The voice continued blathering, diluting her holy message of boundless equality, behind an impenetrable wall of nonsense.. "Be your best by not never being you!" The loudspeaker bellowed, making starlight want to either give up entirely, or to burrow through the concrete walls of her cell with only her bare hooves.
Oh how she wanted to find a way to get up there and strangle that horrid thing, wherever it was. Sadly it almost made her feel for those ponies who she sent here for reeducation -- the endless prattling almost made her want to tear her mane out. She shook her head, when did her head fill with nonsense? She was doing it for their benefit, while the changeling overlords did it to increase their wealth... right? She was bringing equality! They were bringing inequality! It was a necessity when she did it and... Who was she kidding? She felt no better, right now, then them. Not after she'd handed that griffon to them -- the only creature impervious to equality, and she handed them to those monsters for their nefarious purposes. Were her professors right after all? Was she really blinded by her own vision?
She shook her head. No! She did this for the good of ponykind! So why didn't she feel that way, right now? She grit her teeth, the only explanation was the nonsense she was being subjected to.
The voice on the loudspeaker slowly stopped yapping, as the door creaked open, and a strangely feline changeling trotted in, a very satisfied expression on her face. "Starlight" The changeling hissed, in bemusement. "I have use for you again!"
Starlight looked down, feeling especially deflated after days of 'reeducation'. "What do you need?" Starlight asked, stuttering only slightly, as she hobbled out, and quite willing to do anything to make it stop (she had been in the chamber for well over week now, and didn't want to spend one minute longer in that dungeon of inequality...) Of course, she planned to only play ball for now, she wouldn't let this travesty stand forever, just until she could break the hive's hold on her town.
"I see you are ready to play ball?" Belladonna purred, her tail swishing like a cat, with a bad case of dominance.
Starlight Glimmer nodded, her face downcast.
The changeling licked her lips, a bemused expression on her face. "Very well!" She explained, filling the unicorn in on her plans. "We have finally discovered the location of a pony with a very special talent," she started saying, being interrupted by the unicorn, whose expression also had suddenly perked up.
"And you wish me to perform a cutie unmarking?" Starlight exclaimed, her face glowing with glee, a giddy squeal barely staying put in her throat. Finally! Her changeling overlords had finally seen the light! The hive had finally rebelled against that fat prince, and that dopey queen. They had finally thrown off their shackles and were ready for a leader of true vision! A chance had finally come to spread equality! Yes! Even her master had finally seen the light, and would let her --
"Heh! Not quite..." The changeling smirked, taking a special joy in the sour attitude of the unicorn (yeah, defeat probably wasn't the healthiest emotion to feed upon, but hey! It gave her such joy to see ponies without any hope!) "I've sent a legion of changeling drones to ensure that the mayor of Tall Tail Town agrees to peacefully relinquish a pony I've found with a very special talent," she purred, already imagining what she needed the unicorn for.
"And what do you need me for?" Starlight asked, curiously. What else could they possibly want her for, if not an unmarking? And she'd rather not have to go back in that room then assist them in using another one of those necklaces on another pony.
"Oh don't worry dear," the changeling said, with a faux concern. "I won't ask you to do anything too odious..." She continued, using charm to her usual bluster. "I simply need you to do one final task."
"Is this really the final task?" Starlight asked, eagerly. Hoping that her freedom was at hand, and she could really begin her quest of equality.
"Oh yes, my slave!" Belladonna replied, wearing her duplicity on her chest like a medal.
"And what task is that?" Starlight asked, curiously. What manner of horror was her masters trying to trick her into?
The changeling smiled. "I simply want you to use the staff of equality to perform a 'cutie re-marking'!" She continued matter of factly.
"Cutie re-marking?" Starlight asked, her ears drooping. This was not the way her spell was supposed to be used, at all! Heck, she wasn't even sure her spell could be used for that purpose... Maybe if she talked it out, the changeling would see reason. "But the staff of equality only brings equality! So I can't possibly -- "
"SHUT UP!" The changeling shouted, her eyes turning into slits -- deciding to switch back to her usual bluster, if her slave wouldn't bend to her will then she would have to use force! "If you don't play ball, they you will be returned to this room until you either completely give up and become a babbling imbecile, or you decide to do things my way!" She warned, grabbing her witching potion, in her magic, and positioning the bottle against her lips. "And If neither work...." she warmed, shaking her sealed vial of witching potion.
