How to Meet Your Daughter

Chapters

Chapter 1: Meeting you for the first time
Chapter 3: Catching up on a Lifetime Part 2
Chapter 4: A Meeting of Moms
Chapter 2: Catching up on a Lifetime Part 1

Chapter 1: Meeting you for the first time

It’s ok, you are ok.

It will be FINE.

All you need to do is walk into a town of earth ponies who have just started accepting unicorns and pegesi as friends and find the pony responsible for bringing magic back to Equestria.

Simple!

Then you just need to tell her who you are and why you could never come to see her before and how you met Argyle and how you always made sure to send her a gift on her birthday and how Argyle would always send you photos because you could never be there because of what you are and ohmyancientguardiansofharmonywhyisthissodifficult!?

Shining Star groaned and plopped down again, her bright blue saddlebags jingling. Out of habit, she gently adjusted her purple glasses. She was so close. She could see Maretime Bay just over the horizon, yet she had spent the last hour just pacing in circles around this small little pond.

Maybe it’s not too surprising that I’m nervous. I guess anypony – wow that still feels satisfying to say and mean all three pony races – would be nervous here, Star thought. Not only was she going into a town that only two weeks ago had been all earth ponies, and very paranoid ones at that, but she was going to meet a pony who had helped restore magic to Equestria! Real, genuine MAGIC, which hadn’t been seen since…her grandmother’s generation at the earliest! Star could practically feel the scientific part of her mind tingling at the prospect of a whole new field of research to explore!

No pony had been able to study magic in…maybe FOREVER! And now it was back, as were all the possibilities that came with it, thanks to Sunny Starscout.

She was a hero in every sense of the word.

And she was Star’s daughter.

A daughter who Star hadn’t been able to interact with for nearly twenty years. A daughter who didn’t even know she existed. A daughter Star had watched grow up from afar.

All because of one simple fact.

As if sensing her thoughts, blue magic swirled around her horn, gently winding its way up the curves of the bony protrusion with a gentle aura. It was captivating, like watching water filled with starlight flowing from within herself and taking physical form. It was something that Star had tried to do for her entire life without success. It was also the reason she couldn’t visit her daughter until now.

After all, how would a town of earth ponies react if they found out that one of their own had a unicorn as a mother? Would they shun her, chase her out of town out of fear? Whisper behind her back and isolate her because of no fault of her own? Keep her locked away from the rest of the ponies due to her mother being a unicorn with the ability to ‘brainwash’ other? It wouldn’t be right. No foal should be judged so harshly because of their parents, especially when their parent’s only crime was being of a different race.

So Star and Argyle had tried to find a solution. They had set up a small house between Maretime Bay and Bridlewood and had spent a few months living there with their newborn daughter. But they quickly realized this wouldn’t work. Their daughter deserved to grow up among other ponies. To have friends, to play with other foals her age, to learn and grow among other ponies. Not hidden away in some hut in the woods because of who her parents were. She deserved to grow up in Maretime Bay with the rest of the earth ponies.

At the same time, both Star and Argyle hated the idea of having to hide Star’s species from their own daughter. Of needing to lie to her just so Star could stay with them. And so, the two of them had agreed on a plan. One that would hurt no matter what, but one that was the best they could do. Star would stay with them for as long as she could, would spend as much time as possible being a family with Argyle and Sunny, and then she would leave before Sunny’s memories became solidified enough to remember her. Star and Argyle would keep in close contact, he would make sure Sunny didn’t fall into the same paranoid pitfalls as the rest of the ponies, and would do all he could to raise their child right. All the while, Star would continue their research, would keep searching for a way to help reunite the three pony races.

And so Star had spent most of her daughter’s life watching from afar. Letting her grow up with the hope that one day, somepony (still satisfying) would find a way to bridge the divides that separated ponies. That one day, Star’s research of ancient Equestria might help others see through the prejudices and fear that had consumed so many ponies. That one day, they might see that there was nothing to fear at all.

Receiving news that her daughter had been the one to do just that with a group of friends made up of all pony races had left Star speechless, whether from shock or pure parental pride, she wasn’t sure. But she was proud. Beyond proud, and she knew Argyle would be too, watching over them from beyond the Eternal Hills.

But now she just needed to TELL her daughter that, something that Star just couldn’t seem to bring herself to do. She wanted to, more than anything, but she was so paralyzed by the idea of seeing her daughter. Of trying to explain why she had stayed away, even after Argyle’s funeral. Of why she was coming back now. Wondering if her daughter would even like her as a pony.

So many thoughts, so many worries, all symbolized by the trail of hoofprints surrounding the pond in a grove of anxiety.

Take a deep breath Star. You’re ok. You can do this. You know you can.

Just like her grandmother had showed her, Star gently brought a hoof to her chest, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She held it for a moment and slowly let it out, moving her hoof away as she did so. The knot in her chest started to unravel, just a little, and she took another breath, and then another.

After a couple minutes, her head no longer felt like it was spinning, and she felt calm enough to open her eyes and peek at her reflection in the pond to see just how badly mussed she looked.

Surprisingly, she didn’t look messy at all. Her bright orange coat was still neatly combed despite her stressed pacing. So were her light blue mane and tail, which was even more impressive, since she hadn’t wrapped them in her usual buns and they’d been blowing in the gentle breeze for hours. But what she was most happy to see were her eyes. They weren’t watery or bloodshot at all, like she was worried they would be. They looked fearful, sure, but there was a lot of excitement in them as well.

She looked…good.

Star found herself smiling as she adjusted her favorite purple glasses - a gift from Argyle, who said they brought out the purple in her eyes – so they settled more securely on her nose. She couldn’t put her hoof on it yet, but she had felt like she looked more…alive now that magic had returned. Especially her cutie mark. Somehow, that gleaming purple star with a rainbow trail seemed to shine in a way it never did before. Either that, or it was just a trick of the light.

And of course, there was her pendant. A wooden pendant carved with the cutie mark of the Princess of Friendship hanging around her neck, a perfect match to the one Argyle himself had worn. A symbol of their love for one another, made by a special friend who had helped them discover said love all those years ago.

A friend who had likely greeted Argyle as he passed into the Eternal Hills.

How she missed them both.

Yet she could almost feel them cheering her on. Encouraging her that everything would be ok. That her daughter would lover her just as much as Star loved her.

And yet, to anypony else, it was just a normal pendant, not the symbol of enduring love and hope Star knew it to be. And Star would just look like a normal unicorn with a pair of saddlebags. Nopony would even know that her only daughter just so happened to be an earth pony. An earth pony that, if Star was lucky, would get to meet her mother this very day.

If only she could get her legs to move in the direction of Maretime bay.

“Hi, new friend!”

“EEEEEEEKKKK!!!” Star squealed as she jumped away from the loud voice as quickly as she could!

POP!

And just as quickly, her hooves were on solid ground again.

On the opposite side of the pond.

Oops! Not again! Why does my horn keep doing that?! I couldn’t even make a spark before, so why am I casting spells that supposedly require years of study to pull off? Did all those books I read on magic actually have some sort of effect on me even when I couldn’t cast?

“Ooooooo, you can teleport?” the voice said excitedly, and Star smoothed her mane out of her face to see a violet unicorn with a wavy blue mane that was somehow both chaotic and organized beaming at her from the opposite side of the pond. “I’m still working on spells like that. So far I can only make things levitate and glow.” She pouted, but almost immediately brightened again, her purple eyes sparkling with a light of happy curiosity that reminded Star so much of Argyle.

“Though it has made my art projects soooo much easier to finish!”

“Y-Yes, I can teleport, but I don’t actually know…how,” Star said, taking a second to get her heart rate back down to a reasonable number. “I’ve had…surges since I got my magic back, and a lot of the time magic just…happens.” With the pounding in her chest dying down, Star took a moment to observe her guest more closely.

The unicorn was smiling in a way that remined Star of how happy everypony in Bridlewood had been upon her return, making Star want to smile herself. The unicorn’s dark purple hooves made almost no noise as she happily hopped around the pond towards Star. As she got closer, Star couldn’t help but feel her eyes be drawn to the rather beautiful bracelet made of gems around the unicorn’s left forehoof. The gems were glowing softly in the sunlight, the warm colors filling Star with the same hope she had felt when that rainbow had blasted across the sky and magic had come flooding into her.

It reminded Star of the crystals back home and how they had all started glowing again once magic had returned. How the previously gloomy and shadowy forest had transformed into a beautiful and enchanting place that just screamed ‘Welcome to a place of wonder!’ It had made her return to Bridlewood amazing compared to the dull trot she was used to.

“Sorry about that,” the purple unicorn said, coming to a hopping stop in front of Star. “You seemed worried about something, so I thought I’d try and help get your mind off it and make a new friend all at the same time! Oh, my name’s Izzy Moonbow! It’s nice to meet you!”

She extended a hoof excitedly and beamed at Star.

“We’ll it certainly got my mind off it,” Star replied, unable to hide a giggle at the young mare’s enthusiasm. It reminded Star of herself years ago, back when she first began exploring the ruins of old Equestria – young and ready for anything the world would throw her way. “I’m Shining Star.” She took the offered hoof, and Izzy gave her a hearty, yet surprisingly gentle shake. “I will say I wasn’t expecting to see anypony else out here.”

“Me too! I was just on my way to visit some friends in Maretime Bay when I saw you walking in circles. But not in the fun way. And when I walked over you didn’t notice me, even when I wasn’t trying to be medium sneaky. Soooo, are you ok?”

Such a simple question. Yet how would Star even begin to answer that?

“I…don’t know,” Star said, taking a deep breath before sighing again. “I want to go to Maretime Bay too, but…” How much should she tell Izzy? They had just met, yet something about her just made Star feel at least a little bit less anxious. Was it the excitement and joy in her eyes, or her innocent and sweet smile?

I wonder if Sunny is like this too. So happy and carefree, ready to take on the world. I haven’t been able to get new pictures ever since…Argyle…But maybe Sunny is just as energetic as this mare here? She certainly was when she was little, according to Argyle.

“It’s ok to be nervous,” Izzy said sweetly, pulling Star back to the real world. “I was pretty nervous my first time too. Then I remembered the message I found saying there were friends waiting for me there, and I wasn’t so nervous anymore!”

“You, found a message? From Maretime Bay?” Star asked in surprise. Why does that tickle my memory?

“Yep! Turns out my friend Sunny sent it out on a paper lantern when she was a foal with her dad, and I found it and came to Maretime Bay to make friends! And then I met my friend Sunny, and we went on this big adventure and—hey, are you ok?”

Star just nodded, giving Izzy a smile as she lifted her glasses so she could wipe the tear from her eye.

Argyle, you goofball. Who would have thought that you sending Sunny’s little drawing would be the event that eventually led to the three pony races getting back together? You must have been laughing your head off when you found that out. I’m so glad you sent me a picture of it before you sent if off with Sunny.

“I’m fine,” Star said eventually. “Just remembering something an old friend of mine did years ago. He always wanted the three pony races to be friends again too.”

“He sounds nice,” Izzy said.

“He was,” Star said, blinking her eyes several times until no more tears welled up. “So, I’m assuming that you’re the Izzy everypony in Bridlewood was talking about? The one who helped bring magic back?”

Even if I didn’t stay long enough to hear exactly how you pulled it all off.

“Yep. It was Sunny, me, her friend Hitch, and the princesses Zip and Pipp!” Izzy happily chirped. “And I was actually on my way back to Maretime Bay to visit them all. I just had to run home for some extra glitter. The store in Maretime bay ran out after the celebration party.”

“Can I…go with you?” Star asked, the familiar feeling of anxiety beginning to bubble below the surface again. She could feel a weight in her chest, her legs twitching slightly as she tried to stay calm.

Relax, Star. Just calm down. You’re just walking into town. That’s all. It might still take some time to find Sunny. Just focus on one thing at a time.

“I…I want to meet with Sunny, if I can,” she said after taking a moment to collect herself. “I’m just…having trouble bringing myself to actually go into town.”

Her horn’s magic twitched as her anxiety bubbled more intensely, almost as if the magic itself was reacting to her emotions. Still such a strange feeling.

“Sure, I love traveling with company!” Izzy said, with a grin and bounce. “And don’t worry, they’ve already removed most of the unicorn boxes.”

“The what?”

Argyle had never mentioned those.

“Oh, they were these pressure plates on the ground that would make a metal box fold up around you when you stepped on them,” Izzy said casually. “They were pretty fun to hop around and avoid when I first went to visit, and even more fun to float around in once you detached one from the ground! I spent the whole day as a box once! Though I don’t think the earth ponies liked them as much as a lot of them kept stepping on them when I first went to visit.”

Star just blinked, then facehooved.

That sounds like something Phyllis would come up with, if Argyle’s letters about her were anything to go by. It kinda defeats the purpose if it’s just going to capture the earth ponies running around in a panic too.

“That’s what Zip did too when she first found out about them!” Izzy happily said, smiling innocently at Star’s facehoof.

That made Star laugh a little bit, and the tightness in her chest lightened a bit. “Glad to see I’m not the only one who thinks those boxes were silly,” she said, lifting her head and matching Izzy’s smile. She could still feel the anxiety bubbling below the surface, but Izzy’s little tangent made it a bit more bearable.

Though seeing Maretime Bay’s lighthouse right behind Izzy made Star realized that she was still stalling.

No more of that, Star. You need to go see Sunny and standing around won’t help you achieve that goal.

“Right. So, off we go?” she asked Izzy, trying to ignore the small spike in anxiety as she spoke.

Izzy nodded, hopped over next to Star, and began walking towards Maretime Bay at a slow, easy pace that Star was grateful for. Already her legs were starting to shake again, and a voice in her head told her just to go back home and forget this idea completely. But another voice, far louder and backed up by the gentle presence of hope and support found within her pendant, told her to keep going. Sunny deserved to know.

Star smiled a little, pendant bumping against her chest with each step giving her the boost in confidence she needed right now.

“Don’t worry,” Izzy said, her voice softer than before. “Everything will be fine.”

“You don’t even know who I am, or why I want to meet your friend. How can you be so certain?” Star ask, her anxiety jumping again as Izzy inadvertently interrupted her calming thought process. She winced, looking down in shame. “Sorry. That sounded harsher than I meant it to.”

“It’s alright. Stress can do that to you,” Izzy said sweetly. “I can get a bit stressed too if I’m having trouble finding the parts I need to unicycle a new project. And as for how I know things will be ok…I don’t know how exactly I know, you know?” She looked at the sky in thought. “But if Sunny and our friends can bring magic back, then anything is possible right? Besides, your Sparkle says you’re the kind of pony not to give up easily.”

That brought Star to a stop, but not out of fear this time.

“My Sparkle? You can see it?!” she asked in shock. The last pony who could see it was…her grandmother.

Can Izzy really see my Sparkle too?! If so, it’s not just a unique skill after all! Maybe now that I – WE – have our magic back, I can try to have Izzy help me figure out how she can see Sparkles! We could experiment, and maybe Sunny can help too!

No, focus, Star. Science can wait until AFTER you meet your daughter.

“Yeah!” Izzy said happily, pulling Star back to the real world. “It’s like—”

“A nova,” Star finished instinctively. “A purple star shining in the dark, surrounded by an ocean of colored clouds that weave and move through the night sky.”

“That’s right!” Izzy said, looking surprised. “Oohhh, can you see Sparkles too?” she whispered excitedly.

Star laughed a little, the anxiety ebbing once again. “No, no, I’ve never had that ability. My…my grandmother did though. She always said my Sparkle was special compared to other ponies.”

“It’s certainly one of a kind,” Izzy agreed. “Sunny’s is just lavender.”

“I bet it’s still pretty though,” Star said with a small smile. Izzy nodded in enthusiastic agreement.

“It’s REALLY pretty,” she said as the two ponies began walking again. “Its so bright and lively, and even before we got magic back it looked extra special. Not special like yours, but still special. I bet you two will get along great!”

I really hope so, Izzy. I really hope so, Star thought, but she didn’t feel so nervous as she did before. Izzy’s confidence and bubbly attitude worked perfectly to counter the small bit of anxiety that tried to flare up in Star’s chest.

“Can you tell me a bit about your adventure with her?” Star asked. It had been so many years, she wanted to hear a bit about her daughter. To see if what she was like now matched up with all of the stories Argyle used to tell her. “I…didn’t actually hang around Bridlewood long enough to get the full story.”

“Sure! So it all started when I left Bridlewood to try and go to Maretime Bay. It was a pretty long walk, and there were so many amazing things to see along the way that I kept getting distracted.”

A short while later…

“It was DESTROYED?!” Star all but screamed in shock. She was vaguely aware that she was drawing a few looks from the ponies of Maretime Bay, but she didn’t care. Argyle had lived in that lighthouse his entire life, as had his family going back generations. To have it be destroyed…it was almost unthinkable. When she had first seen it overlooking the town on her approach, she thought it had just been repainted or perhaps renovated! Not completely broken and then rebuilt!

I will admit though, I am very impressed and gratefully that they were somehow able to rebuild it so quickly. I hope they didn’t change too much though. Argyle loved it the way it was.

“Yeah, but don’t worry. We were all ok, and everypony pitched in over the same week to rebuild it!” Izzy said, causing Star to sigh in relief. “Phyllis even provided all the supplies for free. I think she felt bad about what Sprout did.”

“Was it rebuilt exactly the way it was before, or did you change it a bit?” Star asked curiously, stopping to look back towards the lighthouse. She could see some new large windows, a few which looked like stained glass depicting the three pony tribes, but it was hard to tell from this distance.

“We changed it quite a bit,” Izzy admitted, “though Sunny had us take some of her ideas for improving it, like some interior crystal designs, ramps to the upper floors, rainbow lights, and mix them with the old design of the lighthouse back before it was destroyed. Then it could be a new beacon for the future, but still acknowledge the past and pay tribute to her dad’s memory!”

That…actually made Star feel a bit better. She might have liked it to be exactly the way it was, but she couldn’t deny that having it be a beacon for the future was a wonderful idea. But hearing that it had been designed to honor Argyle…it made Star’s heart flutter, her magic deep inside sparkling in joy at the care Sunny was willing to show her father. She hoped she would be able to tour the lighthouse someday and see what Sunny had done to improve it.

“What happened to Sprout after this was all over?” Star asked curiously. Izzy’s animated storytelling combined with Star’s curiosity and made the trip into town pass very quickly, Star only realizing they were here once her hooves began to clack alone the stone pathway that replaced the dirt road.

“He’s on probation and has been performing some community service to help try and make amends,” Izzy chirped. “He’s really putting a lot of work into it too! Hitch also asked me to hang out with him so he can get over his remaining fears that led to him going all silly.”

“Silly, right,” Star said, but she could at least partly understand Sprout’s behavior. She knew from personal experience that when you grow up surrounded by propaganda, it tends to have an effect, even subtly. Even Argyle hadn’t been immune when she had first met him.

As the continued to walk, Star continued to admire the scenery, unable to hide the excitement in her gaze as looked at a town that she had previously only been able to enjoy from a distance or in photographs. The brick buildings and bridges, the trolly, the vast view of the sea, the movie theater with a plethora of interesting looking films…everything was just as Argyle had described it, and it made her want to bounce on her hooves like a young filly. But what really made Star’s heart flutter was the three pony races currently milling about together after so many years apart. Star could still see a bit of uncertainty on some faces, which she could understand, but many ponies were talking and learning from one another, and that made her grin and repeat an internal mantra of ‘yesyesyesyesyes’ in excitement. Best of all, three foals, one of each race, where happily playing in the gazebo in the center of town, something that made Star barely able to hold back her giddy squealing.

It was everything she had ever wanted to see after meeting Argyle.

“Where could she be?” Izzy questioned, pulling Star’s attention back to…apparently the sky, since Izzy was staring up like she was searching for a very elusive constellation.

“Do you mean Sunny?” Star asked, looking around again. Izzy had mentioned that Sunny was likely in the main part of town rather than the lighthouse, but so far they hadn’t spotted her yet.

“Yeah. I don’t see her yet. Maybe Zipp and Pip decided to continue with her flight lessons outside of town?” Izzy casually said, prompting Star to stop in place as her brain did a double-take.

What?

“Flight…lessons?” Star asked, very confused by the concept of why Sunny, an earth pony, would need those. Did pegasi have an invention that let other races fly? Some sort of artificial wings they developed to make up for their own loss of magic? That…actually sounded like an amazing idea! Why hadn’t they made something like that once it became clear only the royals could fly, even if it was later found out to be a lie?

And now that I’m thinking about it, I would very much want to try it out! Just think of how much easier it would be to explore ruins if I could fly! Or how much easier it would be to get from one remote part of Equestria to another! Maybe we could even use it as a basis of creating flying machines, like boats but in the SKY! HAHA, now THAT would be AWESOME!

Argyle always wanted to know what it was like to fly, so what better way to honor his memory that to help other ponies fly?

Izzy looked like she was about to answer, only for a panicked shout to cut her off.

“Sunny, pull up! UP!”

“I’m tryinnnng!”

Star’s eyes snapped up towards the voices, and her jaw dropped in shock as time seemed to slow to a crawl.

Sunny, her own daughter, was flying through the air on a pair of glowing yellow WINGS! And she had a glowing yellow HORN!

What the—

But before Star could process that, Sunny soared overhead, panickily flailing her limbs as she careened directly towards the ONCOMING TROLLEY! The brakes were screeching and the driver was yelling, but there would be no way for it or Sunny to stop in time—

“SUNNY!” Star screamed, her legs moving before her brain had registered what was happening. Her magic flared out and surged forward, trying to grab Sunny, but she was too far away and Star wasn’t closing the distance—

She felt the familiar kick of adrenaline flood her every cell. She needed to MOVE! NOW!

And then she was gone.

There was a flash of blue and suddenly, she was in midair, directly in front of Sunny. Before she could even speak, Sunny smashed into her and the world flashed blue again, and Star had a split second to see Izzy’s still-shocked face before she and her daughter collided with the unicorn and all three of them went tumbling in a ball of flailing limbs.

“OoooOooOooo,” Star groaned once the three of them stopped tumbling over one another. As her luck would have it, she was the one who ended up on the bottom of the pony pile, and she had lost her glasses in the tumble.

Why? Why can’t I just do magic on my own instead of it just happening willy nilly? I’m so grateful it helped me save Sunny and I still can’t believe that worked, but is a bit of control too much to ask!? she thought, her heart still racing and her body twitching as the adrenaline began to die down. The last time she had felt that shaken was when she had met Argyle all those years ago.

“Sunny! Izzy! Miss Unicorn, are you all ok?” the voice from before yelled.

“I’m ok!” Star called out. Thank you for asking even if you don’t know my name, that was very nice of you. Though I’m Mrs. Unicorn, just so we’re clear.

“I’m good too!” Izzy chirped, and the weight on top of Star shifted and lightened as she saw Izzy’s blurry violet form roll off of her.

“A bit dizzy, but ok, I think. Ugh,” Sunny groaned from Star’s right, and the orange blob next to her started working her way onto her hooves. “Sorry about that, Zipp.”

How Star had waited to hear her daughter’s voice. It sounded exactly as she had always dreamed it would – so warm and relaxed despite the rather impressive crash they had just endured. Yet, Star could already feel the stress beginning to return. Sunny was right there, right next to her, the closest she’d been in years.

Star’s breathing became a bit shallower as she managed to get back to her hooves. If she could only get rid of the seed of anxiety that was once again blooming in her chest, then maybe this reunion could finally get off on the right hoof.

Or at least she could once Star had found her glasses. Being farsighted did have its disadvantages.

“I told you we should have practiced further outside of town,” a new voice called out. “We’re just lucky that unicorn knew how to teleport.”

“How was I supposed to know there would be such strong gusts of wind coming? And I doubt more distance would have helped prevent us from being blown back into town, sis,” the first pony – Zipp, was it? – said. Two sets of hooves landed nearby as Star tried to figure out where her glasses had ended up.

“Did anyone see my glasses?” Star asked, squinting at the blurry shapes around her as she tried to avoid the slowly increasing pounding of her heart. This was her chance. Her first chance to see her daughter standing before her in so many years, to see Sunny’s smiling face as she stood among the three pony races. It was everything she had dreamed about since the day Sunny was born, and the anxiety of anticipation was just getting worse the longer it took for Star to find her freaking glasses!

Maybe I should try those eye surgeries in Zephyr Heights that Star Scout mentioned years ago, Star thought as she let out a snort of frustration. Her heart was racing now. Now that I can go to the city without trouble, it might be worth it so I don’t end up nearly blind without my glasses! Star saw somepony purple and blue, so probably Izzy unless a new pony had joined them, quickly checking her over for injures, before giving a quick nod in satisfaction and trotting away.

“Oh, here they are!” Sunny chimed, holding out a blurry hoof with a purple blob at the end. Star gave a quick nod as she tried to ignore the now-almost-painful beating of her heart and gratefully accepted her glasses back.

The moment she put them back on, her eyes adjusted, and she got a sudden close up of her daughter’s smiling face.

Her heart practically froze, and time itself became irrelevant.

Sunny had grown up exactly the way Star had envisioned. Her mane was long and flowing, with a small curl just above her eyes sticking down just like when she was a foal. Her braid was there, just like in so many of the pictures Argyle had sent, bound with a special purple hair tie Star had made for her. Her eyes were warm and bright, and still held that joyful spark that Star had seen on the day she was born. The only minor difference was the small band of rainbow that wound its way down Sunny’s mane and through her ponytail.

She was perfect.

Young, healthy, beautiful, happy. Her eyes were shining with a light that just screamed ‘everything is going to be just fine.’ Something about her…everything just seemed to glow. Star could see it, feel it, even if she couldn’t quite put it into words.

And there, around her neck, was a beautiful crystal pendant that made Star’s eyes go even wider. She recognized the dark blue crystal at being the gem Alphabittle always bragged about in his shop, and she quickly realized the second light green gemstone was the one the queen was always wearing as a part of her crown. But the third piece, the one that fit right in the center of the pendant…was Argyle’s!

She had seen it so many times, spent so many hours tinkering to see if there was anything special about it…heck, Argyle had incorporated it into the small arch they had constructed for their wedding because of the way it reflected light!

Just that thought nearly brought a tear to Star’s eye as she felt the gap he had left in her heart. A gap that was filled as she remembered just who was wearing Argyle’s crystal now. It was hanging right over Sunny’s heart, almost as if to say that Argyle was still watching over her. Any anxiety that had been trying to worm its way into this first encounter was snuffed out as she looked at her daughter and the final gift her husband had given her.

Thank you, Argyle, for watching over her, Star thought, watching as the gems glowed and pulsed with a rainbow light. A rainbow light that that looked so much like the aurora borealis that had covered the night sky two weeks ago.

Could it be?

“Hey, are you ok?”

Star blinked, saw that Sunny was now looking at her concernedly, and blushed. She tried to think of something to say, anything, but her mind was blank and her mouth was refusing to move! After a few seconds, she just nodded, trying not to let her leg twitch.

Just calm down, Star! It’s ok just to say hi! There’s no reason to panic! Just breathe.

“Sorry about that, Sunny,” a voice called out, and Sunny flashed Star a quick smile and turned to one of the ponies nearby. Star just barely held back a sigh of relief. Being the center of attention was never her strong suit, and she needed a minute to recover from her daughter, right there, safe and smiling and happy—

“I didn’t realize the wind would be that bad,” the voice continued.

Star shook her head to clear it and straightened her glasses, watching as Sunny approached the two nearby pegasi who were looking over Izzy for injuries. Star immediately recognized them from Izzy’s story. The one on the right with the pure white coat and red mane with a green stripe (Izzy was right, it really did look like toothpaste) must be Zipp, while the shorter one on the left (she wasn’t THAT short, Izzy) with the light pink coat and the purple mane must be Pipp. Star could easily see from Sunny’s smile that they were all close friends, so she slowly began to inch her way forwards to try and remain near her daughter.

“You could have just checked the weather app,” Pipp said, giving Zipp a deadpan look.

“Right, the app which was barely accurate even before pegasi magic started messing with the normal weather patterns, and that doesn’t have the range yet to predict the weather in Maretime Bay,” Zipp chuckled. “I’d rather practice sensing the weather with my magic, anyway. Besides, aren’t you the one who says practice makes perfect?”

Given Pipp’s annoyed pout, Star guessed that the answer was yes.

“Sunny!”

Star’s head whipped around in time to see an earth pony stallion run up to them and immediately start checking Sunny over for injuries. She instantly recognized him from Argyle’s photos and stories as Hitch, Sunny’s childhood friend. If she remembered correctly from Argyle’s letters, Hitch and Sunny had some differences when it came to their thoughts on reunification of the races. But seeing him here now, worriedly looking over Sunny as Zipp and Pipp continued to chime in, made her smile. He was still her friend, and she didn’t need to do more than watch him to know that he cared for Sunny a lot.

However, she was less sure about why two seagulls and a crab were excitedly following after Hitch, even if it was strangely adorable. Especially the little can one of the seagulls wore on its head like a helmet. It almost reminded her of Argyle putting that empty soup pot over his head as he pretended to be her royal escort when she was eight month’s pregnant. She had ended up needing to rest for a while after she finally managed to stop laughing.

I need to remember to tell that one to Sunny. I just know she’ll get a kick out of it.

“Morning, sheriff,” Sunny casually joked as Hitch gave her one final check. “Sorry about the scare. I kinda lost control.”

“Given the pony pile you were just been a part of, I’m pretty sure that’s an understatement,” Hitch said, finally relaxing a little bit, taking the words right out of Star’s mouth. “I mean, seriously, how does flight practice almost end in you faceplanting into the trolley?”

“Exactly what I was saying,” Pipp said, giving her sister a look that just screamed ‘I told you to be more careful’ to Zipp. The latter winced slightly.

“I said I was sorry! Every other time we’ve practice there we’ve been fine, so how was I supposed to know things would turn out that way? Next time we’ll just be sure to practice somewhere further away. Or maybe we can ask Phyllis if we can do it inside her old factory floor. That place has some crazy high ceilings,” Zipp said, scratching her chin in thought as Pipp deadpanned at her.

