Reunited (Alternate Ending)

Convincing Starlight to Go

Eight months had passed since Starlight had been released from the mental hospital and life had returned to normal, well somewhat. She and Trixie had grown much closer as friends. Trixie was a bit frustrated that they had yet to move on to being marefriends but she knew that with everything that happened to Starlight, she still needed time to fully heal.

Trixie had decided to, for the time, to take up permanent residence in Sire's Hollow until Starlight had healed sufficiently that she could at least go with her on short tours. Starlight had returned to being her great and powerful assistant but still, she felt the safest in her childhood bedroom, the safest from the turbulence that still haunted her dreams from time to time.

One day though, Trixie decided that perhaps they should go on a trip. She really hoped that this trip and magic show would be what would finally get Starlight to realize that she had finally healed and would be ready for a relationship. She also knew that this trip, a trip to Ponyville, could set Starlight back if she encountered a certain bacon maned mare who might still be in Equestria waiting for her.

That day was like most days, Starlight and Firelight had sat down to breakfast and were enjoying eggs, hay bacon and toast. During that meal though, there was a knock on the door. Firelight got up and answered it, "Oh hi Trixie. Here to see Starlight I take it?"

Trixie replied, "Of course The Great and Powerful Trixie is here to see her best friend!"

Firelight motioned for her to go in where she would join the two at the dining room table. Trixie had a huge smile on her face and suggested, "Starlight, The Great and Powerful Trixie thinks that we should go on a road trip, a magic trip!"

Starlight had an uncertain look on her face, "Ok, where are you wanting us to go? Appaloosa, Dodge Junction, Baltimare?"

Trixie knew that she couldn't just come out and say what her plan was so she decided to let Starlight know what she thought about her progress. "Starlight, you have been out of the hospital for eight months and I have seen for myself how much you have improved. I remember when at first the only ponies you would talk to were me and your dad but now, look at you. You are out there, helping me like you once did! You mingle with the crowds here after our shows and your confidence seems to build with every passing day."

Starlight asked, "What is it you are suggesting? Why is it I have a bad feeling about this?"

Trixie replied, "Starlight, I think it is time for one final test. I think that if you can pass this one, you will be able to face anything."

Starlight froze. She knew exactly what Trixie was talking about, "You're wanting us to go to Ponyville, aren't you?"

Trixie replied, "Yes I do because I think that going there will help you overcome your past."

Starlight began to breathe heavily as the very thoughts of going to the place where that mirror was. Firelight saw this and suggested, "Starlight honey, Trixie makes a point. This could be what it takes for you to fully heal for the most part."

Starlight asked, "But what if Sunset is there? What if she begged me to go back with her? What if she was to try and kiss me?"

Firelight, "Nopony is going to force you to do anything and like I said, Trixie makes a point. Perhaps it will be talking to her that can help you heal completely."

With both her father and her best friend telling her this, she began to think that perhaps this would be her chance to heal completely. She then began to think that maybe Sunset wouldn't be there and that seeing Twilight might not be so bad so she finally agreed, "Oh alright, so when do you want to do this?"

Trixie replied, "Well I was thinking that we could head out after you finish breakfast. That way we can get there sooner, we can put on our show, you can see your other friends and then we can come back."

Initially the very thoughts of leaving that soon did not sound very appealing to Starlight but then she decided that if she didn't do it now, she may never do it. She said, "Oh alright, we can go after I'm done with breakfast."

Firelight gave her a smile and Trixie said, "Good. Don't worry about what we'll do for food. I bought some hay cakes and some cider before I headed over here." Her smile got bigger as she added, "And I packed light so we'll have plenty of room!"

That got a laugh out of Starlight, "Don't want a repeat of our attempt to go to Saddle Arabia?"

Trixie laughed, "Exactly!" Trixie noticed that Starlight had finished eating and continued, "Well shall we?"

Starlight nodded and Firelight suggested, "Now if it gets to be too much for you, just teleport out of there. With as good as your teleportation is, you could just teleport back home."

Starlight replied, "That would be my plan."

Starlight and Trixie then headed out to her wagon and took off in the direction of Ponyville. This was the first time in a bit over eight months since being released from the hospital that she had even left town. Starlight was really wishing that they were heading anywhere other than Ponyville but knew that they were right, this was her chance to fully heal herself.

Reunited

Two days after leaving Sire's Hollow, Starlight and Trixie began to descend down the last hill into Ponyville. Twilight's castle was clearly visible and this caused Starlight to freeze. She began to breathe heavily and this caught the attention of Trixie, "Starlight, it is ok. Remember what your dad said if things get to be too much for you and besides, you have The Great and Powerful Trixie with you!"

