps Trixie could make some new fans,” Spike suggested, eating some pancakes. “Trixie could help keep you in line. And ever since you unleashed your anger on her, she’ll probably want to help you in any sense of the word.” Starlight was unsure about Spike’s suggestion and said nothing (she simply went back to eating her breakfast). Then, she went back to bed to try and catch up on the lack of sleep that she’d ended up missing because of her restless night before. A few hours later, Starlight woke up feeling rested and ready to take on the day more eagerly. However, Aurora was already there, waiting for her down in the castle’s lobby with Twilight. “I hope you’re willing to make the trip to your former home,” Aurora said to her daughter. “It will do you some good, Starlight. Sweetheart said so herself.” “All it will do is bring back bad memories, Aurora,” Starlight sighed. “If you want me to visit for a few hours, then that can work for me. But, if this is a ploy to get me to start calling you ‘mom’…’” “It’s not,” Aurora interrupted, feeling somewhat exasperated. “Why do you have to sound so negative, Starlight? You’re making this all seem like a bad thing when it’s really not. I want you to come home and reconnect. Reconnect with the ponies you left behind.” “And relive everything that happened?” Starlight asked bitterly, stamping her foot down. “Sorry, that’s not in the cards for me, Aurora! Just because I’m coming home, doesn’t excuse you from getting comfortable or getting used to me being there forever. I’m a young mare now and I have my own life to live by!” The sounds of her daughter’s voice sent chills down Aurora’s spine. In her mind, it didn’t matter whether Starlight was a mare or a filly. She was still Aurora’s foal (and daughter for that matter). “Well those who live their own lives sometimes return to where it all began,” Twilight suggested, as Starlight turned to leave the lobby. “I know that the past can hurt, Starlight. The choice is yours, but I hope you can make the right decision.” Starlight, with a heavy sigh, left the lobby. She was in no mood to dwell on what Twilight had said. “I don’t understand why she’s behaving like this, Twilight,” Aurora commented. “I thought the progress we were making with Sweetheart was working,” With a sigh she added. “She’s got to come home. Perhaps, maybe, this will help her see sense after all the damage she caused.” “Remember, your husband was the one who played a major part in causing the situation you find yourselves in,” Twilight advised. “She might be afraid of reliving the horrors of what happened during that time.” “I was a victim in this as much as Starlight was,” Aurora replied. “But, I couldn’t leave my husband, I thought that I could help him. But all it really did was cause me to neglect my own daughter in her time of need.” “And she’s not pinning it all on you,” Twilight remarked. “She’s afraid, Aurora, afraid to revisit the source of her pain. But, I still believe that going back to her old home will not only do Starlight good, but you as well.” Aurora heard the door to Starlight’s room slam, the sound of it made her wince. Even if going back to Starlight’s old home would make things better, both she and Starlight were in for a long and bumpy road of recovery. Chapter 3: "We've So Much in Common, Starlight"The thought of going back to the home she'd once lived in was clearly a concern for Starlight. What's more, Starlight had made it clear that she was not going to be told what to do. In her mind, if she didn't want to go back home, then Aurora and Twilight were supposed to respect her wishes. "Why can't they just see it?" Starlight asked herself as she went into Twilight's library, taking several deep breaths as she walked in. "I don't want to go back to that place where my nightmares began! I became the pony I used to be because of it! I don't want to go back to being that pony again!" Starlight continued to take deep breaths, as she tried to process all this through her mind. Finally sitting down on the sofa, she managed to pull herself together more or less. Suddenly, a flash of white light revealed Discord, wearing a necktie and playing a round of chess with some sort of sentient carpet, much to Starlight's surprise. "Make your move," Discord said to the carpet and the carpet did, ultimately winning the game by placing Discord's king in checkmate, much to Discord's surprise. "That's a good move. I don't believe it, I'm losing to an old rug!" He said to himself. "Discord, what are you doing here?" Starlight wondered. "And why do you have a carpet with you?" "Well, a little birdie told me that you were having some issues," Discord answered, figuratively producing a bird chirping into his ear. "I was playing some chess with this friendly carpet here, when I heard you were having some issues. So I thought I'd drop by and see if I could help," Discord snapped his fingers and produced a psychiatrist's couch, which Starlight ended up lying on, as Discord donned a business suit. "Now, care to tell me about your troubles?" He asked, much to Starlight's confusion. It took a moment for Starlight to find the words. "Start at the beginning and when you come to the end…stop!" Discord instructed. "Actually," Starlight remarked, looking right at Discord. "I don't know if you're the right creature to ask, but have you ever had a family that you feel betrayed you because of their foolish mistakes and such?" "Well, I'm a creature of chaos and have been around for centuries," Discord answered, who then produced a screen of himself as a pony. "But, I didn't start out that way. I was born like you, Starlight, as a pony. My parents were members of Canterlot's elite, with my father being a general for the Canterlot royal guard, which by the way, was one step up from what Shining Armor once was. He was respected along with my mother, and I looked up to him dearly. But then, the pressures of the job started to get to him and he became well, abusive, putting me and my mother down and such." As she listened, Starlight couldn't help but think of the situation that Discord was once in. He was just like her: born into a family of respect only for the father to take it all away. "Finally," Discord continued, who then proceeded to produce a flashback of him trying out different potions. "The abuse reached a breaking point, and I came to the conclusion that my father needed to be taught a lesson. Breaking into a potion's lab in Canterlot, I stole several potions meant to produce a spell capable of cursing a pony forever. I wanted him to suffer, Starlight, and the only way to make him suffer was to create a potion so potent, that it created consequences I still suffer from today." "What was the potion?" Starlight wondered. "Isn't it obvious, it was a potion meant to curse my father," Discord answered, snapping his fingers to produce what looked like the potion he might have used on his father. It was a lime green in color. "It was a cursing spell intended to make him disfigured and mismatched, like me. But, before I could use this, I began to think of the consequences. I decided that cursing my father was not a good idea and…" Starlight's eyes widened upon realizing what Discord must've done! "You didn't…" She gasped! "I did," Discord answered. "Rather