Starlight Glimmer cautiously opened the door and peeked her head in. “Good morning, girls. We’ll be arriving in the Crystal Empire in a few minutes. Did you all have a nice sleep?”
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo stretched and yawned. “Is it just me, or has the train gotten slower?” Scootaloo asked.
Starlight shrugged. “I’m sure it’s just your imagination. Smiley, are you up yet?”
The former Crusaders frowned in confusion. “Smiley? Who are you talking about?” Sweetie asked.
Starlight sighed. “You know, the nameless wonder. If we still haven’t guessed her name by this point, why don’t we just give her a new one?”
“We tried that when we met her. She said we could call her anything we want, but don’t expect her to answer to it,” Apple Bloom said.
“Never mind, Apple Bloom. I can see that she’s up now,” Starlight said as she walked over to where the filly was resting.
“Um…actually, I don’t think she is,” Sweetie said.
Starlight frowned in confusion as she looked down at the filly. The nameless filly was staring up at the ceiling, eyes wide open and grinning. She was dressed in pink pajamas with little red X’s dotted all over the front and back.
“Ahem. Good morning,” Starlight said. When the filly didn’t respond, she waved her hoof over the filly’s unblinking eyes.
“Yeah. We found out that she sleeps with her eyes open,” Scootaloo said. “It’s really creepy,” she admitted, shivering a little.
Starlight grimaced at the grinning filly and silently agreed with that statement. “What’s this?” she asked as she noticed a piece of folded up paper clutched tightly in the filly’s grip. She reached down and slowly began to pry the paper out and away from the filly.
A white hoof shot out and grabbed Starlight’s hoof. “Hi girls!” the filly exclaimed as her head shot up to stare at them all with a huge smile.
The former Crusaders screamed in fright. Starlight was so startled that she teleported out of the filly’s grasp, reappearing with her back facing the wall, staring at the filly in terror.
“Aw, you spoil me girls. Such a sweet sound to wake up to,” the filly giggled as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
Starlight and the former Crusaders took several deep breaths to calm themselves after the initial shock. “Heh…you startled us there,” Starlight said with a nervous smile, still trying to be friendly to the filly.
“You call that startled?! I nearly wet myself!” Apple Bloom complained.
Sweetie grimaced. “Ew!”
“I said nearly! Not like I actually did it,” Apple Bloom said with a glare at her friend.
The filly giggled as she leapt out of bed. “Oh ho, you girls are such a delight! Pardon me as I dress to impress.” The filly slipped out of her pajamas and strolled over to her suitcase. “Let’s see here…”
“Um, little one? Do you mind if I ask you something? Why do you feel the need to dress up all the time? You don’t need fancy clothes to look nice,” Starlight said.
The filly grinned at Starlight and said, “I’m a very expressive kind of gal, darling. I’ve got a lot to share with the world and so very few reliable ways of communicating those feelings. So I need to get…creative, in how I express myself.” The filly picked out a pink shirt and smiled. “This will do nicely. Fashionable, yet flexible, if the need to exercise arises.” She tugged the shirt over her head and brushed her mane straight.
“Well, that’s enough dilly-dallying for me. Onwards friends!” the filly exclaimed as she dashed out of the train, with the former Crusaders following behind her.
Starlight took a moment to sit down and compose her thoughts. It was the day she planned to use Sombra’s dark magic to force the filly to confront her fears. Hopefully something good would come out of learning what lurked in the darkest corners of the filly’s mind.
Speaking of which, Starlight noticed the piece of paper the filly had been holding onto was now lying on her bed. Curiosity overcoming her, she picked up the paper and read from it.
Reality is an illusion. Your world is a delusion. Buy some apples. BYE!
Starlight stared at the message. “…Huh?”
As the group of ponies stepped off the train, Sweetie frowned in confusion as she took in her surroundings. “For some reason, I remember the Crystal Empire looking a lot more…you know, sparkly the last time we visited.”
The filly nodded. “The old empire has lost some of its luster that much is plain to see.”
A unicorn mare with a pale orange coat and a black mane and tail stepped forward to greet them. “Welcome Starlight Glimmer and friends!” The mare’s hair was styled into a formal bun and her grin looked a little more forced and twitchy than normal. “It is such a pleasure to have you back here Starlight.”
Starlight smiled as more ponies with equal marks came to welcome them. “Please, the pleasure is all mine. It’s nice to see you again, my friends.”
“It most certainly is! Prismatic Sunshine, is that you? My, my, it has been a while.”
The smile on Sunshine’s face collapsed as the filly stepped out from behind Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Her eyes widened with fear as she took several steps back. “No…sweet Cadance, please, no…”
The filly grinned. “Cadance isn’t here, darling. It’s just you and me.” The mare turned around to flee before the filly spoke again. “Freeze.”
Sunshine froze in her tracks, shivering as she watched the filly approach her. “Aw, look at that. You actually remembered to listen. If you did run away, we would have no choice but to play another friendly game of tag. I seem to recall you not enjoying that game as much as I did.” The filly’s smile widened. “That reminds me…how’s your leg doing?”
“G-good,” Sunshine stammered. “M-my leg’s all better.”
“That’s so nice to hear, darling.” The filly reached up and gently brushed Sunshine’s cheek with her hoof, causing the mare to cringe. “So very nice.”
“Um, Sunshine, is it?” Applejack asked. “Do you know who this little one is?”
“Why do you suppose she’s shaking like a leaf in the wind?” Apple Bloom whispered to her friends.
The filly glanced back at them. “Ah, that reminds me. Apple Bloom, Sweetie, Scootaloo, you might want to duck behind your sisters.”
“Why?” Scootaloo asked.
