The long and empty halls of the Friendship Palace offered many an opportunity for echoes, and today, they rang with those of hoofsteps walking at a slow and steady pace. Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, was strolling down these halls, her home, alongside a companion who, not so long ago, would have been very much against being near her; Starlight Glimmer. This one-time enemy of hers had done much in recent days, and yet, in spite of that, the young princess walked beside her with a smile on her face, as if nothing was wrong between them at all. However, Starlight herself was not smiling, instead looking, if anything, worried. As the two of them journeyed together, the unicorn turned to Twilight, pausing for a moment before finally speaking up.

“Um…Twilight? What are we doing exactly?”

Slowing down slightly, Twilight turned to her new student, retaining her soft expression even as her smile faded somewhat.

“Starlight…you may have come a long way in the last week, but, even after that, I can tell that you have a lot on your mind.”

Hearing that, Starlight looked away from her recent mentor, instead choosing to stare at the ground before them as they continued walking.

“You’re right. But…it’s not the kind of thing you can just forget about, Twilight. What I did…I don’t think I’ll ever be able to really forgive myself for it.“

But, rather than looking down or thoughtful over that, Twilight, of all things, actually seemed to brighten up after hearing her new friend’s words. Stopping for a moment, she reached over, placing a hoof gently upon Starlight’s shoulder. Feeling this, Starlight herself also stopped, looking to Twilight with slight confusion as the latter spoke.

“It won’t be easy, but I’m positive that you will be able to make it past these feelings. They’ll be with you for a long time, I’m sure. But, with help, you might at least be able to cope better than you have been.”

To that, Starlight looked away, letting out a deep sigh.

“I…I appreciate that, Twilight. I truly do. But…I doubt very much that there’s anything you can say to really make me feel better about…about everything I’ve done to everypony.”

Looking to her, Twilight cracked a brief smirk, looking ahead as she spoke up.

“Oh, I never said that I would be the one to talk to you.”

That caught Starlight’s attention, and she looked to her mentor with a raised eyebrow. Twilight, by contrast, giggled slightly at this reaction before starting to happily trot off down the hall again. Though still unsure about all of this, Starlight nevertheless followed, tagging behind the young princess all throughout their walk, until, finally, they reached a door, smaller and less ornate than many in the rest of the castle. Starlight regarded it for a little while before looking to Twilight, who spoke in a more upbeat manner than the former would have considered appropriate.

“Starlight…you’re not the only person that has turned from a dark path. There have been others, and while things between them and my friends and I may have started out difficult…they’ve arrived at a far better place in their lives than they were in before.”

Starlight regarded this, curiosity becoming her chief expression.

“You…you think these people can help me?”

Smiling, Twilight nodded.

“I know that they’ll at least try.”

Turning to the door, Twilight looked to it for a few moments before looking back to Starlight, offering her a hoof as she did so.

“So…are you ready for this?”

Needless to say, Starlight was more than a little nervous about all of this. Trying to become friends with others was one thing, but to open up to complete strangers about her hurtful feelings was quite another. But, looking to Twilight, and the reassuring expression she bore in her eyes, Starlight felt, if possible, more comfortable with this notion than she first thought. So, slowly, she reached out with her own hoof, placing it in Twilight’s, which earned her an even wider smile from the princess. So, together, they made their way forward, with Twilight’s horn lighting up as the door opened. There afterwards, Starlight regarded the room they’d entered, smaller, closer, and one might say more “cosier” than most of the rest of the palace. There were a few chairs, soft and comfortable-looking, and the unicorn could see that, as Twilight had said, they were already occupied.

“Good to see you again, Twilight.”

The first to speak had been a unicorn, like Starlight, with a fiery-coloured mane and a cutie mark of a sun. Looking to Twilight, this other unicorn wore a greatly affectionate smile, which Twilight eagerly returned. The second figure, yet again, was a unicorn, this one with a deep blue colouring in her fur, and a paler shade in her mane, bearing a mark of what appeared to be a magic wand. Starlight regarded her, seeing that, while she definitely seemed content and pleased to see Twilight, it was to a lesser degree than the first mare. As Twilight walked further into the room, Starlight followed, and soon afterwards, the two seated themselves. Starlight took a moment to enjoy the comfortable chair, looking to the other unicorns with curiosity.

“I, er…I assume you know who I am?”

They both nodded, with the blue mare speaking up for the first time.

“Indeed we do! But fret not! For the calm and un-judgmental Trixie is loath to pass blame, given her own actions.”

Starlight raised an eyebrow, turning to Twilight, who stifled a brief giggle before leaning closer to her, bringing her voice down to a whisper.

“Before you ask, yes, she always talks like that.”

A smile crept onto Starlight’s face at that thought, but both she and Twilight looked over to the other mares afterwards, in particular, the one with the sun mark, who spoke next.