than use the potion on my father, I used it on myself. I thought of this potion as a means to escape the nightmare I was in. As long as I remained a pony, I felt that the abuse my father would inflict on my mother and me would never go away. So, I took the potion and just like that, I became the creature of chaos that I am today. And now you know the shocking truth about my past." It took a moment for Starlight to process Discord's story. Almost immediately, she began to realize that she and Discord had something in common: that they'd both came from broken families. "But, I wanted all of Equestria to suffer as well," Discord added, showing random pictures of him causing chaos, and the final confrontations with Celestia and Luna as well as Twilight and her friends, before his reformation. "I wanted to hide all my pain by cracking jokes, making everypony else's lives chaotic without even a second thought, and I continued to be this way until I met your mentor and her friends who changed me into the more or less humble creature I am today." "What are you trying to imply?" Starlight asked Discord. "Are you saying that…?" "All I'm saying, Starlight," Discord answered, snapping his fingers and causing the screen to disappear. "Is that you can't hide from your problems forever. You need to face them and show off a humble side. I have a fun side that I share with everypony, even though they may not get it at first. If Princess Luna, Trixie, you, and myself could get a second chance, then why can't your own mother?" Starlight took this all in and paced around the study, reflecting on all that Discord had told her. In her mind, Starlight had to remember that Discord was once like herself and that unlike Discord, Starlight would have a chance to reconcile with her mother and heal the pain her father had inflicted on her all those years ago. But did that mean it was worth risking reopening old wounds, wounds that Starlight was certain she had buried? Chapter 4: "Home Again"Still remembering Discord’s backstory, Starlight spent the next few days wondering if she was going to follow the same path as the former master of chaos once did. It was something that troubled her to no end, and caused her quite a few sleepless nights. Finally, the day came for her and Aurora to make their journey back to Starlight’s old home. “Guess there’s no turning back now,” Starlight thought, as she stood on the platform of Ponyville Station with Aurora, Trixie and Twilight (the latter two of whom had come to see her off.) “Here I am, about to be pulled back into the lion’s den, the place where all the nightmares began. Celestia help me!” “This trip is important for us, Starlight,” Aurora said to her daughter. “It makes sense for you to do this with me.” “I’m only doing it because you asked me to, Aurora,” Starlight replied. “If you think this is going to just magically mend our relationship, then you’re wrong.” Aurora sighed as she took in what her only daughter had just said. She had expected as much of a response, but it still stung. Finally, a few moments later, the Friendship Express approached the station. Once the train arrived, the time had come for the two unicorns to board. They did so, even though Starlight briefly hesitated. “Do you think this will help their relationship?” Trixie asked Twilight, talking in low voices so that Aurora and Starlight couldn’t hear them. “I hope it does, Trixie,” Twilight answered. “But it’s not up to us now, it’s up to them. Everything that happens from here on is in their hooves.” “You sure we couldn’t just go to spy on them?” Trixie asked. “I mean, what if us being there could help them?” Twilight only shook her head. “We need to give Starlight and her mother space to work out their differences. It’s not our place to intrude on their personal lives.” Just then, the whistle blew, and with a puff of smoke the Friendship Express puffed away. Starlight watched, as the sights of Ponyville soon disappeared from view, as the train chuffed away down the tracks, bound for a small junction just outside of Rainbow Falls. This was it, no Twilight, no Trixie, no Discord, not even Sunburst or Thorax. It was just Starlight and her mother on a trip back where Starlight’s troubled past had all begun. “Why don’t you get some rest?” Aurora encouraged, looking at her daughter. “It seems like you haven’t slept well in a long time,” She smiled, as she recalled. “I remember the first time we rode on a train together. You fell asleep right in my lap, it was such a cute sight. What I would give to go back to those days.” Starlight only shook her head, as she yawned. “Those days are long gone, Aurora, and they’re not coming back,” With another yawn, she added. “Now, I think I’m gonna go lay down for a while, alone.” “Fair enough, but let me know if you need anything. Remember, I’m here for you now.” Aurora commented, hoping to break the ice between her and her daughter. Starlight didn’t reply at all, she simply trotted past her mother and into the sleeping car to rest. Aurora sighed, looking out the window at the rapidly changing scenery. “What can I do to get Starlight to warm up to me?” She thought. “Sweetheart said this would help give us closure. Was she mistaken?” Deciding it wouldn’t do good to dwell on the matter, Aurora simply got up and stretched her legs. Perhaps a mid-morning snack would take her mind off her troubles. Back in Ponyville, Twilight and Trixie parted ways shortly before the castle. Twilight had to admit, without Starlight the castle felt kind of empty, even if she still had Spike. “You think we’re making the right choice letting Starlight and her mom work things out alone?” Spike asked, approaching Twilight (he just finished dusting some of the shelves). “I don’t know, Spike,” Twilight replied, sighing. “The outcome’s out of my hooves now. There’s nothing left I can do except hope for the best.” But just then, the doors to the castle library swung open, and Trixie came rushing in with an excited smile plastered on her face! “Twilight, great news!” She happily exclaimed, as she ended up bumping into Spike and tackling him (she had forgotten to slow down)! “What is it, Trixie?” Twilight asked the magician, while carefully prying Spike out from under her (fortunately, Spike wasn’t hurt). Trixie could hardly contain her excitement! “You know about my apology tour, right?!” Twilight and Spike both nodded in unison. “Well it just so happens, my next stop is Starlight’s old village, and I leave today! Is that an amazing stroke of luck or what?!” “It certainly is, Trixie,” Twilight replied with a smile. But then she thought about Starlight and Aurora, and how they might interpret Trixie’s sudden appearance. That caused her smile to be replaced with a look of concern. “But maybe you should postpone that visit and go somewhere else? Starlight’s probably going to think I sent to her old town just to spy on you.” “No, Trixie is NOT cancelling!” Trixie protested, stomping her hooves! “The Great and Powerful Trixie has never cancelled a show in her career, and she’s not about to start now! I shall go to that little town whether you like it or not.” Twilight groaned, and put a hoof to her head. “Why does Trixie always have to be so stubborn?!” She thought to herself, and then