Chapters Spike woke up to Twilight's hoof prodding him. He sat up in bed, unable to keep his eyes open for long. "Come on, Spike!" Twilight insisted. "We need to clean up the castle."
"Clean up? What for?" he asked.
"The big party yesterday," she informed him, rolling her eyes.
Spike moaned, "Can we at least get breakfast first?"
Twilight and Spike took down the decorations from the big Hearth's Warming Eve party they had held yesterday. Just as Spike was about to take a wreath off the door, the door opened. Luckily, he managed to fly out of the way in time. He looked at the entrance and saw Sunburst at the door.
Sunburst and Starlight had gone on a trip to Sire's Hollow for Hearth's Warming Eve, since Starlight didn't feel too well, so they weren't able to attend the party yesterday. Twilight had expected their trip to be longer, but she wouldn't complain if their trip was a bit short. It was their vacation, after all. "Hi, Sunburst!" Twilight greeted. "So, how did it go?"
"Twilight," he panted, getting straight to the point. "Starlight... missing!" Twilight and Spike's eyes widened in shock.
"Where?" she demanded. Sunburst only shook his head. "What happened?"
"I woke up on the train earlier this morning, and the train was only about one stop away from Ponyville," he started. "I looked up at the seat across from mine, where Starlight should've been, only she wasn't there. Which means she left at night!"
"She jumped off the train?" Spike exclaimed.
Sunburst hung his head. "I don't know. She just... vanished. For all I know, she could've gotten off at a different stop. Though, jumping off the train was an option for her, too." Twilight and Spike looked at each other, concerned.
Twilight pointed to the door. "Let's go get our friends," she directed. The boys nodded and split up to get the rest of the girls.
"So we need your help finding her," Twilight concluded.
Rainbow Dash flew up and out of her throne, kicking at the air as if it were a villain. "I'll make sure to kick whatever monster's butt that took Starlight."
"No, Rainbow," Sunburst intervened. "She wasn't taken by anyone. She left on her own."
"And how do you know that?" she challenged, right before Applejack grabbed her tail, bringing her down. "Hey!"
Sunburst levitated a seemingly old book and placed it in the center of the table, opening it. "This is Starlight's old diary," he told everyone. "She discovered it again yesterday, and she's made two new entries. I think one of them was on the train, right before she disappeared to Celestia knows where."
The group gathered around to see the journal, looking at the last entry. "I'm sorry, everypony," Twilight read aloud. "I'm sorry, but I have to go right now. I'm sorry, but I can't make it anymore. I'm sorry, but I feel misplaced. I'm sorry, I'm so, so, so, incredibly sorry. Please, just keep in mind this: I'm sorry."
This was confusing to everyone, as they had no clue what Starlight was talking about. Nopony had a clue what "feel[ing] misplaced" meant. No one knew what Starlight meant when she wrote that she couldn't make it anymore. No one knew why she was sorry in the first place, or why she even had to go, for that matter. All they knew was that their friend was gone, and they had to find her.
"Where could she be?" Fluttershy asked, mustering up enough courage to find out a possibly dangerous answer.
Sunburst hung his head. "Anywhere," he sighed. The others gained an expression of concern and fear.
"Well," Pinkie started, a smile on her face, catching everypony's attention, "this sounds like a big mystery for me to solve." They all exchanged confused glances, except Twilight, who seemed unimpressed.
"Are you going to solve this mystery using reasoning and evidence?" she questioned, an eyebrow raised.
"Don't worry, Twilight," she assured her, patting her head. "I'll solve this the right way."
Twilight bit her lip, looking at everyone else in the room. Then, she turned back to Pinkie Pie and shook her head solemnly. "To be honest, it doesn't matter if you get carried away or not," she murmured, loud enough to receive a gasp from everyone. "Because we're all going to solve this case. We're all in this. Together."
Most everyone else smiled, and nodded in agreement. They put their hooves, and claws, in Spike's case, together in the center of their circle, waiting on, and looking at, one more pony. Fluttershy was a bit hesitant, in fear that the expidition might be dangerous, but was still willing to do it. It was all in the name of friendship. She was kind and friendly, and never wanted to back down from helping, especially if it was a friend. And right now, her friend needed her. A lot. She sighed and put her hoof in with the rest of her friends, and they all lifted their hooves in celebration.
Not that there was much to celebrate, of course, not with the recent news of the disappearance of Starlight Glimmer. But at least now, they had, well, sort of a plan. Yay...