Hitch, meanwhile, just sighed and turned to face Star with a smile. “Well, we have you to thank for the safe landing” he said with a nod. “That was one heck of a reaction time. I haven’t even seen a unicorn that knows how to teleport yet either. You weren’t hurt in the crash, were you?”

Star felt her legs twitch in anxiety as everypony turned to face her. She was never good at being the center of attention, but the fact that they were all smiling at her helped a little bit. “I’m ok,” Star said, trying not to lose her voice as her eyes met Sunny’s. “And ‘know’ how to teleport might be…a bit of an exaggeration. It just kind of, happens. Especially when I’m stressed,” she added, hoping that this conversation wouldn’t become so stressful that she might teleport away on accident. It had to be done, no matter what her twitching legs said.

“Thank you for intervening, regardless of whether or not it was intentional. You really saved my skin!” Sunny said, prompting Star to smile slightly. Just seeing how her daughter’s eyes seemed to sparkle in joy made her heart flutter, the throb of anxiety fading ever so slightly. She opened her mouth to respond, but no words came to mind.

Come on Star, just say you’re welcome! It’s not that hard to talk to your daughter who doesn’t know you’re her mother and—

“I haven’t seen you before,” Zipp said, cutting off Star’s panicked train of thought before it could really get going. “Is this your first time here in Maretime Bay?”

“Yep!” Izzy said, saving Star from trying to find her voice again. She wrapped her leg around Star like they were old friends. “Her name is Shining Star and she wanted to come visit Maretime Bay! She was a bit nervous, so I was acting as her guide and telling her how we brought magic back!”

“J-Just Star is fine,” Star said, trying to keep the anxiety out of her voice. “Izzy told me who e-each of you are and about your adventure, at least up until the l-lighthouse was destroyed. I-It’s nice to meet you.”

Sunny started approaching her, and Star’s legs started trembling so much that she was certain her magic would teleport her away whether she wanted it to or not. But then Sunny gave her a big, warm smile that almost made Star’s heart burst.

“It’s nice to meet you, Star,” Sunny said, extending her hoof eagerly. Star took it almost on instinct, shaking her daughter’s hoof. Some part of her was panicking worse than before, and yet another, more firm part simply told her to enjoy the moment. To simply enjoy interacting with her daughter after so many years apart and to enjoy the parental pride that came from her daughter somehow achieving the feat of becoming an alicorn.

And then it hit her. Sunny’s wings and horn were gone! Only the rainbow streak in her mane remained!

What? How? Where? There is no way I imagined those! And everypony was even talking about them! SO WHERE DID THEY GO!?

“What happened to your wings and horn?!” Star asked before she could catch herself, Sunny blinking in surprise before looking up above her head and at her sides before realization appeared to dawn on her face.

“Oh, right. You’re new here, and Izzy didn’t get that far in the story,” Sunny said with a small giggle. “Well, to answer your question…”

She took a step back, and then—

NO. WAY.

Star’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open as she witnessed something incredible. From within the crystals around her neck, one of which Star could confirm was definitely Argyle’s, a rainbow stream of magic emerged. It gently wrapped around her daughter, condensing and solidifying until it became solid gold wings and a horn, just like they had been before!

“I’m still learning how to use it, and if I lose focus for too long or am surprised badly enough, they vanish,” Sunny said as the magic retracted back into the crystals again. “I can summon them without the crystals too, but I’ve found them to be less…controllable if I don’t have the crystals to help me. I am trying to spend time without the crystal so I don’t need to rely on it too heavily, but for times when I need to use my wings or horn consistently, I tend to keep the pendant close at hoof.”

“And she makes a lot more glitter without the crystals, too!” Izzy agreed, hopping next to Sunny and wrapping her in a quick hug.

“How?” Star whispered, taking a step forward, any anxiety washed away under the pure force of her scientific mind kicking into overdrive. She reached out, gently touching the crystals and feeling the magic tingling below her hooves.

I was right. Argyle’s crystal wasn’t just a heirloom. I was RIGHT!

“After the lighthouse was destroyed, I…well, I made a final plea to everypony,” Sunny said, and Star quickly picked up on the sorrow in her voice. She felt a pang of sympathy in her chest for her daughter, but was happy to see her friends immediately move closer, with Hitch quickly wrapping a leg around Sunny. Clearly, they had all become very close in the short time they’d all known each other, and it warmed Star’s heart to see that her daughter had so many loved ones.

I’m so proud of you, Sunny. You’ve done what Argyle and I had been trying to do for years, all on your own.

“I told them it wasn’t the magic that was important, it was us,” Sunny continued, the joy slowly working its way back into her expression. “That we, as ponies, needed to come together and try and fix things between us. And as a sign that they were willing to try, they all helped fix the picture frame of…my dad.”

Star knew what picture she meant almost instantly. She had a copy of that photo in her bag.

“And then, once everypony agreed to try and fix things, the crystals just…reacted. They flew out of the rubble, and lifted me into the air and…well, this happened.”

“And then there was a big explosion of magic when the crystals finally joined together, but for real this time!” Izzy said excitedly. “And there were rainbows all across the sky, and horns were glowing, and wings too, and boom, we all had magic back!”

“Flying for real definitely beat those stupid wires,” Zipp said, her wings flapping in excitement.

“It was like watching a movie! I soooo wish I had been recording it!” Pipp said.

“It certainly was not what any of us were expecting,” Hitch said, though Star only half heard it as she felt her scientific mind begin to kick into overdrive.

“When the three are joined, a spark is all that is needed to light the way,” she said, her mouth turning upwards as she remembered the ancient piece of text she had translated. A small laugh bubbled its way up through her chest. “I told him.”

“Told who?”

“Argyle! I told him it was a special crystal, but noooo, he insisted it was just a random family artifact and nothing more,” Star giggled, unable to stop herself from prancing on her hooves excitedly. All the anxiety she had over meeting Sunny was quickly being morphed into excitement at the possibility of the two of them working together to discover the secrets of these crystals. It would be just like her and Argyle researching long into the night!

Star could remember some of the pictures Argyle had sent her of Sunny trying to help with his research. Of her trying to read his scientific journals and of him telling Sunny some of the legends he had uncovered as bedtime stories. If Sunny still loved research as much as she had in the past, then studying the crystals would be the perfect bonding exercise!

“But it’s not normal! It was the key I’ve spent YEARS looking for to restore magic! And it was under my nose the whole time! Oh, I need to write this down! Take notes! Sketches!” Star exclaimed!

At the thought, her notebook and pen appeared next to her with a small burst of teleportation. She had no idea how that happened, but was happy it did.

“Perfect!” Star said, grabbing both from midair and beginning to write and sketch madly as her mind began to form all types of questions. She could see it now, her and Sunny studying the crystals, learning the secrets of magic, practicing with magic to learn how their horns worked and would stop just teleporting things (that might just be her though). “Oh, this is so exciting! A new frontier of the old world to study! Sunny, I need you to tell me everything about the crystals! EVERYTHING!” Star said, grinning as widely as biology would allow.

This will be just like that picture of you and Argyle researching Grogar’s bell, only with something that’s still actually magical! EEEEEEE, this will be so much fun!

“I need to know what you know so we can begin our research in earnest!” Star exclaimed, her eyes darting between the crystal and her notebook. “Do the crystals stay stuck together now that they’ve been reunited? Does using your alicorn form make you tired more easily? If so, do you just need to dispel the form to recover, or do you need to eat something and rest for a while? OH! I have a cupcake recipe I can make for you if it’s the latter! They’ll help you get your energy back, trust me!

“Have you discovered how earth pony magic works? I’ve found references to it in ancient text, but Argyle and I could never find much discussing it in detail. I can share my notes with you though if you think it will help! OH, can other ponies use the crystal’s powers too? Or is it just you? If multiple ponies can use it, can I try it? It would be the perfect way to see what they can do! We could learn how the alicorn form works together! Actually, can you use the wings and horn individually or do you always need to use both at the same time? Is the horn as sharp as a unicorn’s? That can be a problem if you run head first into things. Trust me, I know! Have you accidentally gotten anything stuck on it? What—”

“Hey, woah, slow down there! Give us a second to answer between questions at least.” a loud voice exclaimed.

Star’s rambling came to a screeching halt as she realized that everypony was staring at her with varying degrees of concern and curiosity. Sunny’s eyes were particularly wide in shock and confusion. Only Hitch, the one who had silenced her, looked mildly amused.

I did it again, Star thought, her face getting so hot she was sure she was as red as her grandmother’s coat. I got to excited and went on a science rant. Why now? Ok, I know WHY, but still!

“Sorry!” she squeaked and instinctively tried to hide behind her notebook. “I, uh, get over excited sometimes, especially about artifacts from the old world. And magic.”

“It’s fine,” Hitch said, chuckling. “Sunny’s the same way.”

That’s not a coincidence, I assure you, Star thought to herself. She put the notebook down, or TRIED to, but her magic had regained its independence and was scribbling furiously with her pen, finishing a sketch of the crystals. She pushed at it again, harder, but all it did was draw faster.

No, bad magic! I can finish the sketch later! Just put the pen down…I hope Sunny wasn’t too mad about that little outburst, Star thought as her magic finished the sketch and, seemingly proud of itself, finally let Star grab the notebook again.

But Sunny didn’t look mad. Instead, she looked like she was in shock, her eyes wide and her breathing shallow. She opened her mouth as if to ask Star a question, but no sound came out and she closed it again.

…Sunny? What’s wrong? Star thought as her daugher’s mouth continued to open and close.

“Hey, Sunny, you ok?” Zipp asked in concern. Hearing her friend’s voice seemed to finally help Sunny find the words she was looking for.

“You…You knew my father?” she whispered.

A lump of ice instantly formed in Star’s chest. The notebook nearly tumbled from her hooves as she realized her mistake.

I said his name. I said his name and I said I knew about the crystal. Of course she would pick up on that, of COURSE.

Star opened her mouth, but just like Sunny, no words would come out.

Why? Why NOW? She was JUST talking to Sunny, and now she couldn’t say a thing. She closed her mouth and nodded shyly.

Why is this so hard?

“My father knew a unicorn,” Sunny said, soft and distant, as if her mind was a million miles away. “He…He met…a unicorn, and he didn’t tell me.”

“It was to keep you safe,” Star whispered, speaking both to Sunny and herself as their eyes locked. “We didn’t know how everypony in Maretime Bay would react if they found out. We didn’t want you to be hurt or ostracized just because of who your father knew. Or because…”

And then her voice died out again.

Come on Star, just SAY IT! Just three words! I’m. Your. Mother. It’s simple!

“Who are you?” Sunny asked, her voice uncertain yet demanding answers.

Star tried to open her mouth, but again no sound same out. Why couldn’t she say it? She had just been taking to Sunny two minutes ago, just as easily as she’d talked with Izzy! So why couldn’t she speak now?! She just needed to say it. Say it, then pull out the photo album to prove it.

Her horn flashed on its own again, and then there were three photos floating between her and Sunny.

The only three that mattered.

“What are those?” Izzy asked, trying to get a look, but Star snatched them out of the air and hug them to her chest before she could see.

“S-sorry, Izzy,” she apologized as the younger unicorn flinched back. “I just…Sunny needs to see them first. They…They explain why I’m here, and w-who I am.”

A small voice of anxiety rose up in her mind, desperately trying to tell her to leave. To hide the pictures and just LEAVE!

Only for the voice of her reason and logic to come out of nowhere and suplex the anxiety voice. Sunny deserved to know. Even if it ended badly, she had the right to know that she still had a parent who loved her. Somepony who had known and loved her father just as much as she had.

And that second voice was right.

Taking a quick peek to make sure it was right, Star levitated the first picture to Sunny, trying to fight the shaking of her magic so she didn’t drop it. As the photo gently flew through the air, Star could feel the memory it held begin to take shape. That day was perfectly ingrained into her memory. A day unforgettable for all the right reasons…

She stood at the small altar she, Argyle, and their friend had built. The arch above them was lined with flowers that had attracted a flock of butterflies to gently flap above them as the ceremony began. She was dressed in her grandmother’s wedding gown, the flowing white garment perfectly adjusted to fit her. Her mane was brushed into a set of flowing waves and woven with midnight blue flowers. She felt so nervous, but oh so very excited.

Across from her stood her fiancée, Argyle. He was dressed in a dapper black suit with a large pink flower acting as his corsage. His mane was well combed, and his eyes couldn’t hide the foal-like glee that he was feeling deep inside his heart. Star could still remember how shy he had been when he finally popped the question. How nervous he had been, and how overjoyed he was when she said yes.

And finally, standing between them with nothing but an old copy of Princess Twilight’s friendship journal and a bow tie that he absolutely refused to stop tugging at was their elderly and perpetually grumpy pegasus friend, Star Scout. Though today, he was wearing one of his rare ear-to-ear smiles as he prepared to unite his two young friends in marriage.

Even if they were, in his own words, ‘a couple of young troublemakers that were always roping him into their crazy adventures.’

The ceremony had been short and sweet, Star Scout keeping the two lovers laughing as he added his own silly and somewhat crotchety dialogue to make up for the lack of an audience. He had even managed to grab a marriage license from Zephyr Heights, saying ‘Yes, I know this is unnecessary being a secret wedding and all, but I’m gonna do this right, you goofy ponies!’

And once the magical words had been spoken and the two newly married ponies had shared their first kiss, Star Scout had presented them with a gift he had made them.

A matching set of wooden pendants, each carved with the cutie mark of Princess Twilight Sparkle. The perfect substitute for a wedding ring that showed how love could overcome any boundary.

The memory faded almost as quickly as it had come. Star watched as her daughter took the photo, then nearly dropped it in shock. She sat down hard, the crystal bouncing lightly against her neck as she stared at the picture in her hoof.

“Sunny?” Hitch asked worriedly. “What is it? What’s the photo show you?”

Sunny didn’t say anything, her mouth simply hanging open in shock. Star could understand why perfectly, wincing in sympathy for the titanic shift that must be shaking Sunny’s world. It was the same feeling she had felt deep in her chest the moment she realized that she was pregnant.

Sunny took a minute to just stare at the photo, before she silently turned it so that her friends could see it. It was a photo of Star’s wedding day, her and Argyle standing their hoof in hoof with their new necklaces hanging proudly around their necks. It was the first photo Star Scout had taken of the newly married couple.

Their reactions were mixed. Hitch’s jaw dropped just like Sunny’s had, his eyes unable to look away from the photo. Pipp and Izzy both looked as though someone had just proved that the moon was made of cheese and stammering as they tried to find something to say. Eventually, Izzy managed to speak.

“Wow! That’s…that’s an old Bridlewood style I haven’t seen before! And…that’s you?” Star nodded, chuckling a little at the awkward look on Izzy face. But she understood Izzy’s predicament, and could remember at least several instances when she had asked odd questions too when she just couldn’t think of what else to say.

I still remember that time I asked Argyle if earth ponies had toilets. He just would not stop laughing!

“That dress is even prettier than my mom’s wedding dress was! Any chance you still have it? It would be a great piece of inspiration for a designer I know back at Zephyr Heights.” Pipp said, prompting Star blink in confusion. Izzy’s stumbling question made sense, but she honestly had no idea how to respond to Pipp’s. At all.

I do still have the dress, but I was saving it to maybe one day give to Sunny. And wouldn’t the picture be enough? Though I am going to need that back too, even if I do have copies…

Thankfully, Zipp came to Star’s rescue as Pipp’s question immediately broke Zipp from her own stunned pose to look at her sister skeptically. “Really, Pipp? Really?!”

“What am I supposed to say!?” Pipp exclaimed. “It’s not every day a pony shows up with a photo of them in a wedding dress next to one of your best friend’s father!”

That seemed to break Sunny’s trance, her gaping mouth easing closed as her legs began shaking. Suddenly the humor was gone, the uncertainty and stress clear on Sunny’s face. Star wanted nothing more than to try and reassure her daughter that everything would be ok, but she just didn’t think that words would be enough.

“You…married my father?!” Sunny stammered to Star, unevenly, as though she wasn’t sure if this was real or not.

“It was one of the best days of my life,” Star whispered, nodding, trying not to let the tears leak out. She levitated the second photo towards her daughter before she could talk herself out of it.

Sunny’s hooves were still trembling as she passed the first picture to Izzy and took the second, and Star was certain it would only get worse. She could still remember how badly her legs had trembled the day she had learned she was pregnant, barely having the coordination and strength she needed to leave home and tell Argyle the news. Already, Star could see the memory from that day begin to solidify before her eyes, playing like it had just happened yesterday.

Star had never felt so fat, no matter how much her brain reminded her that this was just how pregnancy worked. Six months along, and her belly had become nice and round, the little bundle of joy occasionally making their presence known with soft kicks. Each little kick was a reminder at the love she and her husband shared. It was a wonderful feeling that made being so fat worth it.

She and Argyle were relaxing below the large tree with pink leaves a short distance away from Bridlewood, surrounded by a beautifully rolling field on all sides. He was being adorably goofy as always, feeding her grapes as she lounged there in the shade. He would stop occasionally to place his head against her belly and listen for the sounds of their child, rubbing his hooves over her belly to see if he could feel any kicks himself. Star would sometimes pull him away, though, so she could snuggle happily against his fluffy chest as he held her close.

Soon she would need to go back home to take care of her house and say hi to her parents, but Star would find a reason to leave again as soon as she could. Pregnant or not, she wanted to spend as much time with her husband as physically possible, swollen hooves be damned. Their trips together were becoming harder because of her pregnancy and all the ‘wonderful’ effects that came with it, but Argyle promised that he would carry her with him if that’s what it took.

Such a loveable goofball. How she wished this could last forever.

“Y-Y-You…Y-You’re,” Sunny stammered, her hooves shaking badly now, the photo trembling in her grasp. Hitch quickly draped a leg around Sunny in comfort, but even he couldn’t stop his eyes from bugging out when he saw the photo. Thankfully however, when Zipp opened her mouth, he quickly held up a hoof to stop her before any questions came out. Star was grateful for that, because right now she couldn’t speak anymore than Sunny could and she didn’t think she or Sunny could handle questions.

She gave Sunny an unsteady nod, trying and failing to stop her own tears as she passed her daughter the final photo.

The one showing her on the day Sunny was born.

Star was exhausted, more so that she had even been in her entire life. Everything hurt, but the payoff was worth the pain. The moment she had heard the first cries of her daughter as she entered the world, everything else had ceased to matter as much as the small bundle of joy that was currently resting in her forelegs. She was beautiful, perfect in every way, and Star was going to spend as much time with her as she physically could.

Argyle was right there with her, gently nuzzling Star and their new daughter and jumping up to get anything either pony needed. Star Scout was there too, having nodded off on a pile of cushions just a few minutes ago. Star still couldn’t believe he’d made it. Zephyr Heights wasn’t exactly close for a pony his age. But perhaps she shouldn’t be so surprised – he’d been eager as a young colt to put his clinic volunteer skills to use for her delivery.

Both he and Argyle had been a wonderful help, calm and collected after the initial shock had worn off. Quite impressive given how Star had gone into labor at three in the morning, but they had been perfect. The training Star Scout had given Argyle had really paid off. And Star had been able to welcome her daughter alongside her two best friends.

Outside the window of Argyle’s lighthouse, the sun had begun to rise, casting the room in a beautiful orange and yellow glow. A dawn of not only a new day, but of a new life in the world. One that was physical proof that ponies of all races could live in harmony. That friendship and love weren’t restricted by race. A life that only existed because an earth pony and a unicorn had found one another, and a pegasus had helped them realize just how much they love one another.

If not for Star Scout, it was entirely possible that Star and Argyle would have never reached this point in their relationship. And so what better way to thank the stallion that had brought them together than to guarantee he would live on in their daughter’s name?

The newborn filly gave a small yawn and snuggled into Star’s chest, making Star giggle and nuzzle her.

She was perfect. Their perfect little Sunny Starscout.

Sunny wasn’t moving. Star wasn’t even sure if she was breathing. She was just sitting there, looking at the final photo with a thousand-yard stare. Then slowly, her gaze rose until her eyes met Star’s once again.

“Mom?” Sunny whispered, her eyes afraid, curious, uncertain, hoping. So many emotions, all desperately searching for an answer as tears began to form.

“Hi, Sunny,” Star whispered back, everything except her daughter unimportant in this moment. She was crying too, her tears freely flowing as she finally found the voice she needed to speak.

“l-I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you all these years,” she began, her voice trembling as the memories of the day she said goodbye began to surface in her mind: their final hug, Star giving her one last kiss on the forehead, her soft promise that they would see one another again. “T-That I wasn’t there when y-your dad passed away. I-I wanted to be with you, to see you, but I, I didn’t want to ruin the life you had in Maretime Bay.

“I-I’ve spent years trying to find a way to fix things. T-To bring back magic, or find something that could prove to ponies that we didn’t need to be apart. That we didn’t need to be afraid all the time. T-That what Argyle and I had wasn’t something to be afraid of.”

Star’s head fell and her eyes clenched shut, her mane falling forward as she cried. “I-I don’t know if you want me to be here, i-if you can forgive me for missing so much of your life. B-But I still love you, and y-you deserve to know you still have a family. T-That I’m so proud of you, and I know your f-father would be too. I—”

Whatever she was about to say was cut off as something rammed into her chest.

Star gasped in shock, falling to the ground as she felt a pair of strong legs wrapped around her. She opened her eyes, and saw something she had always dreamed about.

Sunny was in her arms.

Sunny was hugging her with all her might.

Sunny was hugging her and laughing with pure joy.

She…She’s hugging me. Star though, all other thoughts drowned out as the ice in her chest was replaced with a small sun that grew larger every second. My daughter is hugging me.

Star moved almost on instinct, her hooves gently wrapping around Sunny and pulling her as close as physically possible. She could feel Sunny’s tears on her chest, but the sound of choked laughter told her everything was all right.

“I-I-I have a mom,” Sunny sobbed happily to no pony in particular. “A MOM!”

“A-And I have a d-daughter,” Star whispered, nuzzling the top of Sunny’s head.

The outside world was forgotten as the two ponies simply enjoyed the feeling of being together again after so many years.

Author's Note

Been working on this one for a while, but at long last, it is DONE! BEHOLD IT IN ALL IT'S GLORY!!!!!!!! ALSO IF I MADE YOU CRY, DON'T WORRY! I STILL GET A BIT TEARY WHEN I READ IT TOO!!! :raritycry:

But yes, behold my first G5 story answering one of my biggest questions about G5 so far: where is Sunny's mother? Well, this is my new head cannon until the show potentially shoots it out of the sky. But I've never let that stop me before, so why start now? LET'S GO, FULL STEAM AHEAD.

And yes, there will be more chapters exploring Star and Argyle's background. So look forward to that.

Also, as you can see in the main story summary, I created a Discord, so feel free to join me and say hi. Now go enjoy my story and let me know what you think :moustache:

Chapter 3: Catching up on a Lifetime Part 2

Back in the present…

“Star Scout sounds like quite the interesting pony,” Sunny said, trying to hide her giggles behind a hoof.

“Oh, he was,” Star agreed. “Even if his mood was almost always set to ‘crotchety’ at best. But he was a great friend who I will never forget. He was able to tell us all about the pegesi in Zephyr Heights and was even willing to help us make disguises so we could sneak into the city at times.”

“Wait, you actually managed to get into the city?” Sunny asked in surprise. “How? I can understand Dad being able to, but…”

“A horn is much harder to hide,” Star agreed with a nod. “Trust me, I know. Thankfully, the pegesi also had their own Nightmare Night celebrations, and what could be a scarier ‘costume’ than a unicorn?” She chuckled, remembering the first year she and Argyle had gone into the city. It had been so much fun to walk around without too much fear of being discovered, though both of them had felt conflicted about the foals’ reactions to her ‘costume.’ On the one hoof, they’d been laughing and having a good time pretending to run away in fear. But on the other, they usually yelled something about mind control or some such, and that hadn’t sat right with Star. Still, at least that wouldn’t be much of a worry now.

Hopefully.

“Did the guard try to put a tennis ball on you horn?” Sunny asked, and Star couldn’t help but giggle nervously.

Oh right. I should probably mention that unintended consequence of our trips.

“Actually,” Star said, trying not to rub her hooves together awkwardly, “In order to enhance or ‘explain’ the costume, we added a tennis ball to my horn to pretend that I was a ‘neutralized’ unicorn who couldn’t use magic. We meant it as a joke, of course, but enough guards saw us that night that they… thought it was a legitimate strategy to combat unicorns. Or at least enough of them proposed adding tennis balls to the guard kit that the Queen went along with the idea. When we saw him next, Star Scout said that the guards were carrying tennis balls around as part of their kit, something that he found absurd, yet hilarious.”

“Wait,” Sunny said incredulously, and Star could practically see the gears turning in her head. “Are you saying that the reason the guard was using a tennis ball on Izzy was because you and Dad had a date in Zephyr Heights and you just HAPPENED to be wearing one on you horn?”

“Not the strangest bit of mischief we got into, but yes. It was my fault,” Star admitted, her cheeks turning red at the thought. However, her mounting embarrassment quickly began to turn to mirth as Sunny just gave her a solid deadpan stare. It was so much like the stares Star would give Argyle when was being a ridiculous goofball that Star couldn’t help but giggle.

Like mother, like daughter indeed.

“It is pretty crazy when you say it out loud, isn’t it?” Star asked with a small giggle.

“Very. And do I even want to know what the strangest bit of mischief was?” Sunny asked in a curious yet playful tone.

“Oh, I’m sure you do,” Star said with a small wink. “After all, how would you not want to hear about the time Star Scout shouted down a manticore?”

Years ago…

“ROOOOAAAARRRRRR—”

BONK!

“Don’t you roar at me, you overgrown kitty cat!” Scout yelled back, delivering another solid bonk to the end of the manticore’s snout with his cane. “We were here exploring this ruin first! And don’t you try to tell me you were here before we were! I don’t see any scratches and I KNOW what you fellas do when you mark your territory, so don’t even try that excuse!”

The manticore just whimpered what may very well have been a half-hearted excuse, but even if Star could speak to animals, she would have been too amazed by the absurdity of the scene before her to try and interpret what the beast was saying. Meanwhile, Argyle was too busy trying not to cower behind her, and she could tell from the way his leg was shaking that he very much wanted to.

After all, it’s not every day you see a seventy-three-year-old pegasus scolding the absolute heck out of an apex predator with nothing more than his walking cane and some harsh criticism.

It has started out as such a simple trip too. Walk around the edge of the forest around the base of Zephyr Heights, go a bit inward to try and find the ruins that can be seen from the palace, see what might have survived in said ruins, spend the night camping together nearby, then go home.

They had gotten as far as arriving at the ruins of what looked to be homes and had spent the last two hours exploring. And then this happened, and Star still wasn’t exactly certain as to how they had gotten here.

She and Argyle had been in one of the houses when they heard the first roar cut through the silence. Fearing for Scout, who had elected to look around outside, the two of them had rushed outside in almost a blind panic only to come across this bizarre scene.

Note to self: Scout is scary when he’s actually MAD and not just annoyed or extra crotchety, Star thought as she continued to watch Scout scold the large lion-scorpion-bat hybrid. Anytime the beast looked like it was regaining its confidence, a quick smack to the nose or head with Scout’s cane would bring it back under control.

After almost five minutes of reality not making sense, Scout finally wrapped up. “Now GET! Go on, SHOO! Go find some fish or something because PONIES ARE OFF THE MENU!” he roared. The manticore began backing off, its ears down and its tail low, before it turned and ran-slash-flew away as fast as its legs and wings could carry it.

“AND DON’T COME BACK!” Scout yelled after it. He gave a final snort of annoyance before turning around and smiling. Actually SMILING! “Well, THAT was something you don’t see every day.”

Ya THINK!?

“I may have had my doubts, but if all your trips are this exciting, I might just need to join you more often,” he said, as he wandered past the still-stunned couple. “Welp, I’m gonna go get some water then go back to exploring! I haven’t felt this young in AGES!”

Back in the present…

“I honestly can’t tell if you’re exaggerating or not,” Sunny said at last, finally managing to form a coherent sentence after a minute of stammering.

“I wish I was,” Star laughed with a shake of her head. “It took your dad and I almost five minutes before we were able to move again, and even longer for us to finally accept that, yes, that did just happen. We didn’t always bring Scout with us on our trips, but when we did, things were always more interesting. Even him regaling us with a story about his time in the coffee shop managed to be an experience!”

“Did he join you on your trips often?” Sunny asked.

“He tended to join us for the trips that took us near Zephyr Heights,” Star said. “He couldn’t join us for the longer trips given his age, but we made sure to visit him at least once a moon for a non-research related visit, and we did our best to include him in at least one trip every two moons if we could. And if he wasn’t able to come with us for a few moons, we always made sure to bring him a souvenir from our latest trip.

“Though he always made a great effort to join us whenever he could. He even had this adorable aqua-colored travel bag that he would fill up with snacks and spare paper for us whenever he came along. And three spare raincoats, because Harmony forbid he let us forget our first meeting,” Star said playfully, prompting a giggle from Sunny. “I can still remember the foal-like excitement on his face whenever he would grab that bag. It was well-worn, almost threadbare in some places, but he just kept covering the worn spots with an ever-increasing number of coffee mug stickers. And as an added joke, anytime we ended up needing to run away from something, he would always shout that it was ‘time to run and scream in aqua!’”

“Really?” Sunny laughed. “He would just yell that as you were trying to get away from something dangerous?”

“I WISH it was just when we encountered something dangerous,” Star said, giggling. “Sometimes he would just yell it in the middle of nowhere and start galloping around like a foal let loose on a playground. He especially loved to do it whenever we found a large patch of wildflowers. He would just start running around in them, tracing his outstretched wings along the tips of the flowers, occasionally plucking a few that he would use for dinner that night. He was just so happy to be out in the world with friends rather than stuck in a city locked in its own paranoia, or so he would say. He did venture out on his own from time to time, but he preferred to do it when we were with him. But seeing him smile as his wings kicked up a flurry of seeds always filled my heart with joy no matter how many times he did it.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” Sunny said with a wide smile. “He probably would have gotten along really well with Izzy. And to think that you and Dad might not have started dating if it weren’t for him! Speaking of which, what did you and Dad do for your first date?”

