//------------------------------//
// 01: Unfit For Society 
// Story: The Rejects 
// by Argonaut44 
//------------------------------//

Between two glossy marble pillars, perched behind a wide-open window with a breath full of hot summer air, she sat there, draped in crumpled velvet silks. The castle basked in the dark of night, where the candlelight revealed a face worn heavy with dread. Twirling her hoof around the cold stone sill, her thoughts drifted back to lucid memories of revelry and bliss. For not just a few months ago, she was enjoying the comforts of a life fitted by purpose. She was a princess’ pupil, trained to spread peace and harmony across the land. Serving an ideal she believed in, that life was nearly hers. Now, the fantasy could endure only in her own mind; in the current day her world had been turned inside out.
Starlight Glimmer was alone in the castle, which had just recently been gifted to her by Twilight Sparkle herself. Not long before, Twilight came to succeed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as the reigning sovereign of Equestria, following the triumphant defeat of the Legion of Doom. Twilight's coronation had been a lively affair, with the entire city rousing itself, taking to the streets to stage parade and festivals, and soon enough the entire nation was following suit. Though Celestia herself could not attend the coronation, Twilight had been graced by the ambassadors of Equestria's allies, along with a loyal retinue of ecstatic foreign guests from across the sea. But for all the celebrations, there remained one who sat colored a strange shade of gloom. 
Starlight's dress was deep purple, a costly thing gifted to her by the changelings. Her purple mane was unkempt after a day of meetings and paperwork, and twisted softly in the pillows of wind. 
The walls of the Castle of Friendship sometimes seemed to whisper to Starlight: cold, dreary, frightful things. In the echoey halls of the castle, she never quite felt alone. 
But she did feel ashamed, at points; she was no princess, after all. To indulge herself in the livelihood of one, as a result, did little to help her adjust to this new reality. Twilight may have given her the honorary title, Lady Protector of the Lowlands, but for all the titles and gold and glory, the grandeur of the castle felt unearned. 
On the morrow was Twilight’s formal farewell ceremony, before she was to leave Ponyville and assume her residency in Canterlot. That week there had been a six-day long festival, organized by the combined effort of Mayor Mare, Pinkie Pie, and an array of other Canterlot politicians seeking to gain favor with Equestria’s newest monarch.
The party hadn’t stopped for an entire week, and Starlight was feeling as exhausted as everypony else in town. Pinkie Pie had even allegedly crashed through the second-story window of Rarity’s boutique, having attempted a front-hoof stand after managing to gulp down four mugs of cider in the span of five minutes. 
In less than a day's time, Twilight would be gone. Starlight would be without direct counsel for the first time in over a year. The very thought of it paralyzed her with fright. She was a weapon of mass destruction in essence, and should she ever lose her concentration on Twilight’s friendship lessons for just a moment, she very well could be responsible for some unthinkable catastrophe. Considering her track record, such an outcome was hardly implausible. 
These grim ruminations had long toiled in the backmost crevices of her mind; though now that she had finally arrived at that critical moment where her beloved mentor would desert her at last, it was as if the world itself was crumbling down around her. 
Starlight had long been conscious of her insecurities; she feared responsibility as long as she had the capability to corrupt it.
Her old world was waning; she would be without proper guidance and, potentially, at a loss of most of her dearest friends. 
 Her eyes wandered up towards the stars laced in the night sky, beyond the forest line, which were like shimmering vestiges of memories past—out of reach perpetually. 
Deciding not to waste more time meandering on what was to come, Starlight abruptly shut the curtains to her bedroom window, slipped out of her dress, and sauntered over to her bed, hoping some needed rest would cure her of her anxiety.





Starlight awoke the next morning in a haze, the sun-baked pinks and reds of her bedroom welcoming her to a new day. 
She yawned while stretching her legs beneath her pink satin covers. Glancing forebodingly at her nightstand clock, she was begrudged to learn that she had slept through her alarm.
8:37 a.m.
She promptly persuaded herself into climbing out of bed, and trotted over to her bathroom to prepare herself for the day, grumbling all the way.
It took her a full hour to prepare; she had to shower, brush and style her mane, apply a minimal amount of makeup, and, of course, squeeze herself back into her deep purple dress, the midsection of which was so tight around her chest it was bordering on asphyxiating.
Luckily, she wouldn’t have to wait more than a few seconds after finishing up her morning preparations, before a knock at the front door echoed throughout the spacious halls of the castle.  
She’s early.
Starlight put down the book she had just picked up to read while she was to wait, and quickly made her way out of her bedroom and down the stairs, arriving at the front door in less than a minute. 
Swinging it open, the face of an azure-colored unicorn with deep violet eyes welcomed her. 
“Trixie! You’re not late! I’m impressed,” Starlight said, smirking. Trixie snarled in response. 
“It’s too early for this!” Trixie said, flatly. Starlight noticed the bags around Trixie’s eyes, and the misery that lay plain on the magician’s face. Trixie, similar to Starlight, was also dressed for the ceremony, stuffed inside a poofy baby-blue dress that resembled something a princess herself would wear.
“This will be over quick. Then you can go back to bed. It’s what you do best, after all,” Starlight said, nudging Trixie to step to the side so she could walk out from the front door. 
Behind Trixie was a stupendously luxurious carriage, complete with soft purple drapes and shiny gold fixtures. There were two stallions stationed in the front and attached to the carriage braces, wearing clean uniforms and keeping their eyes straight ahead. Starlight marveled the splendorous vessel, while Trixie was busy rolling her eyes. 
“Glad you like it. Guess when they made me pick it up. Five a.m." Trixie said, explaining her exhaustion. “How could anypony do that to me?! Don’t they know who I am?!”
“I'm sorry, I'd have picked it up if I knew. I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” Starlight said, taking Trixie by the hoof and leading her towards the open carriage door. 
Trixie made way for Starlight to climb inside the carriage first, before pulling herself up to join her. 
Crammed facing each other in the carriage, the two tried their best to get comfortable without crumpling their formal attire. 
“I don’t understand why I even have to go to this,” Trixie whined.
“I told you already, I need you. And Twilight said she’d love for you to come!” Starlight said, though in truth she hadn’t consulted Twilight at all about bringing Trixie along. Starlight had hoped the two might have some final reconciliation in spite of their rocky relationship, before the indeterminable period of separation was to befall them both. “You’re my plus-one, Trixie. And I’ll probably get bored and just be talking with you anyway. And besides, you've got hundreds of ponies to sell your act to.” Starlight said.
Trixie had not thought of that. 
“Ok. But you owe me one,” Trixie said.
“Deal,” Starlight confirmed.
Though Starlight had her reservations, she could at least find solace in that she had one friend left at her side, which was certainly enough. 





Through the passenger window of the carriage, Starlight’s eyes flickered past the town of Ponyville, streamers, lights, and colorful ornaments decorating the streets. The festival had pulled in ponies from near and far, and it put Starlight at ease to see so many smiling faces passing by.  
The carriage gradually came to a stop near the town square, while the surrounding streets grew to be full of ponies drawing in from all directions. 
“We’re not too late, are we?” Starlight asked, having to raise her voice to be heard over the crowd outside.
“Fashionably late, if anything,” Trixie replied, snickering to herself as she reached over the cabin to pull open the door. 
