Love or revenge

Chapters

Chapter 1: Idea in process
Chapter 2: New gifts
Chapter 3: Conflict
Chapter 4: Training

Chapter 1: Idea in process

A few weeks ago, 2 ponies traveled to the past, creating different timelines in the process, where the ponies and other creatures that tried to conquer or destroy Equestria achieved their goals. Fortunately that did not happen, because an unexpected event occurred, the pony that caused all that disaster voluntarily gave up taking revenge.

Dusk Shine made Starlight Glimmer, a unicorn particularly skilled in magic, reflect on her actions and desist from changing the past, or at least, that's what everyone believes. The truth was that Starlight did not change her mind, she only pretended to reform so as not to destroy Equestria, she wanted revenge, but she did not want the entire kingdom to pay the consequences of something that she caused directly or indirectly, perhaps she could make another plan while no one would suspect.

But, although in her heart she still had a desire for revenge, a new feeling also blossomed towards Dusk, the pony who, after seeing her enslave a village, remove cutie marks, and almost destroy the timeline, gave her a second chance, a new home. , and most importantly, friends willing to welcome him, even though most ponies would not have hesitated to give him an severe punishment.

During all this time, both ponies have been particularly close, no matter if it is necessary or not, they both meet frequently, looking strangely at each other, and all the ponies close to Dusk have noticed it.
However, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash still don't completely trust Starlight, no pony was present on the time trip she and Dusk had, and the only thing they know is that after Starlight and Dusk's unexpected appearance that supposed adventure, Dusk and Spike were now his friends.
Even with those suspicions, the 5 mares decided to give their friendship to Starlight, if their friend, the prince of friendship, trusted her, then they would too.

*****

Starlight knows that something strange is happening to her because of Dusk, but she is determined that this time she will get her revenge, without distractions, without friendship and without Dusk getting in her way, or that's what she wants to believe.

It was a new day in Equestria, specifically, in Ponyville, the sun rose and its light filtered through the windows of the pony houses, although one of the things that stood out the most in the small town was a large crystal castle, home of Prince Dusk Shine and, to the surprise of almost everyone who knew, his new student and friend, Starlight.

In one of the rooms, the unicorn was sleeping peacefully, at least until the sunlight illuminated her face, waking her up.
'Should I wake up so early? Can't I sleep and enjoy my "punishment" a little?'. She thought Starlight to herself. Eventually, that led her to remember some recent things.

When she pretended to abandon her plans for revenge, she feared that she would be punished by banishing her to the moon, locking her in a dungeon, or sending her to Tartarus... or banishing her to a dungeon in Tartarus. After all, traveling back in time and causing every villain to take control of Equestria (according to what Dusk had told him) was not something that could be considered "mild."

However, she was surprised when Dusk not only allowed her to stay in the castle as her new home, but also punished her by simply not allowing her to leave the castle alone for a few days.

'I can start again, and correct my mistakes... Or I can also look for some spell to control Dusk's mind and take peaceful revenge. That would be a very ungrateful pony. Why does that matter to me if I still want revenge? Will Dusk stop me again?'

For several minutes, Starlight debated whether she should wake up or sleep again, and also what she should do now that she could start over, until a sudden sound interrupted her thoughts.

"Toc toc"

Someone was knocking on her room door, and the only thing Starlight wished was that it wasn't Dusk, although she liked him, she still didn't know how to process the fact that she was living in the house of the pony that she tried to ruin the life of twice.

"Who is it?". Starlight asked, yawning and trying to get up.

"I'm Spike, I brought breakfast." He answered the dragon from the other side of the door.
"You can come in." Starlight exclaimed without much courage to get up yet.

"Dusk didn't tell me what you liked to eat for breakfast, so I made a little bit of everything." Spike said entering the room, while he held a large plate with pancakes, a fried egg, some cookies and a glass of orange juice. "I hope you enjoy it". Spike placed the plate on a small cabinet next to Starlight's bed.

"Wow, thank you". She exclaimed Starlight in amazement as she smiled. "Everything looks delicious".

"Courtesy of assistant number 1, me." Spike exclaimed as he raised his arms and head proudly. "See you later, if you look for Dusk, he's in the library, he won't be out of there for a looooong time...". Spike said with a bored tone as he left the room.

'Does that pony do anything else besides read?'. Starlight thought as she moved her eyes and head to the side. 'How does a library fit in this castle? From the outside it doesn't look very big-'. Before answering her own question, another strange sound and a sensation in her abdomen caught her attention.

“¡GROWL!”

"I can answer it another day, this is more important." She said Starlight happily, before sitting down and starting to eat breakfast.

*****

In the castle library, Dusk Shine was writing and organizing books and some scrolls, as he almost always did.
But this time there was something different, Dusk was more unfocused than usual, specifically, thinking about a mare in particular, his new student, Starlight.

'I wonder what Starlight is doing right now...' Dusk thought as he separated the books on advanced magic and magical experiments in alphabetical order. 'Are you thinking about making new friends, making a new revenge plan, or me?'
Dusk quickly shook his head after asking himself that last question, causing some books he was moving with his magic to fall to the ground.

"Because I'm thinking about Starlight!?" Dusk shouted nervously, as he tried to clear his usually organized and clear mind. "I must calm down, I am the prince of friendship, and she is a reformed guest a few days ago, it's nothing...".

Dusk interrupted himself after noticing something in the books he was arranging a few moments ago. "Oh no! These books are organized into AD and AB, they're supposed to be AB and AC!" Dusk said with an expression of disgust and sadness, which quickly changed to an excited and happy face.

