How Things Used To Be

It was a reasonably nice day in Equestria as the train made it’s way through the countryside to Sire’s Hollow. Things weren’t quite so nice for the two ponies currently sat on said train, however. Starlight and Sunburst were on their way back ‘home’ to visit their parents, and they were far from thrilled to do so, despite not having seen them for years.

Sunburst, as per usual, was sat reading a magic book, doing his best to forget what he was doing and where he was going, and Starlight was laid out on the seat opposite him with her ears down and a rather large blush on her face which she was attempting to hide with her forehooves.

The both of them remained like this for a rather long time, and it wasn’t until Starlight finally decided to speak up that they were both brought out of their reverie.

“It’s not really that I don’t want to go home. It’s just that my dad is very… strange. He always treats me like a filly, as if I haven’t grown up at all.” She said, raising her head out of her hooves and glancing at sunburst, who lowers the book slightly with his magic so he could see her.

“I do know what you mean.” He starts to say. “My mom is constantly trying to make plans for my future, as if I didn’t already have a job and a place of my own. She often treats me like a foal who hasn’t grown up yet as well. I also constantly receive letters from her asking what my plans for the future are.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad. At least she’s showing an interest in your future and understands that you’re a grown pony now” Starlight replies as she sits up.

“It does get quite grating and very old hearing the same thing over and over again though.” Sunburst says with a sigh, putting a bookmark in his book and shutting it, putting it on the pile next to him. “She also keeps trying to cut off my goatee.” He swats at it a bit with a hoof.

Starlight giggles a bit at that. “I don’t mind it, but I guess not everypony likes beards. That’s your own choice whether you want to keep it though.”

“That’s my point. She’s always sticking her nose in my business and trying to force me to make plans for my future, even if I already have it sorted in my own way.”

They both stayed silent for a short while after that, just looking out the train window and watching the scenery fly by.

Sunburst was the one to break the silence this time. “So, why exactly is your dad so, uh, weird?”

It was a genuine question, but it caused Starlight’s blush to return in full force, and she hid behind her hooves again.

“It’s… not something I really want to talk about in public.” Sunburst looked around the train car. There were only one or two ponies in there with them, and they were minding their own business.

“I could cast a sound muffling spell around us if you want so nopony can hear?” Sunburst tried.

“It’s not really just that. I don’t know whether I would be okay telling anypony about it. I haven’t even told Twilight about this for fear of what she might think of my dad, or even myself.”

Sunburst frowned at that, but he still cast the sound muffling spell. “You can trust me Starlight. I’m your oldest friend, I promise that I will never judge either you or your dad for anything you may have done, and I will never tell anyone about this if you don’t want me to.” He said, putting on his best friendly smile.

Starlight sighed, and looked out the window again. “Alright. But please. Never tell anyone about this.” She looked at sunburst pleadingly.

“As I said, you can trust me. I won’t tell a soul.”

“Did you cast the spell?” Sunburst nodded. “Alright then. I don’t know if you knew this, but when I was a filly my mom and dad broke up. It was a very… violent breakup, especially when my dad ended up having custody of me. My mom ended up moving away, and I have never spoken with her since she left. My dad always loved my mom so much, and when she left he was heartbroken. I still don’t know exactly what happened between them, but I know it was bad, because very often I used to find my dad crying in his bedroom at night, even months after the breakup.”

A few tears started falling down Starlight’s face, which she wiped away with a hoof. “I was too young at the time to understand exactly what I was doing… But it made dad feel better. It even made me feel better.”

“What made you both feel better?” Sunburst interrupted, levitating a box of tissues towards starlight that he pulled out of his bag under his chair.

“I… I had sex with him.” Sunburst’s eyes went as wide as dinner plates. “Many times. Whenever he was feeling down, whenever I was feeling down, or even when we were both fine.” Starlight’s head fell right down into her hooves, tears threatening to be released. “It wasn’t until I had moved out that I realised just what we had been doing for, well, years. It made the both of us somewhat happy again, and so I don’t even regret it. In fact, sometimes, on some lonely nights, I even miss it.”

Sunburst’s jaw had long since hit the floor of the carriage, and was struggling to find words. “Oh… Uh… Wow…” He managed to stammer out after a while. “I… was not expecting anything like that…” He remained in his stupefied state for another few moments before he shook his head violently, attempting to rid his mind of any unwanted thoughts. “I said I wasn’t going to judge you, and I am keeping that promise.” He said definitively.

Starlight looked up a bit, but still trying her best to hide the blush which now must’ve been covering half of her body. “T-thanks. I really don’t know what’s going to happen when we get back home. I’m just glad that I’ll have my oldest friend there to help me through it.”

Sunburst smiled warmly at that. “I’d be happy to help you through it. I may not completely understand everything you and your dad did, but you can trust me to keep it a secret. This may even be what we were sent here to solve!”

Starlight looked down again at that, and whispered to herself; “I don’t want things to change though…”

~

When the train arrived in Sires Hollow, Sunburst and Starlight were the only two ponies to get off. They stood on the platform looking out upon the village as the train pulled away behind them.

“Well, it looks much the same as it always did.” Sunburst said as he lifted his bag up with magic, starting to move forwards.

Starlight chose not to respond, and just followed Sunburst, all the while looking at the village with a look somewhere in between excitement, fear and worry.

Starlight was so entranced that she didn’t realise they were approaching the entrance; which now had a large iron gate. Before Sunburst could stop her, she walked straight into it. Sunburst couldn’t help but giggle a little as she recoiled and started rubbing her nose with a hoof.

“Ow, that hurt.” She grumbled. “Couldn’t you have warned me?” She asked Sunburst.

“I was literally about to as you walked into it.” He said, still slightly giggling.

“What in Celestia’s name is this doing here?” Starlight asked, taking a few steps back to look at the gate.

Sunburst just approached it and pushed it open. Somewhat surprisingly it just swung open. As soon as it opened fully a voice rang out: “Welcome to Sires Hollow!”

Sunburst jumped at that, but regained his composure quickly, and adopted a frown as he did. “That was my mom’s voice…” He said confusedly.

Not five seconds after the two walked through the gate, Sunburst was interrupted from his confusion by a perfume jar being shoved into his face. “Essence?!” The pony holding the jar said enthusiastically.

“Uhh, essence of what?” Sunburst asks, adjusting his glasses which had gotten knocked down his nose.

“You tell me!” The mare said, proceeding to grab the squeezy ball thingy with her mouth and spray a bunch of the perfume directly into Sunbursts face, making him cough and splutter.

As he turned around with clenched eyes, still coughing, Starlight asked with no regard for Sunburst’s pain: “What is it?”

“Ugh, chocolate? Maybe?” He said as he levitated his glasses off to wipe them.

“Not chocolate maybe. Chocolate definitely!” The mare said, coming up between them. “And all of the benefits, with none of the drawbacks.” She started walking back the way she came, which was apparently a perfume stand.

Starlight and Sunburst just looked at eachother. Sunburst then went forward and said “didn’t this used to be a fruit stand?”

“I don’t know what it used to be, the Sires Hollow development committee determined what it is.” The mare running the stand replied, placing the perfume back on the stand.

“The Sires Hollow development what? Where do ponies buy fruit?” Sunburst asked, while Starlight glanced around at the rest of the village.

“You can get a fruit smoothie, two doors down.” The mare answered, indicated to the store, which was actually only one door down as it was the next store along.

“Some people obviously can’t count.” Starlight muttered as they both trotted to the aforementioned store, watching a couple of ponies exit with smoothies in their hooves.

“All the shops are different! Everything’s changed!” Sunburst exclaims. Starlight then looks around and notices something.

“Not everything.” She says in an uninterested tone, indicating the Sires Hollow library. “That’s the same as it ever was.”

The two approached the library with interest. Starlight looked in the library through one of the windows. After a few seconds, Sunburst moved to the door to open it. However just before he managed to grab the handle with a hoof, the door swung open, revealing two more mares.

“Sorry, our book store has been declared a site of historical significance by the Sires Hollow preservation society.” One of the mares says in a reasonably posh accent, as she hoof bumps the other mare.

“You’ll have to experience the books from here.” The second mare says. She then proceeds to levitate a rope barrier with two posts out from inside, placing it directly in front of the doorway. “That’s why windows are see-through.” She adds, both of the mares backing up and slamming the door.

“WHAT!” Sunburst exclaims, obviously distraught that he doesn’t have access to read the books.

“Preservation society, what is happening around here?!” Starlight asks nopony in particular.

It was at that moment that the very pony Starlight was dreading to see appeared behind her, answering her question. “I’ll explain it to you sugar plum!” The reasonably happy voice said.

Starlight closed her eyes, knowing just who was there. She slowly turned around to face the owner of the voice, when two purple hooves grabbed her cheeks, pulling her to directly face her loving dad. “You are just as cutesy wootsy as ever!” he exclaimed, planting a kiss on her nose as he mashed her cheeks with his hooves.