she reluctantly said to Trixie. “Very well, I guess if you’re that determined, I can’t stop you. But you need to stick solely to your performance. So don’t go looking for an excuse to cross paths with Starlight and Aurora, and don’t try to insert yourself into their situation. I don’t want Starlight getting the wrong idea, got it?!” Trixie nodded, bowing her head. “You have my word as a performer, princess. The Great and Powerful Trixie shall do her best not to spy on Starlight and her mother,” She then added. “You’re welcome to come along if you’d like, the wagon’s actually a lot bigger on the inside.” But Twilight only shook her head. “I can’t just leave Spike in charge of this castle all by himself.” “Hey, I can manage just fine, thank you!” Spike complained. “I’m sure you could, but this castle is pretty big and you don’t exactly have the best reputation for staying out of trouble,” Twilight advised, then to Trixie she said. “Besides, even if I wanted to go, I couldn’t. The map hasn’t called me, and I don’t want Starlight to think I don’t trust her to deal with her problems herself. I already made the mistake of trying to control her personal life once, I won’t do it again.” “Very well, but I’ll still keep you informed by letters,” Trixie replied to Twilight. “I just hope Starlight’s old town gets reliable postal service.” And with that, Trixie turned and departed for her wagon, just as the train bearing Starlight,and Aurora pulled into the station, at the small junction near Rainbow Falls. Chapter 5: "Iris Junction"“Well, here we are, Starlight,” Aurora smiled as they stepped off the train and onto the platform. “We’re back home in Iris Junction, where we belong.” “It…It seems like nothing has changed,” Starlight remarked, her eyes scanning all around as she followed her mother. “Everything is just the way it was, even after all this time. I thought at least there’d be some new buildings or something.” For the next few moments, Starlight followed her mother along a small stretch of road, seeing many faces that she hoped would recognize her from the young filly she once was. Alas, it just didn’t seem possible in the common sense of the word. Nopony was recognizable to her, and neither was she to them. As the two unicorns walked, Starlight and Aurora came across what appeared to be a drug store. It had a sign on it that read: “Fizzy Lift’s Drug Store.” “Do you mind if I stop here to get a soda?” Aurora asked her daughter. “Whatever, I’m not really thirsty. Besides, I prefer apple cider.” Starlight replied, and the two mares headed into the drugstore. As they entered, they were greeted by a brown coated, middle aged pony, with a snow white mane and tail, red eyes, and a bottle of soda for a cutie mark. “Ah, Aurora,” The old stallion greeted, as he prepared to pour soda into a tall glass. “The usual?” “Yes, Fizzy Lift,” Aurora replied with a smile. “Sorry if I haven’t been around for a while. I was in Ponyville visiting with Starlight here. Sweetheart suggested she come back home with me so we could reconnect.” “Ah, yes,” Fizzy Lift chuckled, and a small smile coming onto his face. “I was wondering who this lovely young mare was. A soda for you, Starlight?” “No thanks,” Starlight shook her head in response. “I’m not really thirsty right now.” “Oh,” Fizzy remarked with a sigh as he served Aurora her soda. “You used to be so enraptured with this place, Starlight. I remember, you mom would bring you in here all the time, I practically watched you grow up. Hearing you say that you don’t want anything, makes me see that you’ve changed. But this town has missed you greatly, Starlight. When we first learned you were Princess Twilight’s new student, everypony in town could hardly believe their ears.” “Well, things have changed, Fizzy,” Starlight sighed, trying to remain respectful to the pony she’d more or less seen as a surrogate father in her youth. “I’m not the young, energetic filly that everypony expects me to be. My life isn’t like that anymore and you know it.” Fizzy just replied by saying. “Your mother and I had a conversation before she left, and we both agreed that what happened with your father was uncalled for and wrong. What he did was stupid, and to Tartarus with him for being so cruel.” “What’s done is done,” Starlight remarked, not wishing to dwell on her father or what she’d learned about him. “But, I just don’t know if I can repair the wounds so easily, Fizzy Lift. My father wasn’t the only bad thing about my life, and coming back here just opens the wounds even more.” Aurora took another sip of her soda, then she commented softly. “All you’ve been doing Starlight, is cloaking yourself. I brought you back home to make you see that everypony still loves you despite all that happened in the past. If the ponies in your old village could forgive you, and you could forgive Trixie, surely you could make amends with the source of your troubles. At the least, you could try to use the time we have together to reconnect. I want a second chance, Starlight, to be the mother I should’ve been when you were so troubled.” Starlight, feeling guilty, said nothing after this and remained silent for the rest of the visit. “Everypony wants this to work out for me and my mother,” She thought to herself. “But, can I really just close the door on all the pain and suffering of the memories I associate with this place? This is where my troubles all began, long before I ever thought of where my actions would lead me.” Meanwhile, Trixie had departed Ponyville and was making her way towards Iris Junction, where her repentance tour would continue. However, getting to the town was not as easy as it seemed. Trixie was never the greatest with directions. “Where is this town of Starlight’s?” She muttered, looking at a map. “Either the Great and Powerful Trixie is lost, or Starlight didn’t even bother to tell her how to find this stupid town!” Just then, Trixie noticed an odd looking pony standing on a ladder, doing something to a signpost. She decided to ask the pony for directions, as there didn’t seem to any other pony (or non pony) around. “You there,” She called to the pony who was painting out signs on the signpost. “Do you know which way it is to Iris Junction?” “Iris Junction? Oh, I couldn’t say, Miss,” The stallion hastily replied. “It said on the wireless to paint out the signposts in case a Changeling shows up, there’s a possibility some unreformed ones still exist.” “I’m not a Changeling!” Trixie snapped, feeling slightly insulted. “I happen to be the Great and Powerful Trixie! The very magician currently on her repentance tour, and you’ll be happy to know the Changelings have a new leader.” “That’s what you’d say if you were a Changeling, isn’t it, miss?” The stallion laughed. Trixie merely rolled her eyes as she noticed an unpainted sign that said Iris Junction was five miles to the east. “A lot of help that stallion was.” Trixie thought to herself. But, no sooner had Trixie started her way along the road, when the pony suddenly fall silent! Hastily turning around, Trixie saw that the pony was gone and it gave her a sense of suspicion. What if that stallion was actually a rogue changeling out for revenge? Trixie shook her head. That was a ridiculous fantasy, and one that she didn’t have