“You may have done a lot of terrible things, Starlight. But, like everypony else in this room, you’re not alone in that. Well…apart from Twilight of course.”

To that, the young princess gained a small blush as she waved her friend off. But, after a few moments of this, Starlight looked around, paying close attention to each figure in the room, before finally looking to Twilight, her expression one of uncertainty. However, she was prevented from saying anything, as Twilight regained her earlier smile as she spoke up, addressing the whole room.

“So…you all know why we’re gathered here today. Starlight has some things she needs to get off her chest. And since you’ve all been in bad places before, I think the best way to help her come to terms with this is to…well…help her to see that she’s not alone in this.”

The other unicorns nodded in agreement, all while Starlight remained just as unsure as she’d been this whole time. Looking from one to the other, Twilight spoke up again.

“So…who’s first?”

Before anypony else had a chance to say anything, Trixie stood first, clearing her throat before starting to speak out.

“Trixie shall go first. Long ago, she was a bright and prestigious show-mare, working hard to bring joy and entertainment to every village, town and city she came upon!”

Placing a hoof to her brow, Twilight got the feeling that this was going to be a bit more dramatic than she first considered. Even so, Trixie continued.

“But then, one day, her career ended when she happened upon Ponyville. There, fates conspired to bring an end to the image she’d maintained for herself, leading her down a path of anger and bitterness!”

Frowning, Trixie looked to Starlight, making sure she was paying attention before carrying on.

“That path led her to the alicorn amulet, an artefact of great and terrible power! Through its use, Trixie gained the vengeance she sought, but at a terrible price! For you see, the longer she wore the amulet, the more corrupted her heart became, until she was nothing more than a tyrant, inflicting terrible punishments upon all around her, no matter how small the sleight!”

Looking down, Trixie gained a somewhat morose look as she continued, and this time, her words were tinted with a distinctly more sombre tone.

“Had it not been the efforts of one Twilight Sparkle…Trixie might well have lost herself to that darkness entirely. It is a prospect that…that she has feared and regretted ever since.”

Turning, Trixie looked to Twilight, who offered her a smile, comforting her a great deal. The former show-mare, letting out a sigh, looked back to Starlight.

“Had Trixie maintained that path, and continued to let that feeling of being wronged dominate her…it would have been a tragedy!”

Slowly, the blue mare got back into her seat, looking just as unhappy as she had been mere moments ago. Getting it off her chest did make her seem relieved to some degree, but it was clear that her story, her past actions, still ached for her. Twilight, moving closer, placed a hoof upon her shoulder, leading to Trixie smiling in response. No words were spoken, but the message was nevertheless clear; that forgiveness had been granted. It was a sight which, in all frankness, caused Starlight to feel in some ways at ease, despite knowing full well what she would have to confess to. However, before she got the chance to speak, the other mare stood up, catching her attention.

“I never formally introduced myself. My name is Sunset Shimmer. And a few years back…well…I was a student of Princess Celestia.”

That caught Starlight’s attention immediately, and she stared at Sunset more intently than she had with Trixie. And for this, Twilight could not blame her. After all, given what she knew of the mare, it was not hard to image that she may have difficulty being reminded of Celestia’s school. Even so, Starlight remained silent, giving Sunset the time she needed to get her thoughts in order.

“For a long time…I was Celestia’s star pupil. A prodigy in magic. No matter the spell, no matter the enchantment, I took to it like a fish took to water. And with every success, Celestia became all the more proud of me.”

For a moment, Sunset stopped, a look of nostalgia crossing her face. As before, Twilight could understand. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when she herself had been in Sunset’s position, always eager to learn more, especially if it meant impressing the princess. But, despite this, she kept her mouth shut, as did Starlight, when Sunset carried on.

“But…there came a day when Celestia took me to an ancient magical object of great power; the mirror portal. Through that mirror, I learned of the kinds of heights I could achieve…that of princesshood itself.”

However, as she recounted these events, Sunset’s face became one of regret.

“And when I learned of that…everything changed between us. I became impatient with Celestia, always pressing the matter of how I could advance. She kept warning me that to progress too quickly, without first learning the importance of friends, would be a dangerous road.”

Looking away, Sunset frowned.

“But I didn’t listen. And instead, I tried to learn by myself, without Celestia’s supervision. By betraying her trust, by reaching for what I should have known I wasn’t ready for, I hurt her. Words were said…and I was no longer welcome as her student.”

Like Sunset, Twilight’s expression became one of melancholy. Loving the princess as she did, the thought of losing her was too terrible to bear. But it was nevertheless a feeling she knew well, having come face-to-face with such a fate as of a result of the late King Sombra’s dark magic some years ago. To lose Celestia like that was a thought she did not welcome in the slightest. Sunset looked to her as she considered this, and together, they smiled, knowing without speaking that this connection was shared between them. And like before, with Trixie, Starlight regarded this with uncertainty. Turning, she gave her attention fully to Sunset as she carried on.