Trixie stepped out first, and immediately she almost trampled some unsuspecting pedestrians walking below. She landed on the road delicately, careful not to let any of the pedestrian ponies walk over her dress. It happened to be expensive, or at least Trixie hoped it appeared to be. Starlight followed her out of the carriage soon after, her starry-eyes beaming with astonishment at the size of the surrounding crowd. There were so many ponies packed together, it seemed nopony had the freedom to move more than a foot or two in any direction. The crowd was bursting at the seams with excitement, having gathered for the climactic final act of the week-long festival. Still, there was a bittersweetness to the celebration, for in just an hour or two the town of Ponyville would be without its greatest protector. 
“Everypony make way! VIP guests here!” Trixie yelled, grabbing Starlight by the hoof and leading her through the crowd. Trixie showed little restraint, as she forcibly shoved her way through pony after pony, dragging an embarrassed Starlight behind her. 
“Thank you for the ride!” Starlight managed to say to the carriage drivers, though the crowd was so noisy she wasn’t even sure she was heard. 
“Come on, Starlight, keep up,” Trixie said, tugging on Starlight’s front leg.
“What are you, my bodyguard now?” Starlight asked, amused.
Trixie rolled her eyes, continuing her aggressive pursuit through the crowd of ponies. There were children and old folks, and creatures of strange looks who must have traveled from very distant lands. 
“All these ponies came here just to see her?” Trixie muttered.
“You've got to admit, she's got you beat at drawing a crowd,” Starlight smirked.
“I would never admit that,” Trixie retorted. 
Trixie and Starlight continued navigating their way through, heading towards the center of the square, where a large wooden podium platform had been raised and a special guest seating area was waiting. There were large tables of white wood set up beneath strings of small lights and other decorations. Confetti drifted through the breeze like flurries of snow, and the wind itself smelled of cinnamon and sugar.  
Trixie was first to break through to the edge of the crowd, which fizzled out near the VIP seating area that preceded the mighty podium platform. But before Starlight or Trixie could begin making their way to their seats, a pony unexpectedly stepped in front of them to block their path.
“Excuse me, this is for special guests only,” said the pony, a pegasus royal guard with a light cyan coat and soft orange eyes. 
Starlight stared at the guard blankly, having expected to be recognized. 
“Yes, I know, um I’m...Starlight Glimmer?” Starlight said, her voice wavering.
The guard begrudgingly checked her list.
“...Oh! There you are. My mistake, right this way,” the guard said, stepping out of the way. 
Trixie scoffed and stomped past the guard, while a mildly embarrassed Starlight trailed after. 
“Typical royal guard material right there,” Trixie muttered.
“Starlight! Trixie!” called out a voice from behind them.
Starlight turned to be met by a creature who bore not a pony’s face, but rather that of a changeling. 
“Thorax! It’s great to see you!” Starlight said, leaning in for a quick embrace, which Thorax accepted without hesitation. Thorax was dressed in a set of ceremonial armor, his bright green skin peeking through plates of spectacular silver. His orange antlers were bent against a crown made of solid gold, which sat a few inches above his eyes. 
“I think we’re about to get started any minute now...You’ve met Ember, right?” Thorax asked, glancing over at a sleek-figured dragon with cerulean scales and ruby eyes, hidden beneath golden armor molded in dragonfire. She had been with Thorax from a few feet back, now approaching the group while smiling politely.  
“Starlight Glimmer, I remember you,” Ember said, respectfully shaking Starlight’s hoof. She turned to Trixie, "And..."
"Trixie, pleased to meet you," Trixie introduced, shaking the dragon's claw. 
“You two really made the trip all the way out here?” Starlight said, impressed.
“Of course! Anything for a friend,” Thorax said.
“We wanted to be here,” Ember said, “These days, we've got to stick together. You never know what monsters may pop up out of nowhere.” 
Trixie stole a glass of champagne off of a passing waiter's tray, and slugged it down in two great sips. 
"It's a shame that Celestia and Luna couldn't make it," Starlight said.
Ember's smile slipped off her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but Thorax jumped in first.
“Starlight, you must be moving up to Canterlot with Twilight, right? As her right-hand?” Thorax asked Starlight. 
Starlight hesitated.
“Um, no, no I’ll still be here. That’s where Twilight wants me,” Starlight said, punctuated with some nervous laughter.
“Still following her every command?” Ember asked, half-jokingly.
“...I suppose she is the Princess of Equestria now. If anyone can boss me around, it’s her,” Starlight said, laughing off the remark. 
“As long as you’re happy, I mean," Ember said, "After everything we've been through, now I think it's safe to say Equestria's best days are ahead of us."
“More than you know, Starlight," Thorax said, glancing at Ember, "We've been putting a lot of plans together. We'd love to fill you in about everything."
Ember nodded her head, enthusiastically. 
“If not for you, Equestria might not be standing,” Ember said, "You've got big things ahead of you, Starlight. And we could use your help to make Equestria even better."
“I’m sure we’ll get a better chance to discuss all that at the afterparty,” Thorax said. 
“Afterparty?” Starlight asked, uncertain what he was referring to.
Thorax glanced at Ember, who was glaring at him.
“The afterparty? You were invited, you had to have been,” Thorax said, hoping he wasn’t incorrect.
To Starlight’s despair, she had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. 
“I guess not,” Starlight said, her head dipping downwards in forlorn.
“Oh...Well don’t worry about the invitation. It’s in the town hall tonight, at seven. Us and some other creatures are having a last meet-up before we all take off tomorrow. There's supposed to be some important announcements, too. You should come, it’s always more fun with you there,” Thorax said, coaxingly.
"Thorax, I'm not sure Starlight would be interested in-" Ember began, speaking softly.
"No, I think she'd be quite welcome," Thorax said, sharply. 
Starlight noticed the restraint in the dragon's voice, and the strange assertiveness in Thorax's voice. They were having an unspoken conversation, she deduced, one she could not understand.
“Sure, I'd love to stop by,” Starlight said. If she was to be assuming Twilight's role in Ponyville, she might as well begin stepping up to her colleagues' expectations. 
“Here, sit with us,” Thorax proposed, motioning for the group to take their seats at one of the circular white tables. Starlight glanced at Trixie, who was daydreaming, staring off into space to compensate for not being as involved in the conversation. 
“Hey,” Starlight said, shaking Trixie alert with her hoof. Trixie had previously been staring off into space, trying her best to recall the missing song lyric of a late-night TV show intro she had caught yesterday. 
Starlight nodded towards the table Ember and Thorax were headed towards, and Trixie quickly understood. 
Starlight could make out the outline of Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity, all officially the top guests of honor, seated at the table closest to the podium platform. 
She recognized some other creatures in the special guest area, though it was true she didn’t know many of them beyond their name; there was Prince Rutherford of the Yaks, Prince Haakim of Saddle Arabia, Duchess Ice Mirror of Maretonia, and several others, all with their own entourages that filled entire tables. 
And at their own table, aside from Thorax and Ember, Starlight recognized Queen Novo of the Hippogriffs, seated next to two other ponies she was unfamiliar with. 
“Oh, Starlight, right. This is Queen Novo,” Thorax said, having forgotten to make formal introductions. 
“Starlight Glimmer?” Novo asked, having heard the name before. 
“It’s an honor to meet you, your highness,” Starlight said, politely, before glancing over at the two stranger ponies. 
One, a stallion, scoffed in distaste for having to make the effort to introduce himself. He was a broad stallion with flawless golden locks and a resting scowl. 
“Prince Blueblood,” he said, introducing himself while nodding his head slightly. 