time to worry about. Her destination was Iris Junction plain and simple, and she was going to continue on her way. But at that moment, a white flash appeared in front of her and standing in front of the magician was Discord, much to Trixie’s chagrin. “I was just trying to keep you safe, Trixie,” Discord insisted, holding the paintbrush and paint in his claw and paw. “Besides, why are you so intent on going to Iris Junction. It seems that Starlight and her mother need to as much alone time for bonding as necessary. Wouldn’t you agree it’s best not to intervene? Come on, there’s bound to be plenty of other destinations your tour has yet to reach.” “Trixie has a mission of her own,” Trixie replied, rolling her eyes and giving Discord an annoyed glance. “And it doesn’t involve mismatched creatures of chaos! I was going to Iris Junction even before I knew it was Starlight’s home town. That was just a happy coincidence, Princess Twilight specifically told me I’m not to spy on Starlight and her mom. Now, stand aside, Discord, Trixie will not be delayed!” Upon hearing those words, Discord snapped his fingers and produced a flying pig for Trixie to sit on. “Would you like to get their faster?” He asked, slyly. “This pig will help you rest your legs.” “Trixie needs the exercise,” Trixie sharply answered. “Besides, what would I do without my wagon? It’s my home away from home, and where else do you think I keep all my props, snacks, and fireworks?” “Suit yourself,” Discord shrugged, snapping his talons as the flying pig disappeared. “I just thought I’d help you out a little, but if you’d rather strain yourself to the breaking point, be my guest. I sincerely hope your little ‘tour’ doesn’t get sidetracked when you and Starlight inevitably cross paths. Guess I’ll just head back to my own dimension, I know where I’m not wanted.” And he disappeared in a flash of light.
Chapter 1: "Starlight, Please Come Home"It seemed like an eternity since more of her troubled past had come out into the open. Starlight Glimmer, a pony who'd once hid her pain and suffering by running a village according to her own ideas, had come to face to face with a pony that she had despised, because when Starlight needed her friendship the most, she'd been turned away. Now, after several unforeseen events and circumstances, Starlight and the pony who claimed to be her mother, Aurora Glimmer, were starting to make some sort of progress. "Well, here we are, Aurora," Starlight sighed, as they sat outside the office of one of Equestria's top psychiatrists, Sweetheart. "Another day, another visit." "Um, Starlight," Aurora whispered. "Hasn't it occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, you could start calling me 'Mom'? It makes me feel bad when you don't call me by a name that most foals use to address their parents." "Sorry," Starlight uneasily replied. "I just can't…not right now. Even after everything that has happened: Trixie's incident with the manticore in Canterlot, the revelation about my father's troubled habits to everypony, including the princesses and their guests, not to mention learning who I'm a descendant of. I just don't think that it can happen yet." Aurora sighed despondently at this and turned away from her daughter. But she knew she couldn't force Starlight to call her "Mom", that was something Starlight would have to on her own time and terms. At that moment, the door to Sweetheart's office opened and Sweetheart herself peaked out from behind the door. "Hi there," She greeted in her high pitched voice. "Come on in." Heeding her call, Starlight and Aurora made their way into Sweetheart's office and sat down next to each other on Sweetheart's sofa. Upon sitting down however, Sweetheart had an impressed look on her face. "You know, it's funny," She began. "It seems like only yesterday since the both of you despised each other. You both still have some work to do, but it seems like things are going in the right direction." "In a sense, yes," Aurora sighed. "But, there is something that Starlight still needs to work on." "What is that?" Sweetheart asked, as Starlight tried to ignore what was being said around her. "She still hasn't called me 'Mom' yet," Aurora answered. "Even if it was just once, I would appreciate if she'd call me that instead of my first name." "Aurora, I'm not ready yet," Starlight cried, giving her mother a sharp look. "You may want me to start calling you that, but that's only when I'm ready. Besides, I'm still trying to absorb all that's recently been happening with the Changelings returning and all." Both Aurora and Sweetheart had to remember, that it had been only a short time since Chrysalis had attempted to carry out her revenge plan against Equestria, only to be stopped by Starlight, Trixie, Thorax, and Discord. "Then, how come you didn't tell me that you were getting a medal?" Aurora asked, trying not to sound too upset. "You could have, I don't know, told me. And I would've been there to congratulate you." "What do you think that would've done?! Besides that, I wasn't ready for the entire town of Ponyville to know my own mother!" Starlight retorted, much to Aurora's shock! "It would have been a great first step," Sweetheart interjected, causing Starlight to end the short tirade she was about to begin. "I feel that not letting your mother attend the medal ceremony at the Castle of Friendship, is a sign. A sign that, while you have made some significant progress, there is still a long way to go for the both of you." Realizing that getting into another pointless fight was not going to do anything, Starlight sighed heavily and surrendered whatever feelings she was harboring at that moment. "Perhaps, even if it's for one day, Starlight," Aurora suggested. "Could you maybe at least come back home for once…" "Out of the question!" Starlight snapped in a cold and sharp voice. "Why should I go back to where the pain and misery all began?! Is this all part of your plan to get me to start calling you 'Mom' after everything that's happened?" "Starlight," Sweetheart spoke up. "It might be good for both you and your mother, if you return to your former home. Not everypony holds animosity against you, and perhaps it might do you some good to reconnect with your former neighbors, and the fillies and colts you grew up with. Revisiting the source of the pain, may finally help you come to terms with it." "I only had one colt who was a true friend to me," Starlight murmured, turning away from Sweetheart and Aurora. "And both of you know of what happened to him after he got his cutie mark. Do you think that there were other fillies and colts in my hometown who opened their friendship to me? I don't think so. If they had, do you think I'd have still set up that village?" A disturbed look came onto Aurora's face, and she felt a small tear trickle down her face as she stared blankly at her daughter. "They did open their friendship to you, Starlight," She remarked. "But, you didn't open up in return, and in doing so, most of them forgot about you, when you could have been friends with them. If you aren't going to come home for me, then do it for yourself and wear the medal commemorating you saving Equestria from the Changelings. Please, Starlight, come home for your own benefit." Starlight