“Ooh, now that’s a good question. Why are you out and about Sunshine? I don’t imagine the guards would be happy about this. I know I’m not,” the filly said with a strained smile. Her mouth relaxed as she asked, “How is prison, by the way?”
“Prison?!” the other ponies surrounding them asked.
“You didn’t tell anyone? Not even your neighbours? Oh Sunshine, what am I going to do with you?” the filly shook her head in mock sadness. “Well, I guess I could always bring out the mustard and the weather vane…”
“W-wait! It isn’t like that!” Sunshine cried. The filly nodded her head towards the crowd and towards Starlight. Sunshine bowed her head and gulped. “As…as you wish.”
“What’s going on here? Why does she seem so scared of you?” Starlight asked the filly.
“I got her arrested,” the filly cheerfully responded.
Sunshine gulped. “It’s true. S-she found out what I was doing. I was a-arrested and sent to prison for…for child abuse and endangerment.”
“What was that?!” Rainbow Dash asked with narrowed eyes as she pushed Scootaloo behind her, with Applejack and Rarity doing the same with their sisters.
“I…I ran a daycare center. I was supposed to look after the children…including my own.” Sunshine fearfully glanced back at the filly, who was nodding her head in encouragement. “Some of the little colts and fillies were very d-disruptive and w-wild. On top of that, a lot of them…didn’t agree with your philosophy, Starlight. So I…I may have gotten a little carried away when I issued out punishments.”
“I remember the smell was the worst part,” the filly casually mentioned.
Sunshine’s eyes widened and she prostrated herself. “T-that was an understatement. I…I’m horrible pony. I acted h-hatefully towards the kids, e-even my own children. I…I deserve worse than the castle dungeons.” She looked up at a shocked Starlight with pleading eyes. “Please Starlight Glimmer, for the sake of the good people of Equestria…please banish me, far, FAR away from this land.” She glanced back at the filly and muttered. “Far away…”
The filly giggled. “Oh, you’re not getting off that easy, dearie. Which reminds me, what are you doing out here again?”
“I…I’m doing community service as part of my punishment. I…I was sent to inform you all that Prince Shining Armor could not make it to greet you all. V-very busy. H-he told me to tell y-you to just come on up.”
“Community service? Why didn’t you say so earlier? You know, there’s a few things I might be able to help you with in terms of that…” the filly whispered, playfully stroking her ear.
Sunshine shuddered. “P…please no…don’t wanna…”
“You hurt a lot of innocent people, dearie,” the filly hissed in her ear. “What you want doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Well um…” Princess Twilight hesitated before she said, “Well clearly, you’re hard at work if my brother trusts you enough to deliver this message. I can see that you’re very sorry about what you’ve done. We should go see them now, so…”
“Y-you’re leaving?” Sunshine asked. She glanced back to see the filly nod once before she smiled. “Oh, t-thank you! Thank you, m-merciful one! Yes, please go and see them! T-they’re very excited to see you!”
Pinkie blinked and stared at Sunshine’s frightened, wide grin. “What happened to your teeth?”
Starlight cringed as she noticed that Sunshine’s smile was full of holes. “Oh, um…a disease caused about half my teeth fall out.”
“A disease, huh?” the filly innocently asked.
“Well…that’s what I think it is. B-but it’s not that b-bad!” Sunshine nervously smiled again. “Really, it’s good that the disease came when it did. I’m clearly not d-done with my p-punishment.”
“Well I’m glad to hear that you’re becoming a better pony!” the filly cheered. “We should be on our way now. Ta, ta, darling.”
Sunshine waved as the other ponies walked away from her and towards the castle. Seeing that Starlight was trailing behind them, she pulled her aside and around a corner.
“Hey! What are you doing?” Starlight exclaimed.
“When heroes can’t save the day, the demon comes out to make villains pay. Beg for mercy. Trust no one. Never buy apples,” Sunshine hissed into her ear, a deranged look in her eye.
The startled Starlight pushed the other mare away from her and quickly caught up with the others. “Freak,” she muttered in disgust under her breath.
Later in the day, while the rest of their friends went to visit Shining and Cadance, Twilight and Starlight were examining the throne room. “So how does this work again?” Starlight asked.
Twilight sighed. “The crystal on top of that throne will open the way to Sombra’s door, but it requires dark magic. But since I’m no longer talented at magic, I can’t open it.”
“Well then it looks like Starry can’t open it either!” the filly said as she strolled into the room. “Since you know, she’s equally as bad at magic as every pony else.”
“Oh! Uh, hello there!” Starlight smiled nervously as she spun around to face the filly. “What are you doing here, little one? I thought I told you to wait outside for your special, secret, surprise present!”
“He, he, he! Is that what you’re calling it? Starry darling, do you really think Twilight wouldn’t tell me about your plan to use Sombra’s door?” the filly asked with a giggle.
Starlight’s eyes widened. “Twilight? You told her?!”
Before Twilight could respond, the filly held up her hoof. “Now, now, don’t be mad at our sweet little book princess. She was just doing what any good, concerned friend would do. I mean really dearie, subjecting a little girl to her worst fears in the hopes of squeezing some kind of equality lecture from it?”
Starlight sighed. “Listen little one, I know it sounds scary and a little crazy…”
“And that’s why I’m all for it!” the filly grinned.
“Huh?” the two mares asked in unison, staring at her.
“My mind is a mystery to many, and that includes me! So go ahead and show me Sombra’s door, you sneaky little star.” The filly’s smile widened. “I bet it’ll be a real blast.”
Starlight smiled in relief even while Twilight frowned in concern, still worried about what Sombra’s door would show the filly. “I’m glad you’re finally working with us to resolve your issues.”
“Just as long as you’re willing to do the same, dearie. Tell me Starlight…what are YOU really scared of?” the filly whispered as she leaned in closer to Starlight.
