–

Life has been good in Ponyville. A few years has passed now since that battle that turned Chrysalis and the other villains to stone. Sure, there has been a bit of other trouble since then; but nothing so large, and nothing that couldn't be handled by herself or her friends, and the new elements of harmony.

Twilight and her friends have all settled down into their new roles and lives. Twilight and Spike now live in Canterlot castle, while the others, for the most part, still reside in Ponyville; Albeit moving between there and other places due to their jobs or family and spouses. Starlight and her friends have stayed in Ponyville themselves, continuing to run the school with the CMC and the young six graduates.

The time apart sometimes weighs on Starlight, and she does miss Twilight terribly, but Starlight has really surpassed her need of her mentor. Friendship still doesn't come as naturally to her as it does others, but part of friendship is how you work at and treasure the friendships you do have. It is for that she is thankful for all her friends who help her run the school. She may no longer need Twilight's help, but she probably wouldn't be able to keep the school running without Sunburst and Trixie at her side.

Speaking of friends though, today she is expecting some friends to arrive. One of which is Twilight herself, but Starlight knows all too well who the Princess is actually coming for. Sunburst has almost literally been sweating out his nervous excitement at seeing the Princess of friendship again after a couple of weeks since their last visit. Spike will be coming too of course, and since Spike is coming, she'd invited her good friend Thorax and his brother, Pharynx, as well to come stay with her for the weekend at Twilight's old castle.

Starlight walks through said castle, making sure everything is ready for the visit. Passing by a door, she spies Sunburst trying (and failing) to comb his hair. She gives a soft chuckle and knocks on the door.

"Need any help?"

"Starlight!?" Sunburst yelps in surprise, comically pulling his own hair with the comb as he whips his head around. "..ow."

Starlight picks up the comb with her magic easily, and ushers Sunburst back to his chair. He obliges while his cheeks turn red.

"What are you so nervous about? This isn't Twilight's first visit you know." She gently combs his hair.

"I-I know. I'm just..." Sunburst heaves a defeated sigh.

Starlight stops combing (some hairs just refuse to stay down anyway); and she moves beside him to look her oldest friend in the face. He looks oddly more dejected than his usual adorable, nervous panic.

"What's wrong?"

"Look, I know I'm not... Probably the best fit for a Princess. Twilight is so beautiful, and smart, and--Well, a princess! I'm just me. I know I've never deserved her." He could barely meet her eyes, and that has Starlight worried.

"You're right." Starlight tries to shift the tone, "Twilight is a beautiful, smart, Princess." She smiles at her friend. "But if you remember, she's also nerdy, dorky, and can be a bit of a disaster sometimes too. All of which you are right now; And the exact reason why you two are so perfect for each other."

Sunburst finally manages to glance back at her.

"Princess or no, she cares about you. If you think about it, that's about the only difference. I'm sure your mom would love to remind you what a smart and handsome stallion you are!" She teases, bumping him with her elbow.

She finally gets a chuckle out of him, followed by an exaggerated sigh. "Uuugh! Do not bring my mother into this! Since it became known that me and Twilight were 'more than just penpals', she wouldn't shut up about how proud she is and that no one could have ever been so good for her son--" He stops. "...And how she keeps telling me to not mess it up." He rolls his eyes, but still manages to look dejected.

Starlight frowns.

"What's really going on, Sunburst? Where's all this coming from?"

"I... In Twilight's latest letter, she mentioned... She said she had something important to tell me. I dunno what it is, but for some reason, it sounded really serious! I'm worried... I'm worried she's planning to break it off with me." He finishes, head down.

"Hm. Well, if I know Twilight, if she says its something serious, it certainly might be. But don't you think you're kind of jumping the gun here? I'm sure whatever it is, its not what you think, and you two will be even stronger together for it."

"Yeah, maybe. What about you, Starlight?"

Sunburst's sudden shift confuses Starlight.

"What about me?"

"Well, lately you haven't been joining me and Twilight when she and Spike visit. Has something been bothering you, perhaps?"

Starlight chuckles, albeit somewhat deflecting. Sunburst hasn't been wrong. She hasn't been spending as much time with them during their visits, but it's probably not what Sunburst thinks.

"I'm not trying to avoid you two or anything. I just happen to consider Spike a good friend too. I mean, what if I just maaaybe wanted to give you two some space while I hang out with my other good friend Spike? Would that be so bad?" Starlight feigns innocence.

"Ha. Nice, try, Starlight. But I know for a fact that Spike would be spending most of his time with Thorax on this visit. So, who are you hanging out with if not Twilight and I? And don't say Trixie. With both of us here for Twilight's visit, Trixie will have her hooves full making sure the school doesn't burn down." Sunburst adds smugly.

"You mean, Ocellus and the others will make sure Trixie doesn't burn the school down." Starlight adds, smug herself at her joke. "What are you getting at?"

"You've been hanging out with Pharynx lately." Sunburst beams, adjusting his glasses with his hoof and finally looking more confident than he's been since this morning.

Starlight scoffs. “Well, he is a friend of mine too.”

“Really? Trixie has been kind of worried. Says you guys didn't really get off on the right hoof when you all first met.”

“Yeah, well. We were wrong that time and a lot has changed since then.”

“Relax, Star. I'm just teasing. Just, don't feel like you have to hang out with Pharynx with the rest of us busy with each other. You're welcome to come hang out with me and Twilight, any time.” Sunburst looks at her warmly and puts a hoof on her shoulder.

“And be a third wheel to you and the Princess? No thanks. I'm sure neither of you will be lonely with me not there.” Starlight replies playfully and pushes his hoof off her shoulder.