"I guess I have to organize all this again." Dusk exclaimed happily as he levitated the books around him, ready to organize all those books in a very precise and exact order... again.

And so, the minutes passed, while Dusk watched and organized his books, time seemed to move faster, but he didn't care, he was doing one of the things he enjoyed the most without interruptions and most importantly, without thinking about Starlight.

After an hour rearranging books in an exaggeratedly precise alphabetical and numerical order, Dusk finally finished, and prepared to rest, but his inner nerd was awake and it would take a long time to calm down.

"I'm done, but maybe... I can add some very specific transformation books in AB, and a few in AD..." Dusk exclaimed, smiling mischievously. "Hmm...maybe an extra teleportation book in A-".

"Oh Dusk, I finally found you!". Starlight's relieved and tired voice interrupted Dusk's concentration, causing him a small scare.

"Ah!". Dusk gasped. "Oh, hi Starlight, I was doing a little organizing in the library, you wouldn't believe how much of an alphabetical mess there was." Dusk said casually.

"I see that you really like books..." The unicorn exclaimed. "...And also organize them every 2 days." Starlight said, with a small mocking laugh.

"Hehehe... yes... I love books, organizing them helps me relax, and also makes it easier for me to find what I may need." Dusk said, while he smiled shyly. "But tell me, were you looking for me? Or maybe you need a book?" Dusk asked excitedly.

"I was looking for you, I wanted to ask you if my punishment has strict rules, I want to go out to the park to touch the grass and not go crazy from confinement, hahaha." Starlight replied, laughing a little at how funny it was to see the prince of friendship being a nerd.

"Really? It's good that you asked." Dusk exclaimed excitedly. "Because I have a whole agenda meticulously organized for you for this entire month!" Dusk brought 2 sheets of paper towards him with his magic. "One is a simple black and white schedule, but if you don't like it, I also made another organized one with colors, my book on agendas and schedules says that colors help a lot to differentiate the sections...". Dusk moved the leaves towards Starlight so he could choose one.

"Thank you...". Starlight said smiling awkwardly. "...I didn't know you liked the organization so much." 'Holy Celestia, he's probably already organized our next 2 weeks.' Starlight thought fearfully.

"Thank you for looking for me..." Dusk thought out loud, not being able to help but smile a little as he looked at Starlight.
"What did you say?". She exclaimed Starlight in confusion as she took the colored schedule with magic from it.

"Oh!" Dusk reacted as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown at him. "I said 'Thank you for looking for me to answer your questions,' I'm glad to do it... After all, you are my student and I am your teacher." Dusk tried to speak normally, but only managed to speak quickly and awkwardly, with his face turning tomato red from embarrassment.

"Of course... Thanks to you, it couldn't be for anything else." Starlight said blushing, as she left the library. "See you later". Starlight left the library awkwardly, looking for her room.

'Dusk said “thanks to me”, and that… I liked it?” Something about that sentence was pleasant to her, but she denied herself the exact answer so as not to form wrong ideas.

For his part, Dusk stayed in the library, thinking about what had just happened. "Why I said that!?". The alicorn shouted as he hit his face with one of his hooves, and then returned to the matter of his books being organized.

As each one returned to their activities, both ponies had a single thought in their minds: 'Why is this happening to me?'.

Chapter 2: New gifts

It was a quiet day in a park in Ponyville, the weather was warm and all the ponies were happy, except for a unicorn who was accompanied by a small dragon.

"Do you really think they forgive me so easily?" Starlight asked in disbelief. "I wouldn't forgive the pony who took off my cutie mark." The unicorn exclaimed with regret.

"I assure you that they are the friendliest mares you have ever met, they forgave you the same day you and Dusk explained to them what happened." Spike said happily as he licked his ice cream.

“I think they're just pretending to believe me because Dusk told them to change…” Starlight responded, afraid that one of Dusk's friends would discover her true intentions.

"This reminds me a lot of one of the best comics out there, The Power Ponies!" Spike exclaimed excitedly.

"What is "power ponies"?" Starlight asked, completely confused.

"You really don't know them!?" Spike shouted in disbelief. "They are the best comic book superheroes ever!" The dragon exclaimed excitedly.

"Will you believe me if I tell you that I don't understand anything you're saying?" Starlight answered awkwardly as he sat on a nearby bench, thinking that Spike's talk wouldn't make him suspicious.

"It all started when the villain called "doctor octo-hooves" used the Star reactor to swap minds with...". Spike began to talk about a ridiculous and complex series of events related to the power ponies and "doctor octo-hooves", becoming increasingly excited and exaggerating his gestures and body movements.

Although Starlight was 1m away from Spike, she barely paid attention to him, she was more occupied with her own thoughts.

'Maybe I should steal Dusk's cutie mark while he's sleeping, or I should run away right now while I'm unguarded seriously.' Thought Starlight smiling evilly. 'But that rainbow pegasus is as fast as the speed of sound...'. Starlight erased his smile as she analyzed his own thoughts. 'I think the only thing I have to do is cast a mind control spell on Dusk, so he will be under my command... how clever you are Starlight hehehe.'

For an hour and a half, Spike was talking about power ponies the same way Dusk would talk about his favorite books, while Starlight made plans to escape, to get revenge, or simply to cast some malicious spell on Dusk and his friends to feel satisfied.

Every time she planned a way to get revenge on Dusk, she felt a tickle in her stomach, especially when ideas of having him under her control came to mind. She even thought about offering to be at her side, a thought she quickly dismissed because of how quickly she diverted him from her initial goal, revenge.

