Starlight, star bright

by Dusty Hooves

Buried Treasure

Waking with the dawn, Starlight felt refreshed both physically and mentally.
Not only had she located the abandoned unicorn settlement, she had also found a secret room full of books that, she hoped, might hold the secrets of cutie mark magic.
She could not wait to get reading.

After her breakfast of oats and water, she once again made her way to the pavilion and the secret room she found hidden beneath it.
Carefully making her way down the steps, she noted that being locked away from direct exposure to the sun and weather kept them from deteriorating unlike the crumbling building above.
The morning sun coming through the open hatch and the broken floor she fell through yesterday was enough to light the chamber so she did not have to use an illumination spell to see.
Making her way to the bookcase, she picked out the first book in the lower row. Blowing off the dust she thought, I sure hope these won't fall apart the moment I touch them. Taking the book in her magic, she found that the book, while old and dry, was still legible and not so fragile that it would disintegrate under her touch.
Pleased that being locked away down here in a controlled environment keep the books in good condition, she cleared off a couple of tables and proceeded to stack all the books on them to go through.

Closing on midday, Starlight was about halfway through all the books in the room. While she had not found any that mentioned cutie marks, she had found two that contained powerful spells that were unknown to her. These she set to the side while the others, as she finished going through them, were replaced on the shelves where they came from.
Skimming quickly through these two spell books, she noted that one contained a powerful attack spell and the other had a spell that doubled a unicorns magic output! It further said that the spell was created to allow fewer unicorns than it normally took to raise the sun and moon. There were many other interesting spells in the books that she would study later.

Taking a break for lunch, she went up to her campsite. Restarting her fire was a simple matter given her strength had returned and so she set about boiling some water to make some porridge.
After lunch she tucked the two books into her saddlebags and returned to the underground chamber.

Halfway through the second stack of books, she came across the journal of the leader of this unicorn settlement.
It detailed how the group, unhappy with the new role of unicorns in pony society, set off on a trek to form a new settlement where they could live in peace, choosing to find their own path away from the constraints of the new order. The journal further explained that in this collective, each pony would be responsible for one specialized task and also assist in the work common to all. As a small society, the talents assigned by a ponies cutie mark would not necessarily be applicable or needed in the settlement so using an ancient spell contained in another, now forbidden book, unnecessary or irrelevant cutie marks were magically removed, leaving the affected pony a "blank slate" and free to fill a needed job in the community.
I must find this other book, Starlight thought. That spell is something I'm very curious about.
The journal further went on to say that the ponies that had their cutie marks removed, did so voluntarily, of their own free will for the good of the community.
There was even a section of the journal that detailed how they set up everything from the organization and construction of buildings to farming, including the irrigation and planting of crops.
"Judging by the dates in this journal," Starlight said, "this place was occupied for over 15 years. It seems they were not only successful but thriving as no children accompanied them when they first settled here but the scroll I read back in Manehattan said there were 6 children among the ponies that were relocated."
There was a hoof drawn picture in the back of the journal. It appeared to be a view of this community. It showed concentric rings of houses around the central pavilion and a little ways to the east, there was a very large farm looking like it could produce enough food for double the population. There were even, from what she could tell, irrigation pipes running from a central, wind powered pumping station to all the homes and to the fields as well. Incredible! Starlight thought. What ingenuity they had, forming a completely self sufficient society so far away from civilization.
Placing the journal down on the table, Starlight went through the remaining tomes looking for that old, forbidden book.

It just happened to be the last one in the stack. "Figures," she thought.
On the cover was the title, "The history of the marks of talent" and under that, crudely scratched into the leather cover were the words "cutie marks".
The marks of talent, Starlight thought, I've never heard them referred to by that name before.
The book which was, by Starlights calculations, published sometime around the unification, detailed the origins of the marks of talent (cutie marks) and why they were created.

So this is it, Starlight thought, this is the origin of cutie marks. They were created, they were not natural. Very interesting.

