Friendship is Stellar

"It's about time we told you about your aunts, Silica," Limestone Pie declared to her oldest child with a nervous frown.

Limestone Pie sat on the Pumice family sofa next to her husband, Agate, across from two smaller chairs with Starlight and Silica. Agate was a bulky fellow; he was a tall, dark orange stallion with blue eyes, a blackish-gray mane and tail, and a cutie mark with a silver jeweler's monocle. He wore a brown fedora with a black vest around the front half of his body, as well as a pack of mining equipment on his side similar to the one Silica had worn on her trek.

"Indeed, Limestone," Agate added in his gruff voice, turning from his wife to his firstborn daughter. "Silica, darling, we never told you about what happened to your aunts because we wanted to protect you. We wanted you to live a normal life and not dwell on the past. We wanted you to be the kind of pony your mother and I never got to be."

"What was there to protect me from?" Silica asked as she glared at her father. "Do you expect me to be some kind of weakling? And besides, Aunt Maud lives far away in the big city, right? What's so scary about that?"

"It's not that simple, darling," Limestone added. "I never told you the true story. I wanted you to go on with life and not be bothered by--"

"Mom!" Silica interjected. "Look at me! I'm not a little filly, anymore. I know the world can be a terrible place. I know bad things happened before I was born. Why do you have to shelter me from something that just can't be avoided?"

"Silica Pumice!" Limestone shouted. "If you weren't immature, you wouldn't be talking over your mother like this!"

"Mom, I'm 20."

"Enough!" cried Agate. "Honey, can you please not do this? We need to talk about Maud and Pinkamena."

Limestone nodded and glared at Agate, but said nothing.

"Anyways," Agate continued, "Silica, nopony really knows what happened to your Aunt Maud. When the disaster happened before you were born, she went off into hiding somewhere, and never left any trace. Your mother desperately went looking for her, but at the time, it just wasn't safe enough. We're afraid the worst may have happened, or possibly that she was captured by the Blizzard Guard for her connections to your Aunt Pinkamena."

Starlight grimaced and a tear began to form in her eye.

"Is it true?" Starlight asked softly. "Do you think she's gone for good?"

"Maud may very well be gone, stranger," Agate said with a sigh. "I knew her for a few years before your mother and I got married. Maud was... odd... but deep down, she had a heart of gold."

"What about Aunt Pinkamena?" Silica asked. "What happened to her?"

"Silica, you have heard of Pinkie Pie, right?" Limestone asked in turn. "One of the six great heroes of old, before the disaster happened?"

Silica nodded.

"Pinkie Pie was my sister," said Limestone. "Your father and I always called her by her real name, Pinkamena, so as to not make it obvious."

"But... but remember the time that I asked about her? When I learned about the heroes in home school?"

"Yes, Silica. I told you that the shared last name was a coincidence. That Pinkie Pie and Pinkamena Pie were two different ponies."

"I admit I believed you, Mom, but why? What is there to protect me from? Why hide the fact that my aunt was one of the greatest ponies who ever lived?!?"

"Because, Silica. Because the heroes of old--including Pinka... Pinkie Pie... didn't just go missing. They were banished by the Storm King before you were born--"

"Where are they?" Starlight interrupted. All heads in the living room turned to the unicorn, who was now fighting back tears. "Where are my friends, Limestone?"

"Starlight Glimmer, nopony but the Blizzard King could tell you the answer to that question."

"Can't you tell me something?" Starlight sobbed. "Anything?"

Limestone sighed and looked at the tearful unicorn with sad eyes.

"All the Blizzard King said was that he had sent the heroes somewhere far away. Somewhere nopony could ever reach. That could be the pits of Tartarus, that could be the sun or moon like the old rulers... we just don't know. They may never come back, Starlight."

"Why would the Blizzard King be suspicious of Aunt Maud?" Silica asked. "And why would it be dangerous for me to know about Aunt Pinkamena?"

"Silica," Agate began, "the Blizzard King wanted nothing more than to eradicate the six great heroes. He wanted to hunt down their very legacy, by finding the ponies whom they were close to and throwing them out of Equestria. We didn't want it to be common knowledge that your mother was related to Pinkie Pie. We wanted to protect your mother. There are ponies out there who help the Blizzard King and would want nothing more than the reward for finding an accomplice of the great heroes."

