Author's Notes:

Had to write this after watching Spike and Starlight's interactions in the new episode. It's been awhile since I've written anything, so pile on those criticisms.

Starlight snarled as she trotted her way through the castle halls in her attempt to find the dining room for breakfast. She had already found the broom closet, the handicap restroom and the throne room. One day she would learn her way around, but today was not that day.

She was not happy.

“I swear, if I get jumped by cleaning supplies one more time, I’m going to lose it.”

A left turn here, a right turn there and a fall down a secret passageway in the billiards room later and she finally found the dining room. Success had never smelled so sweet. Or like waffles and coffee, for that matter.

The dining table was spread out with plates and silverware at two of the chairs, one of which was occupied by Spike. A varied amount of breakfast food, ranging from waffles and pancakes to hay-bacon and oatmeal was cooked and ready for the taking.

Despite all the awkward moments she’d had from living with Twilight, the luxuriousness of castle life was something she could definitely get used to. If only it wasn’t so difficult to do so.

“Wow, Spike, you really outdid yourself this morning. Did you cook all this yourself?” Starlight gazed wide-eyed at all the food prepared as she took her seat at the table.

“Yes, ma’am,” Spike said, smiling brightly. “Cooking still happens to be one of my favorite activities, and I was in the zone this morning.”

“Where’s Twilight at? Isn’t she gonna be here? Or will one of her friends swing by like usual?”

“Nah, not today,” Spike said. “She left earlier. Said something about having to take an emergency trip out to Canterlot to intervene in some overdue library book scandal. That’s a big deal to her.”

“I can imagine,” Starlight said with a chuckle. “Is it just me, or does she read just a little too much?”

“Correction: way too much,” Spike replied. “Anyway, she won’t be back until tomorrow because she wanted to spend the afternoon with Celestia and Luna when she was done. You’ll get used to that kind of thing after living here for awhile.”

Starlight levitated some coffee and oatmeal over to her part of the table. “Wow, Twilight sure has a lot of friends in high places, huh?”

“Well, yeah. Not only was she Celestia’s student for years, but add to that all the locations around the country she’s helped save and how she knows pretty much everyone.”

“Hmm…” Starlight tried to take a bite of her oatmeal, but all she could do was stare at it.

Spike couldn’t help but notice the sudden demeanor change in his friend. “Hey Starlight, what’s wrong?”

“Huh?” She said, barely lifting her eyes. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

Spike set down his fork. “I’ve heard more convincing lies from Applejack. Spill the beans.”

“Hhm, fine,” Starlight said, rolling her eyes. “I just, I don’t know, I feel like this is impossible!”

“Eating breakfast? It’s not that har-”

“No! Being Twilight’s student. I mean, she’s got these huge expectations for me and all these goals and plans, yet I’m still having issues making friends at all. I mean, really all I have is her and you. No offense, but that’s not exactly loads of progress.”

“Well, you have Sunburst, too,” Spike said.

“Yeah, well, ever since he told me about a mare he met named Trixie and how they started dating, I haven’t really heard from him much. I don’t take it personally, though.”

“Sunburst and Trixie?” Spike said, shaking his head. “That could be interesting.”

“Yeah, but whatever. The point is, Twilight’s done all these amazing things and has all these awesome friends, and what have I done?”

“Well, let’s see here…” Spike said, rubbing his chin.

“If you value your life, you won’t answer that,” Starlight said with a glare. “Anyway, I’ve done a lot of bad things, Spike. And I really don’t know the first thing about making friends in the first place. I really don’t think I have what it takes to stack up to that. I’ll just end up letting you all down.”

“I know exactly where you’re coming from.” Spike paused for a moment. He wiped his mouth and dropped his fork on the plate, which was still loaded down with food. “Starlight, let me tell you something that might help you out a bit. How long have you been here with Twilight?”

“A couple months? Give or take a week or two.”

“Okay. A few months. I’ve been with Twilight for my entire life. I may still look like a baby, but trust me, I’ve been around for a good while. In that time, I’ve seen her redeem villains, save entire civilizations, defeat bad guys that make you look like a tutorial boss in Basements and Dragons and become best friends with the most powerful beings in existence. And through all that, guess who had to stay on the sidelines and, for lack of a better word, be ignored? Just guess.”

Starlight’s ears laid back on her head. “You?”

“Precisely. For the longest time, I felt like I had no real purpose. I was just the tagalong. The cheerleader. The letter delivery boy. Compared to Twilight, I really didn’t bring anything to the table.”

“But Spike, everyone loves you! And besides, you saved the Crystal Empire, two times!”

“That’s true, but up to that point, I really hadn’t done much.”

“So, what did you do about it? Didn’t it ever make you feel bad?”

“All the time. But, one day, I had a great talk with a friend of mine. And they told me something I never forgot to this day.”

“What was that?”

“My dragon, do not be ashamed of what you are not. But be proud of what you have got. The sums of greatness are not always clear, but you are greater, than that which you fear.”

Starlight blinked a few times. “Um, can I have a map to that sentence please?”

“Basically, what it means is you shouldn't’ focus so much on comparing the negatives about yourself to others achievements, and instead focus on all the good things you do bring to the table! For example, take this coffee.” Spike pointed his claw out to the coffee sitting on the table. “It’s bitter, strange tasting and not exactly pretty looking.”

“Well yeah, but that’s just how coffee is.”

“True. But, what if the coffee just tried to compare itself to the belgian waffles? They’re sweet, syrupy, loaded with fruit and a very beautiful sight to look at if I do say so myself. From that standpoint, the coffee doesn’t hold up much, now does it?”

“Not really,” Starlight said. “I don’t really see where you’re taking this…”

“It may not hold up, but consider this! Coffee is one of the best selling commodities in all of Equestria! I love it, you love it, some ponies can’t even survive a morning without it! Coffee is a beautiful thing in its own right!”

“I do like my coffee,” Starlight said with a smile.

“Yep, and you’re just like that cup of coffee. You’re smart, pretty, very talented with magic and in no time, you’ll be making all sorts of friends and turning into a great member of society! Don’t worry about what the ponies around you have done. We all want to be your friend and you definitely bring a lot to the table.”

“Spike, that was really strange.” She reached over to his chair and wrapped him in a hug. “But really sweet. Thanks.”

“No problem,” Spike said. “We’re friends now, so we take care of each other.”

“I think I can try that,” she said. “Now, if you don’t mind, pass me another cup of coffee. It really is a wonderful thing.”