Starlight frowned, in defeat. "What do you have in mind?" She asked, wringing her hooves. "What is a 'cutie re-marking'?"
Belladonna hissed angrily, how dense was this pony? "I want her mark!" Belladonna demanded angrily. "And, as my slave, you shall give it to me, or there will be consequences!" She roared.
"But why would you want to give up beautiful changeling equality for boundless inequality?" Starlight asked, honestly befuddled, why would a creature born without a cutie mark want one? Why would anypony ever want to lose the bliss of equality? "You have perfect equality? Why would you want to give it up?"
"Because, dear Starlight," Belladonna replied with a mischievous smirk, and a cackle. "My flank is blank!" She said, her words dripping with disdain. "Do you understand?" She purred, putting one hoof on the unicorn.
Starlight stepped back a few paces, a look of utter horror on her face. "Wha... What do you mean?" She asked her captor.
"You fool!" Belladonna relied, stamping her hoof, in rage. "I want that mark!" She roared again, knocking the unicorn over. "She has a very special cutie mark, and a very special talent: a wishing talent... And I want it!" She demanded, raising a hoof to strike the frightened unicorn.
"What do you mean? 'Wishing talent'?" Starlight asked curiously. "A wishing talent goes against Long Beard's Forty Seventh magical law!" She said, tapping her hoof, thoughtfully. "And, for that matter, why would you want one?"
"Did I not already mention that my flank is blank?" Belladonna replied, sarcastically. "Besides, fool, " her voice hissed. "Do you know what I could do with a wishing talent?" She asked, giving a few moments for it to sink in.
Starlight shimmer shrugged, the changeling's request still made no sense.
"I'll give you time to think." The changeling hissed, in glee, slowly pulling the door shut. "If you want... I can let you stay here a few more days..." She said with a wink. "How does that sound?... You know, to help you think!" She said, taking a moment to watch Starlight shiver. The mare stood there shaking like a leaf, and Belladonna liked it that way.
Starlight scowled, this request went against everything she believed, and yet she wasn't sure about how much more of this nonsense she could stand -- on the other hoof, she wasn't sure her spell was even capable of this, let alone her heart...
The changeling turned around. "But, of course, If you don't comply, or if you perform a cutie demarking, behind my back, then I will be forced to send you -- personally -- down into the mines to make my witching potion."
Starlight gave a frown -- after what had happened to those brave ponies they sent down there... not now.. not ever!
**********
The mayor gulped slightly, this was definitely going to affect her midterm chances. She staggered over to the window, and took a peek through the wooden boards she had hastily nailed to the window to keep the monsters out of city hall. Maybe this was a good time to surrender, especially if they gave her generous surrender terms -- like the rest of the town become icky changeling drones, and she gets to leave quietly (after all, who was more important, the little ponies, or a an important bureaucrat like her?)
The mayor sighed. It was so very quiet, maybe it was all over...
A stallion ran past the window, chased by a dozen changelings...
Ok! Far from over!
She cupped her muzzle to hide a shriek as she backing quickly away from the window, scooting on her plot. Well maybe she was lucky, and they hadn't noticed her yet...
A chuckling could be heard outside and a scuttle of hooves as something slammed into the door loudly, causing the door to shake -- it was a good thing she vacated half of city hall to put a proper barricade between her and the door -- hopefully this would keep the monsters out.
A scuttle of hooves could be heard again as the room shook because of the earth shattering sound that could be heard as something slammed into the door at full speed -- probably more than a few.
She swallowed a shriek as she scooted away from the door, and looked up the stairs, maybe she could try jumping out a second story window?
WHO WAS SHE KIDDING! SHE WAS AN EARTH PONY!
Even if she wanted to try she wouldn't be able to, as she could hear a slamming against the makeshift barricade she'd put on the upstairs windows.
