"In sameness, there is peace. Exceptionalism is a lie." Starlight Glimmer's voice spoke muffled over a speaker in the top corner of the room. The pounding of the wooden door a food distraction from that mares cult talk, since she'd locked us all in this small hous.
"Free yourself from your cutie mark. Choose equality as your special talent."
And yet it still was hard to ignore..
Rainbow Dash grunted as she hit her hooves and slammed her body against the wooden door to break it down, however it was futile as the door wouldn't budge and she slumped to the floor groaning sadly.
Either it was sturdier than it looks, or Dash was weaker...
"Difference is frustration. To excel is to fail."
Twilight and Applejack were pacing the room, Twilight most likely trying to think of a way out, while Applejack was just trying to do something beyond sit in this shack.
Pinkie Pie was flipping through a book she found on a small shelf and read while sitting on the floor "Hey, this is pretty good!" She said to the others pointing it, all that was on the page was an equal sign.
"Welp pinkies lost it.." I muttered.
"Be your best by never being your best."
" Ugh, we've gotta find a way out of here! I can't take much more of that voice!" Twilight groaned pacing and looking towards the speaker.
"Oh, this is horrible!" Rarity cried mascara tears running down her cheeks.
Fluttershy originally looking out the window turned to her friend and walked over rubbing her back to comfort her "There, there, Rarity... It's not so bad..."
I made a face towards Fluttershy as she said that, someones been drinking the cool aid.
"Yes, it is!" Rarity exclaimed looking back at Fluttershy making her flinch back "Look at those drapes! I have no idea if they're tacky or not!" She said pointing towards old raggedy fabric hanging from the window.
Flutterdhy looked at them "Well, I think they're nice."
On Rarity's flank her equal sign pulsed with a black glow, her tears only growing "So do I!"
Flutterdhy backed away from her balling friend.
"They're worse than tacky Rarity, they don't even count as curtains ar this point" I replied looking at the ugly fabric.
A bird flew through the window and landed on the windowsill tweeting softly. Fluttershy blinked and turned back looking "Oh, thank goodness! Can you help us, little birdie?"
The bird tweets in response to her. Fluttershy tilted her head confused at the tweets as her equal mark pulses with the black glow as well "Go on, now! Fly away and get us help!"
The bird tweets once more titling it's head confused too.
"Oh, even tweets don't make sense any more!" Fluttershy hung her head frowning.
" Oh no seriously? Well I'm sure it's not that bad Fluttershy" I glare towards her from the floor on the itherise of the room as I was laying on my side head upright.
" Oh Blake I was just saying that maybe we should have been more open to their ideas" Fluttershy defended frowning.
"Right, the ideas of the cult who stole our cutie marks and obviously had some form of an effect on all of you" I rolled my eyes.
Rainbowdash huffed sitting against the door before loud clopping rushed towards her and she quickly rushed off the floor as Applejack came rushing over and spinning around bucking her hind legs into the door only to bounce off and roll on the floor in a heap.
Applejack grunted "This door's shut tighter than a... summer of..." Her equal mark pulses making her struggle to think "...uh, piglets in... shoot! I can't even make countryisms no more!"
Pinkie jumped up to her hooves from the floor "I don't know! Maybe it'll be super fun to be all the same!" Her equal mark pulses and her excitement washes away as she mellowed out "Sort of. More pleasant than fun, I guess..."
"Something odd about that staff. I haven't studied Eastern unicorns as much as I should have, but I'm pretty sure Meadowbrook only had eight magical items, not nine. And I don't remember any of them being a staff." Twilight states walking up to her friends.
"Yeah and id expect a magical staff to look more refined than that, the forks were uneven plus Starlight Glimmer only ever used while levitating it, I know you unicorns like to hold stuff with magic, but if it's a staff wouldn't you hood it in your hoof? At that point why not just have a horn attachment." I replied with a shrug.
Twilight raised a brow "what are you hinting at Blake? You think Starlight Glimmer did it? That kind of magic is powerful, starswirl or alicorn level powerful."
" I only know one of those rhingsm but still, I know that whole staff situation and Glimmer rubbed me the wrong way, why is her mane and tail different from every other mares when apparently they're all equal? And why is she the boss? Shouldn't there be no boss?" I asked gesturing around with my hoof.
"Well, it looks like you'll have plenty of time to try to think about it." Applejack said while lying down on the floor tilting her her over her eyes to rest as she put her arms behind her head.
"...Choose equality as your special talent. Difference is frustration. To excel is to fail. Be your best by never being your best. Conformity will set you free. Accept your limitations, and happiness will follow. You're no better than your friends. "
Time went on, the seven of us stuck in the room as we spent our time pacing, lying around, or sleeping, pinkie had taken all the books off the shelf revealing f each had only equal signs on every page. A whole day going by of us all trapped in this room.
"I've got it!" Twilight shouted waking us all from our sleep as we jumped awake "I know how we can get out!"
Rainbow Dash sighed "Forget it, Twilight. This door's not opening."
"And I'm afraid the windows are much too small for escape." Rarity added downtrodden.
"But there is a third way." Twilight smiled with a plan.
"Of course! Eventually the wind and the weather will wear down the walls until they start to crumble! Then all we have to do is wait for a big enough hole to form and we can just walk out! It's the perfect plan!"" Pinkie jumped to her hooves hopping around excitedly before rrotting in place, however her equal mark suddenly pulsed and her mood soured as she frowned "I guess."
"We don't actually have to escape. They'll just let us out when they think we've accepted their philosophy!"" Twilight smiled.
