Ghost Blood stared at the blank screen in front of him, turning several dials on a board. "File 3A, open." Images appeared on screen, they contained Star Phantom being blasted by the Huntress. "Stop."

"File 8B, open." New images of Star Apple transforming into Star Phantom appeared. "Stop."

"File 15C, open." More images of Star Phantom fighting and transforming appeared on the screen. Ghost Blood studied them closely. "I got everything right, I followed these files exactly. There shouldn't be anything wrong… but there is." He turned to a series of tubes filled with toxic green liquid.

"The stability is non-existent, when it should be complete, or at least mostly. So what am I missing?!"

The image of a unicorn with light blue fur and a black mane appeared, fizzling in and out as she spoke. "Analysis indicates that subjects are missing a vital piece, puddin'." She said, adding a nickname to the end for no reason.

"Mid-Morph DNA has yet to be extracted." Ghost Blood's eyes widened. Of course, how could he have been so blind? Without the mid-morph DNA, none of his subjects could handle the power and energy required to survive. He had to obtain it. He couldn't use the Huntress. That would mean her seeing Phantom transform and shooting him while doing so. Even that egotistical wonder brain could put two and two together, and if she announces the existence of Halfas, Star and Luna won't hesitate to call him out.

No, he had to let his other 'assets' deal with it. He turned to four figures, each of various shapes and sizes.

"You know what to do, acquire that DNA at any cost." The four figures bowed.

"Yes, father." They said monotonously, then took flight. Ghost Blood laughed.

"Ha ha, Father. I love it so much!"

Star Phantom in:

Next of Kin

Must be Informed

It was another bright and sunny day in Ponyville. Ponies were out and about doing their usual business. At the local bowling alley, StarShine Apple and his crew were hanging around near one of the lanes. Vinyl rolled her ball forward, it travelled down the lane and was about to hit the pins, when it decided to divert to the right and roll into the gutter. The unicorn huffed as that was her last ball, and this was the final round. She was just behind Octavia, who was killing it with two strikes and a spare. The earth pony mare chuckled as she saw how frustrated Vinyl was.

"See, Vinyl, this proves that in order to bowl, one must be elegant and precise." She said smugly as she walked up to the ball rack and grabbed a fresh one. She used a hoof to hold the ball in place and aim. Star had a smirk on his face as he stood up and disappeared around a corner.

Octavia rolled her ball forward. It screamed down the lane, aiming dead center, only to veer left into the gutter. Octavia blinked, then grabbed another ball. She did the same process again. The ball went to the right. The mare uncharacteristically growled before trying a third time. She rolled the ball forward and glared at it to keep straight. It did go straight… through the pins. The pins remained upstanding as the ball rolled through them and fell down the pit. Octavia's jaw dropped as Vinyl unleashed a howl. Star chose that moment to reappear.

"Ooh, sorry Octavia. Guess it takes more than being elegant to win at bowling."

"Perhaps when ghosts are to blame." She retorted cheekily.

"Still counts, by the way!" Vinyl declared after getting her breath back.

Star smiled at the two mares. "Thanks for this, guys. I didn't know how much I needed to have fun."

"It was our pleasure, Star. After everything you've been through in the past few weeks, this is nothing." The halfa nodded as he understood. Discord, Bounty Hunters, Desiree, Blood Blossoms and Rainbow Dash were heavy on him, but that was the life of a hero. He was just glad that he had friends and family to help him out.

The moment was cut short by his ghost sense going off and a loud shriek from a few lanes over. Floating above the ponies was a ghostly… bed sheet. Strange look. Yet it still scared the ponies inside, who stampeded through the exit. The entire alley was cleared in seconds, leaving only Star, his friends, and the ghost. With no pony around to see, Star had no issues transforming into Phantom.

The halfa flew up to the ghost, while Octavia and Vinyl reached for the small balsters they kept with them.

"What kinda ghost haunts a bowling alley?" Vinyl asked.

"Well, there is a Box Ghost." Octavia pointed out with a bored expression. "Obviously, all of the good haunts are taken."

"Alright, buddy. Buzz off while I'm still in a good mood." Star ordered, readying his ecto blasts.

"Change back." The ghost said before flying through the roof. Star gave chase, leaving his two friends to run outside and right into the panicking crowd.

As the two pushed their way through the sea of ponies, Octavia sighed. "And this is why I refuse to go to your raves, Vinyl."

