Author's Note

This one's shorter, but I felt like it's perfect as is. Next one will be normal length, if not longer.

Advice by Twilight

As the sun was setting and the rain started falling, Luster slowly made her way back into town. Ponies were all heading indoors to avoid getting soaked while Luster found the rain rather appropriate for her situation. To her, she deserved to get soaked. With a sigh, she trotted through the wet dirt, her fur becoming drenched as she made her way through town and towards the path that led to the castle. She passed by Shade's house and Moss' house and didn't bother to stop and knock.

Eventually, she left the wetness of the earth and stepped onto the path. The only sounds were that of the rain hitting the ground and her hooves on the stones. Her thoughts raced with what she had done and how she could've done better. She felt a tear begin to form in her eye, which she wiped away. Once she got to the castle, she turned and sat down with her back up against the door.

The balcony high above her provided shelter from the rain, but not the cold. Luster closed her eyes and sniffled as she just listened to the sound of the rain, when she suddenly heard hooves coming down the path towards her.

"Luster?" Came Twilight's voice.

"I messed up, Twilight," Luster said without opening her eyes. "I ruined everything."

Twilight trotted up to the unicorn and sat beside her. "We all make mistakes, Luster. And mistakes can be fixed."

"Right, when have you ever made a mistake? Thirty years of peace? Some mistake."

Twilight smiled and looked out at the rain. "Decades ago, the Storm King tried to take over Equestria and my friends and I had to see the Sea Ponies for help. I didn't trust them and I tried to steal their most precious artifact. When Pinkie Pie confronted me about it, I told her I might've been better off without friends like her."

Luster opened her eyes and gasped. "You... said that?"

Twilight nodded. "I did. I didn't mean it, of course. It was just something said in anger."

"What happened?"

"Well, they forgave me when we met back in Canterlot."

"Yeah, see? Your friends forgave you because they were already your friends."

Twilight nodded. "True. But that wasn't my point. Your friends, even if they say they hate you, may have only said it in anger."

Luster thought for a moment and nodded. "I did... sort of... force them all together... and Shade seemed really upset by that. But, Crimson made them believe I only wanted to be their friend so I had protection against her."

"Was that true?"

Luster hung her head in shame. "In a way. I do want them as friends, but... Ah, I rushed things because... I was scared. I was scared of Crimson, even before we met."

Twilight patted her back. "Did I ever tell you about the time I almost ruined Starlight and Trixie's relationship?"

Luster looked up at her again. "N-No? Really?"

"Yes. I didn't trust Trixie for the longest time. So, when I told Starlight to make new friends... and she came back with Trixie... I didn't approve. I tried everything I could to get Starlight a different friend."

"Just because you didn't trust Trixie?"

"That's it. And look how close they became. That was almost ruined because of me."

"Wow... You really have made a lot of mistakes."

"That isn't all, either," Twilight went on. "One time, Celestia gave me a deadline to report on a friendship problem. I couldn't find one, so I made one. It resulted in a, uh... Well, a lot of innocent ponies fell under a spell where they really wanted my old doll. Luckily, the princess stepped in and fixed it, but... it was still my mistake."

"Is that why you don't give me deadlines?"

Twilight giggled. "One of the reasons."

Luster looked out towards town. "So, what should I do? I really messed up. Even if Crimson didn't show up... I still really hurt Shade."

"Admit you were wrong," Twilight said. "That's the first step in asking for forgiveness."

"It's not gonna be easy."

"Asking for forgiveness never is. It takes the strongest of us to admit we've made a mistake. Even stronger still to make it right."

"Did you get that out of a book?"

Twilight giggled again. "No, Luster. A very wise alicorn told me that years ago."

Luster smiled and stood up. "Alright, well... wish me luck. Again."

"You don't need luck, Luster. You need faith in yourself. Now, go. Make some friends. Crimson can wait."

"But... I thought she was really dangerous."