Starlight replied, "I know, I know." Seeing Twilight's castle was hard on her but again the thoughts of fully healing herself came into her mind. She continued, "Alright, let's do this. If their schedule hasn't changed any, they should be at Sugarcube Corner."

"Alright Starlight, let's go!" replied Trixie.

Once they descended down into town, they noticed that ponies were looking on in curiosity. They weren't sure if it was because they had been gone for so long or if it was because of the rumors of Starlight becoming violent that ponies remembered. When they finally got to the sweets' shop Trixie said, "I'll go in first and then you can follow me."

Starlight replied, "Alright."

When Trixie headed into the sweets' shop, the seven ponies present looked at her in shock. Twilight was the first to say anything, "Trixie, I thought you were gone forever after Starlight got committed."

Sunset, who had remained in Equestria for the past year, gave Trixie a deep scowl, "So Trixie, do you know anything about my girlfriend? Do you know how she is doing?"

Trixie gasped, "Your girlfriend? Who is to say she is your marefriend?"

Sunset angrily replied, "Yes, my girlfriend. She was my girlfriend for months before she returned to Equestria."

Trixie found Sunset's statement a bit humorous, "Well The Great and Powerful Trixie does know how she is doing and one thing Trixie does know is that she no longer sees you as her marefriend."

Sunset flared her horn up in anger and yelled, "What did you do?" She became angrier as she continued, "You STOLE her away from me, didn't you?"

Sunset then fired a bolt of energy at Trixie but it would be deflected by a light blue bolt of energy, a color that was noticed immediately by Twilight. She asked, "Starlight, is that you?"

Starlight entered the sweets' shop and replied, "Yes Twilight, it is me."

Upon seeing Starlight, Sunset got up and immediately ran towards her. While Starlight's biggest fear was seeing Sunset, something woke up inside her when she saw who was her girlfriend in the human world. She ran to her and the two embraced one another.

"Starlight, it is so good to see you!"

"It is good to see you too Sunset!"

The two tightened their embrace and everypony was in a state of shock given everything that had happened over the past year. Two of them though would be more shocked than the others, Twilight and Trixie. Twilight commented, "Starlight, you look like you've really healed."

Trixie would be less than thrilled. She could hardly believe what she was seeing given that it wasn't even five minutes ago that running into Sunset was something that Starlight feared more than anything else, "Starlight, why are you hugging her? It was just a few minutes ago that you were scared to see her!"

Starlight first addressed Twilight, "Well it has been a year, I got the mental health care I needed and I've realized that I can't hide from my fears anymore." She then looked Sunset in the eyes and continued, "And seeing you again, it brings back so many memories, memories of someone I had grown so close to and has caused me to realize how much I miss you."

Sunset's eyes lit up when she heard this. She asked, "Really, you miss me?"

Starlight gave her a smile, "Yes Sunset, I...."

Trixie would interrupt quickly though, "Starlight, how could this be? How could you suddenly feel this way for her?" She then began to become agitated, "How could you do this to The Great and Powerful Trixie? Trixie relocated to Sire's Hollow to stay with you hoping that we could some day be in a relationship but now you're hugging Sunset? Are you going to pick Sunset over Trixie?"

Starlight was a bit unnerved by Trixie's reaction but knew that she had to be truthful, "Trixie, I know you relocated to Sire's Hollow to stay close to me but you have to understand, actually seeing Sunset again made me remember the good times we had and how strong our feelings were for one another."

Sunset again embraced her and asked, "So does that mean that you'll come back to the human world with me?"

Starlight looked towards the exit and asked, "Do you think we could go and discuss this somewhere alone?"

Sunset nodded and the two left the sweets' shop, leaving behind a shocked group of friends and an incredibly angry Trixie. Once the two got out of earshot Trixie would go on a rant, "How could she do this? How could Starlight still love Sunset when she knew that The Great and Powerful Trixie loved her." She began to storm towards the exit and yelled, "When Trixie gets a hold of Sunset, she'll never wish she convinced Starlight to stay with her!"

Twilight grasped Trixie in her aura and was stern, very stern, "Trixie, you will not do anything to Sunset. Look, I know you and Starlight are very good friends but Starlight and Sunset were much, much more in the human world and while I didn't think it would happen, that love carried over to Equestria too." Trixie began to struggle trying to get out of Twilight's aura and Twilight would continue, "Trixie, if they choose to resume their relationship, I think you need to respect that."