Star flew high into the air to catch the bed sheet ghost, who just kept on flying onward, not firing back, not taunting him in anyway, or even shouting beware! Normally, Star would be relieved by this sort of thing, but it was too strange. With an extra boost, he launched forward and grabbed at the sheet. He shot forward, yanking the sheet with him.

"Gotcha." He looked down to find the bed sheet limp in his hooves. He turned to look behind him and the image before him was terrifying.

The ghost floating before him had pitch black bones with toxic green lighting to highlight them. His eyes were blood red, and eerie smoke trailed from where his legs would be. The ghost screeched before charging forward.

Star screamed and flipped himself over to avoid the charge. He aimed at the skeleton ghost and fired. The ghost turned a full 180 degrees and charged at Star again, who could not avoid it this time. The skeleton ghost wrapped around him and began pushing the halfa toward the ground.

"Change back~." It moaned. Star gave it a confused look before powering up his hind leg. With a mighty ecto kick, he sent the skeleton ghost flying into the air. Star then fired several ecto blasts, each of them slamming into the ghost. The ghost fell to the ground, hitting the gravel and splashing into goo. Star landed gently on the ground next to the puddle of goo and stared.

Octavia and Vinyl joined him soon after,

"What was that?" Vinyl asked as Octavia carefully collected the goo. Star looked down at the bed sheet, which was also melting into goo.

"I don't know, but we're gonna find out."

They found nothing, so far. The three brought the sample to the Doc to see if he knew anything. He didn't, but vowed to find it out. The earth pony scientist placed the jar inside of a containment field that would analyze the substance and determine who or what this thing was. Now Star was left to wonder.

Why did that thing want him to 'change back?' What did that even mean? Who sent it? All questions he planned on getting answers for tomorrow. Right now, all he wanted to do was sleep.

Star opened the door to his home at Sweet Apple Acres and what he saw shocked him.

Sitting at the table, eating a piece of Apple Pie was a young filly, a little older than Apple Bloom. She had snow white fur, a pitch black mane, blue eyes, and a Cutie Mark of Stars and a Crescent Moon. The filly took a large bite of her pie, barely chewing before swallowing. Once she did, her head turned to face the halfa.

Her eyes beamed as her teeth flashed in a large smile. "Hi, I'm Nova, NovaBright Apple." Star stared in shock as Nova took another large piece of her pie and ate it up. She seemed to ignore his staring until she finished the pie and licked her plate clean.

With a cheeky grin, she looked to Star. "Catch any flies?" Star shook his head.

"Hey, Nova. I'm Star, StarShine Apple." Strange, Star swore he had met every family member there was at the Family Reunions. Maybe he just never saw her, it was a big family after all. His own cheeky grin came out.

"I see you helped yourself to some of Granny's pie." Nova looked sheepishly at the empty plate.

"Sorry, it's just been awhile since I had something to eat." Star stared at her with a raised eyebrow. Her tone gave off something that he didn't like.

"Want something else?" He asked casually, moving over to the pantry. "We have regular apples, or I could whip up an apple fritter."

Nova thought for a moment, then decided. "Can I actually have a hayburger? I always wanted to try one." Star thought for a moment, then looked out the window. It was dark outside, no doubt everything was closed for the night.

"Maybe tomorrow, it's a bit late to go out and eat." Nova nodded.

"Okay, maybe a fritter, then." Star smiled and began the intricate process of making an Apple Family Fritter. As he did so, he had so many questions running through his mind. Who was this filly? Why was she here? How did she get here? He'd have to ask her that, but for now, she needed to eat.

Six, she ate six apple fritters. How hungry was this filly?!

Star could only stare at the filly who just devoured those fritters. She could give AppleJack a run for her money. Nova laid back in the chair and patted her stomach comfortingly. The halfa laughed as she unleashed a true Apple Family burp.

"Alright, let's get you to bed." He said, picking her up and placing her on his back. He quietly tiptoed his way upstairs to his room, passing by his sleeping siblings in the process. It was a wonder none of them woke up with the amount of noise he was making downstairs.

Once inside his room, he closed the door and gently placed the girl on the bed. She was already fast asleep when he placed the covers over her. Star couldn't explain it, but she felt familiar, and he had this need to make sure she was warm and comforted. So he decided to let her have the bed, while he grabbed the spare pillow and blanket to sleep on the floor.