She cursed. "Oh <buy more apples>!!!" She was surrounded.
The door gave another slamming noise as the monsters, once again, pounded against it -- this time causing the door to buckle slightly, as cracks beginning to form along the points of collision.
"Ok!" She thought to herself, starting to panic. "Maybe she should start giving her surrender terms now, while she still could!" She thought, rushing over to write her will. 'I mayor Bright Star, being of right mind... and not yet a changeling --'
A cackling could be heard from the outside, and then utter silence.
The mayor quietly walked up to the window, peeking through the hole left between the patchwork of boards she nailed into place.
Outside, the changelings were divided into two halves, with a rather large bald spot down the middle, forming some kind of pathway.
Ok... This couldn't possibly be good, she thought, looking around for an exit strategy (yes an exit strategy would be very useful here and now.)
An oddly catlike changeling sauntered through the center of the crowd, a proud smile on her face, more like she was the cat that caught the mouse, then a love eating vampony -- the changeling hordes saluting her as she passed by.
A slamming could be heard on the door, as a voice echoed out from behind it. "Are you rrrrready to surrender?" The voice purred, as the changeling's tail swished back and forth, eagerly. "Or, if you want, we can finish the siege of your office, mayor?"
The mayor gulped, as she proceeded to gallop in circles. What was she going to do? How was she going to get out of this? She tried running upstairs, only to hear a slamming against the upstairs window.
"I wouldn't advise keeping me waiting, if I were you, mayor." The changeling hissed. "I'll give you -- "
"What are you terms?" Shouted the mayor through the door.
"How very thoughtful." Purred the changeling, with a smirk. "And what if I said unconditional surrender?"
"I can't do that! I'll do anything, just don't hurt the citizens of this fair town!" She pleaded.
The changeling gave a satisfied sigh. "And what if that won't be acceptable?"
"Just let me go!" She pleaded through the door.
"Excellent!" The changeling purred. "An honest mare... Or at least honest when her back is placed on the wall." She purred, ordering her changeling hordes to give the door one last slam, causing it and the pile of things behind it to go slamming into any and all nearby surfaces. "But worry not mayor, I won't even let me drones feed -- after all, I know how bad a town full of drones would be for your re-election efforts." She said, rolling her eyes. "However! You must follow my orders exactly!" She said, ordering her drones to surround the poor mayor, who was sweating harder than a Yakyakistani bull in a sauna! (This not Yak Sauna!)
The mayor nodded sadly -- she hoped that there was some honesty left in these creatures, though she suspected there was none (mainly as changelings aren't exactly known for their honesty.) "No! I want to hear your demands first!" the mayor demanded, nervously wringing her hooves, as she proceeded to hope that she could encourage the monster to negotiate down its demands if she pretended to be in a position of strength.
"You don't trust me?" The changeling purred, feigning surprise as she swished her tail from side to side. She made a motion to the changelings around here. "Go my brothers and sisters and -- "
"Ok! Please!" The mayor begged, shrieking over the changeling. "What do you want?"
"Ahhh..." The changeling said, with a wink. "Now you're listening, my fair politician..." She said, as she stamped her hoof, summoning the others. "It's very simple, we're going to gather the citizens, and then we'll give you further instructions then." She said, with a wink as she summoned her changeling friends to apprehend the mayor -- pointing at the square, where she planned to gather the others.
Within a few minutes every pony was gathered up large and small.
"Ok mayor, " The changeling hissed. "Is everypony here?"
The mayor nodded like a defeated mare, as she counted the crowd. "Is anyone missing, " she asked the crowd, to a sea of murmuring. Finally one of the elders came forward. "Sadly, " he said, with a frown. "Everypony is accounted for..."
The mayor nodded, and turned to her captors, again. "What do you need?" The mayor asked again, nervously dragging her hoof against the ground.
"Why simple..." She purred. "I'm looking for a renegade from the hive," she said, stamping her hoof as one of the changelings took a caricature of the pony: a pink earth pony with a striped pink and purple mane, and a kite and butterfly cutie mark. "So if you tell me where she is then we'll be on our way?" The changeling hissed politely.