Laughing a bit, they both smile at each other and head off. It's almost time now for the others to arrive.

–

Standing outside, it doesn't take long to spot Twilight's balloon as it comes over the mountains and lands on the grassy clearing outside the castle.

Even with her wings, and all the magic she could easily use to teleport herself and Spike to Ponyville and back, (and also maybe an entire entourage of pony guards who could escort her everywhere she goes), Twilight still prefers travelling with her the old balloon she first used to travel to Ponyville all those years ago. She still has two pegagus knights pulling the balloon for her, but at this point they do it more as her friends than as her guards, even if that is still within their duty. Twilight knows she's safe here in Ponyville and the guards could have most the weekend to themselves.

As the Pegasus knights unbuckle themselves from the balloon, the side door opens, revealing Twilight and her ever loyal sidekick Spike.

“Starlight! Sunburst!” Twilight exclaims as she jumps out of the balloon.

“Twilight!” Starlight jovially returns and trots to meet her mentor.

They briefly hug and soon size each other up.

“Have you gotten shorter, Starlight?” Twilight teases.

“More like you've gotten taller! What are you, Sunburst's height now?” Starlight chuckles, holding her hoof up between them mock-measuring their height difference.

“Starlight!” “Spike!”

She in turn gives the dragon a hug as well, who has also noticeable gotten taller.

“Whoa!” She exclaims as she has to look up at Spike now. “Maybe I am getting shorter!”

They both laugh. Soon after, they both turn to Twilight and Sunburst who are also in the process of greeting each other.

“Hey--””Hi!”

“Oh!””Er”

“Sorry, you go first””My bad, I was just--”

Starlight and Spike watch them as they both fall silent again. Eventually, it's Twilight who first speaks.

“It's so good to see you again, Sunburst.”

“M-me too. I-I mean, it's good to see YOU again, not me seeing me again—which is everyday and—er, Right! Eheh...”

Twilight chuckles slightly and the two stare at each other warmly. Starlight watches them confusedly as this is a little too warm and awkward a welcome for two ponies who just saw each other two weeks ago.

However, before Starlight could say something, Spike pulls her aside.

“Hey, Star! Wanna come with me to the train station to wait for Thorax and Pharynx? They should be arriving soon, right?”

“Oh, um, yeah. I think they should. I could teleport us there easily.”

Starlight takes one last glance at her two friends. They give a short wave towards her and Spike, and soon she teleports them both to the station.

–

“So. Care to tell me what that was all about?” Starlight looks at Spike lamely.

“Oh, uh. Yeah. They... They have a lot to talk about.” Spike hurriedly adds as Starlight raises a brow at him, “They'll be fine though, I swear! I promise, it's not bad news.”

At this, Starlight finally resigns and looks up as the train comes into view. She trusts all her friends, and if Spike says they'll be okay, then she has no reason to think otherwise. The young dragon has grown in more than just height in these last few summers, and all his experiences alongside the saviors of Equestria has certainly made him wiser than the young dragon they once knew him as. He's not the ruler of Equestria's advisor for nothing.

The train finally pulls into the station and slows to a halt. The doors to the cabins open and immediately--

“Thorax!” “Spike!”

The dragon practically boulders over his friend as the young Changeling king is tackled to the ground with a hug. Wise advisor of the Princess or no, Spike was still his adorable loving self. Even if he does seem to forget his newfound height sometimes.

“Oof. You're not as light as you used to be.” Thorax gets up chuckling, and pulls a hoof over Spike's still narrow shoulders.

“Well, I'm not as short as I used to be either.” Spike says proudly as he stands at full height, his spikes making him about as tall as Thorax if the changeling didn't have horns.

“It's nice to see you again, Thorax.” Starlight comes in to join the hug, Thorax letting her in and putting his other hoof over her.

“Thanks for inviting us too, Starlight.”

“Of course! Speaking of 'us' where's your bro--?”

“No hug for me?”

Starlight nearly jumps entirely out of from Thorax's arm, who catches her, and she whips around to come face to face with none other than; “Pharynx! There you are!”

As said changeling looks like he's about to reply; Spike suddenly rushes past Starlight, and gives Pharynx a large hug as well.

“Pharynx! It's good you came too!”

“Oof! I was kidding! Let go!”

Pharynx struggles out of Spikes strong dragon arms and Spike and Thorax can't help but giggle.

Spike is quickly back at Thorax's side, taking his belongings and starts talking to him animatedly about some new thing he read or other. Thorax is attendant of Spike's gleeful retelling, watching the dragon lovingly as they start walking back towards the castle.

Starlight smiles, watching them. Ah, to be young. Thorax maybe have been a king for a while now, but his softer, more playful side that always reminds Starlight of his actual age, always seems to shine through whenever he's around Spike.

“Please don't tell me they're gonna spend the whole trip at cafe's and talking about books, again?” Pharynx snides as he appears beside Starlight, but without any actual venom. He's still such a sourpuss after all this while.

“Comics, actually. But come on, you have to admit, between their duties to their respective kingdoms and the time apart, it's good to see them always hit it off right away the moment they're together again. Your kid brother, is sometimes still that; a kid.” Starlight smiles up at Pharynx; she briefly thinks to elbow him the same way she did Sunburst earlier today, but stops herself at the last minute.

“I guess. It's good for him to be able to unwind more often.” Pharynx begins to walk and Starlight nearly misses the almost smile he has. “...To be around the creature who really understands him.”

Starlight trots after him, catching up to his pace as they follow Spike and Thorax.

–

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Author's Note

If there's no Pharynx x Starlight anywhere on the internet, I guess I just have to make it myself!