absorbed what she had just heard, realizing of the gravity of possibly returning home…her home. When Starlight returned the Castle of Friendship that night, she conferred not with Twilight, but Trixie in her wagon (since Twilight had already gone to bed, as had Spike.) "I think it might do you some good, Starlight," Trixie commented, as she stood in front of her mirror, putting on her nightcap. "If there's one thing I've learned from past experiences, it's that it's better to face them, rather than hide behind a cloak of lies." "Says the pony who was always boastful." Starlight bitterly remarked, recalling the incident with the table map that was still fresh in her mind. "Look, Starlight," Trixie explained. "All I'm saying is that it's better to face your problems head on. Trust me, when I used the Alicorn Amulet, it was a wakeup call that I needed to be a better pony and be open to others, even though it won't be easy at first. The incident with that bottle and the table map only served as a reminder that I need to redouble my efforts to be a better pony. For the sake of your mother and the sake of our friendship, please go back home for a few days, and open yourself up to those you ignored for such a long time. You can't keep all this bottled up inside you, we both know what happens when you do that. Please, if not for your sake, then for my sake, go back to your old home." "I…I don't know if I can, Trixie," Starlight nervously replied, pacing back and forth. "My home was a toxic environment to grow up in, and I don't know if I can survive going back into it. So many bad memories and experiences, things I'd rather forget." "Time heals all wounds, Starlight," Trixie replied, as she climbed into her bed. "But they can't heal unless you start the healing process. That's what I've learned from my years on the road," With a yawn, Trixie then added. "Good night." Leaving her friend to sleep, Starlight trotted back into the castle, and went to bed, thinking of the inevitable visit to her former home that was about to take place. All for the sake of continuing the mending process between herself and her mother. Was it really worth revisiting all those repressed memories?
Chapter 2: "Facing the Inevitable"Starlight tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep because of all that was on her mind. Returning to her old home, not Our Town, but to where it all began? That was not going to be an easy thing in any sense of the word. She hadn’t been home in over a decade, would anything even be remotely the same anymore? Even returning to that old village seemed tame in comparison to going back to her childhood home. “Can’t sleep,” Starlight moaned to herself, getting up and sitting up against her bed. “Why would I make such a foolish agreement to go back home? I can’t just set hoof in a place like that so easily. If I go back, I’ll break. Besides, everypony will probably have forgotten who I am by now. Why did I agree to do it?” And thus Starlight remained in that troubled position for the rest of the night. By the next morning, she was struggling to make her way down to breakfast. Twilight noticed this right away and gave her student a very concerned look. “Seems to me like you didn’t get enough sleep last night,” She commented. “Anything on your mind?” “Well,” Starlight sighed, sitting herself down next to her teacher. “I just think going back to where I used to live will be unhealthy for me. I don’t even know if this is all a ploy that Aurora’s trying to get me to move back in with her. Doesn’t she understand why I left home in the first place?” “It’s obvious that you don’t want to go back,” Twilight replied, taking her attention off of her breakfast. “However, I think your mother has good intentions, and a good reason. There are probably ponies there who want to have a chance to talk to you. You really should give it a chance.” Starlight turned her attention away from Twilight, and was so tired from her lack of sleep ,that she took a banana and ate the peel instead of the fruit. “Um, Starlight?” Twilight meekly commented. “You just ate the peel of the banana.” “So what?” Starlight grunted, swallowing the peel. “Now you’re going to tell me that not eating banana peels are essential to going back to my old home?” “No, it’s just that banana peels are disgusting,” Spike answered, playing with his Rarity plushie. “Got to go with the fruit. That’s the best part!” “That’s beside the point, Starlight,” Twilight added, getting back to the topic at hoof. “What is the point now, is that there’s probably more to your old home than meets the eye, Starlight. You just assume that everypony there will be hostile and unforgiving to you, but none of the ponies in your old village were like that, even after everything you said and did to them. I doubt anypony in your childhood town even knows what’s become of you,” She then commented. “There’s an old saying that goes as follows: ‘Sometimes we need to do things that we don’t want to do.’ And I’d say this is one of them. If it makes you feel better, why don’t you bring Trixie along?” “This is a matter that doesn’t concern her, Twilight,” Starlight countered. “And neither does it concern you. Why should either you or Trixie come with me and Aurora? I mean, it’s not like either of you came from my old home as well. I know this because I’ve met your parents, and Trixie had no parents growing up.” “Perhaps Trixie could make some new fans,” Spike suggested, eating some pancakes. “Trixie could help keep you in line. And ever since you unleashed your anger on her, she’ll probably want to help you in any sense of the word.” Starlight was unsure about Spike’s suggestion and said nothing (she simply went back to eating her breakfast). Then, she went back to bed to try and catch up on the lack of sleep that she’d ended up missing because of her restless night before. A few hours later, Starlight woke up feeling rested and ready to take on the day more eagerly. However, Aurora was already there, waiting for her down in the castle’s lobby with Twilight. “I hope you’re willing to make the trip to your former home,” Aurora said to her daughter. “It will do you some good, Starlight. Sweetheart said so herself.” “All it will do is bring back bad memories, Aurora,” Starlight sighed. “If you want me to visit for a few hours, then that can work for me. But, if this is a ploy to get me to start calling you ‘mom’…’” “It’s not,” Aurora interrupted, feeling somewhat exasperated. “Why do you have to sound so negative, Starlight? You’re making this all seem like a bad thing when it’s really not. I want you to come home and reconnect. Reconnect with the ponies you left behind.” “And relive everything that happened?” Starlight asked bitterly, stamping her foot down. “Sorry, that’s not in the cards for me, Aurora! Just because I’m coming home, doesn’t excuse you from getting comfortable or getting used to me being there forever. I’m a young mare now and I have my own life to live by!” The sounds of her daughter’s voice sent chills down Aurora’s spine. In her mind, it didn’t matter whether Starlight was a mare or a filly. She was still Aurora’s foal (and daughter for that matter). “Well those who live their own lives sometimes return to where it all began,” Twilight suggested, as