//------------------------------// // Some Are More Equal Than Others // Story: One-Thousand Little Voices // by syrograph //------------------------------// In a hurry, Starlight Glimmer scrambled to her room, narrowly avoiding the Princess. Twilight had come home earlier than she'd expected. She cursed her punctuality, desperately trying to stop her panicked panting. There was no way she was going to let Twilight see what she'd done; it would ruin everything. It just wasn't ready. She wasn't ready. They all had to be perfect, all... equal. "Starlight, I'm home!" Twilight called out as she entered the main hall. Her pupil wasn't there. "Strange. She said she'd be studying The Map." She set her saddlebags on the huge, flat, crystal table, opening it to retrieve the spoils of her quest. "It was nice of Pony Joe to give us the extra donut, huh?" Spike licked his lips and hopped down from Twilight's haunches, landing next to the twin bags. He skipped from foot to foot, waiting impatiently. "C'mon, Twilight!" "Hold on, Spike." Twilight grinned at his excited dancing and carefully extracted the sugary treats. "I'm going to get sprinkles everywhere if I-" A loud crash came from upstairs. "What was that?" Spike asked, looking towards the ceiling. He caught the donuts as Twilight dropped them. "Sounds like something fell over." "Or maybe-" Spike put a claw to his mouth, his eyes wide. "- someone got into the castle!" "Spike, Starlight is still home." "Maybe they got her!" His knees knocked together, child-like fear gripping him. "And they're coming for us, next!" "Okay, okay." Twilight sighed, rolling her eyes. "Wait here." Twilight took a breath and focused her magic. A sharp pop left Spike's ears ringing as she pulled a snap translocation spell. Twilight phased back into existence on the landing. A shower of pink and white sparks drifted to the floor on an intangible breeze. Getting her bearings, she thought about where the sound had come from. Could it have been one of the bathrooms? She made her way over to the door, slightly ajar, and poked her head through. Nothing out of the ordinary in there, she thought. She turned to the room next-door, a guest bedroom. She knocked. "Is anypony in there?" Absolute silence. She opened the door and hummed in thought, pursing her lips. "Hm, well, I guess I'll keep searching." she muttered, after a very brief look. Leaving the empty room alone, she wandered a few doors down. This door lead somewhere important; it was gilded, much like many of the doors in her castle, but this one had a special arrangement of gemstones inlaid around the frame. A spark of worry took hold of her. "Hopefully not..." Taking a deep breath, she braced herself in case her suspicions were right. She reached out her hoof, the worry turning to dread. She turned the handle and pulled gently, just to be sure she wouldn't get a nasty surprise. Darkness greeted her, the light from the hall slowly illuminating the most vital of spaces as the door swung open. The broom closet was spotless. She wiped her brow. "Phew, that all seems to be in order." She slammed the door unceremoniously and pattered over to the other side of the landing, rounding the top of the stairs. "I wonder if Starlight heard it." She thought for a moment, a niggling thought in the back of her mind. "Or maybe she caused it." she whispered, stopping on the spot for a heartbeat. "Hm, well." She continued to Starlight's room. Inside, she could hear sounds of rummaging. She tapped on the door. "Y-yes, what is it?" came an anxious voice. "Starlight, are you okay in there? Spike and I heard something hit the floor." "Yes, everything's perfectly fine! No-" Twilight heard a thump. Starlight swore. "- n-no need to come in!" "Are you sure? It sounds like you're having some trouble." Her voice was flat, doubt setting in and curiosity urging her to open up and see. "Everything is under control!" A loud bang made Twilight jump on the spot. "I am... A-okay!" Nervous laughter gave way to angry growling. Clink, clang, bash. Twilight kicked the door open. It swung back on its hinges and bounced off the wall with a glassy thud; shards of crystal scattered across the floor. "What's going on in here?" she shouted, standing ready for anything. Starlight was casually leaning on her bed. The room looked immaculate, save for the shimmering debris now strewn across the rug. "Nothing at all." Starlight replied, looking at the ceiling with a soft smile on her lips. Her cheeks were flushed. Twilight leaned to peer around the unicorn, but she moved to block her view. "Starlight, what are you hiding?" Twilight stepped into the room. "It's nothing I should worry about, is it?" "Nothing, Twilight. Promise." Starlight's blush deepened as her teacher approached. "Cross my eyes, bake a pie... stick a cupcake... in the pie?" The hurried Pinkie Promise was the last straw. "Starlight, what did you do?" "Twilight, I can't show you!" Starlight became defensive, standing firm. "It's... a secret!" "Show me." "I can't." "Show me, Starlight. What's under the blankets?" Starlight looked over her shoulder at the uneven lump in the otherwise perfect sheets. Twilight took her chance; she leapt over the unwary pony with a flap of her wings. "No!" She landed on the bed with a crash, misjudging her landing. She heard something break under her weight. Starlight screamed in horror. Bouncing off the mattress and falling down the other side, Twilight pulled the blankets away from the bed. Now dizzy, her side sore from landing hard on whatever was under there, she shakily pulled herself up. "A-ha!" Twilight cheered triumphantly, then sharply stopped as she saw the mess she'd made; splinters of wood and brightly coloured flakes of paint adorned the sheet. "Wait, what?" "You ruined it!" Starlight choked up as tears flooded her eyes. "You broke them all!" She sat down, resting her chin on the edge of the bed. She looked defeated. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Twilight felt guilty, standing to brush herself off. "You just weren't being honest with me; I had to know." "I was making everypony a gift! I even made one for Trixie." "Oh." Twilight's heart sank. "It was going to be so great; I made them all by hoof, but I was having some trouble." "Why wouldn't you just use your conjuration magic? You're so good at it." "That was too easy." She sighed, blowing a cloud of sawdust up from the pile. "I wanted to make an effort." "Oh, Starlight." Twilight came to sat next to her, putting her wing around her shoulders. "I'm really sorry. I can help you, if you want to try again." "I appreciate it, but I was struggling to get them all equal. I don't want anypony to be disappointed if their's isn't as good. Forget it." "Starlight, nobody will care. They'll be so thrilled you made them something in the first place." She pulled her closer. "It's very sweet of you to try such a thing. C'mon, let me help." The unicorn reluctantly agreed, nodding silently. "That's the spirit!" Gathered around the table in the hall, Twilight's friends, (and Trixie), eagerly awaited their surprise. "Everyone: Starlight made all of these for you, as a token of how much she values your friendship!" She removed the tiny cloths that covered each one. The whole room lit up with joy. "Oh, these are simply wonderful, darling!" Rarity chirped, clasping her hooves together. "She's almost as fabulous as I am!" She lifted the figure to her face to get a comparison. "They're really awesome!" Rainbow added, fluttering above her chair. "Where is Trixie's hat?" The Ingrate And Powerful one chimed. "And her cape, for that matter." "I wanted to make them all kinda... equal." Starlight replied, confidence taking a hit from her friend's attitude. "That may be! But some are more equal than others!" Twilight's hoof raised to her temple. The whole room glared at the street magician, cold silence falling. Trixie began to sweat. "I mean, I love it! It is... good." Groaning, the whole group stood to leave, all heading for the main doors. "Wait, Trixie is sorry!" she called out. Disappointed grumbling was all she got in reply. "Where are you going?" With that, the door closed. "Great work, Trixie." She laid her chin on the table, huffing. "Good job."