“Well, since we couldn’t really go into many settlements at the time without being in disguise, we decided to have a picnic near where we had first met,” Star said, smiling herself as her mind went back to that day. She could almost feel Argyle’s hoof on her own, the gentle sensation of his leg stroking her own. “We set up a blanket under that lone tree with the pink leaves. It was a perfect day – the kind where all you want to do is sit back and relax, to enjoy the bright sunshine. We just laid there with one another, enjoying our food and talking and watching the scattered clouds dance across the sky.

“It was a simple date, but it still just felt as though something had changed for the better between us. As though some barrier had finally been breached and we could begin learning even more about one another. It wasn’t the most extravagant or romantic date, but that one was the start of it all, and I can never thank Star Scout enough for helping us take that step.”

Star felt her gaze drifting upwards, watching the clouds gently moving through the sky as her mind drifted back to that first data. She could still see that day when she closed her eyes. Still hear Argyle’s voice as they took turns finding shapes in the clouds. Still feel his head leaning against her.

I’m sure he’s watching the clouds too, wherever his soul may be…

“That does sound really nice,” Sunny agreed. She nuzzled Star's chest happily, and warmth shot through Star's entire being, at just being able to DO this after so long. She nuzzled the top of her daughter’s head, breathing in the scent of wind and salt of the sea.

I wonder if Sunny would be interested in traveling around with me in the future. Even if magic is back, I still want to keep exploring. There’s so much I still don’t know, and the fact that Argyle’s gem was one of the keys just raises so many questions. I at least need to go explore that area with the stained-glass windows Izzy mentioned. Given how it was Zipp’s old hideout, I bet she could help me figure out a bit more about it.

As if responding to Star’s thought, the crystals around Sunny’s neck began to glow for a moment with a rippling rainbow light before quickly dimming again.

“That’s new. Do they do that often?” Star asked, looking at the gems curiously.

“Not too often,” Sunny said, “Though I don’t keep them with me most of the time, so I can’t be sure. They mainly glow when ponies are being friendly or if I help solve a dispute.” Sunny placed her hoof on the crystals hanging around her neck, looking thoughtful. “When did Dad first show you his gem? I didn’t know about it at all until I came back to Maretime Bay thinking the other crystals had failed.”

“Years before you were born,” Star said, trying to remember the exact point when she had first seen it. “I think it was…probably the fifth time I had come with him to Maretime Bay. I stayed at the lighthouse, hidden from the other earth ponies, but we still had a lot of fun together comparing notes. One day I noticed it sitting on top of the copy of Princess Twilight’s Friendship Journal, so I asked him about it.”

“He told me how it had helped him find the hidden compartment inside the book and showed me the letter, something that he had never done with anypony else before. We knew that the gem must have been special if Princess Twilight herself asked it to be kept safe, but neither of us knew what it could have been used for. At least, that’s what I thought.” Star frowned, looking more closely at the gem. It somehow seemed very familiar and brand new all at the same time, now that she could see how cleanly it fit against the other crystals. “But when Izzy said that there was a place in the lighthouse for the gems to all fit into…”

“You became unsure,” Sunny said with a small nod. “You think that maybe he had something to do with it, or even if he didn’t, he may have at least known about the mechanism that created the holding place.”

Star nodded, letting her frown fade away with a sigh.

Sunny’s right. I just have so many questions about what Argyle did or didn’t know. How long was that mechanism there? DID Argyle create it? If so, how did he know what the other two gems looked like? If not, did he even know it existed?

Just the thought that Argyle, the pony she trusted more than any other, the pony who had shared everything with her even after Star had left him behind with Sunny in his care, had hid this from her…

It hurt. It stung deep down in her very being. And yet something about it also didn’t feel quite right.

Him creating that mechanism without telling me just doesn’t seem like him, especially if he knew what the other gems looked like but didn’t share it. Him finding it on his own could be a possibility, but that could have easily been included in a letter. So, if he DID know, why not tell me? Or, if not me, why not Sunny? She found it by pure chance, but Argyle lived there far longer than she did. Is it possible that he simply missed it over the years? I’m not sure, but even without that, why would he put the gem into Sunny’s lamp rather than show her what the gem did first? He loved to show Sunny parts of his research, and to teach her about the history of the lighthouse. Sunny would have loved to see that mechanism, and Argyle would know that.

That is, assuming he knew anything at all…

“Yes. Well, maybe. He knew every inch of that lighthouse, but with a mechanism so specific, one that only worked for a specific item being placed in a specific position…there is a chance that he might not have known about it. Or if he did, he found out about it long after you were born and…maybe he just never got the chance to tell us about it,” Star said quietly, hugging her daughter more tightly. “Or maybe he found it, didn’t know what it was for, but trusted that you would be able to figure it out even when he was gone. He always thought you were special, ever since the day you were born.”

“Actually, I had a question about that,” Sunny said, sounding a little bit uncertain. “In the photo you had, the one of the day I was born, I…I had this rainbow streak in my mane.” She gently traced a hoof down the streak of color in her mane. “But I never remember having it when I was younger, or seeing it in any of the photos Dad had of me. Do you…know what happened to it?”

“We don’t know,” Star admitted honestly, looking down at the three bright streaks of color. “They were there for the first moon of your life, but then they just…faded away. Argyle thought that maybe they meant you were destined to accomplish great things. Both of us tried to see if there was any information on such a case, but none of our research came up with anything. And they never appeared again, not even after I had left. I remembered them every time I looked at that photo of you, but even after all these years I never came across anything like them in my research.”

The fact that they had come back now, alongside this golden alicorn form, tickled her memory, though she didn’t know why. Star had been so distracted by the gems, Sunny’s alicorn form, and just trying to talk to her daughter that she had subconsciously pushed off any questions she had about the mane until now.

Was it really a sign, all those years ago? A sign of Sunny’s potential?

“Maybe Dad was right,” Sunny said, humming in thought. “They did only appear after we had found all the crystals, and after everypony had agreed to at least try being friends again. Maybe they were tied to the friendship of the three races, and because you, Dad, and Scout were there for my birth…maybe there was a bit of magic in the lighthouse that night.”

“If there was magic that night, then I’m glad it went to you,” Star said, trying not to let Sunny see the happy tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “If it helped you do what you needed to unite everypony in Equestria, then I would gladly give you all my magic.”

“Even after you spent so long trying to find it?”

Star nodded without hesitation.

“Better to give my magic to somepony as amazing as you than hold onto it selfishly for myself,” Star said. She was not entirely sure where the words were coming from, but they sounded right. “Besides, if I did give you some small piece of magic, look at the dividends that investment returned! I can CAST SPELLS now! Well, sometimes cast, sometimes have my magic act on its own and teleport me in front of a moving trolley to save my daughter,” she added in a perfect deadpan. Sunny just giggled.

“So, any other burning questions?” Star asked after Sunny’s laughter had died down.

Sunny took a moment to think. “How did Dad propose to you? And what happened at the wedding? That first photo…I could never find a photo of Dad’s wedding day, even when he was gone. To see it, to see just how much effort you both put into it, I want to know what it was like.”

“I think I can do that,” Star agreed, feeling her chest flutter as the memories began to quickly surface. “On the day of the proposal, we went down the coast from Maretime Bay for a look at some old ruins we thought were the remains of a harbor. We spent all day doing what we loved more than anything. He packed a picnic with all my favorite foods, and was trying to act innocent all day, though his playful hints let me know something was up immediately. But no matter how much I bugged him, he just said he wouldn’t spoil the surprise.”

Star looked up at the sky again as she spoke. She could almost see that day playing out in front of her. Him gently waking her up in the morning with a plate of pancakes and berries. Them taking a relaxing stroll down the beach on their way to adventure, hooves sinking into the sand with every step. Exploring around the remains of a rotten dock and crumbled buildings. Her laughing at Argyle accidentally falling in some shallow water and ending up with a chunk of seaweed on his head, and then squealing in surprise as he pulled her in too.

Getting into an impromptu splash fight, laughing and jumping on each other before settling down for lunch as they dried. The two of them just snuggling up against one another, enjoying each other’s presence.

Star knew she was crying again, but she refused to let that stop her from enjoying the memories and all the joy that came with them.

“Then,” she said quietly. “When we began heading back, he stopped me just as we came within sight of Maretime Bay. The sun was perfectly set on the horizon, casting everything in a beautiful orange glow.” She paused to wipe a tear from her eye. “He turned to me, and by harmony Sunny, the only time I had ever seen him that nervous was when the bridge collapse when we first met. He looked half-ready to faint, his voice was shaking, his legs were twitching, but I heard every word as he told me how he couldn’t imagine his life without me. That no matter what anypony else might think, no matter how much time might pass, he would love me with all his heart. And while he didn’t have a ring, he still knelt down before me and asked me if I would marry him. If I would spend the rest of my life with him.”

“And you said yes!” Sunny said, almost squealing in excitement.

“Actually, it was more like I screamed yes, tackled him, and ended up knocking both of our glasses off in the process, which completely interrupted the romantic moment, of course. Not that we cared that much,” Star said with a giggle, remembering how the two of them had just laid there for a few minutes laughing even if they couldn’t see one another very well.

“Pffffff,” Sunny snorted, trying to hide her laughter and failing miserably.

“Trust me, we laughed a lot about it too when we looked back on it,” Star said with a wink. “As for the wedding, well, that was even more memorable…”

Years ago…

Star felt as though her heart might just burst through her rib cage with how hard it was beating, and she had no idea whether it was from pure excitement or foaming anxiety.

This was it.

She was here, ready to do something so many ponies thought was impossible.

Once the shock of Argyle’s proposal had worn off and the planning had begun, Star’s first and biggest question was what she was going to do for a dress. She could understand not having a ring (something Scout had promised to address for them), but it just felt wrong not to dress up for such a special occasion. Shopping for one was an option, sure, but doing so would raise a lot of questions, especially given how nopony knew she was dating, let alone engaged.

Well, that’s what she THOUGHT, until her grandmother came for a visit and pulled out her old wedding dress. It was the same one she had worn so many years ago, and the same one that she had given Star’s mother for her wedding day. And now it had been passed to Star out of nowhere. Star had just stared in shock as her grandmother passed her the dress with a quick wink and a whisper of ‘Follow your heart, dear.’ The dress was not only beautiful, but it had been fully restored and resized to fit Star perfectly, something that only her friend Soft Stitch could have done. She was, after all, the only pony who knew Star’s current measurements.

Star still had so many questions. How much did her grandmother know? How much did Soft Stitch know? She still refused to say anything other than ‘I trust you, so you put that dress to good use, you hear?’ Did anypony else know anything? Had Star’s mom questioned why her Grandmother thought now was the time to restore and resize the dress for Star? Had Star’s parents noticed any changes in her behavior? If somepony voiced concerns, what would Star even say to them? What would her cover story be? How much would she have to lie?

She didn’t know if she would ever know the answers, and as the following weeks passed by quietly, she forced herself to let her concerns go. All she did know was that her grandmother and friend had made her a wondrous gift, and she wasn’t going to let it go to waste.

The dress was perfect – a flowing white gown with gentle waves of tulle that reminded her of wispy clouds in the sky. Numerous blue Bridlewood gems were sewn into a sun pattern along her chest, a swirling pathway down her sides, and a crescent moon at her flank. All of them sparkled in the sun gently filtering through the leaves of this hidden grove. A white veil was gently draped over her face, doing nothing to hide the massive blush on her cheeks as her heart continued to do its best to make her pass out from excitement.

Her mane was styled into a series of long flowing waves and small braids that moved elegantly as she trotted. Furthermore, Scout had helped her weave a set of beautiful midnight blue flowers into the plaits, making Star feel more beautiful than she had ever felt in her entire life. There were even a few butterflies that gently followed her as she moved, adding an extra layer of wonder to her outfit.

If she was going to dress up this nicely for anypony, she was glad it was Argyle.

Speaking of her lovable goofball of a husband-to-be, he had never looked so handsome as he did right now, and she could tell from the way his tail was excitedly wagging that he was just as excited as she was.

He wore a dapper black suit that fit him perfectly, complete with dark blue stitching that created a wave-like appearance down his sides, in reference to his home in Maretime Bay. Pinned right over his heart was a large pink flower with six distinct petals, a flower that was meant to show gratitude towards those you loved as per an old earth pony tradition. The color was a perfect match to the bright pink leaves of the tree just outside Bridlewood, the one they rested under on the first day they met. His normally-slightly-unkempt mane was perfectly combed, though even now she could see a few strands attempting to return to their default position of ‘randomly going in all the wrong directions possible’.

And his eyes. The way they gazed at her. The way they sparkled with an infectious glee and excitement at the sight of her in her dress. It somehow made her heartbeat even faster and threatened to turn her legs into jelly. She still wasn’t sure if she would be able to make it through the ceremony without just becoming a barely functioning ball of excited neurons and blushing cheeks. Or maybe just one solid blush at this rate.

It was only the thought of what was to come – of being able to finally say those magical words to him, to seal their hearts with a kiss – that kept her going as she approached the hoof-made altar from the opposite side of the grove as Argyle.

This was their secret place. A hidden grove among the trees where they had spent many a night camping out when they weren’t quite ready to go home just yet. And now, it would hold one of their most treasured memories.

The arch they had built was covered in an array of flowers found from across their homes, a rainbow of all kinds of colors and shapes and smells that came together to form the perfect symbol of their love. It had also attracted a rainbow of butterflies that gently fluttered their way around the trees, a few stopping to land on Star or Argyle as they approached the arch. At the top of the arch, among its own circle of flowers, sat Argyle’s crystal, gently reflecting the noon sun in a dazzling array of rainbow colors.

The perfect finishing touch.

No matter how beautiful the butterflies were, though, Scout had certainly gotten the short end of the stick when it came to them. Even now, a small army of butterflies was taking a moment to say ‘hi’ and land all over the old pegasus currently tugging at his bow tie as though it were a snake that was just a little bit too friendly. Though neither of those distractions could prevent him from smiling like a loon as he watched the two of them approach.

Rather than do the traditional procession with Argyle walking down the aisle followed by Star, they had decided that they would approach from opposite sides of the altar. This way, not only could they see one another as they approached, but they could also signify the three races coming together at a happy place of common ground. It had been Scout’s idea, and Star and Argyle had both loved it.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Star and her soon-to-be-husband finally came to a stop in front of Scout. Everything became so much more intense as she stood so close to Argyle. She could see every detail of the stitched pattern on his suit and wanted to commit each one to memory. Every breath of hers sent a small shiver down her spine, and she could feel Argyle vibrating in anticipation. Or maybe she was vibrating? It was a little bit hard to tell.

“You look amazing,” Argyle whispered to Star, his glee palpable in his eyes.

“So do you,” Star breathed, smiling back at him and hoping her blushing had calmed down at least a little bit.

“And I’m sure you two lovebirds will have plenty of time to admire each other while you’re dining on the meal I have so thoughtfully prepared for you,” Scout said with a small chuckle, interrupting their staring contest and bringing their attention back to the old stallion. “Right now, though, I think it’s time that I actually marry you two, wouldn’t you say? Any longer and you’ll have to dig me out from under a mountain of butterflies!”

As if to emphasize his point, a butterfly decided that now was the perfect time to land directly on Scout’s nose. “See?” the pegasus barked. “Case and point! Now get off, you little winged caterpillar. I’ve got a job to do!” He shook his head and sent a good number of butterflies up towards the flowers above them, raspberrying at them for good measuring and making Star and Argyle giggle.

“Now then!” Scout said, reaching under his wing and pulling out an old copy of Princess Twilight’s Friendship Journal. He opened it, cleared his throat and began.

“Dear Princess Celestia!”

Pffff!

“—wait, that’s not right. Dang it, what page did I leave that speech on?” he grumbled, flipping through the book as he winked at the waiting couple.

For harmony’s sake Scout, Star thought, trying desperately not to burst out laughing. We all know you didn’t lose your place! You just wanted to be a jokester, didn’t you? I swear, you and your little pranks! Given Argyle’s puffed cheeks and slightly bent knees, Star was sure he was having just as much trouble as she was holding it together.

“Ah, here it is!” Scout proclaimed. “Right between the story of the old heroines being sucked into a magic comic book and Fluttershy being turned into a bat by Princess Twilight! Some of the stories in this book, I swear. Magic sounds insane! Seriously, how did that Cheese Sandwich fellow summon a massive device that shoots parties out of thin air!? According to the book, he traveled from town to town with only a cloak and a rubber chicken, so where the heck did the rest of his stuff come from!? I still don’t think ‘It’s Cheese Sandwich’ is an accurate excuse!”

Star couldn’t take it anymore. She burst out laughing at Scouts little rant, which in turn caused Argyle to lose his composure and start laughing too. All the stress still left is Star’s chest quickly bled away as the two of them cackled, all while Scout just stood there with a proud little smirk on his face.

Unfortunately, that only made them laugh even more!

“S-Scout, please!” Star begged after a few minutes of unrestrained laughter, trying to calm herself down. She was struggling to breathe, yet she felt so much better now. The stress and tension in her body had been given a healthy outlet, and she felt much calmer than she had before the laughing fit had taken over. Argyle looked a little bit better too, and he even offered her a handkerchief to dry her tears of laughter.

This was your plan, wasn’t it Scout? We love you, you crotchety old pegasus, even if you are a a little menace!

“Hmm? AH, right, the ceremony!” Scout said, pretending, poorly, to be surprised. “Well, now that you two GOOFBALLS have had your fun, I can begin my well-thought-out speech! Ah-HEM! Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the joining of Shining Star and Argyle Starshine in marriage. Now, I know at least one of them is likely to point out that we’re the only three ponies here at the moment, but, knowing how far these two have come and how hard they have fought to overcome the challenges imposed on us all by this messed-up world, I personally think that the spirits of old are here with us today, ready to watch over us and witness a love that has broken through the torrent of lies and bigotry that have tried to hold us back.

“That, and I know at least one of these spirits is screaming, ‘It’s about TIME you two got married already!’ Probably Rainbow Dash, if you ask me. I know I’ve been saying that for moons now, but you two listen to me about as well as my son!”

“Weren’t you also the one who also told us to do it when we were ready?” Argyle asked playfully.

“Did I say that? I certainly don’t remember that. I am old, after all,” Scout said, exaggeratedly scratching his chin while simultaneously using a tone of voice to convey that, yes, he very much DID remember that. Ridiculous stallion, Star thought with a fond giggle. “Regardless of if I did or didn’t – and you can’t prove that I did, you silly researchers! Not enough data for that! – it fills my wrinkled old heart with the warmth of the sun to see such a wonderful pair of ponies finally commit to one another in the most significant way we know how.

“Now, despite them both being a pair troublesome ponies that are always dragging me on their crazy adventures, I must say that I love both of these young whippersnappers dearly. To me, they are more than just a couple of silly ponies I found wandering in a rainstorm one night. They’re more than just a couple of excited foals who drag me out of the house once a moon on some long adventure, at least! They’re more than just two hyperactive balls of knowledge that make my legs hurt just by looking at them and my brain hurt just by listening to them for more than an hour.

“No, to me, they’re like family. Two young ponies told for years that they could never even be friends with ponies of another race, who found one another purely by chance, and whom I did my best to help guide as they explored this new world they had discovered in each other. They are, just as their rather similar last names imply, both stars. Ponies with a guiding light deep inside them that have the ability to change the world around them. To enlighten how we all see things, and to shine a light of truth to dispel the darkness caused by fear, paranoia, and lies. To inspire a better understanding of who we are and what Equestria could be.”

Star could feel a tear beginning to slide down her face, her heart melting as Scout’s heartfelt speech.

“Harmony knows how much better my life has become since meeting these two eggheads, even if they kept me up that one night! Before meeting them, I was old, grumpy, and sick of all the ponies obsessing over two other races that they had never even seen before! Now, after meeting them and putting up with them for a few years, I can happily say that I’m STILL old, slightly less grumpy most of the time, and happy to have gotten to see these two fall in love with one another.

“Even if they themselves might not be able to fix the world on their own, the world is, without a doubt, a better place with them in it, and I know that they are the start of something amazing, regardless of how many times I’ve had to pull their flanks out of trouble! They have done something everypony thought was impossible, and it was an honor as their friend to see them become the loving couple that now stand here before me.”

The tears were speeding up now. Even as she laughed at his jokes and teasing, she could feel the genuine care and emotion behind his words.

He really thinks that Argyle and I have the ability to change the world. As she looked at her soon-to-be-husband, she could see that very light Scout described shining in his eyes. Feel the star in his soul flowing through him, showering her with his love for her and the hope that one day the world would be a better place.

It was…impossible to explain, but some part of her felt as though she was coming to life for the very first time. She had always felt this…warmth whenever she was with Argyle and Scout, ever since they had first met. It was a warmth she had never felt with anypony else, but it had always been so soft, so faint. Star was never sure if she was just imagining it or not.

But now, that doubt was firmly put to rest. The warmth was there, roaring to life as a flaming bond between her and Argyle. It was shining bright with the fire of their love as they neared the moment when their souls would be forever linked to one another. She could feel it burning through her soul in a warm, joyous embrace, and she could see from the look in Argyle’s eyes that he was feeling it too.

And it wasn’t just Argyle. As Scout continued to entertain his two friends with his silly yet heartfelt speech, Star could feel the bond with him growing too. Scout’s bond felt like it was focused more on the care and compassion of her friend, of two ponies who had met by chance but were now linked through a friendship that would never fade. His wings twitched and fluttered, and when his eyes met her own, she knew that he was feeling the bond between them too.

Nothing needed to be spoken between the three of them. The bond was there, and no words could do justice to the warmth and connection that is conveyed between them. Star knew that she loved both ponies in front of her and that she would cherish them for the rest of her life and beyond.

And as Star felt this bond come into focus, she couldn’t help but feel something else. A small spark, deep inside. One that, for a brief moment, changed the world around her. One that made her horn tingle for the first time in her life as an invisible spark flew through it before returning to her heart once again.

Was…was that?

“Right then, now that you two and the ghost of Harmony have been so thoroughly entertained, I believe it’s time for the big moment!” Scout concluded, shutting the book with a snap that almost made Star jump. The spark was gone, but the bond still remained, just as strong as before. But that could wait for later!

This was it! They were at the VOWS! Everything was about to become real!

Argyle was going to be her HUSBAND! She was going to be his WIFE! This was really happening RIGHT NOW!

“Argyle Starshine, in the name of Harmony, do you take Shining Star to be your adorkable wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death?”

The words made joy vibrate through Star’s soul. She gripped Argyle’s hooves with all her might, refusing to take her eyes off him as Scout’s voice washed over them.

“I do,” Argyle said, and Star could see the volcano of excitement bubbling in his eyes as he spoke those two magical words. She could feel his hooves trembling in anticipation in her own. See the light of his soul expanding to fill his entire being. Hear every breath he took as he prepared to kiss her like he had never kissed her before.

Star’s heart was beating a mile a second. Her legs were twitching and she had to do everything in her power not to just kiss him herself right then and there. Was he having to hold himself back too?

“Shining Star, in the name of Harmony, do you take Argyle Starshine to be your nerdy husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until parted by death?”

Scout’s voice felt distant, yet calm and clear. It felt as if the entire world was holding its breath, as if time itself was standing still, waiting for her response. It was one she didn’t even need to think about.

“I do.”

Two little words, and it was as if everything had changed. The bonds burned with the intensity of the sun as her entire being sung with joy.

“Then by the power invested in me by the Queen of Zephyr Heights, I now pronounce you mare and stallion,” Scout boldly proclaimed. “Now PLEASE KISS ALREADY, you lovable goofs!”

Star didn’t need to be told twice. Argyle barely had time to lift the veil before she kissed him like her life depended on it.

In that moment, nothing else mattered. It was just the two of them, embracing in pure love as they held one another for all of time.

It was the best kiss they had ever shared.

If Star hadn’t needed to breathe, she was certain they would have stayed like that for hours. But alas, all too soon she had run out of breath, and the two of them reluctantly broke the first kiss. Star’s eyes slowly opened again, almost afraid that this might just be a dream. But seeing Argyle there, staring into her eyes with unbridled joy assured her that this was real, and the beginning of a new leg of their journey together.

“That first one’s a doozy, isn’t it?”

Star had to admit that she actually jumped a little bit when Scout’s sassy voice dragged her back down to Equestria. They were still here, in the grove, surrounded by butterflies and a happily sobbing Scout. They had never left, despite how much the pure euphoria of the kiss had made it seem like they had. Argyle seemed just as surprised as she was, and Scout looked between the two of them and let out a soft chuckle.

“Now, before you two go spending the rest of the afternoon kissing, I do still have wedding gifts to give you,” Scout said, wiping away his tears with a little handkerchief.

Despite the very loud voice in her brain telling her to ignore the silly pegasus and to just smooch her husband (EEEEEEEEEEE! THAT FELT SO GOOD TO THINK!) again and again until she passed out from exhaustion, Star reluctantly turned back to Scout.

Said pegasus had pulled an ornate box from somewhere, made of beautiful dark brown wood and engraved with the cutie marks of the old heroines of Equestria.

Did Scout make this? Star wondered. It doesn’t look like an artifact, and few ponies know about the old heroines of Equestria these days. I know he’s actually pretty decent with tools, but this is amazing. If he did, he really didn’t need to put in so much effort just for us. That being said, I am rather curious to see what’s inside.

“Now, as I told Argyle,” Scout continued, “something about just getting some rings just seems so lackluster, especially for such an amazing relationship as the two of you youngsters have got between you. SO, rather than let you two go around with anything that a pony with bits can buy, I decided to make something special. Hopefully, it will always remind you two of just how amazing you two are. You could even say that your relationship is…magical.”

And with that, he opened the box.

Star was so amazed that she couldn’t even be mad at his horrible pun.

There, sitting in the chest upon a red velvet cushion, were two hoof-carved wooden amulets, finished with a warm brown resin that glowed softly in the midday sun. The centers were carved into perfect replicas of Princess Twilight’s starburst cutie mark. Every point, curve, and grove was perfectly cut and sanded, matching some of the finest jewelry Star had ever seen in both Bridlewood and Maretime Bay.

As she looked close, Star was almost certain that they had come from the same tree, yet she could see small differences between the two of them. Slightly different directions of the grain, minor scratches here and there that sanding couldn’t remove, a small knot in the corner of one of the amulets. Yet both of them had clearly been a labor of love, a show of hard work and determination and love for those who would receive them.

The perfect symbol of two lives becoming one…

“They’re beautiful,” Argyle said, his hoof gently reaching out to touch the one on the right. “How long did you spend making these?”

“Weeks,” Scout said, his wings puffing out proudly. “Sure, it took a lot of effort, and I had to make a few copies for practice before I could attempt to make these beauties, but I’d say it was worth the effort! Especially given how star-struck your wife is!”

“They’re perfect,” Star breathed, renewed tears of happiness beginning to cloud her eyes. Scout was right. If Star had to choose between rings that anypony could buy and these incredible, hoof-crafted masterpieces that were filled to the brim with love and care for the ponies who were about to receive them, she would choose these amulets every time.

It was no contest, and Star had to take a moment to get her emotions under control before she looked at Argyle. He nodded, and as one, they both took the amulet that was closest to them, and gently slid them around each other’s necks. The moment it settled over Star’s heart, that unseen bond roared even brighter, letting her know that no matter what happened, she would be bound to Argyle and Scout for the rest of her life.

“Thank you, Scout,” she said, trying to wipe away her tears as she watched Argyle closely inspect the pendant. He was holding it almost reverently in one hoof and running the tip of his other hoof over each line and point, and she could tell by the water in his eyes that the full meaning of the wonderful gift was sinking in for him.

Something told her neither of them would be taking the pendants off for quite a while. Or maybe ever.

“Don’t thank me just yet, you two. I’ve still got one last surprise up my sleeve!” Scout said with a wide grin. “Now, let me just—HEY! I DIDN’T ASK FOR YOUR HELP!”

He angrily shook a hoof at something over Star’s head, and she turned to find a large blob of pink butterflies that were currently carrying a rectangular gift over to them.

Well, that certainly isn’t something you see every day, Star thought, watching in awe as the butterflies dropped the gift gently into Scout’s outstretched hoof as though they were perfectly trained. Animals always did seem to enjoy Scout’s presence and the ones we’ve encountered on our trips did seem to listen to him more than you might expect from the average pony. Though I’ve never seen him talk to animals directly.

Or is something else going on here?

“Bunch of pretty pests,” Scout grumbled as he shooed the last of the butterflies off his gift. “Now, this was a last-minute thing, but I decided it would be worth the effort and the look on your faces, so go ahead and open it!” His grumpy face split into a wide grin again as he passed the gift to the newlyweds.

Star had no idea what this could be, and judging by her husband’s (EEEEEE that still felt so amazing to think!) confused face, Argyle had no idea either. Shrugging to one another, the two ponies began to rip the paper off the gift.

What in the—

Beneath the purple paper was a large double frame, perfectly preserving two things. The first was a large photo of the three of them standing in front of the tree near where Star and Argyle had first met. The tree was in full bloom, sending a gentle rain of pink petals swirling around them. They were all smiling broadly, not a care in the world as they enjoyed their picnic on a gorgeous day.

Below the picture, containing the seal of the royal family at the top, was a—

“You got us a wedding license!?” Star exclaimed, gazing at Scout in surprise. Sure enough, there in the frame, marked with the signature of the newly-crowned Queen Haven was a real, honest-to-Harmony, wedding license!

“Of course I did! I am certified to perform weddings in Zephyr Heights after all!” Scout said, his chest puffing out proudly again. “And yes, I know you likely won’t ever really need to USE it given the whole ‘secret wedding’ thing, but I’ll be darned if I didn’t make this as official as physically possible and give you two something to hold onto for the rest of your lives! You two are just lucky I have access to the palace and the Royal Records Room after I saved King Haven from choking on a biscuit! I had to slip the paperwork somewhere it wouldn’t be noticed, and the boss nearly caught me! Be he didn’t, so here we are! AND I even framed it in a reinforced case so even you two wouldn’t be able to damage it! You still own me for the sweater, don’t think I’ve forgotten about that—OOF!”