"And what if I refused?" Scoffed the mayor.
"Then half of you will be fed off of until you are drones, and the other half shall become my slaves!" She roared, a certain amount of glee in her voice as she shrieked out the work 'slaves'.
The mayor gulped as the other ponies looked at her anxiously. Did she dare betray one of her little ponies like this?
"Mayor?" A small filly announced. "I don't want to be an icky bug pony!"
The head changeling's eyes turned into slits. "The girl makes sense!" She purred. "Help them mayor! Tell me where this pony is and we shall leave!"
"But what do you need her for?" The mayor retorted, trying to buy more time to think.
"You have no time to think mayor!" The changeling hissed, returning the mayor to topic. "Ask your townsfolk where she is, or you shall be punished!"
The mayor looked down. The safety of the many is higher than the few or the one... "Has anypony seen this pony?"
A colt in the crowd gulped, and turned away -- being unwilling to say.
The colt's mother gulped, and came forward. "She was at the lake today!" She said apologetically, turning her head away as she began to notice the daggers coming from her son's eyes. "Please tell the changelings to leave my colt alone!"
"Excellent!" Chuckled the changeling. "A ppppurrrrleasure doing business with you," she hissed. "Now for the second part of what's required."
The mayor gulped. She made no more demands... She knew she had been had.
The changeling's eyes began to glow hypnotically as the crowd began to slowly fall into a trance where they stood.
The changeling frowned, now sweating pretty heavily. "This would have been much easier if Solanaceae or Mandragora was still here!"
As the last pony fell under her trance, she gave a chuckle, and opened her mouth to announce to the whole crowd. "You were lucky, my little ponies, that I, Strong Armor, head of the Equestrian Special Forces branch of the EUC managed to come in time to stop the attack that Queen Chrysalis had ordered on this defenseless town!" The town's folk nodded in agreement. "Unfortunately one of your citizen's has gone missing!" She said with a fake frown, and alligator tears. "This was most likely due to the meddling that you heard had been done by a certain petty prince Blueblood!" The town nodded angrily. "If, only, he hadn't meddled, you wouldn't have lost such a valued friend!" The town nodded hypnotically causing the trance to break at once as the whole town fell into an immediately slumber.
"Time to feed?" Asked a drone mindlessly.
Belladonna shook her head. "Not this time, my little changeling..." She replied, purring softly.
"Why not?" The drone asked angrily, it's face drooling, profusely.
"Because," she replied calmly. "The ruler of the changelings and I are working on a plan beyond your comprehension," she said, dismissing the drone with a wave of her hoof. "Of course, if you want, you can see what my witching potion is capable of, " She whispered into the drone's ear. "Understand?"
"No pony is to feed! Instead the traitor is to be located, and transported, unharmed, back to 'Our Town'!" The changeling leader announced hashly. "Anypony caught feeding, or taking prisoners other than the one I commanded is to be liquidated for the better good of the hive!" Belladonna shouted at the top of her lungs. "Now move out!"
**********
"Skywishes?" A voice that sounded eerily similar to star Catcher's echoed in her head. "Can you hear me Skywishes?" The voice asked, confusing her for a moment for her friends, whose tones were more serene, and soft, almost to the point of whispering. Whereas this voice was a lot more confident, and slightly less formal. "Can you hear me, my little pony?" The voice said, reminding her again of her friend Star Catcher.
"Is that you, Star Catcher?" She asked, the silhouette of a pony. No! It reminded her of Star Catcher, and this pony may have had the same colors, but she had a different symbol, and stood at least a good double the size of her old friend. And Star Catcher would never turn her back to her, like that!
"I'm sorry, my little pony, " the regal pony replied, softly, as tears starting to fall between her front legs. "But we can't talk now, just trust that Star Catcher still cares about you, her old friend, and is desperately trying to find you -- " she said, her voice trailing off, as the pink earth pony awoke with a start.
