//------------------------------//
// Starlight's Village 
// Story: Twilight vs Tirek 
// by RainbowSparkle3 
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Uh! I can't believe Tirek managed to steal my magic. A future wonderbolt’s! I should've just smashed open that cage and shown that magic stealing centaur who's boss! Too bad I was too worried and scared-, I-I mean distracted to think of that.
Anyways, me and my friends (except Twilight, the most powerful pony in Equestria at the time, and Pinkie Pie, that crazy party pony, who were battling against Tirek, even though Pinkie’s regular magic had been stolen. If I still had my magic, I would've come along to show him a thing or two) were heading down into the village which stood in the middle of nowhere (how Twilight had somehow brought us to just outside it by coincidence is anypony's guess). As we entered the town, it’s citizens immediately weirded me out. All of them were staring at us with that big, plastered grin that just screamed fake, and for some reason their colors appeared...dull. The way they greeted us didn’t help the alien impression. Their voices somehow managed to sound overwhelmingly cheerful and monotone at the same time. All of them said “Welcome” but left it at that, continuously staring at us. It was freaky.
Fluttershy was the only one in our group that seemed content, and after a few greetings she happily said, "This must be the most pleasant place in Equestria. I'm so glad Twilight brought us here."
"But look at those smiles, they just aren't right," everypony in town had smiles stretched as wide as they could possibly be. "Also, what about their cutie marks?" I added, pointing at their flanks. "Now, those smiles may be a bit out of the ordinary, but the cutie marks are just downright weird." Everypony nodded in agreement, then a blue gray pony wearing a brown cloak walked up to us.
He, just like everypony else so far, greeted us with a "Welcome," but then actually started to speak in full sentences. "Pardon my forwardness, but, what happened to your cutie marks?" he asked, noting our blank flanks.
My eyes opened wide, and I replied, "You don't know about Tirek’s rampage across Equestria?” 
"Well, we don't receive a lot of outside news here in our little village," said the pony while scratching his head.
Another pony, stark white, from top to bottom, walked towards us and asked, "What brings you to town?"
Applejack stepped up to the front, and answered, "We're not entirely sure. It involves some stuff with Tirek releasin' us, teleportation and hidin'."
"I see. Well, all are welcome here in our little village. My name is Double Diamond, and this is Party Favor," the white pony pointed at his blue-gray coated companion, who smiled widely.
"Howdy, Double Diamond, I'm Applejack, and this here's Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash," Applejack pointed at me, and I brought my wings up proudly.
"The best flyer there ever was Rainbow Dash," I boasted, flying in a loop at super speed to prove my point. Although, I couldn't fly as fast as I could if I still had my cutie mark.
Applejack rolled her eyes at me, then asked Double Diamond, "Has there been any sort o'...trouble here as of late?"
Double Diamond furrowed his brows "Trouble? Why, I don't think we've ever had trouble in our little village."
Party Favor added, "It's true, you'll see." he followed it up with a happy sound.
"Perhaps you'd like to speak to our founder, Starlight Glimmer," suggested Double Diamond.
"I wish everypony in Equestria was as friendly as these ponies are," Fluttershy remarked as we followed the two.
Applejack looked like she was deep in thought, then after a couple of seconds she spoke up. "I dunno, there's just somethin' off about these fellas."
"Oh I agree. Not only is their fashion choice so plain it's practically a crime, but their cutie marks are all equal, so to speak. We should ask about this when we meet Starlight Glimmer," said Rarity.
Fluttershy replied, "Sure, it might be kind of abnormal, but they're so pleasant and nice. There's no way that they did something wrong."
"If you say so, sugar cube," Applejack reluctantly answered.. "Anyways, we should find out just in case. Maybe it's not them, but it could be this 'Starlight Glimmer' that's pullin' the strings."
Everypony agreed, even Fluttershy, and as the two ponies who were leading us knocked on the door, I quietly remarked, "Be ready to fight, we don't know what's gonna come through that door." I heard some creaking from in a room of the house we had just entered, then slowly, the door opened, revealing who was inside. And it was...
"Oh, come on!" I yelled in annoyance.
