Author's Note

Edit on 11-20-22 based on a comment by Doctor Den

Epilogue: Acceptance

As Starlight walked back to the castle with Twilight and the rest of her friends, she felt something she hadn't felt in a while: joy. The joy of beeing free, of not having to be Chrysalis's prisoner for any longer. And she was especially joyful since she was with her friends. She, after all, had been seperated from them for a few days. It was good to be back.

But even the joy couldn't stop her from feeling sadness deep down inside of her. She wanted to teach Chrysalis friendship, despite all her wrongdoings. It was what Twilight had done for her; she should've been able to do it for Chrysalis. But maybe Chrysalis really was a lost cause. It was hard for her to believe; she'd seen multiple times that there was potential in everycreature such as Pharynx, Discord, and even herself. Even the dirtiest piece of coal can be turned into a diamond with enough pressure. But Starlight had a lot of trouble getting enough pressure for it to work. She promised to herself that she would try to apply even more pressure the next time she was given a chance.

She felt a hoof on her cheek. Twilight wiped away tears she didn't even know were there. Starlight and Twilight walked into the castle, saying their goodbyes to the rest of their friends. Starlight opened the door to her room, wincing at what she saw. Pictures and memories were destroyed, the mirror was cracked, and things were strewn all over the floor. Worst of all, her kites were bent and ripped.

Starlight gasped and her ears sank. Twilight wore a sheepish expression on her face. "Sorry, I forgot about that..." she trailed off. Starlight just shook her head and smiled reassuringly.

"It's alright. It's not your fault. And anyways, mess or no mess, it's good to be home," she told her, her gaze aimed towards the ground. "And," she continued, thinking about what she had done before the whole Chrysalis incident, "I'm really sorry about everything I said and did earlier."

"What did you say earlier?" Twilight queried, not quite remembering what Starlight had done to make her apologize about it.

Starlight bit her lip. "You know, how I said you weren't fair when you made me the leader of the school. Then I slammed the door while storming out of the room," she said, bringing back memories for Twilight to think about. "I... didn't mean to do those things. I was just stressed, and I guess I wasn't considering your point of view very much. I'm sorry I was so ignorant."

Twilight smiled. "I know you didn't mean it. You're sweet and loving and, yeah, things can get under your nerves pretty easily. And you make many mistakes, like we all do. But what's special about you is that you accept your faults, not deny them, and no matter what, you try to make up for them. It makes you the amazing pony you are."

Starlight blushed, grinning. "You're amazing too. And you definitely don't deserve to be treated the way I treated you."

"Oh, be quiet," Twilight playfully responed. "I already forgave you."

Chuckling, Starlight continued, "You transformed an hasty unicorn like me into the 'amazing pony' I am today. I'd say that's pretty impressive and amazing. I'm incredibly grateful for everything you've done, and I'm just really glad you're a part of my life."

"Aww, thanks," Twilight said, flushing as well. She embraced Starlight and, with her magic, turned her room back to normal.

Warily smiling, Starlight could feel her eyelids dropping. Twilight smiled too, laid Starlight on her bed, and quietly backed out of the room to let Starlight doze peacefully.

Starlight anxiously walked towards The School Of Friendship. Twilight silently followed right behind her. Opening the door, Starlight was greeted by the loud buzz of chattering students. A few students eyed her and crept away, putting her at unease. "Chrysalis didn't exactly leave the best stain on your reputation," Twilight explained with a sigh.

Starlight nodded. "Then I guess they won't really trust me as the Headmare?"

Twilight had a sneaking suspiscion that this was just an excuse to get out of becoming the headmare of the school, but her words sounded genuine. "I guess they won't. You can stay as the counselor for a while, but as soon as you're once again trusted, you'll become headmare."

Starlight nodded slowly, taking her words into consideration. "You know, I've been pretty worried about taking it over all on my own. But I just realized you never did it alone."

Twilight nodded as well, smiling. "Mhm, having a friend help out is pretty great! Especially when you really need it."

"Exactly! So, what do you think about me hiring a vice headmare to help run things? I mean, you never did it, but it should be alright either way, right? And I guess we'll need a new student counselor, too," Starlight said with a nervous grin, hoping she didn't sound too desperate or demanding.

Twilight chuckled. "I trust you to run the school any way you want. And if that means getting a few other ponies to help you, I think it's a great idea!"

"Really?" Starlight asked, her hopes rising.

Nodding, Twilight answered, "It's like you said—I've always had ponies around to help. And don't worry. You can always call on me to help you if you need it. That's what friends are for, after all."

Starlight took the words into consideration. "Alright. Thanks, Twilight!" she said, walking to her office. She sat down on her desk and poured water on an almost-dead plant. "Do you think I can do this, Phyllis?" she asked the plant.

As if the plant had answered, she responded with, "Oh, really? Thanks! Although it's probably not going to work out, at least I'll have you and the rest of my friends to help me out." And in her office, Starlight thought about her life both in the future and present and decided it was perfect already. She smiled and opened the door to see a little colt.

"Hey, Woodchipper! Did you want to see me?"

He nodded. "Actually, I have a few questions for you. If that's alright, of course."

"Aww, you're so considerate. It's fine by me. Why don't you come take a seat and I can answer some of those questions?" she replied sweetly. In her mind, she knew it was all going to work out no matter what.