"I'm so glad that you two could come," Twilight said as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sat down with her in the Castle of Friendship's dining room for breakfast. "It's really nice for the three of us to get together and just relax for once."
"Of course," said Luna, smiling warmly. "It's so rare of us to just relax and visit with you, Twilight Sparkle. After being put in cocoons by the Changeling Queen, we knew we needed to have something like this."
"There is always some crisis we have to deal with," added Celestia. "Somepony always needed our help, but today we can at least have a moment together."
However, Luna noticed that there was somepony missing from the table, somepony who had recently saved them and was awarded for it along with Trixie, Discord and the newly minted Changeling ruler, Thorax.
"Although, there is somepony whom I feel should also be here."
"Who, Luna?"
"Starlight Glimmer," answered the Princess of the Night, shrugging her shoulders in reluctance.
Both Twilight and Celestia listened intently at what Luna had to say. In fact, both of them noticed of the growing bond that was developing between both of them.
"You know, it's funny you talk about how you and Starlight can relate to one another," remarked Twilight as she took a sip of tea. "It's funny how you mention that Starlight should be here with us. I don't know how to say it, but it seems that even though Starlight graduated, I feel that she still has a lot to learn. To me, she needs somepony to look up to for something other than friendship problems. Somepony whom she can turn to for whenever she has her own personal problems. What she needs is just simple, ordinary life lessons."
"Don't you open yourself to Starlight's problems, Twilight?" asked Celestia. "Of course, you are her teacher."
"I was her teacher, Celestia, until now. To me, I can tell you from personal experience that whenever Starlight has a problem, she tends to hide it through her magic. Recently, she cast a series of spells on my friends because she felt uncomfortable about being around them."
"Wasn't this when you were in Canterlot giving that presentation to my students?" wondered Celestia.
"Yes. It was. She was honest about her actions, but I feel that I am sometimes not really that good enough when she has a problem of major proportions. In fact, I've been thinking that maybe she should devote at least once a week to talking to somepony and getting proper guidance. All I did was give her friendship lessons, but I feel she needs lessons that are taught to by somepony else."
With each word that the Princess of Friendship spoke, Luna realized more and more that she was going to be selected as Starlight's mentor.
"And you think that somepony is me?" she asked with Twilight and Celestia nodding that Luna was indeed that somepony. "I'm actually not surprised, yes. In fact, before we were captured, Starlight was having a nightmare and I was there to help her. I told her that she was sort of like me in the sense that our pasts sort of connected."
"Twilight and I think that perhaps," suggested Celestia, drinking another sip of tea. "You should get together and just talk to each other, learning from one another. Would you be willing to devote one day a week for you and Starlight to visit with one another, Luna?"
It didn't take long for Luna to answer her sister's question.
"Yes, if you wish me to help Starlight sister, then I will do whatever I can to help her. You're both right about the fact that we had to overcome our respective pasts to get to where we are today. When would you like me to meet with her?"
"I think we should leave that decision up to you, Luna. You decide when the time is right to meet with Starlight."
…
As the three alicorns were talking, little did they know that Starlight Glimmer was right outside the dining hall listening in on the conversation.
"Spike, can you believe what I'm hearing?" she asked, catching the baby dragon's attention as he walked down the hallway. "Twilight wants me to be mentored by Princess Luna."
"Well, you do relate in a way. You've both had…"
"Yeah that," interrupted Starlight, suddenly accepting her impending fate. "I feel like I haven't really fully graduated, Spike. You were there when I cried out that I wasn't ready to leave at the party, remember?"
"How could I forget? It was then that Twilight gave you that mirror as a present."
"But, what I feel is that I've only graduated from learning lessons on friendship. I still have a lot to learn about life in general, Spike. And the one pony who is qualified for just that is Princess Luna herself."
As she spoke, Starlight felt that even though she was somewhat honored at the fact that she was now going to be mentored by Princess Luna herself, she couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated.
"After all," Starlight continued, taking in a nervous gulp. "Luna's on a whole other level, on the ranks of Princess Celestia herself."
"So what?" remarked Spike. "Luna is a pony like you. Yes, an alicorn like Celestia, Twilight and Princess Cadence, but a pony nonetheless. Luna may have been intimidating, but she really isn't like that anymore. Not since Twilight and the others reformed her. In fact, she also had to overcome her own obstacles such as punishing herself for becoming Nightmare Moon."
"That's what Luna meant by being helped by Twilight and the others," Starlight whispered to herself. "And why she sees so much of myself in her. Maybe I'm destined to be mentored by Luna. I just hope that it all goes well."
…
At that moment, the door opened and the three princesses came out of the dining hall.
"Hello, Starlight Glimmer."
"Hello, Princess Luna," answered Starlight, nervously. "So, I hear that you feel that I should…"
But, Luna stopped Starlight as she placed a hoof under her chin.
"Come to Canterlot tomorrow and we will start our weekly time together."
Starlight gulped nervously as she accepted what was in front of her: the chance to be taught life's lessons by Princess Luna herself….