"Excuse me, " a grey unicorn said, coming in with a plate of rather tasteless looking muffins. "I know it's against the rules, " the stallion replied, with a frown instead of his normal wallpapered smile. "But I thought I'd bring you something to eat before your unmarking," he said, with a frown. "... And... Then you can come work with my friends, Sugar Belle, and... " he paused, tightly gripping a grey feather, and a lock of white fur in his mouth. "Some... Other ponies..." he said, putting his fake smile on like a cloak. "Making witching potion..." he said, his hoof shaking slightly. "Now won't that be fun?" He asked disingenuously.
"What's a cutie unmarking?" Skywishes responded, pausing for a second. "cutie, unmarking ... " she paused, getting frustrated. "Ohhh!!!! You know what I mean?"
The pony shrugged, and replied back, with a less phony smile. "It's a beautiful thing, we remove your cutie mark, leaving you with blissful equality, and then -- "
"What's a cutie mark?" Skywishes responded back, curiously.
"It's the thing that makes you special, " he replied nonchalantly. How did she not know about those... 'horrible'... things? "You know, the thing that brings tension against your fellow ponies," he replied, not expecting the vacant stare he received in return. "Starlight Glimmer takes it away using the staff of equality to bring ultimate equality?" He added, not sure how else to describe it.
"The thing that makes me special?" Skywishes replied, looking all over her body. "Do you mean?" She asked, looking between her back legs.
"No!" He replied, blushing slightly. "I mean this!" He exclaimed, pointing at her flank.
"Oh! My bu -- ?" She replied, receiving a head shake from the grey earth stallion.
"The thing on your flank!" He replied, feeling flabbergasted, one of the 'gifts' he received with his unmarking, was that they has removed his strange jovial personality...
She looked at her flank for a few moments, before finally opening her mouth again. "Oh!!!" She replied, in realization. "My symbol!" She replied, turning back to the earth pony. "But what do you mean, it brings inequality?" She asked, curiously.
"Well, " he replied, like a professor, despite the confused tone he used while doing so. "Your mark gives you your special talent, and prevents you from -- "
The pink earth pony shook her head, laughing as she did so, like a sister correcting her little brother. "No, silly! The mark doesn't do anything!" She replied, with a chuckle, waving her hoof. "It just symbolizes my love for wishing, and kites!" She replied, pointing her front hoof at her flank. "And there no way for that to make you any more special, than any other pony!"
"Huh..." the grey unicorn replied, leaving to think about some things.
**********
"Starlight Glimmer, " a changeling drone droned, forcing open the door to her little house. "Belladonna requests your presence at her mansion, " it demanded, foolishly requesting her to visit that monument to inequality that was the dwelling place of her captor -- a captor she would someday depose.
As the boswazi changelings practically drug her along, she could only begin to tell how her fellow ponies had been oppressed by that cougar, that the changelings had put in charge of her town. Instead of being plain and equal, instead they looked sick and tired, having been forced to work endlessly to mine, gather, and concoct that horrid substance that their overlord was so addicted to. And Starlight wanted no more part of it.
However, any thoughts of sedition were immediately greeted by belligerent growling from her 'chaperones'.
Also suspiciously absent from her normally cordial collection of ponies were her closest confidant, Double Diamond, and a pegasus they had enlisted recently, Night Glider, and, for both of whom, she could only assume the worst. And she would have to speak to her oppressor about that. Maybe after she performed the dirty deed, she would be in a place to impose some terms...
However, no sooner had they opened the door to the mansion that the changeling called 'her humble home', then the changelings got the first word.
"Are you upset about losing your puuurrriiends Double Diamond, and Night Glider?" She purred, swishing her tail like a feline.
"No! We are all friends here in -- " Starlight responded, being quickly interrupted.
"Even Double Diamond?" She asked, a sadistic expression embracing her face. "You seemed to take quite the fancy to him?" She said, batting her eyes, and cradling her hooves together, like a star struck filly...
Starlight blushed, shaking her head. She couldn't yet embrace equality, not as long as other ponies hadn't yet, and this meant that she was as fallible as any pony, and, as a result, she'd taken a special fancy for the dashing earth pony, who looked good even drained of his colors in equality, however, she couldn't let on as it was toxic for her herd to think as such.