Trixie yelled, "So is Starlight going to wind up going back to the human world, only to wind up breaking and having to come back again?"

Twilight replied, "Trixie, I don't know. I'm sure Sunset will try to convince her to return to the human world but I have a feeling she will try and convince her to stay in Equestria." She saw Trixie get a smile on her face and continued, "Look, if Sunset decides to stay here and they do continue their relationship, you need to respect that, alright?"

Trixie sighed, "Fine."

Discussing the Future

After leaving the sweets' shop, Starlight and Sunset headed towards the local park. The two could feel the affection radiating from the other but were unsure what to stay. Finally Sunset spoke up, "So Starlight, what do you see us as? Are we still girlfriends or are we just friends since we are ponies?"

Starlight replied, "Sunset, as you know I have been through a lot. I fell into a deep depression because I didn't have my magic and I missed Equestria, I had my breakdown and my time in the mental hospital in Manehattan wasn't easy. After I was released, I stayed with my dad for eight months before finally getting the courage to finally leave town and then come up to Ponyville."

Sunset nodded and Starlight continued, "I'm going to admit, I was terrified when Trixie wanted us to come here. She and my dad ultimately convinced me to come to Ponyville despite my fears of what seeing you would do to me." She embraced her and continued, "But seeing you helped me realize that my love for you is still within me. It made me realize that I still want to be with you."

Sunset tightened the embrace and became excited, "Really? You still want to be with me?"

Starlight replied, "Yes Sunset, I do."

Sunset released her hold and began to jump up and down as she exclaimed, "Oh I'm so happy to know that! Now we can return to the human world togeth......"

Starlight would be quick to interrupt, "Sunset, I love you but going back to the human world is something I do not want to do." Sunset's joy quickly evaporated as Starlight continued, "Look, I nearly broke over there, I cut myself up badly and had you not stopped me, I would have slashed my throat." She saw Sunset's face drop as she finished, "Sunset, I know you prefer the human world but I love Equestria, I have many friends here" she then lit her horn up and finished, "and I don't want to be without my magic."

Sunset let out a deep sigh. It was a sigh of frustration and sadness. She remembered all too well about what happened to Starlight in the human world and hoped that she might give it another chance. The more she thought though, the more she realized that Starlight would not be happy in the human world because it was like what Twilight said, magic defines her. She also knew that she had friends in the changeling kingdom, she had friends out at her old village, she had Discord as a friend, she had Trixie as a friend and she had Twilight and her friends as well.

She sighed, "So I'm assuming you'd rather stay in Equestria?"

Starlight replied, "Yes. Look, I love you but returning to the human world is where I draw the line. I love being a unicorn and I didn't know how truly much I loved being one until those last two weeks in the human world." She paused before continuing, "I fell into that depression because I missed my old life. I missed being a pony, I missed the relative stability of Equestria....we don't have the turbulence of the human world here and like I brought up, I missed having magic."

Sunset held her head low and asked, "I'm assuming that if I want us to stay together I would have to stay in Equestria?"

Starlight did feel bad that she was going to be making her marefriend pick between her and the human world but she knew that she had to do what would be in her best interests. "Yes," she replied "I know I wouldn't be happy there and I really don't want to have another meltdown, one I may not survive."

Sunset had a sad look on her face and asked, "Could I think about this for a few minutes?"

Starlight nodded and Sunset began to walk away. She stayed somewhat close to Starlight as she was walking around but she had so many thoughts running through her mind.

"What do I do?" she thought. "Yes I have befriended Twilight's friends but I also have my friends in the human world. I enjoy being a human more than I do being a pony and I just don't know if I would want to return to being a pony for good and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want to even go visit because of how much her magic means to her." She then let out a deeper sigh as her thoughts continued, "And we won't be able to do the same things as ponies that we could as humans and who is to say she still even has those urges? What if love to her now is the same type of love other lesbian mares have, no kinky activities, just kissing and hugging, spending lots of time together, living together and traveling together."

She wiped a tear from her eye with her hoof and continued, "Could I even adjust and what if she put further advancing her magical abilities ahead of me? What if we didn't bond as much because of her powerful magic? What if she wanted us to spend most our days with Twilight studying magic? What if we can't bond and she ultimately chooses Trixie over me?"

