The True Meaning of Starlight

by SaburoDaimando

The True Meaning of Starlight Part 3

Every pony in the town square of New Ponyville stood over the fallen Christmas tree.  Princess Sunset Shimmer landed on the ground before she made her way up to the sock sack, just as Minty pulled herself out from the crowd and ran up to the alicorn princesses.  Rainbow Dash, Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals flew down next to the fallen christmas tree, observing the damage done.

“I don’t think this one will be able to stand up again,” Zipp Storm said.  The damage done to the base will make it impossible to prop back up.”

“Impossible?” Rainbow Dash yelled in frustration.  “But that means we have to get a new Christmas tree.  Pinkie Pie went through all that hard work, and now it’s a total wreck.”

“It gets a lot worse than that,” Zipp Storm said as she pointed to the wrecked Christmas stand where the tree once stood.  “Take a look.  We will need to get that replaced if we want a new christmas tree.”

“This is one Christmas that just got ruined in an instant,” Pipp Petals said.

But as the three pegasi observed the fallen tree, Minty looked left and right in a frantic pace.

“Princess Sunset,” Minty said.  “Where’s Starlight?  Is she alright?”

“I don’t know,” Sunset Shimmer said as she picked up the sock sack with her magic.  “All that’s left is this bag that was left behind.”

“Then that means she’s alright,” Misty said.  “Is she?”

But Sunset Shimmer placed the bag down next to Minty before turning towards the fallen tree.  Before she could speak, Wanda Young pulled herself out of the crowd with Spike and Abigail by her side.  But as soon they saw the fallen tree, Wanda gasped in horror.

“Oh no,” Wanda cried.  “All that hard work, and it’s gone.”

Wanda got down on her knees and broke down in tears, crying out loud.  The only thing Spike and Abigail could do was to put their hands on Wanda’s back.

“I can’t believe Christmas is ruined,” Abigail said.

“It’s not ruined,” Spike said.  “We just had a major setback.  But it’s not a hundred percent ruined.”

Immediately, Pinkie Pie, Danged Spell and Sunburst pulled themselves out of the crowd and looked at the fallen tree.  They turned towards Wanda, who cried her eyes out.

“Wanda,” Pinkie Pie said.  “We’re sorry about what happened to the tree.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Wanda cried.  “It’s my fault.  I allowed this to happen.”

“Wanda, don’t say that,” Pinkie Pie said.  “Accidents happen, and we can get this fixed.”

“Pinkie Pie’s right,” Sunburst said.  “None of this is your fault.  You didn’t know it was going to happen.”

“But the big question is,” Danged Spell said.  “Why did it happen?  Why did it fall all of a sudden?”

Hearing those words, Princess Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath before taking a few steps towards the citizens of New Ponyville.

“Everyone,” Sunset Shimmer said.  “I have an announcement to make.  I took a quick look at the scene.  And unfortunately, I hate to break it to you all.  But I believe Starlight Glimmer did it.”

The whole townsfolk gasped in horror upon hearing those words.  Even Wanda Young broke out of her tears and looked up at Sunset Shimmer.

“It…It can’t be true,” Wanda said.  “That’s not like Starlight Glimmer to topple an entire tree.  She’s better than this.”

“Right now, I want to know the whole truth on why this tree was toppled,” Sunset Shimmer said.  “And she’s not in any trouble.  But I want to know what happened that caused Starlight to tip over this tree.”

“I’ll tell you what happened.  She did that because she hated Christmas.”  Everyone turned towards the crowd where Sprout Cloverleaf stood on his hind legs with a towel wrapped around his waist, holding a scrubbing brush in his upper right hoof.

“Sprout,” Zipp Storm said, awkwardly.  “Were you just taking a shower?”

Everyone looked at Sprout awkwardly, causing the stubborn earth pony to blush embarrassingly.

“Okay okay,” Sprout Cloverleaf said.  “I enjoy taking long showers.  It’s good for the soul and….”

“Uggh, no,” Rainbow Dash protested as she covered her face with her wing.  “TMI!”