Starlight winced as she smelled the filly’s breath on her face and backed away. “The only thing I’m scared of is the thought of you all alone and suffering. No family. No friends. Trapped by such horrible nightmares. A lonely little outcast in our utopian society.”
The filly smirked. “Whatever helps you sleep at night, little ‘Light. From what I’ve been hearing, you need all the help you can get.”
At the uncomfortable reminder of her own nightmares, Starlight turned back to face the throne. “Well, um…back to the topic at hoof. Don’t worry Twilight. As I’ve said before, the staff of sameness has all the magic we need.” Using her magic, she levitated the old staff she had brought on their trip and pointed it at the throne. “So um…how did you use the dark magic before? Just so I know what to tell the staff to do.”
Twilight shrugged uneasily. “I picked up the trick from Celestia. At the time, she looked pretty scary, almost nothing like how she normally is. I thought about that, plus what I knew about Sombra at the time. Basically, you need to think about negative emotions such as anger and fear.”
“Or you could just try knocking.” Starlight looked up to see that the filly had climbed on top of the throne and was tapping the crystal with her hoof. Before she could order the filly to get down from there, she was stunned to see a dark hole open up in the middle of the throne room, a set of stairs leading down to Sombra’s door.
Twilight blinked in shock. “But…but how! That didn’t happen before!”
The filly smiled as she slid down from the throne. “Did you try knocking before?”
“I…I guess I didn’t. But then, does that mean that anyone could have opened the door? I thought Sombra put up all these safeguards to keep ponies away from the Crystal Heart.”
“Oh, why worry about the how? Secret door time! Race ya down the stairs!” the filly cheered as she ran down.
For once feeling grateful about the filly’s enthusiasm, Starlight went down the stairs, her magic carrying the staff and lighting the way. As they all reached the bottom, she turned to Twilight again. “There’s the door. How do I activate it?”
“With more dark magic,” Twilight sighed. “Listen Starlight…are you sure about this? Even a minute was enough to drive me into despair. If Spike hadn’t been there, I would have lost my mind to my own fears.”
“That’s why we’re here, Twilight. To bring this poor, scared little filly out of her nightmares…and into our utopia,” Starlight smiled confidently. “This will be over before you know it.”
Twilight sighed. “I don’t like this…but okay. The sooner we help the filly, the sooner we can see my new niece. Maybe the baby will help cheer her up.”
“Of course. Now let’s…”
“Hold everything!” the filly exclaimed as she leapt at Twilight and grabbed her by the face. “Did you just say BABY?”
Twilight’s eyes widened as she tried to pull the filly off her face. “Uh, yes. Shining and Cadance recently had a baby. I’m an aunt now. Pretty crazy, huh?”
The filly’s grin stretched so wide, even Pinkie Pie would call it unsettling. “Move, fleshlings!” The filly pushed Twilight and Starlight out of the way as she went rocketing back up the stairs. Exchanging worried glances, the two mares chased after the insane filly.
The two mares burst into the room where their friends were waiting for them. “We got here as fast as we could! Where’s the filly?” Starlight asked. “What’s happening?”
A very tired looking Shining and Cadance smiled weakly at them before they stepped aside to show the filly, gazing lovingly at the baby pony sleeping in her hooves.
“Perfection,” the filly whispered softly. The baby stirred in her hooves and the filly gasped happily. “Ooh. Is somebody ready to greet the day?”
Shining, Cadance, and the filly all kept staring as the baby woke up, even while every other jaw in the room dropped at the sight of the filly’s unfurled wings.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” the filly whispered as the baby stared at her.
“Free-he! Ha gee, he!” the baby cooed, waving her tiny legs.
“Aww! She’s so cute!” the filly squeed.
“The baby is an alicorn?” Twilight exclaimed.
“Yes Twilight, we can all see her. And she is the sweetest, little sweetheart I’ve ever seen!” the filly cooed as she nuzzled the giggling baby. “Aren’t you boo-boo?”
The flabbergasted Starlight was having trouble making sense of all this. “But…I thought that alicorns-”
“Do you mind?!” the filly snapped as she glared at Starlight. “I’m having an intelligent conversation over here! Butt out!” She turned her attention back to the baby and smiled. “I am so sorry for that annoying interruption. You were saying?”
“Glee, blee, gah ha!” the baby cooed.
“Wow! That’s amazing!” the filly said to the baby before she glanced back at Shining and Cadance. “Congratulations on producing this adorable little sweetheart, you two. Seriously, if you ever need a babysitter I will gladly take the job. Completely free too.”
Cadance weakly smiled. “That’s sweet of you, but you don’t need to do that.” She yawned and said, “Sorry. We haven’t gotten that much sleep since the baby was born, and I wasn’t feeling that great even before the birth.”
“Aw, but you both look so tired. Fine, I will pay you money to look after your baby.”
“Even if we are tired, I’m sure we’ll manage. Really, we don’t need a babysitter,” Cadance said.
“Very well, what if you adopt me so that I can be her big sister?”
Applejack chuckled. “That’s a good one. Ya really like babies, huh?”
“What’s a good one?” the filly asked as she wiped up a bit of droll on the baby with a soft towel.
“Well duh! Of course she loves babies! You’ve all seen her with the Cake twins!” Pinkie said cheerfully.
“I don’t think I have,” Starlight said honestly.
The filly glanced over at Starlight, her eyes narrowing as she remembered something unpleasant. “But you have seen them, haven’t you ya little witch?” she growled under her breath.
“See, gee?” the baby cooed.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll protect you from the mean old witch,” the filly whispered comfortably as she gently rocked the baby. “Now what were you saying?”
“Glee, bee, he!”
“Fascinating. Tell me dear, do you know about…spiny, shiny, and crunchy?”
“Spee, she, cra?” the baby cooed.