Rather than helping her come to a decision, all her thoughts were only making it harder on Sunset to come to a decision whether she truly wanted to still be in a relationship with Starlight. She finally returned to Starlight and said, "Starlight, I do love you but for right now, I'm thinking we should just be great friends." She saw Starlight's face drop and continued, "I'll give remaining in Equestria a chance. I've been here for a year non-stop so I guess I can give staying here longer a chance."

Starlight's ears perked up when she heard this, "I can live with us just being great friends." She began to get excited as she continued, "And now we'll be able to go visit my changeling friends! We can go visit my friends in my old village, you can meet Discord if you haven't already and with any luck I can get you and Trixie to be friends too."

Sunset let out a sigh of frustration because it was obvious that despite her behavior, Starlight still wanted Trixie to be a part of her life. She sighed, "Well I'll gladly meet your other friends but dealing with Trixie will not be easy."

Starlight replied, "I know, I know but how about we go tell our friends about our decision."

The two then headed back towards the sweets' shop. While Sunset was really wishing that this wouldn't be the decision they would be announcing, she knew it was what would be best for Starlight. One thing Sunset was really hoping for was that Trixie would be gone by the time they returned.

Announcing their Decision

Once the two returned to the sweets' shop. Nopony was sure what exactly to expect although one would have a slight smile on her face when she noticed that they weren't holding hooves or showing any kind of affection, Trixie. She would be the first to say anything, "So Starlight, are you and Sunset marefriends still?"

Starlight replied, "Actually, for now Sunset and I have decided to just be great friends."

Sunset added, "I don't know if I'll want to stay in Equestria for good and Starlight has made it clear that she never wants to return to the human world again so" she began to tear up a bit "while our love is still there, we have decided to hold off on being marefriends."

Twilight commented, "I think that is probably for the best." She first turned to Sunset, "I know how much you miss the human world so I think it is wise that you're not choosing any kind of commitment here in Equestria." She then turned to Starlight, "And I'm glad to see you aren't going back to the human world. I would worry a lot about you if you did. I would worry you'd have another breakdown."

Trixie would then put her two cents in, "Twilight is right Starlight, you don't need to put yourself at risk by going back and besides, The Great and Powerful Trixie would miss seeing her friend again!"

Sunset gave Trixie a glare which was promptly returned. Twilight could tell that things may wind up going south between the two so she wanted to change the topic. "So Starlight," she asked "are you going to be going back to Sire's Hollow or are you going to move back into the castle?"

Just as Starlight thought she was fully healed, she became terrified again. She knew what was in Twilight's castle, the one thing that she never wanted to have to see again, the mirror. Twilight could see the fear in her eyes and knew what it was over. She then continued, "Starlight, you won't have to go into my chambers and see the mirror."

The look lessened somewhat and she replied, "Well I'll move back into the castle then." She turned to Trixie and asked, "So will you be moving back to Ponyville since I'll be here?"

Trixie stood tall and replied, "Of course The Great and Powerful Trixie will be moving back. After all, Trixie doesn't want Starlight to be without her best friend!"

Sunset flared her horn up in anger and yelled, "Best friend?"

Starlight really wanted to deescalate the situation. She suggested, "How about both of you be equals as my friends, ok?"

They could tell by the look on Starlight's face that she was again becoming stressed. The two then gave one another a look before turning back to Starlight. Trixie sighed, "Oh alright, The Great and Powerful Trixie can agree to that."

Sunset agreed, "Very well."

Twilight gave Starlight a smile and said, "Well Starlight, Sunset is in what was your bedroom but the other bedrooms are just as good so let's get you settled back in!"

Starlight replied, "Alright, sounds good to me."

Both mares gave one another a dirty look before realizing that this was going to have to be the way it would be. Sunset did know one thing though, Starlight did have love for her which was something that she didn't have for Trixie, well as far as she knew. She thought to herself, "Alright Sunset, if you can handle staying in Equestria, then maybe you and Starlight can be marefriends. The love is there."

Trixie knew that Starlight's response focused simply on friendship and she knew that all it would take for Starlight to decide that maybe she is the one that she would want. Trixie had planned on asking Starlight to be her marefriend right before she went to the human world but was afraid to. She knew now that she was at a disadvantage and just had to hope that their time spent together would cause them to bond enough that she'd love her, not Sunset.

As Starlight was getting settled back in, she had a strong feeling that Sunset and Trixie were likely going to not get along all that well. She also had a strong feeling that Trixie loved her. While she did view Trixie as a spectacular friend, she didn't have the same feelings of love that she likely had for her. "Well," Starlight thought, "I just hope they can at least attempt to get along because I'm not going to pick one friendship over the other."