"Well, " the changeling purred. "If you do a good job on the task I give you, then maybe you, and the other slaves assistants, can take a good month break?" she purred, in the pink unicorn's ear. "How does that sound?"
Starlight shook her head, did she dare even consider this crooked deal? Could she even consider anything that tyrant demanded, or offered, after what she'd done to Double Diamond?
The changeling gave a sadistic smile. "Of course, if you're not sure, " she replied, with a melodramatic voice, "I could give everypony double shifts instead?" She purred. "And you can go back to reeducation?" She purred, taking extra care to emphasize the word 'reeducation'.
Starlight almost fainted, she wanted no part of that horrible chamber, it's purpose was the teaching of equality not conformity to the tyrant queen! "Wh...Wh...What's your task?" She stuttered, finding herself, once again, short of words.
"Excellent!" The changeling purred. "Your task is actually quite simple," she stated, doing laps around her prey. "I need that cutie remarking!" She reiterated.
Starlight swallowed the urge to shriek, this request was affront to everything she stood for, to the 'Staff of Equality' itself! How dare this tyrant even request such a thing! Not just did cutie marks only lead to inequality, but she was requesting to become more unequal... by design! And it was an insult to her. "But the Staff of Equality can't be used this way!" She snarled, angrily showing her teeth at the monster, a bad habit she picked up while on the road with a group of diamond dogs, during her research.
"Then find a way!" The tyrant hissed back, her back arching like an angered cat, her front left hoof ready to strike. "Or you can join Party Favor, and Sugar Belle in the mines! Mining ingredients for my witching potion!" She snarled back. "How do you feel about that!" She snarled back.
"No! Please!" The pink unicorn begged, she'd die down there, and then what would happen to equality?
"And, you can spend your time in reeducation while you aren't in the mines!" The changeling said, driving the point home!
"Ok!" Starlight shrieked back, feeling utterly defeated, not sure if her magic The Staff of Equality could even be used that way.
The changeling eagerly licked her lips, probably drinking of her fear, and desperation. "Then you have one week!" She shouted, the drones putting an hourglass on the granite counters that adorned the mansion. "Don't let me down!" She stated, confidently. "Because if you do..." she said, intentionally trailing off. "Then I have no use for you!" She shouted, stamping her hoof for her guards. "Take her away to contemplate the complexities of cutie re-marking ponies, in reeducation until she learns the place of ponies like her in Vladimir's grand new hive!" She said, as the pink unicorn was dragged away kicking and screaming.
"But you promised me -- " the unicorn protested on her way out the door.
"Well, " the changeling boasted sadistically, "I changed my mind!"
**********
Celestia shook her head, another one of those daydreams. She'd been having them for almost two thousand years, every time she'd doze off during the day, usually during the last thousand years, when she'd been handling both the day and the night shifts.
Usually she'd see an odd pink earth pony, whom, she swore, seemed oddly familiar, and yet she'd sworn she'd never met her before.
Sometimes the pony would be sitting around, making wishes for her friends. Other times she would be flying a kite, or dancing with her friends. And occasionally, in her nightmares, she'd be attacked by Discord, as many of her ponies over the centuries had been.
In past years, while she was still in Starswirl's employ, she'd spent a lot of time investigating the pony, thinking that maybe she was reaching her via a dreamwalk. But what pony, besides herself and Luna, could still be around for a thousand plus years?
Starswirl had always speculated that maybe it was some kind of figment from her lost past. That maybe her soul was reaching out to something, or someone, across the divide. Ironically it had been that speculation that had inspired him to start his interdimensional mirror research.
And, very occasionally, she dreamed that she was a large white pegasus, and that she and the pink pony with the kite cutie mark were the best of friends. And strangely, it felt so natural.
But in the last couple of decades, she had seen the pony a lot more, and she was in trouble. It felt odd, but she had to help, for some reason. Ironically, the same thing had happened right before little Rarity had shown up, the pink pony was in trouble, and she had to help.
