//------------------------------// // Starlight Glimmer Unliving // Story: Ponyville Public Access // by Justice3442 //------------------------------// A happy tune strummed on an acoustic guitar rings out as the TV screen comes to life. The word ‘SPELLS’ pops up on the screen in a nice sans serif font and a small, round purple logo with white lettering spelling out ‘Starlight Glimmer’ waits in the corner.  A portion of the screen is dedicated to a muted recording of Starlight reading from a scroll and Sunburst holding open a book. Starlight watches proudly as a procession of mice standing on their hind-legs fling themselves out an open window as Sunburst looks on in total abject horror. The word changes to ‘INCANTATIONS’ as the guitar continues and another video of Starlight appears. This time she is chanting something as Trixie stands by her side. Both mares stare at a massive circle drawn with intersecting lines forming a complex star-like shape in the center. As Starlight’s inaudible chanting continues, thick, tar-like bubbles froth from the center of the circle. Trixie jumps and clutches Starlight tightly as eyes and giant sectioned legs much like those of a spider appear from the inky black void. Again, the words change. This time to ‘DECORATING’ as a video of Starlight looking at drapes that appear to be made from repurposed multi-color dragon costumes roughly large enough for a pony to fit inside. Starlight points cheerfully at the drapes and begins laughing, and laughing, and laughing… and then crying… and crying and laughing again, this time with a malevolent smile on her face and then crying more pathetically than before as she collapses into a heap of her own tears. The camera pans to Twilight Sparkle, who watches from the doorway with a confused and worried expression on her face as she slowly backs out of the room. The words and video suddenly disappear as Starlight Glimmer appears on the screen in front of a long, rectangular table, she smiles widely at the camera with lips that are seemingly just a little too symmetrical. “Dolls were always special friends to me when I was young!” Starlight declares to the camera. “They were there for me when no one else was because dolls never leave you—” Starlight’s features turn angry and spiteful for a moment “—even when most every other pony in your life does!” As quickly as it had appeared, Starlight’s frightful expression leaves. She smiles at the camera once more. “Today on this program, I’m going to show you how you can make your own special doll friends!” Starlight glances down for a moment as her horn glows an electric blue and cotton stuffing, a length of light-purple fabric, thread and needle, and scissors were floated up as she continued talking, “Now, I hear you saying ‘That’s dumb! I can just ask my dad to buy me all the dolls I want!” Starlight turns to the camera as her smile disappears. “Yes, I heard that, Diamond Tiara. I hear everything!” Starlight’s lips part into a smile once more, but it was a new smile, every bit the shadow-smile of her somewhat disconcerting, but happy-looking smile, trading faux joy for real joy and the symmetry for malevolence.  “Go ahead! Run and tell other ponies what you just saw! No pony will EVER believe you!”   “Uh… Starlight?” Spike’s voice calls out from offscreen. “We’re recording and this video is going to be played to everypony, so actually EVERYPONY will believe her.” “That’s okay!” Starlight assures as her ‘everything is fine’ smile returns. “Because I’m going to make a doll for Diamond Tiara specifically.” “Oh… That’s… nice?” Starlight nods her voice breaking into malice for one word as she speaks, “Yes, it’s a good thing.” She says. “Now! As you can see we have all the basic components for making a simple doll.” Starlight points to each thing in turn. “Internals, skin, thread and a piercing implement, a cutting tool! So, with some simple sewing skills…” “Uh, Starlight?” Spike calls out. “Yes, Spike?” Starlight replies as she faces the camera. The various items assembled fly at a dizzying speed inside a glow of Starlight’s magic. “Maybe you should tell the foals at home to do this with parental supervision, ‘cause of the scissors and needle.” “Why?!” Starlight snaps. “Nopony was there for ME when I made my dolls…” “Uh…” “Except for my dad,” Starlight muses as she taps her chin. “But he didn’t understand me, so it DOESN’T COUNT!”   