"...and that's how Doctor Octo-Hooves changed his ways and tried to be a hero." Spike exclaimed excitedly, as he posed triumphantly in a childish manner. “Then he made a new body and went back to being the same old villain… silly status quo.” Spike growled in frustration.

"Oh..." Starlight said, quickly pretending to pay attention to everything Spike had been saying for the past hour. "It's interesting, but... I still don't understand how that will help me get Dusk's friends to forgive me."
"What I mean is that Doctor Octo-Hooves reformed after understanding that he was an egomaniac who did horrible things." Spike exclaimed mockingly. "And if he reformed and was forgiven, then you too can be forgiven." Spike said with a compassionate voice.

"You know that Doctor Octo-Hooves is a comic book villain, right?" Starlight asked awkwardly. "I'm a real-world villain."
"This is not something I like to tell other ponies..." Spike looked down from him to the ground. "...But I also did bad things, very bads." The dragon exclaimed with sadness.

"I've only known you for a few days, but I know you're not capable of doing anything wrong." Starlight said in disbelief. “Please tell me I'm right…”

"3 years ago was my birthday, and they gave me so many gifts that I became greedy." Spike said sadly. "I became a giant monster who stole things that weren't his and also... Also..." Spike's voice broke. "...I also kidnapped Rarity and tried to take her to the top of a mountain with me." Spike finally said, completely embarrassed.

"Wow, I didn't know..." Starlight exclaimed, not knowing how she should react.
Starlight's mind tried to imagine Spike as a giant, greedy monster who kidnapped ponies, but it was impossible, the only time she saw Spike do something wrong was when he sneezed in front of Dusk and accidentally spat fire in his face, It wasn't even evil, it was a funny accident.

"But after I kidnap Rarity..." Spike continued. "She forgave me, and she didn't stop being my friend, and Dusk was there when it happened." finally explained the dragon.

"If what you say is true, then I can trust that you and Dusk's friends will forgive me." Starlight said happily, getting up from the bench.

"That's what Friends Are For". Spike responded with a smile. “But… how about we visit your new friends and you get to know them a little better?” The dragon asked as he picked up a note from the floor that wasn't there when they arrived.
“Where did that come from?” Starlight questioned.

“Dusk sent it while I was telling you about doctor octo-hooves.” Spike responded.
“Do I have to visit each of Dusk's friends in alphabetical order?” Starlight asked sarcastically.
“No, we have to visit Sugarcube Corner, we have to go get a gift that Pinkie Pie made for you.” Spike replied. “Usually I would have already made you a welcome party or a cake for a new friend for life, but I don't think I can make cakes and parties for everpony, hahahahaha”.

“Well, anyway, I wasn't planning on doing anything…” Starlight exclaimed with a fake smile. 'In the name of Celestia! This way I won't be able to plan my revenge!' The unicorn felt frustration and fury. “Is there anything else to do?” Starlight asked, trying to distract herself.

“This note says we can return late, but not after dark.” Spike pointed out.

"Let's go before Dusk sends us a list of books I forgot to buy." Starlight joked.

“You're right hahaha.” Spike responded, holding back his urge to laugh.

*****

Starlight and Spike entered Sugarcube Corner, and to their surprise there was no one at the counter, causing the mare and the dragon to search for any clues as to where everyone was.

“Hey, there's a written note.” Starlight said as she took the note with her magic. “Prepare an unexpected surprise for Starlight, go to the table with the gift box.” Starlight turned her head towards the nearby tables, quickly locating the table in question.

Spike also saw the table, so they both walked towards it.

"This is normal?"

“It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it”.

Suddenly the gift box exploded in a shower of confetti, while familiar ponies emerged from their hiding places.

"SURPRISE"

Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash approached Starlight and Spike, while Pinkie for some reason remained face down on the ceiling.

"You liked the surprise?". The pink pony asked.

“It almost gave me a heart attack, but yeah.” Starlight replied. “How did you get there?”

“With my special boots for walking on ceilings and walls, obviously.” Pinkie Pie said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

To Starlight's bewilderment, her eyes located Pinke's hooves, seeing the damned boots, which seemed stuck to the ceiling. 'At least I know they can set a trap, noted.' The unicorn snapped out of her mind as soon as she remembered that her potential enemy was still hanging upside down as if she were a bat. "How is it possible…?".

"I told you". Spike interrupted as naturally as possible. “It's just Pinkie, don't think about it too much.”

“Ummm… Can you help me?” Exclaimed Pinkie, who pointed her eyes at her boots.

"Oh sure". Starlight used her magic to carefully lower the pink mare to the ground, while her mind tried to process what was happening.

“Sorry for not bringing you a gift, but we didn't know what you liked.” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Of course, my presence alone would be more than enough for some ponys.” The cyan pegasus received a few disapproving looks, which she completely ignored.

Starlight's mind suddenly remembered a detail she had completely forgotten, the party was for her, for no apparent reason. “Why are they throwing me a party?” Starlight asked confused. “It's not my birthday yet, and I haven't graduated from Dusk's friendship classes.”

“That's what we asked Pinkie.” Rarity pointed out, looking at her friend.

"I couldn't leave you without your welcome to Ponyville party, your 'congratulations on reforming' party, your new best friends party, and not to mention your early birthday party..." Pinkie Pie didn't seem to stop with her party list, making Starlight and even Spike dizzy.

“Pinkie, I think she got the point.” Fluttershy interrupted timidly.

“You're right, we don't have all day.” Pinkie exclaimed seriously, as he headed at an impossible speed to an unknown place, returning at that same moment with a record player.