Star slammed into him, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you, Scout,” she whispered. “It’s wonderful.”

She felt Argyle join the hug as well, his strong hoof wrapping lovingly around her back and his own teary face pressing against her head.

“Just be sure you don’t lose it! Or drop that frame off a cliff or something. I got the best one I could, but I know you two have a tendency to break things and I would rather this not be one of them,” Scout chided, but his voice was husky and he was hugging them just as tightly as they were hugging him and Star didn’t need to look at him to know that his face was red and his eyes were watering again just like hers were.

“We’ll be careful,” Star said, soaking in the warmth of her loved ones’ embrace as her tears slipped free. “Just…thank you. For making this day so memorable…”

Back in the present…

“And after that, Argyle and I posed for the photo, and then went to enjoy the meal Scout made,” Star finished, her hoof gently tracing the picture of her wedding day. “Vegetable stew and fruit salad. It sounds simple, but it was delicious. One of the best meals I’d ever had in my life. He made it for us plenty of times afterwards, and even today it’s still one of my favorite dishes.”

“Wow,” Sunny whispered, her eyes locked firmly to the picture Star was holding. Star could almost see the memories play out in Sunny’s mind the same way they played out in hers. Even after all these years, every moment was pristine, and when she focused, it felt as though she could still feel those warm bonds to her husband and friend. A guiding light in her life.

I wonder what Scout would say to Sunny if he could meet her now. He’d probably say that she was keeping alive Argyle’s and my tradition of getting into trouble, if Izzy’s story is anything to go by. He would also probably insist on buying her some ice cream, regardless of any protest Sunny might have about him spending money on her. I know for a fact she would never complain about getting some ice cream. Which is good, because Scout would be thrilled to spoil her a little.

“What did you two do for a honeymoon?” Sunny asked, pulling Star back to the real world. “Did you go on another adventure? Or go spend it with Scout? Oh! Or did you go back to somewhere romantic you had found on your journey and stay there?”

Her excitement was so palpable that Star couldn’t help but give her a quick squeeze and a kiss on the head.

She has the same spark that Argyle did.

“We actually spent the next two weeks in Bridlewood and Maretime Bay,” Star said fondly. “We spent time watching the stars from the top of my Bridlewood home and the lighthouse, I showed Argyle the gem fields and therapeutic mud baths, and we enjoyed the beach and pizza of Maretime Bay. One of us was always in disguise, true, but it was still so fun just to go into town and enjoy all that we could.”

Not to mention that we, somehow, managed to avoid anypony talking about the other races those entire weeks. It was either the biggest set of dumb luck, or the spirits of Harmony were with us after our wedding.

“That sounds like a great way to celebrate,” Sunny said with a nod. “It’s just too bad that you and Dad never really got a chance to meet each other’s friends. Or share such wonderful news with them.” She traced the shape of Star’s dress in the picture with the tip of her hoof.

“It was a little sad, but that doesn’t mean I can’t tell them now,” Star said with a small smile. “Now that the races aren’t hiding from one another, I could probably tell them all about Argyle. And you, if you’d like to meet them. I know Soft Stitch would love to make you a dress if I introduced you to her.”

I wonder how Mom and Dad will react when I tell them about Argyle and you? I was so busy rushing here that I didn’t even think to tell them anything before running off.

“Actually, you mentioned that Dad used to be friends with Phyllis. Did you…ever actually meet her, even accidentally? She always seemed to know Dad pretty well despite her hostility to his research and she would sometimes try to come talk to him at the lighthouse. He never really let the conversation carry on for very long, but I feel like I saw her on a regular basis.”

And I’m sure he held no kicks back when responding in his calm-yet-sassy way, Star thought, remembering how epic of a burn he had delivered to that one stallion running a coffee shop when he had tried to mock Argyle for his research. The silly barista was so gobsmacked that he couldn’t even respond for a solid minute!

I still remember that conversation he told me about where Phyllis said his trips were dangerous, only for him to reply that they were no more dangerous than any of her silly inventions. I wish I could have been there to see her face.

“We saw her around town a few times when I came in with Argyle, but I never got a chance to know her personally,” Star said, trying to think back to her brief time in Maretime Bay. “I don’t believe we ever talked to one another. Though whenever she saw us, she always had this really annoyed look on her face. Argyle and I were almost always discussing our research whenever we came to Maretime Bay, so she may have thought I was encouraging his thirst for knowledge on ancient Equestria. Which I WAS, but not quite in the way she imagined, I’m sure.”

“Definitely,” Sunny agreed, humming in thought. “Did Dad tell you much about her?”

“He told me quite a bit about her, actually,” Star said. “At first I wasn’t quite sure why, save from joking about how pointless some of her inventions were, but over time I learned that while he didn’t agree with her on a lot of things, he never really hated her. In some ways, he actually felt bad for her. About how trapped in the propaganda she was, how fear basically ruled her whole life, how she worked so hard to protect everypony from a problem that didn’t even exist.

“After years of being together, I always got the feeling that one thing that drove him to try and reunite the races was so that Phyllis, and everypony else in Maretime Bay, could live without fear. And when I asked, he said that he did want to one day make amends with Phyllis. That he wanted to go back to a time when her fear and paranoia didn’t consume her life.”

“Do you…want to meet her?” Sunny asked gently. “I’m pretty sure everypony in Maretime Bay has learned that my mother is a unicorn by now, so I have no doubt she and Sprout have probably heard about you too. And if Dad really did want that, then maybe we could go tell her?”

“Maybe at some point,” Star said as lightly as she could. She wasn’t really against the idea, not completely, but she couldn’t begin to imagine what THAT conversation would be like. Or how she would even begin to properly introduce herself to Phyllis. But she didn’t want to miss out on any Sunny time by focusing on it right now.

She didn’t want to miss out on any Sunny time PERIOD.

“But for now, I just want to spend time with you and your friends. I…I want to try and make up for lost time. To be a part of your life again after so long…”

“That sound wonderful,” Sunny said, beaming up at Star in a way that made the older mare’s heart flutter with excitement. “I have so much to tell you! And even with the races reunited, there’s still so much to do! You could help me with my plans to help make things better! That, and I still want to hear more about you and Dad.”

“That’s sounds like a superb idea, Sunny,” Star said, hugging her daughter, a warm light flowing through her being. The idea of working side by side with Sunny, to create new projects that would improve the lives of ponies and ensure that this new age of unity would continue to last…It was all that Star could have ever asked for. More than Star had ever dared to hope for when she was walking to Maretime Bay for the first time in years.

I’m crying a little bit again. I can feel it. But that’s normal, I’m sure. Still, maybe I should change the topic a little bit, just to calm down for a while.

“Would you mind if I asked a few questions about you?” Star asked, taking a moment to wipe her eyes. “There is still so much I don’t know about you. So much that I missed.”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” Sunny said with a nod. “I guess I HAVE been asking a lot of questions though, huh?”

“Nothing wrong with that,” Star said, gently nuzzling her daughter. “And I’ll be sure to answer more of yours later. Now I just need to think of one to ask you myself.” She hummed in thought, scratching her chin.

There are so many choices. I could ask about what her job is currently, about the ‘Brighthouse,’ as Izzy called it, I could ask about her own efforts to bring about unity before Izzy came to town. Hmmmm…

Light a lightbulb turning on, Star suddenly had an idea.

“Well, since we’ve been talking so much about Argyle and I, and our relationship, are there any ponies that have caught your eye romantically speaking?” Star asked earnestly.

The rate at which Sunny’s face went from happy and calm to pure blush might just have rivaled Star’s own record when Scout had first brought up the idea of foals. Star was not expecting that kind of reaction, yet she couldn’t resist the small chuckle of amusement as Sunny stammered in surprise.

I can see why Scout loves to tease us so much! And Grandma too – she always teased me about finding a good colt to do research with.

“W-What? No! No, I—I mean, I haven’t even been looking for a special somepony! Especially not with magic being back and trying to learn how to use my magic without glitter getting everywhere and trying to help Hitch sort out the few disputes that have been arising and—” Sunny stammered, her eyes going wide as she realized her mistake a second too late.

“Hitch, eh?” Star said with an impish grin, unable to hold back a giggle as Sunny’s face became even redder. “The same Hitch that you used to play with all the time as a foal? The same one that you’ve been friends with for as long as you can remember?”

“W-We’re just friends!” Sunny exclaimed, frantically waving her hooves, though her panicked tone of voice did very little to convince Star.

“Are you suuuuuure?” Star asked, leaning in as she drew out her question for comedic effect.

“YES!” Sunny almost squealed. At this point, even the tips of her ears were starting to become red from embarrassment.

Ok, time to dial it back a bit.

“Ok, ok, I believe you,” Star laughed. “Who am I to doubt such an amazing daughter?”

She winked, and Sunny blinked in surprise, then deadpanned, and then promptly faceplanted into Star’s chest.

“This is even worse than Dad playfully teasing me about being his little Sunny Bunny,” Sunny groaned, her voice slightly muffled by Star’s chest fluff.

I better not mention that I still have those baby pictures of her in the bunny onesie. Even if they are the cutest photos ever. Of all time, Star thought with a grin, gently rubbing her daughter’s back as Sunny’s ears slowly returned to their normal color.

“I bet you were really cute, though,” Star giggled, and then she cleared her throat. She couldn’t remember the last time she let herself get so goofy, and it was so good to share it with Sunny. Even if she maybe went a LITTLE far.

“Though, being serious for a minute, is there a reason you don’t think of Hitch that way? You don’t need to tell me if you don’t feel comfortable about it, but I would be curious to know. Argyle said you two were always very close.”

Sunny was quiet for a moment, before she gently readjusted herself so that Star could see her face again. “It’s just…I’ve always seen him more as a brother than a…coltfriend,” Sunny said, a small bit of blush returning. “He was fun, nice, caring, great with animals, and loyal to the ponies of Maretime Bay. But, even ignoring the fact that Grandma Figgy helped look after me for a few years after…”

Star didn’t need to see Sunny’s face to know what she was referring to.

Harmony, I still miss Argyle…

“There was always just…something separating us,” Sunny continued, and Star took a second to discreetly wipe away a tear that had begun to form. “Even if he was willing to go easy on me when I got into trouble trying to convince others that the other races weren’t evil, he still didn’t believe in my message. It wasn’t until he had a chance to bond with Izzy, Pipp, and Zipp that he finally saw where I was coming from. And with how he was always trying to keep me out of trouble, he felt more like an overprotective big brother or something. Even now that everypony is united and that wall is gone, I just…can’t see him as anything other than family.”

“Well then, I guess we might just need to invite him to any future family dinners we have, then, shouldn’t we?” Star said, gently ruffling Sunny’s mane with a hoof. “I’m glad you managed to find ponies you could call family after Argyle passed on. Just knowing you had somepony who could be there for you when I couldn’t be is a wonderful feeling.”

“I’m just glad you can be here now,” Sunny said, gently nuzzling Star, making a warm feeling fill Star’s chest. “To think the goal I was striving for would let me meet my mom! If I had know that would have happened, I would have worked even harder!”

“And likely gotten into even more trouble,” Star said with a laugh, before a sobering thought occurred to her. Hitch had become part of Sunny’s family when Argyle died. His family had been there for Sunny, and Star hadn’t been. She hadn’t even been able do anything to take care of Sunny, or to try and comfort her after Argyle’s passing, or even talk to her.

Did Sunny…hold that against her at all?

It…it won’t hunt to ask, right?

“You aren’t…mad that I stayed away for so long, are you?” Star asked before that seed of doubt could freeze the words in her throat.

“No, I’m not mad,” Sunny said, her voice full of such pure conviction that Star could feel the ball of anxiety in her chest quickly melt away under the intensity of the reply. “The way everypony panicked when Izzy showed up, just by her existing…Even if you had come in disguise, if anypony found out you were a unicorn, you very well could have been chased out of town. And if you told everypony that we were related before magic came back…I can already see what kinds of problems that might have caused, for both of us. Hay, I might not even have been able to sell my smoothies as everypony might have become afraid that I could do some of the things a unicorn could!”

Still, I wish could have at least contacted you somehow, Star thought. Even if it was just a letter or a gift. Just, something to let you know I cared. I just didn’t know how to tell you I was still here. I barely know what to do right now. But I promise that I will be here for you, Sunny. No matter what.

“I do still want to try some of those smoothies, by the way. They sound delicious!” Star said, her stomach rumbling slightly in agreement. Now it was Sunny’s turn to giggle.

“I can definitely make you a smoothie later. But the point is, even if I would have loved to have met you earlier, I can understand why you waited. And besides, you were doing the same thing Dad was doing, right? Exploring, trying to find out what had happened to cause everypony to split up? We were both working towards the same goal. We were just…approaching it from different angles. You did research, and I tried to convince everypony that they didn’t need to be afraid. Not that I was very good at it…” she grumbled.

“Being persuasive can be hard,” Star said comfortingly. “And you did succeed, Sunny. You and your friends brought back magic by convincing everypony to try and give friendship a chance. Never forget that. And because of your hard work, we finally got to meet one another.”

Sunny didn’t say anything, choosing to hug Star all the tighter. Star nuzzled the top of Sunny’s head, the two of them basking in the warmth of each other’s presence as the waves continued to crash onto the beach below.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, the gentle sounds of the town and the ocean their only companions as they began the long process of making up for lost time.

As their hug began to loosen, a thought suddenly came to Star’s mind.

Izzy was the one who told me about how she, Sunny, and the rest of their friends brought magic back to Equestria. But a lot of her story focused on Sunny. I wonder…

“Though speaking of Izzy, she DID seem to like you quite a lot based on how she spoke about you in her story. Have you ever considered if she might like to go on a date?”

Star was certain the embarrassed shout of ‘MOM!’ could be heard in every house in Maretime Bay, and if not, then her own playful laughter definitely could. No matter what the future held for the two of them, Star was just glad that she and Sunny would be there to face the future together…

Author's Note

At long last, IT ARRIVES! Now BEHOLD! More adorable moments between Sunny and her Mother, including a full blown wedding flashback and plenty of silly moments involving a grumpy old pegasus. Also, playful motherly teasing/shipping.

And before anyone ask, I have absolutely not problems if you ship Sunny and Hitch. They would make for a cute ship. It's just that, for me, I tend to see them more as a brother and sister based on their interaction in the show and movie rather than fully a romantic couple. I might have them be together in an alternate universe or story, but for my main story here, I view them more as close family rather than romantically involved.

Sunny and Izzy, on the other hoof...Oh dear Harmony, these two need to JUST KISS ALREADY! They are so cute together, from their bonding over small things to Izzy being the only one who laughs and Sunny's horrible jokes, I have never shipped a couple so hard, which is saying something given how much I have written about Flash and Twilight!

But yes, this chapter is done, and I have another one that is already about to enter the editing stage. So enjoy this one for now, and get ready for the next one that will hopefully come out before the end of the year (I have a lot of chapters I still need to edit).

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Chapter 4: A Meeting of Moms

“I can’t believe that YOU were behind that whole ‘tennis ball’ nonsense!” Zipp exclaimed as she hovered overhead. “Thunder Flap still carries one with him! It drives Zoom crazy!”

“I still don’t understand why he wanted to carry one alongside that new shield the royal guards are trying out,” Pipp agreed, her hoof tapping her phone as she continued to take notes. Star was struggling to keep from staring at her as she worked. She could still remember Star Scout’s cell phone, but that one didn’t have a touch screen or the ability to create live videos. It was amazing how different the current phones were from Scout’s flip phone. Star would definitely need to get one of her own when she had a chance.

“They do make it a bit harder to cast though, so they aren’t truly useless,” Izzy pointed out, happily bouncing alongside Sunny. “Plus, it’s not the strangest thing I’ve gotten stuck on my horn. Remind me to tell you the story of the pumpkin!”

“It was Argyle’s idea for a costume, so feel free to blame him for that,” Star laughed, nuzzling the top of Sunny’s head lovingly.

After Sunny’s loud outburst (and once Star’s laughter had died down), both of their stomachs had let them know that it had been hours since they had last eaten. As a result, the two of them had decided to go ask Sunny’s friends if they wanted to join them for lunch – which worked out perfectly as they had been coming over to check out the disturbance regardless.

Sunny was still a little bit blushy at first (especially when Izzy had immediately hugged both Star and Sunny while squealing about how exciting this all was), but things had calmed down as Star had begun to talk with the ponies who had helped her daughter change the world. Star also couldn’t help but notice how Sunny’s friends stood on either side of the mother-daughter-pair, creating a bit of protection from the nearby crowd.

Only a few weeks and they already care so much about Sunny. It’s so wonderful to see.

Just like with Sunny, all of them had plenty of questions to ask the older unicorn. A few of them were the same ones Sunny had asked, but they had plenty of new ones too. Izzy, much to Star’s amusement, had wanted to know what Sunny had been like as a foal, something that sent Sunny into another bout of embarrassed blushing. Meanwhile, Zipp, Pipp, and Hitch had been eager to learn more about Star Scout and Star’s journeys into Zephyr Heights.

While Sunny did answer a few of the questions herself, she seemed happy to let Star do most of the talking as she leaned up against Star’s right side. The physical contact created a soft, warm feeling in Star’s chest as they walked, a feeling that reminded her so much of those wonderful few months raising Sunny all those years ago.

Harmony, I’ve missed this.

Now that she wasn’t nervous about meeting Sunny, Star took the chance to look around Maretime Bay as they walked and talked.

Not a lot had changed since her last visit almost twenty years ago. The buildings were still just as quaint and colorful as she remembered, though a few pegasi and unicorns were already starting to set up shops as well that had some pretty funky signs (Pipp’s salon looked like nothing Star had ever seen, so she definitely needed to check that out later). The planters hanging from each streetlight provided a soft flowery scent that mixed well with the faint salt in the air.

And then there were the ponies. While their expressions clearly said that they were still getting used to things changing, many of them looked far less stressed than Star remembered. Before, there had always been this air of uncertainty hanging over everyone in Maretime Bay. A lingering fear and paranoia that had permeated the whole town like a thundercloud ready to burst. Ponies jumping at any shadow flying overhead that was too big. A constant whisper to be on the lookout for unicorns or pegasi sneaking around. All those exaggerated posters depicting the other races as demons (Star couldn’t help but feel a flutter of pride that Sunny had taken to drawing over them whenever she got the chance, just like Argyle did occasionally when no pony was looking).

But that was all gone now, replaced with a cautious optimism. Ponies talking with members of other races. Foals running and playing as they always had, but now with knee-high horns and wings in the mix. Star even heard many of them happily chirp that there were so many new friends to meet. A few adult ponies were laughing or sharing meals with each other at one of the many outdoor restaurants. A pegasi was helping an earth pony water the planters lining one of the building’s windows. A unicorn was showing an earth pony and a pegasi one of the many (MANY) jinxy dances and explaining why she did it. A few different ponies helping to hang a new poster with a map to Bridlewood and Zephyr Heights.

It was exactly as Star had always envisioned it. Sure, she knew that there would likely be some bumps along the way, but seeing the progress that had already been made was reassuring on so many levels.

We just need to take it one step at a time. So long as we keep talking and interacting with one another, we can find our way through this. Towards a better Equestria.

But then, of course, there was the small mob of ponies that was currently following their little group. Granted, it wasn’t nearly as big as the mob that had first gathered after Star’s dramatic rescue, but she was surprised that there was still a mob at all. It had been HOURS, after all.

Star didn’t know if it was because of what Pipp called her ‘social media presence’ (Star still wasn’t sure what that was, though Zipp promised to explain it in more understandable terms later) or just because of how public her and Sunny’s reunion had been, but clearly the news of a unicorn with an earth pony for a daughter had been spreading rapidly through the town. Though given how dramatic their reunion was, perhaps it wasn’t too surprising.

She wasn’t even sure if these were the same ponies from earlier or if these were new ponies drawn by the spreading word. Either way, it was very weird. And it didn’t help that most of the ponies behind them had their phones out. Some were trying to be subtle. Others were very much not doing that, though they had enough awareness not to approach the group. On top of that, several passersby would see their group walking down the street and stop and stare, whisper excitedly to one another, occasionally pull their own phones out, or, in one unfortunate case, get so distracted that they walked right into a utility pole with a solid clang.

Note to self – always be sure to pay attention when using your phone once you get one. Just like when reading and walking, you don’t want to crash into anything while doing it. Especially since it’s harder to keep reading while you have a headache.

Though I do hope all this attention doesn’t last too long. I wonder if doing an interview or that podcast thing Pipp mentioned would help ponies calm down? Pipp seems to think so, but Zipp thinks that would only make it worse since then I would be even more popular.

I wonder how long it will be until other mixed couples come about? If Argyle and I could form such a wonderful bond, it’s only a matter of time until other ponies do too. Maybe doing an interview or podcast could help show other ponies that love doesn’t need to be constrained by a pony’s race? I’m sure Argyle would approve of me helping push that bit of societal development along.

“So, did you have any idea what you actually wanted to eat?” Hitch asked, pulling Star back to the conversation.

“I was content just to look around given how long it’s been since I’ve eaten here, but honestly? Now I’m starting to crave pizza,” Star said, thinking back to her first trip to Maretime Bay with Argyle. She had been a bundle of nerves when she first came into town. So afraid that somepony would see through her disguise, would question who she was or where she came from, would accuse her of hiding something. It wasn’t until Argyle had bought her a pizza for lunch that she had truly been able to relax and just enjoy her time in Maretime Bay. “Argyle loved to treat me to pizza. It was the first thing he ever shared with me outside our picnics.”

“Well then, good thing we’re right near the perfect place!” Sunny said, her voice bubbling with excitement as she nudged Star to the left. Right there was a familiar brick building, the second floor painted to look like a giant pizza. The large glass windows let her see that the place was bustling, yet not overcrowded. The outside tables, also painted to look like pizzas, were nearly full.

The restaurant was just as popular as it had been so many years ago, maybe even more so now, and aside from a fresh coat of paint, the building hadn’t changed in all these years.

Of all the places, what are the odds that we would end up here completely by accident?

“Right you are!” Hitch said, excitedly pushing open the door. “Welcome to Maretime Bay’s most popular pizza shop, The Slice is Right!”

“Glad to see it’s still going strong all these years later,” Star said, following Hitch inside. The smell of cheese and garlic sticks hit her immediately, bringing back a powerful memory. Of her and Argyle sitting near the window in their favorite corner booth, notes and pizza spread out before them as they continued to work. The setting sun shining through the windows as they made plans for their future trips, all before heading back to the lighthouse for the night.

A memory filled with longing for a time past, yet still filled with the love and care the two had shared. A love reinforced by her daughter still pressed up against her side.

Argyle would be so happy to see me back in this building again. Nothing could help him destress faster than a good old Mushroom Mix. I wonder what I should order? Ohh, they still have the Cheesy Supreme! That’s always a good choice. Or maybe the Veggie Surprise?

“Hitch? Since when do you come in here on shift? And who’s the new mare?” a voice called out. Star felt Sunny tense slightly, and as Star turned, she instantly felt a spark move up her spine. She recognized that pony. He had been in a few of the pictures Argyle had sent her of Sunny as well as mentioned in his letters when discussing Phylliss and her latest crazy inventions.

Sprout Cloverleaf was sitting there, a mostly-eaten slice of pizza in his hoof. He was wearing a bright yellow helmet that covered most of his yellow mane, and his dark red coat was a bit matted. Star was a bit surprised that he apparently hadn’t heard the news of her and Sunny yet. Had he been working for the last few hours? If so, that could easily explain it.

The fond memories of times long past were swiftly overtaken by a new, conflicted feeling. This was THE Sprout Cloverleaf. The pony who had become essentially a dictator over the course of a week, had tried to stop Sunny and her friends from reuniting the crystals, had nearly ran over Alphabittle with his invention, and had DESTROYED Argyle’s lighthouse! That wasn’t even counting the fact that Sunny, Izzy, and Pipp had still been INSIDE the lighthouse when it came down, and it was nothing less than a miracle that none of them were injured, let alone killed.

Seeing the stupid colt sitting there so innocently nearly made Star glare daggers, but she held back as both Izzy and Hitch approached him.

Izzy’s said he’s trying to do better, and Hitch said that he’s currently serving his community service. Try to at least give him a chance. You can be upset over the lighthouse but be willing to forgive him too.

Star shot a quick glance at Sunny. She appeared calm, but Star could feel her press up against her a bit more, as if trying to reassure Star that everything would be ok.

Funny. That’s supposed to be my job. Argyle really did a good job, didn’t he?

“Hey, Mr. Grumpy Pants!” Izzy greeted with endless enthusiasm as she bounded forward. “Did you like the surprise I left you this morning?”

Sprout frowned slightly at the name, but it did morph into a small, nervous smile rather quickly. “Yes, Izzy. I found the muffin you made me. Thank you for that. And for leaving out front rather than hanging around on my window’s balcony this time.”

“Yay!” Izzy exclaimed, hugging the now-slightly-panicking Sprout.

“Hey! Come on, at least let me eat my pizza if you’re gonna try and crush me!” Sprout cried as he was buried in Izzy’s massive mane.

Ok, that is a little bit funny. Star thought with a giggle.

“It’s just a hug, silly Grumpy Pants,” Izzy said, smiling innocently as she released the earth pony.

“To be fair, your hugs can be pretty strong,” Hitch said with a playful chuckle. “And I thought you were helping at the factory as part of your service today, Sprout. What are you doing here?”

“We had to take a break when the power blew,” Sprout said, sounding a bit defensive as he went back to his pizza slice. “They don’t know what caused it, so they told me to come back in an hour once they had a chance to look around.”

“Don’t worry, Sherrif. I’m keeping an eye on…” a new voice called out, only to trail off slowly. Star turned and could immediately feel a pit form in the depths of her stomach.

The mare in front of her was none other than Phyllis Cloverleaf. Argyle’s estranged friend, the source of so much hate and fear for the longest time, and Sprout’s mother. She hadn’t changed much at all appearance-wise since last Star had seen her. Blond mane done up in a massive blob above her head. A string of pearls around her neck, sitting snugly against the pink coat. Bright pink glasses framing her light blue eyes as they stared intently at Star.

Star knew that look. It was the look of somepony who had forgotten something and was trying to remember because they knew it was important, but they didn’t know why.

Ok, so not only did we choose to go into The Slice is Right because this is where Argyle and I used to go all the time, but this also just so happens to be the place where Sprout and his mother are having lunch? I know this place is popular, but this surely can’t just be a coincidence, can it?

And the look she’s giving me. It can’t be because she still isn’t used to seeing unicorns. And I doubt it’s because I’m with Sunny and her friends. But why is she looking at ME if she’s forgotten someth—

Wait…Wait wait WAIT! I met Phyllis in pony before. Not often, but there were at least two times Argyle and I ran into her while I was in disguise. Does she—

“I know you,” Phyllis said, her eyes going wide.

She remembers me, Star thought, her body tensing despite the soft touch of her daughter’s coat against her own. So much for putting this encounter off until things have calmed down. She gulped slightly, never taking her eyes off Phyllis’ as the unicorn’s eyes darted up to Star’s horn, then back to her eyes. Star could see the mix of shock, confusion, and uncertainty written as clear as day on Phyllis’ face, but there, surprisingly, wasn’t any hostility.

Yet.

“You do?” Sprout, Hitch, and Sunny all asked at the same time, while Zipp, Pipp, and Izzy shot them confused looks.

“Yes,” Phyllis said softly. “Years ago. You were with Argyle. Not always, but, whenever I saw you around town, you were always with him. Always talking with him about his trips, about his research. Always by his side as he guided you through town…Always wearing a hat.” Her eyes looked up again, and Star could quite literally feel the magic move through the groves of her horn as Phyllis gazed at it. A faint glow lit up her horn, as if Star’s magic was acknowledging the attention and demonstrating that it did, in fact, exist. “You’re a unicorn. You WERE a unicorn. A unicorn was visiting Maretime Bay, decades before Izzy came to town…and nopony noticed. I didn’t notice! How—what—why?”

“Nopony thought that a unicorn would try to hide in plain sight,” Star said, her voice calm despite the squirming of her stomach. She…didn’t know how to feel right now. This was the pony who had fomented so much of the fear and hate in Maretime Bay. Who had always criticized what Argyle was trying to do despite once being his friend. Who Argyle had put in his will to request she make sure the lighthouse was maintained until Sunny came of age. Who had recognized her mistake, and whose commitment to try and make peace with the other races had led to the return of magic.

Argyle always said that he had wanted to renew their friendship if she would just stop with the anti-unity propaganda. How would he have felt about her trying to turn over a new leaf so many years later?

“Who are you?” Phyllis asked.

It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t forceful. It wasn’t accusatory.

It was the voice of a pony who had just learned something that fundamentally threw a world they thought they knew into question. It was the same tone Star had used when she had first talked with Argyle all those years ago, as the lies of Bridlewood slowly began to unravel before her.

Star opened her mouth to answer, but just like when meeting her own daughter, no words came out. How did she even begin to answer that question? She was a scientist. She was Argyle’s wife. She was a unicorn. She was a pony who had searched for a way to end the separation of the tribes for decades. She was one of the only unicorns who cared about bringing magic back. She was, as far as she knew, the only pony aside from Argyle to explore all three settlements well before Sunny had reunited the crystals.

I’m a scientist, an explorer, a unicorn, but none of those feel quite right…

She was—

“Her name is Shining Star,” Sunny said, her voice firm and strong, “and she’s my mother.”

Phyllis’s mouth dropped open in shock, while Sprout began choking on the crust of his pizza. Hitch gave the poor colt a good smack on the back to dislodge the blockage, but even that didn’t stop Sprout from almost fully focusing on Star.

“Your mother is a unicorn? You’re Argyle’s wife?!” Phyllis exclaimed, her hoof pointing sharply at Star as if to ensure that she wasn’t misunderstanding Sunny’s words.

“Yes,” Star said, almost on instinct. “Widow, technically, but…yes. On both counts,” She draped a leg over Sunny’s back, taking comfort in her daughter’s presence as the familiar tang of loss invaded her chest. Sunny leaned into the grip, letting out a content sigh. Phyllis, meanwhile, looked even more unsure how to react than she had a few minutes ago.