"But they're never gonna believe we switched over in just one night." Applejack countered.
"There's one of us they might believe." Twilight smiled and looked to the pony she was referring to.
I looked to Fluttershy as well, they'd definitely believe she was with them with how she defended everything they were doing, and even seemed to accept the removal of all our cutie mar-why was everyone looking at me..?
My eyes widened "wait me?? But Fluttershy's there one who's been drinking the cool aid this whole time!" I said as I stood pointing towards her.
"While true, they'd believe her since she's been more open than the rest of us, your the only one who's not been affected by this cutie mark removal" Twilight explained walking up to Blake.
"She has?" Rainbowdash asked.
"Think about it, you and Applejack are weaker, pinkies less energetic, Rarity can't judge fashion, Fluttershy can't works with animals, and I can't perform magic, Blake meanwhile has been acting exactly like herself!" Twilight said smiling.
I blinked and looked at my equal mark, I really haven't felt any effect from my cutie mark being stolen, not weird pulsing from the new mwek either "crap... Your right, but why??"
"Because she didn't steal your cutie mark" Twilight revealed smiling proudly.
"She didn't??" Pinkie hurried over and smiled towards Blake's flank only to look confused at the equal sign.
"Uh Twi, I think she may have taken your ability to see too cause I definitely don't have my cutie mark" I replied pointing to the equal sign which was the same as all of theirs.
"But it's not your cutie mark, it's Luna's, her talent is moving the moon, not yours, but since you had Luna's cutie mark the spell only affected that talent!" Twilight smiled proudly.
I blinked my wide eyes, she was right! A cutie mark represented a pony's talent and who they are, but since the only cutie mark I had represented another pony, it technically wasn't mine!
"Never have I felt happier at being in a body that isn't mine" I smirked and got to my hooves
"Woo-hoo!" Pinkie cheered jumping into the air before her mark pulsed and she slowly sank back down calming "I mean, cool..."
"But what do I do once I'm out?" I asked Twilight stretching my wings a bit.
"You've gotta find a way to get our cutie marks back." Twilight stressed.
"Right..." I replied.
The speaker suddenly crackled as it came to life, id almost forgotten it had stopped spouting off Glimmer's cult ideals.
"Oh, good morning!" Starlight Glimmer greeted cheerfully.
The door opened to a smiling Starlight Glimmer who stepped into the room "I trust you had a pleasant night? This way, please." She turned back to the door and looked back to the heoup "There are some friends who'd like to see you."
I exchanged glanced with the girls before following Glimmer out of the house, girls following behind me as we stood behind her, in front of us was the towns ponies all smiling those same smiles.
"Gather round, friends, gather round! We've come to ask if any of you are ready to join us! There are so many friends to be made once you realize you don't need your cutie marks" Starlight Glimmer spoke to the town and then us aas she then leaned in towards Twilight "or the talents that come with them."
"We have a welcome ceremony for new friends! The whole village joins together to build you your own cottage-" Doublediamond began talking before being cut off.
"Not interested! You may have them now, but we're going to get our cutie marks back!" Rainbowdash shouted to the surprised towns ponies.
"Y'all don't understand, do ya? You can't force nopony to be friends! It don't work like that!" Applejack tried to reason.
"Please, join us!" A Stallion pleaded with a smile.
"We love new friends!" A mare added.
"It's all right, everypony. This is a perfectly normal part of the equalization process for those who haven't... quite seen the light yet. We'll try again tomorrow once you've had a bit more time to consider our philosophy!" Starlight Glimmer said roqased her faithful followers and gave a nod towards the ponies she has guarding the house, the two leading the girls back inside.
"Wait...I'd like to join" I replied stepping away from the girls hanging my head even as the town ponies all smiled wider and chartered in joy.
"Blake? How could you?!" Twilight said in false despair.
"let's be honest Twilight...we've never been real friends, you all only tolerate me because you have to, if we'd never met do you really think we'd be friends?" I asked looking back to the purple mare.
Twilight blinked as her ears fell back.
"everyone's always judged me because of how I look, in this town none of that matters, everyone is the same, equal...maybe it's my only chance at real friendship..." I lamented hanging my head.
Starlight Glimmer's smile faltered as she looked at the Alicorn, something in her resurfacing for only a moment.
Twilight slowly turned and followed her friends into the room.
"Starlight?" Doublediamond asked as Starlight Glimmer had been stood there in silence.
Starlight Glimmer blinked and looked around "oh um" she walked to the door lighting her horn and closing it "W-We have a new friend, everypony!" She put her smile back on as she looked to the towns ponies.
The towns ponies chattered in excitement and joy aas they enclosed around me and I smiled my best fake smile.
Starlight Glimmer walked towards me smiling as all the ponies moved aside "Now, there's one more order of business." She wrapped her hoof around me leaning on me in a sympathetic manner "It seems some in our midst might be... dissatisfied with the village life!" She pulled away looking somber to her ponies.
The towns ponies gasp and look to one another fearfully.
"Unfortunately, it's all too true, my friends! Will you kindly tell us the names of those friends who so desperately miss their cutie marks that they would sneak around in the shadows talking to strangers about it?" Starlight asked leaning towards me squinting.
Party Favor, Sugar Belle, and the other mare who had brought the group downstairs to talk all looked to each other nervously before forcing smiles.
"Just so we can be sure your intentions are indeed pure." Starlight Glimmer smiled towards me.