“But what does it matter?” Sprout shouted.  “We all know why she did that.  She can’t stand celebrating the holidays.  And as a result, she kicked it over just so no one else can.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” Minty said as she marched towards Sprout.  “She was excited to pass out my socks to the ponies of New Ponyville.”

“Well then explain why that sock bag was left behind near the crime scene,” Sprout snarled.

“I don’t know why,” Misty said in frustration.  “I know Starlight gets frustrated all the time.”

“That doesn’t give her any excuse to knock down the tree,” Sprout shouted.

“EVERYONE, SETTLE DOWN!”  Sunset Shimmer yelled.  “We’re not going to get anywhere if we keep throwing baseless accusations like that.”

“But what about Starlight?” Wanda said as she got up on her two legs.  “Even if she did do it, it’s not like her to just tip over a tree in frustration.”

“Wanda’s right,” Zipp Storm said.  “Until Starlight can tell us her side of the story, we don’t know her motive or why she did it.  Right now, we need to find her and know the truth.”

“Very well,” Sunset Shimmer said.  “Find Starlight Glimmer.   But go easy on her.  After all, Starlight wanted to make her mark on the holiday.”

Most of the ponies, which included Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Starcatcher and Thistle Whistle, nodded as they began searching around the town, looking for any sign of Starlight Glimmer.  Wanda Young turned to Spike and Abigail before the baby dragon approached the human princess.

“You don’t need to say anything,” Spike said.  “Abigail and I will know what to do.”

“Thanks Spike,” Wanda said.  “We’ll need all the help we can get to find Starlight Glimmer.”

With that, Wanda held her arms out as a bright glow emitted on her back.  When the glow disappeared, insect wings materialized where the glow was once.  As Spike and Abigail turned tail and ran down the streets of New Ponyville, Wanda leaped into the air and flew off after them, leaving Sunset Shimmer behind with Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, Rainbow Dash, Minty, Danged Spell, Sunburst and Sprout Cloverleaf.

“Let’s hope we can find Starlight and know the truth,” Sunset Shimmer said.  “For her sake and for ours.”

“If I know Starlight, she tends to be very timid and bashful,” Sunburst said.  “I remember when our Nightmare Night celebration scared Starlight to the point where she hid in her house for a few days.”

“Yeah,” Danged Spell said.  “Even I felt sorry for her.”

But all Sprout Cloverleaf could do was sigh for a bit before he turned around and walked down another path, catching the attention of both stallions.

“Hey Sprout,” Danged Spell said.  “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Back to go wash myself,” Sprout Cloverleaf said.  “The sooner Starlight faces justice for what she did, the better.”

“Not on our watch,” Danged Spell protested as he and Sunburst ran up to Sprout.

Danged Spell’s horn glowed brightly as Sprout was surrounded by a magical aura.  Before he could react, Danged Spell picked him up and carried him above his body. 

“LET ME GO YOU SPOILSPORT!” Sprout Cloverleaf yelled as he struggled to break free.  “I’M NOT ONE WHO LIKES TO GO FOR A RIDE!”

But as Sprout moved his legs up and down at a frantic pace, his towel fell off his waist and landed on the ground.  Sprout screamed loudly as he flailed his arms and legs even faster.

“NOW LOOK WHAT YOU DID!”  Sprout Cloverleaf yelled.  “I NEEDED THAT!”

“Not right now you don’t,” Sunburst yelled.  “Besides, we don’t normally wear clothes.”

Meanwhile, in another part of town, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were searching behind each and every alleyway, hoping to find Starlight Glimmer.  But Rarity’s face turned to despair as the minutes passed by.

“Starlight,” Pinkie Pie yelled.  “Starlight, are you around here?”

“I feel sorry for little Starlight,” Rarity said.  “After all, she did help me model a new dress.”

“I didn’t know you got her to pose for a new dress, Rarity,” Pinkie Pie said.  “That must have sounded awesome.”

“Well unlike a certain pegasi who’s too good for fashion,” Rarity explained, “At least Starlight was willing to pitch in for the project.  I even compensated her for a job well done.”