But she doesn’t look upset or angry. She mostly looks…at a loss. Like she didn’t know this was even possible. As if some things suddenly make sense yet don’t make sense at the same time. I’ve seen that look before from when I first met Argyle and, to a lesser extent, Scout. I probably look like her too right now.

“Well, that explains a lot,” Sprout said, causing all heads to snap towards him. It was also then that Star realized that they had, once again, attracted quite the audience, as everypony in the building was currently staring at them. Even the cooks had come out of the kitchen, likely to see what was causing the disturbance, and were now watching the exchange in awe. Star really hoped this excess of attention didn’t last forever.

“It does???” almost everypony exclaimed all at once. Even Phyllis.

“Well, yeah, kinda. I mean, no offense Sunny, but your ideas have always been a little bit…out there.”

“Hey!” Sunny protested, her face morphing into an annoyed glare.

“I’m not saying you were WRONG!” Sprout exclaimed, holding up his hoofs in defense before muttering “Even if I think all this unity stuff is going too fast.” He shook his head before speaking normally again. “But you did always look at things differently than everypony else. Even before everything when crazy when Izzy came to town, you constantly tried to convince everyone that unicorns and pegasi could be our friends. And you persisted for years despite everypony telling you it wouldn’t work or could be dangerous. You even let Izzy out of the unicorn box knowing it would cause everypony to start panicking again!”

“You included,” Sunny said, a sly playful smugness leaking into her tone. Sprout blushed slightly but didn’t appear to be deterred.

“Well, yeah! No pony had ever seen a unicorn before! Even now, Izzy is a bit…much, sometimes. And trust me, given Hitch’s ‘Friendship Lessons,’ I would know. Even if she does get me a pizza at the end of our time together and sometimes helps me with my community service, just being around her can be exhausting. Errr, no offense, Izzy.”

“None taken! The unicorns back home used to say the same thing all the time,” Izzy said with far more cheer than Star thought possible.

She really does enjoy being somepony who breaks the mold. I wonder if that’s why she decided to come to Maretime Bay after finding Sunny’s lantern.

“But the point is,” Sprout continued, “you and your dad always viewed things differently than everypony else. And if your dad was married to a unicorn, then that would explain so much about him! Why he was always researching, why he always had all these stories about Twilight Sprinkle—

“Sparkle,” Sunny and Star corrected simultaneously.

“Whatever. But so much of what he was saying and why he didn’t believe in what we were taught finally makes sense now! I’m still trying to get used to this…magic stuff, but I can see why he at least wanted us to give it a chance.”

He gave a shrug, and as though on cue, his stomach let out a loud grumble. “You know, I wonder if he knew any new pizza recipes from the unicorns. Scary magic or not, pizza is pizza, and I would love to try some of those once that new pizza place opens across town.”

“He did, though he always preferred the Maretime Bay ones,” Star said, needing to suppress a small giggle. “He always thought ours had too much moss.” Sure, he didn’t hate moss, but Star could understand how it was a more acquired taste after trying earth pony and pegasi food.

“So much that…I didn’t know about him. That I never bothered trying to know,” Phyllis said, bringing her hoof to her forehead as her eyes slowly drifting back to Star. She could tell that Phyllis was feeling overwhelmed.

It’s always hard at first, Star thought sympathetically. Learning that the world isn’t what you think. It takes time to adapt, to learn to roll with all the changes the world is throwing at you.

There was also a look in Phyllis’s eyes that Star couldn’t quite place. A…mourning perhaps? A regret over words not spoken? A sadness at not being able to make amends?

Whichever it was, Star felt something stir in her chest as she gazed into those eyes.

She and Argyle were friends once. But they never managed to reconnect before it was too late. And now she knows why he was uncompromising in his support for unity. Because of me. Because of Scout. Because of Sunny, a pony whose mere existence is proof that we can be united despite everything that separates us from one another.

Maybe…I can do something for Phyllis. Give her some closure, at least. I know Argyle would want me to help her. To make sure she has the best chance in this new world we were working for. After all, unity was always meant to make things better for everypony, no matter how against it they may have been in the past.

“Sunny, can you go order me a Cheesy Supreme?” Star asked, looking at her daughter gently. Sunny looked up at her in surprise. “And place orders for everypony else too? I think Phyllis and I need to talk for a little bit. At least until the pizzas are ready. If that’s ok with Phyllis, at least.”

“I…Yes, I think we need to talk,” Phyllis said, her voice still full of uncertainty. “Maybe not all at once, but…”

“Even a small step of progress is still a step forward,” Star said. She couldn’t help but feel she had read that line somewhere before, though for the life of her she couldn’t remember where. But that wasn’t important right now.

“I…ok,” Sunny said, her voice hesitant as she looked between Star and the order counter. “Just…don’t go too far, ok?”

Star just smiled and hugged her daughter again.

“I’ll be right over here. I promise I won’t be going anywhere.” It was only by some miracle that Star didn’t cry as she spoke. The dreadful memory of the day she left bubbled to the surface of her mind, the heartbreak of having to leave her husband and daughter behind as she returned to her old home almost impossible to bear at the time.

But it never had to happen again. Thanks to Sunny, she never had to go through that again, and that simple fact relieved so much of the stress that old memory stirred up.

“Sprout, why don’t you go order another pizza?” Phyllis’s voice asked, pulling Star back to the real world as she released her daughter. “I was coming over to let you know I got a text saying the power won’t be on for another hour at least, and you were working very hard today. And please order me one as well. Something tells me I might need it.”

“Oh, uh, sure thing, Mommy,” Sprout stammered, quickly slipping out of his place in the booth and retreating over to where Hitch had gotten into line. Star smiled slightly at the sight, and after giving Sunny a last nod of encouragement, began to walk towards the booth.

Sunny still looked uncertain, but Izzy was quick to bound up next to her and whisper something in her ear. Star couldn’t hear what she said, but given how Sunny relaxed a little bit, she could only assume it was something reassuring, if a bit silly.

Joking around earlier or not, I am glad that Sunny and Izzy have such a good friendship. I get the feeling that they will be looking out for each other for years to come.

“Have you…had the Cheesy Supreme before?” Phyllis asked hesitantly as Star sat down opposite her. The bench was just as plush and comfy as Star remembered, and her positioning let her see out the large window at the front of the building. The mob was still out there recording everything, watching intently through the glass even though Star was sure they wouldn’t hear anything.

I wonder if anypony out there can read lips…No, focus, Star.

Though given the number of ponies inside that were also subtly watching her, Star was sure that stories of what was said would soon be spreading just as quickly as news of her relationship with Sunny.

The only known unicorn with an earth pony daughter speaks one-on-one with the pony who used to create unicorn traps and other anti-non-earth pony devices and whose son nearly started a war. I can almost see the headlines now.

“This was the first thing Argyle bought for me when I came to Maretime Bay,” Star said softly, noticing a small twitch of Phyllis’ right leg at the mention of Star’s visit. “He had already visited Bridlewood, and he wanted me to see how his favorite foods compared to mine.”

“The Cheesy Supreme was always one of his favorites,” Phyllis said softly. “Right behind the Mushroom Mix. He always used to get one or the other when we came here after school. But…things changed. It was slow at first, with him asking a few questions, pointing out a few inconsistencies in our textbooks, things like that. But the changes just kept growing in intensity. He started his research, started questioning everything we had been taught, started questioning…if the other races were dangerous.”

“And from what he told me, that led to arguments. Am I recalling that correctly?” Star asked.

Phyllis nodded. “It did, but…not right away. Things were…civil. At first,” she said, sighing softly. “I was always set to inherit Canterlogic from my father, a factory whose entire purpose was to create tools to stop unicorns and pegasi. Between that and the fact that my family was always talking about how we needed to protect the town, the idea that the other races were dangerous was always just something that I assumed to be true. All the staff talked about it, the city board would talk about it whenever they came to visit, ponies would talk about it during our showcases. It was always a part of the conversation, but Argyle…one day we were here, and he just got up and left when the topic came up. He seemed…I’m not quite sure. Uncertain? Frustrated? Both, maybe? Then, when it came up again at a party a few days later, he asked how we knew that.

“How did we know the other races were dangerous? Had we ever seen a unicorn or pegasi? Had our parents? He wasn’t hostile or rude, but he seemed like there was something bothering him. Like there was some nagging doubt in the back of his mind that he just couldn’t overcome. I tried to ask him about it, but he always just said he was probably overthinking things. That he was just tired of the topic being brought up so frequently – in his defense, ponies did talk about it a lot. I told him that he could talk to me about it, but he didn’t seem interested in sharing his thoughts on the matter, at least with me. I kept the offer open to him and moved on, not thinking anything would come of it at the time. However, when he turned eighteen…”

“He started his research,” Star finished, nodding. “He began pointing out all the problems with what you thought was true. Poking holes in things that many earth ponies had assumed were true.”

“Yes, and all because he found what he said was an ancient letter written by Princess Twilight. One that he refused to turn over to anypony. He took a photo of it to give to the library so ponies could read it, purely for documentation, or so he said, but he refused to let anyone see the real document. He didn’t even budge when the librarian Arc tried to convince him to let the library analyze the letter to see if it was real. Nor did he say where he got it or where he kept it.”

“It was in the book his dad gave him,” Star said. It felt odd to say after so many years of keeping it a secret for Argyle, but some part of her deep consciousness told her that Argyle would want Phyllis to know this after so long. “The old journal detailing Princess Twilight’s adventures with her friends. It was hidden in a secret compartment that could only be opened with the earth pony crystal.”

“THAT’S where it was?” Phyllis exclaimed in shock, a flash of realization spilling across her face. “Once he started his research, he started carrying that book around with him sometime. I once saw him reading it right here in this restaurant and taking notes on it. He was oddly protective of it, and I never understood why he cared so much about a bunch of old fairy tales. That book – he kept it safe more than anything else he owned.”

“Because he knew it wasn’t just a bunch of stories,” Star said with a nod. “It was an ancient piece of history, written by ponies who lived through the adventures detailed within. One that nopony would believe.”

“Me included,” Phyllis said with a sigh, sagging slightly in her seat. “It was around this time that I was starting to work more at the factory and more closely with the city board that runs Maretime Bay. Argyle…he had started to change, even needing to be escorted out of the library one day for yelling at the head librarian. But even after apologizing and being let back in, he still had this…anger in him that I had never seen before. His father was worried about it and being a new member of the city board in town, I began to worry about it too.

“I tried to talk to him, but, looking back, it was more like I was trying to stop him. He just wanted to learn the truth, to learn why our history was so jumbled and confusing, no matter how uncomfortable that truth might be. I couldn’t understand that, or I didn’t want to, it’s hard to tell. And for a time, longer than I probably deserved, he was patient with me. He was systematic, trying to talk through my counter points, trying to make his argument in a calm and rational way. They were more like debates.

“But he only had so much patience, and as he worked his way through all that we had both been taught, as he pointed out the flaws in my arguments, I became less respectful. I became frustrated and defensive, unwilling to see that his points had merit. And one day, I just, snapped at him. I yelled at him for being so difficult and unreasonable. He responded in kind, shouting that we didn’t know that the other races were dangerous. That we had no proof because no pony had ever seen a unicorn or pegasus. That the company products might be defending us from a threat that didn’t even exist.

“It was jarring to hear him lose his cool like that. I remember being so shocked that I couldn’t respond for a few minutes when he finally stopped. Things changed after that. Our talks became arguments, and just mentioning that pegasi or unicorns were dangerous would be enough to get him to shut down a conversation cold. Or, if I were to yell at him, he would start yelling back at me. I usually ended up screaming that so many ponies couldn’t be wrong, at which point, our conversation was over…”

“You weren’t the first one to think that, and you certainly won’t be the last,” Star said as reassuringly as she could. Argyle had told her about these fits of anger, about how he would try to bottle up his feelings until they would eventually explode out, usually around Phyllis or other ponies who tried to convince him to stop. They had been most prevalent during the early days of his research.

Arc the librarian had been the one to help Argyle with this problem. Arc was willing to listen to Argyle’s frustrations and concerns without judgement, taught him exercises to calm down, and worked with him to direct his frustrated energy into more productive tasks like his research or household chores. He has also assisted Argyle with clearing his jumbled thoughts on what they had discovered during their research, going so far as to aid Argyle in coming up with his theory that the three races had once been friends, but that he wasn’t sure if they could be again.

It had been that uncertainty of whether unity could happen again that convinced Argyle to continue his research outside of Maretime Bay.

“And it was a frustrating time for both of you,” Star continued. “Argyle because he felt that he had been lied to for his entire life and that almost no pony seemed to care, and you because you were raised to maintain the status quo and Argyle was disrupting that, intentionally or not. That’s what he always told me, at least, when he talked about Maretime Bay during his foalhood.”

“That sounds about right,” Phyllis said, nodding. “My father always told me that the role of Canterlogic was to protect ponies. To keep them safe. But with the questions Argyle was asking, it worried ponies, the city board and the mayor especially. And that worry only got worse once he started on his trips. His dad was in shambles when he left for the first time, and I barely slept until he came back a few days later. I was just so worried something might happen to him. Almost nopony else had left town before, and despite our arguments, I couldn’t stand the thought of him being hurt.

“But then he left again. And again. And soon ponies began to worry not only about his safety, but if he might lead something back to us unintentionally. And the city board couldn’t figure out what to do about that. Some ponies wanted to just pass a law saying ponies weren’t allowed to leave the town, but a majority of the city board and my family refused to support such an idea. It just wouldn’t be right, and some worried it might lead to other oppressive rules down the line if there was a precedent like this. Plus, a few ponies did technically leave the borders of the town to get flowers or materials for their shops or livelihoods, so it wouldn’t be fair to punish them just because of concerns about Argyle.

“So, because I knew Argyle, because I had grown up a good friend of his, the city board asked me to try and talk some sense to him. Though at the time, they made it sound more like I was to give him an intervention. To show him that his actions were causing problems in town and get him to stop, at the least, if only to try and protect everypony else. It…was a lot to ask, and looking back on it…I feel like they almost forced the role onto me. But…I was told I was doing what I could to protect Maretime Bay…so, I did it. And…I tried, I really did. I met with him whenever he came back, I did my best not to mention the other races, I tried to learn about what he was studying so we could rebuild our connection…

“And he made an effort too. He tried showing me his work, tried explaining what he had found out in the world, tried to show me that I didn’t need to be afraid. But it never truly worked. I just couldn’t overcome my own fears. Couldn’t accept that everything my family had worked for had been for nothing. We just…couldn’t go back to what we had before…And even when I thought I might be getting close to convincing him, something changed in him…

“I…he came back from one of his trips, and I just knew that there was nothing I could do to convince him. A time when, a few years after he first left Maretime Bay, he changed in a way I couldn’t understand. Something had solidified in his mind, something that proved to him that he was right. And when that happened…I knew Argyle wasn’t going to stop searching, wasn’t going to stop his research, wasn’t going to give up. Even if everypony in town was against him, he wouldn’t stop trying to prove something that…that I never could have imagined being true. That almost nopony would have been able to imagine as being as true. I used to think that he was just too stubborn to see reason. That he was putting himself at risk for a fantasy. The shift was so intense that some part of me even thought he might have been brainwashed by a unicorn. Only now…

“Now I see it wasn’t stubbornness, it wasn’t a fantasy, and it certainly wasn’t brainwashing. It was knowledge and determination. He never gave up on unity because he knew something nopony else did. Not me, not the city board, not the mayor, not even his parents. He knew you.”

“It’s easier to hate a faceless enemy, rather than one you have gotten to know,” Star said, nodding gently. “I was in the right place at the right time. We saved each other’s lives, and once we started talking, we knew that things could never go back to the way they used to be for us. And in truth, it wasn’t just me.” Phyllis’ eyes widened in confusion, and Star gave her a little grin. “A few months after we met, we were saved from a bad thunderstorm by a pegasus named Star Scout. He was old, grouchy, and a bit of a goof, but he became one of our best friends.”

“Star Scout,” Phyllis muttered, her gaze drifting over towards the counter. Star followed suit, chuckling softly at the sight. Sunny and the others had almost reached the front of the line. Sprout was trying to edge away from the excitedly bouncing Izzy, only for her to bounce ever so slightly closer with every step he took away. Pipp and Zipp were in deep discussion and kept pointing to different pizzas on the menu, while Hitch kept trying to impose himself between them and direct their attention to the custom pie option. Sunny was the only one who looked fully ready to order, though she chose that exact moment to look back at Star with a bit of concern on her face.

Star wasn’t sure if it was concerned over Phyllis or just to make sure Star was still there, but regardless, Star just nodded reassuringly, earning a soft, warm smile from her daughter in return. It made Star’s heart flutter with motherly love.

If only Scout and Argyle could be here to see that smile.

“Scout was more than just a friend,” Star continued, turning back to Phyllis with a surprising amount of difficulty. “He was somepony who helped Argyle and I realize that we wanted to be more than friends, oversaw our wedding ceremony, and helped to deliver Sunny. He was old and retired, but just like us, he had begun to notice the cracks in the lies we had all been told and, deep down, wanted to know the truth of the world. Without him, Argyle and I might never have realized just how much we cared for one another. And Sunny…”

Star didn’t need to finish her sentence. She could see the understanding deep within Phyllis eyes. The look of a mother who couldn’t imagine a world without her children.

“I never did find out from Argyle who Sunny’s mother was,” Phyllis said softly, staring down at the table. “She was just…there one day, riding in a foal carrier on his side. A small little filly, only a year old at most, yet nopony had seen her before. I don’t know what Argyle told his parents, or didn’t tell them, and I don’t know how things worked out between them when this all came to light. All I know is that Argyle had a DNA test done to confirm that Sunny was indeed his, though he only ever told me and his parents about that, and that they accepted her as their granddaughter and gave her all the love they could. He would never say where she had come from to me.

“Rumors swirled for almost three years. That he had found her in the wilderness, left to die by the pegasi or unicorns. That he had found another town of earth ponies and fell in love with somepony there. That he found an ancient artifact powered by unicorn magic that gifted him with a foal as a single wish. A lot of them were crazy, and yes, I know how ironic that sounds given what Canterlogic used to make, but as time went on and she grew up like any other foal, the rumors slowly died out. It helped that Argyle’s parents were defensive of Sunny and made it abundantly clear that they accepted her. But…nopony was even close to realizing the truth…”

“Not many would guess that her mother was a unicorn, even if they did guess that I had willingly left Sunny and Argyle for years, regardless of the reason,” Star said, shuddering slightly at the memory of returning to Bridlewood with nothing but a few photos and a fake, painful smile. ‘For years’ could very well have turned into ‘forever’ if the races hadn’t been reunited. The idea of never being able to see Sunny again without potentially upending her life was one of the things that had kept Star searching for a way to reunite the races far more than any other. “Was she…treated differently because of that lack of clarity?”

“Not that I know of,” Phyllis answered, and Star could hear the honesty in her voice. “My thought was that he had fallen in love with another earth pony, possibly one who traveled from some other, unknown settlement, and had needed to take care of Sunny after something happened to the mother. Not fully incorrect, I suppose, but nopony ever even considered that she might have a parent who wasn’t an earth pony.”

“I’m still sense a ‘but,’” Star said softly. She could hear it Phyllis’ tone. A sense of regret, of shame.

“There is,” Phyllis sighed, slumping further into her seat. “Argyle stopped traveling so much once Sunny was here in Maretime Bay. Not completely, but he left far less frequently than he did before and always made sure to have someone to watch Sunny for a few days when he did. I thought that, maybe, this would mean that he would stop his research. Stop pushing his idea that the three races didn’t need to be enemies. That Sunny would help him see that the world could be dangerous, and that he needed to focus on keeping her safe.

“Looking back, he did keep her safe, but not in the way anypony was expecting. He homeschooled Sunny, refusing to let her go through the same education we had when we were foals. The city board was uncertain about this at first, but when she scored at the top for Equish, science, and math, it was clear that he was teaching her the essentials. She wasn’t the first pony to be homeschooled, and so long as she continued to meet the necessary milestones, there wouldn’t be any grounds for moving her into the public school. I am glad that Hitch and the other foals were still willing to try and befriend her, however, especially seeing as she was the only pony being homeschooled at the time.”

“Only Earth Pony History was a problem, if I recall correctly?” Star said curiously. “I’m surprised the city board didn’t do anything about that.”

Phyllis nodded. “Argyle was teaching her what he had learned, what his research had discovered, what Princess Twilight and her friends had supposedly been like in the distant past. He did teach her about the town’s past based on what he and Arc had discovered, but the city board and school system were split on whether that should count as a passing grade. It…ponies had concerns, but with how well she did in every other topic, and because Arc’s book was technically the town’s history, it was decided by the city board to let that issue slide. Nopony thought anything would come of it. At least, not until she started causing trouble at Canterlogic’s annual showcase a few years after Argyle…well... But by then, Hitch had become the new sheriff, and he was certain that she would come around to how everyone else thought with enough time…

“It…didn’t stop him from needing to lock her up occasionally for taking things a bit too far, such as when she replaced the Canterlogic banners with banners spreading her message, if only to give her a warning about her behavior. But those stays in the police station were usually quick, and she never made the same mistake twice. She’s smart and she refused to change her outlook on unity. She refused to accept that the other races might be dangerous, no matter how many times everypony told her otherwise. She was just as dedicated as her father, if lacking the subtlety he developed over time.”

“Don’t count me out of the blame for that side of her,” Star said somewhat jokingly. “I was pretty darn stubborn when I was young too. I spent years trying to learn magic, and even after I met Argyle, I was typically the one that suggested things that got us into trouble most often.”

“What kind of trouble?” Phyllis asked, her head tilting curiously.

“Well, let’s see…” Star hummed in thought. “Getting lost in the rainstorm was partly my fault as I wanted to explore around the base of Zephyr Heights and didn’t want to wait until the next day. I was the one that suggested and later insisted on sneaking into all three settlements so we could search the libraries for information, which may have resulted in the Zephyr Heights guards carrying tennis balls around. There was that time I got stuck in the basement of a dilapidated house when the first floor collapsed and Argyle had to spend half a day digging me out. Then there was that incident with the Crystal Swamp that ended with us both stuck in mud for a good three hours until a horned toad came by and jumped in the mud and knocked us loose.”

“Wow. When you mention all that, I think I can see why you and Argyle got along so well,” Phyllis said, smiling softly. “He always had this sense of adventure and discovery about him, whether it be a new book he was reading or the stars up in the sky. He…he would have been so proud of Sunny for all she’s done.”

Star could feel the grief in her words. She could see the sadness deep in Phyllis’s eyes. As she spoke, Star could feel a sympathetic tug deep inside her heart. Argyle had held a place in both their lives, and there was a void without him that never truly went away.

“It’s odd,” Phyllis continued, gazing down at her own hooves, “but for the longest time, I envied Sunny. Argyle’s death hit her so hard, but she still managed to bounce back so well as time went on. She never forgot him, never stopped loving him, but she never let that feeling of loss hold her back. Never let it stop her from doing what she thought needed to be done, even if the whole town was standing against her. If anything, it motivated her to work even harder, to push for unity even more passionately, to never stop working for a world that she thought was possible.

“For years, I worked to protect the town the way I thought I had to. I had the support of the mayor, the city board, the sheriff’s department, but looking back on it…so much of that support came out of fear, while Sunny was able to support herself based solely on the memory of her father and the hope of a better world. The hope that everything he had taught her could be true.

“I never questioned my role. Never tried to look past the fear that drove me to run Canterlogic the way I did. It was only when I saw how much Spout was preparing for war that I began to see how much he internalized my rhetoric about the other races, and that I began to have any doubts. But even then, it was only when Sunny told everypony that unicorns and pegasi didn’t have magic that I finally realized how out of control things had gotten. That I was finally confronted with the fact that all that preparation and paranoia had been against ponies who didn’t even pose a threat to anypony.

“I…I still blame myself for what happened. Years of fomenting hate and fear, of pushing for the kind of mob-think that Sprout got swept up in, all because of Canterlogic and our silly inventions. All the while, the other ponies were helping each other. Hitch and Zipp were trying to stop the machine, Queen Haven shielded Alphabittle from the goo bombs, and Sunny saved Izzy from falling out of the lighthouse. It’s why I jumped in front of Sprout’s machine. So that I could try to at least stop the damage I had caused from getting any worse, to try and clean up the mess I had helped create. I…I failed in that regard, but…”

Star could see something in Phyllis’s eyes when she finally looked up. A spark of some kind. A belief that she had seen something incredible, even if it defied explanation.

“But then, when the lighthouse was destroyed…Something happened,” Phyllis whispered. “When Sunny was speaking, when she was asking for us all to finally try and put all this hatred behind us, when she was showing us how destructive this mindset could be, I…I saw him. I…I don’t know if I was hallucinating, or if it was some sort of memory brought on by all the emotions and adrenaline, but…but I could see Argyle. He was standing there, right behind Sunny, looking at me. I…I could almost hear his voice as Sunny spoke.

“He…I got this feeling in my chest that…he forgave me…and that he was sorry. That he forgave me for all those years of stoking fear or us throwing thinly veiled insults at each other. That he was sorry for all those times he was disrespectful or passive-aggressive with me. That despite how bitter our interactions were at the end, that he didn’t want that to define our relationship. That he wanted me to give the other races a chance. That he was still…”

She paused for a moment, her legs shaking slightly against the table and her breathing unsteady. Star didn’t know what to say, so she kept silent and just gave the earth pony some time to center herself. She watched as Phyllis took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes until her legs calmed. After about a minute, the earth pony continued, “That he was still my friend. After that, after everything Sprout and I had both done, I…how could I possibly say no to his child? How could I go back to doing what I had always done after so much chaos caused because of my company and my own fears? And then, when the crystals activated, when Sunny gained her new abilities, I could…I could almost hear him thanking me. Could feel him hugging me as the rainbow of magic spread as far as the eye could see.

“I…I still don’t know if he was really there, or if all the adrenaline and guilt was getting to me, but despite all the changes and all the worry I still have, I think that I made the right choice. I want to say I know I did, but…it’s still just so hard to be sure. To throw off so many years of thinking you were doing the right thing, to accept a new world that is nothing like you thought it would be. Not knowing if you’re taking the proper steps. I was wrong so many times, and I just find it so hard to trust my instincts anymore…Do…do you think Argyle would approve of what I’ve done so far? And the fact that I am trying to be better?”

Star took a moment to think. We’ve just met, and yet you’re already willing to open up to me so much, she thought, a slight chill running up her spine. More than that, you already think I know Argyle better than you do. You are asking me to speak on his behalf because you think that I know him far more than you ever did. You’re questioning whether or not you knew the real him despite all the time you spent together. That’s both touching that you are acknowledging how much I loved him and a bit sad that you are doubting yourself so much.

“I know that he would have approved of what you’ve done since magic returned,” Star said, slowly reaching across the table and gently placing her hoof against Phyllis’. It was shaking slightly, but it was warm to the touch, and though Phyllis’ eyes widened at the contact, she didn’t pull away. “Even years after you split, he always viewed you as somepony he wanted to reconnect with, to overcome the barriers between you and become friends again. He always regretted being unable to find the words to convince you about unity or that would allow the two of you to agree to disagree on your views. He wanted to apologize for all the snark he gave you, that he struggled not to respond defensively to your dismissal of his views. That he didn’t realize how much his rebuttals were driving you away.

“He wanted to let you know that he wasn’t mad at what you had done in the past, and he and I were always searching for a way to show everypony that our lives didn’t need to be defined by fear. For that perfect piece of irrefutable evidence that couldn’t be explained away, even by the stubbornest of ponies,” Phyllis let out a soft chuckle at, clearly knowing who Argyle had been referring to. “I can’t say for certain if you really saw him or not that day, but I know he would be happy to see you working to cast off that weight of terror that had followed you for all these years.

“He still saw you as a friend, and even if the way forward might not be fully clear, he would be proud at you for taking a leap of faith for Sunny, and for all ponykind. He would trust you to keep moving forward, and to help others do the same.”

Phyllis was crying, but Star could see a subtle change in her eyes and posture. An acceptance of sorts, as if a lingering uncertainty over her decision had been erased. She didn’t fully understand what Phyllis had gone through in the wake of magic returning, but Star had a sense that her words had helped the mare find at least a little bit of closure, both to what she had seen that night and her own history with Argyle.

Thank you, my Star…

A pulse of feeling flared through Star’s horn, and the flame of love she and Argyle had shared suddenly burned brightly in her chest, expanding faster by the second.

That voice!

Her heart jumped into her throat as she tried to look around. To find where that voice had come from. To follow the feeling in her soul to find the source of the fire inside her. The flame that rapidly caused the world to suddenly snap into focus even as her vision became blurry with tears. It was as though she could feel an energy in the air itself, trace it as it swirled around and into the ponies nearby, follow it without the need for her eyes or ears.

What…what is this?

“Star?” Phyllis asked uncertainly. “Are you alright?”

“I…yeah. I just…thought I heard something. It’s nothing,” Star said, taking off her glasses so she could wipe her eyes. Phyllis moved to do the same. Yet…

That voice. Was that…Argyle? No, no it couldn’t be. He’s dead. It’s just me getting too swept up in our conversation. Or maybe my magic playing tricks on me. After all, it has been randomly teleporting me all over the place, so there’s no way yet to know if there are any other side-effects. Especially given how powerful my magic is compared to the other unicorns I’ve seen so far.

“Pizza time!”

Izzy’s perky voice yanked Star back to reality, and before she could stop it, her horn flashed, and she and Phyllis swapped glasses.

Really, horn? REALLY!? Now is not the time for crazy teleport shenanigans!

“Izzy!” the rest of the group of ponies chided.

“What? I’m just announcing that lunch is ready?” Izzy said innocently as she plopped a large tray with six personal pizzas and one full-sized pizza down on the table before the two mares.

Oh harmony, that smells so goooooooooooooood, Star thought, her mouth almost instantly starting to water.

“Well, that’s new,” Phyllis muttered to Star, pulling the unicorn’s glasses off her nose and staring at them. “What…did you DO, exactly?”