I blinked glancing around at the surrounding ponies, before smiling as my eyes landed on a particular one
"Doublediamond" I immediately pointed to the white stallion
Doublediamond smiled before blinking as his smile dropped "Wait what?? She's lying!"
"That's an unfriendly thing to say" I frowned with faking innocence " I knew it...even in this town of friendship...it's hopeless for me...I'll always be seen as a liar and monster" I let a few tears slip free my eyes, I learned back home how to make myse shed a few crocodile tears, never for use but it sure was coming in handy now.
Starlight Glimmer looked towards the tall maee and once again felt that feeling bubble up once more, she looked to Doublediamond, him betray her? He was there to help capture them, but maybe he was trying to elude suspicion? "How..." She glanced at the mare once more now seeing tears run down her dakr muzzle "selfish..." She pointed towards the door lighting her horn to open the door.
Doublediamond looked around at the disappointed faces and frowned before walking to the room head hung low.
The door slammed shir behind Doublediamond as he stepped into the house hanging his head
"Doublediamond? What are you doing here??" Twilight asked confused.
"Your friend Blake pointed me out as being the one who told you about the cutie mark vault, why would she do that??" Doublediamond exclaimed frowning.
"Well, you did help kidnap us" Rainbowdash crossed her arms glaring.
"Kidnap you?? We would never! We only just-" doublediamond defended only to get cut off.
"Took us, stole our cutie marks, and then locked us in a room against our will?" Twilight cur in.
"No it...but we.. " Doublediamond looked left and right as he began rethinking every decision he's ever made.
"Don't worry, Blake will have us out of here in no time!" Rainbowdash tried to cheer him up.
"Didn't you see what just happened out there?! Your friend has accepted our way! You will all accept our way! It's only a matter of time!" Doublediamond shouted running up to them before frowning and went into the corner holding himself.
"This guy's a barrel of laughs." Rainbowdash remarked.
"Laughs don't come in barrels. They come from inside you as your body's response to delight." Pinkie replied flatly making everything look at her in shock.
"So what are we gonna do while Blake's out there lookin' for our.." Applejack said to the girls before dropping to a lower whisper "cutie marks?"
"We have to stay as positive as we can. If Doublediamond sees how much we really do like each other, even though we're all different, maybe we can use him to spread our message to the rest of the village." Twilight replied with a smile trying to reinstill hope to her friends.
The loudspeaker crackles as Starlight Glimmer's voice soon comes through it once more, the girls looking up to the speaker "To excel is to fail."
"Let's hope they don't convert any of us first." Rarity replied frowning.
"Welcome!" A mare waved greeting.
"Welcome!" another maee beside the first greeted.
"Welcome!" A stallion beside the two greeted.
Even if I knew they all were brainwashed cult ponies who wanted everyone to join their cult town...I did enjoy being waved and smiled st, no one was cowering or avoiding eye contact...though some less eye contact wouldn't hurt, I feel like I haven't seen any of them blink in hours...
Starlight Glimmer stopped in front of me and turned back with a gentle smile as she moved closer to me "Come, All new friends stay with me until their cottage is completed." She turned back and walked towards her house.
I couldn't help but blush as she'd gotten so close, even if she was a cult leader she was still a cure pony...
"Let's get you settled, and then you can enjoy all that our little village has to offer." She used her magic to open the door as she ascender her stairs and looked back towards me and gestured to the town with one hoof.
Looking back I saw Sugar Belle and the other mare with her, they waved anxiously towards me and I quickly put on my best fake friendly smile waving back as I then stepped into Glimmer's house.
Starlight Glimmer looked back towards the town before following inside and closinf the door behind her, she smiled forward before stopping as she came face to chest with me.
I blinked down at her "oh woops sorry" I backed up trying not to bump into anything, houses were not build for my height.
"You are...quite rall aren't you? Id almost say your Celestia's height" Starlight Glimmer smirked.
"Eh about yeah, never actually got to see here eye ro eye I was laying in bed when we met" I replied looking behind myself at tables and vases to avoid bumping into.
"You've mer the princess in person? Oh well of course you have, your a princess yourself" Starlight Glimmer shook her head at her own foolishness.
"Oh I'm not a princess" I looked at her.
"You... aren't?" Starlight Glimmer tilted her head.
"No, well...um I guess I don't know? You've probably noticed unless your town never heard of her, I look like Nightmare Moon, and by all in tense and purposes I have her body, I just became her one day and then ended up in... Ponyville, so far no one knows anything and I'm just kind of...stuck..." I explained.
"I've...never heard of anything like that, I know if Nightmare Moon, but for a pony to become her randomly it's so strange" Starlight Glimmer said before realizing what she said and looked at the me "oh no not to mean your strange just the situation! "
" "Don't sweat it...I've...been called worse..." Mostly by myself... "Twilight and her friends tried a spell, and the next thing I knew I was Nightmare Moon, since then...I don't know...I just felt like a...sore thumb everywhere I went... Pony's in town are scared of me but like why wouldn't they be? I look like someone they tell their foals will eat them if they're naughty, and it's been that way for what? Like a thousand years?"
"I wasn't a social person before but I guess when suddenly your out and about in public and everyone looks at you like your monster it hurts, I guess I just never realized before when I wasn't looking for friends that when I didn't I was..." I wasn't sure if I was lost for words or they choked in my throat.
"..alone..." Starlight Glimmer replied, fake smile fone and now a soft understanding frown on her muzzle.
I blinked and looked away clearing my throat as I fought back some tears I'd dredged up on my own "y-yeah.." I winced as my voice broke.
