Things had calmed down and only the next day after the celebration of Tirek's defeat and the sudden emergence of this new castle, where Twilight and Midnight had affirmed their destiny as the Princess and Prince of Friendship and Harmony, were things about to get busy once more...
The ponies of Ponyville were made of stronger stuff, as the locals went about their business, shot the breeze, said hello to neighbors and friends, as though nothing had ever happened in their happy little town. And yet, Ponyville was known as a very happening place.
Inside the new castle of their resident prince and princess, they and their ten friends returned to the room where each of them had a throne, theirs marked by their cutie-marks, and found Spike snoozing away on his throne, which was smaller and set at the right-hoof side of Twilight's. Pinkie and Cheese bounded over to theirs, as Rainbow made herself comfortable in hers-
"Let's go over this one more time," Twilight suggested while rubbing her hoof to her chin.
"Ugh! We've been over this like, a million times, Twilight!" Rainbow complained and Soarin sat in his throne at Rainbow's left, nopony noticing how the cutie-marks of the occupied thrones were beginning to glow.
"Yeah! You girls found all your keys, we defeated Tirek, and then we got this rad castle," recapped Soarin before he shrugged, "Enough said!"
"Yes, but why?" Midnight was just as curious as Twilight.
"Ah dunno, haystack. Maybe it's jus' you an' Twi's new home, an' tha's all there is to it," assumed Big Mac before he sat into his throne.
"I must say,," Rarity smiled as she got comfortable, feeling like royalty herself, "strictly speaking on aesthetics, there really doesn't need to be any more to it. It's all simply divine!"
"Well, who can say, everypony?" Thunderlane wondered aloud as he, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Blueblood all took their places too, leaving only the alicorns still standing as they continued to ponder.
"This castle is obviously magical and it's connected to the Elements and to us! I think it's safe to say, that this is a whole `nother beginning to who knows what else!"
"Exactly, thank you, Thunderlane," Twilight pointed to him and he shrugged while Midnight took his throne. "Midnight and I, as prince and princess, have been chosen to spread the Magic of Friendship across Equestria, and you are all a part of that mission too. So why would the Tree of Harmony just give us a castle in Ponyville to sit around in all day? It doesn't make any sense!"
It was at this point where Twilight finally sat down, and the circle was complete. Everypony's cutie-marks lit up along with the marks on their thrones, and the air suddenly felt different as a distant chime got louder and louder... and the marks on the thrones shined a beam downwards into the mural on the floor around which the thrones were situated. Then the crystalline sides of each throne rumbled as they seemed to reach out and snake towards the center where the beams all met and then flowed together, forming a round table of crystal, and the resulting flash stirred the little dragon awake.
Yawning, Spike perked up to see what appeared to be a round table set between all the thrones, and a visual and detailed display mapping out all of Equestria!
"Is that new? I like it!" He hopped up onto the table and walked around, honestly feeling like a giant! "This is incredible! It's some kind of magical map of Equestria!"
"Hi Mom and Dad!" Pinkie smiled to see her family Rock Farm in Nickerlite, and gasped when Spike stepped on it as he wandered over the map in awe.
"This is incredible! But..." Midnight wondered before looking around at everypony, "Why has this... map only appeared now?"
"Um... maybe it's nothing but..." Fluttershy spoke up, "nothing unusual happened until you and Twilight sat down in her throne, along with the rest of us."
"I think you're right, Fluttershy!" Blueblood couldn't help but marvel at the exquisite detail of these images showing the nation. "Perhaps the map could not appear until each of us sat down together into our thrones, as if... we were holding council!"
"Council?" Midnight pondered the word before he was struck by inspiration. "The Council... of Friendship! That's what we are!"
"Ooh! That sounds gouda!" Cheese agreed when the map began to extend to each of the stallions a small pillar of crystal.
The pillars were small and round, only about a hoof-wide in diameter, but then the tops opened much like how the Chest had opened... and from each did rise some kind of cylindrical crystal that bore each stallion's cutie-mark, like some kind of insignia. The stallions reached out and picked up the handles, the girls looking on in wonder before Twilight asked, "What are they?"
"I have no idea," Soarin tiled the object in his hoof, Cheese Sandwich nibbling on his but bleh-ing and muttering how it didn't taste very good.