“Exactly, my little sweetheart! Egg, say, see!” the filly cooed, mimicking the baby’s gurgles.
“I’m sorry, but doesn’t anybody care that there is a baby alicorn?” Starlight asked.
“No. We don’t question perfection. Go kick a hydra,” the filly said, waving her hoof in dismissal.
“Mind your manners, little one,” Rarity said. “I’m sorry Twilight, Starlight, but we already finished discussing that topic by the time you arrived.”
“Do you have a name for her yet?” the filly asked Cadance and Shining.
“Not yet I’m afraid,” Shining admitted.
“That’s okay. How about Princess Sweetheart?” the filly hugged the baby gently before she set her back down in her crib. “Because she’s the sweetest little sweetheart I’ve ever seen.”
“Alright that’s enough little filly. That’s not your baby,” Starlight said. “Don’t you think that-”
“Look, go to Tartarus,” the filly snapped at Starlight.
The other ponies in the room frowned. “Okay, that was uncalled for. I think you’ve spent enough time with our baby now,” Cadance said.
The filly blinked a few times before she smiled. “Right, of course. I can see that she wants her mommy and daddy anyway.” She passed the baby over to Shining and Cadance.
“She is pretty cute,” Starlight said. “Can I hold her?”
The filly shot a mad grin at Starlight. “I will vomit blood all over your face.”
As the other ponies cringed in a mixture of nervousness and disgust, Fluttershy flew over to her. “She didn’t mean that. She just gets very protective around babies.”
At that moment, the baby’s nose began to twitch. Noticing this, the filly zipped over to take a closer look. “Aw, she’s about to sneeze! That’s so cute! She’s like a precious, little, kitty…”
“Ah…ah…AH CHOO!” the baby sneezed, shooting a humongous beam of magic out her horn and knocking the filly against the wall.
“Oh my goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she flew over to the filly imbedded in the wall while Shining and Cadance tried to cover their baby’s nose. “Are you alright?”
The filly leapt off the wall with a happy grin. “WOW! Did you see that? Right in the kisser! Ha, ha, ha, that was beautiful!”
“Wait…you’re not mad?” Rainbow asked in astonishment.
“As a hatter, darling. But I could never be angry with this bundle of perfection. Oh ho, she reminds me of myself when I was her age!” the filly cheered as she played peek-a-boo with the baby.
With the mental image of the baby growing up with the same personality as the filly, Starlight felt cold dread fill her heart. “Well, I know how dangerous baby magic can be and it seems to be a hundred times worse in your daughter, Princess Cadance. But don’t worry. Once we complete the cutie unmarking, her magic will be much more manageable. We can prevent her magic from running wild and welcome your daughter into our society all at once.”
“Over your mutilated body!” the filly said with a crazed grin, stepping in between the baby and Starlight.
“Listen little one, we all know how much you love kids. But you’re being way too overprotective,” Shining said. He glanced at Starlight who nodded in encouragement and made a few quick gestures. “I think Twilight and Starlight wanted to show you something. Why don’t you go with them and calm down a little?”
The filly’s smile twitched nervously. “But what if the mean old witch tries to hurt your little sweetheart?”
“Trust us. We would never let anything hurt our little princess,” Shining said reassuringly. He hugged his wife and daughter.
The filly’s brow furrowed in thought before she smiled. “You guys are good parents. I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Her smile widened as she added, “And like the wolves protecting their cub, I know you’ll rip apart anything that threatens her.”
Shining and Cadance chuckled nervously before Shining gave the filly a pat on the head. “Of course we will. You run along now. We’ll be fine.”
The filly followed Starlight and Twilight as they left the room.
Starlight frowned in concentration as her horn and eyes glowed with dark magic. Using the staff to project her spell, she fired a beam at the crystal at the top of Sombra’s door and smirked as the door opened. She stepped aside and swept her hoof towards the door. “Go ahead little one. The sooner we face your fears and the sooner you join us in equality and harmony…well, the sooner you can see the baby again! Wouldn’t you like that?”
The filly smiled and stepped forward. “Alright. Let’s get this party started.” She stared at the door as her pink eyes began to glow green and red.
Starlight and Twilight leaned in closer, hoping to hear the filly whisper about her greatest fears. A few seconds passed…
Then a few more. Then a minute. The three minutes…
Twilight’s jaw began to drop. “That’s…not possible.”
Starlight frowned. “She’s just standing there.” She waved her hoof in front of the filly’s face. “Clearly the door did something to her but we’re not learning anything about it. And she’s still smiling!”
The filly brushed her hair back a little and licked her teeth as she stared at the door. She titled her head and wiped her mouth a few times.
“What is she doing?!” Starlight exclaimed. “I thought this was the door leading to your greatest fears! Not the mirror hanging in the bathroom! She’s just grooming herself!”
Twilight shrugged. “M-maybe Sombra’s dark magic doesn’t work now that the Crystal Empire is out of his control.”
“Let me be the judge of that!” Starlight growled as she stared at the door. Her eyes began to glow green and red…
“As long as you let us be the judge of this!” the filly shouted as she flung a bucket of water at Starlight’s flank.
“What?!” Starlight cried as spun around to face the castle full of ponies. The former Elements, the Crusaders, and the ponies of Her Town were all there. “No! Get away!” she cried as Fluttershy flew down to wipe the fake equal sign to reveal her true cutie mark.
The crowd gasped. “Starlight! How could you? You said cutie marks lead to pain and heartache!”
“They do!” she cried. “Don’t you see? Look at the filly! She’s the problem, not me!”
The filly chuckled darkly. “But I don’t have a cutie mark, remember? In fact, if you think about it…according to your own philosophy, you’re the biggest problem.”
“What are you talking about?!” Starlight snarled.
