//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Fluttershy's Cult // Story: Glimmer of Hope // by Nailah //------------------------------// Starlight gritted her teeth a bit, a slight shiver trembling all through her body. Focus. Just relax. Starlight jumped slightly in her seat, hearing the creak of the cottage door opening. Fluttershy stood there, carrying a tray of tea within her left fore hoof, humming a gentle tune, she carefully placed the tea onto the table, sliding a cup towards Starlight. Starlight couldn't help but notice how calm Fluttershy looked like all of this was normal. What happened? “It really is so good to see you, Starlight. You really should visit more often.” smiled Fluttershy, taking a sip of tea. “Oh, I had been planning too, you know it's just so hard to be a leader of all ponies. It's nothing like when I ran this village. Though I must say you are doing a wonderful job in my stead. I always knew you were the right pony for the task at hoof.” “Oh, of course! This place is simply amazing. I've never been happier, though often I do wonder about my animals.” spoke Fluttershy, a soft sigh escaping her lips. Fluttershy's posture looked calm, almost calculated. Starlight fidgeted a bit. She bit her lip, eyes darting from side to side, before taking a deep breath. “So...tell me what's it like being the leader of all ponies in Equestria? I simply can't imagine how hard it must be.” smiled Fluttershy, calmly sipping her tea, playfully batting her eyelashes at her mentor. This felt so wrong, Starlight said to herself. Fluttershy being this… close with her was… uncomfortable to say the least. Starlight kept her posture straight, focused. She felt a slight trickle of sweat running down her cheeks. Starlight glanced back towards Fluttershy, calmly sipping at her tea, while pondering on how best to answer her. “Well...it's more complicated than you might think. To be honest with you, most of it's rather dull and uneventful. Often it's just meetings and boring politics. I think it's probably more interesting for you. Tell me how have the villagers been?” questioned Starlight, leaning her chin against her forehooves, and giving Fluttershy that suggestive smirk. “Oh, you know how it is. I don't know why you'd have to ask. All of them have been following our ways since you left. Though I did have a little bit of trouble with Sugar Belle, but even she has come to see our ways.” “Really? How fascinating.” replied Starlight, taking a sip of her tea, enjoying the quiet calm. Her eyebrows furrowed a bit. “Tell me Starlight, you really didn't come here just for tea did you?” smiled Fluttershy, sheepishly. Her cheeks flushing just a bit, a bit of a suggestive smirk. “Or did you come to visit Twilight? After all you always did have a strong connection with her.” “Twilight? She's here? Where?” questioned Starlight as she sat up straighter on the bench. Her forehooves resting against the top of the picnic table, eyes widened. If Twilight was still around, then all hope wasn't lost. She could fix whatever mess this was. Whatever she had caused. “Where? Why Starlight, have you been sleeping well the past few nights? You just don't seem like yourself.” questioned Fluttershy, sipping her tea, a slight raise of an eyebrow, as she reached a forehoof across the table, batting her eyelashes at her softly. “You know you can tell me anything right? You know I'm here for you.” Starlight Glimmer felt beads of sweat running down her face, as she took a slow nervous gulp. “Of course, I know that Fluttershy. It's just I worry about Twilight. I worry she might still be a thorn in my side even now.” Starlight whimpered as she shifted a bit in her seat. She couldn't help but to sigh, her ears drooped a bit to the sides of her face. “Oh...I see. Well, why don't we go see her. After all she's still in the same spot that she's always been. I can take you to her if you'd like.” “I'd like that very much, might help ease these fears of mine as well.” she chuckled a bit. Fluttershy stood up from the bench, stretching out her body, leaning her head back, and cracking her neck from side to side. She gestured with a fore hoof towards Sugar Belle. “Do be a good girl and watch over the others for a bit now would you? I wouldn't want to come back to find this place any differently than what I left it in.” smirked Fluttershy, an innocent smirk crossing her lips, as she lifted her fore hoof and patted Sugar Belle's mane like a mother would. “Of course Fluttershy. Anything for you.” replied Sugar Belle in complete monotone, nodding her head downwards. As ever, she was keeping her gaze leveled at the ground. Starlight Glimmer watched the behavior and actions of the village, it really did remind her of the old days. How often she'd praise the ponies for following her code, and how easily it seemed Fluttershy had taken to the role of Leader here in her absence. Starlight then stood up on her haunches, and walked over beside Fluttershy, looking at Sugar Belle. “It's good to see all of you doing so well. Now I want all of you to be a good example for Fluttershy. If even one of you slip up, we'll know.” her muzzle raised upwards slightly into a sadistic smirk.  “Follow me.” replied Fluttershy leading the way as she trotted through the small village. Starlight Glimmer followed Fluttershy, keeping just a few paces behind her, waving towards the villagers. Starlight was led outside of the small village, towards the cave where she had first met Double Diamond. Even after all these years, she still remembered that moment vividly, like it had just happened. She stopped and stood silently as she -alongside Fluttershy- entered the cave and she was soon struck silent by what she saw before her. In front of her eyes was none other than Twilight Sparkle, she had this look of absolute shock and awe upon her frozen face. Starlight glanced at her flank, noticing her mark was very much the equal sign as she might have expected. Her ears flattened a bit against the sides of her head, unable to stop a slight sigh from escaping her lips. “Now Fluttershy....tell me why is she frozen if she doesn't have her mark?” questioned Starlight Glimmer. She kept her eyes focused on Fluttershy's solid baby blues. Making sure she got as many answers as she could, while playing along with the “role” she had here. “Oh yes, well you see....not all have accepted our ways. That's why you had no other choice but to freeze her in a block of solid ice. Quite cruel, if you ask me, but I have kept her here as a reminder for the villagers of what will happen if they dare to defy our ways. After all, we're just trying to make every pony happy, and why would anything fight against something so pleasant?” smiled Fluttershy, as she nuzzled her head against Starlight's, a genuine soft smile across her muzzle. She couldn't help but coo, it seemed Fluttershy had taken to this role more than she might have initially imagined. “I see... Interesting. What kind of magic is this?” questioned Starlight as she lifted a forehoof towards the ice, and felt a wave of rejection as it forced her back onto her hindquarters. She shook her head, a bit dazed as she looked back towards the statue of Twilight. She blinked as she stood up, regaining her composure. “Oh Starlight you know you can't touch it. No pony can.” spoke Fluttershy. “Even I'm unsure what kind of magic you used, but it's been holding up rather well.” “I see. Would you mind giving Twilight and I some alone time, Fluttershy?” questioned Starlight Glimmer glancing over at Fluttershy, giving her that soft look, while keeping her shoulders composed, and smiling towards her. “Of course. If you need anything just come find me.” replied Fluttershy. Fluttershy wrapped her fore hooves around her once more before she trotted off once more. Fluttershy was gone now. Starlight was alone again. Never had she felt such a relief to be alone. “Phew...Twilight what am I going to do now?” she grimaced towards the frozen Twilight. Suspended in time, trapped in layers of ice, and some complex magical spell that only she could undo, and yet she herself had no idea where to even start. The runes around the ice didn't look all that familiar to her, but there had to be clues out there somewhere. Starlight knew that she likely wasn't going to find more answers here. She had to keep pressing forward. To find the answers to the many questions. She sighed heavily. Her ears drooped to each side as she sat down on her hindquarters. Starlight sat there just staring at Twilight Sparkle for a good few minutes or so, dwelling on what to do, before she finally stood up on all fours, dusting herself off. She whispered to Twilight, thinking maybe perhaps somehow she could still hear her. “Don't worry Twilight, I promise you I'm going to fix this. I'll get everything back to the way it was. Just hang in there.” and with that Starlight trotted out of the cave and back towards the village. She needed to say a proper goodbye to Fluttershy and the others. She couldn't just run off without at least letting them know how proud she was of them. Starlight Glimmer trotted over towards Fluttershy, wrapping a forehoof around her. “Thank you Fluttershy. Truly, no one but you could have replaced me so well. Keep up the good work. Be sure to write me if you ever need anything alright? Now, I must be going. You know how it is, being