Before they could question the nature of these objects further that stallions all yelped in shock as the crystals seemed to... melt into their hooves while the girls' felt a shivering on their flanks and they all stood up to see their cutie-marks glowing strangely as images of them rose up, encircling Twilight's cutie-mark... before they all floated down, settling over a spot that pointed out literal nowhere in the upper-west of Equestria. Somewhere to the south-west of the Crystal Empire, and north of Manehatten, to be specific.
"What's going on now?!" Soarin was getting a little tired of these surprises.
"Yes, we're over here in Ponyville..." Fluttershy brought up, "so then, why are our cutie-marks over there?"
"I don't know, but it seems like the map wants for us to find out," Twilight theorized, "The Tree, the Chest, this castle, and now this map! How can we not follow it?"
"But... why only you, girls, and not all of us?" Midnight didn't like the sound of that. "What if... it turns out to be dangerous?"
"Danger? Ha! I laugh in the face of danger, so you can count me in!"
"Aw shot, Ah reckon ter right."
"Well, I was planning to re-organize my baking sheets but OK!"
*sighs* "Very well."
Rarity and Pinkie both gave Fluttershy an expectant smile, as did Rainbow Dash, making her feel put on the spot.
"Um, maybe I'll just stay here."
"Awesome!" Spike cheered as he pulled on a soda-drink hat and a foam claw, "You can hang out with me and the guys! There's this hoofball game on tonight, Los Pegasus Raiders against the Canterlot Knights! We're also gonna trade hoofball cards, talk about hoofball stats-"
"Um, on second thought," Fluttershy wasn't much of a hoofball fan but she'd seen how rowdy fans could be during games, "maybe I'd better go with them. In case they need me. You understand, don't you, Mackie?"
"...Eeyup," Big Mac was concerned of his wife going off to parts unknown to face the unknown, but he knew she'd be fine with the rest of the girls.
"Looks like it's time for a road trip," Twilight declared, and as she and the girls got up to leave, she felt a hoof on her withers and saw it was a concerned Midnight.
"Be careful."
"You know I will," she assured him with a kiss, "be back before you know it."
"Suit yourself!" Spike called after Fluttershy as the girls left before he turned to Big Mac, "Hey Mac, any chance I could get a look at your Hock Fetlock rookie card?"
Noticing the way Spike was moving his little claws, Big Mac gave him a knowing smirk but responded, "Nnope."
"Good luck, ladies!" Blueblood called after them before he turned to the rest of the guys,"Gentlecolts, perhaps we should examine ourselves after those strange crystals.... vanished after they touched our hooves. As we have seen thus far, there is almost certainly more to all of this than meets the eye."
"Forget that, let's get started for the game tonight!" Soarin suggested, "Hoofball Night at Thunder's!!"
"WHOOO!!!" cheered Thunderlane, Big Mac, Cheese Sandwich, and Spike as they all cantered out of the council room, while Blueblood sighed when he noticed Midnight was back in his throne, looking at their girls' cutie-mark floating over the spot where the map had directed them.
Coming over, he said, "I understand your concern, Midnight. But you know our girls! Whatever it is the map has sent them to look into, I'm sure they can handle it."
"I... guess you're right, Blue," Midnight got up from his throne.
"Midnight, Blueblood, you guys coming?!" Spike called back at them.
"Well, we may as well enjoy tonight. You up for it?" Blueblood asked, and although he hesitated for a moment, Midnight smiled.
"Sure, let's throw something together and enjoy some hoofball!"
In Thunderlane's front yard, Spike and Big Mac were discussing hoofball cards but the latter refused to trade his Hock Fetlock rookie card, to the little dragon's irritation! Blueblood and Soarin were putting together their own dream hoofball teams, and were currently arguing who got to have the star quarterback of the Trottingham Patriots, and Thunderlane and Cheese were tossing a hoofball together.
The only one whose heart just wasn't in it was Midnight, as he continued to let his mind wander as he worried about Twilight and the rest of the girls. It'd been hours since they'd left, but considering how far it was, it would be understandable if they didn't come back until noon tomorrow.
Maybe I should just relax... he thought as he sighed, The girls have handled lots of crazy stuff! They're probably-
"Midnight! Head's up!"
"Huh?"
*SMACK/"OW!"*
Midnight clutched his schnozz as the hoofball that had just creamed him bounced to the side, and Thunderlane and Cheese and Big Mac came over, concerned as Cheese said, "Sorry, Midnight! I slipped on some wet grass and my aim was off."
"Ugh, no big, Cheese," Midnight groaned as he lowered his hooves, wiggled his nose a little, and sighed with relief that it didn't feel broken though it did still smart a bit, and he checked his hooves to see there was no blood.