“Eventually, I used the mirror itself, journeying to another world entirely. There, I sought power and influence, destroying many friendships in my quest to get it. In the end, and after a terrible battle that I had started…I finally understood.”

For the first time in a while, Sunset broke into a smile.

“I understood what was missing in my life. By shutting others out, by refusing to make friends…I’d left myself in a bad place, never considering that I might be in the wrong. But…”

With tears forming in her eyes, Sunset looked to Twilight, giving her a warm smile.

“…but with Twilight’s help…I’ve become happier than I ever had been before.”

Smiling back, Twilight moved forward, and together, the two mares embraced each other. Trixie too was moved, conjuring a handkerchief out of thin air to blow her nose. As for Starlight, she had taken in every word of what Sunset had just said, thinking them over carefully. But, it was nervousness that now gripped her, as all eyes turned to face her. She knew what they wanted out of her; the same thing they had given her. But, she was hesitant, though nopony could blame her. However, as she looked to each in turn, they each gave her looks of reassurance, silently telling her that things would be okay. She still bore the clear signs of uncertainty, but even so, she got out of her chair, taking a few calming breaths before finally adding her own voice to this mix.

“When I was a filly…I had a friend. He was closer to me than anypony else. We did everything together, playing, studying…everything.”

Much like Twilight earlier, Starlight allowed herself to feel a wave of nostalgia wash over her, leading to a brief smile on her part. However, this was short-lived, as her expression soon became one of sadness soon afterwards.

“But…on the day he got his cutie mark…we drifted apart. Eventually…it reached a point where I never saw him again.”

Closing her eyes tightly, Starlight began to frown.

“And it was that day…when I began my path. By being as hurt as I was with his leaving…I led myself to think that those marks, those differences, drove ponies away from each other, that they destroyed friendships!”

Looking away, the look on Starlight’s face made it clear that the feelings still lingered there, as evidenced by the bitter tone she now took on.

“I…I did things. Terrible things. I made a community where I single-hoofedly took the cutie marks from everypony who lived there…”

Shame now crossed her face.

“…except mine. I lied. I cheated. I made a false image of happiness by forcing everypony to give up that which made them special, all because I couldn’t understand that those differences were not what truly drove people apart.”

Turning, she looked to Twilight, and like her, she too appeared melancholic as she continued.

“When my lie was exposed, and my false paradise brought down…I ran. I stewed in my feelings of being wronged. I felt like it was everypony else who was wrong, not me, and in that moment…I vowed revenge. I vowed that I would hurt the one who had brought me to that place.”

Narrowing her eyes at Twilight, Starlight’s voice was seething with anger.

“You.”

Twilight took on a look of concern, as did Sunset and Trixie, and the latter two exchanged nervous glances, but, like before, they remained quiet as Starlight said everything she needed to say.

“I followed you. I studied you. I learned everything I needed to in order to take my vengeance. And when I did…it was terrible. I re-wrote the world itself to get my own back at you. So much did I feel I was right that the notion of my damaging the world and other ponies…it didn’t matter to me.”

But, at long last, the anger faded, from both her voice and her expression.

“Only…only when you showed me the consequences of those actions did I understand just how wrong I was. In that moment…I knew I had been mistaken. I was the one who had done something terrible, not you. I put everypony at risk…just because I thought I was right.”

She shut her eyes again, not wanting to look anypony in the eye.

“If you hadn’t stopped me…I…I…I don’t want to think what could have happened…what I could have made happen.”

It had been something she’d been holding back for some time, but, in the end, tears began to form in Starlight’s eyes. Moment after moment passed, and in the silence, a single sound could now be heard. That of sobbing. Starlight’s knees wobbled, and eventually, the weight of her confession got to her, causing her to buckle and fall to the ground. Twilight approached her, slowly at first, and looked to her with a completely neutral expression. After a long while, and with tears streaming down her face, Starlight looked up to the young princess, her voice wobbling as she spoke.

“I…I never understood. Why? Why wouldn’t I understand…until now?”

Twilight, in spite of everything, actually started to smile at her, and she got to her knees, looking to her with warmth in her eyes.

“It may have taken a while for you to get there, Starlight…but you have got there.”

Raising a hoof, Twilight placed it upon the mare’s shoulder, still smiling as she spoke up.

“Know this. You may have been alone for a lot of your life…you may have shut ponies out…but you’re not alone anymore. I’m here. We’re all here. And we’ll help you…whenever you need it.”

Starlight looked on in silence, glancing not only to Twilight, but also to Sunset, and then to Trixie. Together, the three mares looked to her with smiles, and with every passing moment, the weeping unicorn felt more and more comfortable. But, while the tears still came, they were now combined with a smile of her own, and as she let out a deep sigh, she knew there was only one thing she could possibly need to say to the princess before her.

“Thank you…my friend.”