the leader of Equestria is AWFULLY demanding. I will miss this little village though.” she smiled sheepishly. Starlight nuzzled Fluttershy affectionately, closing her eyes and just enjoying the comfort of knowing how close one of her dearest friends were. Though, she couldn't help frowning ever so slightly knowing this wasn't the Fluttershy she cherished so deeply. She let go of Fluttershy, and walked over towards Double Diamond. “Hello there old friend. How have you been?” “Starlight, it's so good to see you again. I've been doing rather well. It's so nice of you to ask.” smiled Double Diamond. The white earth pony had this big grin on his face, his eye twitching ever so slightly. The equal sign on his flank. The stallion was considered Starlight's most trusted adviser. She couldn't help wondering if it was still the same. “I'm so glad. You really should write me as well. I'd love to hear from you and the others. It gets awfully dull being by myself at the castle.” “Oh of course, Starlight. I'd be happy to write you.” replied Double Diamond, that same wide eyed grin on his face. He fidgeted a bit, a nervous trail of sweat running down his face. He tilted his head forward, kneeling towards her humbly. “I promise I will write to you more often, Starlight. Just as I hope you will visit us more often. We all miss you here. Not that Fluttershy hasn't done an excellent job in replacing you, but it's just not the same as you being here.” Starlight Glimmer lifted a forehoof onto Double Diamonds' shoulder, smiling softly, batting her eyelashes at him. “Now you be good while I'm gone.” and with that she let go of the hold she had on him, and went to leave the village. She glanced back towards the villagers, her focus on Fluttershy, and how calm and composed she was. She was going to save her, even if she didn't know she was in danger. She nodded her head, and trotted out of the village. She wasn't sure where to head next, but she knew the answers had to be out there somewhere. First, she had to find some pony that could actually help her. Hmm....I've got to find out what happened. “I can't believe what I just saw. I wonder what happened to the others? Where are they? Why was Ponyville empty? Why am I talking to myself?” she hit her forehoof against her forehead, accidentally bumping her hoof against her horn, and groaning every so slightly. She felt so frustrated. She stomped her hooves onto the ground, and took a deep long steady breath. Starlight knew the only way to find the answers was to keep moving forward. Just like how she had become good, if she dwelled too much on her past mistakes, she would never truly be able to move on. She left the village, and began heading deeper into the unknown. Starlight Glimmer traveled for what felt to her like hours upon hours, when she noticed the sunlight starting to dim, and the moon beginning to rise into the evening sky. Did that mean? Did that mean Luna and Celestia were around? That gave the mare a sparkle in her hues. There was still hope. She just had to find it, find that glimmer of a spark that would keep her going. Starlight figured it would be best not to travel at night, so she made herself a small camp in the middle of nowhere. Just enough space for her to be able to sleep. She sat down on a wooden log, as she looked into the fire she had made. Staring at the embers as they danced around, she couldn't help but sigh.  She missed having other ponies to talk too. She missed Twilight and the others. To think all of this was her fault, and she still had no clue how to even begin to fix it. She wouldn't give up, because that would be admitting defeat, and Starlight wasn't about to give up on her friends and her future. With a grin, she couldn't help thinking of Trixie, and grabbing the gift from her knapsack. It was just a fancy tea set in a nice packaging, with a bow tied over top of it. “Oh Trixie...what I wouldn't give to see you right now. Just so I can… have some… small reassurance knowing that something around here is still relatively normal.  Starlight Glimmer suddenly heard a rustling in the bushes nearby. She tensed up a bit. Her horn crackled with energy. “Who's there? Show yourself!” A pony fell through the brush, falling straight onto her face, with a drunken look in her violet eyes. She didn't even answer Starlight, as she suddenly fell unconscious. Starlight immediately stood up and went over to the blue mare, sobbing into her white mane, and holding her tightly. “Trixie....Oh you don't even know how happy I am to see you.” She couldn't help looking up to the night sky, whispering silent thanks. She could do this, she could fix this, and now she wouldn't feel so alone.