The Light of the Night

Five years later…

It was hard to believe that five years had come and gone since that hectic yet blissful moment of their lives. But no longer were Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer school girls paving their way in Canterlot High. At some point the two girls, along with all their friends, would finally graduate together and the Canterlot High alumni would attend college, mostly taking separate courses but few times they shared one or two classes together. Between all the magic occurrences in every social event they’ve been to, whether they meant to find it or not, life was peaceful and calm in Canterlot City as they continued to keep in touch as friends. But all the same, there was at least ‘one’ major change that occurred in their lives.

In a cozy humble abode, just outside of Canterlot City, Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer spent the next five years living together, along with an extra addition in their house: Starbeam Glitter. Such a precious gift, her skin tone just the same as Twilight’s yet her hair was nearly all white, with a purple and red strip in the center. This child spent five years of her life living amongst humans, growing as one, and to date knowing nothing about her pony heritage… At least, not now. Their lives were documented through the numerous photographs, framed, and hung in the big family room on the ground floor of their two-story house:

Next to a wide frame of Twilight and her friends in their graduation gowns, hurling their caps into the air, there was also their wedding picture: Twilight Sparkle in a beautiful wedding dress (Stitched together by Rarity herself) while Sunset Shimmer was dressed in a tuxedo with her hair tied in a ponytail. Standing beside them were all their friends, representing the Mane Six, dressed as their bridesmaids and looking on fondly.

Since then, they have been through so much together: There was Sunset and Twilight swinging their daughter along the shallow end of the beach; Sunset holding Starbeam over her shoulders as they, along with Twilight, watched the fireworks at the park; Twilight reading a bed time story to Starbeam, as she eyed the pages curiously; and even a cute picture of Starbeam’s two year birthday party, when she smashed the cake with a happy smile leaving the two lovers caked in… Well, ‘cake’. This was all during which while Starbeam was still in her infant stage.

As the years passed, the little child matured and grew until she was tall enough to exceed the height of her mothers’ waist. Much of her personality was shown during those moments growing up. She was old enough to ride the rollercoaster with her moms, sitting at the front of the cart; riding her first bicycle with Sunset pushing her along and Twilight struggling to keep up; all three dressed in princess ball gowns, while Starbeam looked slightly annoyed; going on horseback rides along the mountains during a camping trip; and the time the two wives teamed with their friends for a reunion at a Music Festival and Starbeam stood in front of the girls, throwing devil horns and sticking out her tongue. They were all great memories and Starbeam had nothing but fun according to all these pictures.

But now, at this present time, it’s a quiet afternoon in the household. Twilight Sparkle, dressed similarly to a schoolteacher, was jotting down on a set of formulas on a whiteboard set-up on the wall. Sitting at a table, with a book directly in front of her face, her daughter, Starbeam, seemed to be hard at work as her pen wiggled side to side as if jotting a ton of notes. Of course, being that Starbeam is technically a five-year-old, Twilight did her best to simplify the subject, in this case math.

“As you can see,” Twilight Sparkle explains. “The standard steps of multiplication shares a similarity to addition. For example, by taking one number and increasing it by the same number multiple times, like four times two, the end result is equivalent to twice the amount of the previous number. Now, can you tell me what you get when you multiply four by itself?”

But answer there came none. Twilight Sparkle turned back, and it seemed like Starbeam was too busy writing notes to pay attention. At least, that’s what it appeared to be.

“Starbeam? Are you listening?”

Again, there was no answer. Groaning, Twilight Sparkle put the marker aside and slowly approached the table, looming over Starbeam. Nodding her head, as if understanding what’s up, Twilight grips the book and lifts it off the table. Just as she expected, the pen was only movie because it was taped to those wind-up walking jaws, the kind they see at the five-dollar store, and the pen was merely scribbling random lines on a paper. Turning to her daughter, turns out she was reading those extreme sports magazines while jamming out with those cordless headphones they bought her on Christmas.