It was said mostly casually, but Star could hear a subtle undercurrent of tension in the earth pony’s voice. She’s still nervous around magic. That’s understandable. Heck, I’m still a bit nervous about my own magic, though that’s more because I can’t seem to control it!

“That was… accidental teleportation. Sorry about that,” Star said, gently levitating the glasses off her face and back to their owner as Phyllis hoofed Star’s back to her. “My magic appears to take a different form than other unicorns, at least from what I can tell. I have no idea why, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to find some more information back in Bridlewood. Assuming we have books on different magic types, at least. In short, teleporting things – and myself – has become distractingly common, though it usually seems to happen when I get startled. I think it’s a kind of fight-or-flight reaction.”

“That would track with you teleporting in front of the trolley I was about to crash into,” Sunny said with a small giggle. “Though that wouldn’t explain the notebook or the photos.”

“Maybe it’s linked to strong emotions?” Zipp said, humming to herself in thought. “I mean, she was pretty excited to study the Unity Crystals and the photos were very emotional. It could be worth looking into if strong emotions could trigger magical occurrences.”

“That might be a good idea,” Hitch agreed as Star and Phyllis got out of the booth to let the others slide in. “We don’t want someone to lose control of their magic and cause any more problems.”

“Any more problems?” Star asked in mild concern.

Has anypony else been having random spell effects happen? Or is he referring to something else?

GRUMBLE!

“On second thought, why don’t we start eating before we get into that topic?” she amended as her stomach let out a mighty rumble. Phyllis nodded in agreement as she let Sprout enter the booth. Star smiled, her stomach grumbling even more loudly as she caught sight of the Cheesy Supreme.

It looks even cheesier than I remember!

A bit of moving around later, and everypony was seated in the booth and the food was distributed. Star wasted no time grabbing the first bite of her pizza and was immediately in heaven.

It was the perfect blend of fluffy crust, gooey cheese, and warm white sauce all blending together in a familiar nostalgic taste that brought back so many memories. Her and Argyle enjoying lunch by the sea. Grabbing an early pizza breakfast before leaving on their next trip down the coast. Argyle bringing her slices whenever her pregnancy cravings demanded one for her. For some reason, her cravings had only been directed towards Maretime Bay food, pizza and ice cream specifically, which had made her time back home even more difficult during those months.

I wonder if Sunny still loves ice cream as much as she did in all of Argyle’s letters? Star thought to herself, watching as her daughter dug into her own Cheesy Supreme with gusto. Would she be interested in any of the recipes I’ve learned over the years? I could show her how to cook them, and then we could have dinner together with her friends. Or just the two of us.

Whichever she prefers.

Focus, Star. Conversation first, daydreams about cooking with Sunny later.

“So, Hitch, what were those problems you were talking about?” Star asked before taking another bite of her pizza. With her hunger actively being satiated, her curiosity was beginning to gnaw at the back of her mind.

“It’s mainly just problems associated with getting used to having magic, or being around ponies with magic,” Hitch said, frowning slightly. “Pegasi crashing into things as they try to learn to fly or because they’re using their phones while flying, unicorns levitating things and not paying attention to where they are floating or putting too much power into it and causing the item to go flying…”

“Hitch getting covered in fruit when my delivery pegasus crashed,” Sunny giggled.

Hitch grumbled in embarrassment.

“He’s a fruit magnet! Or at least he was during Zipp’s flight school,” Izzy chimed, happily chomping on another piece of her pineapple pizza. “Oh, and when I was trapped in a box that one day, I maaaaaay have caused a bit of damage when I was levitating it around.”

“That was more my fault for not making sure all the traps were disabled,” Phyllis admitted. “Though thankfully only Izzy and Hitch were caught in them before we realized the problem. Still, the problems haven’t been nearly as bad as I thought they might be, though I know some ponies aren’t too happy regardless.”

“They just need to be a little patient,” Pipp said with an eye roll. “The ponies Zipp trained have been helping other pegasi get a handle on their flying, and I even made a few flight tutorial videos to help speed up the process. I’m not too sure about the unicorn magic, but I’m sure they’ll be able to learn control with some time too. I mean, Izzy hasn’t had any incidents since getting her magic back, save for the box thing, of course.”

“What about all the things she’s somehow managed to get stuck to her horn?” Sprout asked, his voice a mix of sarcasm and playfulness. “Apples, tennis balls, that one potted plant, those balls of yarn. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cabbage Patch be so confused when she got those three cabbages stuck to her head. And don’t even get me started on that time she tried using a pogo stick and got stuck under the bridge.”

“That’s less of a magical problem and more just Izzy being Izzy,” Zipp said with a chuckle. “Still, we should be careful though. If Mom has taught me anything, it’s that ponies can be really resistant to change, even if said change is for the best.”

“Trust me, I know,” Hitch said. “Both from the number of complaints that are already building up in the station, and from the number of times I’ve had to scold Sunny over the years.”

“Hey!” Sunny exclaimed, her cheeks going red.

“Good thing Sunny’s mom is here, then. Now she can scold Sunny instead!” Izzy said happily.

“IZZY!” Sunny squeaked in surprise as Star let out a loud snort of surprise.

Oh dear harmony, I can’t tell if Izzy’s joking or not, but that was actually pretty funny, Star thought as everypony – save Sunny – laughed. Sunny, on the other hoof, groaned and buried her face in her hooves. Star just smiled and gently rubbed her back, trying her best not to giggle at how cute her daughter was when she was embarrassed. That did seem to help, as Sunny leaned into the touch, a small smile working its way across her lips.

“On a more serious note,” Star began once the laughter died down. “Once I’ve settled in a bit, I could help you with trying to address some of the complaints. Given my experience with all three pony races, I might be able to help calm ponies down a bit while everypony gets used to magic coming back.”

“Do you know where you are going to stay?” Phyllis asked curiously. “I would imagine that the redone lighthouse might have enough room, but I could help set you up with something in town if you prefer.”

“Well, if there’s enough room – and if it’s okay with Sunny and her friends, of course – it would be nice to stay at the lighthouse for the time being,” Star said, smiling as she saw a flame of excitement ignite within Sunny’s eyes. “I want to be close to Sunny after so many years apart. Thank you for the offer, though.”

“I would love to have you stay at the light house with us,” Sunny said enthusiastically. “Would that be ok with the rest of you?”

“I’d be fine with that,” Zipp said.

“Same here,” Pipp agreed.

“We can exchange stories about Bridlewood!” Izzy said, nodding in glee.

“Thank you, everypony,” Star said, a warm feeling bubbling in her chest. “I appreciate your willingness to accept me on such short notice. Besides, given my magic’s…let’s say unpredictability, it’s probably better if I live a little bit outside of town for the moment. The last thing we need is me being startled so badly that I teleport into another pony’s house on accident.”

“Yeah, let’s not let that happen,” Sprout agreed as he finished off his pizza. “We get enough jump-scares from Izzy exploding out of random places—wait, where did she—”

“Surprise!”

Star jumped slightly, her magic teleporting a napkin onto Izzy’s horn as she popped up from beneath the table. Sunny grabbed onto Star in surprise, while most everypony else flinched.

Sprout, on the other hoof, squealed like a little filly and launched clear out of his seat before falling into the – thankfully empty – booth behind them with a loud smack.

“I got you another muffin!” the unicorn exclaimed, blissfully unaware (or maybe unfazed – Star wasn’t quite sure) of Sprout’s sheer panic. She placed the confection on Sprout’s empty plate, vanished back under the table, and popped back up between Sunny and Zipp, chomping into her last piece of pizza with a satisfied smile on her face.

“SEE!? Case and point!” Sprout exclaimed dramatically, only his hind hooves and tail visible over the booth’s back. The rest of the table just laughed, with even Phyllis appearing to be holding back a small chuckle as she shook her head in exasperation.

This is the way things should always be, Star thought, wrapping her leg around her daughter as she looked around the table. Everypony coming together. Living alongside one another and sharing in all that life has to offer. No matter what the future holds, we will get through it so long as we stick together.

Author's Note

At last, my next chapter is complete! And honestly, it has been one that I have wanted to write for quite a while.
If anyone saw my last blog post, you know how I feel about G5 ending. And you also know that the biggest problem I had with G5 was just that some of the characters or ideas just didn't get the development they deserved. And while I wanted to try and get this chapter out to coincide with the last episode of Tell your Tale, I am glad that I took the full time to edit it (thank you, Angel, the worlds best fiancee/editor).
But yes, Phyllis makes an appearance, and I hope I was able to give her some of the development that was missing from the main show. I tried hard to make her more than just a Karen causing problems, and to take the light of hope we see at the end of the movie and expand it into something new. I don't know how much of a role she will play in future chapters, but I was glad that I at least managed to give her a bit of development in my own universe.
I hope you enjoyed reading, and a link to my discord can be found below as well as my twitch if you are interested. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

If you want to say hi and learn when I am streaming, please feel free to join my Discord and place a message in the main chat https://discord.gg/Wt3HqMRrk4

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Chapter 2: Catching up on a Lifetime Part 1

Star watched the waves of the ocean in front of her, listening to the gentle sound of them breaking against the shore. She had spent so many days doing almost this exact thing with Argyle, just enjoying his presence and the peace they had found away from the world, but never before had she done so from within the town of Maretime Bay.

It still seemed almost like a dream. To be here, in this town, with her own daughter right there by her side, the two of them enjoying the scenery together. No panic, no fear of Sunny being excluded because her mother was a unicorn, no icy grip of anxiety at the idea of them being discovered.

Just a mother and daughter, together.

Star was truly glad that Sunny had such great friends. She and Sunny had been so wrapped up in their reunion that neither of them had noticed how much of a scene they were making. In truth, it wasn’t until Pipp had gently suggested that they move someplace quieter that they realized the small pegasus was trying to block them from view with her fluffy wings while Hitch, Zipp, and Izzy tried to keep the gathering ponies at bay. In fact, the crowd was so big that it was actually blocking the trolley, though given how the driver was using his elevated view to try and see what was happening made Star think it wouldn’t be moving much either way.

Rather than stay in the middle of the street, Star and Sunny had moved to one of the benches overlooking the sea near the gazebo in town. And there they had remained. Sunny’s friends gave them space to be alone, making sure to keep anypony else away, at least for the time being. Thankfully, both Hitch and Zipp appeared to be very good at crowd control.

Sunny hadn’t let go of Star as they moved, and even now she kept her legs wrapped tightly around Star, like she was afraid that Star might disappear if she let go. Star understood the feeling completely, and her legs were wrapped around Sunny just as tightly. There would be time for words later. Right now, Star was perfectly happy just sitting there, absorbing the pure happiness that was flooding her heart at being reunited with her daughter.

After so long, after so many years, meeting Sunny almost felt too good to be true. It was like the perfect dream, one so flawless and happy that you were afraid it wasn’t real and you would wake up any second. But it wasn’t a dream, and Star wasn’t going to waste this opportunity. Any chance to hold her daughter after so long was one she was going to take.

So here they sat, reunited at last.

“I…I don’t even know where to begin,” Sunny softly spoke after several minutes that were somehow very long and very, very, short all at once. “How do I even begin? I-I remember, when I was little, creating a list of questions to ask my mom if I ever met her, but right now I can’t think of a single one!”

“We can start wherever you want,” Star said gently, pausing a moment to take her glasses off and wipe a tear away. “Though maybe don’t ask one-hundred-and-forty-two in one sitting, ok?”

It felt so amazing to be able to engage in some light motherly teasing for the first time. She just hoped it wasn’t too early for that.

It wasn’t, was it?

Probably not, given Sunny’s small giggle.

“Izzy told you about that, huh?” Sunny asked, sitting up a little bit so she could look at Star. Her eyes were filled with joy as they sparkled in the sunlight. There was some uncertainty there as well, a small fear of the unknown, but it was buried beneath her burning curiosity and the unbridled happiness that was clearly spilling forth.

“Yep. And speaking of that list of unicorn questions, I’d love to help answer some of those questions if she hasn’t already, but we can do that whenever you feel ready.”

Sunny nodded, before leaning down so she could snuggle closer to Star again as they lapsed into silence.

She probably just needs a minute to organize her thoughts, Star thought to herself, letting her eyes drift over the ocean again as she gently rubbed her daughter’s back. I can’t even imagine how hard it might be to pick one question to start with. I’d probably just be spouting them all at once if I was in her place.

Down on the beach, ponies were enjoying the ocean water. A few foals splashed in the shallows or ran excitedly along the beach. At least two ponies were asleep on beach chairs, though one kept being awoken by an excited pegasus foal using said chair as a launch pad to practice their glides. There were significantly fewer than when Star and Sunny had first sat down, and Star guessed that a good number of them had been drawn up to the road behind them by all the commotion the crowd was causing.

Though, as her gaze drifted over to the newly refurbished lighthouse, Star couldn’t help but wonder…was Sunny the only pony who had a parent who was a different race? Or was she just the first one that they all knew about? Star supposed only time would tell.

“How did you meet Dad?” Sunny eventually asked. “I know he went on trips to find ancient Equestrian artifacts, but he never mentioned going to Bridlewood.”

“He didn’t go to Bridlewood proper, at least not until years after I met him,” Star replied, not at all surprised by Sunny’s question. “Do you remember that stone bridge near that large tree with pink leaves? The one near where Izzy cut down the tree? The first time I met him was right next to that bridge.”

“Why were you there? The bridge is a good distance from Bridlewood, right?” Sunny asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

“That…requires a bit of backstory to understand,” Star gently said, giving Sunny a gentle squeeze. Thinking back on those memories still hurt a bit, but Star found they didn’t quite hold the same weight now that magic had returned. “Do you mind if I detour a bit to talk about it? The story is a bit long.”

Sunny shook her head, leaning into Star’s grip. Star rubbed her back again, feeling cords of tension in her daughter’s muscles.

It’s ok, Sunny. I’m here, and I won’t be leaving again anytime soon.

“So where to start?” Star asked, to herself as much as her daughter. “I suppose it all began with my grandmother. By the time I was born, I was the second generation of unicorns that had no magic. The loss of magic was more gradual than the return, at least according to the research I conducted. I’m still not quite sure as to why, but that’s how it was. My parents were the first generation of ponies who could never use even the simplest of spells, and I was the same way. However, my grandmother, who lived with us, still could.”

“Really?” Sunny asked, looking up at Star, her eyes brimming with unrestrained curiosity. So beautiful, so innocent, so full of hope.

That must be how I looked to Argyle whenever I got into a new research project, Star thought with a giggle.

“Really. It wasn’t much – a bit of minor levitation and a light spell – but just that fact that she could use any at all was just…incredible. I was fascinated by the idea of magic from the very first time I met my grandmother, or at least the first time I can remember meeting her. I was five at the time, and I immediately tried to do it myself. It didn’t work, of course, but I didn’t give up.”

She could still remember her grandmother’s warm smile. The way the magic would slowly wrap its way around her horn. The way she made Star’s toy plane gently float through the air. She had wanted to be like her grandmother so badly. She had spent days trying to focus on getting her horn to do something, anything! She would focus on it until she got dizzy from crossing her eyes, try and force something out until she got a headache, but it was never enough.

“I read every book on magic I could get my hooves on, begged my grandmother for lessons, and practiced well into the night trying to do something, anything, with magic. Even just a spark would have been enough.”

Star could almost see her past self. No matter how often she failed, no matter how hard she worked, her horn had never so much as fizzled. She desperately wanted to make something happen, but she couldn’t. And that started to get to her. Disappointment became frustration, and the grinding frustration slowly evolved into red-hot anger as she continued to fail over and over again.

She couldn’t cast magic. All she could do was bury the pain deep inside herself with each wasted day.

“But…it never worked,” Star said sadly. She could feel that anger bubbling back up from deep inside her, even though it no longer had a reason to exist. It was frustrating, even if the feeling wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been before she met Argyle. “I could never do anything with my horn. And it just…made me so angry. My parents tried to convince me to stop, to show me that I didn’t need magic, but I couldn’t let it go. It just…”

That empty feeling. That sense that something was broken deep inside her and she could do nothing to fix it. Even with that void now filled, Star could still remember that feeling with perfect clarity. That unexplainable feeling of…violation. The anger that built itself up and up as no pony else seemed to be affected the way she was, or even seemed to care that magic was gone.

“Just what?”

Sunny’s gentle voice cut through all the noise and pulled Star out of her memory. Her building anger vanished as it had come. She felt her muscles relax, not even realizing they had become so tense. She gave Sunny another squeeze, taking a moment to just enjoy the peace her daughter brought her so easily.

Thank you, Sunny.

“I felt as though something had been stolen from me,” Star said after a moment, watching as a particularly big wave broke with a gentle crash. “As though some part of my soul was crying out for me to use magic, to cast spells and enchantments and to just, use magic for magic’s sake. But I couldn’t, and it hurt. And that hurt was only exacerbated when no pony else seemed to feel this same sense of loss that I did.

“And that pain turned to anger. I became withdrawn and would lash out whenever anypony tried to get me to stop. I would spend most of my days locked in my room, just studying and trying to get something to happen. It wasn’t until I snapped at my grandmother during our most recent visit that things changed.”

I can still remember how shocked she looked when I yelled at her, and how quickly said shock morphed into her ‘oh you did not just do that’ face.

“Grandma wasn’t a pony who angered easily, so it was a blast of cold water on my burning rage when she grabbed me by my ear and all but dragged me out of the house. She dragged me through the entirety of Bridlewood in that humiliating position, only letting go when we had completely left the forest. We only stopped when we were in sight of that large tree with the pink leaves, something which my grandmother always loved to visit.

“She then proceeded to give me the most intense scolding of my life. She held nothing back, calling out my obsession – and it was an obsession at that point – and how I was pushing away everypony who loved me. How I was letting a simple party trick destroy my life and mental state, and how my anger was just a lazy excuse to cover my own depression.”

“That sounds…really harsh,” Sunny said, wincing. Star chuckled and gently patted her daughter’s head.

“Oh, it was. It basically reduced me to a sobbing mess, and I was glad my grandmother had made sure we were alone before chewing me out. But no matter how much her words hurt, I needed to hear them. And once she was done, Grandma gave me the biggest hug I had ever received and helped me calm down. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was actually going through the stages of grief.”

“You were grieving?” Sunny asked.

“Yes, I was,” Star said with a nod. “But rather that grieving the loss of a pony or pet, I was mourning the loss of my magic. My anger was a part of that, and my grandmother verbally ripping me apart finally broke through the stage of grief I was in, anger, and forced me into the next two stages, depression and acceptance.

“She helped me understand that I was heartbroken over the fact that I couldn’t use magic. That some part of me had been lost and I couldn’t get it back no matter how hard I tried.

“But she also gave me hope.”

“Hope?” Sunny asked, her eyes shining as she hung on Star’s every word.

You would have been so good at the puppy-dog eyes, I just know it. Star thought with a giggle. In fact, you very well might still be.

“Hope,” she said. “My grandmother said, ‘if unicorns had magic in the past, then maybe the past is where you need to continue your search.’ At first I was confused as to why she would encourage me to do research when that’s what led to me lashing out at her, but she explained that there was a way to conduct research without being swallowed up by it. And she helped me realize that while I had been trying to learn how to use magic, I hadn’t actually been focusing at all on why we had lost it in the first place.

“I think she knew at the time that I had a penchant for history, even if I didn’t. And despite her worry for me, I think she not only wanted me to get some closure on why I couldn’t use magic, but also for me to see if I could answer some of the questions she still had herself about why she could use magic.

“Regardless, as we sat there talking, I couldn’t help but look around at the world outside the forest. I had rarely left Bridlewood due to all the supposed dangers, let alone the forest itself. But as we sat there looking at the rolling fields and unobstructed sky, I couldn’t help that think about how empty it all looked. Empty, yet beautiful.

“And as my eyes passed over my Grandmother’s favorite tree, it was at that moment that I felt as though a light bulb had gone off in my head. We DID have magic in the past! My grandmother was living proof of that, as well as the fact that the loss of magic wasn’t just an overnight phenomenon! So, if I couldn’t use magic on my own, maybe I just needed to stop focusing so hard on trying to use it and shift gears into discovering out what had changed. What was missing that led to the loss of our magic in the first place. And even if the answer wasn’t in Bridlewood, there was a whole world out there for me to explore! A whole unknown full of adventure and potentially untapped knowledge that I could discover!

“I was so excited I practically tackled my grandmother in thanks.

“And I began to research ancient Equestria. I read every book I could find on the subject, studied every scroll Bridlewood had, gathered every scrap of evidence and began to separate fact from fabrication. But I did my best not to get too wrapped up in it this time. I got a part-time job at the library, I made sure to schedule time to hang out with my friends, I attended the holiday celebrations we had. I wasn’t perfect, but my friend Blueberry would drag me out of my room if I ever got too engrossed in my work again. My grandmother also made sure to stop in frequently to keep an eye on me, and we would sometimes go for walks together near that pink tree.

“By the time I was nineteen, I had reached the end of what the village could offer, and so I began to venture out into the world in search of some of the ancient sites I had read about.”

“Just like Dad,” Sunny said, her eyes widening so much that Star could practically see an idea brewing below the surface. “Is that how you met him? You were both on your way to go exploring the same ruins and encountered one another on the bridge?”

“Not exactly,” Star said, unable to hide a giggle. “Do you remember how the bridge was destroyed?”

…Many years ago…

Ok, so Zephyr Heights was originally a city built by all three races, though its position doesn’t quite match up with where Canterlot should be. Could it be a mountain further south? It’s really hard to tell, though I’m fairly certain Bridlewood is at least somewhat near where Ponyville used to be. Though why we haven’t been able to find Princess Twilight’s castle, I don’t know, Star thought as she continued to think through her most recent notes.

She was all alone out here, waking through a field on the way to her next destination. Assuming Bridlewood was near where Ponyville used to be, then the large stone bridge should be near where the supposed ‘Tree of Harmony’ was. She had never seen any evidence of a large crystal tree around this area, but maybe it was underground somewhere? Or perhaps it had changed forms over the years? There was a strangely solitary tree just past the bridge with vibrant pink leaves, and Star could always feel a sense of…familiarity, she supposed, every time she saw it, but she was never able to properly explain that feeling.

Either way, it was nice to be out of Bridlewood again. Given all she had learned over the last few years, the constant jabbering about the other two races and the jinx behavior was starting to get intolerable. Even Blueberry still couldn’t stop herself from performing the jinx rituals, though her genuine excitement over Star’s findings and wonderful cooking always made up for it. Star would admit that the first time she came out here she was constantly checking the sky for pegesi, but she had never even seen one fly overhead before.

In fact, whenever she observed Zephyr Heights with a telescope, she hadn’t seen any pegesi flying there either. It got her thinking: if unicorns could no longer use magic, could the pegesi no longer fly too? Could this magic loss be endemic to all the races?

And if pegesi weren’t the flying monsters everypony back home thought they were, what else might they be wrong about? Everything she had found to be real had suggested the three races used to be friends, so could this separation of races somehow be linked to the loss of magic? Star didn’t see how that could be, but she couldn’t afford to rule out any possibilities if she wanted to find out—

CRASH!

Star jumped as a mighty boom echoed through the landscape. That sounded like it came from the bridge ahead!

“Nonononono!” a voice yelled out, followed by another bang.

The bridge is collapsing, and somepony is still on it! Was the only coherent thought in Star’s head as her body shot from zero to full speed. She crested the final hill in record time just as the pony on the bridge jumped to avoid another section as it crumbled away. Just hold on! I’m coming!

She was galloping as hard as she could now, pushing well past her limit. She was so close. If she could jus—

CRASH!

A huge chunk of the bridge gave way. The pony made a last desperate leap for the other side just as Star’s hooves met stone.

She threw herself forward, digging her back hooves into the remains of the bridge and reaching as far as she could.

His hooves met hers just in time.

Then his momentum caught up with him and his weight yanked him down and they both crashed into the rugged remains of the bridge. Star wheezed as the stone rammed her ribs, her back and legs screamed in protest at the weight and angle she was being forced into, but somehow managed to maintain her grip.

“Got…You!” Star grunted, her muscles screaming at her, only barely held off by the adrenaline flooding her body. She began to pull, trying to get the pony into a position where he climb onto solid ground.

And then she looked at the pony she had just caught and a realization struck her light a lightning bolt.

He wasn’t a unicorn.

He was an earth pony.

An earth pony?! What’s he doing so far from their settlement?! Star thought, a chilling bolt of confusion laced with fear piercing her heart. Almost immediately, a part of her brain began to recall all the stories about earth ponies. They were smelly, stupid, violent, and should be avoided at all cost. How would he react when he realized she was a unicorn? What would he do if she managed to save him and he saw her exhausted and too weak to defend herself? Even with everything she had learned about the three races, she couldn’t help but feel that chill of terror running down her spine.

But then, his eyes met hers.

He had a look somewhere between shock that they were both still alive and terror at coming face-to-face with a unicorn, but Star swore she could see a faint spark of hope in his eyes. A spark that dared to ask if it was really impossible for pony kinds to coexist with one another.

Star felt something new stir in her chest. Something that drove away the paranoia and fear, going so far as to promptly buck that voice of fear into a closet in the back of her mind.

Species didn’t matter!

This was a pony in trouble and she was going to help!

“Gah!” she groaned, her legs shaking under the stress, not helped by the earth pony trying to get one of his back legs back into a position where they could grip the bridge. She had never lifted this much weight in her life!

Note to self, visit the freaking GYM! Star grunted internally, giving another solid pull. She could feel her muscles scream in agony and she barely managed to take two short steps back before she was forced to relent. But there was PROGRESS!

“USE YOUR MAGIC!” the earth pony called, his back legs still struggling for purchase.

“I CAN’T!” Star yelled back, unable to keep the anger out of her voice as she heaved again.

Wait, was that pull easier?

“What you mean?! It doesn’t need to be a mind laser! Just a bit of levitation!”

“What kind of NONSENSE did they TEACH YOU ABOUT UNICORNS!? Mind magic was ILLEGAL BACK IN ANCIENT EQUESTRIA! And trust me, I’VE READ EVERY STUPID BOOK ON MAGIC trying to get my STUPID HORN TO WORK!”

“You can’t use ANY magic?”
“NO! NOPONY CAN!”
With every response, Star could feel the anger flowing into her muscles as she pulled harder and harder. Every sentence was punctuated with a massive heave, each one raising the earth pony a few inches as they got closer and closer to safety. A small part of her brain worried if she was scaring him with all her screaming, but she was so busy trying to save his life that she couldn’t really care about that right now.

His back hooves were scraping at the bridge!

They were so close!

“The ONLY THING this pointy nub on my forehead is GOOD FOR IS PICKING APPLES THAT ARE OUT OF REACH, GETTING STUCK ON BRANCHES, AND ACCIDENTALLY KNOCKING THINGS OFF SHELVES! I’VE TRIED EVERYTHING BUT IT WON’T, BUCKING, WORK!”

That thought, that single point of frustration and anger that had haunted her for her entire life, came exploding out. Star let out a wordless scream, releasing that toxic miasma of emotion as she summoned every ounce of her strength.

Then she fell.
Her back collided with the stone of the bridge, followed by the sensation of the large earth pony falling on top of her.
She did it.

She actually did it.

Every muscle in her legs felt like they were on fire and she could feel herself twitching from the adrenaline high as the earth pony rolled off of her, but she had done it! She had saved him! And she…she was crying. She was crying and shaking even as she felt a bubble of laughter work its way up through her chest.

The earth pony was ok, and she was happy about that, but she just…She could feel her relief blending with the exhilaration of what had just happened and the raw trauma of that stupid void in her chest and the emotions that tied it to her final scream. Years of repressed anger and sadness had been thrown into the mix of her mind and there was no telling how long it would be before she would be able to get those emotions under control. She couldn’t even tell where one emotion began and another ended, only that she wanted to keep crying yet cheer excitedly at the same time. The only thing she knew for certain was that she had helped a pony in need, and that was something worth celebrating.

Good job, me. Let’s just…take tomorrow off. I’m sure I can get Blueberry to make some of her shawarma if I beg hard enough. Ugh, assuming I can actually walk home with my legs in so much pain…

Is it just me, or is the convulsing in my legs getting wors—EEP!

Star’s train of thought was cut off as the earth pony suddenly grabbed her and tossed her over his back like a sack of potatoes! Her bruised ribs angrily joined the rest of her body in protest, but she didn’t have time to say a word before the tremors grew worse.

At which point she realized it wasn’t her legs that were shaking. It was the ONE THIRD OF THE BRIDGE THEY WERE STILL STANDING ON!

Oh BUCK! was all Star could think as the earth pony galloped for both their lives! Already the stone she had just been laying on was beginning to collapse!

Star wrapped her legs around the neck of the earth pony, holding on for dear life and trying not to squeal in terror as he just barely cleared the bridge before it collapsed completely. Back on solid ground, both ponies skidded to a halt and turned as the last stones of the once great structure fell down the chasm with one final thunderous crash.

Then…silence.

Nothing but the sound of two very adrenaline-infused ponies panting as their bodies once again began the process of calming down after a moment of sheer terror. Star absentmindedly readjusted her somehow-still-on-her-head-yet-very-askew glasses.

I have no idea how these are still on my face but I am glad I don’t need to try and explain to Dr. Cornea how I lost another pair of glasses.

“Well, that bridge sure had a horrible sense of dramatic timing,” the earth pony said after a moment.

Star just blinked.

Then blinked again.

“Pffffff,” she snorted, trying, and failing, to suppress the giggles bubbling up from deep inside her. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was the fact that they had both just saved the other’s life, or maybe it was the fact that she was still sitting on the back of a pony race that was supposed to be the unicorns’ enemy, but she couldn’t help but giggle. “Y-Yeah! Not only that, but the universe even s-spared us a bit of luck to make sure we didn’t lose our glasses! G-Good thing too, or we would have been in REAL trouble.” She exclaimed between giggles before bursting out in laughter.

The earth pony snorted loudly, his cheeks puffing out before he began laughing too. His laugh was a low rumbling laugh, a fair contrast to Star’s high-pitched squeaking, yet it was a fairly pleasant laugh. Star’s ribs might have protested so much laughter, quite enthusiastically too, but she laughed anyway. A good long laugh that told the world how thankful she was to be alive.