With that, the whirlwind of magic stops and with a final snip of the scissors cutting a loose thread, doll with a happy smile and stitched eyes appears, the doll respectably resembling a pony aside from missing mane and tail. “Okay, but maybe slow down and discuss how to make the doll?” Spike suggests. “Not everypony can just magic up a perfect doll like you… In fact, pretty much nopony can.” “No,” Starlight replies simply with a smile. She continues, “Now, remember to collect the most important part for making the doll!” With another flash of magic, a couple tufts of some purple and white strands float up. “Hair of the pony the doll is for! Now this can be hair from a pony you hate, or love, or who gave you a funny look when you were searching for canned gravel, or just… any pony you can get hair from!” “Wait, is this a Voodoo doll?” Spike asks. “What? No!” “Okay, because you know how Twilight feels about the voodoo and you!” “Who do?” “You do!” “Do what?” “Shouldn’t be practicing Voodoo!” Spike exclaims. Starlight grins knowingly at the camera. “Spike, Spike, Spike… This isn’t voodoo!” “Okay, because for a second I thought you were using magic for—” “It’s just a simple spell that brings that animates the doll into a sort of half-life while the owner of the hair receives the benefit of becoming far more placid and open to suggestion!” “—aaaand there it is.” “SO!” Starlight continues. “Once you learn ‘Lucky the Ginger’s Child’s Play spell of Forever Friend’—” Starlight smiles happily at the camera “—Just ask Twilight! She knows the spell and will give you the book that has it if you just ask nicely.” “Don’t do that,” Spike counters as he takes the time to lean in front of the camera and share a disapproving look with the audience, “Twilight will absolutely just pass the book along without a second thought,” he adds before disappearing behind the camera once more. “Cast the spell!” Starlight continues as if going down a simple bulleted list. Her horn flashes blue as her head spasms briefly. For a moment, she stares blankly at the camera with unfocused eyes, her head held askew as her horn buzzes and her magic flashes black then red briefly, a single trickle of blood drips from her snout. Diamond Tiara’s hair floats into the air, each strand going wire strait before they impale the head and flank of the doll forming a miniature replication of Diamond Tiara’s hair as they fall into a wavy shape. This is accompanied by a reverberating high-pitched scream from a filly that fills the room and echoes with terror before it turns hallow and goes dead silent. And then, just like that, blue-gray stitching appears on the flanks of the doll as if sewn from with an invisible needle using thread from inside the doll. As quickly as it starts, it’s over, and Starlight’s eyes refocus and a smiling again adorns her face as she wipes the blood off her nose with one swift motion of her forehoof. “And once you’ve paid the simple prerequisite price of the spell, you’re done!” Starlight motions to the doll. “A new special friend to comfort you in times of need or even just times of want!” The doll twitches slightly then spasms. With a sickly ‘click’ one of the legs suddenly goes straight, and then another, and another. Starlight’s smile began to change once again to one of delirious madness as the doll stood on all fours, its head hanging limply off its somewhat misshapen torso. Then with one more gruesome ‘snap’ the head spun around to point upwards as the stitching around the mouth split into a rictus grin of white stuffing. “Awww… there you see?” Starlight says as the doll leaps up and clamps on tightly with all four legs to the right side of her face. “A very special friend,” she says as she closes her eyes and raises her forehooves up to the doll and hugs it even as the doll pulls at her cheek with enough force that the white of Starlight’s eye became visible. “Uh… Starlight?” Spike says. “Truth be told, I’ve wanted to say something for a while, but I’ve been too terror-stricken to speak. I think this is one of those things you should have ran by literally any pony el…” Spike trails off as a colorful cloth foreleg appears on the table, this one a bright teal. This is followed by another leg from across the table this one cream colored… And then dozens of legs appear as dozens of pony dolls crawl up. Each one sporting the same backwards facing heads and wide, fixed grins of the Diamond Tiara doll. “St-Starlight…?” Spike stammers out even as the dolls gather close together on the table and all turn to face Starlight. “How many dolls did you make?!” “Oh, uh… How many ponies are there in Ponyville… and also Canterlot?” “Uh…” The image trembles slightly and changes position, though still pointed at Starlight as the camera pans shakily across the room. “Kinda a lot…” “Well, then… a bit more than half of kinda a lot!” Starlight replies.  With that, the dolls on the table all leap atop Starlight who lets out a startled “Ack!” and falls to the ground with a soft ‘Pomff!’ “Spike, help!” Starlight calls out in a muffled shout as she thrust a forehoof into the air “My special friends all want hugs and I only have two forelegs!” she adds as dolls crawl up her leg and even more climb to the surface of the table. In one unified action, they all turn to face the camera. Suddenly the camera jarringly shifts to look at a door, a door that rapidly gets closer to the sound of claws clicking against crystal floors and Spike huffing and puffing. A purple claw appears on the screen briefly as the door is thrown open only to reveal a hallway, walls, and ceiling crawling with more dolls that all turn to look at Spike with their stitched eyes and wide, hungry smiles. “No, no, no, no!” Spike exclaims as the camera turns to the left revealing a mercifully empty hallway. The image