Tapping her fingers against the book, she positions it onto the table and lets it fall…

BAM!!!

The vibrations startled Starbeam with a tiny squeak, as she looked up, pushing away her long white locks from her eyes. Twilight Sparkle looks toward her daughter, pointing a finger to her right ear motioning toward her daughter’s headphones. Starbeam lifts her hands to her head, flips off the switch, and slowly removes the headphones, sliding it so it wraps around her neck.

From the way Twilight Sparkle looks at her daughter, one could hardly believe they were related especially with the latter’s choice of apparel. She wore a light tannish brown tank top shirt, with a dark blue jean skirt with a red stripe cut along one side. She also wore black shorts beneath the skirt, along with matching dark grey leggings. Twilight swore her daughter reminded her of an old classmate from Crystal Prep, the one girl with the headphones. She wasn’t ‘as’ bad as the other girls… But not much for conversation back when they were in school.

“Hey mom,” Starbeam replied, casually.

“Am I boring you today?” Twilight asked, with snark.

“That depends, what were we just going over?”

“We were going over our times tables today.”

“Ooh… Math… My number one weakness,” Starbeam replied, milking it.

“Well, if you’ve actually been listening at all, I was just about to give you an opportunity to tell me the answer to four times four…”

“Sixteen.”

Twilight Sparkle paused, wide eyed. She faced Starbeam, who just smirked at her own mother with a mischievous grin. Twilight Sparkle turned back toward the whiteboard, checking every angle.

“Were you looking off my notes?” Twilight asked.

“From all the way over here?” Starbeam replied, with a smile.

“… Okay, Mrs. Smarty Pants. Then I suppose you’d want to tell me who wrote the Bill of Rights?”

“Thomas Jefferson.”

“Name one of Neptune’s moons.”

“Triton.”

“Okay, that was a giveaway,” Twilight shrugged, writing on the whiteboard. “But just wait till you are able to calculate the square root of five hundred and forty-six…”

“Twenty-three point three six-six-six four two eight nine one zero nine,” Starbeam replied, her arms behind her head.

SCREECH!

The whiteboard screeched as the marker slid the board violently. Twilight’s eyes went wide, one of them even twitching. Twilight Sparkle quickly turned back toward her daughter.

“How do you know that?!”

“… You were singing in the shower.”

“How could you hear me when it was late at—”

Twilight Sparkle suddenly stopped, realizing what she just walked herself into. She turned toward her daughter, making a face with an eyebrow raised. Starbeam picked herself and made to bolt when Twilight wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her in her arms. Being the skinny little lass, she was easy for less-than-athletic young Brainiac to lift.

“Starbeam, you are such a little rascal, you know that?”

Twilight then proceeds to rub a fist along Starbeam’s bed of hair, as the latter whined and laughed struggling to get free. They were both having fun, Twilight knowing that Starbeam tended to get into all sorts of mischief in the five years spent together. In some way, she reminded Twilight of her other mom.

DONG! DONG! DONG!

The chime of the clock along the counter draws the pair’s attention.

“Whoop, saved by the bell!” Starbeam replied, squirming out of her mom’s arms. “Gotta go!”

“Settle down, Starbeam!” Twilight giggled. “What’s your hurry?”

“I promised to meet mom at the park today,” Starbeam replied, grabbing her bag. “She said to meet her there after work.”

“Well, so long as you’re not out too late. I have a nice dinner planned tonight.”

“No worries, mom. We’ll be back!”

Starbeam made for the front door and while Twilight cleaned the whiteboard. She grabs her favorite jacket: A light blue jean jacket with a tear on the right sleeve, a blue-and-yellow star was stitched on the back. As Twilight finished cleaning, the latter suddenly remembered something.

“Oh honey, don’t forget your—”

Just as she said that Starbeam’s keys, which were sitting on another shelf by the hall, seemed to motion by themselves and drew themselves to Starbeam, who casually took the keys obliviously. Twilight paused seeing that, blinking for a moment.

