After a crushing defeat suffered from her ungrateful citizens, Starlight Glimmer continues her crusade of bringing Harmony to Equestria. To spread her philosophy further, she sets up a pawn shop in downtown Manehattan where everypony can exchange their cutie mark for a handful of bits. Everypony needs money, but those who don't pay the loan back in time have to say farewell to their talent, becoming yet another follower of equality Starlight dreams about.
The best part? It's all legal. It's not like anypony reads terms and conditions, ever.
Reviewed by The Goodfic Bin here! Available in Chinese here!
Chapters (1)
Hello and welcome to Starlight Glimmer's Shop of Sameness!
After watching the opening episodes of Season 5 I couldn't help but wonder why Starlight Glimmer took Twilight and the Gang's cutie marks as she was making her escape. I have a feeling there's something sinister behind that, like she was collecting cutie marks to create an ultimate cutie mark to rule the world or something.
In this story, running the mayor's office is no longer an option, so Starlight sets a pawn shop in Manehattan to get those cutie marks from the simple and innocent ponies. While Flim and Flam are far from innocent, they seem to have fallen into Starlight's perfectly legitimate trap! Will they get their apples back, or will they live to the end of their days with black bars on their flanks?
And this is why legitimate villains living under the cover of law are the toughest to deal with. The Mane Six could walk right into her store, confront her with her misdeeds...and have no choice but to walk right back out again without having accomplished anything. Starlight using a pawnshop to collect Cutie Marks? Headcanon accepted.
5905218
You're right, Starlight would be impossible to take down without perhaps a decree from Canterlot. Then again, that would result in a social upheaval which would eventually plunge Equestria into anarchy for a couple of decades.
Thanks for reading, and I'm glad you see my take on Starlight in this story feasible!
THIS. IS. AMAZING!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! AN' AH HAVE TWO NEW CUTIE MARKS TOO! ;D
Hahaha. Thank you for sharing! I had so much fun.
You're a wonderful writer.
5905397
Hey, it's great to hear you've enjoyed the story! I also had a lot of fun writing the characters for it.
Enjoy your cutie marks, and remember to tell your friends that Starlight Glimmer's Shop of Sameness is open Monday through Saturday, 8AM to 4PM!
Damn you, Starlight! There's no way we can compete with those prices!
5905747
If you can 't fight something, join it! Equality is the only way, and with that everypony wins!
5905780 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I wish I could add this to my favoirtes list, but I know you wouldn't approve of such flagrant favoritism.
5905803
Why, I'm sure Starlight wouldn't have anything against you giving a fav to a story in which she stars, as long as you remember that there are other stories about her that need some love, too! How does it work for you?
5905786
Shh, there, there. You seem to be having a nightmare, but there's a remedy to that. You can't have a nightmare if you never dream, so just stop fighting now that you're amongst your equals, your friends. Everything is going to be just fine.
5905870 So in other words, if I favorite every story involving Glimmer on the entire website, then she's ok with it?
5905889
In the end, she didn't care about anypony but herself, right? I think she's okay with whatever helps her achieve her goals. Unfortunately at this point we can't tell much about her motivations, but here's hoping that we see more of her throughout Season 5.
Till all are Equal.
5905261
I was thinking more of the notion that Twilight shows up to arrest her for her crimes but can't because she's already been arrested and sentenced to X thousand hours of community service so that arresting her again would fall afoul of double jeopardy.
Alternatively, I was half-expecting Flim and Flam to sue Starlight and have the case somehow end up in front of Twilight, who has no choice before the law but to rule in favor of her onetime captor.
Legitimate villains are fun.
Again, great story. Can we hope for a sequel in which Flim and Flam attempt to retrieve their destinies from the deathgrip of Applebloom? Or another Tale of Glimmer's Shop? This is a very neat premise.
5905935
Her real motivation is simple: her CM represent excellence, something difficult to archieve when all other ponies excels in some particular area... unless their special talents are removed.
5907900
Sounds like reversed Sunset Shimmer to me. She wanted to become better than the rest by bettering herself (at least in the comic), while Starlight wants to appear better by worsening the rest.
5906994
"...and we shall have... peace."
5905218
5905261
Hate to be contrary, but Starlight could be charged with at least six counts of assault, seven counts of unjust imprisonment, and four counts of attempted murder. Five if you count Twilight teleporting in to block the attack.
So, no, barring a royal pardon for her crimes she could be lawfully arrested by the first cop who sees her.
5908734
I agree with the first two, but the attempted murder part would be difficult to prove in court because we don't really know what kind of spell was she casting. Should we get CSI: Canterlot on that? These guys will check the arcane residue, trajectory of the beam, and enhance the whole picture hundredfold - that's how it works, I swear! Then again, there are no cops in Equestria to arrest Starlight. The only institutionalized power akin to that is the Royal Guard, but they're mostly representative.
