//------------------------------//
// Episode 2: Solo Mission Part 2 
// Story: Elements of Heroism: Season 5 
// by Bahamut0 
//------------------------------//

Starlight looked down at the village. It had only been a day, and already the villagers were starting to reconsider giving up their cutie marks. However, her gaze held no hate or disgust. Starlight headed back to her bed, and sat down. Thoughts about her philosophy swirled around in her mind as she contemplated how sound her reasoning was. "Alright. So by removing cutie marks, I made a bunch of people equal. But they were all different to begin with. That something all of them had in common. And by making them all the same, I..." Starlight's eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks. "I made them different from everyone else." She then immediately face-palmed. "AND I brainwashed them into accepting this. Sweet Celestia my logic fell apart by just applying a few seconds of thought to it! UGH!" Starlight then gripped her head in frustration! "I can't handle this right now. I'm going to bed."

Starlight threw herself onto her bad, and immediately fell into supreme unconsciousness. However, her dreams betrayed her tranquile, sleeping form. In her dream, Starlight awoke to find a huge collection of cutie marks. Including the marks of the princesses. "Wait. Does that mean..." Starlight looked out her window. Everyone had an equal symbol displayed for all to see. "Yes...YES! This is exactly what I wanted! Do you see this Shadow? Was your speech true? Everything is the same. No differences, no pain." And with that, Starlight set about enjoying her "perfect world." Everyone had the same slightly greyed skin and plastered smile. "This is all so perfect." Starlight said as she fell asleep once again. And once again, she woke up to the same sight before her. "Yet another perfect day." Starlight once again walked around her definition of a perfectly equal world. Three more days passed within her dream. But as time passed, something felt unnatural about the world she had been dreaming of. "Um, hello?" Starlight asked one of the citizens.

"Oh, hello Starlight!" The citizen greeted. "A wonderful day, isn't it?"

Starlight smiled nervously. "Uh...yes! Absolutely perfect. Say, how're things going?"

"Wonderful! Every day is perfect! It's just so wonderful everything being the same everyday." The citizen replied. Still holding the false smile on her face.

Starlight shook her head. "No...no! It isn't the same!" Starlight grabbed the citizen! "There's got to be something wrong! Something new! Something different! Life can't be....LIFE CAN'T BE STUCK LIKE THIS FOREVER! There's no change! No moving forward! WHAT'S THE POINT OF LIVING IN A DEAD WORLD LIKE THIS?!" Starlight's eyes shrunk to pin pricks as she came to a full realization. "I...I did this. I killed the world." Starlight then clutched her head. "No...NO! This isn't what I wanted! This wasn't the plan!"

"But don't you see Starlight?" Her own voice called out from all around her. "This IS what you wanted. Everyone is the same. Everything is unchanging. Yes. Death is the truest form of the equality you've sought."

Starlight raised her head, and her eyes widened with horror. The whole land was barren and dead. There was no one and nothing left. "If everyone's equal...nothing ever changes or grows. Life doesn't go on. We'll go extinct!"

"Precisely, Starlight Glimmer." A new voice called out from above.

Starlight picked her head up as tears were streaming from her eyes. "Wh-who's there?"

"Calm yourself Starlight. This is but a dream. One to show you how your dream is the world's nightmare." The voice replied as the wasteland started to crumble and give way to the dreamscape. And with that, Nightmare Moon appeared out of the last shadow of the wasteland that faded away. 

Starlight immediately backpeddled. "AHHHH!" She screamed! "Y-You're just some old story! You've not real!"

"You don't get out much, do you?" Moon asked with a bemused smirk. "I mean you no harm. This dream was to merely teach you a lesson. A harsh one, but I'd say you've learned nonetheless. All the same, I implore you. Please. This madness can be easily halted now."

Starlight shook her head. "No..No! If you're the one showing me this, then it's all a lie! My way IS right! You're not better than me for trying to bring eternal night." Starlight would have sneered, but the death glare Moon was giving her made her shrink away.

"Very well Starlight." Moon said calmly. Still maintaining her calm tone while glaring right into Starlight's soul. "If you wish to continue being as blind to the truth in front of you as I once was, go ahead. But know this. This nightmare will never end for you. It will be waiting for you each time you close your eyes. Every time until you finally accept the truth that it displays before you." And with that, Moon left to patrol the rest of the dreamscape.

Starlight immediately woke up in a cold sweat. Scowling at the moon before returning to her bed. But just as Moon had said, Starlight's nightmare continued the second she closed her eyes.