“They might be equal signs…but those are still cutie marks on all your flanks, aren’t they? And who gave you those cutie marks? Why, Starlight Glimmer! Following your own flawed logic, if cutie marks are evil then you must be the most evil mare in all of Equestria, because you haven’t been getting rid of cutie marks. You’ve just been replacing them with new cutie marks.”
Starlight’s eyes widened as she realized that the filly had a point. “No…no, that’s not true!”
“If that’s not true, why do why have these things? Why couldn’t you just turn us into blank flanks?” Sweetie Belle growled from the crowd.
“I…I…” Starlight stammered.
“You lied to us! It was all lies!” the crowd roared.
“NO! I’ve never lied in my entire life! I’m not a liar!” Starlight sobbed.
“Gather round ponies! I’d like to show you all the latest attraction at the Canterlot Sculpture Garden!” the filly announced. Starlight gasped in fear as she pulled out a cockatrice. “This statue represents failure! A failure at equality, harmony, and friendship all in one!” She grinned at someone in the crowd. “Sunburst? Care to do the honours?”
Starlight’s hoof went to her heart as she saw her childhood friend Sunburst. He was still a colt but he had an equal sign on one side of this flank and his real cutie mark on the other side. The fury in his eyes made her cringe.
“Sunburst? P-please. Don’t do this! We’re friends!”
“You killed the only friend I ever had. And you’re not going anywhere until you bring the real Starlight Glimmer back!” Sunburst cried. He took the cockatrice from the filly and directed the monster’s petrifying glare at her.
“NO!” Starlight cried as her body was turned to stone, left behind to as nothing but a failure to be mocked for all eternity…
“Starlight! Starlight, wake up!” Twilight cried as she shook Starlight awake.
Starlight shook her head. “W-what happened?”
“Sombra’s dark magic. Are you okay? You were mumbling under your breath a lot. Starlight, what did you lie about? Who’s Sunburst?”
Starlight paled. “Nothing! Nobody! Uh… I just saw something scary and it made me babble nonsense.” Her gaze went back up the stairs. “Anyway…looks like we’ve got some extra time so why don’t we help Shining Armor and Cadance’s baby with her cutie unmarking?”
“B-but what about her?” Twilight asked, pointing at the still smiling filly.
“W-well, maybe the door doesn’t work on lunatics! She’ll be fine! Now hurry up Twilight!” Starlight growled.
Twilight flinched. “If…if you say so. I’m sorry little one,” she said before she followed Starlight back up the stairs, leaving the filly alone with her worst fear.
“Did Apple Bloom say why she and her friends didn’t want to stay and see the baby’s cutie unmarking?” Double Diamond asked.
Applejack shrugged. “Nope.”
“Scootaloo was looking at me kinda funny, but they didn’t say anything. It’s creepy, I’ve never seen them so quite before,” Rainbow Dash said.
Starlight and Twilight walked into the room. “We’re here. Let’s get this started.” Starlight smiled. “Double Diamond, Sugar Belle! I’m so glad you could make it.”
“We wouldn’t miss a cutie unmarking for anything!” Double said with a big, forced smile.
Sugar Belle nodded. “We’re so sorry we didn’t get here sooner. I was trying to get some more baking supplies when we got distracted by a really persistent salespony.”
“Well you’re here now.” Starlight levitated the staff over to the center of the room. “Cadance, Shining Armor, bring forth your daughter so that we may welcome her into our society.”
Shining and Cadance exchanged nervous glances. “Are you sure it’s not going to hurt her?” Shining asked.
Starlight frowned for a second at their hesitation before she quickly smiled again. “The cutie unmarking and equalization process is perfectly safe. It wasn’t so bad when you went through it.”
“But we’re grown-ups. She’s just a baby!” Cadance protested.
“I’ve done it with babies before. Like the Cake twins,” Starlight said with a nod towards Pinkie.
Pinkie grimaced. “I dunno Starry. Pound and Pumpkin cried a lot before, during, and after the whole ceremony. And they’re not as cheerful as I remember them. M-maybe this can wait?” She smiled nervously.
The baby choose that moment to wriggle around in her mother’s grasp before she giggled and shot out a burst of magic that almost fried Starlight’s mane off. Starlight ducked under the blast and pointed at her. “See?! Her magic is keeping us separate from her. She’s far too dangerous and different to fit in our society.” When Shining and Cadance still hesitated, she rolled her eyes and levitated the baby out of Cadance’s grasp. “Trust me, this is for her own good.”
As she was levitated away from her parents, the baby began to sniffle. “Mee. Nah me ba. Wan my…” Shining and Cadance reached out for their daughter but a glare from Starlight made them retract their hooves.
“Let’s begin.” Starlight strengthened her magical hold on the staff and the baby. She channeled her spell through the staff, causing it fire a beam of magic at the baby.
“WAAAH!” the baby screamed at the top of her lungs as Starlight’s spell fired.
Every pony in the room except for Starlight cringed. “Stop! You’re hurting her!” Shining cried.
“The process is painless. She’s just a little spooked,” Starlight stated calmly. “Double, Sugar, restrain them.”
“That’s not ‘a little spooked’ kind of crying! She’s in pain!” Cadance cried as she tried to push past Double Diamond and Sugar Belle.
Starlight’s gaze didn’t leave the baby’s flank. “It will be over soon enough. Your daughter’s special talent for destruction needs to be removed if she wants to fit into our society. At this point nothing can stop the – OW!”
Starlight cried as she felt a swift and brutal kick connect with her flank. She spun around to face the threat only to receive a left hook, a right hook, and a merciless uppercut that knocked her onto the floor. As she lost her ground she also lost control of her levitation.