This is such a great story, and it suggests some fantastic ideas, both the idea that the Flim Flam brothers are distantly related to the Apples, and Starlight having the ability to actually switch existing cutie marks and special talents. That could actually be a really valuable service in Equestria. If almost everypony gets their cutie mark at the age of ten, how many ponies would trade theirs later in life if they could?
I really hope to see a sequel to this story.
BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS
Ah... Those happy memories of reading Animal Farm. Or flashbacks, at any rate.
'Though I'll add to the voices requesting the story of Flim and Flam attempting to retrieve their cutie marks from Applebloom.
5909288
Exchanging cutie marks sounds like a fun idea. "Hey, man, you're super fast, can I borrow your cutie mark for a weekend 'cause I want to impress that filly. She only dates guys who can keep up with her!" ~ "Sure, why not. I wanted to play some chess the other day with my dad, but I could never figure out the rules. I could really use something over which I could bond with him, you know?" ~ "Great! Let's go to Miss Glimmer's shop!"
Following that, I had another idea. What would you say if someone was making an extract from cutie marks, like a potion that would give you a particular talent for a short period of time? Or, for a darker touch, let's make it an illegal drug!
5908767
We might not know, but I strongly suspect it was the Cutie Mark Removal spell. Without their marks, Double Diamond et al. couldn't stop her from running, and she'd have at least some marks with her as she fled...
5909324
Orwell did a fantastic job on that one. The concept of equality presented through that line felt fitting to Starlight's philosophy for me. As for the sequel, it is unlikely at the moment, but you've just pushed my thinking to right tracks. Apple Bloom is the only CMC I am yet to write about, so maybe there's a story in that. Tell you what, I'll give it some more thought.
5909405 I know you are saying that a sequel is unlikely but if you do decide to write one, I know it will be spectacular.
5909378
I wonder if Starlight is a one-trick pony and can only manipulate cutie marks, or does her magic have broader application. But I agree with what you're saying: during a sudden confrontation someone like her would not hesitate to use the best weapon she had in her magical arsenal, and ripping off their marks sounds like a logical move.
5909649
Don´t forget her shields and "imma firin mah lazer"
5909374 I like the first part, but as for making temporary cutie marks an illegal drug... When you combine the CMC's desperation with Apple Bloom's potion making abilities, you're pretty much guaranteed a Scarface-style story where the Crusaders start a burgeoning drug empire, only to be brought down as they "get high on their own supply," Tony Montana-style.
5908734
Don't forget TREASON! because this is a medieval dictatorship and there generally isn't much legal scope for crossing your demi-divine rulers and getting away with it. Starlight's liable to end up staring down a cockatrice or decamping to a lunar penal colony if her case crosses the wrong princessly desk.
I love the way you played the twins off each other, especially the barbs they shot about what their cutie marks "really" mean (and I have a feeling that's an argument they've had quite often in the past). But the final line just seals the deal. Have a fave and an upvote!
5907275
Community service for Starlight? What kind of punishment is that? She loves doing stuff for the collective good of others! At least that would be her official stand. As for the sequel, right now I'm leaning towards the former premise you've mentioned, with Flim and Flam. No promises, though.
5909481
Only as spectacular as Apple Bloom with Flim and Flam cutie marks can be.
5910046
Pew-pew, I'm a battlecorn.
5910661
Before: Cutie Mark Crusaders Pharmacists! Yay!
*half of Ponyville gets addicted*
After: Cutie Mark Crusaders Rehab Squad! Yay!
5910680
And then, once she's incarcerated, Starlight Redemption with Starlight Glimmer and Morgan Freeman - coming this summer!
5911712
Thank you kindly! It was my first time writing Flim and Flam (and I don't think I have ever read how other authors portray them), so I'm glad you liked them in this story.
5910680 Simple solution, all Starlight has to do is take the princesses' cutie marks and she can take Equestria for herself. That old flag would be replaced by a white flag with a black equal sign on it.
5909374
We've seen the effect in "Magical Mystery Cure." Cutie marks are causing the compulsion to occupy yourself with your special talent ("this is what my cutie mark is telling me") but they appear only as external manifestations of the actual talents, which stay with the pony. A cutie mark might encourage the chess player to fly fast and the fast flier to play chess, but they would be still be as bad at that as they were initially.
Now, the replacement "equal sign" mark was a nasty piece of work - suppressing any natural talents, leaving the ponies in question to suck at whatever they'd do. Blank flank's talent is merely hidden. An "equal" pony's is suppressed, absent entirely.
5912766
So what you're saying is that cutie marks are the magical software to their biological hardware. Which makes a cutie mark nothing but a glorified notification indicating that you've finally found what you had inside you all along. Now, you're talking about cutie mark causing the need to make use of that hardware, but here's a question: do cutie marks amplify the talent itself and the execution of tasks related to what you can do? There has to be some power hidden within them since that's how Tirek could get stronger, by consuming that power. Would Twilight as we know her have the same magical capabilities if she had a different cutie mark?
5912863
Tirek was consuming more than just cutie marks. There are more layers of indirection.
Now, take into account following known factors:
- Failure to exercise the talent properly - compulsion not causing desired effects - causes distress and psychotic episodes (Party of One, Suited for Success, Applebucking Season, Lesson Zero, Best Night Ever, Sonic Rainboom):
- Blocking out the talent leaves the pony without the cutie mark, "grey" and devoid of energy (Twilight's Kingdom, the Cutie Map):
- Compulsion is guided by the cutie mark without care what the talent really is. It will compel the pony to do what it says, disregarding what the talent really is (Magical Mystery Cure). As the pony lacks skill in the substitute activity and the effects are far from adequate, the failure to fulfil the compulsion causes psychosis.
The talent may be replaced as well, and it will work fine. (Cutie Pox)
The talent may not be manifested by the cutie mark. It will be still active, but lacking compulsion, the pony won't execute that talent ("Call of the Cutie", most CMC episodes) but their failure and failure to perform the special talent doesn't have adverse effects (outside of collateral damage of ineptly performed alternate activities).
- The cutie mark doesn't prevent the pony from learning and performing other activities, and the talent may even make them quite superior if they synergize or at least don't conflict. It still demands the pony to perform the primary activity often, and *above all* it prevents the pony from performing the primary activity *badly*.
Let us imagine a pony with a muffin for a cutie mark, a talented baker. The baker may be a cook, a foalsitter, and a dozen other things, but they must bake something two-three times a month or they'd become restless, irritable and lacking concentration. Still, as long as the monthly quota of muffins is met, the baker is free to do whatever they will with the rest of their free time.
Now, a movie director places a special order: a tray of muffins burned to crisp, needed as a movie prop, as one of the actors plays a filly who just can't bake, and they need a tray of burnt muffins to show that. The baker feels uncomfortable and anxious taking the order. He prepares the dough expertly, then needs to force his hoof to turn the oven dial to 60 minutes instead of the standard 40. When the 40 minutes tick by, nothing wrong happens. Then the next 20 minutes become the most gruelling, torturous period of life of the cook, causing extreme distress and discomfort as the muffins turn to burnt bitter crisps, becoming the proper movie prop - but failing at being delicious muffins!
When delivering the order, the cook will be a nervous wreck. The only thing that can fix it would be baking several trays of truly excellent muffins...
Yep, creepy.
What happens in "Cutie Map" is the cutie marks removed (removing the compulsion but leaving the talent in place) and then a substitute, special cutie mark placed, which disables the special talent:
It may be that it was really acting as a genuine cutie mark: with compulsion to be mediocre. Since excelling at it, by excelling at anything, would cause distress, it wasn't exactly the same [grey] level as with Tirek, who just stole everything, but it still makes acting out your talent (regardless of the cutie mark, per BlankFlank clause) to conflict with the compulsion. Tirek -stole- the talents. Starlight just blocked them out. (and since being mediocre is perfectly attainable for anyone, it wasn't causing the Cutie Mark Failure class psychosis - ponies could satisfy the compulsion).
5913183
First off, there's a sound logic behind your analysis and I greatly enjoyed reading it.
What bugs me is that you're acknowledging that a pony can have his or her talent replaced and working just fine (your example under mentioning the cutie pox), but you don't agree that a chess player who'd get a "speed" cutie mark could be faster than usual. Aren't those two conflicting?
During The Cutie Pox Apple Bloom had many different cutie marks which caused a compulsion to perform the talents they represented. The basic loop—
—if fulfilled for each of those talents and their respective cutie marks. What's important is that she preformed all activities flawlessly (to the point where physical limitations were in the way, of course) despite not having any of these actual talent inside her. Where did she get those, then? They weren't innate, they were given to her because of the effects of the cutie pox. A slight change to the basic loop—
—would explain the phenomenon. A cutie mark is the external representation of a pony's capability to act in a specialized way (their talent), it forces the bearer to act accordingly to the cutie mark's meaning (compulsion), but it also contains a capability to do so. Otherwise the cutie pox could not cause the effects we've seen.
With that in mind, I'd say that giving a cutie mark to a pony not only forces them to act accordingly to the instructions encoded within, but also grants them a degree of proficiency, so a nerd with a Wonderbolt's cutie mark will fly faster. Probably not as fast as the said Wonderbolt, because his hardware has limitation even the best software cannot fix, but definitely faster than before.
