//------------------------------//
// Day Four: Interpretation (Part 1) 
// Story: The Whisper of Freedom 
// by Gapeagle 
//------------------------------//

While sipping the coffee I made for myself, I gazed curiously at the large object before me. My back legs rested on the large circular table that was surrounded by the large thrones that these seven fools called their own. However, my attention was not to Twilight's rather uncomfortable throne, but the massive mirror that sat in a corner of the room. This peculiar mirror was lavished with jewels and gems. It seemed like it was taken straight from the Crystal Empire. Well, most of what resided in the castle looked like it belonged in that northern country. I took another sip and tried my best to come to a sound conclusion on why that mirror existed.

However, my thoughts were interrupted by the Princess of Friendship, who hobbled awkwardly into the room. Her mane was a complete mess and the violet bathrobe she wore was lopsided. Her droopy eyes were like that of a zombie and her her tail dragged behind her with any energy. I giggled as I knew I was the reason for her constant tiredness. Getting up in the early morning just to check on me and cast a anti-magic spell had taken its toll. 

"Good morning, princess!" I waved to her with my free hoof. "You look lovely this morning."

Her eyes darted to me with the speed of a sloth. Once she saw me sitting in her throne, her eyes widened and a surge of energy swept through her. Though it was not enough to get anything more than a bewildered expression. This was amusing, to say the least, and I felt my grin reach my cheeks.

"You're....You're in my throne," her hoof meekly pointed at me.

"There are six other thrones, your highness," I said, "pick one."

"You're in mine," she repeated.

I leaned back and placed my front legs behind my head. "And enjoying it." This made Twilight groan and walk slowly over to Rarity's throne. The grumpy princess grumbled to herself as she took her friend's throne. She was a little more awake now then moments prior, but I could tell she still couldn't be more than half-awake.

"So, are you teaching me about the undead today?" I chuckled. "It seems you are perfecting your best zombie impersonation."

"Great, you've formed a sense of humor..." Twilight moaned. "Just my luck."

"I've always had a sense of humor," I corrected her. "It's just that you ponies love to keep it from coming up."

"Yeah yeah." Twilight waved a hoof lazily through the air. 

"So how was your night?" I asked politely.

"Terrible. After Rarity dragged you back here and told me everything, Rainbow decided to skip out of today and went off to Cloudsdale. I chased her the whole way. She doesn't want to have you for today, it seems. So she ran away!"

"That's loyal of her." I grinned.

"I know right?" Twilight steamed. "Well anyway. That just kinda blew up my plans. I hate it when that happens..."

"I know the feel," I nodded with sympathy.

Her ears were folded back in annoyance and her hooves rubbed her face all over. I waited for her to continue and sipped my coffee again. The  princess noticed my mug and her eyes were dead set on it. 

"Where did you get that?" she asked without taking her eyes off the mug.

"Made some myself," I answered.

"Any left?"

"Yes."

Her horn lit up and the steel pitcher of remaining coffee floated into the room. Without pouring the warm beverage into another container, she brought the pitcher to her lips and chugged the rest of the coffee down in the most non-regal manner I had ever seen from royalty. To be honest, it took me by surprise. Not a pause for breath was present and the coffee was gone in no time. 

Twilight almost exploded into her usual chirpiness. Her ragged mane seemed to have brushed itself when she was down with the drink. It was an almost Pinkie-like change of mood. She gently placed the pitcher on the round table and smiled at me with a slight twitch.

"Ah! Much better! Now I can finally think," she clapped her hooves excitedly.

"I liked you better when you were half-awake," I groaned.

"Sure sure. Now, I can't just let you stay in here all day. I would look like I'm keeping you prisoner."

"Which you are," I reminded her.

She ignored me. "But I don't know what to have you do. You've been with me, Applejack, and Rarity thus far. Well, Pinkie too. You know, after Pinkie's disaster at watching you, I've scratched her from the list. She may not be ready to handle such a task just yet."

"You act like I did something wrong."

"Discuss it later," she dismissed it quickly. "Now that Rainbow's left, that only leaves Fluttershy..."