Twilight took a quill and a scroll, for taking notes, and suprisingly, she kept them instead of handing them over to Spike. "Where were you when you woke up earlier? And what time was it?"
"I think it was around... near... the Everfree Forest? At about 6 A.M?" he stammered, his voice inflecting with doubt.
Twilight raised an eyebrow but took notes on it anyways. "And what about when you fell asleep?"
"That was about two hours after we left Sire's Hollow, so around midnight. And I think we were in Arimaspi's Territory back then."
Biting his lip, his ears bent down, Sunburst watched as Twilight proceeded to jot down annotations. Soon, she brought in Starlight's journal and flipped through the pages. "Interesting..." she remarked out loud, taking even more notes.
"Well, what is it, darling?" Rarity dared to ask.
Twilight pointed to the hornwriting. "Starlight's hornwriting is incredibly messy, but right now, it looks far worse than it usually does." Sunburst closely observed it, then nodded in agreement, confirming Twilight's statement. "Which means she probably wasn't able to see clearly when she was writing this."
Sunburst gaped in realization. "So it must've been really early and dark when she wrote this!" Twilight nodded, frowning even deeper.
"She must've been further south," she concluded. Then, Twilight teleported a map into the room scribbled on it. Well, at least, it looked like scribbling in everyone else's perspective. She was probably planning a detailed route or something of the sort. "Alright, everypony," she finally announced. "Looks like our first stop is Pinkie's rock farm."
Hearing this, Pinkie beamed. Well, it was a mix of a smile and a frown; she was mostly happy she would get to visit her family again, but was also dissapointed that Starlight was missing while she visited. She wouldn't get to spend much quality time with her family.
They all trotted out the front door, except Spike, who had volunteered to stay in Ponyville in case Starlight ever came back. Spike waved goodbye to Sunburst and the girls, wishing them good luck on their expedition.
Starlight's mane harshly flew around in the cold, heavy wind. She heard a bear growling and cautiously looked around in fear, only to find nothing. That was when she realized that her stomach was hurting, as well. She was starving! And she hadn't packed any food. In fact, she hadn't packed anything at all! Well, that was too bad. She would just have to be a bit resourceful for a little while.
Pinkamena Diane Pie had not set hoof in her rock farm for a while. When she arrived on her family's farm again, with six other ponies who were presumably her friends, her sister, Limestone Pie, looked rather shocked. But soon after, the shock was replaced with her usual irritable expression. "Pinkie Pie? What in the hay are you doing here? Especially with them ?"
Before answering, Pinkie hugged her other sister, Marble Pie, and her parents, Igneous Rock and Cloudy Quartz. Her parents kept their neutral faces, as always, and Marble Pie shivered with discomfort and timidity as Pinkie and all her friends got closer to her.
"Sorry to disturb all of you," Twilight announced first, "but we just needed to ask you a small question."
Pinkie turned to Limestone, who groaned. "It better be quick."
Rainbow Dash nodded vigorously. She was just about to ask the question when Pinkie Pie took a deep breath and started to meander. "Of course we'll do it fast, silly! Rainbow Dash here is really, really, really fast! Oh, and I'm fast too, because everypony says I can fit a lifetime of fun into a blink of an eye. OH! And, I'm pretty sure I talk fast too. I'll definitely make this fast. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye! Honestly-"
"PINKIE!" Limestone shouted at her sister with a glare.
A light, "Oops," was the response from Pinkie Pie.
As Limestone facehoofed and shook her head, Twilight began to ask the question. "Have you seen a lilac unicorn come by here lately? She's got a purple and teal mane, if that helps."
Limestone and the rest of the Pie family thought about it, but the answer that came from all of them, even Marble Pie's silent answer, was no. "We focus on farming, chores, and work. We don't usually pay attention to much else. That includes your unicorn friend who may or may not have passed by."
Twilight sighed. "Okay, thanks anyways." Disappointed, she motioned for her friends to follow her out of the rock farm. She wasn't sure exactly where to check next. A flaw she had discovered during her journey to the farm helped her realize that there was no point in checking nearer areas, as Starlight was skillful with and incredibly reliant on her magic. It was very likely that Starlight had simply just teleported herself somewhere. That made it so there was no point in checking based off reasoning, as with her proficiency in magic, she could currently be anywhere in Equestria, maybe even outside of it.
Applejack could see Twilight stressing out, and decided to intervene. "Why don't we go back to Ponyville and start searchin' again tomorrow? I'm sure we could all take some time to relax and even make a new plan."