"I..." Starlight Glimmer started as she looked down before taking a step forward and reached her hoof out hesitantly before pulling it away "um...your room, it's upstairs, follow me..." She walked to the stairs avoid eye contact.
I sighed and followed her up to the room as she opened the door, it was simple, obviously a guest room but it should be nice...cept for the small bed but I wasn't planning on sleeping anyway.
"Oh um, I could make the bed bigger if you wanted, sorry I wasn't expecting a taller mare to-" Starlight Glimmer trailed off as she looked at me.
Crap I think she noticed me flinch when she said mare.
" Is something wrong..? " Starlight Glimmer asked.
" Oh no it's nothing really..." I walked into the room and pushed my hoof in the bed resting out the softness.
" Well...goodnight then Blake, get some rest, we have a lot to do tomorrow when I show you around" Starlight Glimmer said as she took the door handle in her hoof and closed it gently.
Sitting in the bed I passed the time trying to think of how I was gonna get the girls curie marks back, sure I was stealing them...or well reclaiming them, but how? I doubted the glass was just glass...
Eventually the sun set and night descended upon the town, getting up I walked as quietly as these hooves could and went to the window, slowly lifting it open I then squeezed my body through it first extending my arms and wings forward before pulling myself out, then I just gently flew down.
"Excellent work, Lemon Lime" Starlight Glimmer's voice spoke making me quickly fly back up to avoid sight and then slowly flew towards the source of her voice.
Peaking around the edge of the house I looked down and saw Starlight Glimmer standing in her doorway with a white mare with a yellow and green mane and tail. Beside her were seven jars in a basket, inside them were our cutie marks.
"Of course, but I don't understand why you wanted me to bring them here, Blake is one of us now, Surely she can be trusted." Lemon Lime said confused by Starlight Glimmer's orders as she followed the mare in with her levitating the basket in with them.
With the door closed I flew down to the nearest window and kept to the edge of it peaking in as I saw them walk into the center of the room.
Starlight Glimmer lifted up the jar with Twilight's cutie mark inside with her magic "This one belongs to a princess. It could be very important to our cause."
"But if Twilight Sparkle becomes our friend, then why do we care about this old cutie mark?" Lemon Lime asked confused as she followed Starlight Glimmer towards a door.
"I just want to keep them close until everything is... settled." Starlight Glimmer said examining Twilight's cutie mark" You may go, Lemon Lime."
The mare nodded and turned heading to the door. I will quickly flew up our of sight as she exited the house and walked away, once fsr enough I slowly descend peaking in once more.
However I saw Starlight walking away from the door shed been going to before, and now went upstairs, as she disappeared up I was about to follow when I heard a crash and Starlight Glimmer shout.
"Ow!" Starlight Glimmer shouted.
Flying to her window I saw a bucket rolling across the floor spilling some water as it soon came to a rest in its bottom.
"Ugh! Starlight, you clumsy foal!" Starlight Glimmer groaned soaking wet and waving her wet hoof in the air, jars floating above her before moving them to a nearby dresser and picked up a folded towel, she then began drying herself off.
As she dried her flanks and pulled the towel away, a purple star with a blue trail was revealed on her haunches.
I knew it!...okay I didn't know she had her marks but I had a feeling since everything about her was different from the others in the town, different hair, using her magic, way less brainwashed looking, and just more personality in general, plus she was running things.
Of course like any cult leader she didn't actually follow her own beliefs, it was all for control after all, I couldn't help but grit my teath as I thought about all I told her, just fuel for her to use later...
Starlight Glimmer covered her marking with pink makeup before using a paper cutout with black smudges and used black makeup to put the fake equal sign marking on her flank.
She then turned the light off in her room and climbed into her bed, as much as I wanted to just grab the jars now, she had way more magic knowledge than me and if she had any other powerful spells like the make stealing id be screwed...
Flying back off into town I went to the house the girls were being kept at, avoid the gaze of the guards as I flew down to the fsr window "psst, Twi you up?"
Twilight's purple muzzle soon came into view of the glassless window "Blake? Is that you? Did you get the cutie marks??"
"No I-" wait why didn't I just kick the window open? Sure it was a right for but we didn't even try to escape, also this felt like a drug deal but nevermind, shaking my head "Starlight Glimmer's got them in her room, she's holding them, but there's more, she's not actually cutie markless! She's only pretending " I whispered to her.
Twilight gasped softly" of course, that's why her magic is still so strong, she never gave up her talent...Okay, Blake, she should come back here tomorrow to try and get more of us to join her, when she does I'll say I will and then we'll reveal the truth to the town, even if they're following her they'll still feel betrayed and realize she's been lying. "
" Hopefully that's enough to make them change, cause this towns really really under her hoof" I replied.
" We have to have hope" Twilight said.
I nodded sighing "if not...I'll just choke her out, alicorn strength and all."
"Wait what?" Twilight asks.
"Bye, see you tomorrow" I quickly flew back to my room and squeezed myself in before closing the window and getting in bed, tomorrow everything would go down...for better or for worse...
After an awkward breakfast Starlight Glimmer lead me out of the house and gathered the towns ponies as we all stood before the house with the girls inside, I tried to hide my anxiety as I glanced from Starlight Glimmer to the door awaiting it all to unfold.
The guard ponies opened the door and the girls filed out before standing in a line, each looked exhausted, sleep rough for them with the lack of beds inside and lack of entertainment to take your mind off being trapped in a room.
"I've got a good feeling about today! So, Doublediamond, will you join us, please?" Starlight Glimmer smiled and asked towards the all white stallion who rushed over getting down on the ground as he hugged her hooves.
