Starlight paced back and forth in front of the Canterlot Library. She’d been doing this for half an hour now, only stopping to look at a slip of paper for a brief moment, and ponies were already starting to stare at her oddly. A few had asked if she was lost, but they didn’t get much of a response. This was a mare on a mission. Even if she wasn’t very intent on completing it.

But this was still a mission put forth by a princess, though not really officially until Starlight all but demanded that it had to be, and the classic punishment for failing one of those was a nice one way trip to literally anywhere but Equestria. One way in that if you dare to come back, you won’t see much more than a wooden basket and hear much more than sharp metal.

Using this as incentive, Starlight finally made her way up the stairs, passing the two oddly creepy Unicorn statues, and entered before she could think of running again.

And suddenly she was hit with the lovely aura of learning. The sound of ponies turning pages and quietly chatting to their neighbors about how good they are for reading, unlike those nasty Pegasi.

They were then shushed by the head librarian as he sat at his desk, overlooking the main room of the library as he watched on with a kind eye. He didn’t care much for casual bigotry. Everypony was equal, despite their differences, and that’s what made them all special. Once the troublemaking horses quieted down, his blue eyes flicked back to his book and he continued reading once again.

This stallion caught Starlight’s eye instantly. She recognized the light orange coat, his muzzle splotched with a star and strip and the white socks on his hooves. His mane was a little different, combed to the sides as opposed to the mohawk she remembered, but this was most certainly her childhood friend, Sunburst.

But she couldn’t just approach him. What if he no longer remembered her? What if he just forgot about her when he disappeared off to Canterlot? What if he openly resented her for never attempting to make contact after that day?

With these worries in mind, Starlight slinked off to a far corner of the library where he couldn’t see her, but she could see him. She sat down at a table and just stared intently.

He certainly grew up. Where there was once a rambunctious little colt, there was now a fine Unicorn stallion with an obvious kind heart. The way his smile grew when he helped a little filly pick out her first book, or how he listened intently to how badly he was doing his job showed that in spades. Just like she remembered, he treated everypony like equals. She always admired that quality about him.

And still, she just sat there staring at him. The ponies that once sat around her had since moved, as that’s just creepy and they wanted no part in it. Starlight sighed and put her head on her desk. Her ‘mission’ was to befriend, not to stare at. She was, once again, a failure. All she had to her was a failed town experiment, multiple attempts on the lives of literally everyone in existence, and an unknown number of foal abuse charges to fall back on.

And a good amount of friends, she remembered moments later. Ones that loved her for who she was and not because of the power she threw around. She didn’t even have to bribe them, or force them to almost die. They just came to her and listened. Then again, it was mostly Princess Twilight who brought them to her, but it was a start. With that in mind, Starlight almost got up to talk to Sunburst. Almost.

When she attempted to, she looked up to see him staring at her from a few feet away. He was tailed by a fairly confused mare who obviously just wanted a book. He turned back to the mare and gestured down the aisle to his left. “It’s, uh, right down here, Ms. Dancer,” he said, his voice making Starlight jump. It was so different, and yet similar to how she remembered. “I’d show you where it was,” he continued, then looking over to Starlight, “But it seems something came up.”

The mare nodded and left, leaving the two childhood friends to awkwardly stare at each other. Sunburst quickly moved to take a seat across from Starlight in order to stare more comfortably.

There was another long moment of silence that passed between the two, only broken when Sunburst decided to open his mouth. “What are you doing here?” He said, though not in an accusatory fashion. It was just a question asked to someone he hoped was still a friend.

It was a good question. In that moment, Starlight completely forgot the speech she’d planned in order to win his friendship back after all these years. All she had were notecards, and that wouldn’t go over well. “I don’t know,” she said simply, “I just saw you when I came in and I didn’t know what to say, so I ran.”

Sunburst chuckled, a warm chuckle that had stayed the same after all these years. “I meant why you are here in Canterlot, not in this dark corner.” He smiled brightly, much like his name implied, “It has been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Fifteen years,” Starlight said almost instantly before a blush took over her face, “I think.”

Sunburst shrugged, “I stopped counting after five, to be honest.” He said, making Starlight frown a bit. He tapped his hoof on the table to draw her attention. “I am joking, Starlight, I promise. I am sure that I have missed you just the same as you have me.”

Starlight looked at him oddly. While he looked and smiled like the pony she remembered, his wording and mannerisms were completely different. She remembered a loud and brash pony, but all she saw was a stuffy old Unicorn. And still, she nodded. “I sure missed you a lot.”

“And I you.” Sunburst said with a nod. His ears twitched as he heard someone behind him call his name. Turning around, he saw that the checkout line had grown exponentially from when he last saw it, and ponies were now getting antsy. He cleared his throat, turning back to Starlight. “I would love to catch up now, but it seems that I have to do my job. But if you would like, there is a nice coffee shop near here and I am very free tomorrow. Would you like to meet me there?”

Starlight froze. She hadn’t expected him to want to do anything with her so soon. If she said yes, he might laugh at her, but if she said no he might think her rude. No, he will think she’s rude. She tried her best to smile at him. “I’d love to meet you there. I just need to know the name.”

“Oh,” he said, chuckling a little bit, “I believe the name is Clydesdale Coffee, but I could always be wrong.”

Starlight nodded, committing the name to memory. “I suppose you should be off then?”

“I suppose so as well.” Sunburst scratched the back of his neck. “Do you think I could get a hug before I go?”

All Starlight did in response was open her forelegs in preparation for the hug. Sunburst respectfully (read:prudishly) went to hug his new old friend. It wasn’t the closest of hugs, he kept her at a bit of a distance, but the warmth still shined through.

Sunburst pulled back moments later with a smile on his face. “It is really nice to see you again, but I guess I have to be off. What do you say we meet at the place at noon?”

“I’ll be there.” Starlight said. “And you better be there too.”

Sunburst smiled. “I will, I promise. But for now, I have to bid you adieu. Until tomorrow, at least.”

“I’ll see you then.”

With a small wave goodbye, Sunburst returned to his desk to tend to his patrons. This left Starlight to plan for tomorrow.

It was certainly a start.