Little Rarity... The more she heard the name, the more familiar it sounded... It was just like the pink earth pony... Was it possible that she knew the pink pony? But why, and from where?
She had to admit, she kind of dozed off while waiting for the Unicornian delegation to arrive, she'd been working both the day and night shift, so Luna could have the opportunity to finish teaching her new protegee the basics of her alicorn magic, and some basic controls for her mood, lest the nightmare that she had given birth to return.
Once again, she could see the pink pony, and she was a wreck, locked in a dark room, in some kind of deep trouble.
And then, it returned to her, like the two halves of her mind coming together, and it became clear for a second. "Skywishes?" She asked, hoping to get the pony's attention.
The pony looked around, looking lost, for some reason she couldn't quite get in contact with her old friend.
"Can you hear me Skywishes?" She asked, again, and the pony started turning, towards her. "Can you hear me, my little pony?" She asked, turning her back, as the pony turned towards her. She couldn't face her little pony right now, not after she'd failed her earlier.
"Is that you, Star Catcher?" Skywishes asked the princess.
Celestia frowned, resisting the urge to cry. "I'm sorry, my little pony, " she said, softly, the tears starting to fall, it was an excellent thing that she turned away from her old friend, lest Skywishes know that her princess of the sun had failed her.
She gulped, and continued to speak, in her softest voice. "But we can't talk now, just trust that Star Catcher still cares about you, her old friend, and is desperately trying to find you -- " she said, being awakened by a male voice.
"Wake up princess! The delegation from unicornia has arrived early." Kibitz said, waking her from her brief slumber. "They wish to finish discussions of our concessions for their release of Mrs. Lily Lightly, and the others."
Celestia sighed, "of course, " she replied to her advisor, as they left the throne room to meet with the unicorns in the ceremonial chambers.
"Oh guards?" She said, turning to the two large pegasus guards that guarded her chambers.
"Yes princess?" They responded.
"Please obtain some dragon flame for me, if you could, " she asked the guards, who both nodded in agreement. "I need to write a letter to Commander Sentry."
**********
"The hive mind is peace! Individuality is a lie!" The loudspeaker shouted for the millionth time, if she could, she'd make Belladonna pay... If only she could only get her hooves on that changeling mare.
The voice droned to a stop as the door creaked open, revealing a rather large changeling stallion guard. "Your time is up, Mrs. Glimmer, " he said, forcibly grabbing her in his magic, and dragging her along. "Lady Belladonna demands your presence at her home!"
"Please!" She begged desperately, her eyes still being crazy after a whole week of 'reeducation'. "I need more time!" She whined, being neither willing, nor able to use her magic The Staff of Equality to perform a 'cutie remarking'! Yeah, some ponies would claim that she didn't try, but the truth was that she didn't know how (ok... not that she wanted to, anyway.)
Her tormentor approached while she was still a ways off, almost floating over, as if on a bed of her own magic. "Are you ready?" She purred eagerly, her tail standing straight up, like a dog with dominance issues -- how'd she even do that?
"Please, Belladonna!" Starlight begged. "I really need more time!" She begged, falling down on her back hooves, assuming a proper grovelling position.
The changeling's expression did a one hundred and eighty, from enthusiasm, to utter frustration, her face rapidly changing color from red to orange to purple to polka dot to plaid. "You've had long enough! My blank is flank, and demands a mark!" She hissed, practically pouncing on the unicorn.
"Please!" The pink unicorn begged, desperately, falling onto her face. "I can't do it yet! I don't know how!"
"Try it now!" The changeling demanded, grabbing Starlight Glimmer in a choke hold, with her magic, and lifting her three feet into the air. "Or I'll throw you into my vat of witchweed potion!" She hissed, showing her back teeth.
"No... Please..." The unicorn stuffed, gasping for air, as the changeling's magic pressed ever tighter against neck.
"Do it or else!" The changeling growled, her eyes going wide.
"I'll... try..." Starlight, gasped, her face beginning to change color.