It was a friendly looking, light purple unicorn of average size, who, just like everypony else, greeted us with an overly friendly, "Welcome! I'm so pleased to have you here." after Double Diamond introduced us to Starlight and we explained why and how we came here, she said, "Well, however you found us, we're happy to have you. We're happy to have anypony who wants to experience true friendship for the first time." She put a weird emphasis on ‘true’.
"Say what?" Applejack asked.
"Oh, indeed, that's what's so unique about our village, you see," Starlight said in reply to Applejack. "Around here, we don't flaunt our special talents, because we don't have any special talents to flaunt."
"Is that why you all have those cutie marks? Rarity asked, pointing at Starlight's flank.
Starlight looked down to her flank for a second and then said, "Perhaps it would be easier to understand if I gave you a tour of the village." Starlight opened the door, and started marching through the town.
Everypony in the village gathered and began singing a song about how equality is apparently totally amazing and way better than a life with cutie marks. At the end, the citizens formed two rows and a couple of pegasi flew overhead with banners. I laughed hysterically for a second, then said, "You're kidding, right? Give up our cutie marks on purpose? No way!"
Fluttershy scolded me disapprovingly. "Rainbow Dash, don't be so rude. I don't think we should judge them. They all seem perfectly happy with their choice."
We had a short conversation with Starlight afterwards, and at the end of it, Starlight said, "Double Diamond, please help our guests with whatever they might need."
"Of course," he replied, smiling at us as he did so.
As we walked through town, Applejack was saying, "A cutie mark's a representation of a pony's talents an' skills. How's it possible to-," she was cut off by Rarity gasping in horror.
"What in the name of Equestria is that!?" she exclaimed, pointing at a display of identical cloaks, which were scratched up and looked like they were 10 years old at least.
The shop owner pointed at the display and offered us the cloaks, but Rarity declined, trying her best not to flip out. We then headed towards an empty table. We continued our argument about this town and it’s inhabitants, then Double Diamond, who was sitting at the table across from us, asked, "Need something?"
"Uh, no, we're good," Rarity replied. A light coloured earth pony mare walked up to us, as we had the argument. At the end of it, the earth pony asked us if it was a bad time, and Fluttershy said we shouldn't bicker in front of our new friends.
The mare asked, "Is your friendship ending?" which took us by surprise.
"Are you kiddin', we'd never let an argument get in the way of food," Applejack replied.
"Okay, well my name is Sugar Belle, what can I get you?" asked the mare. "We have...muffins." 
Silence filled the air for awhile, before I replied. "Well, I guess we'll take 4 muffins," but then Applejack spoke.
"Make it five, gettin' my magic stolen sure makes my tummy growl," Applejack said, rubbing her belly as she did so. While we waited for the muffins, we continued our conversation about the village that was interrupted by Sugar Belle, who had now brought five muffins.
Forgive me for overhearing, but, just a moment ago, you were disagreeing, and now it sounds like you're...agreeing."
"Uh huh," Applejack replied.
"Well, you had such differing opinions," Sugar Belle said.
"We have differing opinions all the time, darling."
"But, you look like you're friends."
"We are friends," Applejack said. "A simple disagreement wouldn't change that, sugar cube." Upon hearing that, Double Diamond looked up from his newspaper and frowned.
Sugar Belle noticed his reaction, but continued anyways. "I'm sorry, I'm just having a hard time understanding. Different opinions lead to bitterness and misery. So, why aren't you bitter and-," she was interrupted by a gag as I spit out the muffin I was eating.
As everypony looked at me, I did my best to salvage the gesture by saying, "Mmm, good," though it likely wasn’t very convincing. Sugar Belle said that it was fine, she wasn't a good cook, at least, not better than anypony else. Double Diamond put down his newspaper and his frown became even more stern.
"Well, I hope you enjoy our little village," Sugar Belle hastily said, obviously being nervous while doing so. "Come inside before you go, meet me downstairs," she whispered, smiling at Double Diamond as soon as she had said it. Then, she zoomed downstairs as quickly as she could.
"Okay, that was weird too," I said.
"Let's all sit here, and eat these muffins and act normal. I think we're being watched," Rarity said.
"You think?" I asked, pointing at all the ponies watching us.
I ate two muffins and Applejack ate three. Wanting to get more served as an excuse of going downstairs. We slowly walked down the stairs, following the one pony who was acting as though something were wrong…