“Sorry if I was a little rough grabbing you like that,” the earth pony said once their laughter had died down.

Star couldn’t help but chuckle all over again at that. “I don’t think you need to apologize for saving me from falling off a bridge,” she said as she slipped off his back. Her legs immediately made their still-burning presence known, and she groaned and sat down as quickly as she could without falling. “Also, please don’t go falling off any more bridges. I don’t think my legs can take any more punishment.”

“I promise to try, at least,” the earth pony said. “I’ve crossed that bridge plenty of times, so I have no idea why it decided now of all times to collapse. Is there another way across?”

“Head east. There is a point where the ravine gives way to a small lake where you can walk along the border,” Star said, rubbing her leg to try and reduce the pain.

“Thank you. For the directions, and for saving me,” the earth pony said, his voice…hesitant? Star looked up at him, taking a moment to properly take in his appearance.

His mane was dark blue with light blue streaks, windswept and untidy from the ordeal they had just survived. His light blue coat was just as messy, covered in sweat and bits of stone. And his cutie mark…

His cutie mark was a star with a rainbow arc behind it, rather like hers.

That gave her pause. Sure, cutie marks could share element or images with the marks of other ponies, but the prospect of two supposedly enemy races having cutie marks that shared so many elements of their design…Star couldn’t quite place the feeling, but there was something significant about that. Some unexplainable feeling that their marks being similar wasn’t just luck, but…

Something more.

Star only realized that she had been staring so intensely when the earth pony turned around and their eyes met again. Now that they were on solid ground, she could truly appreciate just how lively his eyes were. A lively purple, made perfectly clear by the adorable pair of brown glasses he wore. But what really caught her attention were the emotions behind them. Fear, relief, caution, curiosity, uncertainty…

Hope.

So many emotions jumbled together all at once, but hope was the most prevalent one, shining bright and strong through all the rest.

That same hope that she saw on the bridge was still there, the flame burning even brighter now as he stared at her. His mouth was moving as though he wanted to ask a question, but he just couldn’t find the words. And Star found she couldn’t get her mouth to form any words either.

So many emotions jumbled together all at once, but hope was the most prevalent one, shining bright and strong through all the rest.

Why is his gaze so captivating?

“Is it true?” he asked, his eyes never leaving hers. “That you…can’t use magic?”

Star opened her mouth to respond, but no noise came out. She knew what she was SUPPOSED to say. That she did have magic, that she just couldn’t use it right now or some other excuse. Anything to hide the fact that unicorn had lost their biggest defense.

But…

He had saved her without a second thought, just as she had saved him. He was afraid, but his eyes were filled with hope. He was the first earth pony she had ever met, and already he had broken the picture everypony in Bridlewood had painted of them.

Can I really lie to him? Doing so just feels so…wrong. And, what would even be the point of lying?

“It’s true,” she said softly, and to her surprise, she actually felt a little relieved. It was as though something in her very soul was happy to finally stop lying to the world. “I can’t use magic. I’ve studied it for years, but…nothing.”

“And everypony else?” the earth pony asked, his voice gentle and…kind. Almost comforting.

“My grandmother is the last pony with magic,” Star said, her relief rapidly being overcome by the heavy sadness, so quickly it was jarring. “No pony of my parents’ generation can use magic, and the same goes for my generation. We don’t have magic anymore…”

And I hate it, she thought, feeling more tears begin to form. I hate not being able to use magic, I hate the fact that no pony else seems to care or want to fix it, and I hate the fact that everypony is so afraid of the other races to even leave the forest. And I hate that I still can’t get over not having it! I LIKE exploring. I like learning about ancient Equestria, about seeing what the ruins I find might tell me about how ponies used to live. About just being able to go out into the world and see what there is to find, even if it’s just a bunch of ruined buildings! But there’s always just that feeling that I’m no closer to finding out why our magic is gone. That sour disappointment at not learning about the one thing that I just can’t tear my mind away from.

And I wish I could just stop thinking about that.

“The unicorns don’t have magic,” the earth pony said, pulling Star from her own depressing thoughts. He sounded so…

Surprised?

“They can’t shoot mind lasers, or carry ponies away, or do anything that Phyllis is so afraid of. All of those old lessons were wrong. All of those warnings, no, all of that propaganda! It’s all WRONG!” he exclaimed, sounding as though he had just completed a puzzle that had been stumping him for years.

Star blinked in confusion.

“What?” she muttered, looking up at him, only to see the fear and apprehension being eradicated and replaced with excitement. Is he saying that the earth ponies have been taught bad things about unicorns, just like unicorns have been taught bad things about earth ponies? Actually, has he ever met another unicorn before, or is it like me where no pony has never even met another one of the races before?

Does…does that mean that they were taught to be prejudice against the other races just like the rest of the unicorns were? All without having even seen any of them before?

“It’s all lies!” the earth pony exclaimed, staring to pace in front of Star, clearly unaware of her own realizations. “I was taught for years, YEARS, that unicorns were dangerous! That you could fry a pony’s brain with just a thought, or could destroy entire buildings with lasers and fire spells and just…it’s all a lie!”

“Well, we were taught you all stunk like sardines and were really stupid, but clearly that’s wrong too! So, I guess that both our races have no idea what the other is like!” Star said, feeling a bit of the stallion’s energy rubbing off on her. She could feel herself smile a bit as the earth pony nodded in agreement.

Actually, why the hay would they teach us that earth ponies are slow and stupid but dangerous enough that we can’t tell them that we don’t have magic anymore? Isn’t that completely contradictory? How did I never notice that before?

“Exactly! It’s just propaganda!” the stallion continued. “Lies to keep ponies afraid and apart! I had my suspicions once I started my research into ancient Equestria and the Age of Harmony, but—”

“Wait, you're studying ancient Equestria too?” Star said, her eyes going wide. Not only was he certainly not stupid like all those rumors said earth ponies were, but he was a scholar! One studying the same things she was, no less! Something about that fact made her chest tingle ever so slightly.

“Too? You’re a scholar as well, Miss…I just realized I never even asked your name! You saved my life and I don’t even know what to call you!”

He started laughing, and soon Star found herself laughing along with him. He was right! They had just survived a horrifying ordeal and they had been so caught up in realizing that they had been lied to for years on end that they didn’t even think to introduce themselves!

His laugh is infectious! And it just, feel so right just laugh at the absurdity of this whole situation. I, I never thought meeting an earth pony would be anything like this.

“Star. Shooting Star,” she said once their giggles had quieted, extending her hoof.

“Argyle, Argyle Starshine,” he said, accepting her hoof eagerly.

Star didn’t know what would happen next, or if anypony would ever believe her if she were to tell them about this moment, but she didn’t care about that right now. She had just become friends with an earth pony. Something that everypony said was impossible. And if it was possible for a unicorn and an earth pony to become friends, what other impossible things might just be attainable after all?

Back in the present…

“Not what you were expecting?” Star asked with a small giggle.

Sunny just nodded silently, gaping in shock. Star found it a testament to her storytelling skills that not only had her daughter been completely enraptured from start to finish, but also that it had left Sunny at a total loss for words.

I wonder if Sunny would like to try out a Bridlewood-style sleepover with her friends? All of us sitting around a lantern in sleeping bags, telling stories to one another. I bet Izzy would love that idea, and I would love to be able to bond with Sunny and her friends like, Star thought, smiling as her mind conjured the image of her own sleepovers with Blueberry and Willow. Yet the idea of reading stories to her daughter also brought up the image of a newborn Sunny happily sleeping in her crib as Star finished reading her a book about a hungry caterpillar. So much missed time…

“You saved each other’s lives,” Sunny said, pulling Star from her daydream as her daughter finally composed herself. “That just…wow.”

“It was quite the first meeting,” Star said. “Not what I was planning to do that day, but it was a meeting I would never forget. Argyle felt the same way. He always said it was the day he truly began to overcome his prejudices.”

“His prejudices?” Sunny asked, her head tilting to the side in adorable confusion.

She definitely gets that little head-tilt from Argyle! Star internally squealed. It was even cuter when she did it!

She nodded, grinning. “He grew up in Maretime Bay along with everyone else. Unlike with you, his parents fully bought into the paranoia and fear that was everywhere, even in the schools. As such, he admitted to me that he actually used to be similar to Phyllis, though he was never nearly as extreme as she was. He had such an adorable blush when I told him he was never THAT bad.”

I still remember meeting her a few times while I was in disguise. I wonder how Phyllis is taking all of this, anyway? I thought she was pretty extreme from all of Argyle’s stories at first, but he was pretty insistent that she was just afraid for everypony and wanted to protect them…in her own, confusing way.

Star could practically see the gears grinding in Sunny’s head as she tried to process this information. Given how much Argyle had changed since then, it was probably pretty hard for her to comprehend such a different version of her father.

“What happened?” she asked after a moment, looking at Star for help. “How did he become a scholar of ancient Equestria? And meet you? And…all of it?”

“It all started when he received that,” Star said, poking the white circular crystal in Sunny’s necklace. “His dad gave him that gem when he turned eighteen. It was an old tradition that ran through his family as far back as anypony could remember. The gem was supposed to be a symbol of prosperity that would bring its owner a healthy and happy life so long as they kept it in their possession. Argyle’s dad was given the gem when he became a legal adult, and he then passed it on to Argyle in a similar manner.

“However, what gave the gem extra significance to Argyle was an old book he found as a foal while playing around in the library’s attic. Buried among the old boxes and piles of photos was a perfectly pristine copy of Princess Twilight’s friendship journal. Unlike everything else in the attic, which was covered in dust or had some form of wear and tear, this book was completely clean. Argyle said while he didn’t think any of the stories were true at the time, he still kept the book because he thought it a few of the stories were really funny. He especially loved all of Pinkie Pie’s stories.

I still remember reading through that book with Argyle, and even reading a few of the sillier stories to you as a foal. Even then, you loved hearing them.

“Then, as Argyle got older, he began to realize that these weren’t just stories. There was too much emotion behind them. Too much love and care put into each adventure and each life lesson for them to just be the figment of somepony’s imagination. And, while he could never explain it, he said that something about the stories began to tickle his memory somehow. As if reading them was reminding him of something from long ago that he just couldn’t seem to remember.

Then, a few weeks after he turned eighteen, he was rereading the book with the crystal nearby and the light struck the gem. The reflection hit the inside of the front cover in such a way that Argyle could see that something had been sewn into in. And a careful examination, he realized that there was a secret compartment that could only be opened by placing the gem onto the books front cover. It was what was inside that compartment that changed everything.”

“What was it?” Sunny asked breathlessly.

“It was a letter,” Star said, her mind still able to perfectly visualize that old, crumpled piece of paper that had started Argyle on his journey to find the truth. “One written by Princess Twilight herself. It asked that the gem and the book be passed down together from one generation to the next, and that both be kept safe until they were needed. It never said what that need was, but seeing that gem sitting there around your neck, I can’t help but think this is exactly what Princess Twilight was waiting for.”

Sunny looked down at the three unity crystals (that was what Izzy had called them, and Star agreed that it was a very good name), her hoof gently tracing over Argyle’s gem. “Wow…Is…is that letter what made him start to think the three races could be friends?”

“Not on its own,” Star said. “But it was enough that any lingering doubt about the authenticity of the stories in the journal were erased. He didn’t know if the different races could be friends after so long, but he at least knew that they had been friends at some point in the past. Something that was in complete contrast to everything he had been taught as a foal.

“The differences were so significant, he began to conduct his own research into ancient Equestria to try and find the source of the contradiction. And almost immediately, he began to spot the inconsistencies in the history he and everyone else were taught. Dates didn’t match between books, the timeline on the creation of Maretime Bay was wildly inconsistent, some major events were skipped over completely, some events couldn’t have happened so close to others. He could see the flaws in the history he had been told all his life right before his eyes.

“And things only got worse when he got permission from the head librarian to begin going through books that had been stored away below the library. Those books were labeled as fiction or even as pegasi or unicorn propaganda, but Argyle got the same feeling he had felt when reading Princess Twilight’s journal. And if he did assume that the books were actually true, he uncovered a completely different picture. He found stories and accounts of earth ponies living alongside pegasi and unicorns, of old methods of transportation existing between Bridlewood and Zephyr Heights, or Princess Twilight ruling over ponykind until some unknown event occurred.

“It completely destroyed what he had been taught for years, and he was so angry that he had been lied to for so long that he practically stormed into the head librarian’s office demanding to know why the heck they were doing this. The head librarian thought he was being ridiculous when he explained all the problems and inconsistencies and told him he should just ignore all that nonsense in the basement. But while a lot of ponies didn’t seem to want to acknowledge the fact that he made many valid points, or would just brush off his questions, Argyle refused to just let this all slide. And thankfully, once he made these inconsistencies known, a few other ponies in the library were willing to try and assist him.

“One librarian in particular, Arc, was particularly interested in the inconsistencies given his cutie mark in history. They worked together to find out not only what the true, but to find out why such knowledge was being hidden away from everypony. At first, Argyle thought that maybe it was intentional, some sort of secret plot to lie and propagate a fake narrative to everyone in Maretime Bay. But after a few months, he and Arc ruled that out. That may have been the original intention when the books were moved to the basement, but the library cards showed that the books had been in the main library numerous times over the centuries, always in the fiction section or as part of a ‘Dangers of Propaganda’ section. Argyle found that last bit especially ironic. This, combined with the other harmless books down there, like gardening manuals that would be rotated into the main stock every spring, made them realize it was likely just a manner of space and the normal rotation of books.

“In the end, based on the old records and correspondence saved by the library, Argyle’s best hypothesis was that when the races had broken up, the ponies of the time had moved the books away to try and prevent people from learning about pegasi and unicorns at all. Then, over time, the false narrative they had been taught had slowly formed. With ponies so focused on their hatred of the other races, the stories slowly became more extreme, the earth ponies became more and more heroic, and the true stories and records in the basement were forgotten or simply labeled as being fake. The dates were inconsistent in the earth pony books because they were just stories being passed on from one generation to the next, not actual historical fact.

“That was satisfying for Arc, who began to write a book on the real history of Maretime Bay. He even managed to get it published despite a lot of ponies not really believing it. But it wasn’t enough for Argyle. There was still so much they didn’t know, so much they didn’t understand, and unlike Arc, he just couldn’t let go of the idea that maybe, just maybe, the three races didn’t need to be apart if they were so close in the past. And, deep down, knowing all that he did about how history had been misconstrued, he still couldn’t help but wonder if the unicorns and pegasi had experienced a similar level of misinformation.

“So, he began to travel, despite his parents’ insistence that he not leave Maretime Bay. He started visiting ruins, trying to work out where they may have been in ancient times. He began collecting artifacts from the old world, like what he believed might have been Princess Twilight’s feather. As he traveled, he wrote down what he saw, researched more and more, and then wrote papers on what he found.

“He couldn’t exactly publish his research given the refusal of the head librarian and the mayor to acknowledge his findings, but he did still manage to make at least some progress with at least a few of his friends and family members. Ponies like Phyllis never bought into his work, but other were at least willing to learn and admit that the pony races had been friends in the past, though like Arc, many still weren’t sure if that could be the case again.

“And despite his hope that the races could possibly unite again, he had trouble conveying that idea because even he had never met another member of the other races. He didn’t want to go into any of the other races’ settlements as he didn’t know how they would react, and he didn’t even know where in the woods Bridlewood was. And he had never seen any of the other pony races exploring the world like he was. So, while he had definitely come to accept that a lot of the history he had been taught was a lie, he still wasn’t able to discern which parts of pegesi and unicorn abilities and mannerisms were real and which were fake.”

“Is that why he mentioned the horn lasers when you were saving him?” Sunny asked.

Star nodded. “As far as he knew, unicorns and pegesi still had magic, and he didn’t know what to believe. So in the heat of the moment, he just said the thing he had heard the most. He did apologize for it later, though, especially once I told him more about my struggles with magic.”

“And when he met you, he had a way to finally start learning what was true,” Sunny gasped, and Star could practically see her put the pieces together in her mind. “To learn that unicorns weren’t nearly as dangerous as he thought they were!”

“Something that was helped by the fact that I could barely walk after saving him,” Star said with a giggle. “Seriously, I was exhausted, and even my supply of super frosting cupcakes could barely give me the energy I needed to get moving again. Though, I did share a few with Argyle as thanks for saving me, and he always insisted that they were one of the reasons he knew I couldn’t be a bad pony, because, and I quote, ‘No pony who bakes something this delicious could ever be evil’. He would even playfully collapse on top of me occasionally until I agreed to make him some more! Not to mention he would sneak a few of them whenever he thought I wasn’t looking.”

“Is that where all my cupcakes would go!?” Sunny cried in indignation. “He said that it might have been a unicorn stealing them!”

Star roared in laughter, pulling her daughter close as the younger pony pouted and grumbled to herself about her dad being a ‘sneaky cupcake thief.’

Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll be sure to teach you my own personal energy cupcake recipe once we have a chance to cook together. Not even Argyle knew it!

After a few minutes of hugging and letting her laughter die down, Star continued her story. “Cupcake thievery aside, that day was when both of us began to truly learn about each other’s races. Given how I really couldn’t walk, he was a true gentlecolt and offered to carry me back to his camp on the other side of the ravine so I could recover. He was so sweet and shy about it too, even after I told him it was perfectly ok given how he had just saved my life. Along the way, we took turns asking questions and eating cupcakes.

“We talked about almost everything. What we liked, what our life was like, what other earth ponies and unicorns were really like, what we had each discovered about ancient Equestria. Even when we reached his camp, we just kept talking. The sun set, he helped me set up my tent in case it rained, and we just kept on talking, far into the night as the stars watched over us.”

Star smiled as she remembered that night. The feeling of being with somepony willing to try and look past the propaganda they had been fed their entire life. Of meeting somepony who had the same interest in the ancient artifacts as she did. The feeling of forming a brand new connection that so many others say shouldn’t have existed. It still lit a warm fire in her heart.

And for the first time, that ever-constant sadness about her missing magic faded from her mind completely.

“There was just so much to learn from each other,” she almost whispered. “So much we wanted to say that we’d never been able to before. So much we wanted to share. I shared my struggles of not having magic, of how even my exploration of Equestria was tainted by the knowledge that I wasn’t making progress on finding out what happened to our magic. He shared his struggle with having to come to terms with so much of earth pony history being a lie, of the fact that so many ponies refused to accept that what he was doing had any merit. We were both isolated in our own way, but when we found one another…”

“It felt like a weight had been lifted,” Sunny said, nuzzling Star’s leg. “I felt the same way when I was traveling with Izzy. I had always been friends with Hitch, but I always felt that something was holding us back. With Izzy, I had finally found somepony that was willing to give friendship with the other races a chance. Somepony who could be my friend without any hesitation.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still thought Hitch was a great friend, but there was definitely some tension between us for a while there. He might still be struggling a little bit given all the recent changes, but I feel like I can talk a lot more about the other pony races now than I could before and it’s nice to feel more on the same page about all this now.”

“I think I understand,” Star said. “Argyle said the same thing about Phyllis, though their gap seemed to widen as he began to learn about ancient Equestria. He tried to reach out, but she was too lost in fear to take him seriously.”

“I wonder what it would have been like if he had managed to convince her to give friendship a chance,” Sunny said quietly. “If they had managed to reconcile before it was too late…”

Star didn’t have an answer to that question. All she could think to do was to gently rub Sunny’s back as their eyes drifted over the ocean. The way the sun reflected off the surface of the ever-churning waters was soothing, the sounds of the waves reminding Star of the first day she had taken Sunny down to the beach from the lighthouse. The little filly had been instantly in love, burrowing into the warm sand, picking up every shell she saw, so excited and curious…

“Glitter!” Izzy’s voice called out, breaking Star’s daydream and making the unicorn turn around.

Unsurprisingly, they still had quite a few ponies watching them, including a good number of foals, but Izzy, Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp were still doing a good job at keeping them at bay. Izzy especially seemed to have found her stride and was acting as a very good distraction, performing simple magic on numerous objects to distract and entertain the foals, and some of the parents, too, funnily enough. Meanwhile, Hitch and Zipp looked like they were trying to usher ponies along and away from Sunny and Star, though a good number of ponies didn’t want to leave just yet.

Sunny really has good friends. Hopefully this won’t be necessary once ponies get used to my presence. I’d hate to distract Sunny from going about her daily life just by being present.

“What happened with you and Dad after you met?” Sunny asked after a while. “How long did it take you to start dating?”

“Well, after we finally fell asleep that first night, we spent a few days exploring the areas both of us had planned to visit anyway,” Star began, smiling. She could still see it so clearly, her and Argyle walking together, picking through ancient ruins, comparing notes. Nothing could compare to that simple joy of exploration. “Along the way, we continued to learn about one another and our homes, and continued to swap and compile our notes on ancient Equestria. It was the most fun I had ever had, and even when we needed to head home, we agreed to meet back up at the large tree a week later.

“From there, we fell into a rhythm. We would spend a few days back at our respective homes so ponies wouldn’t become suspicious, then head out and meet up at the tree, then decide where we could go exploring. We would stay out for a week or two at a time, then split up and head back home. It was wonderful, and we always made sure to visit at least one place that was of interest to each of us each time we met up.

“As for actually starting to date, well…” Star said, unable to hide her embarrassment. “In truth, we both developed feelings for one another that went beyond friendship, but neither of us were willing to take the next step and form a relationship. We were just so nervous that we tried to ignore the butterflies in our stomachs every time we would meet up. It took a chance encounter with somepony who would become a great friend of ours to finally realize how much we wanted to become more than friends.”

“Who were they?” Sunny asked, her eyes practically screaming ‘tellmetellmetellmetellme’. Star smiled.

“His name was Star Scout,” she said, watching as Sunny’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Star Scout!? Grampa Scout’s first name was Star?! As in…”

“Yep, just like you,” Star said, giving her daughter a quick kiss on the head. “We met him one rainy night near Zephyr Heights. We were exploring the surrounding the mountain area around the city, but got caught in a pretty bad thunderstorm. When it hit, we tried to find our way back to the cave we had set up camp in, but instead…”

In the past…

Star winced as another blast of wind battered her already soaked and shivering form. Argyle leaned against her, helping to steady her. Everything was cold and wet, she was exhausted, and she knew Argyle wasn’t doing much better. It had been perfectly sunny when they had set out that afternoon to explore the mountain, so where the heck had all this rain come from?!

The only bright side was that most of their items – including, unfortunately, their rain coats – were still safely stored in the cave they had found in the side of the mountain, and that Argyle’s bags were waterproof, so assuming they didn’t open them, all of their new notes should be safe.

Assuming we can find the cave before we freeze, Star thought, grunting as they continued to slog through the muddy trail. The rain was so thick and the night so black she wasn’t even sure if they were still going the right direction. She just hopped they could find some kind of shelter against the storm.

ANY kind of shelter.

“I think I see something!” Argyle called out, his voice just barely audible over the rain. Star tried to look where he was pointing.

There was a small light attached to some sort of structure up ahead, though between the rain and her soaked glasses, there was no way for her to tell what said structure was. Still, maybe it was shelter! Even if it was just a small shed or tent, it would be better than nothing.

They started trudging forward through the mud again until another burst of wind nearly blew Star over. But Argyle was there again, supporting her as they continued to walk forward. He was shivering just as much as she was, but he refused to give up, and so she wouldn’t either.

A minute passed. Then two. They were closer to the structure. It looked a bit like a house carved into the side of the mountain, but it was still hard to tel—

KA-THOOOOOM!!!

Star shrieked as a bolt of lightning struck a tree she couldn’t see behind them. She spun just in time to see the flaming structure come crashing down a few dozen hoof-lengths away, casting the entire area in a bright orange from the flaming fall leaves and wood.

Does Mother Nature hate us or something? First rain, then scaring us half to death with lighting!? What did we do to deserve this?!

“WHAT’S GOING ON OUT HERE!?” a new voice echoed.

Star squealed again, jumping and turning back around to see a large door near the light they had been following was now open, spilling firelight out across the field.

There in the doorway stood a pegasus. Between the bright light behind him and the rain covering her glasses, Star couldn’t really make out any of his features save for two: his wings and his eyes. His wings were open and above his head, protecting him from the rain. His eyes, meanwhile, were a piercing blue, staring into Star’s with an intensity that was both hard yet…familiar. The light of the flames behind her were dancing across his irises, giving him an unnerving look of an approaching predator.

He stopped the second he saw them. No pony moved save for Argyle and Star’s continued shivering. The only sound was the continued drone of rain all around them, though even that seemed to be letting up rather quickly.

The silence was only broken when Argyle spoke.

“Uhh, meow?”

If her hooves hadn’t been covered completely in mud, Star would have double facehooved. So hard.

So very, very, VERY hard!

Why, Argyle? Just…why?

Star just settled with giving him the most deadpan expression she could physically muster. Even if he didn’t see because he was nervously smiling at the pegasus, she still did it anyway.

The pegasus blinked, his eyes going from wide in surprise into an annoyed glare that just screamed ‘I’m too old for this nonsense.’

“Of course,” the pegasus groaned, his voice sounding rather old yet clear. Star could see him rolling his eyes while somehow never breaking his glare. “A bunch of young foals out in the worst storm of the last five years, of COURSE they’ve decided NOW is the perfect time to go exploring. Great, just great.”

“Um, sir?” Star began, only to squeak at his yelled response.

“Quiet! Don’t you know how much trouble you two are causing me? Get your soggy flanks in here before you freeze!”

“What?” Star asked, very confused. Was he...helping them? It was hard to tell with all the yelling. “But, but we’re—“

“You’re two young foals out in a rainstorm!” the pegasus snapped. “No buts! Get in here!”

He turned around and walked back inside. He did not, however close the door behind him.

He’s not worried that we’re not pegesi?

Star looked up at Argyle. Given his expression, he was clearly just as confused as she was.

“QUIT WASTING ALL MY HEAT AND GET IN HERE! AND CLOSE THE DAMN DOOR ONCE YOU STOP STANDING AROUND LIKE STATUES!” the pegasus yelled, causing both Star and Argyle to jump and hurry forward towards the house just as the rain began to pick up in intensity again. Shelter was shelter, even if it was home to a very angry pegasus.

The moment Star stepped though the door, she immediately felt better. That fire must have been burning for quite a while, because even through the water drenching every hair on her body, she could already feel the heat trying to warm her cold body.

The sooner I dry off, the sooner I can get warm, she thought, helping Argyle close the door. The moment it closed, the loud pouring noise was reduced to a soft tapping, almost like a soothing white noise.

“Wash your hooves off in the device next to the door,” the pegasus grunted from his spot by the fireplace to the left, pointing next to Star and Argyle. He tossed in a few logs to the dying flames and slowly began moving to a closet nearby. “Just stand in the little pool and it will do the rest. I don’t need to be mopping up your muddy mess tomorrow.”

Said device looked like a small container of water with various metal bits attached. Star had seen pegesi using some form of technology during her observations of the main city, but never anything like this. She looked at Argyle, but he just gave a small reassuring smile and nodded to her. Ignoring the small flutter in her chest, Star hesitantly stepped into the pool of thankfully warm water.

The device let out a little beep, before a few gentle streams of water began to shoot out of the side of the container. It quickly washed away the mud and gunk from Star’s hooves, making a happy-sounding jingle when she was all clean.

That is actually really cool! I wish I had one of these back home. Maybe I can try to sneak into Zephyr Heights and buy one later—

“Quit wasting time and get out so your friend can have a turn!” the pegasus yelled, making Star squeak and jump slightly, quickly stepping out so Argyle could clean his hooves. “Good, now get over here and sit down!”

Said unnamed pegasus was back by the fireplace. He had just placed a large puffy towel on the floor and was now looking at Star with an expression that practically screamed ‘get your flank over here right now, young filly.’ Star moved towards him, feeling a spike of uncertainty in her chest. She was cold, tired, and weak at the moment, and this pony was a complete stranger. Yes, he had let them in, but he clearly wasn’t happy with them. Heck: he sounded downright furious back before they had come in.

What if he reports us to the guards we saw walking around the city once the storm lets up? Or what if he thinks we’re dangerous and tries to do something to us while we’re here? We have no idea what he thinks about earth ponies or unicorns, but if it’s anything like what the unicorns or earth pony think about the other races…wait.

Wait, if he was going to turn us in, why would he let us come inside? We can’t get far in that storm, so he could probably just tell the guards that we were nearby and have them come get us. And why would he be making me sit on a towel next to his fireplace? Maybe he, just wants to help? What if—

“Would you quit staring at me like a skittish caterpillar!” the pegasus exclaimed, cutting through Star’s thoughts so sharply she jumped. “I don’t bite, and I wouldn’t even if I still had any of my original teeth! Right now, you need to get dry and warm, so quit making a puddle of water on my floor and move your flank already!”

Star squeaked, nodded shakily, and quickly walked towards the fireplace, trying not to drip too much water on the wooden floor.

“Sit. Don’t move,” the pegasus grunted, pointing at the towel. Star sat, grateful that the towel was so close to the fire as she felt the heat begin to truly seep into her coat, beginning to banish the biting cold. The pegasus grunted before turning towards Argyle. “You too, young colt! Take off your bags, sit here with your filly, and don’t move!”

His what!? Star, thought, a massive blush spreading across her cheeks. She quickly turned and saw Argyle’s face turn just as red as hers probably was, but he didn’t counter the irate pegasus, and to Star’s surprise, when she opened her mouth to say something, no words came out of her either.

Huh.

She didn’t know what to make of that. Or of being called Argyle’s filly, now that the sudden shock had worn off. Or of the fact that both her and Argyle were apparently equally embarrassed by such a claim.

Argyle took off his soaked bags, hung them carefully on the hook above the fireplace, and sat down next to Star. His wet fur brushed against hers and a shiver shot through all the way to her hooves. And that, somehow, made her face decide to become even redder.

She was too tired for this.

Once Argyle was settled, the pegasus gave a nod and turned, slowly walking away with creaking joints. Star decided to worry about him and his…misconceptions later, focusing back on the fire instead. Right now, she just wanted to get warm and dry. And sleep.