"Celestia, Luna, and myself will be watching over the land while you prepare. No need to rush anything, okay?"

Luster's lips trembled before she hugged the purple alicorn. "Thank you."

Twilight put her foreleg around her. "You're welcome, Luster."

Luster trotted back into town and over to Shade's house. She stopped and stood in front of the door, her heart racing with worry. With a deep breath, she slowly trotted up to the front door and raised her hoof. She almost lowered her hoof and trotted away but pushed herself to knock. She took a step back and waited when she heard hoof steps inside. The door suddenly opened, revealing the dark griffin.

"Luster?" The griff asked, surprised.

The unicorn had her head hung, her fur dripping wet as the rain continued to pour. "Shade, I... I-I... I'm so sorry, I..."

Shade opened her beak in a silent gasp before she took a step forward. "Have you been out there this whole time?"

"I-I've been thinking... a-a lot, and, uh... I don't..."

Shade looked around before she held up a claw. "One second," she said, before she ran inside. She soon returned with a towel. "Come inside. You're soaked."

Luster felt the tears return before she started to openly sob. "I'm sorry, I didn't wanna cry, but..."

"Shh, come on," Shade said as she motioned for the mare to enter.

"A-Are they that... visible?" Luster asked, referring to the tears. "E-Even with the... the rain?"

"Oh, yeah."

Luster sat in front of the lit fireplace, towel draped over her back while the fire crackled peacefully in front of her. Shade walked up and sat beside her. The griffin reached out to grab the fire poker and proceeded to poke the fire with it. Luster stayed silent while the griffin did her thing.

"Getting warmer?" Shade asked, her yellow eyes on the fire.

Luster nodded. "I don't... deserve a friend like you."

"No, you don't."

"And what I did was... bad."

"Yes, it was."

"Then... why be nice to me? Even after what I did?"

Shade stopped poking the fire and sighed. "We're friends, Luster. Even if some of us don't act like it."

Luster eyed her before returning her gaze to the flames. "I'm sorry I brought the others. I was just... scared. I was told Crimson Ash was coming and the only way to stop her was with friendship. So, I... I pushed things. I made it seem like... like all I cared about was myself. It... wasn't my intention. In fact, my intention was to tell you four everything. But... Crimson showed up." The unicorn looked over at the griffin. "I'm sorry, Shade."

Shade gave her a smile. "So... Do you still want to hear me play?" Luster sniffled as her lips trembled again. Shade quickly held up a claw. "Only if you promise not to cry again."

Luster breathed quickly to try and stop the tears. Feeling successful, she nodded and swallowed. "I'm good. I promise."

The griffin quickly got up and ran down the hall, presumably to her bedroom. She returned with her guitar and sat down next to the unicorn. Shade then repositioned her guitar and began to strum. Luster smiled as the griff played a gentle, soothing tune. Luster looked at the fire and watched the flames dance while her friend played.

Shade watched her with a light smile as she played. The unicorn seemed to be getting tired as her eyelids began to flutter. Shade stopped playing and stood up. "You're tired."

"It's been a long day. Come on. My bed's big enough for two."

"I-I'll just... sleep on the couch."

"You're not sleeping on the couch. Trust me, it's not that comfortable. Come on."

Luster sniffled and stood up. "Okay..."

Shade backed up towards the hall, making sure the pony followed her. "This way, Luster. You could use a good night's rest. You are dry now, right?"

A purple pegasus flew down over the Badlands and landed by a cave in Dustmane Ridge. When she entered, the pegasus was engulfed in a green energy before she turned back into Chrysalis. She trotted further into the cave where she found Crimson sitting in front of a wall of smoke, watching an aerial view of Ponyville.

"Anything new?" The changeling asked.

"Her friendship is growing," Crimson said. "It's gotten harder to observe her. That was fast, too. I'm sure I did a number on them."

"Then we strike!"