"I'm sorry, Starlight! I'm sorry, everypony! I've seen the error of my ways!!" Doublediamond cried, lamenting as he looked at the town ponies and starlight.
Starlight Glimmer smiled "marvelous Doublediamond!"
The towns ponies cheered as Doublediamond looked up at Starlight Glimmer "They tried to break me! They wouldn't stop talking about how different they are, and that somehow makes their friendship stronger!"
"Such backwards thinking." Starlight Glimmer shook her head smiling softly.
"But I didn't listen! I knew what they were up to, and I didn't listen!" Doublediamond smiled widely.
Fricken little snitch...knew I pinned him for a reason...
"Well done, Doublediamond! We welcome you back with open hooves!" Starlight Glimmer smiled putting her hoof to his chest, she then looked to the girls "now do any of you have anything you'd like to say?"
Twilight looked to her friends before she stepped forward resulting in the crowd gasping in surprise "I-I think I do, But I just want to be sure, If I agree to leave my cutie mark in the vault, I'll really be happier?"
Starlight Glimmer pushed doublediamond away as she stepped forward "Just look around! Equality has given us more happiness than you've ever known!" She gestured around the town before pointing at Twilight.
"And you wouldn't let me just live here in the village with my old cutie mark?" Twilight asked lifting her right wing and looking back at where her cutie mark used to lay on her flank, replaced by the equal sign marking.
"Out of the question. A pony with a different cutie mark in our midst would destroy our entire philosophy. We are all equal here!" Starlight Glimmer praised smiling proudly.
The crowd mutterwd in agreement with one another nodding and smiling.
"Then how do you explain this?!" I suddenly shouted and licked my hood before slapping her flank with a loud whap.
Starlight Glimmer jumped lurching forward and stumbling as she turned around looking shocked "y-you lied..?"
Doublediamond looked towards Starlight Glimmer's flank where I had slapped and his eyes widened as he saw the equal sign msidhed away revealing her real cutie mark.
Starlight Glimmer followed his gaze and gasped with wide eyes quickly trying to turn herself away from him "No! Get away!"
It however was too late as the crowd based having seen the making as well and now knew the truth.
Starlight Glimmer quickly used her tail to cover her marking "Wha...What are you looking at?! They're the problem, not me!" She pointed an accusatory hoof at the girls and then herself shaking her head smiling a stressed smile as she tried to keep hold of the lie.
The girls smirking at her as they knew it was far to late for her.
"How could you?" Doublediamond asked hurt by the truth "You said cutie marks were evil! You said special talents led to pain and heartache!"
Starlight Glimmer frowned "They do! Don't you see?! Look at them!" She pointed to her eyes and rhen the girls again.
"Then why? Why did you take ours and not give up your own?" Sugar Belle asked frowning.
"I..." Starlight Glimmer sweated nervously before it all became to much as she glared at them "I had to, you fools! How could I collect your cutie marks without my magic?!" She finally snapped.
"But the staff has all the magic we need!" The black mare from before said walking up.
"The staff is a piece of wood I found in the desert!" Starlight Glimmer snapped leaning in towards them.
I knew that thing looked like just a fricken stick!
"It's my magic that makes all this possible!" She held her hoof to her chest before gesturing to them with the same hoof "You'd all still be living your miserable lives thinking you're better than everypony else if it weren't for my magical abilities! I brought you friendship! I brought you equality! I created harmony!" She growled lunging at the crowd with each exclamation.
"You lied to us!" Doublediamond pointed at her glaring.
"So what?" Starlight Glimmer suddenly regain some sense as she realized she was loosing their trust "E-Everything else I said is true! The only way to be happy is if we're all equal!" She turned away from them smiling and raising her head proudly.
"Except for you." I remarked and was rewarded with a sneer from Starlight Glimmer as she lit her horn up reading a spell only to stop as Twilight spoke up.
"Everypony has unique talents and gifts, and when we share them with each other, that's how rea—" Twilight began before she was cur off.
"QUIET!" Starlight Glimmer roared veins popping on her neck as she snarled.
Twilight flinched back sheulsijf herself with her wing and hoof. The girls behind her looking at the mare wide eyed in shock, even I was shocked a pony could look so angry.
"You can't have a cutie mark, Starlight! Either we're all equal, or none of us are!" Sugar Belle said as the ponies began moving forward towards Starlight Glimmer glaring from the betrayal.
Starlight Glimmer crouched low ears pinned back as she slunk backwards only to stop as shed been backed towards Twilight and the girls who glared fiercely at her, the towns ponies joining to encircle her before she suddenly charged up a spell engulfing herself in a blue dome of magic which spread out and suddenly popped pushing the ponies back as she then quickly rushed past towards her house and slammed the door shut behind her.
"Come on! Let's get our cutie marks back!" Doublediamond reared up on his hind legs kicking his front as he smiled and charged off towards the cave followed by the cheering crowd.
"Come on! Let's go get our cutie marks!" Rainbowdash called waving her hoof as she flew towards the cave.
"Our cutie marks aren't in the vault! They're in there with her!" I said pointing towards Starlight Glimmer's house freezing Rainbowdash in her tracks.
The seven of us rushed up to the door, first trying to open it but found it was locked, Pinkie, Rainbowdash, and Applejack began pounding on the door to get it open, but with their weakend stared they weren't making even a dent in the wood.
"Move, I got this" I said as I took a few steps back.