"No!" I yelled. "Anything but her. How about some rest? You should know that reforming a pony can be tough business on both the reformers and the pony being reformed. Rest from such activities is vital."

The princess paused at this. I knew instantly that I had sold her on the suggestion. I did need rest from hanging out with her "friends" anyway. She may be doing well on caffeine at the moment, but we both knew a collapse was prepared for a later time today. She needed the rest as well.

"Alright," she nodded. "You can rest for today. I guess taking it easy once a week won't be bad. It's not like your reforming has a deadline."

"Or a reason," I added before continuing. "Now, may I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"What is with the mirror in the corner? I have seen nothing like it before."

Twilight turned to look at the mirror before returning her attention to me. A shrug formed on her shoulders and she took a long breath. It made me feel like she did not wish to tell me.

"Let's just say it's my last resort for you," she answered. "I think you would like it in there."

"I'm not sure I understand. It's a mirror."

"There's another world on the other side of that mirror. A world with no cutie marks."

"No cutie marks...." I muttered thoughtfully.

"But it's hard to explain, even to one as talented with magic as you."

My lips repeated my last words. No cutie marks? How could that be? For all I know, the mare could be pulling my tail. The mirror was extravagant, no doubt about it, but saying it held another world seemed far-fetched, even by Equestria's standards. And a world without the horrendous marks was too good to be true.

"Huh, that was weird," Twilight stated.

"What?" I returned my attention to her.

"I said that you were talented with magic and you didn't deny it!" she clapped her hooves again. "I think this is progress!"

My ears flattened themselves. "No, Twilight, I didn't listen to you on that part. And I know my magic is above average. I'm not stupid and I will not deny the facts. My talent for magic was not entirely gifted through my cutie mark. I earned it through nights of studying and my ambitious goals."

"Are you sure it isn't progress?"

"Twilight," I started, "talent exists and everypony has a talent. Saying that talent did not exist would be like saying the sun is false. Equality is not about eliminating talents but directing them into a more unified direction. Let's take Sugar Belle, that baker you met in Our Village. She had a talent of baking, no denying that. But the talent came from the mark and not the pony. It was a talent given to her and she did not earn a bit of it herself. Such talents are those that drives friendships away and create disharmony through jealousy and envy. I stepped in and replaced her talent. A talent of being equal, friendly, and kind. Yes, she lost the ability to make good treats, but that was a sacrifice needed in order to keep the happiness of the village alive. If you want to be talented at something, you might as well earn it through work and experience and not wait for it to be handed to you on a silver platter...or flank.

I continued. "Now, I am in an unequal state at the moment. I never had my talent replaced or redirected. So I still have a talent when it comes to magic. But like I said, I earned it. My magical abilities were good before I even had a cutie mark."

"I'll still take it as progress," Twilight nodded. "You know, since we are resting today, I want to find out more about you. I did some research the other day to see if there were any documents on you. I was certain that one as outgoing as you would make some dent in the news. Well, I found one article in the Vanhoover newspapers that mentioned your name. It was 14 years ago and..."

"No."

I felt a drop of sweat slide down my temple. I was astounded she found this much about me. I was hoping there was another named Starlight Glimmer, but the place and date was accurate to a part of my life I remembered all too well. 

"Come on, Starlight, it's not bad or anything. I was actually impressed." She began to read from a conjured notepad. "The article said you rushed a stallion who was injured in a buzz saw accident to the ER. He would have bled out if you didn't act so heroically."

Well, that was far from the truth. The Starlight in the article was no doubt me. I was split between taking the false credit or telling the princess the true story. I found my hoof rubbing the back of my neck nervously. This had caused the princess to eye me suspiciously right after she had been looking at me like I was some hero. 

"I did take him to the emergency room," I paused. "It was all I could do after I....I was the reason he was injured."

"What do you mean?" Twilight raised her brow.

"That stallion was one of the bullies that....You know what? Never mind."

"Starlight, whatever the story is, I won't treat you any different. I'm a friend, not your enemy. It would be good if you let out sometimes. I won't mind."

