Starlight smiled as she sat in her room reading an important historical document. Twilight may have been ahead of her in some ways but she had done well expanding her magical knowledge despite the lack of books from the Canterlot library. Even so, she had done a number of spells even Twilight had never done, whether that was because she didn't know them or was just morally against them was another question.
"Hey Starlight, what'cha doing?" The small dragon named Spike asked as he entered her bedroom.
"Oh, just doing some reading, and some thinking." Starlight answered.
"About what?" Spike asked sitting himself up on the bed next to her.
"Spike, how did you feel when I first moved into the castle?" Starlight knew Spike had almost perished just as much as Twilight due to her actions years ago.
"Well to be honest, it was kinda scary." Spike replied truthfully. "You were kind of a villain at the time."
"But you trusted Twilight enough to sleep under the same castle roof as me." Starlight sighed.
"Well I trusted you too, Starlight." Spike shook his head. "You don't think Twilight's lessons haven't rubbed off on me too, do ya?"
Starlight peered across at Spike and smiled. She knew that spike was every bit her friend too and would do anything for her, she'd always be grateful.
"I appreciated you giving me those eye witness accounts of what you saw running after me with Twilight, I'm really sorry about the part where you fell through the cloud." Starlight was glad Spike had been there by Twilight's side though, to help stop her plans.
"What do you think life would be like if I hadn't done my plan and gotten banished here?" Starlight asked him.
"Impossible to imagine, you're kind of like a second sister to me now." Spike said with a wide toothy grin.
"You really mean that, don't you?" Starlight said with a smile. "You know I appreciate that."
"Hey Starlight, you feeling okay? Trixie told me you've been really worried lately." Spike said changing to a more serious expression.
"I'm fine, just wondering how to protect Equestria as usual, you know, as one of the mane seven." Starlight said with an awkward giggle.
"You need to stop hanging out with Discord so much." Spike replied getting up from the bed. "But if you really need anything, let me know."
"Thanks, Spike." Starlight smiled and waved as she peered down at the historical document that once belonged to Starswirl himself, and his writings on time travel spells.
Trixie peacefully snored in her cabin as her head lay on her comfy pillow. She had just finished a stage show earlier that day and was now exhausted. She felt like she really wanted to do a Canterlot show next, or even a show further south, maybe a show for the griffons as some kind of charity event, she could really use the fame further east.
Suddenly she heard a loud crash above her head that frightened her so much that she shot out of bed, out of the wagon and threw herself face first into a patch of grass.
"Trixie, I'm sorry!" Twilight rushed over to her.
Trixie raised her head and spat the grass out from her mouth. "What's the big idea, Twilight?"
"Sorry, I panicked and miscalculated the spell." Twilight said helping lift Trixie up from the ground and using her wing to dust her off.
"Starlight's run away!" Twilight said extremely worried.
"Starlight's a great and powerful mare, she can take care of herself." Trixie said certain Twilight was overreacting
"No, she wrote a letter, she isn't coming back!" Twilight wiped a tear from her eye with her wing.
"Why would she do that?" Trixie asked as she realized this was serious.
"The letter, it says that she can't forget her past." Twilight grimaced. "That she is done trying to atone for her past crimes."
Trixie frowned. "Why would she feel that way now, she and I were having so much fun in our shows, or I thought we were."
"I don't know, but if you find her call me!" Twilight said before vanishing in a bubble of magical light.
Trixie had remained sitting on the grass for an hour, but she didn't want to trouble Luna with her feelings. She found it hard to believe Starlight had truly chosen to just leave without even a goodbye. She looked up then as she heard a strange humming.
"Spike?" She saw Twilight's baby dragon approach.
"Trixie, spooky night, huh." Spike said mervously rubbing his shoulder.
"What are you doing wandering around here at tnis time of night?" Trixie knew that Spike was Starlight's friend too and rushed over to help protect him from the cold.
"Well partially looking for Starlight, partially I meant to give you tbis." Spike pulled out a letter and held it up to her.
"A letter to me from Starlight?" Trixie asked.
"She slid it underneath my bed." Spike replied. "Clearly didn't want Twilight to see it."
Trixie read over the letter. Basically explaining her gratitude for being her friend and that she will treasure her memory as long as time allows it.
"Time allows it?" Trixie asked out loud.
"Starlight has said a lot of strange things lately." Spike said considering the last time they spoke.
"Spike, you don't think?" Trixie asked hesitantly not wanting to jump to conclusions.
"That she would try to change time again?" Spike finished her voiced thoughts for her. "Trixie this is really bad, there's no telling what damage she might do!"
"No! My Starlight would never revert to evil." Trixie said having full faith in her friend.
And then it finally hit both of them like a wagon rolling down a cliff. There friend was doing it because she thought she was protecting them.