“Thanks mom!” Starbeam called out.

Twilight stood silently as Starbeam pocketed her keys, slipped on a pair of sneakers, held the jacket over her shoulder, and made her way through the front door, shutting the door behind her. Twilight took off her glasses for a moment, checking the lens to see if she saw it right. But she could’ve have sworn she saw the keys move all on their own… Perhaps it was a trickle of light or perhaps… Something else.

“What just happened?” Twilight asked herself.

<>

Meanwhile, after closing and locking the front door, Starbeam set her headphones back over her ears, clicking the switch. The blares of 80s rock n roll strummed through her ears, in this case the hit single ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ by Journey. Starbeam slips on her jacket, adjusting the collar to give off the ‘cool girl’ vibe. She soon positions her skateboard, hopped right on, and skipped her way down the sidewalk toward the park. She skids toward a passing truck and ‘hitches a ride’, grabbing the truck by the back so she can roll down the streets. As the truck passes through the town, Canterlot City is alive with activity.

Many of the townsfolk, or city folk (Starbeam often got that confused), were minding their own business on another beautiful day. Some were simply crossing the street, others did so while speaking on their cellphones. By this hour, most of the townspeople left from work or were just going into the local diner to grab a coffee or something small. The truck soon passes one building where Starbeam could see a Zumba class from the window, the class inside sees Starbeam riding by and merely smile and wave as Starbeam does the same.

As the truck, makes a slight turn, Starbeam lets go to continue skating forward. Another car happened to be crossing at the same time, the driver not paying attention because she was answering her phone. Just as Starbeam noticed the approaching car, the car suddenly skids to a halt, the driver leans harshly dropping her phone. It was then she noticed Starbeam skating by, the girl holding an awkward peace sign and seemingly just as surprised. Granted, the driver noticed she nearly ran a red light but still… She looked down and noticed her foot was nowhere near the brakes.

Apart from that rather slight scare, it was a smooth ride for Starbeam Glitter. As she neared the park, there was one particular landmark that ultimately drew Starbeam’s attention: Canterlot High. Her parents have told her about how they met at this school, specifically during the annual Friendship Games (Though she mostly heard the games weren’t as ‘friendly’ back then). Almost every day around this hour or whenever they pass by while riding with her parents on an errand, she’d wonder how it would be if she could attend. Not that she couldn’t learn all the subjects her ‘Mama Twi’ has already taught her, but there was more to the school than she’d ever tell. A sigh escapes her lips, as she paddles her feet faster as the school fades behind her.

<>

Meanwhile, at the park, very few citizens were out and about (Most of whom would prefer to stay at home). In a wide grassy field, standing on a mat, Sunset Shimmer was assuming the ‘tree’ position with her eyes closes and taking deep breathes. Her yoga attire consisting of her old top from her ‘Camp Everfree’ summers, shrunken after several trips to the dryer that her midriff was exposed, and long gray yoga pants. The rolling of wheels skidding on the sidewalk has Sunset lift one eye and form a small smile.

Flowing steadily on the path, Starbeam skid along until she caught site of her mother waiting for her. She stops herself, kicking the skateboard into her grip as she turns off her headphones, and positions them around her neck once more.

“’Sup mom!” Starbeam called out.

“’Sup kiddo!” Sunset called back.

The two girls fist bump each other as a sign of greeting, as Starbeams sets her skateboard aside.

“Sorry for being late. The lessons were murder.”

“I’m sure they were,” Sunset nodded, smirking. “Now how’s about changing into something comfortable; there’s a restroom just at the end.”

“No sweat, mom. BRB.”

Starbeam Glitter proceeds to make her way towards the public restroom not too far from where they were. Sunset Shimmer looks on proudly, admiring the young girl. On one hand, a part of her looks just like her wife, Twilight Sparkle. Yet the choice of attire and her personality remind her of how Sunset was way back then, and still is in some degree. Just the way the two had planned all those years ago… Five years since then.