Starlight sat still, her head down as tears streamed from her eyes. The words coming out of the two earth ponies were hitting her like the winds of a fierce tornado, tearing her apart and leaving her feeling more alone than ever before--even more so than when her best friend Sunburst had gotten his cutie mark and left her. Reality itself was staring in Starlight's pitiful face, jeering and laughing its flank off again and again with each revelation of her former home's turmoil.

Silica pointed a hoof toward her newfound companion. "Starlight," she began as a hint of a tear welled up in her own eye, "I'm so sorry about your friends."

"Why did I have to let this happen?" Starlight whimpered.

"It isn't your fault, Starlight."

"But it is."

"What do you mean? You just had an accident. Accidents happen, sis."

"It was an accident that could've prevented!" Starlight cried. "And since it wasn't prevented, I wasn't there to help my friends with this beast!"

"Starlight Glimmer--" Limestone began, but the distressed unicorn cut her off.

"I owed everything to these ponies. I was once a monster myself, but those ponies showed me what true friendship is. And I never had a chance to truly repay them."

Silica raised an eyebrow. "You were a 'monster'? What are you talking about?"

A flood of images flowed through Starlight's mind. Images of a small village in the middle of nowhere. Images of ponies bowing to her every whim, leaving behind every trace of their own individuality as Starlight removed their cutie marks one by one. Images of six ponies chasing her out after seeing through her town's facade. Images of the Princess of Friendship eating lunch with young dragon and a group of unicorns in a bustling Canterlot restaurant, while Starlight looked on from the edge of the room with nothing but vengeance on her mind. Images of a competition for pegasus foals in Cloudsdale, as she used a time-traveling spell to get rid of her enemies for good. Images of the horrific timelines that resulted from her meddling--some of which were disturbingly similar to the Equestria she was now in. Images of her cowering in fear of what the Princess of Friendship might do--and images of her gratitude when the princess forgave her and offered to teach her the ways of friendship.

Like a broken dam, the pent-up emotions began to flow out en masse. Starlight told the three Pumices everything. She told them about her past sins, her redemption, and her friendship lessons. Starlight went on to describe the friends she made and how much those ponies had meant to her. She talked about Maud and Pinkie Pie. She described the fateful trip before Hearth's Warming all those years ago when she slipped and fell into the cold abyss.

By this point, tears were streaming from the whole family's face. Limestone in particular had sunk down into the sofa and was bawling into her husband's dark gray mane. The mention of her sisters had tugged at her heartstrings more than anything else, and she was filled with a deep longing for the family she had known all those years ago. Agate wrapped a comforting hoof around his wife as he shed tears of his own at the memory of his old acquaintances.

"Mom? Dad? Silica?"

"Are you alright? And who's the stranger?"

A young dark orange filly and a young gray foal peaked their heads around an open doorway on the side of the room. The little mare had a gray mane and tail, with yellowish-green eyes and a cutie mark of a garnet gemstone. The little colt had a gray coat like Silica, but with a jet black mane and tail. His cutie mark was similar to that of Silica, except it was a pair of shovels instead of pickaxes.

The two eldest Pumices gasped at the sight of their two twins peering into the living room. Limestone's sad grimace turned to a frown.

"Diane? Onyx? What are you two doing awake? You two should be in bed."

"Mom," the colt--Onyx--replied, "Did you honestly think we were just gonna fall asleep and wait for Silica to come home?"

"Indeed," the filly--Diane--added with a nod. "We just wanted to check if Silica was back home. So, we came downstairs to check and see if Silica was back. But then we heard a stranger talking so we kinda hid..."

Limestone sighed. "Well, your big sister found a lost pony in the caves and brought her here to stay with us."

"But why are you all crying?" Onyx asked. "Tell us, mom!"

"Diane, Onyx," Limestone said as she turned to point to Starlight Glimmer. "This is Starlight Glimmer. She used to be a friend of your aunts."

Starlight waved weakly and a small grin managed to emerge on her face.

"Nice to meet you, Starlight Glimmer!" the two fraternal twins said in unison. Her and her twin jumped up and down excitedly.

"Where are you from?" Diane asked.

"You're a pretty unicorn!" Onyx remarked.

"How did you get lost?"

"What does your cutie mark mean?"

"Have you ever been to Canterlot?"

"How do you do magic?"

"Can I touch your horn?"