As soon as Pinkie Pie turned on the record player, all the ponies and dragons present directed their attention and energy to enjoying the party. For the next 2 hours, Starlight had the second best moment of her life, after discovering that she could travel through time.

*****

As soon as the party was over, Spike reminded Starlight that she had to return to Dusk's castle, since she still didn't have "permission" to roam freely around the town, or at least not unsupervised.
Her friends stayed behind to clean the place, but Rarity insisted on accompanying Starlight, something Spike happily agreed to.

“Why do you want to join us?”. Starlight asked as they left Sugarcube Corner.

“I was lying a little when I said I didn't have a gift for you.” Rarity responded with a smile. “It's not a great gift, but you'll definitely love it.”

'What kind of friend would I be if I refused a gift?' She thought Starlight, walking behind the white unicorn, noticing how Spike was apparently happier than he was at the party for some reason.

As soon as Rarity led Spike and Starlight to her boutique, the white mare turned to the little dragon and smiled warmly. “Dear, could you help me with a small favor?”

“Of course, what do you need?” The dragon exclaimed with a simpering smile.

“I need you to hold a mirror that I will use, it is next to some boxes with fabric.”

Spike didn't question it before entering and quickly searching for the mirror, while Starlight reflected to herself. “I'm sure she shouldn't take advantage of Spike like that, not that I care, but Dusk should do something.”

“Put it right there Spike.” Rarity indicated to the dragon, who obeyed without hesitation, placing a considerably large mirror in front of Starlight.

“My gift is a mirror?” Starlight questioned. “I think we already have one in the castle.”

“Hahaha, the mirror is only the tool to give you the gift.” Rarity replied, as she took out a comb from a small box nearby and began to comb Starlight's mane. “Now you have a new life, I think that deserves a new look, very flattering if I may add.”

“Is my gift a hairstyle?” Starlight asked, watching the white mare change the front of her hairdo to another manestyle
“Oh it's not just a gift, your hair is truly divine, and I think a new style would bring out its true beauty.” She said the white unicorn, as she put the finishing touches on it.

Starlight analyzed her new hairstyle, it was no longer symmetrical and divided by her horn, her hair was now curvy and combed in one direction. 'This mare just used me as a test pony to style my mane similar to hers just because they are a similar color.' Starlight thought. 'But she's right, it's prettier than the previous hairstyle.'

"Besides…". Rarity's playful voice interrupted her thoughts. "...maybe that way you'll get the attention of a certain stud you're now living with, hehehe."

Spike moved his head to look at both mares in confusion. "Sorry?". The dragon asked, realizing the only pony Rarity could refer to.

Starlight immediately shook her head while blushing. “No, definitely not, we're just friends who've known each other for a month or two.” I exclaim nervously.

“I'm just joking, dear, there's no reason to get upset.” Rarity purred. "TRUE?".

“Of course, hehehe.” Starlight wanted to teleport into an Ursa Major's mouth right then out of embarrassment. 'Don't give yourself away, remember that you want revenge!'

You can stop holding the Spikey wikey mirror now.” Rarity said, to which Spike obeyed.

“Look at the time, I think Dusk told us that we should return before nightfall.” Starlight said nervously, remembering the note the alicorn prince had sent her.

“But the sun hasn't even set, and I don't think Dusk will be upset if we're a few minutes late.” Spike pointed out.

“I ssaid we have to go, see you soon Rarity, thanks for the hairstyle, it really is cute.” Starlight exclaimed as she trotted out of the boutique, levitating Spike with her.

"In the name of Celestia, if I didn't distrust that mare I would think she had just revealed her biggest secret." Rarity said indignantly. “Although if that's the case, she'll thank me later, hahaha.”

*****

Starlight closed the castle doors as soon as she opened them, while ideas related to the current day formed in her mind. 'Is that what friends do? Is this friendship? Should I abandon my plans? If I want revenge because I'm enjoying it?; Would Dusk like my new hairstyle?'

"Are you okay? You look like you want to run away from something." Spike suddenly exclaimed.

"It's not that, I just don't want to alter Dusk's schedule, hahaha, why do you think I'm running away from something?"
“Maybe it's because I'm still levitating?” Spike pointed out with annoyance.

Starlight immediately returned the dragon to the ground, to her surprise, she had forgotten that detail in her “escape.” “I'm sorry, I think the party left me very tired and now I can't concentrate, I'm going to go to my room to sleep, see you tomorrow.” Starlight quickly walked down the hallway looking for a random room to enter without further explanation.

To her surprise, Dusk came out of a door in front of her, colliding and ending up on top of each other.

Time seemed to stop as both ponies looked at each other, blushing and their hearts racing.

“Sorry, I didn't know you were here!” Dusk quickly exclaimed, helping Starlight up as her nerves subsided.

“You don't have to worry, it was my fault for not paying attention to the road.” Starlight replied.

For a moment, there was an awkward silence that filled the room, until the prince of friendship noticed a detail about Starlight that he had not noticed until now, something about her looked different.

“Did you do something to yourself?” Dusk asked trying to make the situation less awkward.

“Oh, this?” Starlight said stroking her mane. “Rarity, something about a new life or something, but she was right, I loved it.”

"You're cute". Dusk stopped breathing when he realized what he said. “I-i mean... your new manestyle looks nice on you!” The alicorn prince quickly exclaimed.

“Thank you, I like to know that you like it.” She answered the unicorn, as she walked towards a random room that she was close to, to avoid more problems and strange sensations.

Dusk just continued on his way, trying to get Starlight and the feeling of butterflies in his stomach out of his mind, 'I shouldn't think this way about my student... But she is beautiful up close.'