Twilight wanted to argue and disagree, she really did, but she didn't have any good reason to. Besides, Applejack had fair points. So she sighed in defeat and led her friends back home.
Everypony had a different definition of "nightmare."
For Rainbow Dash, it was losing a race. For Fluttershy, it was basically anything bad or scary. Pinkie Pie's would be disgusting desserts, and Rarity's, hideous clothing. Applejack didn't like to have a single rotten apple. Starlight was scared of her own past, with good reasons, of course. And Twilight had a good definition of a nightmare: "Anything that could "harm [her] friends, or [her friends] being harmed."
Right now, she was experiencing an in-real-life nightmare, and it fit into the latter category. There was no way to know for sure if Starlight was being physically hurt or not, but they could all infer that there was some mental pain in her. The last time Twilight had seen her, Starlight was a nervous wreck with tears and instability. She'd managed to wave good-bye to Twilight as she left for the train, but Twilight never would have guessed that it was for the last time maybe ever. If only she'd known, there would have been so much she could have done to prevent it all from happening. But the world didn't work that way. So she had to take action and stop the nightmare.
As soon as they arrived back home, Twilight devised a plan. With a map of Equestria, she arranged for them to visit spots near the rock farm they had visited earlier today. Except that wouldn't make any sense, as Starlight was most likely currently moving along, further away from the farm to Celestia-knows-where. So she abandoned Idea Number One and started creating an entirely new game plan. She picked to go to those cities that were a town or so away from the farm. If Starlight was travelling by hoof, that was where she would most likely be.
On her map, she'd marked, using probability and reasoning, Ponehenge, Baltimare, and Vanhoover. Those were the most reasonable Equestrian towns that Starlight would be in. If not one of those, Starlight had used magic or some other thing to take her to some other place, maybe even outside of Equestria. Twilight hoped that wasn't the answer, as she wanted it to be a quick find, where she could just have Starlight back home as soon as she found her, which would be really soon, if it were up to her. But it wasn't, and she had to work hard for what she wanted.
A while later, Spike found that Twilight had tired herself out planning for tomorrow, and softly giggled. He placed her on her bed and joined her to sleep on the large bed.
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie also joined Twilight in her room. They all slept on soft carpet on the ground, save for Rainbow, who had brought her own cloud in to sleep on. Although she didn't think so, the carpet was rather softer, and also warmer, than clouds. Spike organized Twilight's plans while everypony else slept; he wouldn't be joining the girls on their quest the next day, meaning that he could stay up and help while the girls were home and sleep on other nights. He finished organizing the plans with a smile.
Not very surprisingly, Twilight had made several plans, so it made sense that Spike stayed up almost until midnight setting out the girls' course for tomorrow. When yawning, he realized something. They could reach Starlight even with the many miles between them!
He rushed to get a quill and scroll, just as he used to when writing to Celestia, and started out the letter a way he had only done once before.
Dear Princess Luna,
I know you're busy consoling everypony in their nightmares, but the girls and I are in a real-life nightmare right now. Our dear friend, Starlight Glimmer, has vanished with an unknown cause, and we were hoping you could possibly reach her through her dreams. Please try and let us know the results as soon as possible.
Thank you so much,
Spike
After rolling up the scroll, he blew it and sent it to Princess Luna. He yawned, knowing he wouldn't get a response right away, and crawled into Twilight's bed, falling asleep right away.
Twilight woke up and yawned while stretching. Blinking a few times, she remembered what was happening in the real world. It was something she never wanted to experience. It was the real-life nightmare of a hurt friend. And it hurt Twilight, if not more than Starlight, just as bad. She realized that she hadn't finished planning from yesterday, and zoomed over to her work table from yesterday, deciding she could rush in the last of her plans for the day. Then, she saw that the plans had been summarized, completed but barely changed. In a perfect way Twilight would most likely have overlooked. The modifications she could see were written in the scribbly handwriting of Spike. With a smile, she glance back towards her bed where Spike lay, sound asleep.
With a giggle, she walked over to him and properly placed a blanket on him. As she did that, she noticed that Spike was holding something. Wriggling it out, she realized it was a scroll. From Princess Celestia, perhaps? She decided to read it.
My great friend, Spike,
I'm so sorry to hear such a thing! I've searched through dreams to find hers since the moment I recieved your scroll, but I have not succeeded in finding Starlight's. It is possible she isn't dreaming at all, or that she is now in a place with a completely different time zone. I will continue to search for hers for nights (and possibly days) to come, and I wish you the best of luck in finding her in real life. Please let me know if she is found.