I considered this. She was my enemy and I wouldn't believe otherwise. However, I had already revealed too much and now I all did was act suspiciously. A sigh left my mouth and leaned back in the throne.

"He was a bully at my school when I lived in my hometown. A bully much like the one those poor fillies have to deal with. Well, I wanted revenge. When I was attending a university in Vanhoover, I heard he was in the city. So I searched for him and found him in an alley. I was going to cast a spell on him. A spell I had been studying and practicing for two years by then, but I had never used it on a pony. It was the cutie mark removal spell. He had insulted me for so long about my lack of a cutie mark that I wanted to take his. Well, when we met in the alley, he started to insult me like usual. I was so angry. The spell, unlike most, doesn't rely on equations and knowledge, but willpower and emotion. My anger overcharged the spell and I took more than just his mark. I ripped his flanks right off. It was a bloody mess. It was such a clean cut that it appeared like he threw his flank into a buzz saw. Well, I didn't know that I could have done something so horrid to him. I was shocked and scared. All I could do was take him to the hospital. I told the doctor that it was a saw accident. The stallion was too weak to tell the truth. I guess he never did say what actually happened. Funny thing, that was when I earned my cutie mark as well. Right in the hallway of a hospital."

Twilight blinked at me with frightened eyes. The tale no doubt startled her. It reminded me of the face she made when I interrupted her friendship speech in Our Village. Usually I loved seeing such a face on her, but I only felt regret. I shouldn't have told her. I had not only embarrassed myself, but brought back those horrid feelings I felt when I hurt that bully. It taught me to be careful with magic. It taught me never to let me emotions go wild went I take a mark. Fortunately, he was the only pony I ever injured in that particular way.

I noticed that her eyes would glance at my horn. This peculiar behavior was brought to my full attention when Twilight smiled at me both innocently and weakly. She was no doubt thinking about my magic. But something told me she was acting far too strange for it to be just my tale. 

I looked at the empty coffee pitcher. Without much effort, the pitcher was levitated by my magic. A wicked grin spread across my face. No wonder Twilight was so scared. She let me have my magic again and I told what her what I am capable of. It was a mixture of relief and excitement that I felt. Losing my magic was the same as losing myself. If my magic was a corporal being, I probably would have hoof bumped it at that moment.

"Don't worry, Twilight, I won't take your flank off," I assured her.

"After the talk we had yesterday, I thought it would be best to let you have your magic. It was wrong to keep it from you."

"Undoubtedly."

All the loose objects in the throne room were being swung around in a whirlwind over our heads. A bliss engulfed me. The cups, mugs, pitchers, vases, and whatnot were all under my control. With the simplest of thoughts, the objects lined themselves into two straight, parallel lines over our heads. A glorious equal sign was formed. 

"Now Starlight, because you have your magic back, don't think of doing something you'd regret," Twilight warned me.

"Wouldn't even think about it," I told her.

No, I wouldn't think about it, I would plan it. I would scheme it. I had enough torture under this princess. I came to Ponyville to start a new era. One of peace and harmony in equality. My tongue may be my best weapon, but my magic is my tool. A shovel to dig the widest ditch. A hammer and nails to secure the strongest bridge. A jackhammer to break the toughest concrete. And a brush to paint the most magnificent art. 

"Starlight, you have an evil grin on your face. I know what you're thinking," Twilight deadpanned.

This statement brought me back to reality. Twilight rested her head on her hoof in a very annoyed manner. My wide eyes blinked at her before I regained my composure. So I probably shouldn't plan right in front of her. It was dumb of me to think I could get away with something so bold.

"Hehe, sorry about that," I said innocently. 

"No problem I guess. Now since we are-"

She was interrupted by her pet dragon storming in like the castle was on fire. His puny arms flailed around much like a fish trying to return to water. Twilight had wide eyes when he ran up to her in such a manner. He stopped before her, panting and wiping his forehead of imaginary sweat.

"Twilight!" he panted, "it's from Princess Celestia!"

He handed her a letter which he took out from somewhere behind his tail. Twilight embraced the letter with her magic and ran her eyes over it quickly. When her eyes stopped moving, she was still for a brief moment before throwing the letter in the air and screaming at the top of her lungs. 