Suddenly a loud whistling and rushing sound filled the air grabbing all of our attention as cutie marks with glowing trials rushed about in the air like fireflies, some straying off and flying into different towns ponies and engulfing them ina w hite flow before almost new ponies were left, their hairstyles all different.
"Even without my cutie mark, I can tell this is beautiful!" Rarity smiled looking in the air wt all the flying about cutie marks.
Refocusing on the door I dug my hooves in the dirt before rushing forward taking off the ground with my wings spread as I rushed through the air towards the door, holding my front hooves our I smashed through the door splintering it into pieces as I skidded to a halt on the floor.
I then rushed for the stairs as the girls hurried inside and began searching the floor below, rushing up and bursting through Starlight Glimmer's door I looked around only to find the jars gone and her bed completely flipped revealing a secret tunnel beneath "the heck?? When did she even build this??"
I hurried forward and down the stairs soon enough being followed by the now restored towns ponies as the girls lagged behind us.
Running through the dark tunnel it suddenly began to brighten as a opening sat up ahead, rushing out I found we were back outside, a large rock sat a bit aways, no doubt previously covering the tunnels entrance.
But Starlight Glimmer was no where in sight!
Rainbowdash flew out from the cave and looked around before pointing towards the snowy mountains "look!"
Party Favor looked towards eehe aprh leading to the mountain where a purple shape was moving across, he suddenly looked to his cutie mark and smiled as he pulled dour a orange balloon and blew into it inflating it before he began twisting it and wrapping it around and produced binoculars...made form balloons.
"What?" I asked confused looking at him, now or all times jokes?? Also where di those other balloons on it come from?
Party favor put the balloon binoculars up to his eyes looking through them "She's headed for the pass! If she makes it into those mountains, we'll never find her!" He called.
Pinkie took the binoculars and looked through them, the ends twisting and turning like eyes making me cringe " These are amazing!"
"There's a whole network of caves up there! Your cutie marks will be gone forever!" Sugar Belle cried with the hrils looking towards the mountains growing with her.
"Then let's get moving, y'all!" Applejack called trotting forward with everypony running after.
Rainbowdash flew forward eyes closed as she strained while a pegasus rushed by her, Rainbowdash's equal making pulsing as it kept her from going any faster, ponies running by below her. She looked down and saw the girls also only able to go at a slow trot making her groan "Oh, come on!"
"Ugh you guys!" I yelled flying back over to them and picked them up one by one as I continued to fly forward moving faster though now I was slower too due to carrying six mares.
"Yay air Blake!" Pinkie cheered.
Even slowed I was able to get us close enough to finally see Starlight Glimmer closer as she was galloping with a wagon strapped onto her back, the jar rocking and joslring the jars inside which rattled and clanked together.
Starligh Glimmer looked back towards the oncoming ex-rown ponies who pursued "Are you all so willing to give up everything because of these strangers?!" She fired a magic blast at a ledge of snow up above knocking it down onto a pegasus mare who was knocked out of the air and into a pile of snow on the ground.
"We gave up everything for you, because we thought you were our friend!" Sugar Belle ran after Starlight Glimmer.
"I can't believe we have to count on these other ponies to save our cutie marks!" Rainbowdash grumbled sitting on my back
"I can't believe your all so frickin slow!! " I growled flying and wobbling as I tried to remain in the path so I didn't end up sending us all plummeting to our deaths.
"If we hadn't come here to help them, they'd still be living under her rules! Now it's their turn to help us!" Twilight smiled.
"And I know they can do it!" Fluttershy added smiling too.
"Your all sure you can't move faster??" I begged as my wings were burning.
Starlight Glimmer rushed across a rocky bridge dodging snow so she wouldn't slip, looking back she saw Doublediamond, Party Favor, and Sugar Belle chasse after her.
Sugar Belle looking to her cutie make and smiled as she got an idea and lit her hone as she passed a snow pile and grabbed a chunk carrying with as she formed it into a shape "My newest recipe...snow pie!" She sent it flying through the air at Starlight Glimmer.
Starlight looked back with wide eyes before the snow pile slammed into the handle sof the wagon smashing it apart and sending her rolling forward, the jars being launched ahead of her as they careened over the edge of the bridge, her ears pinned back and she leaned dover the edge lighting her horn grabbing the jars stopping thier fall before pulling them back up just before they hit the ground.
She continued running down the path forward carrying the jars behind her in a magical grasp. She then stopped and looked dbsck flaring before firing a blast at the bridge blowing it apaet dropping the perusing ponies before continuing running.
Sugar Belle caught Doublediamond before he went over the edge and the two looked forward frowning before they heard a balloon crinkle and looked to Party Favor who was blowing a balloon up and rapidly began tying multiple balloons together forming our a large balloon construct in the shape of a bridge.
The pegasus mare flew over pushing the bridge down to connect to the other end as the three ponies began bouncing across it to the other side.
Blake came following behind with the girls on her back as she sweated from the strain.
"She's gonna get away!" Rainbowdash cried.
Double Diamond ran after Starlight Glimmer before skidding to a halt as skis sat embedded in a snow bank to his left, he walked over to them, recognition in his eyes "Whoa! These are my old skis! This is where I first met Starlight!" He gently caressed them with his hoof.
"Maybe you can reminisce another time! She's almost to the caves!" The pegasus mare said flying over to him.
Double Diamond looked to his skis as an idea formed and he smirked looking back at the pegasus mare "Feel like an air drop?"
Starlight Glimmer kept running carrying the jars behind her in her magic as she could see the cave entrance coming up ahead, she suddenly looks back hearing wings flapping as she sees the pegasus carrying Doublediamond in her hooves.