"Relax, my sweet little bug. Her time will come. Until then, you and the others can do whatever you want. So long as you leave Luster, and her friends, to me."

A black hippogriff with yellow claws, beak, eyes, and a long yellow mane, sat beneath a tree just outside the School of Friendship. Around her neck was a necklace that had a beautiful gemstone which displayed all the colors of the rainbow.

The hippogriff gently gripped it with her right claw and lifted it up to look it over. “Soon…” she muttered in a raspy voice.

The next morning, Luster awoke and quickly sat up, not recognizing the room. She then sighed when she remembered last night. A small smile spread across her face as she left the bed and the room and trotted down the hall. She found the griffin in the kitchen, making pancakes.

"I don't know how to thank you," Luster said as she entered the kitchen. "Last night I was..."

"It's okay," Shade said without turning around. "Pancakes will be ready shortly."

Luster trotted over to the table and sat down. "That was beautiful, by the way. The... music."

Shade smiled as she flipped the cakes. "Thanks. I came up with it in the moment."

Luster looked towards the front door. "I guess I should... speak to the others today."

"I can help," Shade said as she carried the pan over to the table. "If you want."

Luster shook her head as the griffin loaded the plates with pancakes. "I need to do this myself. I honestly thought you'd be the hardest one to..." Luster stopped suddenly and sighed. "You know, because of..."

"Glad to disappoint you, then."

"Sorry, I'm... still new to all this. The... friendship thing. I thought you'd hate me. That look on your face was... I felt it inside. Like some pony was squeezing my lungs. I-I couldn't breathe. Is that normal?"

Shade smiled. "You just felt bad."

"You looked... betrayed. I never want you all to feel like that again."

Shade sat down across from her and grabbed her fork. "You should... eat them before they... get cold."

"Right," Luster muttered as she grabbed her fork.

Chrysalis stood by the bridge leading into the School of Friendship, disguised as a pink mare with long white hair. She knew they'd be on high alert once the word got out that Tirek, Cozy Glow, and herself were free. Her eyes narrowed as she saw Starlight Glimmer through one of the school windows.

"Soon, Starlight," she growled under her breath.

"Hey, there," came a voice from behind her.

Chrysalis gasped and turned around, seeing an orange dragon with purple spikes on her head. "Oh. Hello. Who are you?"

"I'm Smolder. Are you looking to join the school?"

Chrysalis thought for a moment, before she sighed. "I was, yes, but... I don't know if I'll be able to. I've never been good at friendship."

"That's okay. That's the whole point of the school."

"Are you a teacher here?"

"I'm taking over Rainbow Dash's classes."

"I see... A-And, who's the principal?"

"Still Starlight Glimmer. Although, she's looking to retire soon, too."

Chrysalis gave a light smile. "Are you looking for new students? I might like to try this... friendship thing out."

Smolder nodded. "Every creature's welcome. What's your name?"

Chrysalis went wide-eyed. "Um... Posey."

Smolder raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

Chrysalis' eyes shifted left and right nervously, before Smolder let out a chuckle. "I'm just messing with ya, Posey. I'll go inform Starlight immediately."

"Immediately?" Chrysalis asked. "Didn't classes already start?"

"We're always taking in students. In fact, we took one in today

Chrysalis smiled. "Oh. Well, then... please, do. I can't wait to get started."

Cozy Glow stood near the destroyed Ponyville library. It had been turned into a monument, honoring where Princess Twilight began her journey of friendship. The filly trotted up to the sign that read: In honor of Princess Twilight, here lies the ruins of Golden Oaks Library, destroyed during her battle with Tirek. Cozy's eyes narrowed as she trotted into the destroyed tree library, looking around at the damage.

"It seems like only yesterday I was here with you," she said as she sat down in the rubble. "I should never have left. But I promise you... one day the magic will be gone. And I'll be the only one with power. But first things first... I have to deal with those meddling kids at that dumb School of Friendship."

TO BE CONTINUED