"Good!" Belladonna said, releasing the unicorn from her magic, who fell like a stone to the ground. "She can learn her place in the hive!" The changeling crowed, gesturing her hoof at the pink unicorn, who would probably be returning to reeducation later. "Guards, bring in the pony with the wishing mark! It's time for a cutie re-marking," she announced to the guards, who dutifully left, in quick succession, getting stuck in the door, as four of them attempted to squeeze out at once.
**********
Party Favor sighed to himself, another day, another collection of odd ingredients thrown into the bubbling, swirling vat of green glop. He sighed, this can't be good for him, and was certainly not what he signed up for when he had originally accepted Starlight's offer of 'equality'.
He trotted over slowly, and unceremoniously dumped the contents of his cart into the swirling pool of gloop.
A whip snapped violently, sent in motion by a rather large changeling guard. "Hurry it up!" He snarled. "This is a worksite, not a resort!" He shouted violently. "Do you want to find out what happened to your friend Double Diamond?" He asked, shaking the formerly blue earth pony, in his magic.
"No sir!" He said, giving his legendary 'crazy eyes'. This was definitely not what he signed up for. And Celestia knows, Nightglider, and Double Diamond definitely didn't, he thought, a tear dropping silently. And that was all the more reason to rethink his current arrangement. Now it wasn't that he didn't mind so much being a mindless puppet of equality... he really did (... ok... he didn't so much) but days like today he dreamed of what it would be like if he had his mark back. And he supposed he could say something, but that would mean him returning to 'reeducation', and he really didn't want to have to do that...
And, on days like today, he sometimes wished he could have his mark, even just for a moment... He just wished --
**********
"Has the guest of honor arrived yet?" Belladonna asked amorously at 'Rep', or rather the changeling confidant that she'd assigned to the task of impersonating her old consort.
"Not yet..." he said, stopping for a moment, his face looking very uncomfortable. "Katrina..."
He eyes became slits. "Then hopefully they'll hurry up, Rep, " she snarled. "Every moment I'm delayed is one less wish I can grant myself!" She hissed to herself silently.
"Well, I'll hurry them, then... " 'Rep' said, pausing again, his face turning a more reptilian shade of green. "Katrina..."
"Excellent, " she purred, amorously. "I know I could could count on you, Rep!"
"Oh course..." he said, doing his best impersonation of the lizard he'd seen only in very old replicas of very old replica pictures, and heard of only in the memoirs of a senile old mare. "You can count on me!"
"Excellent!" She purred, as 'Rep', being a stallion of his words, dragged in a very sorry looking pink earth pony with a pink and purple mane and tail, and a kite and butterfly cutie mark.
"Ahhh.... " she purred. "The guest of honor has arrived, " she exclaimed, approaching her pink 'friend'. "So how are you feeling, my little pony?" She asked 'eagerly', savoring her victory.
"What do you want?" Skywishes asked, her eyes still red, and cheeks still puffy from crying. "What did I do to -- ?"
"It's nothing personal, " she replied, nonchalantly. "I simply wish to have your mark!" Belladonna exclaimed, interrupting the earth pony, with a hiss.
"Cast your spell witch, or you're finished!" Belladonna hissed, turning to the vibrant pink unicorn.
Starlight looked back, steeling her nerve, if ever she was going to fight her oppressors for the free--
Belladonna growled, sensing that her marionette was trying to snip her strings.
Starlight nodded robotically, her spirit finally broken, and most of her fight now gone. "I'm sorry..." She said, turning to Skywishes, as her horn began to power up, the staff beginning to glow.
Starlight began to sweat, it felt like the mare's mark was practically glued on. In all of her uses of her cutie de-marking spell, had never happened before...
Skywishes whimpered, in pain, it felt like her mark was on fire, as it began to glow violently. Like something was resisting the Witch's spell, and the more the witch cast it, the worse it became...
Starlight's horn began to glow violently, and the staff of equality began to smoke, as she did battle against the, normally, submissive mark on the pink earth pony's flank... Forget a cutie remarking, she might not be able to even perform a cutie demarking.
The room was bathed in an aura of light green magic emanating from the pink earth pony's body, which now glowed a neon color.