Best of luck,
Princess Luna
Twilight smiled. Spike was helpful and smart in so many ways; he was the best friend and assistant anypony could ever ask for. And all that help had contributed to Twilight not having to overwork as she did on occasion. With a smile, she packed small bags for the road. She was determined that it would be the last day of searching, as they would surely find Starlight. Of course, you never knew when the world decided to ditch your plans, so Twilight had started thinking of a plan for what would happen if they didn't succeed. It wasn't very strong, but it had a base. Every good plan starts there.
She awoke the rest of her friends and informed them that they should try to leave as soon as possible. After a short breakfast, they did just that. Spike slept in, with a good cause, and would soon wake up to continue what he had started.
The girls, meanwhile, had a long route ahead of them.
Author's Note
Pinkie's tangents
Starlight walked through the frozen wasteland, knowing she wasn't going to survive by staying there with no purpose whatsoever. She honestly had no idea where she was going, or for that matter, where she even was! She currently only had a nagging feeling that she wouldn't be going back home anytime soon. For some reason, that sounded really good to her.
She was currently ravenous, but that wasn't too big a problem. She could survive for long enough without any food. And luckily, she was in a snowy area, so she could easily just use the snow for water. Cold as it was, it was enough to energize and hydrate her.
She decided that it would be smart to abandon this already abandoned area and find the nearest civilization, even a small village. She was only hoping that the ponies of the village would be kind and welcoming. Well, if there even was a village to arrive at.
She kept walking in one direction for a while. Except, she had staggered along her path. The winds were so harsh and the snow so blinding, there was a chance that she had completely turned around and was currently heading back to the place she had teleported to. She just decided to keep going to wherever she ways anyways. She kept walking for minutes, hours, but however long she did, she felt that it was never far enough away from the cold heart she was trying to avoid.
Soon, her hooves grew cold and numb from walking on the snow without any protection, and so she conjured up a simple teleportation spell and got ready to cast it. Unfortunately, she'd already worn herself out, so even a spell so simple as teleportation became near impossible. She groaned and used her remaining energy to keep stumbling through the storm.
It didn't last long, though, because she needed quickly to eat something. Snow would work for a drink. It was no doubt dirty, but getting sick was better than straight-up passing away. She gathered some snow in a pile and grabbed some with her hooves. She "ate" the snow and winced at how cold it surprisingly was. But, in a way, the feeling helped soothe her hunger. She shook her head and decided to move on.
The sky was turning a beautiful shade of purple and orange, red and blue, making Starlight stop in awe and beam, but she was nowhere near as bright as the sun was. The best thing she had seen so far since running away was this amazing sunset. The colors were so brilliant, mixing themselves all to surround the glaring sun in the middle. Even the clouds looked colorful.
Her smile faded as she realized that sunsets meant nighttime. She wouldn't mind being in the dark, but along with that, she needed a place to rest. Something she most likely couldn't do in the snow for longer than one minute. Not without anything but her body heat and a saddlebag. Incredibly pensive, she knew she would have to live without sleep for a few days or so, until she was so fatigued that she wouldn't mind sleeping on the snow. And so, her journey continued, as she trekked through the big storm. In just a few minutes, the sky turned pitch black. The moon was just a small flashlight millions of miles away. So faint she could barely see it. But it only took a few minutes for the moon to reveal its true light, until it was bright enough to light a path for her along the snow. It soon looked so brilliant the stars that faded in were nothing at all to her. Except that the stars seemed to add glitter to her path. It almost seemed too much of a miracle, but then again, she could be hallucinating.
Such a figment couldn't be assumed as real, but she decided to walk along the path either way. Every now and then, she looked behind her to see that the path disappeared. It just moved forward with her to show her the way. Twists and turns appeared every now and then, but eventually, she was led to a small area of trees. It was near a cliff, so she would need to be careful, but she could sleep in the trees or something similar. They would provide sort of a shelter for her.
The blizzard, though, only got worse. It became harder and harder for her to see until she had to move around with her eyes closed. Even then, she could barely move. She soon tripped over something in the snow and twisted her left leg a little. She winced in pain but decided it was best to lay there in the snow and let it act as an ice pack.
Her eyelids fell down, slowly, slowly, and if she tried to fight it, she was just tiring herself more. In the end, she fell asleep quickly and of exhaustion and fatigue from the long journey through the strange environment around her. She was on the verge of just giving up and teleporting home, but that wouldn't work because her teleportation spell would only take her so far when she was weak. If she'd had more strength, she would've probably been at the castle right now, laughing with friends and learning more about friendship.