Starlight turned to leave the lobby. “I know that the past can hurt, Starlight. The choice is yours, but I hope you can make the right decision.” Starlight, with a heavy sigh, left the lobby. She was in no mood to dwell on what Twilight had said. “I don’t understand why she’s behaving like this, Twilight,” Aurora commented. “I thought the progress we were making with Sweetheart was working,” With a sigh she added. “She’s got to come home. Perhaps, maybe, this will help her see sense after all the damage she caused.” “Remember, your husband was the one who played a major part in causing the situation you find yourselves in,” Twilight advised. “She might be afraid of reliving the horrors of what happened during that time.” “I was a victim in this as much as Starlight was,” Aurora replied. “But, I couldn’t leave my husband, I thought that I could help him. But all it really did was cause me to neglect my own daughter in her time of need.” “And she’s not pinning it all on you,” Twilight remarked. “She’s afraid, Aurora, afraid to revisit the source of her pain. But, I still believe that going back to her old home will not only do Starlight good, but you as well.” Aurora heard the door to Starlight’s room slam, the sound of it made her wince. Even if going back to Starlight’s old home would make things better, both she and Starlight were in for a long and bumpy road of recovery.
Chapter 3: "We've So Much in Common, Starlight"The thought of going back to the home she'd once lived in was clearly a concern for Starlight. What's more, Starlight had made it clear that she was not going to be told what to do. In her mind, if she didn't want to go back home, then Aurora and Twilight were supposed to respect her wishes. "Why can't they just see it?" Starlight asked herself as she went into Twilight's library, taking several deep breaths as she walked in. "I don't want to go back to that place where my nightmares began! I became the pony I used to be because of it! I don't want to go back to being that pony again!" Starlight continued to take deep breaths, as she tried to process all this through her mind. Finally sitting down on the sofa, she managed to pull herself together more or less. Suddenly, a flash of white light revealed Discord, wearing a necktie and playing a round of chess with some sort of sentient carpet, much to Starlight's surprise. "Make your move," Discord said to the carpet and the carpet did, ultimately winning the game by placing Discord's king in checkmate, much to Discord's surprise. "That's a good move. I don't believe it, I'm losing to an old rug!" He said to himself. "Discord, what are you doing here?" Starlight wondered. "And why do you have a carpet with you?" "Well, a little birdie told me that you were having some issues," Discord answered, figuratively producing a bird chirping into his ear. "I was playing some chess with this friendly carpet here, when I heard you were having some issues. So I thought I'd drop by and see if I could help," Discord snapped his fingers and produced a psychiatrist's couch, which Starlight ended up lying on, as Discord donned a business suit. "Now, care to tell me about your troubles?" He asked, much to Starlight's confusion. It took a moment for Starlight to find the words. "Start at the beginning and when you come to the end…stop!" Discord instructed. "Actually," Starlight remarked, looking right at Discord. "I don't know if you're the right creature to ask, but have you ever had a family that you feel betrayed you because of their foolish mistakes and such?" "Well, I'm a creature of chaos and have been around for centuries," Discord answered, who then produced a screen of himself as a pony. "But, I didn't start out that way. I was born like you, Starlight, as a pony. My parents were members of Canterlot's elite, with my father being a general for the Canterlot royal guard, which by the way, was one step up from what Shining Armor once was. He was respected along with my mother, and I looked up to him dearly. But then, the pressures of the job started to get to him and he became well, abusive, putting me and my mother down and such." As she listened, Starlight couldn't help but think of the situation that Discord was once in. He was just like her: born into a family of respect only for the father to take it all away. "Finally," Discord continued, who then proceeded to produce a flashback of him trying out different potions. "The abuse reached a breaking point, and I came to the conclusion that my father needed to be taught a lesson. Breaking into a potion's lab in Canterlot, I stole several potions meant to produce a spell capable of cursing a pony forever. I wanted him to suffer, Starlight, and the only way to make him suffer was to create a potion so potent, that it created consequences I still suffer from today." "What was the potion?" Starlight wondered. "Isn't it obvious, it was a potion meant to curse my father," Discord answered, snapping his fingers to produce what looked like the potion he might have used on his father. It was a lime green in color. "It was a cursing spell intended to make him disfigured and mismatched, like me. But, before I could use this, I began to think of the consequences. I decided that cursing my father was not a good idea and…" Starlight's eyes widened upon realizing what Discord must've done! "You didn't…" She gasped! "I did," Discord answered. "Rather than use the potion on my father, I used it on myself. I thought of this potion as a means to escape the nightmare I was in. As long as I remained a pony, I felt that the abuse my father would inflict on my mother and me would never go away. So, I took the potion and just like that, I became the creature of chaos that I am today. And now you know the shocking truth about my past." It took a moment for Starlight to process Discord's story. Almost immediately, she began to realize that she and Discord had something in common: that they'd both came from broken families. "But, I wanted all of Equestria to suffer as well," Discord added, showing random pictures of him causing chaos, and the final confrontations with Celestia and Luna as well as Twilight and her friends, before his reformation. "I wanted to hide all my pain by cracking jokes, making everypony else's lives chaotic without even a second thought, and I continued to be this way until I met your mentor and her friends who changed me into the more or less humble creature I am today." "What are you trying to imply?" Starlight asked Discord. "Are you saying that…?" "All I'm saying, Starlight," Discord answered, snapping his fingers and causing the screen to disappear. "Is that you can't hide from your problems forever. You need to face them and show off a humble side. I have a fun side that I share with everypony, even though they may not get it at first. If Princess Luna, Trixie, you, and myself could get a second chance, then why can't your own mother?" Starlight took this all in and paced around the study, reflecting on all that Discord had told her. In her mind, Starlight had to remember that Discord was once like herself and that unlike Discord, Starlight would have a chance to reconcile with her mother and heal the pain her father had inflicted on her all those years ago. But did that mean it was worth risking reopening old wounds, wounds that Starlight was certain she had buried?