Doublediamond is carried ahead of Starlight Glimmer to the mountain above before he's dropped as he uses his skis to slid across them kicking snow down in the process, he follows after Starlight Glimmer as a huge wall of snow comes crashing down onto the cowering Starlight Glimmer burring her and the cave entrance.
The jars left afloat before the snow until they each drop and shatter upon the ground releasing each of the trapped cutie marks and flew off towards the seven.
Blake panting as she carried the six before she saw the seven markings rush towards them and strike each making them tense and strain when the light engulfed them in light as their colors return along with their cutie marks and energy.
Blake blinks as she finds only her mark returned since she never felt a change beyond it, but a smile spread across her face as she saw each of of the girls regain themselves.
Applejack bucked around smiling happily "Yee-haw! Finally, I can buck like a five-bit snake herder in an Appleloosa ranch house again!"
"Ooo And you got your countryisms back, too!" Fluttershy smiled.
The seven quickly run and fly down the path towards the snow pile up ahead.
Doublediamond slide up to Sugar Belle, Party Favor, and the Pegasus mare smiling to them before suddenly some snow is thrown off the pile as Starlight Glimmer pushes herself up from the pile.
Starlight Glimmer looks around frowning before glaring at the four of them rage burning in her eyes as the four flinch and cower away from her. Lighting her horn she begins charging a spell to use against the four raging engulfing every instinct in her.
The four ponies sheisk themselves in desperation as their oncoming doom fast approaches them before suddenly Twilight swoops down casting a spell unleashing a large purple shining magic shield, starlight's blue magical beam of magic firing out striking the sheild as it was blocked.
The magical energy rushes around the field with ground shaking force as Twilight resistors it protecting the four ponies from the beam until Starlight Glimmer finally stops and looks up.
Twilight drops the shield glaring sternly forward wings spread protectively.
Starlight Glimmer's eyes go wide as she looks to the princess in shock before sneering "Wh- I studied that spell for years! How can you-"
"I studied magic for years too!" Twilight spoke as she walked towards Starlight "But what I didn't know then was that studying could only take me so far, Each of my friends has taught me something different about myself!" She pointed to herself and then back to her now arriving group of friends "It was their unique gifts and passions and personalities that helped bring out the magic inside of me! I never would have learned that I represent the element of magic without these five! And I certainly wouldn't be here to stop you now!"
Starlight Glimmer rolled her eyes as the princess of friendships speech " Spare me your sentimental nonsense! I gave these ponies real friendships they never could've had otherwise!"
"How do you know that?! You never even gave us a chance!" Doublediamond countered.
Starlight Glimmer glared as her horn is engulfed in magic and a huge blue magical sphere surrounds her shining brighter and brighter forcing the group to shield thier eyes as it suddenly explodes in a blinding light.
When sight returned a smoking spot is left with the surrounding snow melted away, and in the snow hoof tracks left trailing off into the darkness.
"She's getting away!" Rainbowdash yelled looking down the cave.
"We'll never find her in there!" Doublediamond frowned.
"We just have to hope that when she's had a chance to think it over, she realizes that you all have taught her something." Twilight replied looking to the cave before back to the ponies.
Party Favor suddenly wake up beside Twilight "It's you who have taught us something, We all came to this village because we were searching for something missing from our lives. We thought Starlight had given it to us, but now... now it seems it was in front of us all along. It's us!" He smiled as he walks to his friends and hugs them tightly in a group hug.
"Does that mean you'll stay in the village?" Twilight asked smiling raising hoof up.
"It's our home. I'm not going anywhere." The pegasus mare smiles.
"This is a chance for all of us to get to know each other again for the very first time!" Doublediamond smiled towards his friends.
"And I finally have a chance to bake something besides terrible muffins!" Sugar Belle smiled excitedly.
The ten of them all laughing together before Twilight looks around as her smile drops "hey where's Blake?" The rest looking around all realize the large mares nowhere to be seen.
Starlight Glimmer galloped down the cave looking back as she saw the light of the entrance fading and she lit her horn to illuminate the path ahead of her only to slid to a stop as she sees the ebony face of a mare in front of her.
She snrled preparing to fire a magic blast at her.
"Starlight wait..." I quickly said holding my hoof up.
Starlight Glimmer for her part does stop however her horn continues to pulse and glow "what is it?? Come to trick me so I lower my defense once more?? How did you even get a head of me??"
"That's calling the kettle black isn't it?" I remark and shake my head eyes closed "while Twilight was saying her friendship speech I snuck around to catch you by surprise if you tried to attack her, then you did your dragon ball move so I hurried backwards into the cave, turns out you were just flash bombing them, which brings me to why I'm still here. "
"Well?? Go on!" Starlight Glimmer says impatiently.
"You could have thrown an attack spell, tried to take twilights cutie mark again, bur you didn't, you ran, why? Your strong enough to go against her, trust me even if I suck at magic I can tell you don't" I replied pointing my hoof at her.
She glared "there were too many, id her over powered so I chose the safer option and ran, though since your here and as you say your magic sucks...then you won't mind if I take your cutie make again as you suggested" she smirked devilishly as her horn glowed brighter.
"Go ahead" I turned so my flank was more visible.
Her smile fell as a shocked expression overtook it "..what?"
"Take it, it's not mine, doesn't represent me or my talents, it's why I wasn't affected when you took it in the first place, this mark isn't who I am."
" Oh so I'm no threat to you then am I?!" She snarled again.