The furious filly stomped on Starlight, leapt over Double and Sugar, and dove to catch the baby before she hit the ground. “Aw, there, there sweetheart. I won’t let that awful, mean, nasty witch hurt you anymore,” the filly cooed as she gently rocked the crying baby.
Twilight’s jaw dropped. “H-how are you back here? I thought somepony on the outside needed to pull you out of the illusion. How did you escape Sombra’s door by yourself?!” The filly ignored her and continued her efforts to calm the baby down.
Starlight groaned and slowly stood back up. “D-did you just hit me?!”
“It was more than that. She just kicked your flank!” Rainbow said, looking pretty impressed.
“Technically, she kicked your flank, punched you three times, and stomped on your back,” Pinkie pointed out.
Double Diamond frowned at the filly. “Young lady that is not how we act.”
His frown faded away as the filly shot them all a glare that could burn down kingdoms. “I trusted you,” she growled with a voice that could make dragons freeze with fear.
“Whoa nelly,” Applejack said as she took several steps back.
But the filly ignored most of them, focusing her glare on Cadance and Shining. “You said you wouldn’t let anything hurt her and then you just let that witch try and rip away what makes her special!”
“W-we…” Cadance stammered.
“Ya know, this is a new feeling for me!” the filly exclaimed. “Astonishment at someone else’s insanity. Am I really the only person in this room against shooting a death beam at a baby?! You’re making me look SANE! That’s supposed to be beyond impossible! Like, literally inconceivable! Unfortunately this astonishment is overshadowed by all this blazing fury!” she snarled as she directed her glare at Starlight.
“Hey you were the one who hit me!” Starlight shouted.
“There’s more where that came from, Starry,” the filly growled. “But since I’m holding a baby right now, I’m afraid I’ll have to postpone your flank kicking. So here’s something to chew on for someone who has clearly never removed her own cutie mark and hides that fact by painting over her real mark!”
Starlight froze. How did the filly know about that?!
“The cutie unmarking hurts like heck! It might not work on me, but it hurts every! Freaking! Time! I can laugh the pain off but were you seriously letting this precious sweetheart suffer through that?!”
Twilight flinched. “I-I know it hurts a little at first, b-but Starlight said that equality is the only true path to happiness.”
The filly’s glare switched to Twilight, Shining, and Cadance. “Tell me your majesties,” she growled. “Have you heard of the Crystal Empire’s darker days? Here’s a short history lesson. Back when old Sombra was still in power, there was a little technique he used only for the most rebellious and stubborn of crystal ponies. Maybe he used it rarely because it made them practically useless for slave labor or maybe even he was horrified by it. This technique involved taking a long metal stick with a symbol or harsh word on it, heating it up with magic, and using it to burn that symbol on a pony’s flank. He called it branding.”
The filly jabbed her hoof at Starlight. “So while you’re all advertising about how freaking great your fake ‘equality’ is, why don’t ya put THAT up on a billboard?! Starlight Glimmer! She brands babies!”
The other ponies cringed in horror at what the filly was describing. Even Starlight bit her lip in thought. For a filly to suffer through a cutie unmarking and equalization process so many times, it must have become painful over time. Given how protective the filly was with the baby, she guessed it made sense. But the filly was too out of control, and she didn’t understand things the way an adult would, Starlight thought.
“Listen little on, I promise I’ll find a way to make the process hurt less. But she needs-”
The filly sent her a death glare. “Oh no, dearie. You’re going to promise something else. You’re going to promise me that you’ll never take another person’s special talent or mark away EVER again. And if you or if any version of Starlight Glimmer ever breaks that promise, I’ll make sure you ALL regret it!” the filly growled.
Starlight frowned at the filly’s challenging tone. “And how will you do that?”
The filly looked down at the scared baby in her hooves and whispered softly in her ears. “There, there, little one. I’ve got you. I’m sorry, but I need to ask a quick favor of you. Remember the spiny, shiny, crunchy?”
“Spee, she, cra?” the baby whimpered.
“That’s it,” the filly smiled.
The baby blinked a few times before she giggled. “Spee, sha, cra!” The baby’s horn began to glow.
Cadance’s eyes widened. “What are you doing with my baby?”
The filly smiled sadly at her. “You had your chance Caddy. I will return your daughter to a mommy and daddy who love her for who she is, and nobody else. You want her back? Come find us.” With a flash of light, the baby and the filly disappeared.
“Oh no! No, no, no, where did they go?!” Cadance cried.
A terrified Shining cupped his hoof to his ear. “I can’t hear her giggling! She’s never teleported this far away before!”
Starlight raised her voice. “Everypony calm down! They can’t have gotten far! Let’s just split up and search for the baby. Twilight, you’re with me.”
“What about the rest of us?” Double asked.
“I don’t care!” Starlight snapped. “Choose your own partner! Find them!”
Twilight and Starlight hurried down the hall. “How big is this stupid palace?” Starlight growled.
“Relax, they couldn’t have left the castle,” Twilight said as she rubbed her head. “Hey, where do you think that earthquake came from? I thought the Crystal Heart protected the empire from those.”
“What earthquake?” Starlight asked.
“You know, the rumbling that passed by when we left?”
“I didn’t feel any rumbling. Come on, we’re wasting time.”
Twilight rubbed her eyes. “Okay, I’m coming. You don’t need to be so bossy about it.”
Starlight frowned at her. “Did you just call me bossy?”
Twilight frowned up at the ceiling. “What in the world is that?”
“Twilight, I asked you a question.”
“Yeah, yeah, can it wait until the room stops buzzing?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That buzzing!” Twilight rubbed her head. “Or that ringing. You know.”
“What ringing? I don’t hear anything. Twilight, quit fooling around!”
“You quit fooling around! How could you not hear that?” Twilight’s glare darted around the hall. “It’s like…like a hawk mixed with a mare screaming or…or something.”