5913405
If they used Starlight's services, nope. Exchanging cutie marks, retaining original talents. The "Magical Mystery Cure" episode.
Talents aren't entirely innate; they are bound tighter than cutie marks, but they can be added, stolen or replaced just as well (and independently from cutie marks). Cutie Pox adds a number of sets of [talent + cutie mark]. While a single of them wouldn't be much of a problem, as their number grows the number and intensity of compulsions becomes unmaintainable.
Your two-sided arrow is problematic in "Magical Mystery Cure" context again: The cutie mark naturally appears as a result of a talent, and has a compulsion bound to that talent, but it doesn't generate or influence that talent to any degree, only facilitates its use. And if the cutie mark is replaced, it's completely ignorant of the fact it's on a different pony and the talent is no longer there. It still causes compulsion of the talent it was originally bound to, completely regardless of the fact the talent is not there!
Pinkie wouldn't need much to be able to keep Sweet Apple Acres from turning postapocalyptic if having the apples for cutie mark compelled her to run them. Rarity might be poor at cloud management, but she wouldn't be this disastrous. Their cutie marks compelled them to act but they didn't give them a shade of skill.
There's one more interesting case: Discord. The ponies retained their cutie marks, and their talents, but their *compulsions* got reversed.
In the past I discussed this quite a bit, in character, on my Fallout:Equestria-related ask blog so if you're interested about my other conclusions, you can check these entries.
5913497
I can't agree with your statement that the cutie pox gives sets of talent plus cutie mark. Such illness couldn't suddenly change Apple Bloom's inner capability to do something she's never done before, which suggest the talent was encoded in the cutie mark she was given. It seems that a cutie mark's capabilities are presented differently between The Cutie Pox and Magical Mystery Cure, and there's not much we can do about it. The premise of the former episode supports my claim, the latter yours.
Above all, we seem to have different interpretations of what Starlight actually did in The Cutie Map. You see her un-marking spell as something which does not affect the talent in any way besides blocking it, while I see it as something which takes away the talent carried inside the cutie mark as well, and because of that can be given to somepony else. I feel this is a direct result of our different takes on what a cutie mark is. You say that a cutie mark does not generate talent, I say it does.
Let's agree to disagree on that?
I bet she makes all of her employees sign "non-compete" agreements.
5914963
I honestly can't think of anyone who'd agree to work for her. The ponies of Equestria usually take great pride in their talents and uniqueness, so unless she un-marked someone and brainwash them with her propaganda, I doubt there was a pony who'd assist her in her shop willingly.
5915855 You think so? That pride sounds like a very small sacrifice if they needed money, and work was scarce, and this store offered median wage instead of minimum wage.
5916478
How to get a median wage? How to form a union and fight for your rights? How to convince your employer that you deserve that raise? Starlight Glimmer and her team of experts will happily answer those question on the next episode of My Little Labor Market: Workforce is Magic! Only on
Discovery Familythe Hub.There is one thing someone with connections higher-up could do to stop her (aside from trying her for assaulting, kidnapping, and imprisoning a princess); redefining what a cutie mark is, in a legal sense.
Considering how big a role it plays in a pony's magic, personality, memory, and skillset, it shouldn't be too hard to get it defined as an organ, which would make her business illegal. She couldn't be punished as it wasn't defined as such during the time she ran the business, but if she tried to keep the shop running--or attempted to do remove anypony's cutie mark, for that matter--she'd be committing a crime. Cutie mark transplants could become a thing, as could cutie mark donors... but considering that cutie marks don't just stop working and that everypony will get one eventually, there likely wouldn't be as many donors as there would be ponies trying to sell. And she'd need to go to med school to get licensed to remove cutie marks.
5932529
That's an interesting idea, though I doubt they could redefine such a big factor overnight. It would probably take weeks of listening to experts on biology, ethics, magic, and cutiemarkology, which is enough time for someone as smart as Starlight to prepare a backup plan.
Hallo sir and or ma'am. Your story has been accepted into The Goodfic Bin. I am sorry for getting to you so late, I know that you have been waiting quite some time.
Of you would like to read your review click -----> Here <-----
5941362
Nothing like some good news to start the day!
You don't need to apologize. You guys at TGB are doing a great job, so being patient is a small price to pay for your service to the community. May we meet again around another story I'll throw at you!
5941362 Someone forgot the ribbon. Don't worry—I got it.
i.imgur.com/GizVyc0.png
Congrats, Prane.
~BikerPon3
5942490
Pwetty, pwetty wibbon!
Thanks!
all are equal, but some are more equal than others. that's straight from animal farm, I hope i'm not the only one to get the reference.