<>

It didn’t take too long for Starbeam Glitter to change from her usual get-up to her own yoga attire she carried in her backpack. Both her of her gym clothes, the top and the shorts, were dark purple with a yellow stripe (One below the sleeveless top, and one atop the shorts). She assumed a position on a mat right next to Sunset Shimmer’s and they were assuming the ‘easy seat’ positions, their legs crossed and hands on the kneecaps. In unison, they took deep breathes, breathing in and out, letting their chests expand then back. This went on for a minute or two before they assume the ‘half seated twist’, with one leg over the other as they gaze eye-to-eye.

“So, Twilight didn’t give you too much trouble on your schooling?” Sunset asked.

“Heh… It’s more like the other way around,” Starbeam replied, casually. “Not anyone’s fault I don’t feel challenged enough with academics.”

“Well, don’t let Mama Twi hear you say that. She’ll find something to stump you eventually. She’s one of the smartest girls I’ve ever met.”

“Come on, you’re just as smart. I still remember when you explained how you pit yourself against mom in that Decathlon years back.”

“A Decathlon she beat me in. But to be fair, I was ‘close’ to beating your mom that time. The formula was either off or I didn’t have enough time to finish.”

They adjust their bodies and lie down on their stomachs, arching their chests upward into the ‘Baby Cobra’ position. Sunset turns her eyes toward Starbeam, who attempts to hold the position.

“You’re not satisfied with this home schooling, are you?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate the effort,” Starbeam Glitter assured. “Quite the opposite: I enjoy our family social period even if it’s mostly school stuff. I know I should feel lucky; most kids aren’t taught this well at home.”

“Well, you do live with two of the smartest women in Canterlot City. What more could school offer?”

“And yet you’re still waiting tables at the sushi place at the mall?”

“Uh no… I am now a ‘chef’ at the sushi place, thank you very much. The benefits are solid, and you always have the best seat in the restaurant.”

Starbeam Glitter nodded with a shrug. But even though Sunset Shimmer could see that her daughter was trying to act cool and chill, she knew her daughter well.

“But that’s not what’s bothering you, is it?” Sunset questioned. “I don’t have to be a mind reader to know; I need you to know you can tell me anything.”

Starbeam took a deep breath and let out a sigh, as they switched to the ‘cow position’, their knees and palms on the mat.

“Mom… Do you think I’m odd?”

“… That’s oddly specific, Star. We hardly see you without those headphones; how can you hear such talk?”

“It’s not really ‘hearing’ per say, but I do read their lips when I pass by. And… I know people ‘talk’, mostly about me.”

“Well Starbeam, we may live in ‘Canterlot City’, but it’s still mostly a small town. And I won’t deny, the folks around here can be a bit small-minded just the same. But never forget that small also refers to being ‘safe’. These are good people, most of our good friends live in this city. They know you’re a good kid just like we do.”

“I suppose… Although sometimes I feel like a fifteen-year-old trapped in a five-year old’s body. I know that doesn’t make any sense.”

“You’ve always been very mature for your age, Starbeam. It doesn’t make you odd, but I’d like to believe it makes you ‘special’.”

Mother and daughter then proceed to get back onto their feet as they now assume the ‘Warrior 1’ position, their hands clasped together high into the air.

“Tell you what, kiddo,” Sunset continued. “If that still bothers you, we can talk this over with your mom at dinner tonight. I’m sure she can offer some ‘food for thought’.”

“… Really? A meal pun?” Starbeam asked, with a smirk.

“Come on, you have to admit it was a little funny.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

The two girls were then setting up for the ‘Warrior 2’ position, thrusting one arm forward…

“HELP! HELP! He stole my purse!”

A cry caught their attention when a man in a hood ran down the path with a maroon purse, a woman rushing after him crying for help. But then, as Starbeam turned towards the man, her arm still out something strange happened. Before her eyes, she saw her hand glow a light purple aura and a force of wind propels against the man, knocking him over with a yelp. The man rolls across the lawn, the purse slipped out of his grip, and he crashed near a tree. Sunset saw what happened as Starbeam looked on with surprise.