The next morning
Shadow stretched as he exited his tent. "Here's hoping today looks up more than yesterday. But just in case..." Shadow mounted his Duelist Arm on his back. "Better safe than sorry." Shadow walked into the village, and noticed a few of the villagers gather around him. "So? What's your choice?"

"We did some thinking...and you were right." One of the villagers answered. "We know where all the marks are being kept and what maintains the enchantment is there too. We'll lead you." The entire village led Shadow to a cave, and pointed to a wooden staff. "The Staff of Sameness. It's what Starlight used to equalize us. But if you destroy it, then the spell will be broken."

Shadow nodded, and cut the staff to pieces with his spear! However, the enchantment was still in place and the cutie marks locked away behind the vault. "Maybe it wasn't the staff that's holding the enchantment." Shadow walked over to the vault, and smashed it! The glass shattering and releasing all the cutie marks! Each one flying back to its respective owner! All the villagers rejoiced at their marks being returned, and crowd surfed Shadow all the way to the town square! Twilight and the girls noticed the rejoicing villagers, and smiled. Congratulating Shadow as he was lowered to the ground. 

"Way to go Shadow!" Twilight cheered! "You've definitely become these people's hero."

Shadow smiled, but soon rolled out of the way when a blast of magic was sent his way! Shadow spun around, and froze when he saw who was firing at him. "Starlight."

"You..." Starlight growled. "YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!" A powerful magic aura flared around her! "My perfect plan. The suffering I removed. The equality and harmony I ushered in. All destroyed in a single day."

The Main 6 summoned their Harmony Keepers, but Shadow motioned for them to stay back. "Starlight..." Shadow began as he walked forward. "You don't have to do this. There's no need to fight. All of these people were hurting. I just wanted to help them, and I have. But you're hurting too. Hurtingly badly. So much that you've made your problem everyone else's. And I can't help but see a scared, lonely girl when I look at you." Shadow then offered Starlight his hand. "Please. Let me help you too. You don't have to hurt anymore. You don't have to be alone. Just take my hand."

The magic aura around Starlight died down, and she lowered her head. "You really want to help me?" Starlight fired another blast of magic at Shadow! "THEN GIVE  ME BACK WHAT YOU TOOK FROM ME!"

"I can't do that Starlight." Shadow said sadly. "Because what you had came from taking away what made others whole. You made your problems theirs. And I can't let you hurt them like that." Shadow raised his Duelist Arm. "Making your pain everyone else's only hurts you more. My brother tried something similar to what you've done. But it only hurt him! Please Starlight! I want to help you!" Starlight's only response was another blast of magic! "Sorry about this!" Shadow flew at Starlight with full force, and flew past the village! Dropping Starlight onto the snow below before landing and getting into a defensive stance. "I don't want to fight you. But I couldn't let you hurt anyone back there." Starlight crawled out of the snow, and Shadow once again extended his hand to her. "Starlight. You're not going to stop hurting if you can't stop for a minute and realize you're wrong. My hand's always here." Starlight slowly reached for Shadow's hand, and quickly pulled back and ran off! "Damn it." Shadow silently cursed to himself as he watched her run away. "But I guess that's what I get. I can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved." Shadow flew back to the village. However, the sad look on his face completely betrayed the sense of joy the villagers had. 

"Where's Starlight Glimmer?" Twilight asked.

Shadow sighed. "She ran away. I tried to help her. But she didn't want it. And now? I've probably made things worse. Let's just head home. After you say your goodbyes to the people here." Shadow packed up his things, and waited for the Main 6 by the village's gate. Sure enough, they were on their way home. But when they returned to Ponyville, Shadow saw his brothers and Burst Stream waiting for him. And upon being debriefed by the Main 6 of what had happened, Burst walked over to Shadow. "So? Is this the part where I get suspended from the team?"

"Shadow. Your brothers told me about your little solo mission. One they didn't go to me for approval." Burst stated before smiling. "But you did good. And above all, you got your moment. I know you haven't felt like you've done all that much or proven yourself. But you wouldn't have been chosen as an element if there wasn't something special inside you. And you proved that today. But next time? Just talk to me or Inferno if you want to go it alone."

Shadow sighed. "You sure I did good? Because I feel like I failed the person who needed me the most."

"Shadow..." Burst said as he put a hand on Shadow's shoulder. "Some people are just harder to save than others. Maybe this Starlight Glimmer needs your help. But she just doesn't want it. Yet. Maybe all you need to do now is wait."

Shadow slowly lifted his head. "Thanks Burst." He then walked away. "But that doesn't make it hurt any less..."