"I guess... I'm just being a worrywart or something."
Having noticed what'd happened, the rest of the guys came over as Spike assured, "Relax, Midnight! The girls will be fine. Rainbow's quick, AJ's strong, Twilight's one of the best mages in Equestria- How can you not be sure they're a-okay?"
"You're right, guys, the girls can handle whatever it is the map sent them to look into and-" Midnight had just about fully shaken off the worry, when he felt his flanks tickle and shake, and the guys all noticed their own cutie-marks doing the same and glowing! Then images of their marks floated up from each flank and sped away, spurring the guys to pursue. As expected, the marks led them straight to the castle and into the council room... where they all settled over the girls' marks in the exact same place they'd taken off to.
Sighing Midnight muttered, "Of course..."
"OK! So... I'm guessing this means the girls need some help," Soarin suggested.
"We need to get to them fast, but..." Midnight gave the spot on the map a closer look but groaned in frustration. "The area is too wide and there's no recognizable landmarks other than general area! I can't teleport us all there!"
"Luckily, you all know the local airship engineering genius," Blueblood raised a brow, "To the airfield, gentlecolts! I just so happen to have the perfect airship for the occasion."
Within the hour, the guys had taken to the sky in one of Blueblood's experimental airships, this one he called the Slipstream! It was smaller than what he normally designed, constructed and fashioned into a small and personal yacht. Built for comfort as well as speed. Before they left, Thunderlane had Cloudchaser and Flitter come to his house to watch Rumble when he got home from school, and Big Mac made sure to warn Spike that if the little dragon so much as touched his hoofball card portfolio he'd applebuck him through an ironwood.
At the wheel, Blueblood breathed in the air of the clear afternoon sky with a refreshing sigh, "Ah, breathe it in, my friends! According to my instruments, we should arrive at our destination shortly after sunset."
"I hope the girls will be okay until then," Soarin peered over the railing while Big Mac hunkered down in the cabin, not used to being so way up high without his hooves on solid ground.
"Ee-eeyup!"
"Blue, are you sure we can't get there any faster?" Midnight came over, looking at the instruments by the wheel. Unfortunately, equipment like this wasn't within his area of expertise.
"I understand you're worried, Midnight, we all are," Blueblood looked at a dial to be sure it read what he thought it did and nodded, "but there's only so fast she can go without being overworked. Remember the saying, 'slow and steady wins the-'"
I BELIEEEEEVE I CAN FLLLLLLYYYYYYY! I BELIEEEEVE I CAN TOUCH THE SKYY- BLORP!!
They looked to the bow where Cheese had been standing as a patch of cloudstuff smacked into his face and he was shaking it and the moisture off, and they sighed in relief. Ordinarily, Cheese was a good singer but in that particular instance?
...
No. Just... no.
Unfortunately, a strong headwind delayed their trip, and even though Soarin, Thunderlan, and Midnight were able to clear it up so they could get back on track, they didn't arrive at their destination until after dark. Although the moon was out, Midnight gave each of the guys a night-vision charm so they could see clearly, and what they found was not what they were expecting.
Frankly, it looked like a quaint and tiny village, with two rows of cottages and a single road between them that led up to another cottage at the end of it. They didn't see anypony out and about, and supposed the locals had all gone to sleep.
"Do any of you know the name of this place? "Midnight asked his friends as they all stood on a ledge overlooking the village, and they all responded in the negative.
"I wasn't even aware there was some village in this area," Blueblood responded, "and I've studied maps of Equestria for most of my life ever since I got my cutie-mark."
"I've never seen or heard of this place either," Soarin added, "and Cloudsdale's been all over Equestria making sure everypony has good weather."
"I don't like it..." Cheese gave the village an uncharacteristic look of suspicion, "I don't like it one bit! it... gives me some weird vibes! Like... my Cheesy Sense is saying something about this place stinks worse than moldy cheese, and I should know!"
"Well, we ain't gonna learn much about this place standing here," Thunderlane reminded them.
"Eeyup."
"But everypony's asleep by now," Midnight pointed out, "and we still don't know if the girls are here!"
"Oh they're here alright..." Cheese was going all 'stallion with no name', garbed in his zarape and fedora, which he wasn't wearing a moment ago, "and something's wrong with `em, but... I can't be sure what!"
"Hmm..." Midnight concentrated on his life-sensing spell, which spread like radar. He felt his friends' life energies beside him, then a few insects and a nearby jackrabbit in the environment.
