//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14: Outsiders 
// Story: Equal Equestria Enlightenment 
// by stupidhand14 
//------------------------------//


Starlight Glimmer's Diary Day 403

Today was the day to celebrate the founding of our town and the friendship all of us share. Unfortunately, it was not a very peaceful day, which friendship should cause. All of the problems began at 10:12, when everypony was celebrating.
There was no music filling the town, nor any professional entertainment. After all, what entertainment could anypony offer that was better than the friends that surrounded you? The bakers had prepared a variety of food, from bread to some light soup. There was even a salad or two. Most ponies were enjoying themselves, but there were a few exceptions. Party Favor was rushing around the tables, keeping them laden with food. Our five newest friends were mostly separated and were making new friends.
I had just left Twilight to socialize when Fire Embers came rushing over to me.
"Starlight, it's just as you predicted," she called towards me. "I was just told by some pegasi that Shining Armor's small army is heading this way."
"Good. How long until they get here?" I asked her.
"About an hour or so."
"Good, then I only have one thing left for you to do," I told her with a smile.
"What is that?" she asked, looking a bit glum that she couldn't socialize yet.
"Go enjoy the festivities. You earned it." I winked at her before walking away.
"Oh... okay. Thank you, Starlight," she replied after a few seconds.
I began walking towards the brewery when I nearly collided with a young orange pegasus. She glanced back and looked almost scared.
"Starlight," she spoke in a hushed tone, "I need to talk to you."
"Then come along. We can walk and talk," I assured her as I began to turn away.
"No!" She nearly shouted. Her eyes widened, "I mean, uh, not here. It's a bit... private."
"Okay," I said while giving her a questioning look. "We can talk while I check on the special cider."
It took us a few minutes to get to the brewery, where the cider was made and stored. It was a slightly larger building than the others, but filled with the many different types of machines to make different beverages. From the apples that we had imported, I had requested that the breweries produce 11 barrels, while the bakeries used them to make a few different desserts.
"What did you need to talk about?" I asked while looking through the cider barrels.
"It's... it'sSugarBelle! ShesplanningontellingShiningArmoraboutRainbowDashandtheequalizationprocess," the young mare said in a rush.
I could only blinked at her. "Can you say that again, a bit slower this time?" I requested.
"Sugar Belle has been talking to some friends, and they are thinking about telling the guardsponies about the equalization process and Rainbow Dash," the pegasus said at a much more reasonable speed.
I was shocked. I had assumed today would be a relatively easy day, and then this problem appeared. I thought about it a few more moments, trying to find a way out of this situation.
"Okay, here is what you are going to do..." I told the pegasus my plan. She was to go to Party Favor and Double Diamond and give them the list of the ponies who had different ideas and a small letter I wrote before sending her off. The letter told Double Diamond my plan for him, which was to get a few ponies together to distract the disloyal friends when Shining Armor arrived.
Before she left, however, I had another question to ask. "What is your name, again? It seems to have slipped my mind."
"Lightning Dust," she answered before flying away. I looked back amongst the barrels, finding the one that I had specially made. It had taken up a fourth of the apples delegated to the brewery, but the cider inside would be very strong, with an even stronger flavor. I put it to the side of the warehouse, in a special spot so no pony would accidentally use it.
I returned to the party after this. I was talking with Double Diamond when I noticed a cloud of dust coming. A chill went across my spine as I watched them approach, but I had a job to do.
"We have guests everypony!" I shouted in a tone I hoped some would find cheerful. The instant I spoke, everypony looked towards the dust cloud and put on their big, happy smiles. Within a few minutes our unexpected guests had arrived; the Guard, with Shining Armor leading them. He did not appear to be sweating, and his muscles were tensed. Most of the ponies behind him were breathing slightly heavy, but didn't appear to be unprepared. They all held their weapons at a pose that would be easy for them to defend themselves, should they be attacked.