Star quietly laid himself out on the floor, listening to the soft snoring that Nova was creating. He smiled as he went to bed, unaware of the guilty look Nova had on her face.

The next day came and everything seemed normal. Star was in town, working the Apple Family Cart. This time, however, he had a new helper. Nova wanted to hang out with him today, and seemed excited when he asked her to help out.

He gave her a basic rundown of what she needed to do. Attract customers, see what they want, give it to them, and do it honestly. Star still remembered what happened when AB tried to help with the cart, it didn't end well.

Nova nodded, then went right to work. Star was expecting her to get overexcited, try and aggressively attract ponies over; but, to his surprise, she did the opposite. She waited until ponies were nearby, browsing the stalls, and politely asked them if they were interested. If they were, she'd answer any questions about what products they had. If they weren't, she'd smile and let them be.

To say the Halfa was impressed was an understatement. He gave Derpy her apple muffin, then turned to the filly. "I gotta say, you handle this like a pro." Nova smiled at him.

"Thanks, I just… want to help out." Patient and Modest, wow, definitely older for her age. Star smiled at her and gave her a hearty pat on the back. She flinched at the contact, something Star picked up on.

"Hey, you okay?" Nova blinked.

"Uh… yeah, I'm fine, just… not used to that sort of thing."

Now Star was concerned. "What do you mean?" Nova didn't say anything, she just turned away. The stallion lowered himself to her level. "Nova, look at me." She did so, rather reluctantly. He stared at her for ages before asking the question he begged he wouldn't have.

"Nova, did you run away?" She said nothing. He pressed and she caved.

"I did." Her voice was so quiet, she could give Fluttershy a run for her money.

"Did your family-"

"No, daddy loves me, it's just…" Now Star was angry, angry at the notion that somepony in his family would treat a young filly, their young filly, in such a cruel way. But for now, he had to keep that anger buried and focus on the now scared Nova in front of him. "Please, I… I don't-"

"It's okay, I'm not going to think less of you or treat you any differently. You're family and family sticks together, right?" Nova looked at him like he had just told her the meaning of life. Her eyes were filled with hope and admiration, but there was something else, something that he couldn't figure out. But that could wait. For now, he had to help Nova.

"You know, AppleJack will be taking over soon. We can head out, have lunch, maybe go to the park." He said, subtly putting suggestions out there. Nova blinked and smiled.

"We could get those hayburgers you promised me."

Star smiled. "Sure, just another hour and we'll let AJ take over." With that, the two went back to work, one of them being unaware of the toxic green eyes watching from the shadows.

Star and Nova walked out of the Hayburgers with full stomachs and satisfied grins on their faces. Nova ended up eating three whole hayburgers before she finally felt full, not that Star minded. He was just glad she was happy.

"So, now what?" Star asked. Nova looked at him with a smile.

"I'd never been to a park before." Star had to keep grinning, but his mind was screaming at her father.

"Alright, let's go." The moment those words left his mouth, a cold breath of air followed. His ghost sense.

No, not now! "Nova, I need you to run."

"What, why?!" The hurt in her voice made his heart ache.

"Trust me, just run back to the market and get AppleJack, tell her-" A loud roar drew their attention to the skies above. Diving toward him was a massive bulking stallion with surgical scars all over his body. He looked like a Frankenstein Monster on steroids.

"Go!" He didn't hesitate to transform, completing it just as the ghost tackled him to the ground. Star groaned in pain as he was lifted by his fur into the air.

"Change back." The ghost growled.

"You too?" The halfa muttered.

"Hey, ugly!" Both stallions turned to see Nova standing tall a few feet away. "You wanna fight, you got it!"

"Nova? Get outta here!" Star cried.

"Oh no, I don't run away from fights." She struck a pose and two white rings formed on both her head and rear hooves. The rings travelled across her body, transforming her image as it did. Her black mane became snow white, her fur turned to black, and her eyes glowed a toxic green. She took off into the air and charged at the brute.

With a mighty slam, she sent the large ghost flying down the street. Star could only stare and stutter in shock at the new half ghost.

"Nova, when, how-"

"Do ya wanna ask questions or kick some butt?" Star grinned and nodded, readying his ecto-hooves for a fight. The brute roared and charged. Both halfas aimed their hooves at him and fired. The two blasts combined into one large beam, which enveloped the brute, who roared in pain as his form disappeared. When the light dimmed, all that was left was a puddle of goo.

