Second Thoughts

by starcoder

Lyra Heartstrings

Author's Note:

I'm so sorry for the sudden change, everyone! This was supposed to go before Twilight's chapter, but I messed up the order a bit. Please, just imagine as if this chapter were here all along, published before Twilight's.

I wave goodbye to Bon Bon. I know it's only for an evening, but when you have a best friend waiting for you, a few hours seems like a lifetime. I sort of feel guilty for making new friends in Ponyville, especially a best friend. After all, I was friends with Minuette, Lemon Hearts, Twinkle Shine, Twilight Sparkle, and Moondancer when I lived back in Canterlot. But it's still hard to say goodbye to Bon Bon. She's my best friend "five-ever," and that kind of friend is one that you keep by your side five-ever.

I walk with Minuette to Sugarcube Corners. She's convinced it's the "Donut Shop of Ponyville," like how we used to have donuts together at a donut shop in Canterlot. I guess I can't blame her for being used to her home.

I open the door, and Minuette is greeted with a "Hi!" from Pinkie Pie. We walk to our usual table, but there's something different about this time. "Moondancer!" I exclaim, giving her a hug. Moondancer stopped coming to Ponyville, and even when I was in Canterlot, she never hung out with us. "What are you doing here?"

"Having fun with you girls," she shrugged.

"Aw, come on," I prod her, "you know that's not what I mean. You never join us anymore. Why today?"

"A few weeks back, Twilight came over and showed me the true value of friendship. Now, I have fun with the girls in between my studying," she explains. I guess Twilight really is the Princess of Friendship, no matter how bad a friend she was to us back then.

We get some donuts from Pinkie Pie, and hastily eat them. Well, at least I do. We spend the rest of the day having fun, and I even feel like I feel a surge of magic or something, but now it's evening and I can get back to Bon Bon. Besides, the other girls have to catch today's train back to Canterlot.

After I wave to them, they're on their way and so am I. Bon Bon said she would meet me at her house and we could have a sleepover, so I'm on my way there. At least, I am until I'm stopped by Twilight, who's near in front of her castle. "Hey Lyra!" she calls out.

"Hey, Twilight!" I respond, waving at her. "You just missed the other girls," I tell her as she trots towards me.

Twilight's probably too excited to even listen to me, though. “Guess what happened today?”

“What?” I ask. Twilight wasn’t usually this energetic, so something must be making her happy.

“I met this powerful unicorn. Her magic was about as strong as mine!” Twilight cheerfully informs me.

“Really? A unicorn with alicorn level magic?” I play along.

“Yeah. Her name’s Starlight Glimmer," she says, still seeming to keep a lot to herself.

“So, what happened?” I ask, determined to hear another side of the story.

“Well, she went through this time loop and brought me along with her, and she almost, well, caused a bit of chaos until she realized-”

“Hold on. She almost destroyed Equestria?” I ask, seeing right through the cover-up. The other day, I saw a newspaper clipping of her. If she's Twilight's student, and Twilight decided that, then she needs to see a doctor or something. Starlight Glimmer is not the pony you should trust right off the bat. Starlight Glimmer is very demented, somepony you don't want to have around.

“Well, yeah,” Twilight hesitates, “but she’s past that.”

“So what did you do about it?”

Twilight giggled. “Well, she’s my pupil now! My first student ever! And she’s learning about friendship!”

“Wow. That’s not much of a punishment,” I complain. Starlight Glimmer. Just the name makes me all mad inside now. And I barely even know her.

“I don’t want to punish her. I want her to learn about friendship so that she’ll never do that again,” Twilight argues. She seems pretty strong on the whole "friendship" side of the thing. I bet she didn't even think that someone like Starlight should get a punishment for almost destroying the world.

“Hmm," I moan. "What did she look like?” I might have read some of the paper, but I only got a quick glance of the black-and-white image.

“Well, she has a purple mane with a teal streak, and her cutie mark is a glimmer of magic. Huh, I guess that might explain why she’s so good at magic!” she thinks of other things, which I don't pay attention to.

“Yeah, sure,” I grumble, walking away.

---

I tell Bon Bon about the great times we had yesterday, even if it was, again, only three hours. We walk up to a craft stand in the market, and you'll never guess who we run into. Okay, maybe you can, since I've been angry at her ever since I first found out about her. Give up? It's Starlight Glimmer!

We're standing in front of the stand, and I guess she's playing dumb and acting as if we're in line. Bon Bon and I look at her, and I want to give her a strict talking-to, but that would be uncivilized. Plus, Bon Bon already spoke up first. "Hello, are you new here?" she asks. It's clear she hasn't seen her before, in the paper or in person. "What's your name?"

"Um, hi. Yeah, I’m… new? And my name’s Starlight," she stammers, her voice fading away. Like I'd buy that act.

Bon Bon, on the other hoof, seems to. "Well, welcome to Ponyville! My name’s Bon Bon, and this is Lyra," she greets, motioning towards me. Do you want our spot in line?" I guess now that my best friend went with the "in line" act, I have to, too.

Starlight shakes her head, anxiousness drawn all over her face. “You were here first and I can’t take your spot.”

“Please do, we weren’t buying anything, just... looking at the options," I explain.

I guess that's good enough for her, because she smiles. "Um, okay. Thanks!" I roll my eyes and take Bon Bon with me to a bench that's out of Starlight Glimmer's earshot.

"You know that that's Starlight Glimmer? From the destruction news? Twilight told me more about her," I inform Bon Bon.

"Uh, no. Really?" she asks,

“Yeah, really! She’s been staying in touch with me more ever since a few weeks ago when she visited Canterlot. She said some powerful unicorn named Starlight Glimmer had her in this time loop,” I tell her.

Bon Bon was kind, kinder than me, if I had to be honest. “Well, she seemed pretty nice to me.”

“Yeah, she may seem that way. Twilight said that Starlight had come ‘a long way’ since when she had done all that,” I say, distrust scattered throughout my voice and mind.

Bon Bon still didn't believe such a "nice pony" did such bad things. “Are you sure that was her? I know they have the same first name, but-”

“Oh, I’m sure of it. Purple and teal mane, glimmery cutie mark, that definitely sounds like her. She was, apparently, pretty bad,” I say, recalling tidbits of the news clipping and Twilight's conversation with me yesterday.

“Well, I’m sure she won’t do that again. She’s so nice!” Bon Bon argued. "Ponies can change," she adds in a soft voice for good measure.

“Yeah, I know,” I say with a lot of sarcasm.

Comments

[Catpaw616]

I mean, I can somewhat understand where she was coming from, since I don't believe that some ponies forgave Starlight that easily as Twilight did, but dang that was harsh from her. At least Bon Bon acted nice to her.

Nice chapter, can't wait for more!

[starcoder]

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Thanks! Yes, I made Lyra a bit fierce here, because that's how I made her in the prequel