“Well that’s Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie Pie said.  “She’s one who always dresses in style.”

In an instant, Wanda Young flew in from above while Spike and Abigail ran in from a nearby street.  As Wanda landed on the ground, her wings disappeared in a flash of light.

“Any sign of Starlight?” Wanda asked.

“No sign,” Pinkie Pie said.

“Well that’s a shame,” Spike said.  “I don’t know where else Starlight could be hiding.”

“It’s a shame indeed, Spikey-Wikey,” Rarity said.  “She really wanted to enjoy Christmas in New Ponyville.”

“This is my fault,” Wanda said as she turned away from the others.  “I shouldn’t have put that much responsibility on Starlight Glimmer with the task Minty gave her.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Princess Wanda,” Rarity said.  “You wanted to cheer up Starlight and give her a task to help her celebrate the holidays.  Besides, you’ve put a lot of stress on your mind.”

“And there’s nothing to worry about,” Pinkie Pie said.  “We’ll find Starlight Glimmer and we’ll go easy on her.  That’s a Pinkie promise.”

“I’ll try,” Wanda said.  “But it won’t be easy.”

But Abigail was paying no attention to Rarity, Pinkie Pie, nor Wanda Young.  Her eyes were fixated on the hot air balloons due south of their location.  But her eyes widened in horror as she saw a shadow of a twin-tailed pony pulling herself into the carriage of one of the balloons.  Abigail immediately turned to the others with a frantic look on her face.

“Everyone, I think I saw Starlight,” Abigail said.

“You saw Starlight?” Spike asked.

“Yeah,” Abigail said.  “From what I saw, she may have climbed into one of our hot air balloons.”

“Oh no,” Pinkie Pie said.  “I think she’s doing this to leave New Ponyville because of what she thought she did.”

Though Spike looked at the wings on his back, he quickly turned to Wanda, who stared at the shadow of the twin-tailed mare.

“Wanda,” Spike said.  “You can fly faster than I can.  Go.  Get Starlight out of there.  I’ll tell Sunset what’s going on.”

“Right,” Wanda said as her wings re-materialized on her back. “And if Starlight does leave, I’ll keep right on her.”

Wanda Young leaped into the air as she flew towards the hot air balloons, leaving Spike, Abigail, Rarity and Pinkie Pie behind.  But Spike only nodded to the two ponies before he and Abigail ran down the street from where they came from.

“Please don’t leave us, Starlight,” Rarity said.  “You won’t survive in this harsh cold.”

Up ahead at the balloon landing, Starlight Glimmer had already jumped into one of the hot-air balloons.  She began to untie one of the cables, just as Wanda Young flew up to her.

“Starlight,” Wanda shouted.  “What are you doing?”

“I’m leaving New Ponyville,” Starlight said as she finished untying the cable.  “I know when I’m not wanted.”

But as Wanda approached Starlight, the hot air balloon flew up into the air with Starlight inside.  Starlight Glimmer turned on the burner of the balloon, strengthening the flame and allowing the balloon to float higher into the sky.

“Starlight, you’re making a big mistake,” Wanda said.  

“Wanda, I was the one who fell the tree,” Starlight shouted.  “It’s my fault that I ruined Christmas for all of New Ponyville.  So I’m leaving and I’m not coming back, ever again.”

“No, don’t,” Wanda cried.  “It’s too windy.”

Suddenly, a burst of cold wind picked up Starlight’s balloon and pulled it across the sky.  Starlight held on as her balloon drifted aimlessly above New Ponyville.

“HEEEEEEELP!”  Starlight cried.  “THE BALLOON’S OUT OF CONTROL!”

“HANG ON, STARLIGHT!” Wanda yelled.  “I’M COMING!”

Wanda flew towards the balloon as the wind blew it violently above New Ponyville, while Starlight Glimmer held onto the edge of the basket.  Her eyes were glued to Wanda Young as she inched closer to the basket, holding her hand out.