Star and Nova landed on the ground, staring at the pile. Star noticed that Nova had a disturbed look on her face. He approached the puddle and leaned in to look at it. "This is just like a ghost from the bowling alley." His eyes scanned the area around him, as if waiting for another to appear. When nothing else appeared, he turned to Nova.

"Okay, I have questions and you're going to answer them." His tone was harsh, but he needed answers. Nova nodded glumly. "First question, how?"

"My… my father. He created me, turned me into… this." Nova looked at her hoof and sighed.

"And who is your father?"

"That would be me, StarShine." Star turned to see GhostBlood floating above him.

"What?!" Star looked at Nova, who took a step back at the gaze she received. "So he…" His glare turned to the other stallion and he growled. GhostBlood said nothing as he fired a pink blast from his hoof. Star summoned an ecto-shield, but the power of the blast was straining it. He turned to look at Nova once more, only this time she was preparing an ecto-blast.

"Nova." He whispered. He didn't know if she heard him as she fired. The shot hit him in the back, the heat was intense and the shock made him drop the shield. GhostBlood's blast slammed into his chest, sending him flying. He landed several feet away, his vision going dark.

"Did I do good, daddy?" Nova asked nervously.

"You did, my sweet child, congratulations." Star felt his heart break as he lost consciousness.

A small machine gave off a loud Ding, waking Doctor Hooves up with a start. He looked at the machine and smiled. Finally, the results of the test. He ran over to the machine and grabbed the paper that had just been printed. He read it over once, twice, thrice, and once more to make sure he wasn't sleep deprived. This should be impossible. He had to get the others.

The scientist ran over to his desk and pressed the green button on the side.

Star's body ached. He tried to adjust himself to get comfortable, but felt something wrapped around his hooves, preventing him from moving. His eyes snapped open as memories flowed back to him. "Nova!" He got no response, he was alone. His eyes shifted around, taking in the sights. He was in a lab, a dark lab with computers and large tubes spanning the walls. Large pipes towered over him, hanging from the ceiling and disappearing through the walls.

Where was he?

"Ah, finally awake, are we?" Star turned to see BlueBlood enter the room. The halfa growled as his counterpart stepped up.

"Ooh, the scary eyes again, seriously StarShine, you know those won't work on me." As if to prove his point, BlueBlood marched right up to Star and smacked him in the face. "See?"

"Now, normally I'd give you a chance to make some witty banter, but I'm on a tight schedule." Star glared at the corrupt Noble as he continued to speak. "So here's what's going to happen. You're going to give me the Mid-Morph DNA I require and I'll let you go."

Star raised an eyebrow. Mid-Morph DNA? BlueBlood must've noticed this as he rolled his eyes.

"I forgot about your small, commoner brain." He muttered. "Mid-Morph DNA is the genetic code that allows you to transform from living to dead, same as me. I need yours to complete my ultimate project." The unicorn turned to a large tube in the center of the room, Star looked at it and gasped as he saw what was inside.

It was him, asleep with wires connected to his face and body. "You see StarShine, I plan on ruling Equestria soon and every ruler needs an heir."

He was serious, dead serious. That's why he asked Star to join him.

"Unfortunately, my… condition would make it impossible to find a proper mare to conceive an heir with, so I had to do the next best thing. Cloning." Star could only stare in shock and horror at the revelation. BlueBlood wanted to create clones of him.

"I see you understand now, I want you to be my heir. Halfas should rule both worlds. But while you refused, you're clone won't."

"What about Nova?" BlueBlood blinked. He expected witty remarks, an insult, a threat. He didn't expect to be asked about that mistake.

"What about her? She's an imperfection, a mistake in the process. I could only care so…" BlueBlood saw the look on Star's face, his gaze on something behind him. The unicorn turned to see Nova floating there, a look of hurt on her face. Uh oh.

"Nova." He said nervously. "How long have you been floating there?"

"Am I an imperfection?" She growled. "A mistake?!"

"No!" BlueBlood shouted. "No no no no. You're not a mistake, my dear. I meant there were mistakes in the process." That didn't seem to help. "Mistakes that I intend to fix and help you."

"Liar!" Both the unicorn and the clone turned to Star, who was glowing with rage. "You don't care! You want me! She's just a step and you know it!" He would've continued if he wasn't smacked hard by BlueBlood.