“Oh yes, you’re the nephew of Princess Celestia,” Starlight confirmed, the name sparking an immediate recollection. Blueblood’s facetious smile quickly faded at the mention of his aunt. 
"My greatest accomplishment." He scoffed and returned to his glass.
“You’ll have to excuse him, he’s had a miserable morning. I watched him drink more than his fair share yesterday. He’s barely got his wits. Well, whatever wits he had in the first place,” said the other pony seated at the table, a mare, with a soft purple wavy mane and a light purple coat, “I’m Lavender, by the way. Cadance is my cousin,” she explained, smiling while leaning over the table to shake Starlight’s hoof. Blueblood snarled at Lavender’s mockery, downing a quick sip of the champagne filling his glass.
“Very nice to meet you both,” Starlight said.   
Starlight also noticed the group of ponies standing on the platform deck, cluttered together towards one side, all of them facing forwards. 
In the very front, Starlight recognized only four of the ponies: foremostly was Mayor Mare, of whom Starlight had interacted with on numerous occasions during her residence in town. There was also Posh Paramount, a white-coated unicorn with a soft brunette mane, the Equestrian treasury secretary for the past five years. Starlight recalled a brief exchange they once had, during a visit to Canterlot accompanying Twilight on some royal princess business. 
Right beside Paramount there was a pegasus stallion with a thinning navy-blue mane and a faint tan coat, whose name was Filibuster. Starlight knew him as the Speaker of the Equestrian Senate, also famous for his sense of humor. And, in contrast to the smirking pegasus’ seemingly jolly demeanor, standing beside him was a stallion with a brownish-gold coat and a jet black mane cut short, whose name was Bronze Beam. He was the Captain of the Royal Guard, a stern-faced, no-nonsense soldier who had little patience for things not going according to plan.   
“Ugh. They could at least give us some free food if we have to sit here,” Trixie whined. 
“It’ll go by fast,” Starlight said.
“These things never do,” Blueblood interjected, “They're all the same. Commemorative wastes of time."
“Oh, don’t be so sour, dear. I think you've enjoyed yourself. Perhaps even too much,” said Lavender, and Starlight began to wonder what about Blueblood could Lavender possibly find attractive, besides his looks. 
“I hope the rest of you can keep an eye on him for me tonight,” Lavender said, addressing the entire table. 
“Don’t treat me like a child,” Blueblood pouted. 
“You won’t be there?” Thorax asked Lavender, slightly disappointed. 
Lavender paused to answer, slipping a sly sip of her glass first.
“I’m afraid I’ve already promised myself elsewhere. In Silkwood, actually. I do miss home terribly. This country life is quaint, certainly. But not for me,” Lavender said. 
 	Before Thorax or anyone else could question Lavender further, the sound of a pony’s voice came over from the loudspeakers adorning the lampposts around the town square. 
“Good morning, ladies and gentlecolts,” said the voice, belonging to Paramount, who was now standing on the platform deck behind the podium microphone. The mare was confident behind the microphone, despite her soft-spokenness and petite figure. 
“It is my honor to speak to you all, as we gather together to celebrate, to rejoice, and to set our sights on a new future,” she said, a delightful, homely smile decorating her face, “Twilight Sparkle has been a true friend to us all, the hero that we depended on in the most dire of times... And looking forward, we know she will continue to accomplish great things as our sovereign...Now, for a word, let me introduce our first speaker, Ponyville’s very own Mayor Mare,” Paramount exclaimed, stepping out of the way for Paramount to take the podium.
As Mayor Mare took her spot behind the podium, Paramount shuffled back into the group on stage, landing right beside Filibuster. 
“Well done,” he muttered, offering a small hoof-bump, which she reluctantly reciprocated. 
“I wasn’t too sappy, was I?” Paramount asked. 
“Perfect amount of sap,” Filibuster whispered, grinning. 
Meanwhile, from nearby, Bronze Beam’s eyes were fixed on Paramount, burning neon green with envy. Every laugh Filibuster earned from her, was akin to a knife stuck through Bronze Beam’s own heart. For not just two months prior, he was set to be engaged with her, only to be turned down and left astray. And since then they had yet to speak to each other again. Still, it angered him to see her smile, to see another stallion inch towards the mare he had dreamed of marrying. 
Oblivious to Bronze Beam’s hateful glare and Paramount’s sheepish snickering, down below the crowd was beginning to realize how tiresome these speeches would be.
For nearly an hour, Starlight and Trixie fought off the urge to fall asleep while speaker after speaker stepped up to present their speeches, all of them loosely identical in their vapid praise and shameless political pandering. Starlight assumed Twilight was present somewhere close to hear all of it, though the alicorn princess was still nowhere in sight. 
It wasn’t until Filibuster’s speech, the last of the otherwise endless series, that Starlight’s interest was seized. 
“I’ve seen a lot of wide-eyed kids with chips on their shoulders, thinking they’ll make it big and do great things. And only about a tenth of them end up having the stuff to go all the way. To make a good leader. To own their responsibilities. To deliver on their promises…” he said, while Starlight’s thoughts wandered to her own uncertainties of her leadership capabilities, “Twilight Sparkle is a pony who does all that. A pony who practices what she preaches, who puts others before herself. I’m proud to serve her from now on. And, speaking of, I suppose it’s about time we get to the pony of honor...Without further ado, for a final word, welcome Twilight Sparkle!” Filibuster said, excitedly stepping backwards and lifting his head up towards the sky.   
Everypony’s attention was quickly seized by the emergence of a figure descending from the clouds above, her wings spread far apart, gliding towards the ground like an angel from the heavens. 
Sunrays shone through the clouds in the sky, illuminating her in white light as she was welcomed by an outpour of cheers. Starlight even found herself drawn to clap her hooves together. Twilight, bejeweled in sunlight that was blindingly bright, glided down towards the podium stand, warmly gazing upon the crowd like a mother to her newborn. 
“And you think I’m dramatic?” Trixie muttered to Starlight, who lightly smacked her arm in response. 
Twilight Sparkle, outfitted with her golden crown of jewels and a necklace of priceless gems, landed on the platform deck to a thunderous roar of applause from the crowd. 
Twilight approached the podium, pausing to wait for Filibuster to step out of the way. Twilight had to adjust the microphone to compensate for her height, all while getting a good look at the ponies who had all come out to see her. 
“Your support means everything to me,” Twilight began, after first clearing her throat, “Princess Celestia protected Equestria for a thousand moons, and I am honored to carry her legacy. These past few years, all of the friends I've made in Ponyville have given me a life I never dreamed I'd have. And now I have a greater responsibility to all of you now, and I promise I will be the leader you need me to be. I’ll miss Ponyville, and all of your smiling faces, but I'll always be with you,” Twilight said, neglecting to read off of the longer speech that she had prepared, left in organized notecards on the podium table. 
The crowd replied with an expected outcry of applause and cheers. Starlight, despite having thought she would maintain a brave face, found herself choking up a little over her emotions. The sound of Twilight’s voice put her at ease; yet it was a fleeting feeling. 
Twilight humbly stepped down from the podium, and subsequently the crowd gradually began to return to their own festivities. 
Starlight rose from her seat, as did the other special guests, most of them weary from a week of exhaustive celebration. 
“I’ll see you tonight then?” Thorax asked the others in his vicinity, who all nodded their sleepy heads. 