Chapter 4: "Home Again"Still remembering Discord’s backstory, Starlight spent the next few days wondering if she was going to follow the same path as the former master of chaos once did. It was something that troubled her to no end, and caused her quite a few sleepless nights. Finally, the day came for her and Aurora to make their journey back to Starlight’s old home. “Guess there’s no turning back now,” Starlight thought, as she stood on the platform of Ponyville Station with Aurora, Trixie and Twilight (the latter two of whom had come to see her off.) “Here I am, about to be pulled back into the lion’s den, the place where all the nightmares began. Celestia help me!” “This trip is important for us, Starlight,” Aurora said to her daughter. “It makes sense for you to do this with me.” “I’m only doing it because you asked me to, Aurora,” Starlight replied. “If you think this is going to just magically mend our relationship, then you’re wrong.” Aurora sighed as she took in what her only daughter had just said. She had expected as much of a response, but it still stung. Finally, a few moments later, the Friendship Express approached the station. Once the train arrived, the time had come for the two unicorns to board. They did so, even though Starlight briefly hesitated. “Do you think this will help their relationship?” Trixie asked Twilight, talking in low voices so that Aurora and Starlight couldn’t hear them. “I hope it does, Trixie,” Twilight answered. “But it’s not up to us now, it’s up to them. Everything that happens from here on is in their hooves.” “You sure we couldn’t just go to spy on them?” Trixie asked. “I mean, what if us being there could help them?” Twilight only shook her head. “We need to give Starlight and her mother space to work out their differences. It’s not our place to intrude on their personal lives.” Just then, the whistle blew, and with a puff of smoke the Friendship Express puffed away. Starlight watched, as the sights of Ponyville soon disappeared from view, as the train chuffed away down the tracks, bound for a small junction just outside of Rainbow Falls. This was it, no Twilight, no Trixie, no Discord, not even Sunburst or Thorax. It was just Starlight and her mother on a trip back where Starlight’s troubled past had all begun. “Why don’t you get some rest?” Aurora encouraged, looking at her daughter. “It seems like you haven’t slept well in a long time,” She smiled, as she recalled. “I remember the first time we rode on a train together. You fell asleep right in my lap, it was such a cute sight. What I would give to go back to those days.” Starlight only shook her head, as she yawned. “Those days are long gone, Aurora, and they’re not coming back,” With another yawn, she added. “Now, I think I’m gonna go lay down for a while, alone.” “Fair enough, but let me know if you need anything. Remember, I’m here for you now.” Aurora commented, hoping to break the ice between her and her daughter. Starlight didn’t reply at all, she simply trotted past her mother and into the sleeping car to rest. Aurora sighed, looking out the window at the rapidly changing scenery. “What can I do to get Starlight to warm up to me?” She thought. “Sweetheart said this would help give us closure. Was she mistaken?” Deciding it wouldn’t do good to dwell on the matter, Aurora simply got up and stretched her legs. Perhaps a mid-morning snack would take her mind off her troubles. Back in Ponyville, Twilight and Trixie parted ways shortly before the castle. Twilight had to admit, without Starlight the castle felt kind of empty, even if she still had Spike. “You think we’re making the right choice letting Starlight and her mom work things out alone?” Spike asked, approaching Twilight (he just finished dusting some of the shelves). “I don’t know, Spike,” Twilight replied, sighing. “The outcome’s out of my hooves now. There’s nothing left I can do except hope for the best.” But just then, the doors to the castle library swung open, and Trixie came rushing in with an excited smile plastered on her face! “Twilight, great news!” She happily exclaimed, as she ended up bumping into Spike and tackling him (she had forgotten to slow down)! “What is it, Trixie?” Twilight asked the magician, while carefully prying Spike out from under her (fortunately, Spike wasn’t hurt). Trixie could hardly contain her excitement! “You know about my apology tour, right?!” Twilight and Spike both nodded in unison. “Well it just so happens, my next stop is Starlight’s old village, and I leave today! Is that an amazing stroke of luck or what?!” “It certainly is, Trixie,” Twilight replied with a smile. But then she thought about Starlight and Aurora, and how they might interpret Trixie’s sudden appearance. That caused her smile to be replaced with a look of concern. “But maybe you should postpone that visit and go somewhere else? Starlight’s probably going to think I sent to her old town just to spy on you.” “No, Trixie is NOT cancelling!” Trixie protested, stomping her hooves! “The Great and Powerful Trixie has never cancelled a show in her career, and she’s not about to start now! I shall go to that little town whether you like it or not.” Twilight groaned, and put a hoof to her head. “Why does Trixie always have to be so stubborn?!” She thought to herself, and then she reluctantly said to Trixie. “Very well, I guess if you’re that determined, I can’t stop you. But you need to stick solely to your performance. So don’t go looking for an excuse to cross paths with Starlight and Aurora, and don’t try to insert yourself into their situation. I don’t want Starlight getting the wrong idea, got it?!” Trixie nodded, bowing her head. “You have my word as a performer, princess. The Great and Powerful Trixie shall do her best not to spy on Starlight and her mother,” She then added. “You’re welcome to come along if you’d like, the wagon’s actually a lot bigger on the inside.” But Twilight only shook her head. “I can’t just leave Spike in charge of this castle all by himself.” “Hey, I can manage just fine, thank you!” Spike complained. “I’m sure you could, but this castle is pretty big and you don’t exactly have the best reputation for staying out of trouble,” Twilight advised, then to Trixie she said. “Besides, even if I wanted to go, I couldn’t. The map hasn’t called me, and I don’t want Starlight to think I don’t trust her to deal with her problems herself. I already made the mistake of trying to control her personal life once, I won’t do it again.” “Very well, but I’ll still keep you informed by letters,” Trixie replied to Twilight. “I just hope Starlight’s old town gets reliable postal service.” And with that, Trixie turned and departed for her wagon, just as the train bearing Starlight,and Aurora pulled into the station, at the small junction near Rainbow Falls.
