The "town" was a pathetic little thing. Consisting of only two rows of fairly dilapidated houses, six in each line, they all looked like they'd seen much better days, at least from this far away. The building at the end of the single road that divided the houses though... that place looked like it would fit right in inside of Canterlot's most wealthy district. It was abundantly clear who was in charge of this place.
Sunset flashed into the space a few feet away from me, a confident grin on her muzzle.
"Not bad, you hit the mark perfectly," I wasn't impressed, but I was satisfied. At least she kind of lived up to her title as Princess Celestia's student. It was by no means easy to teleport to a location you'd never been to before, especially one hundreds of miles away from your current location.
"Thanks, I guess?" she sounded a little offended. What, couldn't she take a compliment? Whatever, we had bigger things to worry about.
"If anything happens, let's just stay out of each other's way, alright?" I was taking in the area carefully as I walked toward the town. There wouldn't be many escape routes if we had to make a hasty exit. I'd have to rely on Sunset if things took a turn for the worse, but I didn't want that to happen due to a mistake we made by getting in each other's way. "I know you're not useless, you're Princess Celestia's apprentice after all, but we've never worked together before, so giving each other ample room to operate is probably for the best."
"Did you just compliment me?" she smiled at me with a questioning brow. This mare really knew how to test my patience.
"Would you just focus?" I couldn't help but growl at her. We didn't have time for silly games, we'd been entrusted with an important duty and focusing was of the utmost importance. Her relaxed demeanor was really starting to piss me off.
"Sorry." She looked truly repentant so I decided to let her off the hook... for now.
"Everything looks fairly mundane," I remarked. Maybe if I... Ugh! Maybe if I tried to be cordial with her, it'd help. "Other than the fact that there's literally nopony around. What do you think?"
"Me!?" she practically shouted in shock.
Really!? REALLY!?
"Obviously, Sunset," I tossed my head back and forth so I wouldn't choke the mare. "Why wouldn't I ask you? You're not an idiot, are you?" She obviously wasn't. She was clearly capable if Princess Celestia relied on her for so much, she just didn't know how to carry herself properly.
"I'm not," she grinned. "Princess Luna said they were dreaming of imprisonment..." For the first time since we'd gotten here she began examining things. "Maybe they're locked inside their homes?"
"You could be right..." I agreed with her assessment. Since we were drawing close to the settlement I casted a simple spell to draw the berry from my bags. "Here, eat this." I tried to feed it directly to her... was that not the friendly thing to do?
"What is it?" she recoiled away from my gift.
"What, you don't trust me?" I smiled, my question more of a taunt than anything else. It made her mad, but she ate the darn thing with no more objections so it was worthwhile. It was nice to know I could still get to her as much as she did me.
"This is delicious!" she chewed like she hadn't eaten anything in months. It was kind of adorable... in a disgusting sort of way.
"It's a Sleepknot berry," I chuckled. "I noticed this morning at breakfast, but I guess it's not that hard to see. You're exhausted," I pointed at her chin where some of the juice had spilled out before I continued on to enter the border of the town. "I've seen those same eyes staring back at me countless times in the mirror. It's a miracle you're up and about. That berry won't give you anything close to a full night's rest, but it should help you out."
"Twilight... thank you." Her gratitude was nice to hear, but I didn't need it. If it helped her perform better it was worth bringing the fruit.
"Don't mention i-" As we crossed the threshold into the town a loud buzzing sound bellowed from an unseen speaker. I readied my mana, a spell waiting on the tip of my horn, just in case.
"Everypony it looks like we have visitors. You know what that means!" a mare's voice followed the buzzing. It must've been the leader of this place. Sunset's magical chime joined my own, a little later than I would've preferred, but at least she was being a touch cautious.
Good.
The citizens of the town poured out of their homes forming two tidy lines on either side of the street. Their expressions contained some of the most disturbing grins I've ever witnessed, some looking as if they were in intense pain. I studied them more thoroughly as quickly as I could. A healthy mix of earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns, some donned clothes, others hats.
Everything looked to be fairly normal except one thing. Their flanks... I tensed up. Her Highness was right. There was definitely something off about this place.
"What are they doing?" Sunset asked.
"Look at their cutie marks," I whispered. If the unicorns started slinging spells and the pegasi took to the sky we would be at a disadvantage no matter what our level of skil was. We were hopelessly outnumbered and had no clue what their capabilities were.
"They're all the same..." Guess Sunset hadn't noticed before. They locked their gazes on us as one, as if they were machines programmed to do so.
"WELCOME TO HER TOWN!" they yelled loudly. This was way too wierd.
"This is way too freaky, Twilight," Sunset echoed my thoughts.