“I’ll be on the train soon, so I should say goodbye,” Lavender said, “Do take care of Blueblood...I hope to see you all again, someday,” she said, her voice hollow and grieving, as if addressing a deceased loved one. Starlight found this odd at first, but quickly got over it. Lavender left them all with a simple wave, before turning to face Blueblood. Without warning, she planted a passionate kiss on his cheek that lasted a good five seconds. Backing away, she gazed into his eyes with pity.
“Do forgive me, darling,” she said, sighing and turning away to slip away into the crowd. 
Blueblood was mildly baffled, but too distracted by his prerogative to find a refill of champagne to give much thought to anything else. 
“I’ll do my best to make it tonight,” Starlight said, hoping to appear as though she was not only responsible for herself, but also willing to connect with the others. 
Thorax smiled, while Ember eyed her, skeptically.
"And we'll be glad to have you, Starlight," Thorax said.
Starlight nodded, and then also turned away to disappear into the crowd. Trixie had been forgotten in the process, now left with Thorax, Ember, and Novo.
“So...You guys want to dance or something?” Trixie asked, nervously. 
“Sure,” Thorax said, smiling while he led the group towards the crowd. 
 
Starlight, meanwhile, had to stand on the tips of her hooves to try and see above the crowd, with hopes of getting a chance to say a personal, true goodbye to Twilight before her eventual departure. Twilight was more or less hidden behind the jumbled crowd of ponies, though, forcing Starlight to try and slither her way through towards the platform deck.
However, to Starlight’s disappointment, by the time she had found herself at the platform deck, Twilight was already walking off with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and her other dear friends, chatting and laughing while ponies in the crowd threw flowers before her hooves. White and red petals were left stomped into the dirt, crumpled and ruined in Twilight’s wake.  
Starlight was left behind, sulking in her indignation.   
Despite being surrounded by ponies as far as the eye could see, she had never felt so alone. The crowd's voices seemed to wither away, and she was left in some grey void, beneath the blinking stars once again. She was reliving mistakes in her mind, the ones she had thought she had grown past already. It may have been easier to force a brave face in front of the crowd, or Trixie, or in front of the mirror, but in those quieter moments, the voice in her head was left unimpeded, barking hard truths. What matter of direction was she left, in a world that functioned perfectly well before her and would continue to function perfectly well if she was to outright disappear. Ponyville did not need her. Not like it needed Twilight.
“Starlight Glimmer?” 
Starlight snapped out of her brooding, lifting her head and turning to see none other than Mayor Mare, approaching her with a tender smile. The town square had essentially turned into one grand party at that point, and Starlight seemed to be standing right in the center of it all. 
“Oh, hi, Ms. Mayor,” Starlight said, forcing herself to smile, as a social courtesy. 
“Goodness, my dear, you look pale as a ghost. Are you alright?” Mayor Mare said, noticing Starlight’s unusual anxious expression. 
“I’m fine,” Starlight said, with a faux cheerful conviction. 
“As you say. Here, come speak to me away from all this noise,” Mayor Mare said, brushing off the crowd of ponies, who were descending into a maddened celebratory delirium. 
Mayor Mare led a confused Starlight through the crowd towards the nearby storefront of Mr. Davenport’s furniture shop, at the corner of a long stretch of local businesses. The pale-grey maned mayor came to a stop behind a large brick pillar, draped in the shadows of the overhead storefront porch cover. Starlight quickly joined her, curious as to what the mayor wanted with her. Starlight had supposed she may have to involve herself in local affairs now that Twilight was gone.
“I know you must be overwhelmed, what with all these changes going on,” Mayor Mare said, consolingly. Starlight had to admit that she never truly had formed a strong friendship with Ponyville’s mayor, though perhaps with her new responsibilities a friendship would soon follow. Nevertheless, her concern was appreciated. 
“It’s...just been a lot all at once,” Starlight said, “But I’m ready for anything you need from me, Ms. Mayor.”
“That’s very good to hear, Starlight,” Mayor Mare said, nodding, “You certainly have grand horseshoes to fill. Twilight was something of a...watchful eye around here. She was very good at keeping things organized, keeping ponies in check. The way that we’ve done things here, have been done that way for decades. What none of us want, Starlight, is a pony trying to change the status quo,” Mayor Mare said. She spoke slowly, and carefully, attempting to illustrate a point that was most likely to be kept implicit. Starlight turned stiff, baffled by the mayor’s unbecomingly sinister tone. 
“I certainly won’t be going beyond my responsibilities, if that’s what you mean, Ms. Mayor,” Starlight said, gulping nervously. 
That seemed only to amuse her. 
“They won’t trust you with anything. Ponies big and small. They know your face. They know what you are. Which is to say, not one of us,” Mayor Mare said, coldly, while Starlight’s mouth dropped slightly in shock, “I’ve spent years running this town. As I see fit. Twilight understood. Turned a blind eye when she needed to. And look at her now, the Sovereign of Equestria. You get far if you play by the rules, look no further. So what none of us want – me, Twilight, everypony else - is some bratty out-of-towner sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Starlight was at a loss for words, which was precisely the reaction Mayor Mare sought to take advantage of. 
“You will do as Twilight and I tell you. I won’t let you ruin the system that’s taken decades for us to perfect. And Twilight, she definitely won’t. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?” Mayor Mare asked.
Starlight was speechless, resorting instead to nodding her head. She was clawing at herself to run away, or maybe even call for help, but she was too stunned to do anything but stand there. 
“Splendid. I think we can all get along great, my dear,” Mayor Mare said, resuming her lighthearted demeanor. Trotting past a dumbfounded Starlight, Mayor Mare left her with a facetiously affectionate pat on the back, before disappearing around the corner of the shadowy pillar.  
Starlight turned her head towards the town square party, and saw Mayor Mare had already disappeared from sight. 
She was at a loss, though she wouldn’t have much time to think over what had just happened, before she was once again sidetracked.
“Starlight!” yelled Trixie, who had popped out of the crowd near where Starlight was standing. 
“What's with that look on your face?” Trixie asked, smiling from ear-to-ear, dancing along to the music being blasted over the lamppost loudspeakers, "All these ponies are lucky the great and powerful Trixie is gracing them with her presence. Otherwise, this party would be like watching paint dry."
Starlight took a deep breath, deciding to put away the dread instilled in her by Mayor Mare until further notice. 
“I'm glad one of us is having a good time,” Starlight said, taking little care to hide her downcast spirits.
Trixie came to a sudden stop, forcing herself to settle down. 
“What did that haggy old mayor have to say?” Trixie said, hoping Starlight wasn’t in any trouble.
“I don’t know...She kind of freaked me out...Do you have any idea where Twilight is?” Starlight asked, her eyes fluttering with hope. 
“Twilight? I saw her leave with her friends a few minutes ago. Long gone by now, probably,” Trixie said, with little sensitivity to Starlight’s crippling social anxiety. 
“...Without me?” Starlight asked, her voice shrinking up.
"Well, they're all old friends, y'know.” Trixie said, before struggling to understand why she was defending Twilight and her friends, of whom she loathed, at all.
“Yeah, you’re right. I just wanted to say goodbye. A real goodbye,” Starlight said.
“Are you alright? You're shaking.” Trixie said, extending a concerned hoof towards Starlight’s quivering shoulder. 
“It’s just...it feels like everypony is slipping away from me...Like I’m being left behind. Again,” Starlight said, lowering her head in embarrassment. 
Trixie glanced around at the crowd, and quickly decided that everypony around them was too distracted to notice if she was to reveal a rarely seen sentimental side of herself, for the sake of comforting a friend.  
