This story is a sequel to The Enforcer and Her Blackmailers

After the crystalling, after the banquets, after the private party, Starlight gets her chance to be alone with Sunburst. They realize that they share two things in common: their friendship and a different perspective on what happened that day he got his cutie mark. It leaves the closeness Starlight desires in peril.

While it contains minor spoilers for The Enforcer and Her Blackmailers, the story was written to be enjoyed standalone. It is set in Season 6 Episode 2 after the crystalling and before the train ride. It is intended to be in-canon, and should remain so until such time as we meet Starlight's family. Rated Teen for innuendo.

Cover Art (c)2016 by Misty Dash. Hover over the cover image and click SOURCE to display Misty Dash's Deviant Art page.

This story is a sequel to The Runaway Bodyguard

(See chapter list. New content having to do with notice below.)

There is a REMASTERED version. Please read that instead of this (the original published) version if you just finished the prequel.

Starlight Glimmer's past and future collide in Canterlot a few years before the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration. Still bruised by the loss of Sunburst, runaway Starlight Glimmer tries to forget her recent past at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns but the crimes of that past and Celestia's original protégé, Sunset Shimmer, make that difficult. What happens will change Equestria forever.

Prequel published 3/19/21. Sunset Shimmer Goes to Hell is a sequel (mostly) to this novel from Sunset Shimmer's point of view. The Forgiving Lesson is a sequel to The Crystalling and this novel.

Image (c)2016 by Riakoh-Illust, commissioned for this story. (Click source to see final artwork.)

¡Muchas gracias! to DoContra for his heroic work as a pre-reader.

Her best and only magic teacher, Sunburst, abandoned her when he got his cutie mark and she didn't. Her butler and guardian, Proper Step refused to teach her magic, saying it wasn't "lady-like." Magic is in her blood, so she has no choice but to run away. She learns to fight with hoof and magic, first to save her life when she’s brutally attacked, but later because she is very good at it. She doesn't realize she's being honed to become somepony's sharp tool.

This is Starlight Glimmer’s pre-redemption The Gangs of New York and Anakin Skywalker Star Wars I, The Phantom Menace novel-length origin story.

The cover image is a commission by a very talented artist, Pony-Way. Please visit Pony-Way’s page.

About the warning tags: [Sex] Off screen, rare, unmistakable; [Violence] Street gangs, mafia bosses, prizefighting, becoming a bodyguard (naturally)—blood, occasionally. Please don’t be shocked and give the story a thumbs down because bad things happen to Starlight at a level that can’t be shown in show. Adversity always makes her stronger.

The sequel to this story is The Enforcer and Her Blackmailers. This is an Enforcerverse novel, and you can view that link if you want huge amounts of context.

A big shout-out to my pre-readers: Javarod and DoContra