Starlight Glimmer knew that magic wasn't enough to manipulate ponies. To get them to see things as she knew they were and change themselves, she needed to say the right things. She would do more than bring ponies to water because her words would make them drink it too.
Double Diamond just knows he will be listening to Starlight Glimmer, and extra careful to obey. Anything to keep him away from that house.
Takes place before Season Five's opening episodes 'The Cutie Map'. Contribute to the TVTropes page!
Chapters (3)
10039928
Yeah, unless I add some sort of sequel or anything then it’s probably not going to be connected to anything else.
Good read
10040360
Thank you!
Poor crazy bitch
10040755
Yeeeep. Thank you for reading and leaving a comment that made me chuckle.
i must admit i be kinda interested in finding out what a reformed glimmer would do meeting him again
10041847
If I ever picked up a storyline/series with this, that is certainly something I would want to explore too. Thanks for reading!
10110582
Oh my goodness Filly this isn’t the story for gay puns
But I like it 👀👍
10110592
wdym there are stories that aren't?
10110674
oh umm
hmm
Brr...this gave me the chills, Starlight here is so utterly convinced that she is unloveable because of past hurts that she dare not let anyone close to her again is troubling, especially since it reminds me of someone I was talking to recently who wishes that the world keep its distance, they won't dare try anything new or let anyone close because they fear always being in the wrong, of being hurt.
As someone else commented, I wonder how things would go should Starlight run back into Double Diamond again. Maybe since in the finale, we saw Starlight standing alongside Sunburst and Trixie she could run into him and it would be super awkward, but that in of itself would make for a compelling short story, the unease would be palpable to the reader.
10225397
Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment. I'm not really sure if this storyline will be continued, but if it didn't I'd probably turn the focus to Double Diamond.
Most of the Propaganda Hut* dialogue is fantastically crafted as bite-sized bits of Starlight's banal dystopia, but I do need to call attention to "Hope is the thing with feathers because it should be made to fly away." That feels like it's negatively singling out pegasi.
Still, a fantastic tragedy. Starlight may not have removed her mark, but she still had to suffer for her bleak little society. Excellent work.
*Nopony out-slogans the Hut!
10479945
That particular line is a reference to Dickinson and just a prettier way to make a phrase that means “abandon all hope” (hence why it is flying away) sound appealing and propaganda-chic. Hope has feathers because it is meant to be abandoned and will abandon the ponies, according to Starlight.
So it wasn’t made to be too horse racist.
Hope *is the thing
Also, nice Dickinson reference.
Man. I love the idea of exploring pre-reformation Starlight. I personally headcanon her as not having any romantic experience at all by the time of the finale, both due to a combination of self-loathing and the goodness in her (however deeply it was buried at the time) realizing that fraternizing with her "subjects" was going too far.
With that in mind, I wasn't expecting to read a romance, however brief and ill-fated, between Starlight and Double Diamond here. Especially because PartyDiamond is better.
But! I like how you did it, especially in these tiny chapters, the second of which is just chilling. It might just be the cadence of me reading the slogans in my head, but I sensed a growing desperation in them as they went on, particularly the ones about love.
And that third chapter... wow. A tiny glimpse of the real demons behind the monster Starlight was at the time. I... almost feel sorry for her when Diamond says that no one is allowed to love her. Just damn.
When I get around to Don't Make A Shadow Of Yourself, I just know I'm going to love it.
10600959
PartyDiamond is definitely my preferred ship, yes. But I'm sure you could tell. Knowing how you have Starlight inexperienced with romance, or anything like it, I wasn't sure how you were going to react to this little story. Considering Starlight essentially guilt trips/manipulates a pony into a romantic relationship with her, then throws them in the slogan shack when doubt sinks in, and severs their bond through using her once-lover as psychological self-harm.
And whoops, fixed that error.
The last pary just makes me sad, the way Starlight is convinced she is unlovable to the point of making everyone believe so is so heart breaking :((