“Starlight, I know what it feels like to be in a hole. But you gotta believe me, things get better. Life keeps going. I don't love you because Twilight took you on as her pupil. I love you because of who you are. You're gonna make mistakes, maybe worse than the ones you already made. So what? All you have to do is pretend they never happened and fix things whatever way you can. Look at me! I'd lost everything! And then I ended up meeting you, and now things aren’t that bad…We all fall into holes, Starlight. But if you're not willing to pull yourself out, who else will?" ” Trixie said, "Besides me, of course. But not everypony is so lucky to have the great and powerful Trixie as a friend."
Starlight lifted her head slightly, appreciating Trixie’s effort. 
“No, you’re right, I know you’re right… I’m just scared of screwing everything up, I guess.”
“With me by your side, I’ll make sure to get all of the screw-ups out of the way for the both of us,” Trixie said, smirking. Starlight snickered, and began to feel at ease again, though her heart still felt wrapped in a spool of barbed wire.
“You should find Twilight, she probably hasn’t left yet,” Trixie said, offering some shimmering pearls of hope for Starlight to grasp taut. 
Starlight hesitated, wondering whether Twilight had even thought to say a personal goodbye, before deciding Trixie was right. 
“OK. I’ll see you later then?” Starlight asked. 
“I’ll meet you outside Davenport’s. Let’s do a quarter to six,” Trixie suggested. 
“You got it,” Starlight confirmed. 
“And hey, no matter what happens, I’m here for you,” Trixie said, mirroring Starlight’s smile. 
“What would I do without you?” Starlight asked, leaning in for a quick embrace.
“Hm. Probably end up dead or destitute by now. Better make sure to keep me around,” Trixie said, before shuffling back into the sweaty crowd. 
Starlight was alone once more, though this time without much mind as to which way to head to locate Twilight. 
She chose to head down Main Street eastwards, relatively aimlessly, uncertain of what answers she was in search of.
The crowd became increasingly scattered the farther she went, until the streets were virtually empty. Starlight’s wandering had taken her near the edge of town, where the first droplets of rain began to sprinkle down upon great hills of green grass that ran off towards the distant mountains. 
Starlight finally came to a stop, when she realized her search was in vain, that Twilight had likely left Ponyville already, and she was now left without the guidance she was so desperately in need of. The falling frail raindrops masked a single tear running down her cheek, as she stared down at her own reflection in a puddle of muddy water.
Then, right beside her reflection in the puddle, something else appeared, beginning as a speck and growing to the size of a fully grown pony.  
“There you are.”
Starlight raised her head and swiveled around, discovering none other than Twilight Sparkle, in all her regal glory, having just landed after an airborne descent. 
“Hey, Twilight,” Starlight said, sheepishly lowering her head as if to pay her respects to royalty. 
“I'm sorry I missed you earlier,” Twilight said, earnestly, afraid that she had hurt Starlight in some way, “You know I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye."
“So...you’re not going to the afterparty?” Starlight asked, skeptically.
Twilight paused and her eyes widened, surprised with the unexpected inquiry. She hesitated to find the words for a response. 
“Oh, that. Starlight, that’s just a little thing. Dumb political stuff mostly. I’ll probably have Spike show up for me or something. I’m leaving pretty soon, y'know,” Twilight said, fumbling over her words, “I don’t think you should go. It's really not a big deal. I'd much rather have you go start talking with Mayor Mare about the new responsibilities you'll be having around here, anyways.” 
“Yeah...I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that...I know what you're gonna say, but I mean it, Twilight. I don’t know if I'm the best choice.” Starlight said, hesitating to reveal what Mayor Mare had said to her.
Twilight promptly sighed, having expected Starlight to say something along those lines.
"When I first took you in," Twilight said, "Everypony I spoke to told me not to give you a chance. Celestia, Cadance, Mayor Mare, they thought it was a mistake. Too dangerous, they said. You'd be better off in Tartarus, or frozen in stone, that's what some ponies said. Equestria is full of ponies who think they know better. Not so many can look at themselves and see the wrong that they've done. I chose you because you could, Starlight. I need ponies I can trust. There are still enemies out there. There are still creatures who want to see Equestria turned to rubble. I need you
to do this. No other."
"You're my princess. I'll do as you say. But...you put too much trust in me, Twilight," Starlight said, "I’m not you. And I’ll never be you,” Starlight said, lowering her head.
“Starlight...You don’t need to be me to do a good job. You have to be you. Everypony will come around to you, I promise.” Twilight asked, smiling, "I love you, Starlight. And I know what I'm asking is going to be a challenge, but it's one I know you can handle. And you'll have Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow, and Pinkie all here to help you, too. And Trixie. too, I suppose. Do you trust me, Starlight?"
“...More than I do myself,” Starlight replied, breaking into a smile too. 
“Please believe me when I say that everypony in town will be rooting for you in no time…” Twilight said, "Some ponies may take time to get used to it, but they'll be on your side soon enough. I've always seen the good in you, Starlight. Soon everypony will."
"I just....I don't know if I can do this."
"You can," Twilight smiled, "There's nopony I trust more for the job."
Starlight sighed again, supposing she was too prone to give in to her anxiety. 
“Thanks, Twilight...How am I ever gonna get by without you?” Starlight asked, laughing, though her concern was genuine. 
“You’ll get by just fine, Starlight,” Twilight said, her eyes subtly glancing downwards, and then to the left. 
“OK. I really should go. I’ll check in with you as soon as I can, alright?” Twilight said, awkwardly inching her way backwards. 
“Thanks again, Twilight, good luck,” Starlight said, trotting towards Twilight and embracing her tightly. Twilight held her for a moment and shut her eyes, while Starlight refused to let go. Starlight held her as long as she could, burying her cheek against Twilight's mane, and savoring each second.
“Take care of yourself,” Twilight said, pulling away.
“You too,” Starlight replied, softly. 
Twilight gave one last nod as a final send-off, before taking flight once more.
And, Starlight realized, as Twilight ascended towards the rainclouds, and eventually became nothing more than a speck in the sky, that a door had been closed. Twilight was gone. 
Starlight’s eyes gently closed, her thoughts centering around only her breathing. 





Hours later, when the sun sank in the sky and the storm clouds became scattered along the red horizon, Ponyville had finally calmed itself. The partying crowd was now dwindling in the streets. After a week of celebration, the festivities had finally come to a close. 
But that was not the case for everypony. 
In the center of a dirt road heading towards the north end of town, Posh Paramount was trotting cautiously beneath the street lamps.  
She would much rather have been in bed right then, as the past week had more or less wiped her out. Yet, she couldn’t let her friends down, for one final summoning before she was to return to Canterlot on the train tomorrow morning. 
She spotted the Ponyville town hall, the location of the afterparty Filibuster had told her of at the farewell ceremony earlier that day. 
She reached into her purse to confirm she had arrived on time.
7 o’clock exact.
She approached the front door of the building, and reached for the handle. It was unlocked, allowing her to open it wide, to reveal the overwhelming light from inside. 
“Oh, Parie, you’re here,” said the voice of Filibuster, whose broad-shouldered figure could be made out once Paramount’s eyes adjusted to the desk lamp light inside. 
Paramount entered the lobby, where Filibuster was waiting, alone by the front desk made of mahogany wood. The lights were all on, but to Paramount’s surprise nopony else was there.
“What’s going on? Where is everypony?” Paramount asked, confused. She still had only a vague idea of what the purpose of this afterparty was, and she was insistent on having her wits about her. 