“Ughhh, daaad! Not in public!” She said with as much dignity as she could muster with a large blush spreading on her face. Her dad pulled back, although he still had a smile on his face. “What is going on then?” She then asks while rubbing her cheek, as if doing so would lessen the blush.

“Well the library is currently under the protection of the Sires Hollow preservation society of course! A society I myself founded in an attempt to save it from the modernising that some of the rest of the village has undergone.” Starlight frowned at him. “I knew how much books meant to you, and I thought you would appreciate the library being the same if you ever came back.”

“Um, no offense sir, but was it really necessary to stop ponies going into the library and actually reading the books?” Sunburst chipped in, hoping that he could regain access to read his precious books.

“Of course!” Was all Firelight said. Sunburst looked at him expectantly, obviously waiting for further explanation.

“So… Why?” Sunburst asked after a few seconds. Firelight didn’t answer and just turned back to his daughter, who’s frown had now dropped, and was now looking at her dad with a softer expression, possibly even a caring one.

“Wow… I haven’t seen you in such a long time. You’ve grown up so much. Still as cute as you ever were though, if not more so.” He turns back to Sunburst again. “You too Sunburst. I remember how sad you made my pumpky wumpkin when you left to go to magic school.” He said, not in an unpleasant tone, but with just enough emotion to make Sunburst get hit by a wave of guilt, making him look down.

“Daaaad! Please! No pumpky wumpkin’s in public! Or anywhere for that matter!” She exclaimed, her blush getting even worse as opposed to better, completely ignoring what her dad just said about her old friend.

“If you want, Sunburst, I could ask the ponies at the library to allow you inside and to allow you to read the books. They do work for me after all.”

That instantly made Sunburst face light back up. “Really? Thanks a lot!” He stopped, thinking for a moment. “I may go in a bit later, but did you forget that we’re on a friendship mission Starlight?” He pointed out.

“Oh, what’s this ‘friendship mission’, sweetie?” Firelight questions his daughter.

“It’s the reason we’re here.” Firelight’s face fell into sadness for a moment before it picked back up. “A map in a castle located in Ponyville called both of us back here to solve a friendship mission. We figured since it was just us two that it might be a problem between, well, our friendships. As in mine and yours, and Sunburst’s and his parents.”

“Um, actually its just my mom here. My dad moved out a long time ago.” Sunburst sadly stated, looking back down at the ground in sadness.

“Oh, um, sorry.” Starlight apologises.

“A friendship problem between us? Firelight asks somewhat incredulously. His tone instantly turns back to serious and says “I mean, I suppose I can understand why somewhat. I wish I could help you with Stellar Flare but unfortunately me and her aren’t on good terms at the minute.”

Yet again Sunburst looks up. “What? Why?” He inquires.

“Stellar is the president of the Sires Hollow development committee. In fact she is the entire reason that I created this society! I didn’t want to see our whole village get transformed into something it’s not meant to be.”

Sunburst looked at him wide eyed.

“I can see where this is going.” Starlight muttered. “Maybe our relationship isn’t the problem?” Her hopes rising. Maybe the map can’t actually detect our messed up relationship with eachother. Although him treating me like a filly is still annoying, especially in public. She thought to herself

“Why would my mom do such a thing?!” he gasped.

“Not a clue. Ask her. I don’t feel like dealing with her till she sees that what she’s trying to do is silly, and is destroying the town.”

“Maybe I should go talk to her…” Sunburst contemplated. “Starlight, do you want to come see my mom with me?”

Starlight looked a bit conflicted for a moment before saying “You go on without me. I kinda want to catch up with my dad first. And also interrogate him for information.” She actually turned and gave her dad a somewhat sinister grin. “We can meet back up in a bit to come up with ideas on how to tackle the problem.”

Sunburst sighed. “Alright, I guess that’s fair. I’ll see you in a bit.” He then turned and started walking away, irritated that he’d now got to deal with his mom by himself.

“You know you could do well with him.” Firelight whispered to Starlight as they watched Sunburst walk away somewhat dejectedly. That earned him a whack round the head.

“We’re not dating. And I’m not interested in him like that.” She Harrumphed, crossing her hooves in way that made her dad ‘awww’. “Let’s just head back home so you can stop trying to embarrass me in public.”

And so they both got up, heading in the direction of Starlight’s fillyhood home.

~