In all her life, Starlight Glimmer had seen some weird things. Some of those she had made herself during her time at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and then more so as she grew up.
If she was being completely honest with herself, Our Town also counted among the stranger things she had ever seen in Equestria. And she had helped found the settlement.
But seeing one of the ruling princesses, with that color scheme? It took the cake for her.
Double Diamond had told her that they had visitors. Starlight was always glad to see new ponies come to the town. Very few of those who did stayed anymore, but she had to remind herself that was the whole point of Our Town.
As for those who did? Well, let it never be said Starlight Glimmer pried into other pony's pasts unless they told her. And not many had. But she didn't mind too much.
Okay, maybe she did a little. She was still equine after all.
So when the news had come that new ponies had arrived in town, she had been over the moon to meet them. It had been a while since anyone new had come by.
Her excitement had risen when she had first seen them. Of course, she recognized Equestria's greatest hero's. You had to live under a rock if you didn't know them.
She wondered what had brought them all the way out here, but that could wait for a time.
What had excited her more though, was a chance to meet one of the ruling princesses. Twilight Sparkle might not have much in the way of political power at the moment, but her word still bore weight if she wanted it to.
Maybe, just maybe, this was the chance Starlight had been waiting for. Maybe she could help spread her idea to all of Equestria. It was something she had hoped for a long time now. But that too could wait.
And then she had gotten a good look at Twilight's coat and mane color scheme. It took all of her self control not to at least snicker at the sight.
Twilight for her part appreciated that nopony was commenting on her look here. It was some comfort at least. But she still had a lot of questions for this Mayor Glimmer. "You don't seem to mind my, look," she commented. She couldn't help it.
Starlight smiled. "In Our Town, we don't judge ponies based on what they look like."
Twilight smiled as well. "Glad someponies are mature about this," she said as she shot Rainbow and Pinkie a pointed look.
Starlight seemed to catch the meaning behind the look. "That's not very friendly to make fun of somepony just for what they look like. Is it that bad?"
Twilight shook her head. "No. I still get the occasional odd look. But everypony seems to have gotten used to it."
Starlight smile grew. She may not have known the full story, but it warmed her heart to hear that. "So what brings you all out here? We're not exactly a well-known town."
Applejack rolled her eyes. "The Cutie Map sent us out here for some sort of, Friendship Problem."
Starlight blinked in confusion. "The what sent you out for a what?"
"That's what we're trying to understand ourselves," Rarity added. "We don't fully understand why we're here either. I personally don't see anything wrong here."
Pinkie crossed her hooves. "Those smiles everypony has can't be normal. I say something is up."
Starlight winced internally. That was something she had been working on for some time now with no luck. One day she hoped she could get rid of it. Nopony though, had said it affected them too much. Aside from a sore face for a while afterward.
Twilight must have seen something for her brows rose just a little. "Do you have an idea of why that is?"
Starlight nodded. It did her no good to lie to them. "I do. But you may not like it."
"Why is that?" Fluttershy asked.
Starlight gulped. "Have you noticed how everypony has the same cutie mark?"
The girls thought about it for a moment. Now that she mentioned it, they had noticed that. But that didn't make any sense. "How the hay did that happen?" Rainbow asked.
Starlight sighed as she stood and walked to her front door. "Follow me and I'll show you. Just, try and save the Rainbow Friendship Lazers until you hear the full story."
The girls all shared a confused look but decided to follow her anyway to see what she meant.
***
In the end, whatever the Mane 6 had been expecting Starlight to show them fell far short of what they now looked at. It didn't make sense. It couldn't make sense. But there it was all the same.
An entire wall full of cutie marks, all held in their own individual bubbles. A quick pulse confirmed to Twilight that the whole vault was indeed made out of magic. A part of her was impressed Starlight could keep it running without her constantly providing magic to it.
But this whole thing raised more questions than it answered. She knew, of course, it was possible to mess with a pony's cutie mark. Her ascension had been based on redoing Starswirl's spell that had switched her friends' marks around.