“Grab my hand,” Wanda Young shouted.  “I’ll get you out.”

Starlight Glimmer reached out and tried to grab Wanda’s hand.  But another wind picked up from the south and blew the balloon northward, pulling Starlight away from Wanda.  The human girl immediately flew after Starlight Glimmer, hoping to get back to her.

Back in the village square, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals were quick to notice Wanda Young chasing after the hot air balloon, but couldn’t make out the pony that was in it.

“Who in their right mind would look for Starlight Glimmer in a hot air balloon?” Zipp Storm asked.

But before Sunset could respond, she heard the sound of Spike calling out to her name.  Sunset Shimmer immediately turned to Spike, who came to a stop and began to catch his breath.

“Spike,” Sunset Shimmer said.  “What happened?”

“Starlight Glimmer….got into a  balloon….and took off…,” Spike said.  “Wanda…went after her.”

“This is worse than I could imagine,” Sunset Shimmer said before she turned to Rainbow Dash.  “Follow me so we can get Starlight and Wanda to safety.  They’re in immediate danger.”

“AYE AYE, PRINCESS,” Rainbow Dash saluted.

Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer flew up towards the hot air balloon, leaving Zipp Storm, Pipp Petals and Spike behind.

“Sunset and Rainbow Dash are going to need my help,” Zipp Storm said as she flapped her wings.  “So I’m going up there.”

“Sister, no,” Pipp Petals said as Zipp Storm took off after Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash.

“I hope things don’t get any worse,” Spike said.

As Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer were up in the clouds, they immediately flew towards the hot air balloon, noticing Wanda struggling to reach out to Starlight Glimmer.  Following from behind the winged duo was Zipp Storm, standing ready.

“Zipp,” Sunset said.  “Thanks for pitching in.”

“This is your sister and Starlight that we’re talking about,” Zipp Storm said. “Of course I’ll do what it takes to get them to safety.”

“Then let’s waste no time,” Rainbow Dash said.  “Time to bring them home.”

Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer and Zipp Storm flew towards Wanda Young as the human girl was able to get her right hand onto Starlight Glimmer’s hoof and her left hand on the edge of the basket..

“Wanda,” Sunset said.  “We’re here.”

“Sister, I need your help,” Wanda shouted.  “We have to get this balloon down, this instant.”

“Is there any rope in there?” Zipp Storm asked.

Starlight Glimmer looked down at the bottom of the basket.  There were three coils of rope sitting next to the twin-tailed pony.  

“Yeah,” Starlight said as she reached down and grabbed the first rope.  “But there’s only three pairs.”

“I have an idea,” Zipp Storm said, noticing the wire that connected the balloon to the basket.  “Hand me the rope.”

Starlight Glimmer held the first piece of rope out for Zipp Storm, who grabbed it and flew up, tying one end into a knot attached to the wire.  Immediately, Starlight pulled out the other two pairs of rope and handed them to Rainbow Dash and Sunset Shimmer.

“Good idea, Zipp,” Rainbow Dash said as she took her rope from Starlight Glimmer and flew up.  “It’s gonna take our wing strength to get this balloon down.”

Rainbow Dash immediately tied her rope to the hot air balloon wire until it was tight.  Sunset Shimmer flew up from below and tied her rope to another wire that was connected to the balloon.  Once the three ropes were tight enough, Rainbow Dash, Zipp Storm and Sunset Shimmer directed their attention to Wanda.

“Wanda, jump into the basket and hang on,” Sunset said.  “We’re going to pull the basket down and get you two to safety.”

Wanda nodded to Sunset Shimmer before Starlight Glimmer pulled the girl into the basket.  Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash and Zipp Storm pulled the hot air balloon with all their might, flapping their wings as hard as possible and dragging the aircraft back towards New Ponyville.

“If I do get down from here,” Starlight said, “I promise never to fly on a hot air balloon again.”

“Starlight, you’re not in trouble,” Sunset said as she pulled hard.  “We just want to know what happened with the tree.”

But those words caused Starlight to turn her head away in shame, catching Wanda’s attention.