Chapter 3: Conflict

It was night, and a voice was whispering to herself in her room.

"You are the most powerful unicorn that Equestria has ever known, you are at the same level as Dusk, you traveled in time, you cannot give up easily." The conscience of a mare growled.

"Of course, you're not the one who wants to hurt Celestia's protégé, you're not refusing to live a new and better life without consequences... and you're not the one who's having any weird feelings for that pathetic nerd". Starlight whispered in response to herself. “The most effective option is to enter Dusk's room, silently approach him, and-“.

The unicorn was interrupted by a clicking sound that came out of nowhere, followed by a curious and playful voice. “Wake him up with a kiss of true love? Hahahahahaha”.

Starlight looked in all directions searching for the intruder, finding him levitating in the air. Pony head, a body that mixed parts of different creatures, and an arrogant attitude, it had to be that creature that Dusk and Fluttershy casually told him about a few times.

“Discord!?”. The mare exclaimed in surprise and disgust. “What do you want and what are you doing here?!”.

“Oh, no need to be alarmed, you vengeful little mare, hahahaha.” The Draconequus exclaimed playfully. “I'm just here to make you an offer that you might want to accept”.

'Why does this fool want to offer me something? Also, how do you know about the sudden inexplicable empathy I feel for that Nerd?'. Starlight thought.

“Maybe it's because I'm the lord of chaos and I can stop time with a snap... Did you really think that your trick with cutie marks and your manipulation of time wouldn't catch my attention?”. Discord growled with a frown after reading the mare's mind.

The mare was just beginning to notice that, despite the noise, no one had come and that after the “snap” there was a strange feeling in the air. This situation was becoming more and more disturbing.

“What were we doing?... I remembered!”. Discord took a whiteboard and chalk that appeared by magic, literally. “Your previous revenge didn't work, and the current revenge is at risk of failing because of your infatuation”. The chalk drew by itself equations and funny representations of what Discord was telling.

“Get to the point, what's your offer?”. Starlight said as her cheeks blushed.

“You ruined the drama of the moment”. The blackboard and chalk disappeared after another "snap". “I can help you with your revenge and your love at the same time, all you have to do is make a decision at the right time”.

“What do you gain from all this?”. The unicorn asked cautiously.

“Chaos, you know, that thing my existence depends on, your resentment and the butterflies in your stomach generate a small amount of chaos, but with my help it will be a huge chaos factory. And also because it's fun, nyehehehehe.” Discord brought his eagle talons closer to the unicorn to shake her hoof and seal the deal, flashing a big smile that only Pinkie Pie could match.

Starlight hesitated for a moment, she was afraid, but revenge and love were stronger, and the lord of chaos was on her side. She extended her paw towards Discord's claws.

The draconequus narrowed its eyes and closed Starlight's paw tightly, while with its free hand it made the horn disappear with a "snap", making the unicorn horrified. “But there is a warning you should keep in mind, if you do something to Fluttershy, no matter how insignificant, well-intentioned or accidental, your horn will not be the only thing that will disappear and reappear on an active volcano or in front of a hungry hydra, Am I clear?”.

The mare, left with no other options, nodded quickly while her watery eyes did not blink.

"Excellent!". The lord of chaos exclaimed happily, then shook Starlight's paw and snapped his claws free. "We have a deal, good luck, and don't tell Fluttershy I'm helping you, I don't want to miss her tea parties".

Discord disappeared, the strange feeling in the air was gone, the horn reappeared in its place, and Starlight was shaking in fear as tears ran down her cheeks.

“Maybe I should have stayed with dad.” Starlight whispered to herself, as she lay down on her bed and covered herself completely with a blanket.

Maybe the next day will be calmer...

*****

With the arrival of a new dawn, Starlight rose from her bed after absorbing a new trauma all night, but if Discord told the truth, she would have Dusk and perhaps Equestria on the tip of her hooves.

The thought of knowing that Discord could do something to her if she hurt Fluttershy terrified her.

Being aware that if anypony discovered her intentions they would end up on the moon made her uneasy.

Guilt and remorse for changing the past for the worse tormented her.

That didn't stop her, she was a prodigy magic, she managed to enslave a village single-handedly, she placed cutie marks in jars and changed a spell with a simple reading, she could face anything that Celestia had prepared for her, and even more so with the embodiment of chaos on her side.

"Relax, Dusk told you that he wanted to see you in his library, and this day will be normal..." The unicorn exclaimed as she opened the door to go out to look for Dusk.

*****

Starlight entered her room with her dinner on a tray, her body and mind exhausted after chasing a baby alicorn, helping to rebuild a relic, and rekindling the friendship between her and her childhood friend. But that didn't matter, the mare knew how to feel.

'It was wonderful'. That was his only thought as he laid back on his bed and put his food aside. 'I'm more powerful than I thought, too powerful to need friendship lessons from a wimpy nerd and his pet'.

Starlight devoured her pancakes and drank her glass of milk with a cocky smile, the day was better than expected, she felt like she could do anything she wanted.

'I don't need Dusk's charity, I don't want his friendship, I want him to love me, and Celestia knows I'll get it... Right?'.

The mare's smile disappeared as her mouth stopped chewing. As far as she remembered, she had never had a boyfriend or talked to other studs, in fact, she didn't have the slightest clue about how to flirt or arrange a date. This caused him to start chewing and devouring his pancakes faster than he should.

'I only talked to 2 studs outside the village in my entire life. One of them was my father! In the name of Celestia, I'm still a virgin!'.

When there were no more pancakes to bite into or milk to drink, Starlight began biting her hooves in a futile attempt to change her growing anxiety, she hadn't interacted romantically before. This continued for a few minutes, but one word was enough to calm she down and think clearly.

"Enough!". The unicorn exclaimed after shaking her head. "I am one of the most powerful unicorns that exists, if I am able to match Dusk in a fight, then I am capable of making him fall in love, it shouldn't be that difficult to seduce a bookworm".

Starlight stood up and looked up firmly, magically levitating her used dishes to take them to wash, as she left her room.

“I'm going to return to this room with Dusk's eyes on me!”. Starlight thought decisively as she closed the door behind her.

*****

Prince Dusk walked with his “brother”, Spike, both carrying the plates and cutlery they used for dinner, chatting about who should clean up on this occasion.

“Come on, you haven’t taken charge in the last 5 days.” The little dragon said with annoyance.

“You know I need to study more because of Starlight's lessons, it's not my fault.” Dusk responded.

“Yes, I'll pretend that you don't secretly love her and that you don't look at her with the same eyes you do when you see a book on sale.” The little dragon exclaimed casually.

Dusk turned pale at the dragon's words while a cold sweat ran across his forehead, he felt a sea of emotions hitting him so that none of the answers he rehearsed before could be pronounced. “I-i… I… no…”. The alicorn couldn't pronounce anything he wanted to say.

“Calm down, Dusk.” Spike gave his brother a few pats to reassure him. “We can all see it, and we all think it's great if you and she want to be more than friends.”

Dusk wanted to answer something, deny what he felt, say that it was impossible because of the lack of professionalism that a romance between a teacher and his student meant. But the words couldn't come out. At least they wouldn't come out if it weren't for the sounds of hooves approaching their position.

“Speaking of the Trot queen, I think that's my cue.” The little dragon exclaimed as the mare stopped in front of them.

“Cue? Am I missing some secret plan?” Starlight asked excitedly.

“Nothing special, it's just Dusk, I think he wants to tell you something.” Spike responded as he picked up some dirty dishes and left, smiling evilly. 'Dusk will thank me for this tomorrow, maybe then he will stop being so picky with his lessons and assignments'.

As the dragon left, the alicorn and the unicorn stared at each other for a moment of awkward silence. Dusk was terrified of having to reveal his most likely feelings and Starlight was nervous because it was the first time in her life that she had invited a stud on a date.

“Did you want to tell me something?” Starlight asked with false casualness.

“Uhhh… Ehhh… I…”. The prince couldn't even think properly because of fear. “Yes, from what I have seen today, your magical power is much greater than I imagined, please give me the name of the magic school you went to.”

The idea that crossed Dusk's mind turned into a doubt as the sentence finished forming. Starlight was more than a unicorn. She was a unicorn among thousands, she had to be part of some school of prodigious sorcerers, use an item of power, or even some lost descendant of Celestia or Luna. The alicorn could not conceive the idea that a normal mare could easily match his years of learning.

“Bah, I always went to normal schools, even I'm impressed by that, but I think I'm just a little above average, Hahaha". Arrogance replaced any fear or doubt. “I wouldn't mind coming from a special school or having a power object under my pillow, but everything you've seen me do is for completely natural and common practice.”

“You say that your achievements are the product of common effort, without any external force?” Dusk asked in disbelief and doubt. “If that is true, then your power is unique, and can be refined further, perhaps you need a guide who has spent years studying magic and improving his spells.”

Starlight received a hopeful look and a friendly smile. A free offer to enhance her magical power and possible opportunities for genuine friendship, and perhaps, a date.

"Of course". The mare responded excitedly. "What will I learn? Teleportation over long distances, creating copies of myself, summoning spirits, putting cutie marks on foals that don't have them yet..."

“We'll start with something simple, maybe a magical energy blade to cut.” Dusk interrupted. “It is better to start with simple things that are easy to handle, you don't want to find out the destructive power of a poorly channeled spell.”

Starlight remembered when her childhood friend, Sunburst, would get so excited playing his favorite game that he would accidentally flip the board with his magic. It was better not to risk it. “So, we have a date? Hahahahaha.”

The joke interrupted the prince of friendship's flow of thoughts. '...we all think it's great if you and she want to be more than friends...', those were Spike's words, and Dusk didn't know how to act, no book on psychology or relationships could help him the way he wanted. He wanted to say no and maintain a friendly Teacher-Student relationship, but he also didn't want to miss the opportunity to love something that wasn't a book or Spike.

'She's cute, a good student, I like being around she and her magical power could help Equestria'. Dusk thought as he turned as red as an apple from Applejack's farm. “Yeah, I think it's a date, unless you want Spike around”.

'That little scaly guy won't get in the way of my plans, and I think he deserves a break, I never see him do anything other than follow Dusk's orders'. Starlight thought to herself. "No need, I think Spike deserves a day or two of vacation, while we train my magic he can relax and have the castle all to himself".

“You're right, in that case, our “date” is tomorrow at the old princess castle after breakfast.” Dusk exclaimed nervously, trying to sound casual and carefree.

'This is your chance, kiss him and you will have him in your hooves.' Starlight thought, imagining kissing Dusk, but the mental image was nothing compared to her nerves, so her idea of a long kiss was reduced as she brought her lips closer to the alicorn.

A small, fleeting kiss on the cheek, all the mare's effort went into not fleeing at full speed.

“Thank you for giving me your help… and a home.” Starlight said blushing, then quickly trotted towards her room with her breathing and mind processing what happened.

“It was a pleasure.” Dusk whispered, stunned by the first kiss he had received from a mare other than his mother or Cadence.