That whole mess still made her head hurt when she thought about it. But that was beside the point as she looked at Starlight, who herself didn't look as confident as Twilight expected.
Starlight looked up at the vault. "We call it the Cutie Mark Vault. Every cutie mark from the village is here. All but mine that is. I can't cast the spell to do this without it."
"Why would anyone ever want to give up their cutie mark? It ain't natural," Applejack said.
Starlight bit back an angry retort at that. "Let me ask you a question then Applejack. Have you ever met a pony who hated their cutie mark? Hated what it meant for their future?"
Applejack's silence said all Starlight needed to hear. But Twilight wasn't phased by this. "It represents a pony's destiny. What they're meant to do in their life."
Starlight laughed. "Destiny? That's a load of horseapples if I ever heard any. Destiny is what we make for ourselves, not some cosmic force that governs everything."
She walked over to Twilight and looked her right in the eyes. "Tell me something. Did you ever ask to be a princess? Did Princess Celestia ever ask you if you wanted all that came with being an alicorn? Or did you just accept it and not even think to wonder what your life could have been?"
Twilight's ears drooped as she actually thought about that for a moment. No, she had never asked to be a princess. Princess Celestia had never even asked her if she wanted any of this. She had just accepted it.
Starlight's voice softened. "Would you have said yes if you had known all that would have happened if you had known before all this?"
Twilight's head bowed. "I don't know. It can't be undone now. And I have done a lot of good since I became an alicorn."
Starlight nodded. Igniting her horn, she removed the equal sign from her flanks to show her actual cutie mark. She looked at it a moment before looking back at the group. "My cutie mark is supposed to mean magic, and maybe it does. But I've never fused myself to that idea. My mentor taught me to think for myself and not be bound by anything as hollow as destiny."
The girls shared a look. "Who was your mentor?" Pinkie asked. "She sounds pretty smart."
Starlight blushed and smiled sheepishly. "You know? She never actually said what her name was. She found me one day and took me under her wing. She taught me to actually think and not follow blindly what other ponies did."
"So is this a permanent thing?" Fluttershy asked.
Starlight shook her head. "No. The spell lasts for only a day, and then the pony's cutie mark goes back to them. I'm not going to make it permanent."
Everypony shared a look. On the face of it, it didn't sound as bad as it could. But several things still needed answering. "So what about all the ponies in the village?" Rainbow asked.
Starlight looked out toward the small town. "They come here, to see what it's like to not have what they call destiny hanging over their heads. Even if it's just for a day. Most go home happy and with a new perspective on life. Some even come back."
"And those who stay?" Rarity asked.
Starlight's ears fell as did her expression. "Most don't have lives to go back to. For one reason or another. I don't ask. It's not my place to pry. I let them stay as long as they want, and renew the spell when I need to."
Pinkie looked at Starlight's cutie mark. "Do they know about this?" She asked, pointing at it.
Starlight nodded. "They all do. A lot don't understand why I have to. But they accept it."
The girls shared a look. At that moment, something passed silently between them and they all nodded before Twilight turned back to Starlight. "Starlight Glimmer. I might have an idea you might like."
***
Dear Princess Celestia.
I know you've told me before that I'm no longer your student and that I no longer need to send you letters like I used to. But I feel I must now.
Recently I met a pony who opened my eyes a little to something I never really paid much attention to. The day I became an alicorn, I never asked for it, nor did you ever ask me if I wanted it.
I wouldn't change all that's changed for me at that time. But now that I think about it, a little warning would have been nice before you dropped it on me.
You called it destiny. But a mare once told me that destiny is what we make for ourselves, not some cosmic force that controls us.
I've enclosed a map to a rather remote village. It did me and my friends a world of good when we stayed there for a few days. Our host, and mayor, Starlight Glimmer knows somethings about magic that even I don't.
I think it might do us all some good if we visited her small town. I know I don't regret it.
Your friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle.