//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 - Ponyville, Part 1 // Story: Starlight Glimmer's Plan // by garatheauthor //------------------------------// The train jostled along through the valley, the tracks below a slight blemish upon the otherwise pristine sea of green. After spending so many months within Canterlot to be away from it was strange. It was funny how quickly a pony could become adjusted to their new home, even if they had no attachment to it. Home was always a weird concept to Starlight and her recent history didn’t make it any easier to understand. What was it to her? Was it her bedroom in Canterlot? Was it the town she had established? Neither seemed like the proper answer. No, the last time Starlight could pin point a true sense of home had been during her foalhood. Back then she had defiantly had a home, and a circle of ponies who enriched it. The town she approached was much like the one she had grown up in. It wasn’t too large nor too small. It would have been a blip on the radar of most ponies, if it were not for one little landmark that diminished the rustic landscape. On the edge of the town was a palace. One that could have rivaled that back in Canterlot. It was constructed of pure crystal and the setting sun caused it to glisten. It was home to Princess Twilight Sparkle. The town that it degraded was none other than Ponyville. Starlight looked back to her book as the train began to slow. Initially, she had been worried that she’d have trouble finding her enemies within the town. Then she found the little volume resting on the table before it. It was an issue of a travel guide written by a stallion named Trenderhoof. In it he wrote about the town in question and it just so happened that three of the elements were associated with local businesses. Rarity, the seductress, owned a clothing store. The boutique received a generous review and it was, to quote the guide, “a little slice of Canterlot in an otherwise provincial town.” Starlight found it odd that the mare would favour this locale over the one she operated in the capital, but decided not to delve on the subject. Applejack, the hick, was located on the edge of town in a farm known as Sweet Apple Acres. Starlight could see it from her seat. There was the apparently iconic red barn in the distance and spread out from it were row after row of identical looking apple trees. Pinkie Pie, the wack job, was also briefly mentioned. She fell under the category of staff at a small bakery known as Sugar Cube Corner. Then there was Twilight, who would obviously be residing in the monstrosity she called a palace. Starlight was impressed in herself, being able to locate the majority of the group without even having to step a hoof in their town. The train slowed before coming to a lurching stop outside of the station. The station was little more than a rickety wooden platform and a tiny hay-roofed shack with a single window. At this hour it was locked up tight with a closed sign hanging haphazardly from the door. From what Starlight could see much of the town’s architecture looked like this. While Canterlot may have been built of brick and mortar, Ponyville was made of wood and hay. She was honestly surprised that some lesser minded antagonist of the princess had yet to set the whole town ablaze. Unlike her previous train ride this one was nearly deserted. There were maybe a dozen ticket holders on board and when the doors opened they all began to mill out. Starlight joined them, picking up the single bag she brought along. Once off the train Starlight headed towards the heart of the small town. According to the book that was where Ponyville’s best (and only) hotel was. It was only a short walk away and during her little tour she got to see all of the sites that interested her. The first was a brief jaunt past Rarity’s Boutique. It was a lovely little structure, just as fashionable as its Canterlot counterpart. The lights were still on within and when Starlight passed she peered through the window. Inside, a small gathering of ponies were looking at the wares. Sadly, there was no sight of the owner who was either out of view or not on the sales floor. The shopping district of the town was small, so almost instantly Starlight caught sight of her second destination, Sugar Cube Corner. Now this place, really was a sight to see. It began like a normal home but as her gaze went higher it turned surreal. The roof was made of gingerbread with thick globes of what looked like icing acting as a trim. The theme of sugar continued as a pink tower sprouted out the top, with a massive cupcake resting at the peak. The bakery even emitted a mouth watering smell of sugar and spice. It made Starlight’s stomach rumble with hunger. If her enemy didn’t work there she would have eagerly sampled their wares. The remaining shops of the town were of mixed interest. There were a few chain stores, though in outlets far smaller then their Canterlot counterparts. There were also several additional independent vendors who specialized in food, books, and oddly enough a store which sold a mixture of quills and sofas. An odd combo but if it was still in business, who was she to judge. Among all of these establishments was her hotel. It was a small place, and if the guide told the truth only had five rooms. She walked in and entered a cramped lobby. A mare sat behind the front desk, her eyes lazily reading something before her. She begrudgingly looked up as Starlight approached. “Can I help you?” the mare at the front desk asked. Starlight smiled. “Yes, I was wondering if there were any rooms available?” The mare looked over her shoulder where five keys hung from a cork board. She then returned her gaze to Starlight. “Yeah we should have a room available. How long will you be staying?” That was a good question. “At least for the weekend. Maybe longer if my plans change.” “Well our prices are twenty bits a night. If you pay an extra five you get breakfast in the morning. Would you like to pay now or at checkout?” “At checkout if you don’t mind.” “No, not at all. Would you like breakfast in the morning?” “Sure, if its only five more bits.” “Alright can I get your name ma’am?” “Ah yes, Gleaming Sapphire.” “Alright. Do you need any help with your bag, miss Sapphire?” “Oh no, I should be fine. Thank you very much. I’ll just take my key.” The mare nodded and reached over with a hoof, grabbing one. She made note of the room number before placing it on the desk. “Just take the stairs behind me up to the second floor. All the rooms are up there.” Starlight nodded and scooped up the little white tag. It had the number three imprinted upon it in a fairly weathered font. She then ascended the stairs and at the top were six doors. Five were numbered and the last was labelled ‘employees only’. A black metallic three marked one of the doors and Starlight unlocked it. As she pushed on through a poorly lit room greeted her on the other side. Her magic reached out and found a switch. She flicked it, bathing the room in a yellowish glow. The room was basic by hotel standards. There was a bed with polka dotted sheets, a single desk, and a small closet. The bathroom which was right next to the closet wasn’t much bigger. It contained a shower, sink, and toilet. The only frivolous feature was a painting of a sailboat which hung over the desk. It presence got a chuckle from Starlight as Ponyville was nowhere near a coast. She placed her bag down on the desk and began to unpack, though she hadn’t brought much. There were of course the basics like a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a hairbrush. Then came out a pair of binoculars. She had bought them back in Canterlot from a pawnshop. They were powerful allowing her to zoom in and see distant objects with four times the clarity. The scroll was the final item she pulled out. It was rolled tight and bound with a thick wool string. She undid the binding and unrolled the parchment, allowing her eyes to gaze upon its contents. She had practiced the spell many times since her heist in Canterlot. It was rather intriguing allowing her to go several days back in time for a few moments. Even going that far back had taken her a lot of practice. This was going to be the road block. At her current magical aptitude, she just wasn’t strong enough to get the desired results from the spell. She needed to go back years, not weeks. Practice makes perfect was a motto Starlight was a firm believer in. So with that in mind she decided to embark on another trial run for the spell. Her horn glowed and she closed her eyes. The spell was not an easy one to cast and she had to really concentrate. She probed at the fabric of the universe, trying her best to find a spot where reality was kind of ‘soft’. Upon finding such a spot Starlight began to channel her magic into a type of blade. Though this one was invisible to all but its caster. With the accuracy of a surgeon making their incision she carefully cut into the soft spot. It parted, forming a rift in reality. Raw, untamed arcane forces oozed out, like blood from a wound. No, that was a bad comparison. It was more like a breached dam as the hole she punctured it with widened causing more and more of the energy to pour through. Finally, the rift became big enough that Starlight could leap through. She didn’t right away because first she needed a destination. If her trip was mistimed she might run into one of the rooms former occupants and that was a situation she wanted to avoid. She’d make a short trip she decided, go back to earlier in the morning. With a destination in mind she began to absorb the arcane forces coming from the rift. It energized her with more vigour than even the hardiest of coffees. She took a step towards the rift and walked through, her destination on the forefront of her mind. The room on the other side was nearly the same as the one she left. The only difference being that the light came from the window and not the bulb above. Starlight approached the window, looking down at the street below. Ponies walked back and forth, chatting eagerly with one and another. Everypony looked so happy, the town’s citizens a very different breed from those in Canterlot. She could feel as the universe shuddered around her. She was a tumour upon time and the laws of nature were swift in their attempt to dispose of her. The arcane forces she still wielded would offer her some protection but only for a minute or two at most. Starlight continued to look through the window, seeing Sugar Cube Corner in the distance. From it came five very familiar faces, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. They were laughing and chatting loudly with one and other. It was quite curious that Twilight was not among them. Starlight grinned, wondering if something had disturbed the supposedly close friendship. A final figure exited the building, slithering through the air in a creepy fashion. The beast looked like somepony had taken pieces from a dozen different puzzles and mashed them all together until they fit. Starlight had heard of this monstrosity before. His name was Discord. Before she could question what he was doing here, the universe engulfed her. She was pulled back through the rift and thrown out the other side. It was night again and at the sight of her bag she knew she was back in her proper time. She closed her eyes and probed at the fabric of reality, once more. The place she had broken through had been mended but it had left a mark. It was invisible to the naked eye but as she touched it with her magic there was the sensation of stroking a recently healed scar. This ‘scar’ had been left every time she casted the spell and it scared her. Every time the spell was used she asked herself a question. Was getting her revenge honestly worth damaging reality? It was growing increasingly hard to justify a yes. Not impossible, but hard. Another side effect of the spell was the sudden onset of exhaustion. To no one’s surprise tearing open the fabric of reality took a lot out of a mare. Starlight groaned softly and got to her hooves. She thought about attempting to take a shower but instead found herself collapsed upon the room’s bed, allowing sleep to embrace her. It was still dark when she awoke. She groaned loudly and threw off her sheets, scrambling to her hooves. Her magic reached out and she felt around for the light switch. It flicked on and the bulb above buzzed, washing the room in an orange glow. She looked around and spotted her bag. It was still upon the desk, the one with the portrait of the carriage above it. She trotted over and opened it. Inside was her toothbrush and toothpaste both of which she took to the bathroom with her. She opened the little door and stumbled back. There was nothing behind it, not even a wall, just solid darkness for as far as she could see. The door crashed inwards and faded becoming another stretch of mundane wallpaper. Starlight dropped her toothbrush. The piece of plastic hit the floor and pierced through forming a precise little hole. One that wasn’t all that different from the incision she cut into the universe. She swallowed hard and leaned forward bringing her hoof close to the hole. There was suction, a faint pressure which tugged at her. The remaining door in the room rattled on its frame. Starlight gasped at the sudden noise, accidently pressing her hoof down on the hole. The pressure of her step widened it and the suction became even greater. As she withdrew her hoof Starlight could now peer through it. On the other side was blackness, a solid wall of it that went on infinitely. No that wasn’t true, there was something in there. It was discoloured, or maybe had no colour at all. It pulsated and was wounded. She reached out with her magic and instantly understood what it was. It was one of many scars she had left upon the skin of reality. However, this time reality did not remain idle to her abuse. It reacted to her probe, latching onto it. She screamed loudly and tried to take a step back. A stream of aqua left through her horn and drained like water down the hole. The scar below engulfed her magic and belched, sending a pulse of light in every direction. Starlight felt empty and found herself unable to cast even the simplest of spells. The scar’s belch rushed forward, rocking the room like an earthquake. As the room shook, the hole in the floor widened. She ran from it and pawed at the remaining door, managing to throw it open in a frenzy. On the other side was the greatest nightmare of all. She was back in the room. The one with an empty bookshelf and the endless stack of books which headed for the heavens. She was stuck between two horrors and had no idea which one she wanted to face. The hole made a ripping noise and she turned to face it. An appendage of light crawled through the gap and flopped onto the floor. It oozed outwards like a thick sludge, coating the flooring directly adjacent to the breach. In that moment she made up her mind and attempted to make a dash for the book room. As she turned back around, a figure now blocked her. It was a foal, an orange unicorn with a splotch of cream on his snout. He smiled at her, a warm inviting smile. It was both friendly and terrifying. The unicorn slowly opened his mouth and said three words, “Good bye, Starlight”. With that, the door was slammed shut and she was left alone with the beast. The glow continued to advance, encountering no resistance as it rolled over every obstacle in the room. Any object that it touched melted and became one with the beast. The bed, the desk, the walls, all of it was stripped away until Starlight was left alone, cowering in the corner. A claw protruded from the goo and reached out. It inched forward getting closer and closer to Starlight. Each individual digit spread revealing their razor sharp edges. They could have easily cut into her and, as if to test the theory, the claw swung. Though as a mercy, Starlight woke before they made contact. Well that’s new, she thought to herself as her eyes opened. She crawled out of bed and groaned softly. Outside, the sun was starting to rise. She noticed that the lights to her room were still on and flicked them off, allowing the sunlight to take over. Starlight quickly grabbed her toiletries and spruced herself up in the washroom. With that out of the way she grabbed her pack and left for the day. Downstairs a different employee was waiting for her. He was a slightly overweight stallion and resting before him was a plain white package. As she made her way down the stairs they creaked under her hooves. This caused the stallion to turn away from his desk and look at her, “Good morning, miss Sapphire,” he said, offering her a warm smile. “Good morning,” she replied. “How did you sleep?” Like crap. “Alright.” “Only, alright?” “I can never sleep in beds that aren’t my own.” “Ahh I completely understand,” he paused before gesturing to the package, “your breakfast is here by the way.” “Oh, well thank you very much.” She scooped up the box and headed for the door. “Have yourself a nice day.” “You too.” Once outside she took a closer look at the box. It was made of a thin, glossy cardboard and imprinted on the bottom left corner were the words Sugar Cube Corner. It was written in a rather fun looking red font. She flipped open the box, examining its contents. There was a large lemon raspberry muffin in the middle. It was massive, probably the size of two muffins back in Canterlot. She was also supplied with a couple packets of butter and a flimsy wooden knife to spread it with. Next to all this was a bottle of name brand orange juice. It was still early in the morning, with not many ponies up and about. So Starlight decided to tempt fate and sit in the open. She chose a park bench overlooking the town hall. Once seated she began her breakfast. The muffin was delicious, finding the right balance between tart and sweet. Before she knew it the muffin was gone and the juice was drained. It was a pleasant surprise that she got to sample Sugar Cube Corner. She’d have to compliment Pinkie on a job well done, before destroying her, obviously. Starlight looked around, pondering what her first move should be. It was far too early to stalk Rarity and if Pinkie was awake, she’d be trapped in the bakery’s kitchen. Twilight was locked away in her highly secure castle, so she was out of the question. In the distance a rooster cried out. There was her inspiration. Most ponies may have been asleep at this hour but farmers were always early to rise. She got to her hooves and headed towards the eastern side of the town. The path was fairly mundane and easy to navigate. To leave the shopping district Starlight took a small bridge into an area of the town dominated by small homes. Unlike the rows of identical apartments in Canterlot the dwellings in Ponyville all had their own unique charm and flare. Starlight absolutely despised them. It was so fitting that the princess who clung to the obsolete system of cutie marks and individuality ruled over a town like this. A place where homes were misshapen and the shops were held together with food products. It was ridiculous. At the edge of town was a hill, which separated it from the farm on the other side. Starlight crested the hill and instantly noticed that something was amiss. The trees were all wrong, being nothing like those she saw yesterday on her way into town. She sat on her haunches and threw off the saddlebags, fishing through it for her binoculars. To call what she saw an oddity would have been an understatement. Each of the traditional apple trees had been replaced by a single giant red apple with its thin stem acting as a trunk, anchoring it to the ground. Vines grew along the waxy skin of the apples, slithering towards the ground before connecting and burrowing under. They then traveled a short distance before sprouting out into a wide array of multicoloured bushes. The Apple family was out in their fields, scrambling from one freak show to another. They looked to be in an utter state of despair. Starlight smiled at this. How did it feel Applejack? To have your life burn to the ground around you. Starlight’s gaze was upon the mare in question, watching her pained reaction. She could have sworn she saw tears upon those orange cheeks. However, all good things had to come to an end. The universe sensed a disturbance and began to assert its authority over the farm. The “trees” disappeared in a plume of white smoke, being replaced by their mundane counterparts. Regular brown bark held up canopies of rich green leaves. A heavy load of red and green apples hung from the many branches of every tree. Applejack let out a sigh of relief, addressing her family. As she spoke the ground behind her began to blemish, growing into a mound. Her family was frozen in place as the mound began to grow arms, legs, and a head all of this at the expense of Applejack’s blissful ignorance. It was once again the Lord of Chaos and he was wearing a very sinister grin. He said something and Applejack screamed so loud, that the noise carried to the hillside. She turned around and scolded the beast. To his credit, he did look wounded at her words. The expression was brief however, as he put on another smile and replied. Applejack froze in place before breaking into what appeared to be a giggling fit. Starlight cocked an eyebrow at this. The reaction was not what she had expected, but it was intriguing. Clearly Discord must have had Applejack under some type of spell. Starlight watched their exchange until Applejack, her family, and Discord all entered the farmhouse. She then began to wait, closely observing the structure for any signs of movement. An hour passed, when the sound of hooves alerted her to a nearby presence. Several ponies were making their way up the hill, all of them coming from town. They were the other elements of harmony, though they lacked their leader. What had happened between Twilight and the others? Before she could ponder on the subject Starlight dove for cover behind a nearby bush. The ponies were noisy with their conversation, making it easy for her to eavesdrop. “Man this is going to be so awesome,” Rainbow Dash declared. “I know right! Discord has been so much fun lately,” Pinkie Pie replied. “I’m just sad Twilight’s on her booksortcation thingy,” Fluttershy meekly added. “She’d have our manes if we interrupted her, me time. Discord’s right she’ll be out tomorrow and can join us then,” Rarity finished, her voice trailing off as the group put distance between themselves and Starlight. While she was a little heartbroken to hear that their friendship was apparently still intact, it was nice to know where Twilight was. It was also good to know that her friends would be occupied at the farm for the next little while. As the four mares made their way into the farmhouse Starlight began to pack up. This was honestly going to be one of her best chances to get a closer look at Twilight’s castle. She walked back into town, heading towards the monstrosity on the horizon. Unlike the stoic and well planned architecture of Canterlot this castle looked like an organic mess. A purple keep rested in the air, being suspended upon the branches of a dead crystalized tree. There appeared to be one little detail that boded well for Starlight. The castle was completely undefended, with no guardsponies in sight. This allowed her to get up, nice and close. At the ground level there were no ports nor windows to peer through, with the only access point being a pair of golden doors. A message hung from a nail embedded into the left door. Starlight approached it and quickly read the words. It was a decree from the princess letting her citizens know that she would be unavailable for a couple of days. Included, was a notice she was not to be disturbed unless it was the direst of situations. Finally, at the very bottom of the note was an example list of ‘direst’ situations. It included several items and thankfully none had her name or description. Starlight pushed upon the front door, confirming that it was locked up tight. She took a step back, observing the structure and trying her best to find an alternative route in. Besides the front door, there were several balconies that a flying creature could access. Thankfully, she could be a flying creature. She cast a spell, enveloping herself in a shell of aqua light. It shuddered under her weight but with a bit of effort she left the ground. The bustling little town was active at this hour, so she made sure to keep the castle between herself and it. The elements may have all been occupied today but she knew that many a concerned citizen would treat a flying unicorn as dire. As she rose above the palace the roof came into view. Most of it was made of steeply sloped stone, though a small portion came in the form of a skylight angled far less abruptly. Even better some of the panes of glass were opened allowing her an alternative route in. She landed upon the glass gracefully, making hardly anymore noise then a bird roosting. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked down and noticed right below her was Princess Twilight Sparkle. Thankfully Twilight seemed busy with the task at hoof. She was inserting several books into a partially filled bookshelf. If Starlight had to venture a guess, the room below was most likely the princess’ library. Twilight’s little dragon assistant marched into the room. He was holding a tray with a steaming cup of something warm upon it. Twilight gave him a brief nod before placing the last book onto the shelf. She then seated herself onto a velvety cushion next to a short round table. The dragon placed the tray down and Twilight picked up her cup, taking a gingerly sip from its contents. She said something to the dragon, though Starlight couldn’t hear it through the skylight. Starlight carefully shimmied her way over to one of the opened glass panes. Once there she slowly poked her head through, mindful not to make a single noise. Lest she draw unwanted attention to herself. She was now able to hear as the dragon replied to Twilight. “So when are we getting to that claw massage?” he asked. “Well, I am nearly done sorting my fiction section. So how about after that?” Twilight replied. “Honestly I’m surprised its taking you this long. I thought you had a system in mind already?” “I did Spike. It’s just I realized that it falls apart around book series where the order of book does not follow the chronological order of release date. It saddens me to admit that the alteration to accommodate for that will void the third of a second I gained on this system.” “So wait, what you’re saying is that we just wasted three days and you didn’t even gain anything?” “Nothing ventured, nothing gained Spike. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll be done tonight and tomorrow we can go hang out with Rarity. Wouldn’t you like that?” “You know I would,” Spike grumbled. Twilight rolled her eyes. “Now let’s get back to work.” Spike shot off a salute and marched over to the nearest pile of books. He picked one up and listed off the title. Then at Twilight’s discretion he shelved it. Starlight had a lot of questions. The most pressing of which was, who in their right mind would waste three days rearranging a library? The second question was, how in Celestia’s name had Starlight lost to this mare? When neither answered revealed itself Starlight pulled away from the opening. It was obvious to her that the secrets of the universe were not going to found stalking a mare who was sorting her personal library. With five of the six elements off on a playdate with the Lord of Chaos and the last one in self-imposed exile Starlight decided to call it a day. If her rivals weren’t going to do anything interesting, she might as well catch up on some much needed sleep.