Session 1: Judging Others
Early the next morning, Starlight was on the first train to Canterlot, knowing that she was about to sit down with the Princess of the Night herself. When she arrived in Canterlot, Starlight was escorted towards Luna's private quarters by two of Celestia's guards. The former dictator of a small town took several deep breaths, nervously anticipating of what was to come.
"Your highness," said the guard, knocking on the door to Luna's quarters. "Starlight Glimmer is here to see you."
The door opened and Princess Luna came out, looking over at Starlight with a warming expression on her face. Seeing Luna smile made Starlight feel somewhat relaxed.
"Hello, Starlight," she said. "Come on in."
Stepping into Luna's quarters, Starlight was amazed at the sight of how Luna's quarters looked to her. At the far corner of the room was a desk and a small chair in front of it.
"It's…very nice," Starlight remarked, trying not to be rude to Luna. "You seem to be very laid back, Princess Luna."
"Well, I try to have my life not be so strict and stern," said Luna as an opossum crawled onto her back. "Tiberus, we have a guest."
The opossum chittered nervously and went off his mistresses' back.
"Excuse me, Starlight. This is my pet opossum, Tiberus. He's very friendly."
"I see," Starlight said, as the opossum chittered, studying Starlight up and down. "He seems cute."
"That's what makes him such a great companion for me. My sister has her phoenix and I have my opossum. Have you ever considered the fact of obtaining a companion for yourself?"
"Not at the moment, Princess Luna."
The two mares sat down at the desk and the session began.
"Although I would like to have one at least one day."
"Don't we all, Starlight? Care for some hot chocolate?"
A glass of hot chocolate sat in front of Starlight and she drank it.
"Thanks. Actually, Princess Luna, there is something that I have been meaning to ask you."
"Oh, what is it?"
"Have you ever been judged on your past?"
This caused Luna to widen her eyes in surprise.
"In a way, yes. Why do you ask?"
"Because, ponies have been judging me on my past, particularly Twilight herself. When I met my friend Trixie, she and I instantly connected because we both had some not-so-good moments with other ponies. But, she changed her ways as did I, but some ponies still feel like we shouldn't be entirely forgiven."
"I can understand what you are saying, Starlight Glimmer," remarked Luna. "Even after I stopped becoming Nightmare Moon, I still have ponies that will judge me for who I was instead of who I am now. But, even though it is hard, I have come to learn to accept it."
"You've had to learn to accept it, Luna?"
"Yes, because we can't make others like us for who we are or what we were," explained Luna, lowering her chin onto her forelegs. "There are going to be naysayers because that's who they are and how they are meant to be. I mean, think about it. Discord is judged, Trixie is judged, even Thorax is judged because he once served under Queen Chrysalis. However, each one has learned to cope with the criticism."
Starlight considered what Luna was saying and realized that this was going to be the first of many life lessons she was going to have to learn.
"Tell me something," continued Luna, taking a drink of hot chocolate. "Let's pretend this scenario: you come across a journalist who says that no matter what happens, you will still be considered that dictator or despot for as long as you remain alive. What do you do?"
Taking a deep breath, Starlight thought of how to put herself in the situation that Luna was describing to her.
"Tell them that they should just put themselves in my shoes and see that I am not the same pony as I once was?"
"No, Starlight," she answered, nodding her head from side to side. "What you do is to just simply move on, because all you would be doing is wasting your breath on something that is unfixable."
To prove her point, Luna reached into her desk and pulled out a newspaper, pushing it over for Starlight to look at. It was a picture of Luna and a headline that read that she was and always will be viewed as a monster for trying to bring eternal night to Equestria.
"Luna, what's on this paper, its awful!" gasped Starlight, her eyes widening in shock and disbelief.
"It is," sighed Luna, pushing the paper away. "But, the reason I didn't respond back at it was because that is their opinion of me and their opinion alone. We can't let one little thing just define us for who we are. When all is said and done, we look at the pony making these comments and say to ourselves that we are stronger than that one pony. I've put myself through enough sorrow and pain as it is and the more we dwell on one little thing such as this, we tend to forget what is really important in our lives."
…
Right then and there, Starlight realized that she had learned her first real life lesson and when she returned to the castle of friendship that night, Starlight shared her session with Twilight.
"Starlight," she said as they sat in the throne room. "I think Luna has a very deep point about others who judge. The only reason I judged you being with Trixie was because I feared she would be a bad influence on you, not because I hated her as a pony."
"Well, you certainly didn't sound that way when you said that to me, Twilight."
"Because I was protecting you and I had to learn that lesson for myself."
"By the way," wondered Starlight. "Were you ever aware that Luna was featured in the newspaper?"
"Of course, I was aware Starlight," answered Twilight. "Because I thought Luna was going to take it hard, especially after her breakdown fighting the Tantabus. But, to my surprise, she didn't take it personal and just went about her business. You see, this is why you and Luna build such a strong connection with each other, Starlight. Who knows what you will both be discussing next?"
Sure enough, those lessons would come sooner than Starlight would think…