Dusk walked in the direction where Spike had gone, to help him with the dirty dishes and not think about Starlight, while he felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach again.

Meanwhile, the unicorn couldn't find her room, and out of desperation, she used a teleportation spell to appear next to her bed and try to relax.

'I kissed him on the cheek, my first kiss to a stallion'. Starlight thought, shaking with excitement.

Chapter 4: Training

Starlight walked out of the gates of Ponyville Castle, accompanied by Dusk, who was carrying two saddlebags full of books, scrolls, and pencils.

“Is all that necessary?”. The mare asked.

“Of course, I wrote all the advanced spells we are going to practice in alphabetical order”. Dusk replied. “And I have to keep track of your progress. I am your teacher, but I am also a prince, It is my responsibility to help you improve, and maybe help Equestria with what we learn.”

‘Your cause is noble and kind, anypony would be lucky to be your friend or family member… It’s a shame that all I want to do is lock you up in a dungeon with me.’ Starlight thought, slowly realizing what had crossed her mind.

The unicorn's attention turned to the alicorn who had turned back towards the castle. “Goodbye Spike, I leave the castle in your clutches.”

“See you soon, see you at sunset”. The dragon replied happily from within.

“Oh, and since we’re practically brothers and you’ll surely miss me… I left a clone of me to keep you company and help you with your homework!”. Dusk closed the doors behind him as he trotted forward with a malicious smile of satisfaction. ‘I hope this teaches you not to leave me talking to someone with whom I have matters to discuss.’

As Dusk moved forward, Starlight followed him trying to understand what had happened, and if clones of any pony could really be created.

“Before we go to the old castle, we need to go to Applejack’s farm to get some unripe apples, we’ll need them for the first spells we’ll practice”. Dusk explained. “Don’t be impatient for the more powerful spells, I promise we’ll get to that eventually.”

“It’s not that it’s not interesting, but I’m curious about what you told Spike.” She pointed at the unicorn while staying behind Dusk. “Did you really clone yourself?”.

“Right, a perfect clone with my same magical abilities and memories.” The alicorn explained. “But it’s not long-lasting, I had to use all my concentration to maximize its presence, it’s probably only a few hours before we return.”

Starlight didn't speak and just thought about what Dusk told her. All the way to Sweet Apple Acress, the mare analyzed everything she could do with the help of a clone, how many clones could be created and if what Dusk said was true... Could she learn it?

*****

“Dusk, you know you don’t have to pay for apples, you just have to ask for them.” Applejack exclaimed.

“Of course I have to pay, being the prince of friendship is not an excuse not to pay you for your service.” Dusk replied firmly.

“We’ve known each other for 2 years, sugarcube, I think you can skip some payments from time to time.” Applejack put the bag of coins Dusk gave her into a nearby box.

“Still, I feel uncomfortable receiving special treatment for being an alicorn,” the purple stallion reaffirmed as he grabbed a basket full of apples with his magic.

“As you wish, see you tomorrow if Celestia wants it.” The orange mare said as she placed her mane behind her neck with a movement of her head. “Bye Starlight, take care of Dusk, that stallion is having trouble with field work, hahaha.” Applejack left while letting out a giggle.

The unicorn looked at her master with a strange expression. “What is Applejack talking about? Is there something I’m missing?” Starlight asked.

“You don’t want to know, it’s an unimportant memory, I’d rather explain to you what we’ll do…”

The pony couple walked away as they spoke, but someone else was watching them from their hiding place in the top of a tree: Rainbow Dash.

The cyan pegasus was lazing around Applejack's farm as she usually did, sleeping on a branch with the help of a pillow and a blanket, until Applejack, Starlight, and Dusk started talking nearby.

Rainbow was just waiting to go back to sleep, but upon hearing the cowgirl tell the unicorn to take care of Dusk, the pegasus woke up confused and suspicious of Starlight.

‘Why are Starlight and Dusk leaving alone? Where are they going? What is that mare planning?’.

As Rainbow Dash wondered to herself, she spread her wings and quickly soared into the nearest clouds to track and keep an eye on her targets along the way.

*****

Dusk and Starlight finally arrived at the princesses' old castle. The structure that was once majestic and elegant was nothing more than a pile of cracked stone and marble covered by weeds and dust due to the passage of time. A fascinating sight for Starlight.

“Wow, you should give me a tour of this place”. The unicorn exclaimed.

“I would love to, but today we came to study and learn.” Dusk exclaimed as he placed the basket of apples next to him and took one.

“Will I learn new spells by having a picnic in an abandoned castle?”. The mare asked confused. ‘If he wanted to take me out to eat, we could have gone to a restaurant.’

“I knew you might ask that, let me explain.” Dusk placed a large stone in front of him and on top of it a wrinkled and dried apple, vaguely remembering Grandma Smith. “As you can see, this apple was not harvested and is past its prime, but with the right spell you can feed a family or even a village with this.”

Magic crackled from the alicorn's horn, who had his eyes closed and a gesture of concentration.

Dusk inhaled and exhaled, then opened his eyes and launched a burst of magic at the apple, which was hit by a bright purple light. After a moment, the mummified fruit transformed into a fresh, larger-than-normal apple.

Moments later, the stallion approached, his horn shining again as he raised his head back, then quickly moved it downwards, a blade of magical energy gushing out from his horn. The blade sliced through the apple with speed and precision.

“That was amazing, how did you do that?”. Starlight had been amazed by the demonstration.

“With practice and concentration, I made 2 spells at the same time and then a magic knife, I needed a lot of magic.” Dusk took the halves of his study object to put them aside and put another rotten apple in its place.