But she wasn't that strong, both metally and physically, because she stayed put and looked at the frosty world that surrounded her. But looking closely, she noticed it wasn't just plain ice and snow. There were creatures everywhere, huddling together for warmth and safety. She kind of wished she had that warmth, too, one with many friends surrounding her. Just that would bring her enough warmth for her to be in a much more comfortable atmosphere. In slightly more than a few minutes, she started becoming stiff, most likely from being in the cold for far too long. She decided to keep moving on. With one last glance at the animal families, she sprinted to help warm her body up.
Soon, her hoof sank too deep in the snow or something, because she slipped and slid down a hill. She couldn't slow herself down with magic, so it was all she could do to dig her hooves into the snow and create some friction, no matter how small an action it was. At the end of the hill, where slowly but surely it became less of a downhill slope, she felt a tingle run through her body. Was she really that cold? Finally, she slowed down until she stopped completely. She rested against the snow for a little, catching her breath, and decided soon after that it was too cold. She stood up to see a small village there. There weren't many buildings, so it was smaller than Ponyville, although it was still slightly bigger than her Village of Equality.
Either way, a town was a town, whether it be cold or not. It was nothing compared to the biting winds around it. She just hoped that the ponies would show benevolence towards her after she became more familiar with the (possible) dystopia she would soon enter.
As she got closer, she could slightly make out the words on the first building she saw. It said, Comfort Café . She decided it sounded nice enough. Hopefully, the place matched its name. Starlight exhaled deeply, a smoky breath coming out, and opened the door to the café, a little jingle playing as she stepped in.
Starlight walked into the café and sat down at a table near the back of the room. It was bustling with ponies—not a good sign if she was trying not to be spotted. She slumped down in her seat, exhausted and famished. She had a saddlebag on, and decided to put it down on the seat she was in. Hopefully nopony would take it. Or her bag, for that matter.
She rushed to the restroom first. After relieving herself, she looked into the mirror. She was a mess! She wet her hair and smoothened it out. She washed her face next, then her hooves. After that, she was clean enough.
She walked back to the seat she was in earlier, only to find that there was a group of four stallions sitting there. She just stood there, not knowing what to do, until one of them eyed her angrily. "Can we help you?" he scolded.
Starlight eyed them awkwardly. "Well, it's just that I was sitting there first. Could you, maybe, move?"
The gang laughed. "Move? Yeah right. We're in this spot fair and square. How 'bout you move?" Another scoffed. Starlight gritted her teeth. She was sure she had the spot before them, and they knew it too.
"Ugh, fine. I'll move. But where's my saddlebag?" she asked. When all she got in response was a silence, she scowled. "Give me my bag and I'll move." They didn't budge. One of them even looked close to snickering. She'd had enough. While making her horn glow, she shouted, "WHERE IS IT?"
And then they started laughing. A waitress walked up to her with an empathetic look. "Boys." she declared. "Listen. I'm not putting up with this again. Either give her the bag or give her the seat."
Starlight wondered what she meant by "again," but decided it was best not to question it. "Is giving neither an option? Because we're picking that either way."
The attendant sighed. "Well duh, it's an option, and the price of choosing that option is getting banned. Deal?"
The gang rolled their eyes. "Her bag's over there," the biggest one said, pointing to a small, isolated table in the corner of the shop. Starlight knew for a fact that she hadn't put her bag there, but decided it was best not to protest. She walked to the table and sat down on it, angry and ashamed. She had to have a waitress stand up for her? What a loser.
"Sorry about them," came a gentle voice, interrupting her thoughts. "They do it a lot. I'm actually excited for the day they get banned from our café. It'll be a lot more peaceful then."
Starlight just smiled at her. She didn't have much to say, except thank you . But she was currently at a loss for words. "If you don't mind me asking, what's your name?" she asked. She wasn't much of a conversation starter.
"I'm Gloria Brightfield—Glory, I suppose. Yours?"
"Uhh, Starlight Glimmer. That's a beautiful name, by the way." She didn't have much else to say, and staring at Glory would be awkward, so she gazed down and fiddled with the bag in her hooves.
"Are you alright, Starlight?" Glory asked. "Did they shoplift something valuable from you?"
Starlight hadn't even considered that possibility. She opened her bag to see that it was mostly empty. She struggled to find the words. "I..." Glory was patient and kind. She waited for Starlight to continue. "I didn't have much in here other than a journal and a few bits. And right now, I've only got one bit in here."