"Silence, you filthy commoner! You're wrong!" He wasn't wrong, but Nova didn't need to know that. He turned back to Nova. "The truth is that you're running on limited energy. I can't save you unless I have that Mid-Morph DNA." Nova seemed to look hopeful at that, then deflated. "Once we get Star to transform, we have it." He stomped a hoof on the ground and a small toxic green orb appeared. It looked like a tiny version of Star. BlueBlood nodded at the tiny clone, which bowed and flew right into the original Star.

Star screamed as he felt the being enter his brain and attempt to take over. "Get. Out. of Me!" Nova had to close her eyes and block out the screams. She wanted to be fixed, but was this the way to do it?

AppleJack held tightly onto her seat as the ship swerved violently. Doctor Hooves was the one piloting the ship and he was in a hurry. AJ kept her eyes on the Booomerang as it spun through the air. When the Doc asked about Star, she thought he'd be at the park with Nova, but when Octavia and Vinyl confirmed he wasn't, as they were practicing nearby, she grew afraid. Her fears were confirmed when Doc explained what that stuff was.

It was Star, his DNA, tampered with by somepony. Somepony was trying to make copies of her brother, and she was going to kill them for it.

She decided to calm herself down by going over the weapons she brought with her. She had her lasso, but she also packed a blaster rifle and thermos to deal with whatever they encountered. AppleJack could only hope she wasn't too late.

Star finally stopped screaming, but his face was just as haunting. He looked tired and drained, his eyes giving off a dim glow. BlueBlood didn't seem bothered by it, but Nova felt sick. Star's body began to glow, the infamous white ring formed. It began to slowly spread across his body. One of the screens had a silhouette of the halfa on display, with a green fill in where the rings have already travelled.

"10 Percent." Galatea reported. Nova turned away. She didn't want to see this.

"15 Percent." BlueBlood grinned. Finally, he could get the clone he always wanted.

"25 Percent."

"20 Percent." What?

"10 Percent."

"No, stop!" BlueBlood shouted. The small Star clone was flung from the original's head, stopping a few inches short of the unicorn. He stared at the thing as it looked back at him, glared, and melted into a small spot of goo that landed on his snout.

BlueBlood growled as he wiped off the goo. A loud warning bell went off as the screen flashed red.

"Warning, energy build up. Please step away from the tube."

"No, no no no no no!" Star's tube exploded, sending glass and smoke everywhere. Nova watched as a dazed Star Phantom floated past them. BlueBlood glared, he should've seen this coming. He took a deep breath and put on his best fake smile.

"Nova, go and fetch him, please. I'll prepare another tube." Nova said nothing, she simply nodded and flew off.

Nova stopped inside the living room of BlueBlood's Estate, where there were plenty of dead animal furs scattered in every direction. She looked around the room, hoping to see something that could give her a clue. She found it, a large white hoof sticking out behind the couch. She flew over and saw Star struggling to move on the floor, the recent attempt at over-shadowing had drained him completely.

His eyes fell on hers and the look unnerved her. She expected anger, betrayal, anything but what she saw. She saw despair, but not for him, it was for her.

"Nova, you… don't have to… do this."

"I do, I don't know how much time I have." She said, landing softly on the ground. "Every clone melts away, and I'm no different."

"But you are." She looked at him with surprise. "You're more different than you know." He attempted to sit up, but it was hopeless. Nova frowned and helped him up. He nodded at her in thanks before continuing.

"You're not mindless like the rest, I don't even see a clone." Nova didn't realize she was tearing up until Star's hoof brushed them away. "I see a little filly who needs a family."

"So give Daddy the Mid-Morph DNA, so he can save me!" Star glared.

"He won't save you!" He shouted. "To him, you're a tool. Watch, he gets the DNA and he'll throw you aside!" Nova shoved him to the ground.

'You're a liar!" She cried. "He loves me!" Star looked at her with pity, but sad nothing more. He didn't even resist when Nova grabbed him and dragged him back into the lab.

BlueBlood grinned as he watched Star be thrown into the new tube. This was it. He would succeed. "Good job, Nova dear. Now I just have one more thing to ask you." Nova looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"We need StarShine to transform and he won't do it willingly. But you can make him do it." No, he couldn't be asking her to do that.

"Just possess him and make him do it. Once he does, you can leave his body and we can fix this."

"But… what if I melt like all the other clones?" She asked nervously. She saw his eye twitch.

"I promise, you'll be fine. Now do as I ask."

