MLP: The Second Chapter

Starlight threw herself on Luna in absolute hysterics. All of her fear and pain came rising to the surface and she wept openly on the princess's shoulder. She wasn't afraid of what Luna would do to her, she was just happy to have a friendly presence within this utter nightmare. As she looked up with tear stained eyes, she cried, "thank you, Luna! Thank you for coming! Please, save me from this wretched abomination!"

So Luna closed her eyes and gently weaved some magic into the dream. As she did so, she opened her mouth and out came the most beautiful song Starlight had ever heard. The words were in some unknown tongue, but somehow, she felt completely comforted by them. The awful, blood soaked vision she had been seeing was mercifully removed from her and the dark beauty of night surrounded her.

Luna moved the moon high overhead and bathed the both of them in its light. Starlight was struck by just how elegant the princess looked. The moon beams seemed to reflect off her, and oscillate back and forth between the sun of the night and the Princess that controlled it. She smiled down at Starlight and beckoned her to follow with a hoof.

So Starlight removed herself from Luna and did as the Princess wanted. Luna never said a word, but led Starlight deep into the Everfree Forest. I remember this, Starlight said, we're going to their old castle. She had been there once or twice before, but never by herself and definitely never with one of the royal sisters. Even though she was aware that this was only a dream, she was tingling with excitement at what Luna could tell her about the mysterious building.

They emerged from the trees and crossed an age old rope bridge with wooden slats that had seen better days and found themselves approaching the old castle. Luna suddenly turned and halted Starlight. "Starlight Glimmer," she said, "do you wish to see what lies beyond?"

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

Luna shook her head. "I need only a 'yes' or a 'no' from you at this time. Do you wish to see what lies beyond?"

Starlight was about to nod her head affirmatively, but then stopped herself. Do I really wanna see this? What if it's another hell like last time? What if there are foals being sacrificed to Midnight Sun? What if she comes back and hurts more ponies that I love?! She nervously looked around and then back up at Luna. The Princess was waiting very patiently.

So Starlight gulped and took a leap of faith. She nodded her head and said, "yes, Princess. I want to." When she said that, she swore she saw the dark blue mare take a step back. She appeared to be awash in grief. "Princess Luna!" Starlight said suddenly, "what's wrong? Did I give the wrong answer?"

Luna shook her head, "no, dear Starlight, for there wasn't a wrong answer to give. But you have condemned yourself to see more of what lies beyond. You've given me permission to show you…tomorrow."

"I…I don't understand, Princess," Starlight stammered, "what do you mean by that?"

The princess gave no response but began moving away into the castle. "Princess Luna!" Sunset called after her, "please, Your Majesty, come back! I don't know what you mean! I'm scared! Please! PLEASE!" She lost control of her body and began running blindly after Luna. She ran through the doorway of the castle, but found a black chasm that she fell into. "NO!" She screamed as she fell deeper into the bottomless abyss.

"No-no-no-NO!" She screamed again as she finally woke up. She sat straight up, her coat freshly layered with a thick coating of sweat. She looked around. She appeared to be back in the Castle of Friendship. How on Earth did I end up back here? I thought I was on the train. As she continued looking around, she was thankful to notice that her room was the same. Twilight and Flash's castle appeared to be intact. Everything looked absolutely normal.

She used her magic to pull back the drapes that covered the window. The sun came streaming through. It looked as if it was an absolutely beautiful day outside. She got up and trotted over and looked outside. The birds sat in the tree that grew there, singing their sweet melodies and welcoming the day.

Then she realized with a gasp that she had to see Twilight. So she ran out of the room and skidded around the corner, where she ran into Spike. He was carrying a stack of Twilight's graded exams and they scattered around on the floor. "Oh! Spike!" She said, "I'm sorry!"

Spike grumbled a bit as he got up. "Oh, that's alright, Starlight," he said, "I totally haven't been knocked down twice already this morning! Sheesh! Why is everypony in such a rush around here today? You knocked me down, Twilight knocked me down, Flash knocked me down! Everypony's in a rush! Why can't we just slow down and be amiable to each other?!"

Starlight magically restacked all the papers in Spike's arms. "I am sorry, Spike," she said, "but I don't have time to talk right now. Has Twilight gone to school?" Spike nodded. "Thanks," she said as she dashed off. She ran out of the castle and across the small stream that separated the Castle of Friendship from the School of Friendship.

She barged into the main hall and dashed up the stairs, whizzing by some surprised students. She called out a small apology and hurried to Twilight's office. When she got there, the door was closed and a small "do not disturb" sign hung on it. She listened, but couldn't hear anything. So she took a deep breath and shoved the door open.

"Twilight, I need to speak with you!"

She looked and saw that Twilight was busy with Sunshine Harvest, one of the students at the school. "…and that's why we don't put flash bees in our friend's lunch," she said calmly before looking up at Starlight. There didn't appear to be any anger in her eyes over the interruption. "Starlight, I'm glad you're here. As the guidance counselor of this institution, I think you can offer a perspective on this incident as well."