“They’re all over in there,” Filibuster said, pointing with his head behind him towards another room, “I was just waiting for you.”
Paramount relaxed, and her smile returned, joining him in walking towards the previously referenced room. She did take comfort in knowing she had a friend like Filibuster to stick by her.
"The town's sound asleep," Filibuster said, "If there was any cause for raising alarms, meeting like this."
"We'll still be noticed," Paramount replied, softly, "Whatever business there is, it had best be quick. We could have been halfway to Canterlot by now."
Filibuster took the courtesy of opening the door for Paramount, revealing a relatively empty meeting room filled with an array of other creatures. 
There was Thorax, and Empress Ember, talking with each other in the corner. Near the window was Bronze Beam by his lonesome, and in the middle of the room were Prince Blueblood and Queen Novo, who were trying their best to get along. 
“Oh, wonderful, Ms. Paramount, you’re here,” said Novo, excitedly approaching Paramount for a hospitable embrace, “Prince Rutherford was supposed to arrive too, but I’m afraid he’s fallen ill.”
“That’s too bad, I hope he’s alright,” Paramount said.
“The southern heat never agrees with him," Bronze Beam growled from the other side of the room. Paramount shot the stallion a resentful glance. 
Though she did once care for him deeply, his temper proved too much for her to bear; now he was like a stranger to her almost, and reconciliation between the two would remain impossible, despite them both still harboring feelings for the other, buried deep somewhere.
“Well, everyone, now that I think we’re all here, I suppose somepony ought to tell us what this is all about,” Filibuster said, grabbing everyone’s attention with his booming voice. Paramount joined the group in the middle, while Filibuster waited for someone to reveal themselves as the organizer of the affair. 
Silence was his only answer.
“Come on now, there’s no point in keeping quiet any longer. We’re all here!” Filibuster said. 
“I thought you set this all up, Fil,” Bronze Beam said. 
“Then you thought wrong. I’d much rather be on the train back home right about now, in fact. I suspected the Empress,” Filibuster said, turning everyone’s attention to Ember. 
“I heard from Thorax,” Ember said, defensively. 
“Ok. What’s going on?” Blueblood said, aggressively. 
Ember and Bronze Beam were the first to begin to suspect they might be in danger, while the others latched onto some desperate explanation for how they had come to be gathered together in one place. 
But before any of them could posit anymore ideas, the door flew open once again. All eyes swiveled towards the new arrival, hoping this was all the work of some elaborate surprise party planner. 
The lights in the lobby had been turned off, masking the figure standing in the doorway in shadows. 
“Hello?” asked Novo, her voice quivering slightly. She was no fan of whatever games this pony was playing. 
Then a light grew out of the darkness, a glowing, twisted mess of furious purple energy, contorting in terrifying rhythms around a pointed horn. 
The figure darted out from the shadows, soaring through the air directly towards the group of unsuspecting creatures. 
Paramount screamed in fright, at the blurry charge heading straight for her. Though before she could be struck, Bronze Beam tackled her to the ground, both of them evading the impact of their attacker. 
Bronze Beam jumped back to his hooves, reaching down to help Paramount up while staring down their attacker with utter shock. 
“Princess?” Thorax exclaimed, thrown off guard. 
There was Twilight Sparkle, standing with her horn raging and her wings spread, a menacing silence painted on her face. 
As soon as Bronze Beam finished helping Paramount up to her hooves, his horn began to glow, as did Blueblood’s. The prince knew one or two offensive spells for such an occasion, though he was still deathly afraid of having to use any of them. 
“Princess, what are-” began Bronze Beam, though before he could finish his inquiry, he fell victim to a pummeling blast of white-hot fire, melting the flesh from his face and throwing his bulky build across the room, landing in a devastating heap in the corner. A trail of blood was left on the wall, Bronze Beam's body having been folded in half upon impact.
“Bronze!” cried Paramount, Ember, and Thorax simultaneously. Twilight presented no expression following the unrestrained act of violence, while the others struggled to comprehend the grotesque savagery they had just witnessed.  
Ember was the first to react, her warrior instincts activating instantaneously; she dove straight for Twilight, clawing across her face with an outstretched arm. In quick succession, she produced a grand breath of fire aimed towards Twilight’s chest. 
Twilight crafted a magical shield of purple energy to withstand the fire, though the deflection left her vulnerable to an attack from Thorax from behind; ramming her in the side in an attempt to disorient her. Thorax slammed his hoof across Twilight’s face, knocking her off-center. 
Twilight reconfigured herself without delay, lifting a nearby table with her magic and tossing it across the room into Ember, slamming both the table and her against the wall. The table burst into wooden scraps upon impact, splintery fragments flying through the air past the others. Twilight quickly turned her attention to Paramount, who had raised her glowing-horn in self-defense.
“Princess!” Paramount warned, hesitating before launching any kind of attack. 
Twilight gave no response, leaving Paramount with no choice but to try and tranquilize her with a stun-shot. The magical blast, however, did little use to even challenge Twilight’s power. 
Twilight reflected Paramount’s blast up towards the ceiling, before firing another blast of her own. Paramount was torn apart upon receiving the blast, crying out in agony before two legs and half of her head fell to one side of the floor, and the rest to the other. Twilight then magically lifted the steaming, bloody mess of fried organs and blackened skin that used to be Paramount, and tossed the remains over towards the others. Filibuster held off from puking his brains out in revulsion. He could make out what was probably her face beneath the bloody mess, and then sought vengeance more than anything else.  
“How could you do this?!” Filibuster cried, spreading his wings and reaching towards the ground for one of the sharp pieces of wood left over from the smashed table. 
“Wait, don’t!” Thorax cried, recognizing the futility of their attempts. 
Filibuster was so consumed with rage over Paramount and Bronze Beam’s deaths, however, that he couldn’t stop himself from burning through the air towards Twilight. 
Twilight though was indeed taken by surprise by Filibuster’s attack, falling victim to a puncture of his makeshift wooden spear into her side. Twilight grunted in pain, grabbing Filibuster by his left wing with her hoof and flinging him across the room. 
She spotted Novo rushing for the opened door, and wasted no time launching yet another strike, slicing open the hippogriff’s head all the way across, spraying blood, brains, and teeth all over the floor. 
Blueblood, who had been too consumed by fear to take action as of yet, had realized it was only a matter of time before Twilight’s warpath expanded upon himself. He charged up his horn, knowledgeable of a few offensive spells for just an occasion as this. 
The prince’s light-blue beam of magic was sleek, precise, and forceful, pushing Twilight slightly backwards as she struggled to magically shield herself.
Thorax, meanwhile, took to helping Ember back to her feet. 
“She must be under some sort of trance,” Thorax suggested, his voice wavering while Blueblood continued to keep Twilight at bay.
Ember glared at him, as if he should have known better. 
“It doesn’t matter,” Ember said, firmly, regaining her breath.
Filibuster had also recovered, picking himself up and sauntering towards Blueblood, preparing to re-engage. 
Twilight eventually forcibly broke against Blueblood’s attack, and darted towards him with the plausible intention of murder; however before she could reach him, Filibuster again caught her by surprise, swinging another sharp-edged wooden board across her chest, tearing some flesh and purple fur right off. 
Twilight fell off balance, just in time to receive a series of wailing punches from Thorax and Ember, the former of whom was practically stomping Twilight’s face into pulp. Thorax had intended to crush her skull beneath his hooves, or at the very least knock her unconscious, but the alicorn princess was remarkably durable. 
Twilight spread her wings and pushed upwards, now hovering in the air. Ember bellowed out a breath of fire, scorching the air and much of Twilight’s side. 
The feathers on Twilight’s left wing eventually were burned and blackened to such an extent that Twilight could no longer fly straight, forcing herself to descend back to the ground. 
Twilight cast another magical shield, protecting against Ember’s fiery assault. Twilight narrowed her eyes towards Blueblood, who was preparing another attack. She swung her shield towards Thorax and Ember, sending them flying backwards. 
Before Blueblood could manifest anything, Twilight finalized her attack, sending a raging blast of magic tearing through his head; a messy cloud of red exploding out into the air. 
Filibuster, still vengeful, made another dive towards Twilight, this time attempting to stick his sharp wooden plank in her neck. Twilight was prepared, however, grabbing Filibuster by the wing once again, this time snapping the tendons backwards. Filibuster screamed in pain while Twilight tightened her grasp. She then held him up to his head and slammed it down towards the floor, cracking the pegasus’ skull like an egg, spraying blood and bone all across the floor boards. 
 Thorax and Ember recovered once again, and were both horrified to see what had become of the others. 
“At least let’s not make it easy for her,” Ember said, gritting her teeth as she realized their chances of survival were slim. Thorax nodded solemnly, still struggling to make sense of what was happening. 
Ember roared in anger, while Thorax followed her charge towards Twilight. 
Twilight blasted Thorax through the chest before either of them could reach her. He fell to his hooves, still alive, gasping for breath. He could feel around the hole in his chest, and the lights of the room began to blur. 
Ember, however, proved to be more of a challenge for Twilight. Deflecting two more lunging breaths of fire, Twilight attempted to slice Ember in half, though Ember was agile, dodging the attack and charging once more.
Ember grabbed Twilight around the neck, digging her claws in deep, preparing to breathe a blast of fire straight into Twilight’s face. 
Twilight’s eyes were like whirlpools of death; in contrast Ember’s eyes were beginning to fill with tears as her throat ruptured with flame. 
But before she could produce her finishing blow, Twilight’s horn snapped back to attention, illuminating a terrifying purple. 
Ember wasn’t even aware of it, the moment when Twilight’s magical blast expanded from inside her skull, tearing her head apart in an eruption of burning red agony. 
Ember’s body fell to the ground, steaming from its bloody stump of a neck. 
Twilight took a deep breath, physically exhausted from the numerous injuries she had sustained during the relatively brief battle. 
Her attention was caught by Thorax, who was still on his knees, coughing softly in pain. His eyes rose up to meet hers, and he had no words for her.
Twilight’s eyes flickered, and she may have even hesitated. Thorax kept his head held up in continued defiance.
Twilight granted him a relatively merciful death, her horn glowing for only two seconds before Thorax’s head split apart at the seams, spraying the surrounding walls. 
Twilight now stood the tallest in a room that reeked of death; nearly everything was covered in blood. Twilight wiped some ash from her face, the residue of Ember’s failed efforts, and caught her breath, mildly worn out from a battle that cost her some minor injuries.
She turned and sauntered out of the room, shutting the door behind her gracefully. 





“This better be worth it.”
Starlight was scurrying through the lamplit streets of Ponyville, practically jogging while Trixie struggled to keep up the pace. 
“We’re already late,” Starlight muttered, glancing at a street lamp clock on the other side of the street.
7:08 p.m.
	“Starlight, do we seriously have to go to this?” Trixie whined, exhausted after a long day of partying. 
“It’s important. I have responsibilities now, remember?” Starlight reminded. 
“But you said Twilight said you didn’t have to go,” Trixie countered. 
“I know, and I’m going anyway. This is important,” Starlight said, unwilling to miss out on what could help her reputation with the rest of Equestria’s leaders, "If she wants me to honor my responsibilities, then this will make a good start."
“Ok. But why do I have to come?” Trixie asked. 
Starlight came to a stop, right in front of their destination, Ponyville’s town hall, to turn around and leave Trixie with an unimpressed look. 
“You said you would be there for me. Do you really have anything better to do?” Starlight asked. 
"There's an X-Files marathon tonight, but besides that, I guess not."
“Right, now let’s go,” Starlight said, confidently approaching the front double doors of the town hall.
But, to her surprise, the handles refused to budge. She tried three more times, shaking the firmly stuck door handles to no avail.
“That’s weird...It’s locked,” Starlight said, confused. 
“Good. Can we go now?” Trixie asked, mid-yawn. 
Before Starlight could answer, a shrill scream belonging to a mare caught both ponies by surprise. 
“What was that?” Starlight asked. 
Trixie unconsciously began backing away from the doors, beginning to suspect that all was not as it seemed. 
“Starlight, let’s get out of here,” Trixie said, nervously. 
“Somepony might be in trouble...Let’s try the back,” Starlight insisted. 
Before Trixie could try to argue otherwise, Starlight had already taken off around the edge of the town hall building, towards an alleyway. 
Trixie sighed, before rushing to catch up to Starlight. 

Heading down the alleyway, neither Starlight nor Trixie were certain of what they would find inside the building. 
“Wait, look, there’s a window,” Trixie said, pointing ahead at a soft yellow light illuminating from a small window in the side of the building.
Starlight took the lead, ushering Trixie to stay behind her. 
Starlight crept towards the window along the edge of the wall, and with every step she took her fears doubled. Grunts, groans, and crashing sounds bellowed out from behind the wall, and drew louder the closer Starlight and Trixie inched towards the window. 
Starlight peeked her head around the window, cautiously, and was immediately distressed to find half of the window glass was stained with crimson blood. Trixie stuck her head beneath Starlight’s, the two of them both letting their jaws drop as they absorbed the chaos unfolding inside. 
They saw what was left of Prince Blueblood, Filibuster, Paramount, and Novo, a gorey mess of blood and body parts left strewn across the polished wooden floorboards. 
But beyond that, they saw Ember and Thorax too, battling a foe drenched in other creatures’ blood, her eyes cold and merciless. 
“That...That can’t-...,” Starlight muttered, struggling to make sense of Twilight Sparkle ruthlessly attacking Ember and Thorax, who seemed equally as terrified as betrayed.  
Before Starlight could even consider intervening, Ember was left a smoking heap of rot on the floor, and Thorax had found himself without his head. 
Neither Starlight nor Trixie could quite comprehend the horrifying display of savagery on the other side of the glass. Avoiding sticking their heads out in front of the window for too long, Trixie yanked Starlight backwards right before Twilight’s head swiveled around to see if anypony was outside. 
Starlight was hyperventilating and her whole body was trembling, unable to decipher if she was dreaming some terrible nightmare or not. 
“Starlight! Starlight!” Trixie whispered, grabbing a hold of Starlight to calm her and keep her still.
“They’re-they’re dead!” Starlight said, breaking into tears uncontrollably. 
“Hey, hey, keep your voice down!” Trixie said, though she too was in a state of mental distress. 
“We have to do something...Twilight! What was that? That couldn’t have been her! It was a changeling, or some apparition, or-or something…” Starlight stammered.
“A changeling couldn’t do something like that,” Trixie whispered, too terrified to raise her voice any louder. 
“She told me to stay away…” Starlight said, realizing the undesirable truth, “We weren’t supposed to be here. We weren’t supposed to see this…” 
“And maybe that was for the best...I-I think we should just keep our mouths shut...The last thing I want is Twilight paying me a visit at night,” Trixie said. 