According to the book... in the time before the marks of talent, ponies chose whatever work they wanted to do or whatever was available. But they weren't always happy. They did not feel special or unique. That is when a group of powerful unicorn mages, with the approval of the leaders of not only the unicorns but also the earth and pegasi ponies, developed a spell that would create the marks of talent.
Using the combined magic from more than one hundred unicorns, The spell was cast, covering all of Equestria.
According to the book, a pony would receive their mark of talent after a certain level of maturity was reached. At that point, the spell took note of the mood of a pony. When that pony was happy or content doing a particular activity, on more than one occasion, a mark would form that was related to that activity.
The end result was that the residual magic left over after the mark was created, released endorphins into a ponies system each time they thought about or engaged in the activity the mark was created from.
The real beauty of the spell was that it needed only to be cast the one time. Every pony in existence at the time the spell was cast would pass the magic on to the next generation.

Upon reading further, Starlight came upon a section detailing the spell necessary to remove a "Mark of Talent". According to what was written here, if by some chance a pony was unsatisfied with their mark, it could be removed using this spell. Allowing another mark to form triggered by the same formula outlined above. Not that the unicorn mages thought this a possibility but they did develop it, as the book put it, just in case.

Starlight had found everything she had come for. It was time to go. As it was getting late, she decided to leave first thing in the morning.
What she had discovered was a revelation. She had found the lost unicorn settlement and discovered the magic and origins of cutie marks. She realized that ponies were not being allowed the freedom to be who they wanted. They were brainwashed by their cutie marks, made to believe that whatever their cutie mark represented, was what they were destined to do. They were, in essence, slaves to the marks they were given.
No, Starlight thought, This is going to change. I'm going to continue what these unicorns started, she promised herself. She was going to learn from their mistakes and, one step at a time, give ponies the chance she never had.

No longer would a pony with a bakers cutie mark be forced into being a baker. A pony with a radish cutie mark would not have to be a farmer if she didn't want to. Without cutie marks, all ponies would be equal. Yes, Equal, Starlight thought, what a good, honest word. She would use this new magic she found in these books, free as many ponies as she could from oppression and eventually, spread the message of equality throughout all of Equestria.
With that, she packed up her books and started to leave the underground chamber. She paused as she passed the gold unicorn statue. This is my foundation, she thought. With the bits I can get for selling this statue, I can fund a new colony. With the cutie mark removal spell, the new citizens of my village will live life for the first time in centuries, free of the cutie marks that have oppressed them. Starlight picked up the statue in her magic and took it with her out of the chamber.
The next morning, as the first rays of the sun woke her from another peaceful night's slumber, Starlight packed up her stuff and, finding room in her saddlebags for her new treasures, filled her canteen and headed out for Las Pegasus. According to her map it was only a day's walk from here.
I'm not going to build a new sanctuary on the bones of the old, Starlight thought as she looked down at the twisted piece of wood she had been using to help her walk. As she did, an idea popped into her head. You're coming with me, she said. I've got a very important job for you. As Starlight left the ruins of the unicorn city she thought, I'm going to start fresh. I'm going to start new. I'm heading north. I'm going back to Manehattan. The population there is so large, there are bound to be plenty of disenfranchised ponies willing to join me in my quest.
And with that final thought and a new feeling of purpose, Starlight, her head held high, left the ruins behind her and began the next chapter in her quest.

Author's Note:

Special thanks to Diannaria for pre-reading this chapter.

Comments

[Cupcakes03]

The next morning, as the first rays of the sun woke her from another peaceful nights slumber

Night's

Filled her canteen and headed out for Las Pegisus

Las Pegasus

Really interesting story!

[Dusty Hooves]

6016698
All fixed!
Thank you so much!

[Inferno demon Dash]

Gods damn it, it was not perfect but I was really getting into this origin story....I need more please!

[Dusty Hooves]

6050249

Wow! Thanks so much! That really means a lot.

[The Hat Man]

This was in my "read it later" list for a while, so I finally got around to it. It's an excellent read with some interesting ideas. Not a bad try at a sympathetic look at Starlight! Nice work!

[Dusty Hooves]

6213804 Thanks for the complement! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[PinkaRocks318]

It's a great story, and I love how you made Starlight's story in depth and why she wanted to get rid of cutie marks so badly. Overall, Great Work!

[PropsValroa]

Nice short story!