Sunshine turned her head towards Starlight and she saw tears reflected there. The small filly appeared to be scared of something. So Starlight walked over and sat beside her. "What seems to be the problem?"

Twilight responded, "Sunshine put flash bees in her friend Hoof Heart's lunch and they injured Hoof Heart pretty badly."

"Why on Earth would you do something like that?" Starlight asked. She couldn't believe Twilight was being so nonchalant about things. This young pony could have killed her friend! Flash bees were serious business. Starlight had a quick flashback to her dream, where Rarity and Sweetie Belle were harmed by the same creatures. She quickly shook it away and listened to Sunshine.

"I was dared to," the filly confessed, "I just wanted to be part of the popular crowd of ponies! It was…Willow and her gang who dared me. They're the most popular fillies in Ponyville! They said if I put flash bees in Hoof Heart's lunch, then they would let me hang out with them."

"But would that be worth harming your friend?"

Sunshine shook her head. "No, it wouldn't. Head Mare Twilight made that perfectly clear…and that's why I'm going back to my dorm to pack."

Starlight turned and gave Twilight a shocked look. Had she really expelled the young filly? She had never heard of Twilight expelling anyone. But Twilight was the head of the school, so she had done what she thought was best.

But then Twilight held up a hoof and opened her mouth. "Before you say anything, Starlight, I haven't expelled Sunshine. I've suspended her for two months. Afterward, she may return to classes here. I think everypony deserves a second chance when they've done something wrong. But I also staunchly believe in obedience and consequences. So, Sunshine, when you're done paying those consequences, then you may come back." Sunshine nodded as she left the room.

Starlight turned to her best friend. "Twilight, first of all, I have to ask, how the hay did I end up back here? I was on the train the last time I was awake."

Twilight smiled, "I know. It was quite lucky that we were at the station when we were. We had no idea where you went, so we decided to go looking for you. We searched all over town, but we couldn't find you. So we decided to hop on the train and head for Canterlot, thinking that maybe we'd find you there. We boarded the train and when we did, we found you there, sound asleep. So Applejack, Flash, and I picked you up and brought you back here."

"Oh, I see. Look, I have something incredibly important to tell you! That's why I came barging in here."

Twilight looked at the clock. She saw she had 15 minutes until her class began so she sat back and beckoned Starlight to sit in front of her. Starlight told her all about Zecora's dark poem, Luna and Celestia agreeing with it, and the evil fate that awaited her newborn daughter. She also told her about the hellish nightmare she had experienced. Twilight's mouth opened in complete shock. She looked as if she were about to start crying.

Then, suddenly, she turned angry. She got up from her chair and came nose to nose with Starlight. "How dare you speak of my darling Midnight that way?! My foal would never do something so evil!"

"Twilight, you can't just brush this under the rug! It's true! It's going to happen! We've got to do something about it!"

"It won't happen! IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN! Midnight is the sweetest little filly in all Equestria, and you know that! If you ever speak of my daughter that way again, I swear, Starlight, I will fire you as my guidance counselor! Now get the heck out of my office!"

But Starlight didn't move. Now was the time for bravery and stubbornness in the face of open hostility. "I'm not going anywhere," she said calmly. So Twilight attacked her and knocked her down. She got on top of her and pinned her shoulders to the floor. "I'm your boss!" She said harshly, "I will NOT be defied! Now, I'm going to let you up and when I do, I wanna see your tail going straight out that door."

Starlight remembered the dark words Midnight Sun had spoken in her dream. She remembered how the filly had said that Twilight wouldn't believe the prophecy. But Starlight was determined to change the course of the future and ensure Equestria's survival. In fact, that survival depended on her defiance of Twilight's order.

Twilight let her up, but she didn't move. "I'm not going anywhere, Twilight. You have to confront this."

"I don't have to confront anything," Twilight hissed, "and I don't have to deal with your nonsense anymore because YOU'RE FIRED, STARLIGHT!" The purple mare screamed in Starlight's face, but Starlight didn't move. "I'm not going anywhere," she said resolutely. Twilight backed off and sat down, out of breath. "You don't work here anymore, Starlight," she said angrily. "I know," Starlight said curtly, "but I'm still not going anywhere. I'll stay here for the rest of my life if I have to. First and foremost, I'm your friend, Twilight. I don't care whether I work for you or not. I care about you and I care about the ponies of Equestria. If you care one inch about them, you'll go talk with Zecora about this!"

Twilight gritted her teeth in anger but relented. "Fine," she said with a gravelly voice, "I'll talk with Zecora. Then we'll see who's right about everything!"

"Yes, we will," Starlight said. There was no air of triumph in her voice, only a deep sadness. For she knew that, when Twilight saw Zecora and asked her about the newborn's fate, Zecora would respond with the same dark rhyme that she had given Starlight. Then Starlight remembered the prophetic words of the book in Canterlot: "flames shall rain down and ice and water shall pour forth all over Equestria." If Twilight didn't heed the words of both Starlight and Zecora, then that would be the fate of their beloved home.