"Whatever you do, don't let your guard down," I whispered back. We had to be extremely careful or risk failing... I couldn't let that happen. I had to do this. For Her Highness.
"Excellent job, everypony!" The mare announced over the unseen speakers. The citizens turned their heads forward, not moving any other parts of their body. The doors to the fancy house opened, a cocky looking mare trotting through them.
She was physically unremarkable, other than the goofy mane, but the swagger she carried herself with coupled with the arrogance on her face made me grind my teeth. Such blatant confidence should be reserved only for a princess yet this... UNICORN obviously thought so highly of herself. God, I hoped she was the problem. I wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off of her face.
"Follow my lead," I said under my breath through my clenched jaw.
"Right," she nodded. Can't say I wasn't a little more than pleased she didn't argue.
"Greetings, strangers," the unicorn smiled so artificially I'm surprised she didn't burst out laughing. She clearly wasn't very good at deceit. "My name is Starlight Glimmer. Welcome to my town!"
"My name i-"
"Twilight Sparkle," her smile grew less fake and much more deranged.
So that's her real face.
"You're Princess Luna's protégé. You failed countless times to impress Princess Celestia so her younger sister decided to take pity on you."
"WHAT!?" I saw red as I got directly in her personal space. She knew exactly which of my buttons to press.
"Which would make you," she completely ignored me, glaring at the golden unicorn beside me. "Sunset Shimmer, Princess Celestia's protégé. You..." the smile had left her face, replaced by a repulsed grimace. "You're an indolent little mare, aren't you?"
"I- what?" Sunset was caught off guard by the sudden insult, looking at me for a moment before returning her gaze to the lilac mare.
"So pathetic. You're not fit to stand at the side of the Princess of the Sun." I couldn't say why... I mean, I agreed with her, but... seeing the hurt on Sunset's face... I wouldn't be able to tolerate this obnoxious mare much further.
"H-how dare you!" Sunset's face reflected my own. Seeing the shift from pain to rage made me realize exactly what Starlight Glimmer was trying to do. I centered myself, forcing my emotions back into check. Yes, whoever this unicorn was, she was terrible at deceit, but exceptional at manipulation.
"Now, now ladies, let's not do anything rash," she turned on her heel, walking away from us. "If you're going to be productive members of your new home, you're going to have to be good little foals."
What?
I looked at Sunset, utter confusion crashing through me. The gold mare was just as bewildered as I.
"What are you talking about?" Sunset got out before I could, her own rage steadily mounting. This pony was clearly out of her mind and with the numbers in her favor we were at her mercy. "There's something wrong with-"
"Sunset," I had to get her to cool off or we'd play right into this maniac's hooves. "Calm down," I ordered.
"Oh! I see what you're doing!" Starlight looked over her shoulder, her smirk back and more grating than ever. "Tsk, sillies," she turned around and approached us. "I bet you think I'm trying to trick you into doing something rash... don't you?" As she said those two words her face contorted into one of pure malice. "Oh no. Oh no no no," her horn flared to life. "As soon as you stepped hoof in my home your fate was decided. The two of you are never going to leave this place."
I'd never been more terrified than I was in that moment. That was the visage of a real monster and paired with her words, it felt as if she could deliver on that promise whenever she wanted. Plans of escape, plans of fighting, even plans of bargaining ran through my mind, but they all ended up in failure. I was just so... scared.
"You can bring a thousand more ponies and an army of dragons if you want," Sunset's roar of defiance drew my gaze. "There's no way you can defeat ponies as powerful as Twilight and I," the kind smile she gave me rallied my confidence. "Not if we fight together!"
Fine, so she's a little cool.
"She's right, Starlight," Sunset's little speech bolstered my confidence. "It doesn't matter how man-" the mad cackling that came from the unicorn abruptly cut me off.
"Wait a second," she got out between breaths once her laughter began to die down. "Don't tell me you two think I'd put my beloved playthings in danger."
"You honestly think you can take Princess Celestia's and Princess Luna's disciples at the same time?" Sunset chuckled. For some reason Starlight's bravado didn't strike me as just posturing.
"Oh my little foals, I don't need help dealing with you," Starlight's horn shined brighter with unrestrained power. "There are only two in this land that can oppose me," her mood instantly changed to deathly serious.
There was no time for me to react, no time for me to do anything really. I couldn't move any part of my body except for my eyes, Starlight's spell so powerful I could barely even breathe. I looked to my side to find Sunset in the exact same predicament as I. This was bad. Really, really bad.