"Ugh! They should be banned already. I don't know how the Gang is still allowed here with all the things they've done." She turned to Starlight. "How many bits did you have?"
"Umm, around three, I think?" Glory nodded. She walked away from Starlight's table, approaching the boys. She had a conversation with them, and it took a few minutes, but she returned with a journal and 2 bits.
"Sorry about that." Starlight nodded, implying that it was alright. "Did you want to order anything?"
Starlight was starving earlier, but she only had three bits to go off of. "I don't have enough. Maybe I'll just take a water."
Glory looked concerned, but nodded and headed to the kitchen anyways. Starlight buried her head in her hooves and started to sob. She didn't feel like going back home anymore. She wanted to see her friends again, but she was scared now. Scared that she would hurt them in some way, any way at all. And now she'd trapped herself in this strange town.
She hadn't even realized it before, but her seat was the one closet to the door. That meant that when the Gang wanted to exit, they would walk past her crying self. And they did. Starlight heard them laughing, one at a time heading out of the door. The café had a bell too, meaning that she could hear when they left. She'd heard only three bells, and she was expecting a fourth too, but it didn't come. She'd assumed that one had gone with another.
She felt a hoof tap her, and she expected to see Glory there with a bottle of water. But when she looked up, she instead saw one of the ponies from the Gang. He held two bits in his magic aura. Starlight glared at him. He probably pickpocketed them from her last minute and was now here to do a magic trick and make them disappear. But he never did. His next actions rather surprised Starlight.
He held the bits out for her, not doing anything, until he grew impatient and just stuck the bits into Starlight's bag. "What was that for?" she asked. It was probably enchanted or something, anything that could secretly harm her.
"Because, Starlight, they're yours." Starlight looked into his eyes and could tell that his words were indeed genuine. "You had five bits to begin with. Glory only brought you back two."
"And why are you returning my bits?"
He shook his head. "Because I hate being part of the Gang! They're super notorious around here. And, they're the worst kind of friends a pony could have: fake friends. Kind of like everypony else, but way worse. Worst of all, they don't make any friends. Well, other than between themselves. When I saw you break down, I'd had enough. I quit the group."
Starlight was terribly reluctant to believe him, but did anways. "I... Thank you? Who are you?"
He chuckled. "I'm Ben Raindrop. And I'm always looking for a friend. Although, I've never made one before."
"Well then, I'd be happy to be the first," she told him with a smile. He sat down on the table across from her just as Glory walked back into the room, carrying a meal of potatoes, muffins, and bread. Oh, and of course, water. Starlight laughed. "I asked for water only . How am I supposed to take all this without paying? It's so much, Glory, you shouldn't have cooked it up."
Glory laughed in return. "It was my pleasure to. You seemed to be just a bit hungry as far as I could tell. You don't have to pay for it."
"But I do!" she protested. "I'll make it up to you in the future somehow."
"I could pay for it," Ben spoke up. This made Glory suspicious, but Starlight reassured her, letting her know that Ben was a good guy, unlike his ex-friends.
"I can't let you pay for it, though," Starlight giggled. "I'd have to repay you then!" The three all shared a laugh before deciding that Starlight would make it up to Ben, who'd pay for the food right now. She'd told them both thank you a million times, and still felt it wasn't enough.
"You know, I'm glad to know this town is welcoming," Starlight said as she, Glory, and Ben walked out of the café.
That got another giggle out of Glory. "It really isn't."
"No?" Starlight asked. "But I've met almost all nice ponies."
"Exactly!" the other two said in unison. Glory told her, "The ponies you've met so far may be welcoming, but I have to warn you that most of the ponies here aren't."
Starlight didn't exactly know how to feel about that. "Have you lived here your whole lives?"
Ben spoke first. "My family did. They lived here forever. Just like I have. I've pretty much learned that it's one of the worst cities in Equestria. It doesn't even have it's place on a map!"
Glory went next. "I started living here around three years ago. I moved here for... reasons that neither of you need to know about right now. But either way, I came here because I thought it would be nice. Boy, was I wrong."
"Yeah you were," Ben chuckled. Glory pushed him playfully. Starlight just watched as they talked about their life in the town they were in. How they hated it, how they wish they could be somewhere else. They referred to it as Ashtown. The name didn't make sense to her, since the town seemed to be more snow and ice than ashes.
Glory caught Starlight watching, and asked her, "Do you have a place to stay yet? If not, you could stay at my house."
"Or mine," Ben added. "Your welcome wherever you want right now."