Then he extended the area of effect and felt the locals. They were all resting but... something about them felt... indistinct! He could tell the stallions from the mares, which were earth ponies or pegasi or unicorns, except... they all felt like they were almost the same pony! Disturbing as he found this, he pushed the spell further- There they were!
"I've got them!" Midnight cut the spell off and pointed to the last house on the left row, "The girls are there! But... something's wrong with them, and everypony in this village!"
"Let's go check it out," Big Mac said before he went forward and slid down the slope, the others following.
Very carefully and quietly, they approached the house, and noticed the windows were rather narrow, and... they heard somepony talking inside though it sounded almost automated. Like a recording.
"To excel is to fail. You are not better than your friends..."
"Who's that talking?" Soarin whispered.
"I don't know, but the girls are definitely in here," Midnight led them around the corner to the front door. Already suspecting it, Midnight cast an unlocking spell and smiled when he felt it work. Very slowly, he eased the door opening, flinching as it whined in protest-
"Who's there?"
"Is the door opening?"
"Rarity? Rainbow?" Midnight whispered out and heard a hushed chorus in response!
"MIDNIGHT!"
"Shhh...!" he shushed and then gestured the guys to follow him inside.
They found the interior rather small and cramped, and when Blueblood lit up his horn, they saw the girls all smiling happily to see their boys! Except somepony was missing and in her place was some woeful-looking unicorn stallion.
"Midnight!" Twilight gave him a big hug, which he gladly returned, and the guys all did the same with their girls except Big Mac who noticed his wife wasn't here! "I'm so glad to see you, you won't believe what-"
"Where's `Shy?!" Big Mac asked, interrupting Twilight and looking worried. "She alright?"
"She's fine, Big Macintosh, and so are we... all things considered," Twilight sighed before she showed her flank and Midnight gasped to see that instead of Twilight's six-point star cutie-mark surrounded by sparkles it was an equal sign!
"Us too," Pinkie lamented and the girls showed their cutie-marks had been replaced as well, "even Party Favor here! Shh, he's asleep..."
"Wha- But- This... can't be possible!" Midnight was seeing it but he still didn't believe it until he remembered what he'd felt with his life-sensing spell. "Wait... is everypony here like this?!"
"Yes, have a seat, and we'll explain," Twilight suggested, and when they'd all sat down, the girls explained how they'd found this village full of these ponies all sharing the same cutie-mark, walking around with these smiles, and how their founder, a unicorn named Starlight Glimmer, had gathered these ponies under a philosophy that true happiness and true friendship was only possible if they were al equal. And that cutie-marks only led to conflict and misery. Then three ponies, Party Favor, Sugar Belle, and Night Glider had spoken to the girls in private, and mentioned something called the Cutie-Mark Vault and the Cutie-Mark Removal ritual. The girls had asked Starlight about the the vault, and she'd led them to a nearby cave where all the villagers' cutie-marks were stored into some giant transparent box... then she'd showed them some kind of relic called the Staff of Sameness and then used it to remove the girls' cutie-marks by force, and replaced them with the equal cutie-marks! Afterwards, Starlight's villagers had detained the girls and brought them here to brainwash them with that PA system repeating nonsense of Starlight's "equal" philosophy and somehow the equal marks were affecting them. Twilight and Rarity couldn't use their magic, Rainbow could barely fly, Applejack wasn't strong enough to break the door down ,and Pinkie was now literal and not funny!
"...and later, Starlight got the town together and tried to convince us to embrace their way. We said no, but we'd already made our strategy."
"Fluttershy pretended to accept Starlight's philosophy," Rarity nodded, "and we held hope that she would find a way to regain our cutie-marks for us."
"But then, Starlight tried t' get Flttershy t' tell her who told us about th' vault t' prove she's sincere," Applejack added, "Party Favor here admitted, but Ah think he was protecting his friends from Starlight!"
"This... this is...!" Midnight was furious! Not only had this Starlight Glimmer stripped his Twilight's and their friend's cutie-marks away, she'd dared to hold them against their will and try to brainwash them!
"Starlight is gonna get quite a rude awakening!"
"No, Midnight!" Twilight held up her hoof, "We need to settle this by proving to everypony that Starlight's way of thinking is wrong! If you fight her, you'll only make her look like a victim and everypony here will see you as the aggressor."
"She's right, Midnight," Blueblood agreed, "this Starlight has swayed an entire village of ponies into embracing this 'equal' crock. We must handle this delicately."