Yet despite her body’s demand for sleep, Star couldn’t help but look around the house after taking a moment to clean off her glasses with the towel. It was a simple yet elegant home. A small kitchen sat near a window to the right, with a polished wooden table near that. A door on the back wall was open and led towards a bedroom. Off to the left was a roaring fireplace and a comfy-looking couch and well-made coffee table, as well as an empty wooden drying rack.

The pegasus who had let them in was indeed rather old, his legs a bit skinny and his tail rather thin, yet he still looked perfectly healthy as he grumbled to himself and walked towards the bedroom. His coat was a rare shade of purplish red that Star had only ever seen on a rare flower back in Bridlewood, while his mane was a bright red like the setting sun. His cutie mark was a light blue coffee mug sitting on a white plate next to a donut with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles. Despite the uncertainty still floating around her chest, something about seeing such a familiar color on the coat of the pegasus reminded Star of home, while his cutie mark reminded her off all the days she and Blueberry would relax in Bridlewood’s tea shop. Those memories made her feel a bit more at ease.

Maybe he’s not so bad. It is pretty late, and I would be upset too if I was just about to go to bed only for two ponies to show up at my door unannounced.

“On the plus side, we’ve finally met a pegasus?” Argyle said uncertainly, moving closer to Star as he extended his hooves towards the fire. Star scooted closer to him as well, ignoring the blush still on both their cheeks. She was just doing this for warmth.

That’s all.

“A very old and grouchy one,” she said, earning a small chuckle from Argyle.

“I’m sure we’d probably be angry if we were woken up in the middle of the night too, even if I’m pretty sure the tree is what woke him up,” he said with a small smile. “At least he’s given us shelter.”

“Agreed. I am thankful for tha—”

Poomf!

Star squeaked as something large and fluffy was suddenly tossed on top of her, nearly knocking her over in surprise. A few moments of panicked flailing later and she escaped its grasp to see that it was another big towel. A similar towel had been thrown at Argyle, causing the poor stallion to topple over in surprise.

“Quit playing around and dry off,” the pegasus snapped, a bit of a smirk playing across his lips as he watched Argyle try and free himself from the towel. “The sooner you dry, the sooner you’ll warm up. Just put them on the drying rack when you’re done.” He headed towards the kitchen before they could respond, muttering under his breath.

You could have just hoofed us the towels rather than throwing them. Jerk, Star huffed to herself. Still, at least now she could get dry. Though she was curious as to why the big blue towel was covered in pictures of coffee mugs.

A few minutes later, both she and Argyle were dry and their towels were hanging up. Meanwhile, the pegasus was still moving around the kitchen, boiling some water, if the soft bubbling noises were any indication.

“Do you think he might be willing to answer some questions tomorrow?” Argyle quietly asked, gently snuggling up against Star as they continued to warm up. At least they weren’t shivering anymore, if only barely.

“I have no idea,” Star said. “And we wouldn’t have any paper to write our notes down anyway.”

“We could always write them down later. Oh! Even better! Maybe he has some we can borrow? I mean, this is the first pegasus we’ve ever met! Imagine what he could tell us! He might even know of some old ruins that we’ve never heard of!” Argyle whispered excitedly, that spark of curiosity shining in his eyes and making Star’s heart flutter.

“Is that how I sound whenever I discover a new ruin or book?” Star teased. Argyle blinked, then nodded enthusiastically.

Such a goofball. But then that what makes these trips so fun! Rainstorm aside—

THUUMP!

“Gah!”

A heavy blanket suddenly collided with their backs and successfully knocked both ponies into an impromptu snuggle pile. Star did her best to ignore the renewed heat spreading across her cheeks at the unexpected forced snuggling and tried to get out from under the blanket.

“There, now stay under there and warm up until the hot chocolate is done,” the pegasus said. Star threw the blanket off her face to see him standing over them with a smug smirk.

Star, however, had had enough of this nonsense.

“Stop throwing things at us!” she yelled, giving the pegasus her best glare, which he matched it with a very practiced ease.

“Then stop waking me up in the middle of the night so I can stop your sorry flanks from getting hypothermia!”

Whatever Star’s response was going to be completely died on her tongue as the pegasus thrust his hoof at her, perfectly booping her on the nose and causing her muzzle to scrunch up in surprise.

If he’s so worried about us, then why is he being so rude about it?! You don’t need to be mean to be helpful! You could have just hoofed us the blanket and towels!

“We only woke you up once, and I’m pretty sure that was the tree,” Argyle said, sounding very confused as he emerged from the blanket next to Star.

“Once is MORE THAN ENOUGH TIMES! And I DID hear that young mare scream her head off, so as far as I’m concerned, YOU TWO woke me up!” the pegasus scolded, turning on a dime and booping Argyle on the nose. Argyle’s eyes crossed adorably to look at the hoof, blinking in a way that said ‘I have no idea how to respond to that, so I’m just going to say blueberry.’ Undeterred, the pegasus continued to speak. “I moved out here to get away from all the terrified wimps back home, and now I’m stuck babysitting a pair of ponies who couldn’t even be bothered to pack raincoats!”

Star was about to say that the storm had come out of nowhere, that they had packed raincoats back in the cave, and that they he didn’t need to babysit them now that they had found shelter, but was interrupted by the whistling of a tea kettle.

“Bout time! Need to get a new stove soon, one that doesn’t take so dang long to heat up a few cups of water!” the pegasus grumbled, trotting back towards the kitchen.

“Is he angry every at everything?” Star muttered to herself.

“Tonight? You better believe it!” the pegasus yelled back. “You woke me up well past the time I typically get to sleep, so you better believe I’m gonna be angry at everything!”

Ok, note to self, old or not, this pegasus has incredible hearing, Star thought as the pegasus came back, holding a small tray with two steaming mugs with his wings.

The pegasus put the tray down in front of Star and Argyle, before pointing at it intensely. “Drink. You need to warm your core temperature back up.”

Argyle was the first to move, picking up a cup and gently blowing on the liquid. Star was a bit hesitant, but the elder pony’s surprisingly soft expression told her that it would be ok. That alongside the gentle aroma wafting from the mug was enough to convince her to at least give the drink a try.

She gently picked up the mug, blew on it a little, then took a small sip.

!!!!

It.

Was.

DELICIOUS!

Every other hot chocolate Star had ever had in her entire life couldn’t compare to the smooth blend of harmony that was currently sliding past her tongue. It was the best drink in the world, and no pony could convince her otherwise. Any trepidation she had vanished, and she chugged the glorious drink. The hot drink was creating a core of wonderful warmth in her chest as she drained the entire mug in one long pull.

“Oh sweet harmony, that was delicious!” Star said once her brain remembered she needed to breathe.

“Ha! I still got it!” the pegasus laughed, pulling Star away from the chocolate-induced haze to realize that both Argyle and the pegasus were looking at her with very amused expressions. Argyle in particular was raising a single eyebrow teasingly as he continued to take much more measured sips from his own cup. The pegasus however looked like he had just won an award in a hot chocolate competition, and for a moment Star thought his cutie mark was almost sparkling.

“T-Thank you for the drink, Mister…?” Star said, gently placing the cup back on the tray and desperately hoping that her roaring blush might just be attributed to the heat from the hot chocolate. She also belatedly realized that despite everything, they had never actually asked the pegasus his name.

“Scout. Star Scout,” the pegasus said, and he smiled, warm and caring and genuine. In that moment, Star could see the kind heart that existed beneath his gruff exterior. It was as calming as that hot chocolate, and Star couldn’t help but return the smile with one of her own.

Back in the present…

“He—that—WHAT!?” Sunny exclaimed. “Grandpa Scout was a pegasus!?” Star giggled at her daughter’s ‘How was I never told this!?’ expression. “A PEGASUS!? That’s amazing! And, wait! My father is an earth pony, my mother is a unicorn, and I’m named after a pegasus. Holy Harmony, that’s…that’s…”

“Amazing? Extraordinary? Seemingly impossible with how everything used to be?” Star suggested. Sunny nodded, swallowing hard.

“Yeah. I just…I almost can’t even imagine it. The three races, coming together again, even if it was just a few ponies. Proof that we could get along all this time,” she said, her voice a mix of amazement and wonder.

“And you were the one who helped unite the three races again,” Star said, nuzzling the top of her daughter’s head. “Something that all three of us had dreamed and talked about for years.”

She could still see Scout’s smiling face, watching as he and Argyle playfully bantered about the histories of the pegasi and the unicorns. Watching as they got into a playful cookoff, with Star being the one to judge their creations because neither of them would ever be willing to admit defeat.

And yet, despite the happiness of those memories and her daughter’s excitement at learning about her honorary grandfather, she couldn’t help but feel a slight knot forming in her chest. They were both amazing ponies, and she would give almost anything to spend more time with them.

Especially now.

“Mom? What’s wrong?” Sunny’s voice called, pulling Star back to the real world. She was hugging her daughter tightly, and she could feel a few tears beginning to form under her eyes.

“Nothing, dear,” Star said gently, nuzzling the top of Sunny’s head. “I just…well, I know that both Argyle and Star Scout would have been so proud of you. For everything you’ve done, for staying true to yourself even when the world was saying you were wrong. I…I just know they can see you, even now…”

How she missed them both.

“Did…did Star Scout ever get to meet me?” Sunny asked softly, hugging Star a bit more tightly herself.

Star nodded, trying and failing not to sniffle. “He actually helped with the delivery. He even came all the way out to the lighthouse to stay with us during the last two weeks of my pregnancy despite the distance from Zephyr Heights. I was so happy when Scout knocked on the lighthouse door, especially as by that point I could barely walk down to the beach without getting winded. Even more importantly, he had some experience helping with deliveries from the time he spent volunteering at a community clinic and was even able to train Argyle a little on what to expect.

“And when he saw you for the first time…”

Star’s voice trailed off as she remembered that day. The way Scout’s eyes widened, the way his mouth had slowly pulled upwards into a happy smile. The way that years of age and stress just seemed to bleed away in that moment that he gently held the crying foal in his hooves. Star could feel the tears beginning to roll down here cheeks.

“It was as though he was young again,” she continued quietly, watching a few seagulls fly down near the breaking waves. They were diving for fish, and as one surfaced, Star could see a small rainbow reflect across the spray of water. Something about that just made her smile regardless of the pain in her chest. She loved them both, and no amount of pain could deter her from reliving those wonderful times. “He was so happy, so thrilled to see you, to know that there was a way for ponies to truly coexist. He knew you were special.”

And I knew you were special too. We all did. Even before I saw the rainbow in your mane, I knew you would be an amazing pony. I could just feel it.

“I wish I could remember him,” Sunny said gently. “He sounds like a really sweet pony.”

“He was, though he could also be pretty stubborn too,” Star said, feeling the pain begin to recede as Scout’s playful smile filled her mind. “In fact, I truly believe that if he had been able to keep making the journey, he would have come to Maretime Bay to visit you. And knowing him, he would have come undisguised regardless of how much chaos it caused,” Star joked lightly, giggling at the idea of an angry Scout yelling at everypony to stop panicking because he just wanted to buy his granddaughter some ice cream.

Sunny snorted, before laughing a bit at Star’s joke. “That sounds amazing! I wish he COULD have visited me, even if we just stayed in the lighthouse the whole time! I would have had so many questions for him!” Sunny gushed, her eyes practically sparkling at the idea. “And I could have shown him all around Maretime Bay too. Well, I’m guessing dad would ask him to wear a disguise to prevent a panic, but still! Oh oh, did he help name me, too?”

Star could help but laugh a little at that. Seeing Sunny’s enthusiasm, her pure energy and happiness at learning about Scout helped to fully unwind the knot in her chest. Just seeing Sunny so excited about him made her remember how animated the old pegasus could be. She just knew Sunny and Scout would have gotten along like a house on fire. And speaking of Sunny’s name, Scout had been so conflicted when Star had finally revealed Sunny’s full name, caught between being flattered and grouchy that ‘these young whippersnappers were already acting like I’m dead!’

“Actually, no. We surprised him on that front,” Star said with a quick wink. “But he didn’t object to it, and I’m sure he would be proud that you’ve live up to his legacy of making ponies smile.”

“I’m glad I can carry on his memory,” Sunny said, smiling a little. “What was he like?”

Star laughed. “Grouchy! Don’t get me wrong, he was fun and a very nice pony once you got to know him, but he was also a master as summoning all the angry energy of an elderly pony who ‘has no time for this nonsense!’”

She said the last bit on her best Star Scout voice, which, in her opinion, wasn’t all that impressive, but Sunny giggled at the impression anyways. “And he was the one who help you and Dad start dating?” she asked.

“Yep. After we had finished our hot chocolate, Argyle and I continued to warm up near the fire. We underestimated how tired we were, and we both fell asleep shortly after and woke up the next morning…”

In the past…

Noooo, no sun! Bad ball of fire! Go away and let me sleep, Star groaned internally as she buried herself further into the fluffy blanket surrounding her. Sleep was good. Sleep was her friend. Sleep would help keep that stupid ball of fire away as she slowly felt herself drifting off once again.

At least, until the blanket snuggled her back!

Star jerked awake, sitting up and quickly trying to remember what had happened. After Scout had given them hot chocolate, Star and Argyle had continued to warm up by the fire. Between the warmth of the fire and the exhaustion from hiking in the rain, they had been too tired to move and had eventually laid her heads down next to one another. Star didn’t remember much after that, but given how badly she had wanted to sleep, it was clear that she had dozed off in record time.

However, apparently just sleeping hadn’t been enough, as when she looked down, she realized that not only had she and Argyle scooted close together during the night, but they had both wrapped their hooves around one another. Which meant they had spent the whole night snuggling.

Star felt her entire face slowly become red, something that only sped up as Argyle yawned and tightened his grip on Star, innocently nuzzling her neck before going still again. It wasn’t a bad sensation. In fact, his gentle movement actually felt rather comforting to Star, but the only thing here brain was capable of thinking was ‘Oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear’ at a rapidly rising pitch.

Why do I keep getting these butterflies, especially these last few weeks? It’s not like we haven’t shared tents before. We’ve done it plenty of times when we were too exhausted to put up the second one or it was really cold out. We’re just friends that enjoy exploring ancient ruins and comparing notes together. So why do I keep feeling like my stomach is trying to backflip out of my chest in a way that would make Spring Board jealous?!

“Morning, sunshine!” a voice yelled from across the room, prompting Star to jump to her hooves. Or at least, that’s what she intended to do, but with Argyle’s sleepy grip on her, she instead jumped towards him, making him wake up and jerk away in surprise.

Star lost track of what happened next, only knowing that the blanket and towel somehow got tangled up with them, resulting in a large ball of cloth and limbs that eventually ended with Star lying on Argyle’s chest as both of them were partly tangled in their sleeping implements.

Ohharmonyohharmonyohharmonyohharmony!

Star had never blushed so hard in her life, and she was sure Argyle was feeling the same way, given the expression on his tomato-red face.

“You can kiss after breakfast!” the voice called.

Well, if Star’s face wasn’t the shade of the world’s reddest apple, it certainly was now.

“Quit playing around in my blanket and come eat something. Young ponies these days. The moment they get a special somepony they become so distractible.”

“W-We’re not dating!” Star practically squealed, rapidly working to free herself and Argyle from the compromising position they were caught in. Now that Scout had made his presence known, Star could faintly smell pancakes coming from the stove the pegasus was standing over.

“Yeah, and I’m a young pony with more flexibility than I know what to do with,” Star Scout said, rolling his eyes and cracking his leg to make his point before turning back to the stove, a spatula gripped in one of his wings.

“We really aren’t, though,” Argyle said, helping Star get free before standing up next to her. Scout just deadpanned at the two of them, something in his expression making Star squirm uncomfortably.

“If you’re not together, then you must be at the stage where you have a crush on one another but neither of you is willing to admit it,” the pegasus said with a grunt as he put down the spatula and approached the two of them. Star opened her mouth to retort but was silenced by his glare. “I’m certified to perform weddings back in Zephyr Heights. Have been for years. I’ve seen all kinds of love from all kinds of ponies. And trust me, I can see the connection between you two clear as day. Don’t matter that one of you has a pointy horn and the other don’t got no wings. You care for one another, and that care is just waiting to rise to the next step.”

Star had no idea what to say to that. Some part of her wanted to dispute his claim, yet another voice couldn’t help but think on what he had said. Being with Argyle was always fun, and Star couldn’t deny that in the last few weeks, something had changed for the better. She got this…funny feeling around him. A warm and fluffy feeling that made it harder and harder to say goodbye. Hay, their last trip had lasted an extra three days because neither of them had wanted to leave.

Could I…actually have romantic feeling for him? Could I really be falling in love with him?! I mean, I wouldn’t mind, given how sweet he is, how much fun we have researching Equestria, how he loves staying up late with me to watch the stars and talk about how we wish the tribes didn’t need to be separated and—

…oh sweet harmony I AM FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM!

The realization hit Star like a lightning bolt, her tail standing straight as a surge of energy passed through her spine. She DID care about him more than a friend. She did want to take things further than they had before.

And she had no idea HOW TO DO THAT!

Please tell me Princes Twilight wrote a manual for dating somewhere and a copy still exists!

“Oh for the love of—” Scout groaned, facehooving, and Star realized that Argyle had gone just as stiff as she had and was trying to look anywhere that wasn’t her. “You, stallion. Ask her on a date.”

Argyle blinked, not moving and looking as though he was lost in the forest and six years old before something clicked and he turned to face Star. Star turned to face him as well, unable to focus on anything but him and the rapid beating of her heart.

“Star, do—do you…” Argyle began, looking into her eyes, only for his voice to catch and stutter like a skipping record. “You—you—you—”

Star was so focused on trying to figure out her own response to this that she didn’t even see Scout approach until he gave Argyle a firm smack to the back of the head. “Willyougoonadatewithme!?”

“Y-Yes,” Star squeaked before she could stop herself, her voice at least two octaves higher than normal. “Yes, t-that sounds fun!”

And she genuinely meant it.

Is it possible to pass out from blushing too much? Because I just might, she thought, unable to think of any other rational thoughts as she stared into Argyle’s eyes. Those eyes that burned with hope and excitement and fear and joy and—

“Now kiss!”

“WHAT!?!?” Star and Argyle both shrieked, jumping away from one another. Star tripped over her own hooves and landed on her flank with a thump, just barely cushioned by the discarded blanket.

“Hahahah! That NEVER gets old!” Scout laughed, grinning even as Star gave him her best glare while she stood back up. “Don’t worry about kissing now. Do it whenever you feel comfortable enough. Now come on! I ain’t havin’ you two pass out because you forgot to pack any food. Sit down and your breakfast will be done in just a minute.”

GURGLE!!!

Grumpy Scout was back, and Star and Argyle’s stomachs chose that exact moment to grumble as loudly as physically possible, completely derailing Star’s train of thought before it could begin.

Food would be nice. Even if the pegasus making it is a massive…massive…darn it, I don’t even know what he is! He’s annoying, caring, grouchy, and nice all at the same time! How do you even characterize that?!

She didn’t know, but having Argyle press up against her side as they walked toward the table made her smile and her heart did a happy little dance. Grumpy or not, Scout had not only helped them out last night, but was willing to give them breakfast today as well, so he wasn’t that bad. Especially since he had just essentially set her and Argyle up on a date, something that made Star’s heart flutter at the mere thought of.

True to the pegasus’ word, soon her and Argyle each had a full plate of pancakes and a steaming cup of coffee. As both of them dug in, Scout sat down next to them with a simple bagel and his own mug.

The pancakes were perfect, yet somehow the coffee was even better. Perfectly hot yet not scalding, smooth and rich, and the perfect thing to wake Star up and forget about the minor ache in her flank.

She just hoped there wouldn’t be any more pranks from Scout. She had been through enough over the last twenty-four hours.

“So,” Scout said once Star had reached her last pancake. “I take it the unicorns have lost their magic too?”

Star nearly choked on her pancake, and Argyle looked like he was barely holding back a spit-take of his coffee.
Where did that come from!? And how did he know?!

“W-What—”

“You haven’t used your horn once since you got here. You didn’t shield yourself from the rain last night, you didn’t use it to levitate the towel into the rack, and you’ve been using your hooves all morning rather than just levitating your fork,” Scout said, before smirking. “So, either you’re being extra considerate to try and not freak me out, or you’re just like the rest of us pegesi: magicless.”

Magicless…it still hurts to think about that. But, we were right?

“So it’s true then?” Argyle asked quietly. “The pegesi can’t fly?”

“Nope! My dad was one of the last ponies to really fly, but save for the royal family, the rest of us are mostly grounded,” Scout huffed. “Sure, we can glide if we need to get down somewhere quickly and can get some height if there’s a strong updraft, but that’s about it. A number of whiny foals back in the city think the unicorns or earth ponies are to blame, but seeing as none of them have ever even seen one in pony, I doubted that was the case.”

“The unicorns think the same thing,” Star said, sighing heavily. It still wasn’t pleasant to say out loud, but it was oddly…refreshing that she had no hesitation talking to Scout about this, especially since he was being so open with them. Guess I got over that hurdle, she thought, smiling a little at Argyle. She had a feeling meeting him helped her break that ice.

“My grandmother was one of the last unicorns to be able to use magic. I’ve tried for years to even get my horn to glow, but nothing worked.”

“And the earth ponies are too terrified to even go near the unicorns or pegesi,” Argyle said. “They’re more obsessed with creating highly impractical devices to protect themselves from unicorns or pegesi. They’d most likely panic if they saw a unicorn or pegasus.”

“HA! They’re not the only ones!” Scout laughed. “The whole reason I moved out here was because I was so tired of all that stupid propaganda they kept spouting back in Zephyr Heights. Those big babies would wet themselves at the sight of either one of you! Though I suppose that raises a good question – how in harmony’s name did you two lovebirds ever meet in the first place?”

Star blushed, but chuckled. “Pure luck, actually. We were both studying ancient Equestria, and I just happened to be nearby when the bridge he was on started to collapse.”

“She saved my life,” Argyle said, his hoof gently grabbing her own as he blushed as well. “And after I saved hers, we just…started doing our research together. Trying to find the truth amid all the lies.”

“You two are even more of a sappy couple than I first thought,” Scout said in a completely serious tone, before cracking a grin. “Course, I was no better at your age. Still, next time you decide to have a romantic stroll, make sure to bring your raincoats so I don’t need to help save your sorry flanks!”

You have got to be the strangest pony I have ever met, Star thought, rolling her eyes, but she still smiled and nodded. Still, it’s nice to know that there is at least one pegasus that has an open mind like us.

“We promise to try,” Argyle said gently. “And to not leave all our supplies in a cave, no matter how unlikely rain looks.”

Scout snorted. “Good enough, I suppose. But if you two wake me up again, I swear to harmony I’m gonna give you to scolding of a lifetime!”

“Noted,” Star said, matching Scout’s deadpan tone to a T. Argyle chuckled as Scout tried to frown, but Star could still see a small smile playing through that grumpy exterior.

I’m just glad we met a nice pegasus and not one who was terrified of us or one of the guards we saw patrolling around. Especially one who is kind enough to make us breakfast, Star thought as she took another sip of coffee. Still so goooood. I wonder how he got so good at making coffee?

“So when can I expect to see some foals from you two?”

Star did a violent spit take, choking as Scout laughed his head off.

I take it back! He’s an asshat and he knows it, breakfast be damned! Star thought between coughs as Argyle rubbed her back soothingly. I’m going to get him back for that! I swear to harmony!

“If you’re done playing jokes on my brand-new marefriend, is it ok if I ask you a few questions? And maybe borrow some paper?” Argyle asked as he cleaned up Star’s mess, gently trying to sound neutral between Scout’s continued laughter and Star’s death glare. Star couldn’t help but squirm a little at being called his marefriend.

It wasn’t a bad feeling that filled her chest at the name. Just…a new one.

And…it felt nice.

“For your research, I’m guessing?” Scout asked once his laughter died down. “Eh, why not? Not like there’s much to do today anyway. You think of your questions while I go get some paper. I’ll even make your mare a new cup of coffee. It’ll be my signature white chocolate surprise as an apology.”

That actually sounds really REALLY good. Dang it, Scout, stop making me like you just to make me hate you again! Actually, given his cutie mark, I wonder if making coffee might be his special talent. That, or hot chocolate. He didn’t mention what he did back in Zephyr Heights, so that might serve as a good way to learn more about him instead of the city.

“Do you know a lot about coffee?” she asked as Scout moved into the kitchen.

“I’d certainly hope so!” Scout yelled back, sounding somewhere between grumpy and strangely proud. “I ran a coffee shop for more that forty years back in Zephyr Heights. Was one of those high quality places, not that backwater swill sold at places like Wingbucks! Cheaper too, to the surprise of all the new customers that finally gave me a try. I worked there until I couldn’t keep up with the fast pace of modern life. Gave it to my daughter, Cream. She’s a natural. Runs it better than I ever did. Best coffee shop in Zephyr Heights, or so all those fancy newspapers and channels say.

“Once I retired, I tried just enjoying my days in the city,” Scout continued. “I got my certification to perform weddings, volunteered at the local clinic, enjoyed brewing coffee on my off time, and tried to relax. But those wimps up there soon made that impossible. Besides the fact that there was all this new technology around that everypony has basically become addicted to, which was annoying in and of itself, I started to notice how paranoid everyone was. It was always unicorns this, earth ponies that, they’re so scary, blah blah blah.” He rolled his eyes as he made his way back to the table with a pot of coffee and some paper.

The scent of the coffee was enough to make Star start to drool. Once Scout had poured her a cup, she gratefully took a sip and moaned at the taste of paradise in a cup. It was as though Twilight herself had blessed her drink, soothing her very soul as Scout continued to talk.

“Eventually, I just got sick of it all. I’d lived for sixty-three years by that point, and not once had I ever seen an earth pony or unicorn. So why was everypony being such a big baby about ponies we weren’t even sure existed anymore? I even asked my daughter if she had seen one of your kind when she brought it up, and after a month of talking to ponies in the coffee shop, she still hadn’t found anyone who had actually seen one. Not even the guards who came to the shop had seen one!”

“Argyle thought I could shoot lasers and fry ponies brains when we first met,” Star said, winking at her coltfriend (wow, that felt really exciting to actually say!), prompting him to chuckle a little and scratch his head in embarrassment as he looked away from her.

Scout barked out a laugh. “Sounds more reasonable than unicorns being able to brainwash ponies into becoming their slaves. Or earth ponies being violently stupid and might attack any pony weaker than them on sight. Eventually I got so fed up with ponies rambling on and on about the other races that I bought this house and moved out of the city. I still go back for supplies, to see my family, to keep helping at the clinic and all that, but it’s so much more refreshing to be somewhere quiet.

“Not to mention exciting. Wild animals, a clear sky without all those lights at night, being able to see lightning dance through the clouds when a big storm rolls through, plenty of thermals to glide around on, it’s fun! Some of my family was worried about me running into ponies like you two, but I told them I wasn’t gonna live in fear anymore. I’m old now, so what’s the point of wasting my life being terrified of everything?”

“It does get pretty annoying,” Star agreed, remembering how Bridlewood was whenever she went home. Sure, a few foals would find her drawings interesting or pretty, but so many ponies would just ask her such stupid questions. ‘Did you see any ponies of another race?’ ‘How did you hide from the pegesi?’ ‘Why do you keep putting yourself in danger?’ It was exhausting, and Star would always get each question at least ten times before she reached home and could finally tell her grandmother about her trip. Assuming, of course, she still had the energy after dealing with all that nonsense.

“It’s especially annoying once you’ve actually met somepony from the other races and they turn out to be great.” She gave Argyle’s hoof a squeeze, and he squeezed back, grinning. “Because then you just want to try and convince everypony that they don’t need to be afraid, but they just never believe you.”

“And if you try to have them meet somepony from another race, then they’ll freak out long before you can even get a word in,” Argyle agreed.

Scout chuckled. “Sounds like you two have had some experience with that. And yet you didn’t let that keep you apart. Two ponies who became friends even when everypony else just screams and flails around in a panic. Sounds like something my son would put in one of his books. I love that colt to death, but I swear his books are so sweet that they’d give you a cavity faster than any of the pastries I used to sell in my shop!” he exclaimed, sounding both crochety and proud as a grin played across his face.

“And don’t even get me started on his screenplays! By harmony, if those things were any sappier, everypony in the show would just be a tree covered in tree sap and yes, I know how redundant that sounds, but it’s the truth! Quite your chuckling!” he snapped as Argyle’s giggling.

“Hey, I like those romance novels!” Argyle said. “They let us see the connections of other ponies and how different relationships form, even if they are sappy at times.”

“Ha! So you like being a tree then?”
Something tells me we might be here for a while, Star thought as Argyle and Scout began to engage in a friendly debate about romance novels. She, meanwhile, was much more interested in sci-fi, so she was perfectly happy to just sit here and enjoy her liquid paradise. Especially if Scout kept bringing said paradise and pouring it into her mug. For now, she was just happy that her new coltfriend and their new pegasus friend had found something that they could discuss with one another…

Author's Note

At long last, the next chapter in my first G5 story is done! With so much to write and cover I wanted to make sure I got it just right, and I hope all that extra time helped me to do this story justice. I know the chapter has a lot of flashbacks, but I think its important to learn more about Star while simultaneously showing her and Sunny connecting. Plus, I really had a lot of fun developing Star Scout both here and in the next chapter (which is currently in editing).

Either way, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please feel free to let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy it and will look forward to the upcoming chapters!

If you want to discuss some more, please feel free to join my Discord and send me a message https://discord.gg/Wt3HqMRrk4

If you want to see some of the other content I have been creating, please feel free to check out my Twitch or Youtube channels https://www.twitch.tv/piemaster128_official https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8c18IGPeYsbHaTgSLlS1vQ

Also, and I will probably mention this in a blog post in the next few days, I also decided to create a Ko-fi account after getting some advice to do so! So if you want to support me or just want to give extra thanks for the stories or videos I create, please feel free to head on over. I don't expect any tips, to be honest, but it is there just in case ko-fi.com/piemaster128official

Have a good night and I hope my writing makes your day just a little bit brighter.