The two of us were lifted off the ground as if we weighed nothing, the unicorn before us not even seeming to put much effort into such a strong spell. It couldn't be merely telekinesis, at least not any telekinesis I was aware of. Telekinesis didn't typically lock down one's magic so... definitively.
"Now then, let's see what's in those bags of yours, shall we?" Our saddlebags were on our backs one second and being rummaged through by the smug unicorn the next. I struggled and fought against the pressure, but it was no use. Where had she gotten this kind of power? "Wow guys, It's just a bunch of garbage," she looked thoroughly irritated before her face lit up in delight. "OH, what's this?" She lifted Her Highness' Blessing out of my bag and took it into her grubby hooves.
"THAT'S MINE!" I lost it. My eyes shimmered as my mana levels elevated past a point I could contain them. Starlight's spell shattered like glass that'd been struck with a sledgehammer. Her grasp on us failed, sending Sunset and I falling to the ground. I didn't have the strength to land on my hooves, instead crashing down onto my side.
"TWILIGHT!" Sunset called out my name, but I was utterly spent, the amount of mana to break us free beyond my normal capacity.
"Braaaavo, Twilight!" Starlight glared at me as she dropped the Blessing, an intrigued look coming to her face. "I guess I'll have to deal with you first," she laughed as she launched another spell directly at me. I only had the strength to turn my head away slightly and brace for impact.
"Think again, Starlight!" Sunset leapt in front of me, a small teal shield of magic projected in front of her protecting the two of us from harm. "Are you okay?" she asked me, glancing over her shoulder as she kept the shield firmly between the two of us and our foe. I could only nod weakly in response. "I'll protect you no matter what, don't worry!"
Ok, maybe she's really cool.
"Fine," Starlight's voice was eerily calm. "I like your cutie mark more anyway, Sunset." Starlight casted another spell, a thin beam shooting from her horn. It ripped through Sunset's shield as if it were made of paper. The energy slammed into Sunset sending her tumbling backward almost causing her to fall on top of me.
"Darn it... she's-" Sunset never got to finish her thought. Another wave of mana grabbed her, this one different than the first that had only lifted us into the air. She looked utterly terrified as she closed her eyes in agony.
"Sun..." I tried to speak, to do anything, but I couldn't. I watched in horror as her cutie mark left her flank, the same lifeless looking equal sign forming where the brilliant sun had just been. Sunset was thrown to the ground, her body trembling as she stared longingly at her cutie mark as it floated over to Starlight.
"Another one for my collection..." Starlight examined Sunset's cutie mark with demented glee. I seriously considered calling out to Her Highness... but I couldn't. No... I didn't care if I died, I wouldn't let her down in that way. "Now it's your turn, little foal," Starlight looked down at me with her deranged grin.
I'm sorry, Your Majesty... I failed.
"Then we can get you two to wo-"
"I do believe that's quite enough, Starlight Glimmer." The voice that echoed from the sky above us made my heart soar.
"Y... Your... Highness..." I barely managed to get out as she landed gracefully before me and Sunset. I was always ecstatic to see my mistress, but this time her presence drove me to tears.
"My dearest student..." she kept her gaze locked on Starlight as she acknowledged me. "You've nothing to worry about now. You are safe."
"I knew you'd come eventually." The look of pure unadulterated fury on Starlight's face would've caused the staunchest royal guard to turn tail and run home to their mother, but Her Highness stood her ground, undeterred.
"Then you are fully aware that your machinations are done for." Her Highness was not affected in the slightest by Starlight's aura. "You are under arrest, Starlight Glimmer. For the enslavement of the ponies of this town and for assaulting Celestia's pupil and my beloved student."
"You think I'm that stupid, Luna?" Starlight barked. "I've prepared for your arrival as well!" Her horn blazed with more raw energy than I'd ever seen anypony conjure.
"Stay your hoof, Starlight Glimmer. If you persist you will force me to stop you by any means." My mistress was as tranquil as a forest, but as authoritative as the infinite ruler she was.
"You haven't realized it yet, have you, Luna?" A smug grin came to Starlight's lips, the same smirk she'd displayed when everything was going according to her plan. My mistress merely sighed in response.
"This is your last chance, Starlight. I shall give you no further warnings." The melody of Her Highness' magic was louder and more beautiful than any other creatures. Starlight merely laughed chaotically in response.
"You made one fatal mistake, Luna," the ground around Her Majesty began to sparkle the same color as Starlight's mana. "You set hoof in my town!" The glow seemed to react to Starlight's words, becoming alarmingly vivid.
"YOUR HIGHNESS!!!" In spite of my exhaustion I screamed at the top of my lungs. The shining pillar of energy that exploded around my mistress was so deafeningly loud, so absurdly powerful, it practically blinded me.