“Well, can’t you ignore it? We need to find where those two teleported!”
“Fine. Hey, can I have my magic back?”
Starlight’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
“My magic. My cutie mark, my special talent sticker, whatever you wanna call it. Give it here, Star-Sun Glitter.” Twilight held out her hoof.
Starlight glared at her. “You’re asking for your cutie mark at a time like this? How can you be so selfish?!”
Twilight frowned. “Well maybe I could track them and teleport to them if I had my magic.”
“You don’t need your magic-”
“Why do you get to decide if I need my magic or not?!” Twilight snapped. “What happened to my say in the matter, Glitter Star? I thought staying in your town was our choice?”
“And you chose to give up your cutie marks. Now let’s-”
“I don’t remember that! All I remember is you being a delusional control freak who throws temper tantrums when everyone isn’t exactly the same!”
Starlight glared at her. “Excuse me?!”
Twilight’s eyes twitched. “Hey, now I remember…you were the jerk who threw out Spike just because he’s different! What did dragons ever do to you?!”
“Twilight what is your problem?!” Starlight growled.
“Problem? You mean like a friendship problem? I’m good at solving those!” Twilight said with a wide grin.
“Twilight what…” Starlight’s anger faded as she took another look. “Twilight what’s going on with your eyes?”
Twilight’s glowing pink eyes fell to her side. “Spike! There you are!” She hugged the air and smiled. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you! You’re just in time to help me with a friendship problem! Or maybe it’s just my studies. He, he, I don’t remember!”
“Oh Twilight! There you are darling!” Starlight turned around as a grinning Rarity walked up to them, carrying a set of shredded curtains in her magic. “What do you think of my new fashion line? I call it Curtain Call! He, he, he!”
Starlight stared the two giggling mares. “Oh brother, I’m having another nightmare.”
Rarity’s glowing pink eyes focused on her. “Hmm. What an interesting observation. Twilight, can you feel anything in a nightmare?”
Starlight smiled. “No. I can’t. I just need to pinch myself awake and then-” She was cut off as two bursts of magic blasted her against the wall, causing her a decent amount of pain. Starlight’s head shot up in horror. “Uh oh...”
“Rarity, would you care to join Spike and I in an experiment?”
“Anything for my Spikey-wikey!” Rarity giggled.
Twilight grinned. “Great! Today we’re going to learn how much pressure a pony’s leg can take before it snaps!”
Starlight’s eyes widened as her front legs glowed in Twilight’s magic. “Get away from me!” With a quick flash of light, she teleported out of their grasp and ran down the hall.
“Starlight! There you are!” Starlight turned her head as she saw the former Crusaders running towards them.
“Girls, go back to your room!” Starlight ordered. “Something’s wrong with Princess Twilight and Rarity.”
“What about Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo cried.
“I haven’t seen her, but girls you need to-”
“No! Give me back Rainbow!” Scootaloo cried into her hooves, tears spilling out of her eyes. “I…I don’t even recognize her rainbow mane when she hides it behind that mark of shame! She can’t even use those wings she bears. She used to be a legend, a righteous mare!”
Starlight raised an eyebrow. “Why are you singing?”
Scootaloo glared up at her with glowing pink eyes. “You turned us into failures to fuel your success in your stubborn and stupid game of chess. And you sit upon my sister’s throne and toy with us like mice and send us all to fail in your equality device!”
Starlight took several steps back. “Not you too!”
“Cool song, Scootaloo. But I don’t know if that pig will work,” Sweetie said.
Apple Bloom’s pink eyes examined her. “Aw, she ain’t that ugly. Either way, that’s what we’re here to fix! Cutie Mark Crusaders, Make-up Artists!”
Sweetie grinned. “This is gonna be so good! I brought the paintbrush!” she said as she lifted a hammer with her magic.
“And I brought the paint!” the suddenly cheerful Scootaloo said as she pulled out a bottle of glue.
“I need to get out of here,” Starlight cried. She turned around to flee, only to smack right into Applejack.
“Well now ain’t you the ugliest pig I’ve ever seen.” Starlight gulped as Applejack’s pink eyes focused on her.
“We’re gonna give her a makeover!” Sweetie squeed.
“Aw, that’s sweet of you girls. Care to make it more interesting? Hey RD, you keeping up with me?”
“You bet!” a grinning Rainbow said as she flew in. “Whoa, that’s one ugly cat.”
“Nah, it’s a pig, ya silly filly. How’s about a race girls? Whoever catches the pig gets to do whatever they want with it!”
“Awesome!” Rainbow licked her lips. “I think I’ll eat it. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”
“Has everypony lost their minds?!” Starlight cried.
“Good idea Dashie! It’s the chatty brownies that taste the best!” Pinkie said as she appeared out of nowhere and began to spread chocolate frosting on Starlight’s back.
“AAH!” Starlight screamed and teleported away from the crowd of ponies, running for her life.
“Starlight? Is everything okay?” She heard Fluttershy say as she flew towards her.
“Stay back! I’m not getting involved in this insanity!” she growled as she grabbed Fluttershy in her magic.
“S-starlight?! W-what’s going on? Why are you so upset?” Fluttershy cried. “P-please let me go…you’re hurting me.” Her blue eyes began to water.
“Fluttershy? Thank goodness you’re still sane!” Starlight let go of her immediately.
Fluttershy relaxed a little and said, “S-starlight, I saw them. They’re right outside. They haven’t even really left the castle. The filly was just showing the baby the Crystal Heart.” Fluttershy smiled. “Isn’t that great?” She frowned and scratched her ears. “Even if I do keep hearing this annoying buzz.”
“Forget about them! Fluttershy, everypony has gone crazy! I don’t know what to do!” Starlight wailed and fell into Fluttershy’s comforting embrace.