"Hmm..." Midnight saw their points as he wondered what they should do before deciding, "Well, for now at least, I'm gonna find Fluttershy and see if she needs help getting you girls your cutie-marks back. Guys, wait here, I should be back in jiff."
Then they watched as Midnight's shadow rose up and enveloped him before it collapsed into a velvety plume of shadowstuff that slithered out of the cottage by slipping under the door crack.
Shuddering, Soarin commented, "It always creeps me out when he does that...
Thankfully, Midnight was able to find Fluttershy rather quickly. He deduced the house at the end of the village was likely Starlight's and as he'd approached, he saw something move on the roof, and rose out of the shadow to see it was Fluttershy! She coughed as she squeezed out of the house's chimney before shaking off the soot.
"Get the cutie-marks back, that's all you gotta do, Fluttershy."
"And you won't have to do it alone."
"Eep!" Fluttershy jumped at the sound of the voice behind her, only for a hoof to cover her mouth and she got a shhh, and felt her nerves settle to see it was, "Midnight! Oh thank goddess it's you! I can't believe you're here."
"We're all here, Flutters," Midnight assured, "the map alerted us that you girls were in some kind of trouble and we got here as soon as we could. We spoke with the girls and got the full story about Starlight and your cutie-marks getting stolen."
"Oh... you have no idea what a relief that is..." Fluttershy sighed in relief.
"Excellent work, Double Diamond."
"That's Starlight!" Fluttershy whispered in alarm, Midnight covering her mouth and very carefully they peered over the edge of the roof and saw a white earth pony facing the front door of the house with a box full of jars.
"Of course, but... I don't understand why you wanted me to bring them here," Double Diamond responded as a magical aura levitated the box into the house, Double Diamond following.
"Fluttershy is one of us now; surely she can be trusted."
Midnight and Fluttershy very quietly dropped down to the side and peered through the window.
Inside Midnight saw the unicorn who could only be Starlight Glimmer. She had a light heliotrope coat, a mane two shades of purple with a light turquoise highlight, and just like everypony else here her cutie-mark was an equal sign... and she levitated out a jar that contained Twilight's cutie-mark!
"This one belongs to a princess," Starlight pointed out, "It could be very important to our cause."
"But if Twilight Sparkle becomes our friend, then what do we even care for this old cutie-mark?" Double Diamond questioned, looking momentarily uncomfortable.
"I just want to keep them close," Starlight said reassuringly, "Until everything is... settled. You may go, Double Diamond."
Midnight and Fluttershy quickly hid around the corner of the house as they heard Double Diamond leave. Once he was gone, they came back around to look into the window to see Starlight carrying all the jarred cutie-marks in her magic.
"Oh dear! How are we ever going to get the cutie-marks back now?" Fluttershy worried.
"No need to fret, Fluttershy," growled Midnight, glaring at Starlight with fury as she ascended the stairs to the second floor of her house, taking the cutie-marks with her.
"I've handled missions far tougher than this. I can get those cutie-marks back easy, but we need to-"
*CRASH* "OW!"
They heard that come from upstairs and rose up to peer through the upstairs window, a bucket rolling around, water spilled on the floor, and starlight looking annoyed, " Argh, Starlight, you clumsy fool!
They watched as she placed the cutie-marks on a nearby table and levitated over a towel. As she dried herself off however, after she put the towel down... they saw her equal mark had changed into something else! A purple star beneath two streams of blue magic!
They gasped in shock, and watched as Starlight levitated some makeup, covering her cutie-mark to blend with her coat, and then placing some kind of stencil over her flank and applying black make up, and when she'd lowered it... there was the equal sign again!
*GASP*
Starlight flicked her ears, and looked towards her window. Had she heard something? She approached the window and peered out, only seeing the single street of her town, completely empty. Shrugging, she went to bed, and turned out the light, while Midnight and Fluttershy rose up from the sides of the window and shared a look.
"Did you see it, Fluttershy?!" Midnight whisper-shouted.
"Oh my, I did! Starlight, she- She's..." Fluttershy was so appalled that she was at a loss for words.
"She's a fake, is what she is!" Midnight stated, "A fake and a liar! Hmm... Perhaps this can work to our advantage, however."
"What do you mean?" asked Fluttershy.
"Head back to the girls and tell them what we've learned, Big Mac's worried about you," Midnight instructed as he lowered himself down to the upstairs window, "I'll be along shortly..."