shakes and identical green crystalline doors pass on either end as the telltale audio signs of Spikes frantic retreat continue. A corner is rounded and the camera pans to look down another hallway. This one is not empty. This one is also filled with dolls. “My Celestia, they’re everywhere!” Spike cries, fright gripping his voice. The camera pans again, but there are only more dolls. Everywhere. Everywhere the camera points at there are dolls crawling closer and closer as quiet, otherworldly squeaks rise in a chorus from the disturbing mass. The camera spins one more time and focuses on a door still covered with dolls. Without warning, a jet of green flame splashes against the door and emerald fire spreads across it in all directions. The blaze washes across the dolls on the door which catch fire and fall. “AH!” Spike yells, the camera panning down to show that the pastel horde of dolls have now gotten ahold of his legs. Some try to pull him down while others climb upwards. With another spray of fire, the floor is suddenly alight with dozens of flailing dolls as Spike’s short legs kick free, sending the flaming pony-shaped things flying in all directions. The door seemingly leaps closer and is thrown open, revealing a crystalline bathroom with a sink, bath, and toilet, and thankfully no dolls. A door slams. For a moment, everything is silent except for Spike’s ragged breath. And then another scream from the dragon as the camera falls with a heavy ‘thunk’ and the sound of breaking glass as its lens cracks and the world turns sideways. Spike stumbles into view, a pink doll with tufts of a purple mane and tail and a grape cutie mark hugging his face. He collapses to the ground as his claws instinctively rise up to pull the intruder from his face. Pink fabric splits and white cotton breaks free of its confines. Spike flings the doll away and it lands right in front of the camera, flailing as it’s empty eyes look onward as an otherworldly death rattle escapes its mouth. It ceases moving and everything is quiet once more. Quiet except for the breathing of one small dragon. A dragon who is curled out of focus in the corner of the room. The video simply stays that way for scores of seconds. Finally, Spike lets out a massive breath of air. “Twilight has to see this…” he muses as he crawls on his front and back claws to the camera and reaches behind the lens. And then the screen goes black. Sitting on the couch, Twilight Sparkle stares forward with wide-open amethyst eyes fixated on the TV screen. Her pupils shake slightly in their irises, but she stares at the TV even as the black gives way to a screen full of circles, lines, blocks of colors, and one stoic-looking buffalo in a full feather headdress. Yes, Twilight simply looks onward at what’s a simple test pattern with eyes unblinking.   Because they’re being held open. By dozens of tiny cloth-hooves of various colors. “Starlight?” she calls out, trying to keep the fear from her voice. “You figure out that counterspell yet?” “Oh-hmmm?” Starlight replies from outside the room. “Counterspell! Right! I’ll get right on that just after the dolls finish setting the table…again! And also get bored of this several day long tea party they’re throwing for me and Trixie!” Trixie’s voice yells out, “Trixie has had nothing but tea and crumpets for the better part of the week and is terrified! You’d think I’d be used to this after so many days, but no. Still scared out of my wits!”   Twilight merely stays on the couch, her eyes still forced to look at the TV even as a simple color pattern fills the screen and. “Spiiiike… You still taking a bath… and holding up in the bathroom?” “Considering the bathroom has a nearly endless supply of water and food—” “Wait, food?” “Well, the WALLS are a bit thinner now.” “Ah,” Twilight says simply. “Okay, well, I’m going to need you to leave, so get decent.” “I mean… I’m always naked anyhow and not stepping through that door, so… ‘Done’ and ‘Hell no’ respectively,” Spike answers to the sound of splashing water. “You’re not going through the door, Spike,” Twilight informs evenly. “Uh… Okay? Then how—” With a magenta flash of her horn, Twilight disappears and a pile of dolls fall to the floor. She just as quickly appeared with a magenta flash and a ‘Pomff!’ inside the bathroom, electing a startled yelp from Spike. Before he so much as has time to question what’s going on, she quickly wraps her forelegs and wings around the moist dragon, and pushed off with her back legs, sending both herself and Spike through the window, horn first. “Because we’re going through the window, Spike!” Twilight shouts as she quickly maneuvers Spike onto her back and spreads her wings. “WhoaaAHAHAH!” Spike exclaims as he grabs ahold to Twilight for dear life, the ground becoming uncomfortably close as before Twilight glides upwards. “I NOTICED on account of how we JUST did that! Why didn’t you just teleport us both?!”   “NO TIME!” Twilight exclaims. “But it only takes an INSTAN—” “JUST SHUT UP AND HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHERE WE CAN FIND A YOUNG PRIEST AND AN OLD PRIEST!”