“Oh Starlight. If you think they’re crazy…” Starlight gulped as Fluttershy’s eyes turned pink. “You’re going to love me.”
Starlight teleported out of the castle and gasped for breath on the outside. “The entire world’s gone mad!”
“Funny you should ask about that, sweetheart. Everyone has their own idea of madness. Really, madness is a matter of perspective,” she heard the filly say.
Starlight turned around to see the filly smiling down at the baby in one hoof with her other hoof touching the Crystal Heart.
“It’s funny what the emotions in our minds can lead us to do. And it’s flipping hilarious what this spinning, shiny, heart can do. If the Crystal Heart is filled with hope and love, those things are reflected across all of Equestria. If hatred and fear take hold…” The filly let go of the Crystal Heart, which instantly began to spin again. As it spun, it released a shockwave of pink, black, and gold coloured magic.
Starlight gazed up at the sky as it turned blood red. A cold gust of wind blew down her spine. The former Elements and Crusaders appeared in a flash of light, their crazed grins focused on her. Ponies from all over the empire began to surround her, all of them with glowing pink eyes.
“People always thought I was a very emotional kind of girl,” the filly said to the baby. “So it got me thinking…what would happen if all of MY feelings were reflected? I’ve got more than enough love to share with the empire, Equestria…and beyond! Isn’t that right sweetheart?”
The baby giggled as the filly placed her hoof on the Heart again.
“Starlight!” Sugar Belle screamed as a grinning pegasus dropped her in front of Starlight. “Try my muffins! They’re so yummy ya just want to choke on them all! He, he, he!”
Starlight pushed the grinning mare away with her magic. “You’re behind this! This is your doing!” she screamed at the filly. The filly didn’t make any sign that she had even heard Starlight.
Two more pairs of glowing pink eyes appeared in a flash of light. “You didn’t think you could hurt my family a second time, did you changeling?!” Shining growled.
“Nobody hurts my daughter and gets away with it, you parasite,” Cadance growled. “Shiny, what do you think we should do with this one?”
Shining pulled out a sword from its scabbard and grinned. “I think we should take turns.”
“NO! Get back!” Starlight’s horn glowed with power as she blasted Shining. But a shield spell cut the blast off, causing Starlight to back away further. Somehow, the same power that was infecting everyone with insanity was also strengthening their magic.
She tried to teleport away but was halted by blasts of magic from Cadance, Shining, Rarity, Twilight, and a dozen other unicorns smacking into her.
“Wait…stop…” Starlight groaned as Cadance took the sword from her husband and raised it above her head.
The filly finally glanced back at Starlight with a big grin. Her smile faded as she saw the sword. “Ah, darn it. Way to ruin the ride.” She sighed and smiled at the baby. “I think that’s enough for now sweetheart. Let’s take a bow.”
The filly helped the baby up as the two of them planted kisses on the Crystal Heart. The insane magic that had been firing out of the Heart began to recede as the Heart spun in the opposite direction. The sky slowly cleared, the wind died down, and all the glowing pink eyes returned to normal.
Cadance rubbed her eyes and glanced around. “What…what happened? What am I doing with this?” she asked as she examined the sword.
More ponies in the crowd shook their heads. “What am I doing out here?” “Where’d I get this thing from?” “Why does my hoof hurt?”
“Pardon me, your majesties,” the filly said as she walked towards the royal couple. “This little sweetheart misses her mommy and daddy.” She rolled her eyes and added, “Madness know why.”
“Oh there you are!” Shining and Cadance smiled and ran towards the filly. “We were looking all over for you.”
“Ah huh. Tell me, have you changed your mind about your daughter?”
Cadance frowned in confusion. “Changed what?"
“Lemme ask ya something quick. Do you think your baby is special? And you wouldn’t change her for the world?”
“Well of course!” Shining said. He scratched his head and muttered, “I mean, we were thinking about equalizing her…” He then chuckled and said, “But why bother? She’s perfect the way she is!”
“There ya go!” the filly grinned and gave the baby back to her parents. As the former Elements, the Crusaders, and the crystal ponies gathered around the royal family, the filly walked over to Starlight. “Need some help? Looks like you took a nasty fall, dearie.”
“How could I have been so blind?! I should have known you can’t be trusted!” Starlight growled and smacked her hoof away.
The filly innocently smiled. “Starry? You feeling alright?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, demon! I saw what you did! The whole world saw!”
Twilight glanced back at them. “Starlight? Are you okay?”
“Don’t act like you’ve forgotten about that! This thing touched the heart and you all went insane and tried to kill me!” Starlight cried.
Fluttershy gasped. “What? We’d never kill anyone, Starlight. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I think she’s just feeling a little stressed. She’s been obsessed with the filly for…what has it been, a month? Two?” Rainbow muttered.
Starlight cringed as her friends all looked at her with pity. “Why are you all looking at me like that?!” Starlight cried. “She’s the problem not me!”
“Sugarcube, you can’t blame all your problems on the filly,” Applejack said.
“This thing is not a filly! Normal ponies can’t do the things she does!” Starlight growled. “She’s some kind of…Nightmare spirit, or changeling, or…or I don’t know!”
Rarity shook her head. “This is just sad, darling. I know you don’t like her, but that’s no excuse to make up such vicious accusations. Come on everyone, I think Miss Glimmer needs some time to cool off.”
As the ponies all walked away from her, Starlight send a death glare at the filly’s back. “You might have fooled them but you can’t fool me any longer! I’ll find out what kind of monster you are and I’ll end you! Do you hear me?! There is nothing that you or anypony can do to stop me from-”
“Starlight? Starlight Glimmer?”
Starlight froze and spun around to face the voice. “S…Sunburst?”
The filly turned back to face them and giggled. “And the fun will last forever...”