"Welcome back, to our little village," I said with the biggest smile I could muster. Shining Armor just looked at me before completely ignoring what I had just said.
"Twilight, you here?" he shouted to the crowd of ponies. Twilight stepped out from among the other ponies.
"I'm here, Shining," she replied while going over to him. They hugged briefly before getting back to a reasonable distance.
"I'm back like I said I would be. Sorry it took so long," Shining Armor apologized.
"It's okay."
Shining Armor looked around, as if seeing the village for the first time since he arrived.
"What's happening here?" he asked while looking at the baked goods.
"Oh, were having a little bit of a festival in honor of the founding of the town and the achievement of true friendship," I answered for Twilight.
Shining Armor looked back at me with distaste painted on his face. Apparently I had not made him happy when I refused to let him rest in our town.
He turned back to his sister. "Why are you still here? Don't you have to be back in Ponyville?"
"I have... decided to stay for a bit," Twilight responded. "I still have a lot to learn about friendship, and I believe these ponies can teach me."
Shining Armor seemed taken aback by her statement. "But what about your cutie mark? Your individuality? Your---"
"We can talk about that later," she assured him. "But you kind of interrupted a party, and I am sure we don't need to make a scene about this."
Shining Armor looked around at the entire town watching him and his soldiers.
"You're right," he simply said. "At ease men. Go, enjoy yourselves.... if that's okay with you, Starlight." The last words dripped venom.
"Of course," I replied with a face that I hoped resembled a smile. I was angry, to put it bluntly. I was nearing the end of my patience, so at that moment, I decided to leave him and Twilight alone.
The rest of the party was quite relaxing. The guardsponies, after being given permission to store their armor in one of the warehouses, became much more relaxed and started to enjoy themselves. Although I don't condone it, I did see a few mares leave with some of the guards towards their homes. I could tell by their walk that both parties were more than slightly drunk.
At around 11:50, I decided to go give Shining Armor my apology gift. However, on my way to the room he was in, I heard a slight argument between the captain and one of his guards.
"You can't just leave. You're a good soldier, and a friend," Shining Armor said to another pony in the room. "Are you really going to throw it all away?"
"I am sorry, sir, but I don't want to be part of the guard anymore," said the other stallion.
"Why not?"
"It's... It's because my skills are useless! In the last four crises, the guard has only been effectively used in one of them. We were useless when Nightmare Moon came back, couldn't stop the changelings, couldn't find the princesses, or stop Tirek from draining all of our magic! My cutie mark says I am good at fighting and protecting but... what if it's wrong? It hasn't once been right!"
"Of course it's been right! What about you catching those thieves a few months ago?"
"That was one instance. What is the point of having a cutie mark that says my only skill is fighting? I can still be a guard here, in this town. All I have to do is have them remove my cutie mark." I smiled at this. We would be getting a new friend even if my plan didn't work.
Finally realizing that I would have to explain why I was outside listening to them if I stayed, I walked away for a few minutes. At around 11:55, I returned to Shining Armor's temporary room.
"Hello?" Shining Armor asked as he opened the door. "Oh, it's you. What do you want?"
I took a deep breath before responding. "I am just here to give you an apology gift for the other day." His face softened a little as he opened the door wider. I floated a small box over into his room and onto the floor.
He opened it with his magic. Inside was some paper, a quill, and some ink taken from a squid near Manehattan. He looked at me questioningly.
"I heard you needed more paper from one of your soldiers," I explained to him. "They said you wrote a lot to the Princess explaining the situation, and needed more paper." 
He looked at me for a few seconds before lifting the package up with his magic. "Thank you for the gift. Anything else?"
"You're welcome. And I have to be going now. Some ponies are getting a bit... rowdy." I said my goodbyes and went back to my house.
On my desk, a quill is upright, scribbling away onto a piece of paper. It is linked to Shining Armor's quill, so whatever he writes I should see. Only time will tell if my plan is correct.