Chapter 5: "Iris Junction"“Well, here we are, Starlight,” Aurora smiled as they stepped off the train and onto the platform. “We’re back home in Iris Junction, where we belong.” “It…It seems like nothing has changed,” Starlight remarked, her eyes scanning all around as she followed her mother. “Everything is just the way it was, even after all this time. I thought at least there’d be some new buildings or something.” For the next few moments, Starlight followed her mother along a small stretch of road, seeing many faces that she hoped would recognize her from the young filly she once was. Alas, it just didn’t seem possible in the common sense of the word. Nopony was recognizable to her, and neither was she to them. As the two unicorns walked, Starlight and Aurora came across what appeared to be a drug store. It had a sign on it that read: “Fizzy Lift’s Drug Store.” “Do you mind if I stop here to get a soda?” Aurora asked her daughter. “Whatever, I’m not really thirsty. Besides, I prefer apple cider.” Starlight replied, and the two mares headed into the drugstore. As they entered, they were greeted by a brown coated, middle aged pony, with a snow white mane and tail, red eyes, and a bottle of soda for a cutie mark. “Ah, Aurora,” The old stallion greeted, as he prepared to pour soda into a tall glass. “The usual?” “Yes, Fizzy Lift,” Aurora replied with a smile. “Sorry if I haven’t been around for a while. I was in Ponyville visiting with Starlight here. Sweetheart suggested she come back home with me so we could reconnect.” “Ah, yes,” Fizzy Lift chuckled, and a small smile coming onto his face. “I was wondering who this lovely young mare was. A soda for you, Starlight?” “No thanks,” Starlight shook her head in response. “I’m not really thirsty right now.” “Oh,” Fizzy remarked with a sigh as he served Aurora her soda. “You used to be so enraptured with this place, Starlight. I remember, you mom would bring you in here all the time, I practically watched you grow up. Hearing you say that you don’t want anything, makes me see that you’ve changed. But this town has missed you greatly, Starlight. When we first learned you were Princess Twilight’s new student, everypony in town could hardly believe their ears.” “Well, things have changed, Fizzy,” Starlight sighed, trying to remain respectful to the pony she’d more or less seen as a surrogate father in her youth. “I’m not the young, energetic filly that everypony expects me to be. My life isn’t like that anymore and you know it.” Fizzy just replied by saying. “Your mother and I had a conversation before she left, and we both agreed that what happened with your father was uncalled for and wrong. What he did was stupid, and to Tartarus with him for being so cruel.” “What’s done is done,” Starlight remarked, not wishing to dwell on her father or what she’d learned about him. “But, I just don’t know if I can repair the wounds so easily, Fizzy Lift. My father wasn’t the only bad thing about my life, and coming back here just opens the wounds even more.” Aurora took another sip of her soda, then she commented softly. “All you’ve been doing Starlight, is cloaking yourself. I brought you back home to make you see that everypony still loves you despite all that happened in the past. If the ponies in your old village could forgive you, and you could forgive Trixie, surely you could make amends with the source of your troubles. At the least, you could try to use the time we have together to reconnect. I want a second chance, Starlight, to be the mother I should’ve been when you were so troubled.” Starlight, feeling guilty, said nothing after this and remained silent for the rest of the visit. “Everypony wants this to work out for me and my mother,” She thought to herself. “But, can I really just close the door on all the pain and suffering of the memories I associate with this place? This is where my troubles all began, long before I ever thought of where my actions would lead me.” Meanwhile, Trixie had departed Ponyville and was making her way towards Iris Junction, where her repentance tour would continue. However, getting to the town was not as easy as it seemed. Trixie was never the greatest with directions. “Where is this town of Starlight’s?” She muttered, looking at a map. “Either the Great and Powerful Trixie is lost, or Starlight didn’t even bother to tell her how to find this stupid town!” Just then, Trixie noticed an odd looking pony standing on a ladder, doing something to a signpost. She decided to ask the pony for directions, as there didn’t seem to any other pony (or non pony) around. “You there,” She called to the pony who was painting out signs on the signpost. “Do you know which way it is to Iris Junction?” “Iris Junction? Oh, I couldn’t say, Miss,” The stallion hastily replied. “It said on the wireless to paint out the signposts in case a Changeling shows up, there’s a possibility some unreformed ones still exist.” “I’m not a Changeling!” Trixie snapped, feeling slightly insulted. “I happen to be the Great and Powerful Trixie! The very magician currently on her repentance tour, and you’ll be happy to know the Changelings have a new leader.” “That’s what you’d say if you were a Changeling, isn’t it, miss?” The stallion laughed. Trixie merely rolled her eyes as she noticed an unpainted sign that said Iris Junction was five miles to the east. “A lot of help that stallion was.” Trixie thought to herself. But, no sooner had Trixie started her way along the road, when the pony suddenly fall silent! Hastily turning around, Trixie saw that the pony was gone and it gave her a sense of suspicion. What if that stallion was actually a rogue changeling out for revenge? Trixie shook her head. That was a ridiculous fantasy, and one that she didn’t have time to worry about. Her destination was Iris Junction plain and simple, and she was going to continue on her way. But at that moment, a white flash appeared in front of her and standing in front of the magician was Discord, much to Trixie’s chagrin. “I was just trying to keep you safe, Trixie,” Discord insisted, holding the paintbrush and paint in his claw and paw. “Besides, why are you so intent on going to Iris Junction. It seems that Starlight and her mother need to as much alone time for bonding as necessary. Wouldn’t you agree it’s best not to intervene? Come on, there’s bound to be plenty of other destinations your tour has yet to reach.” “Trixie has a mission of her own,” Trixie replied, rolling her eyes and giving Discord an annoyed glance. “And it doesn’t involve mismatched creatures of chaos! I was going to Iris Junction even before I knew it was Starlight’s home town. That was just a happy coincidence, Princess Twilight specifically told me I’m not to spy on Starlight and her mom. Now, stand aside, Discord, Trixie will not be delayed!” Upon hearing those words, Discord snapped his fingers and produced a flying pig for Trixie to sit on. “Would you like to get their faster?” He asked, slyly. “This pig will help you rest your legs.” “Trixie needs the exercise,” Trixie sharply answered. “Besides, what would I do without my wagon? It’s my home away from home, and where else do you think I keep all my props, snacks, and fireworks?” “Suit yourself,” Discord shrugged, snapping his talons as the flying pig disappeared. “I just thought I’d help you out a little, but if you’d rather strain yourself to the breaking point, be my guest. I sincerely hope your little ‘tour’ doesn’t get sidetracked when you and Starlight inevitably cross paths. Guess I’ll just head back to my own dimension, I know where I’m not wanted.” And he disappeared in a flash of light.