Starlight shook her head, ashamed. She really hadn't planned ahead for anything, and it would be wrong to walk into the houses of ponies she just met, no matter how nice they were or how much they were willing to be friends. Besides, she still owed them a debt for the food she'd been served. "You're both too kind! I still need to repay you somehow, and now you're offering for me to stay in your homes?"
They all laughed for a bit, until Glory made the final decision. "How about she stays with me, since her debt goes more to Ben. I could even help her find a job, for all we know."
Ben rolled his eyes. "Alright, she's staying with you. But I need a job too, you know."
"Oh, right. I'll make sure you and Starlight get to explore your options tomorrow. And we'll give her a tour in the process of it." Ben nodded in agreement, and he and Glory gave each other adresses. They kept walking together until, at one street, Ben had to turn left while Glory kept going straight.
After a few more minutes of walking, they finally arrived at Glory's home. It was a small log cabin with a few birdhouses hanging from the many trees surrounding it. It was actually so hidden by the trees that Starlight wouldn't have even found it if not for the guidance of her friend. It seemed to be a secret to most ponies. Starlight gaped in awe. It was all so beautiful. "This place is amazing!" she said.
Glory smiled. "Glad you think so. Although, it only looks this great on the outside. I like nature too much to keep it locked up in my small cabin just like that."
"It sort of reminds me of one of my friends' homes. She loves nature and animals, and in her home, there are burrows and birdhouses everywhere. She even ran out of trees to hang a birdhouse on."
"Really? Your friend sounds like my kind of pony," Glory noted with a smile. "What was her name?"
"Fluttershy." Just saying the name brought back memories, but for some reason, fear came along with them. Fluttershy was basically the opposite of intimidating, but still it scared her. What would Fluttershy think of her now? What would any of them think about her? She was probably unwanted, yes, and maybe that was what scared her. That if she returned, she would feel unwelcome and regret ever coming back. To be honest, she was even afraid of herself.
Glory gaped once she'd processed the name Starlight had just said. "Fluttershy? As in the Fluttershy Breeze, the Element of Kindness?" Starlight nodded. She'd forgotten that her friends were the Guardians of Harmony, and the fact that she was running from them. Stupid move, Starlight , she cursed herself. Now what, you'll be found out?
"You're so lucky, you know that?"
"Not really," Starlight whispered. She was a runaway, and hadn't even realized that she was running away from some of Equestria's best known figures. Glory raised an eyebrow but decided not to push it any further just yet. She invited Starlight to come inside, which she did with much disinclination.
Once inside, she realized just how small this space was. It only had two rooms: a bathroom and a main room. In the main room were a small desk, a couch, and a rug. Starlight sat down on the rug as Glory hopped onto the couch. It was a medium-sized couch, enough to fit around two, maybe three if everypony cooperated. She motioned to the empty space on the couch, implying that Starlight could sit with her if she wanted. Starlight just shook her head and shivered. Ashtown was really cold, even in Glory's comforting log cabin.
"You cold?" Glory asked rhetorically. She hopped off the couch and opened a drawer that was in the table. She pulled out earmuffs, a fringy scarf, and apparent snow boots. "I got these from my family for Hearth's Warming three months back. You can have 'em if you'd like, 'cause I'm not gonna wear any of that shit when I have clothes from years back. There are memories sewed into these stitches here."
Starlight gaped. "For me? But your old things are all so... old ! And besides, the new ones look like they were made just for you! I mean, orange earmuffs to match your cutie mark, as well as a yellow-pink scarf for your mane and eyes, and the snowboots too! Why would you want to give them up?"
Glory giggled. "These are brand-new, a fresh start, all without the memories I've made. It's the memories that count, Starlight, not the prettiness or value. Besides, if I give these to you, you'll be able to make so many memories in them. Including this one right now."
With a smile, Starlight reluctantly accepted the gifts. "They are so picturesque. Not really my style, just saying."
"Ha ha, very funny," Glory laughed. "They are perfect on you, and you aren't making any excuses to avoid them."
"Okay, fine, but," Starlight started as a thought crossed her mind. "Wouldn't you be cold without them? I mean, your other gear seems great, but they're also torn and thin. Cold can easily get through to you."
Glory seemingly had a comeback for everything Starlight said. "I'd assume you'd be just as cold, if not even more, than me. I've lived here a while, Star. You come from 'Ponyville,' which I've heard to be warm and cool weather, perfect temperatures." Glory got dreamy about living in Ponyville before shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "You were SO lucky, Star. I'm not sure if I'll ever get why you left your amazing hometown."