“Starlight,”  Wanda said.  “Do you remember what happened that caused the tree to fall?”

“Well,” Starlight said.  “I looked at the tree when my nose became itchy and…”

Suddenly, Starlight Glimmer’s nose began to twitch.  She inhaled loudly, much to Wanda’s horror.

“Sister, Rainbow Dash, Zipp,” Wanda yelled.  “GET OUT OF HERE NOW!”

“Not until we get you down,” Rainbow Dash shouted as she pulled the basket.

“You don’t understand,” Wanda said.  “Starlight Glimmer has a powerful sneeze that’s powered by magic.  And you’re all in danger.”

“Oh no,” Sunset Shimmer said as she released her grip on the rope.  “This isn’t good.  Rainbow, Zipp, fall back.  She’s gonna sneeze.”

Rainbow Dash and Zipp Storm quickly released their grip on the rope before they followed Sunset Shimmer away from the basket, just as Starlight’s breathing reached its maximum peak.  Wanda immediately dove behind Starlight Glimmer and covered her face.

“What’s bad about Starlight’s sneeze?” Zipp Storm asked.

“You’re about to find out,” Rainbow Dash said.

Starlight Glimmer sneezed loudly and powerfully that echoed through all of New Ponyville.  The force of the sneeze knocked Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash and Zipp Storm into each other, sending them free falling towards New Ponyville.  The recoil from her sneeze sent the Hot Air Balloon flying northbound at a rapid pace away from the city limits.  

As Wanda Young got up, she saw Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash and Zipp Storm fall out of control towards the town.

“SISTER, RAINBOW, ZIPP!”  Wanda screamed.  “COME BAAAAAAAAACK!”

But Wanda and Starlight could stare helplessly as the balloon drifted away from New Ponyville.

Back at the city limits, Spike and Pipp watched helplessly as Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash and Zipp Storm fell towards the northern part of the city.  Ponies from around the city gathered around the duo, gasping in horror at the fate of the three ponies that were falling.

“Is that Sunset Shimmer?” Rarity said as she, Pinkie Pie, and Abigail made their way to the town square.  “Why is she free falling?”

“Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie Pie yelled.  “Something happened to her.”

“Sister, no,” Pipp Petals said, keeping her eye on Zipp Storm.  “She failed.”

“They’re going to crash,” Spike said.  “Is there anything we can do about it?”

“You can’t,” Pipp Petals said.  “But I can.”

Pipp Petals pulled out her headset and placed it on her head.  She touched the earpiece of the headset as if she were inputting in a frequency.

“Zephyr Ship,” Pipp commanded.  “This is Princess Pipp Petals.  Deploy a Zephyr Pod and have it use the tracking beam to pull them to safety.”

Near the castle, the Zephyr Airship deployed a small pod-like vessel with two wings and a fin from a side docking bay into the sky.  The pod flew towards the falling ponies at a fast speed as Pipp watched from below.

“I didn’t know your ship had something like that,” Spike said.

“Those Zephyr Pods are solo-pony aircraft,” Pipp Petals said.  “But they can be controlled remotely to rescue free-falling pegasi or alicorns.  Watch.”

As the Zephyr Pod flew up to Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash and Zipp Storm, it fired a green energy beam that caught the three free-falling ponies.  Everyone stood there and watched as the pod opened a hatch from below and pulled the three ponies inside with the energy beam.

Pipp Petals placed her hoof on the earpiece of the headset and said “The trio have been secured.  Bring them near my position.”

As soon as the hatch closed, the Zephyr Pod flew down towards the Town Square, causing many of the ponies to back off and clear the way.  Once the Zephyr Pod was a few feet above the ground, its thin, yet sturdy, landing gear retracted from below, allowing the pod to safely dock on the ground.

Pipp Petals and Spike ran up to the side door of the pod before it opened up.  Inside, Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash and Zipp Storm slowly got up with the alicorn princess shaking her head from confusion.  Sunset was the first to look up at Pipp Petals.

“Pipp,” Sunset said.  “What happened?”