"But… but what if-"

"ARRRGGGHHH!" Nova flinched back as BlueBlood roared. "I've had enough of ponies questioning me, filly." He spat. "Now do as I ask!" That was the moment it hit Nova. BlueBlood didn't care about her, Star was right. She was a tool. But not anymore, now she was just an angry filly.

"You're not my daddy." She aimed an ecto-blast and fired into his chest, sending the unicorn flying back toward the wall. Nova shot over to the tube and opened it up, catching Star as he fell forward.

"Come on, let's get outta here!"

"You two aren't going anywhere." GhostBlood growled as he floated above them. His sharp teeth glistened as he gritted them in rage. "I guess you have a little too much StarShine in you. A mistake I won't make twice." He aimed an ecto-blast at the two of them.

Nova was panicking. He could barely lift Star to avoid the blast and she was too weak to raise a shield to protect them. Maybe this was it. Maybe she was destined to be destroyed for GhostBlood's goals. She closed her eyes and prepared for the pain.

*Wham* "Ouch!" She opened her eyes to see GhostBlood rubbing the back of his head in pain, then to the strange device floating in front of her.

"Star Phantom Detected." It said. "Location Confirmed." GhostBlood grabbed the device and stared at it, completely confused.

"What infernal device is this?"

"It's… a tracking device." Star said, lifting his head to grin at the unicorn. "My… family… found me." GhostBlood glared.

"They'll only find your corpse." A loud crash drew attention to the left side wall. There was a large gaping hole in the wall, with a strange chariot-like vehicle sticking through it. AppleJack jumped out of the vehicle, with a blaster rifle raised.

"Back away from mah brother." She growled, charging up the blaster. GhostBlood rolled his eyes and aimed an ecto-blast. AJ fired first, sending the halfa into one of the filled tubes. Doctor Hooves ran from the vehicle and helped Nova carry Star out of the lab.

AppleJack looked around. The sight made her sick. There were over a tozen tubes, all of them full. Each one had Stars of different shapes and sizes. Her eyes fell on the one that GhostBlood slammed into and saw inside. It was a perfect copy of Star and it made her angry. The halfa tried to stand up, dazed by the impact. AJ aimed up and fired at the pipe connecting the tube. That seemed to be the only thing keeping it up as the tube began to fall forward.

GhostBlood saw what was happening and dove forward to avoid being crushed. His face fell as he realized which tube was destroyed. "No." he whispered as the seal on the tube was broken. He opened the door to get a better look at the clone inside.

It blinked and stared at him. It gave a small smile before its hooves began to melt. It looked at its melting body with horror before turning to gaze at its creator one last time. It reached out in a vain attempt to grab him, but that hoof had melted away too quickly. Its eyes were the last thing to melt before it became a tub of goo. GhostBlood screamed in rage and pain as his creation was destroyed.

AppleJack stared at the pathetic unicorn, then turned to leave. But not before leaving a little present for the Noble who tried to clone her brother.

No pony said a word as the speeder flew away and BlueBlood's estate exploded into a massive fireball.

Star and Nova sat alone in the kitchen, per the stallion's request. Nothing was said between them as neither had any idea of what to say. What could be said?

"I'm sorry." Nova said suddenly, breaking the silence. Star was a bit gobsmacked.

"Uh… for what?" Not the best question to ask, but oh well.

"For everything, tricking you, blasting you… helping him. I just thought-"

"It's okay, I understand, more than you know." Nova looked up at him. "I understand wanting to be normal, to be 'fixed.'" He looked down at her with a smile. "But I have to remind myself that this is normal, that anything that I think needs to be fixed is actually a great strength of mine." He kneeled down to her level.

"And you need to understand that, too." The little filly jumped into his hooves, nearly breaking his neck in the tight hug she was giving. She was definitely an Apple.

"Thank you." She said, then pulled back. "But I'm also sorry for leaving."

"Wait, what?" Nova floated a few feet above him with a sad smile.

"I can't stay and I don't want to." Star's face fell at that statement. "I've been stuck in that lab my entire life. I wanna see the world, explore. Be myself." Star nodded and tried to smile as best he could. But it was hard, she was just a little filly who deserved better and Star wanted to give her better. Nova saw through his ruse and hugged him again.

"But I will be back, I promise." With that, she let go and took off into the sunset, disappearing in the distance.

Star watched her go with tears in his eyes and a proud smile on his face.

Nova laughed as she felt the wind in her mane and freedom for the first time in her life.