Starlight couldn't help but giggle a bit. But then she remembered. These two excitable kids brought back vivid memories of three energetic young fillies from the old days. What had happened to them?

"Onyx, Diane," Agate butted in. The two foals calmed down and turned to their father. "You'd best get to bed. It's late."

"But, DAAAAAD!" Diane cried out. "Why was everypony crying?"

"Your mom and I will tell you when you're older."

"But--"

"No 'buts'!" Agate said. "Head straight to bed! Good night."

The two foals let out an exaggerated "awwwww," followed by a "good night," and headed back through the doorway to their room.

"You'd best head to bed too, Silica," Limestone declared. "You didn't bring back any crystals today so you had better get started bright and early tomorrow."

"Mom," Silica said with a frown, "Come on! Can't you cut me a little slack? I saved Starlight's life."

"Tsk, tsk," Limestone muttered as she waved a hoof in the air. "I know, Silica. You did a very kind thing for a pony in need. But times have been tough. Money has been tight. We need you in the caves."

Silica sighed and stared down at the floor. "Yes, Mom," she replied as she pointed to Starlight. "But you still haven't answered my question."

"You're question? I'm afraid I don't follow."

"Can Starlight stay in the guest room? At least for a few nights? She's been through a lot today."

Limestone managed to smile a bit. She turned to Starlight.

"Is that OK, Limestone?" Starlight asked.

"Of course," Limestone said with a small smile. "I'll show you the guest room. You can stay there for a for a little while. We're used to having guests every now and then. You see, travelers will occasionally pass through our little shop here. If the weather is particularly nasty, and they seem like good ponies, we let them sleep in the guest room."

Limestone showed her guest to her room down the hallway, which next to the foals' room. She turned on the lamp, revealing a bed with a blue quilted blanket. Bookshelves stood up against the rustic walls on both sides of the bed, while a small window was situated up above the bed. A small end table sat next to the bed, with a lamp and a photo of two old ponies whom Starlight recognized as Limestone's parents, Cloudy Quartz and Igneous Rock.

Limestone wished Starlight a good night and then left, closing the spruce wood door behind her. Starlight yawned, flipped the light switch off, and curled up under the quilt blanket. It had been a long day, with lots of emotions hurtling through her mind, but she was so exhausted that she couldn't help but drift off to sleep in mere minutes...

Starlight found herself standing in snowy spruce forest. Snow was falling and sky was overcast, but the moon was just bright enough to penetrate through the clouds. Nopony was around; it was just Starlight and the snow.

"Hello?" Starlight called out.

She had no idea where she was. Where was the Pumice home? Where was Silica?

Nopony answered at first, but suddenly, a group of six ponies emerged from behind the trees. Starlight gasped when she saw them.

Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy stood before her. But something was wrong with what she saw. The six ponies looked the same as she remembered, except for one difference; they were staring at her with blank white eyes, devoid of pupils and irises.

"Thanks for abandonin' us, Starlight!" Applejack sneered. "Look what y'all did to Equestria!"

"But... but..." Starlight stammered, "It was an accident."

"Some friend you are," Rainbow Dash jeered. "I thought you were loyal, too. But I was wrong!"

"I didn't mean for this to happen!"

"You are DEAD TO ME!" Fluttershy screamed, catching Starlight off guard.

"Fl-Fluttershy, what happened to you?"

"You must pay for what you've done!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"I said I DIDN'T mean for this to happen!"

"Darling," Rarity said, "You should have never come with Spike and I. It was much too dangerous. How dare you allow this to occur!"

"Rarity--"

"Starlight Glimmer!" Twilight Sparkle shouted. Purple flames erupted from her blank white eyes.

"Y-yes, Twilight?" Starlight said in terror. She cowered before the angry alicorn, avoiding the gaze of those fiery eyes.

"Starlight, you have failed as my student. You have failed as my friend. And you have failed as a pony! I should have known you were unteachable!"

"But Twilight, I learned so much from you."

Twilight appeared to grow to twice her previous size. "I didn't ask you to speak, Starlight Glimmer! Now, hold still while I give you what you deserve for failing your friends!"

"I'm sorry, Twilight!" Starlight exclaimed as she began to cry. "I'm sorry, everypony! I did fail you, didn't I?"

Twilight leaned her now-huge head down and pointed her horn at Starlight. The horn caught fire and magical energy began to radiate from it. A bolt of lightning shot out of the horn and Starlight screamed as she narrowly dodged the attack.