“I had to dispatch a Zephyr Pod to get you three out of harm's way,” Pipp Petals said.  “I’m glad we got you three in time.”

“You gotta hand it to my sister,” Zipp said.  “She may be a diva.  But she’s also very resourceful.”

As Sunset Shimmer directed her head north, she watched as the hot air balloon disappeared into the night sky, her heart racing with horror.  Sunset flapped her wings and began to take off.

“Wanda and Starlight,” Sunset shouted.  “They’re still in there.  I’ve got to get them back.”

Suddenly, Pipp Petals leaped into the air before landing in front of Sunset Shimmer, causing the alicorn to skid to a stop.

“Sunset,” Pipp said.  “What are you thinking?  The winds are too treacherous for a solo flight.”

“But my sister and Starlight are floating away,” Sunset Shimmer.

“And I have a better idea,” Pipp Petals said.  “We’re going to rescue them in the Zephyr Ship.”

“Wait,” Sunset said.  “We’re going to board the Zephyr Ship and rescue Wanda and Starlight?”

“It’s not only the fastest way possible,” Pipp Petals said.  “It’s also the safest way possible, even compared to hot air balloons.”

Pipp Petals turned towards the direction of the castle where the Zephyr Ship was parked nearby.  Every pony, along with Spike and Abigail, gathered around Sunset Shimmer and Pipp Petals, looking at the ship. 

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” Pipp Petals announced.  “Starlight Glimmer and Princess Wanda Young are floating out of control on a hot air balloon due north.  We need as many hooves as possible to get them back.  Who's will join us on board the Zephyr Ship?”

Immediately, nearly everyone on New Ponyville cheered loudly after hearing Pipp's speech, thrusting their hooves into the air.

“That's the spirit,” Pipp Petals shouted.  “Now let's go out there and bring them home.”

Every pony in New Ponyville made their way towards the castle, marching in two straight lines.  As Pipp Petals saluted the ponies, Rainbow Dash, Zipp Storm, Spike, Abigail and Minty all approached the diva princess and Sunset Shimmer.

“You have a way with words, Pipp,” Sunset Shimmer said.

“Well that's my sis,” Zipp Storm said.  “She knows how to put on an audience when it matters the most.”

“I just hope we can get to Wanda and Starlight before it's too late,” Minty said, carrying the sack of socks.

“We will, Minty,” Spike said.  “We will.”

 But as the ponies of New Ponyville made their way towards the castle, Danged Spell and Sunburst marched behind the crowd of ponies.  Danged Spell carried Sprout Cloverleaf above him with his magic, all while the earth pony stallion struggled to break free.

“LET ME GO YOU DIMWITTED BABOON!”  Sprout shouted.  “NOBODY MAKES A MONKEY OUT OF SPROUT CLOVERLEAF!”

“Hold your horses, moron,” Danged Spell said.  “We’re about to go for a ride.”
 
Sprout Cloverleaf looked up and laid his eyes on the Zephyr Ship.  He stuttered and mumbled loudly in shock before he passed out.  Sunburst looked up at the unconscious Sprout before laughing

“I think he's speech,” Sunburst laughed.

“Hey,” Danged Spell scoffed.  “I do the puns around here.”

But as the ponies of New Ponyville made their way to the Zephyr Ship, on the outskirts of the village due north, Wanda Young and Starlight Glimmer drifted helpless away, watching as they see their village shrink down in their sights to a mere light.   Wanda's insect wings disappeared in a flash of light before she tapped her ring, transforming her casual dress into a winter coat.

“What have I done?” Starlight said as she saw New Ponyville from a far distance.

“Starlight, it's okay,” Wanda said.   “Sunset will figure out a way to get us back.”

“It's not that,” Starlight said.  “I dragged you into this mess, and I made it worse.  And now you're going to miss that Christmas Party that you were going to throw.  I never should have accepted that job from Minty.”

“Right now, that's the least of my worries,” Wanda said as she hugged Starlight.  “All I care about is your well-being, and I won't rest until you're safe and sound.”