Starlight blushed. She shouldn't have left Ponyville, but she couldn't go back now, either. Stress building up, she knew what was right and wrong, but couldn't take the right path. She thought of the one reason that sounded reasonable enough. "Yeah, it was pretty sweet there," she said at first in a quiet, monotone voice. Anypony could tell she was lying. In a more authentic tone, she spoke up with, "But I can't stand being there, either. Besides, if I'd never run away, I'd never have met you, Glory. And you're a great friend. My friend."
With a giggle, Glory climbed down from the couch and sat on the rug with Starlight. "Sugarcoating things, huh?" This made Starlight break out into a smile. "You know, I'm always here to listen if you want to talk."
"About what?" Starlight asked, although she knew precisely what Glory wanted.
"Your past," Glory answered with an eye roll. "It sounds interesting so far."
"What?"
Once Starlight had said that, Glory looked just about as shocked as her. "You know, you've got an engrossing past. From what I hear so far, you were friends with the Guardians of Harmony themselves! Oh, could you imagine a life like that? Oh my gosh, you don't even have to imagine! You used to live it!"
Starlight sighed a breath of relief. She thought Glory had somehow known of her dictatorship. With a still solemn expression, she said, "'Used to' is the key word there."
"And I'm just trying to get why ."
"I don't know!" Starlight almost shouted. She was fed up already, and this conversation was only making it worse.
Glory seemed just as irritated. "Fine, then! Don't tell me about yourself. It's not like friends are supposed to do that."
Starlight groaned. "I guess we are. Introducing myself and, unfortunately, my past was something Twilight always told me to do whenever I met someone new and trustworthy."
"Twilight?" Glory asked with a bubbly voice and sparkly eyes. "Princess Twilight Sparkle? The Princess of Friendship?" A nod from Starlight made her squeal with excitemeny. "I can't believe it! You were actually a student of Princess Twilight!"
"Ha ha, looks like you now know my past. I guess I don't have to tell you any more?"
Glory shot her a playful glare. "You know as well as I do that this isn't what I meant. Now tell me for real."
"Just like you're doing?"
This made Glory blush. She really hadn't thought about it that way, but she wanted to learn Starlight's past, especially knowing she was friends with The Guardians of Harmony. "Fine. I'll tell you once you tell me. But you first."
Starlight stood up and got onto the couch. "Maybe later. I just don't want to. Besides," she said with a smirk, "I'm not desperate to hear either story, unlike you."
They laughed together and Starlight closed her eyes. She wanted to sleep, and she could've possibly been dreaming, but it was about all the memories she had made in Ponyville, the home she had run away from. They disturbed her terribly, making her toss and turn throughout the night, and she had no idea why it was that bad. With a groan, she woke up.
Sitting up, she felt a sharp twinge in her left leg. Of course. She'd injured it before, but it was numbed by the cold air all around her. Despite it still being cold in Glory's cabin, it was warm enough, and especially with the winter gear, for her to feel the injury again.
She winced with pain every time she moved, until she finally relaxed herself at a position where she laid down. Closing her eyes, she sighed in defeat and lit her horn just to test if it worked or not. It did. "Are you alright?" came a soft voice. Glory was smiling at her frown. She had a way of doing that, being optimistic in the worst times. Trying to cheer her up. It reminded her of Pinkie Pie.
And that's what she said. "Pinkie..."
"What?"
Starlight shook her head. "No, no. I'm fine, I'm fine."
"Wound up over something again, I presume? Maybe your old friends?" Glory suggested. Under her breath, she muttered, "The ones you left behind ?" Another shake of the head.
"You can tell me, you know. There's already a camaraderie between us, if you get what I mean. Besides, telling me your backstory means I'll tell you mine." Starlight didn't know what to do. She didn't want her new friend to hate her because of her past. But she did want to make a friend. To let somepony know how she was feeling. It was hard to make that happen, though. One thing that did make her even more reluctant was that first part. A camaraderie between us . It sounded so formal, too formal, and Starlight doubted they were close enough for story sharing.
"Later," Starlight said. "But it's not the history that bothers me. It's this leg. I think I twisted it when I fell down yesterday on my way to Ashtown."
Glory winced when she saw the injury of Starlight's leg. It was swollen and looked just as painful as it felt. "Oh, poor thing. I'll get some pillows and water for you." Starlight wanted to protest, but she couldn't. She felt so weak, as well as bound to the bed.
"Thank you. So much. Again." Starlight closed her eyes, glad she had a friend. She would tell her story sometime. Sometime soon.