"She wants to know how Starlight is doing!" she cried. "What do I tell her, Spike? We've barely made any progress and it's been four days! Celestia may think I'm doing a poor job, not trying hard enough, or not being a good friend! I don't want to disappoint the princess!"

Spike slapped his face with a groan. "Twilight, it's only been four days. You can't make a pony do a 180 in just four days."

"I've seen it done," I jumped in. "And I've done it myself."

"Well, you can't make a pony change that quickly without forcing it," Spike stressed.

"But Spike, we reformed Discord faster than her! The Lord of Chaos! Celestia will think we've lost our touch. We have to reform Starlight without blasting her with rainbows. Ohhh....I don't know what to do!" Twilight slid her hooves down her face in panic.

"Ahem, I'm right here," I reminded her. "You can simply tell Celestia the truth: I don't need reforming. There is nothing wrong with me and I can be released back to society without being watched like I am on parole."

"Please," Spike rolled her large eyes, "Celestia is the reason you're here. I doubt she'll believe that."

"I got an idea!" Twilight flapped her wings once in crazed excitement. "How about we just don't reply at all!"

"Twilight....No." Spike shook his head. "This isn't that bad. Don't let your mane go wild. This isn't some test. Starlight is a pony, not some quiz. There is no tardy here. Just tell Celestia exactly how it's been going. Slow, but steady. Twilight, there's no reason to panic."

"For once, I agree with the dragon," I nodded.

"Oh...I guess you're right," Twilight looked down at the map.

"Why not let me reply to her?" I asked. "I am the subject of the matter. I might as well have my say."

"You're just use it to make us look bad," Twilight said with her muzzle planted in the table. 

"You think so little of me..."

"I wonder why..." Spike mumbled.

Twilight lifted her head. "You know what? Go ahead. Celestia will know the truth from whatever lies you put in there. Try to make us look like we aren't trying to help. It'll do you no good."

"I thank you, princess," I smiled. "I'll be truthful and sincere. You all see me as a liar even though I've lied only once. I might as well prove you wrong."

"Rarity told me about how you lied about Celestia," Twilight said monotonously. "So you've lied at least three times. Your cutie mark, the tale of Celestia, and you saying you've lied only once."

"Touche," I shrugged. "But I am sincere when I say I won't lie in the letter. I'll even let you read it before your pet sends it."

"Spike isn't my pet," she growled. "He's my brother and number one assistant."

"That's right," he said proudly.

"My apologies."

I summoned a piece of paper in front of me, along with the necessary quill to write with. I started writing immediately. Every word I wrote, even though it was in quick succession, was written with great care. I wrote about how they treated me thus far, put in the most tame of words. I was tempted to venture into the truth of their treatment, especially Rarity, but I felt it would be wise if I put that in good light as well. It was going along splendidly until my ink started to disappear.

"What's going on?" I uttered.

Not all of my words were disappearing, some sprouted legs and walked off the paper to perform a perfect swan dive into the crystal floor below. For a second, I thought I had consumed too much coffee. One word did a raspberry to my face, even showing off its tongue and spit flew through the air. 

"What the-"

Somehow, I kept writing. Every word I wrote did something different. The letters would disperse or sometimes form a vulgar word instead. My quill started to dance, completely ignoring my magic. All this happened in mere seconds and was followed by a chuckle from Twilight.

"Something wrong with your magic, eh Starlight?" she giggled.

"Quit it! I am trying to write a lett-"

Twilight waved a hoof at me. "I'm not doing it."

"Then who is?" I demanded.

Spike pointed right above my head. With a raised brow, I turned upward. My muzzle almost touched the goat-like face that was grinning at me evilly. One giant fang hung from his mouth and his nostrils were wide with deep laughter. My heart dropped faster than a falling rock. I felt like screaming, but my mouth refused to open. His cold breath swarmed over my fur as he spoke in a smooth, but intimidating voice.

"Hehe. Why hello there, my lady. Enjoying your stay so far? I hope it hasn't been too chaotic." 


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