Not saying a word, the two rushed toward the fallen thief as the frantic woman went for her purse. Sunset checked on the man, lying on the floor. Fortunately, she found the man wasn’t armed and frantically he was no older than his late teens. Just some harmless hoodlum attempting a petty crime.

“He’s unconscious, but he’ll live,” Sunset told the woman. “Call the police.”

The woman nods with a silent ‘thanks’ before getting her phone from her purse and proceeds to dial the number. Sunset turns back towards her daughter, who looked as if she was in shock.

“I-I-I-I don’t know what happened,” Starbeam stuttered, frantically. “I just saw him running and then my hand… It just glowed… I just…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Sunset reassured, patting her daughter’s shoulder. “You don’t need to fuss; I saw what happened.”

“Wait… Y-You know about this?”

Starbeam turned to Sunset, a surprised look on her face. Her expression was reading ‘What do you know?’ toward her mother and Sunset couldn’t blame her, as if this was the first discovery she made in five years… Five years. Sunset Shimmer sighed, knowing it was bound to come up.

“Starbeam… I want to show you something,” Sunset gestured, extending her hand.

Starbeam looked curiously at her mother’s hand, then back to her eyes. Sunset just nodded, as if silently asking her to trust her mother. Slowly and cautiously, Starbeam reached her hand toward her mother’s. As their hands grasp… Sunset closes her eyes, a glow appears, and Sunset’s powers were able to look into Starbeam’s mind…

<>

Five years ago…

Starbeam Glitter had just been born. She was still a little young unicorn and her mane was not as long as it was back then. She was wrapped in a warm bundle, in her mother’s arms. Only the mom her daughter knew was still a unicorn at the time, she was still recovering from the process lying comfortably in that bed. She was humming a soothing melody to her daughter while she cooed and stretched her tiny arms… Hooves.

But then she heard another sound and the little filly’s eyes seem to turn to an open doorway, two shadows peeked from the doorway. Equine shadows, both having horns while the other had… Wings? She heard her mother, Sunset, shouting in distress towards the other figure.

“She almost died under your watch!” Her mom shouted. “How could you let her go through with this?!”

“She said she wanted it done this way,” The other figure argued. “She didn’t give me much choice.”

That voice… As the baby heard, it sounded like her mother. Yet her mom was holding her, yet her ears weren’t deceiving her. How much did their child know?

“We could’ve lost the baby, Twilight… But more importantly, I could’ve lost my wife!”

“You think I wasn’t aware of that?! I was scared too! I really ‘tried’—”

“Apparently, not hard enough! I trusted you; both of you! You’re lucky they are both alive! If I lose them, so help me… So, help me—”

Her mother’s voice choked, as if she were crying. The other ‘Twilight’ tried to reach toward Sunset, but she casted her gesture away, crying in frustration. And somehow the baby saw and heard their little spat… She may not recall this moment, but it was there… In her head…

<>

Starbeam Glitter gazed at her mother awkwardly, as Sunset continued to hold her hand. But she also seemed to spot tears coming out from Sunset’s eyes.

“Mom? Mom?! MOM!!!”

Starbeam’s shouts seemed to snap Sunset Shimmer back to reality, as she shook her head and released her hold on her daughter’s hand. Seeing the look of concern, Sunset sighed and lightly brushed the tears off her face.

“What was that?” Starbeam asked.

“… That… Was magic?” Sunset choked, clearing her throat.

“Magic?”

“… We should go home now. Your mom and I can explain it together.”

“Mom? She knows too?”

Sunset nodded, understanding how confusing this all seems to Starbeam. She had no doubt she now had a lot of questions, how this strange force is not only affecting her but how much that she… And her mom knows. It had been five years, and while they would’ve waited till their daughter was older, Sunset knew the reality. Their daughter was growing older, more aware, and she deserved to know the truth… Even if it was today.