Starlight looked at the fruit, and so far she saw what made them special. There were normal, ready-to-eat apples, but most of them were unripe, some were small, and some were rotten.

“You will begin with the spell to “heal” this apple, don’t feel bad if you don’t get it right on the first try.” The alicorn said in a kind tone. “It took me several days to get it right.”

The mare concentrated, and released a quick burst of magic that hit the apple, returning it to its healthy state. “Did I do it right?”.

“It was perfect,” Dusk exclaimed proudly. “Now make the apple grow, that spell is harder.”

Magic burst forth from Starlight's horn, projected with another magical blast that hit the apple. The fruit that was supposed to be the size of a coconut was now the size of a pony. Dusk looked at the apple in amazement and Starlight smiled proudly.
“Wow, you’re amazing, maybe you don’t even need to train.” The alicorn stared in disbelief at the huge, juicy, red apple. “The only thing missing is the spell to make a magical energy blade, but you have to be very careful, even if you were the best at making spells-.”

Starlight interrupted Dusk with the sound of her magic forming a blade of magical energy, which was directed towards the giant apple in the same way that Starlight watched it do. The apple was quickly pierced and its halves fell to the ground.
“I think I can bypass the safety rules, I did very well!” The mare exclaims proudly. “I did all 3 spells on the first try and with better results.”

“I’m afraid I have to differ, in fact, the last spell was a bit sloppy.” The alicorn took out a notebook and a pencil and then began to write with a serious look. “The spell to make the apple grow was a bit disproportionate, but it’s not important, instead, when you cut the apple, you also cut the stone under the apple… and the ground under the stone.”

It was then that Starlight looked at the ground and noticed a long, thin crack that ran from a few steps in front of her to behind the apple.

“What does that mean?” the mare asked in a nervous voice. “Celestia, let it not be anything serious.”

“If a pony had been in range of your spell, you would have been accused of involuntary murder and the princesses would have locked you in a Canterlot dungeon.” Dusk removed the remains of the apple and replaced the cut stone with a more complete one. “Even if you need to defend yourself, you need to control the power and range with which you use your spell, I don't think you want to use it when Pinkie Pie jumps in front to give you a surprise gift.”

Starlight analyzed what Dusk told her, although she didn't have a great appreciation for her new friends, she didn't want to use such a deadly spell on them either, not even when she stole her village's cutie marks did she think about doing something similar.

“But you need not be discouraged, according to my calculations, you will have mastered the spell by the end of the day,” the prince exclaimed, smiling.

Starlight hesitated for a moment, but if she wanted to make a breakthrough she had to practice in front of her “victim.” “And how many spells will I learn in the next month?”.

“My advanced sorcery book has at least 299 spells and the recipe for a sleeping potion, but that’s just the first volume, adding up the 5 volumes is 3000 spells.” Dusk answered, before looking at his student’s wide eyes. “BUT… I just want to teach you the most useful things without interrupting your friendship lessons.”

As the couple talked, a pegasus watched them from a hole in the ceiling, Rainbow Dash. The cyan mare had been watching Starlight for some time, looking for any signs of danger from the mare.

‘Come on, give me something, hurt Dusk, do something so he can fly down and kick you.’ The pegasus thought, staring at her “target.”

‘Or maybe it’s my paranoia and I’m wasting my time spying instead of training.’ A voice exactly like Rainbow Dash whispered.

The mare turned her head in all directions looking for the source of that voice, but she saw nothing unusual. “Show yourself coward, I'm not afraid of you.” Rainbow exclaimed furiously, getting no response after a few seconds, resuming her vigilance.

‘It must have been my conscience.’ The voice that seemed to be hers spoke again. ‘Maybe the sun and tiredness are making me grumpy, I should go back to Applejack’s farm and sleep.’

“It definitely sounds like my conscience, but how can I be sure?” the pegasus asked to herself. “Tell me something only I can confirm.”

‘I want to be the leader of the Wonderbolts, win hundreds of medals and trophies and have my name engraved in the books as the best flyer in the history of Equestria…’. Her “conscience” answered.

“Ok, that sounds like something I would think, and it’s definitely what I want, but it’s not enough-“.

‘Is Tank’s food within reach or will he walk until he dies of hunger?’.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes in surprise upon hearing the intrusive question. “Maybe you won this time, consciousness, but we will face each other again.” The pegasus exclaimed before flying at sonic speed towards her house to check on her beloved pet.

Once the source of the voice that pretended to be a consciousness verified that the pegasus was gone, it materialized in the air with a snap.

“That was close, I hope that unicorn makes the nerd fall in love with him before he forces them to love each other, his cheesiness is boring me, but I admit that his panic attacks from intimate contact are funny.” Lord of Chaos said as he watched the master and his student practice the spell. “Please don’t disappoint me, I don’t want to reset the timeline over and over again because of your failures, that’s cheating and it’s not fun.” Discord snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Meanwhile, Dusk and Sarlight continued practicing the spell, over and over again, analyzing the mistakes, eating the cut apples and giving each other discreet shy glances from time to time.

And so the rest of the day continued until it started to get dark. Dusk and Starlight noticed, so they took the basket without fruit and the saddlebags to be able to leave. But Starlight did not feel that it had been a productive day, she felt that something was missing.

“Dusk, before we go home, I wanted to give you something…” The mare trotted timidly towards the alicorn and gave him the longest kiss on the lips she could give him… For 3 seconds.

Their lips parted and they couldn't help but look at each other's red faces in shyness.

“I wanted to give you the same, but I was terrified,” said an uncomfortable Dusk.