Starlight glanced at her. 
“No. We have to do something, Trixie. We have to tell somepony about this,” Starlight said.
Trixie shook her head.
"Maybe she had a good reason," Trixie supposed, "Maybe things will work themselves out without us having to make it our business. Maybe-"
"We saw what we saw," Starlight said, "If that was really her, Trixie..."
Starlight could not even begin to make sense of it, not before she felt the compulsion to move her hooves.
“C'mon,” Starlight said, storming off.
Trixie was sweating bullets, and had a sinking feeling that Starlight wasn’t thinking straight, still she tagged along; she was far too terrified to leave Starlight’s side. 

Starlight and Trixie returned to the streets, and now the sun had set completely. The night sky was pitch black, the Ponyville street lamps now seemingly the only source of light in the whole world. 
Every step forward, both Starlight and Trixie were plagued by a relentless paranoia, glancing in every direction in case of a surprise attack of some kind. 
“Starlight, maybe we should wait a little before we do this,” Trixie said, nervously. 
“If she saw us, it’s only a matter of time before we’re next...We have to do this now. I don’t know whether that was really Twilight or not, but somepony is responsible for this, and something needs to be done. Thorax...Ember...they were my friends. Your friends too, Trixie,” Starlight said.
Trixie shook her head, still wary of pushing their luck any further. 
“There’s the mayor’s house,” Starlight said, trotting up towards a house on the corner of Main Street, less than half a mile from the town hall. 
“Let me do the talking,” Starlight said, remembering how intense Mayor Mare can become. 
Starlight approached the front door, ringing the doorbell and planting a few gentle knocks. 
After a brief spout of nervous waiting, the door swung open, though it wasn’t Mayor Mare who was to greet them.
There was a stallion dressed in a suit, his head perched downwards to stare down Starlight, who looked completely out of sorts.
“Miss Glimmer," the stallion said, and he sounded surprised, "The mayor is not welcoming visitors at this hour. I apologize."
“Wait, please, this is important. I need to talk with her,” Starlight said, right before the stallion was to close the door. 
“I’m sorry, but that is impossible,” the stallion said, attempting to close the door again.
Starlight, however, had progressed past the point of plain civility, this time holding the door open with her magic, flinging it wide open. The stallion security guard instinctively reached for his belt-bound baton, only to be shoved out of the way by a blue magical aura, also courtesy of Starlight.
Starlight stormed straight inside, Trixie following close behind. 
Starlight was relieved to find Mayor Mare sitting on her couch in her living room, surrounded by three other security guards, all right next to the front door. 
“Starlight Glimmer,” Mayor Mare began, coldly. She seemed grieved to have been disturbed. 
“Ms. Mayor, I’m sorry for barging in, I really am, but I need to speak with you, it’s urgent,” Starlight said. 
“Urgent? At this hour? Very well then. I hope you’re not wasting my time,” Mayor Mare said. 
“The afterparty, Ms. Mayor, I...Me and Trixie just saw, they’ve all been killed! All of them!” Starlight exclaimed, struggling to find the words. 
Mayor Mare stared at her, baffled, and slowly rose from her seat. 
“What?” Mayor Mare asked. She smiled for a moment, for what had to be disbelief. 
“We saw through the window. In the town hall!" Starlight exclaimed, "They’re there now, in pieces! They were set up to be killed! I would’ve been right beside them, if I hadn’t been late!” 
Mayor Mare studied Starlight's face, and glanced around at her guards.
“That is quite a claim you’re making, Starlight. Murder, in Ponyville? It’s unheard of. A meeting? How did this come about?” Mayor Mare asked.
“It-it was the afterparty. Thorax told me about it just today, and-and he was told by...he was told by you,” Starlight said.
Right as Starlight began backing away in terror, a new figure revealed herself from the adjacent kitchen room.
“No…” Starlight muttered, taking a step backwards. 
Standing right before her was Twilight Sparkle, and the two reluctantly met each other’s gaze. 
The alicorn princess was covered in burns, blood, and bruises, and yet still she seemed invulnerable to all the world could throw at her. Her head was held high, and her steely eyes were steady and unflinching. 
“I thought I told you not to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong,” Mayor Mare said, laughing to herself, shaking her head at Starlight’s expense. 
“Starlight?…” Trixie said, nervously backing towards the opened front door, only to find it being blocked off by one of the security guards. 
“Twilight!" Starlight exclaimed, fighting tears, "Tell me this is a prank! Tell me they’re all still alright!” 
Twilight gave no reply. She glanced to Mayor Mare, who almost seemed to take delight in the horror plain on Starlight's face.
“It really is a shame, Starlight," Mayor Mare said, "You had so much potential."
She took a step forward.
“Get back,” Starlight warned. Despite her threat, her defensive reflexes were hindered in large part to her shock-induced delirium, her mind unable to make sense of what was happening to her. 
“Guards,” Mayor Mare roared.
Without delay, Starlight’s horn glowed blue. But she was not quick enough, before one of the guards tackled her from behind, effortlessly fastening a metal ring around Starlight’s horn as she flailed about beneath his firm grip.
Starlight instinctively tried casting a spell, only to be met by an agonizing headache, as her horn suffocated underneath its metal ring prison. Starlight screamed in pain and collapsed back down to the floor, providing the guards with an opportunity to grab a hold of her. 
Starlight resisted with all her strength, as she was subjected to a barrage of merciless kicks by the surrounding guards. 
“Twilight!” Starlight screeched, fighting back with all her strength as tears sprang out from her eyes. She was attempting to claw her way towards Twilight, who remained unmoving. “Twilight! Don’t!”
As Starlight was brutally beaten into submission, she was left with the additional injury of watching as Twilight turned her back and trotted off around a corner of the house. Trixie, however, put up little resistance, terrified of being killed in the same vein as the ill-fated afterparty guests.
Starlight fought with everything she could muster, but her advantage was lost, and soon enough the guards had managed to lock her hooves together in ice-cold metal shackles, immobilizing her. 
Trixie, who had been screaming for help in the corner for the duration of Starlight’s attempted defiance, was restrained in a similar fashion to Starlight, who was furiously grunting and buckling in her cuffs, to no avail.  
“See to it that they are dealt with appropriately,” Mayor Mare ordered, smirking as Starlight’s eyes burned with anger, “We have ways of handling ponies like you.” 
The guards, without question, grabbed onto both Trixie and Starlight, and dragged them out the open front door into the streets.
Starlight’s face was scuffed along the dirt road as the guards dragged her along by her bound hind legs.  
The guards stopped once they reached the rear side of a parked carriage in the street. The carriage was solid grey, and rather unassuming. 
Before either Starlight or Trixie could prepare themselves, they were both lifted up into the air and thrown into the opened trunk of the carriage, as if they were both pieces of luggage.
Starlight could hear the guards snickering to each other, getting one last glimpse of the night sky behind them before the trunk door slammed shut, and her world turned to darkness. 
In a matter of minutes, Starlight could feel the carriage spring to life, taking motion by a set of pull-horses in the front. 

And so the carriage took off from Ponyville, and the town slept as if it were any other night. There was peace in the cool summer wind, felt not by all but by most. 
The carriage flew over the hills towards the dark of night, disappearing into the shadows of beyond. But there was a light that persisted, inside Starlight herself, and she understood only one thing: she could not be done away with so easily.