"No.. " I huffed closing my eyes before looking at her gentler "what I'm saying is...I don't disagree with what you've said about friendship to a certain point...I've... I've had a horrible friendship experience in Equestria, I don't have friends her, I have ponies who tolerate me and maybe even like me, but even if they say it and maybe mean it it, we're not friends..."
"In your town as corrupt as it was and Starlight before you even try to deny it" I add in as I see her begin opening her mount before shutting it " you know what was in that town...wasn't friendship, nor was it right, but none the less what you did there...I felt...the closest to normal I have ever felt in weeks...and you did that! You could have done something good in that town, offered to take a cutie make and let ponies see each other outside of talent before reintroducing them either when asked or after a time limit. "
" Then they could decide if it was good or not, not through you trying to force feed your version of equality" I explain looking at her as I turn to her "where I come from...there is so so so much inequality, so much chaos and pain...but what people don't understand there is that there can never be perfect equality, yes there should be for obvious instances, but others there just can't be, not everyone can be the exact same, and you know what?? That's not bad! It's okay to be different, to be strange, but when we begin to shun that, to try and force into something it's not...then we are cresting inequality..."
"I know...there's a good maee in you...Who's just hurting, I don't know what happened...but bottling it and pushing it down only makes it so much worse for you...but... If everything I said has gone in deaf ears, and you are holding true to your ideals... " I turned to my side once more showing my cutie mark "then take it...you said you were helping this eoinies by taking it...so help me, take mine and maybe I'll be different enough to actually be somepony of my own, rather than a twisted reflection of two others..." I closed my eyes turning my head away.
Even close I could see the glow of her horn through my eyelids, the movement as turned her head about and the increasing brightness as she readied the spell...
The towns ponies laughed and chattered as the town now was filled with life and color, tables and banners pread about, food and ponies all over, inflated beach balls bouncing about from pony to pony as they celebrated.
"Now those are real smiles." Pinkie smiled rearing up on her hind legs.
Applejack tensed as her cutie make began to pulse and glow, the other girls markings doing the same "ah'll never get used to that."
"I think it's divine." Rarity smiled looking at her cutie mark.
"Does that mean that the map is calling us somewhere else?" Fluttershy asked looking at her own mark and then ro Twilight.
"I have a feeling it means our work here is done." Twilight smiled.
"Looks like you were right, Twilight. The map did have a reason for sendin' us here. We brought real friendship to these here ponies. Guess that's why you're the Princess of Friendship." Applejack smiled and winked to Twilight.
Twilight Sparkle smiled gently "But the map didn't send me, It sent us. You're a part of me, all of you. And there's no doubt you're a part of my mission to spread friendship too." The six girls all clump together into a group hug as pinkie squeels happily.
"This feels like an ending! It doesn't have to be an ending yet, right?" Pinkie frowned before smiling "'Cause that Sugar Belle can bake!"
"Maybe we can stay a little while longer, after all we still need to find Blake" Twilight siad with a smile.
"hold off the search party and hunting dogs" I replied walking up.
The girls gasp before hurrying over "BLAKE! where have you been?? We thought maybe you went back to the town but you were no where in sight!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Yeah dude you scared us half to death!" Rainbowdash said relieved now but upset I had scared her.
"Sorry, I went after Starlight, I thought...Maybe I could reason with her..." I muttered I glanced back at my flank.
Fluttershy gasped "oh no...did she..?"
The girls all peered around the large mare fearfully as they gazed upon...a crescent moon sitting in purple splotches, all six sighing in relief.
"No, she left my marks...and she still ran away" I replied with a soft smile.
"Don't worry...I'm sure we'll meet her again, and when we do...we'll help her" Twilight smiled putting her hoof on my shoulder.
I looked at her hoof and and then her and smiled a bit more "yeahh...knowing our luck, she definitely will." The girls all giggled and laughed and I couldn't help but join them.
"Come on Darling, we were just heading in to enjoy the party" Rarity said walking forward.
" Yeah! You have to try Sugar Belle's new muffins! They're sooo good!" Pinkie giggled.
"Sure, I'm down for a muffin" I smiled and followed, glancing back towards the mountains one last time before looking forward.
Starlight ran out from the cave running down the path as plumes of mist puffed our from her nose, her teeth gritted and tears in her eyes
*Minutes ago...*
"then take it...you said you were helping this eoinies by taking it...so help me, take mine and maybe I'll be different enough to actually be somepony of my own, rather than a twisted reflection of two others..." Blake the alicorn said turning her head away and closing her eyes.
It would be so easy now, just take her cutie mark, she was literally giving it away! She even said she was better off without it, everything Starlight had worked for was taken away because of this mare and her friends, and she had the gall to say she was right in the end?!
Starlight's horn glowed brighter as she prepared the spell.
...so then why did it feel so wrong?...she hate cutie marks more than anyone...and now seeing another so willing to give it up? Even the ponies of her rown resisted a bit when she offered...
So why was this mare different?? What could hse have gone through that made Starlight feel like she wasn't...
...Alone...
Again that word...she remembered Blake's words in her house, shed though they were a true and then a lie...until now...
Was it possible she wasn't alone? That somepony else could feel the way she felt? In Equestria the land of friendship, could ther really be two so similar friendless ponies..?
Starlight looked at the mare before cancelling the spell making her horn dimm the mare opened her eyes looking at her confused "I don't want your stupid cutie mark...not if it makes you feel better! After you took everything from me, it's only fair I give you nothing!" She rushed off down the tunnel, reminding herself not to look back, she couldn't look back, she couldn't open herself up to that pain again...Not again...