But then, something incredible happened.

Another bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, and another, and another. Six bolts of lightning struck from the snowy clouds above, causing the six angry ponies to instantly disintegrate into ash.

Starlight immediately started running away into the labyrinth of trees, afraid that the otherworldly lightning would target her next.

But instead, a booming voice erupted from the sky above.

"Starlight Glimmer, do not fear!"

Starlight stared up in the direction of the voice and gasped. The voice sounded very familiar.

Could it be...?

A navy blue alicorn with a crescent moon chest plate floated down from the haze above. Her starry mane and tail simmered and flowed as if they had a mind of their own.

"Princess Luna!" Starlight cried out at the descending alicorn.

"Indeed, my little pony," Princess Luna declared. "'Tis I, the Princess of the Night and the Guardian of the Dream Realm."

"W-why are you here, your highness? Am I dreaming? I thought you were--"

"Banished, I know," Luna interrupted as her hooves touched down in the snow. "I know the doubt in your heart is only natural, for I have indeed been banished back to the moon by the infernal Blizzard King. But the Blizzard King does not know that his binding spell is not as strong as the Elements of Harmony; I can still roam the realm of dreams. So yes, Starlight Glimmer. You are dreaming."

"What happened to my friends, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony? Do they really all hate me now?"

Luna trotted over and wrapped a comforting foreleg around Starlight. "No, my little pony. The old friends you have seen in this dream were nothing but figments of your imagination and representations of your fears."

"Are they even alive in real life?"

"Starlight Glimmer, at least five bearers of the Elements of Harmony have survived. They have been separated and imprisoned in multiple different places, but I assure you, fair unicorn, your friends do indeed live. I have entered their own dreams and conversed with them."

Starlight stepped back with an anxious expression strewn across her face. "Where are they? How do I save them? And why do you only know about five of them?"

Luna's eyes were sad.

"Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are in Canterlot, in the custody of the Blizzard King. Rarity and Pinkie Pie have been imprisoned in the depths of Tartarus. Applejack has been imprisoned in one of the Blizzard King's fortresses near Ponyville. And Princess Twilight Sparkle has disappeared without a trace. Nopony knows where she has gone. All I know about her whereabouts is that she is not in the custody of the Blizzard King, and she is not located with me on the moon, nor is she located in the sun with my sister and Princess Cadance. I'm afraid the Princess of Friendship is missing."

"How am I supposed to save them? There's no way I can do all that..."

"Nothing is impossible, Starlight Glimmer!" Luna said with a smile. "For over one thousand years, I thought that there was no way to turn my demeanor back from evil and utterly nightmarish to good and harmonious. But the bearers of the Elements taught me that with hard work, the magic of friendship can conquer any tribulation.

Starlight frowned. "But I don't exactly have friends at the moment."

"Really," Luna replied in a tone drier than the Equestrian Badlands. "You are obviously free of your prison in the cave. Somepony had to find you in there."

Starlight scratched her head thoughtfully. "Well, I was rescued by a mare named Silica. Silica Pumice."

Luna laughed softly. "See? I think that if you put your knowledge of friendship to use, you can save your friends from their predicament and save Equestria from its present affliction."

Starlight thought for a moment, looking around at the snowy trees of her dream as she pondered the words of Princess Luna. She then looked up at the princess and stamped a hoof on the snowy ground with determination.

"I promise I will try, your highness," said Starlight. But then her expression turned back into a grimace. "But how am I supposed to do all this?

Princess Luna smiled. "Know that I am always watching over you in your dreams. I am always here for you if you need my guidance. Simply call upon me in your dreams, and I shall come to you."

Starlight bowed down in reverence to the princess. Everything was happening so quickly. One moment, Starlight had awoken in a crystalline cavern with a curious stranger. The next, she was facing the reality that her friends--the bearers of the Elements of Harmony--were out of reach and needed to be rescued from the clutches of the tyrant who had usurped the throne of Equestria all those years ago.

But what about the others? Starlight thought. What about Trixie, Sunburst, and Thorax? What about Discord?

Starlight opened her mouth to ask about her other friends, but it was too late; Princess Luna was already fading into oblivion. Everything went black, and Starlight opened her eyes to find herself back in the dark, cozy guest room of the Pumice cabin.