My History, Rise, Fall and Return: Starlight's Story

by StormLuna

My Setback

Author's Note:

This chapter takes place during The Cutie Map episodes so it may seem more like a commentary from Starlight's perspective than a regular chapter.

Their Arrival

Five years had passed since my expulsion from Celestia's school and it had been 3½ years since I revived Meadowbrook's village. I gave it the name "Our Town" because it technically is for all of us, I am simply known as it's founder by today's inhabitants. While I do sometimes wonder how things would have been and how far I could have eventually gone had I remained at the University of Manehattan, I knew what I was doing was right. I felt it in my heart that having this community was a step in the right direction. Would I ever stretch my influence beyond Our Town? That is something I was not exactly sure about but with Morning Glory and Yellow Star's help, the number of ponies I had equalized exceeded my expectations.

One day I do remember quite well though started out like any other. The sun rose, a light westerly breeze was blowing through town and all the ponies were out engaging in their everyday activities when I got a knock on my door. It was Double Diamond and Party Favor alerting me that we had some new visitors. I headed outside to meet these new visitors and before me stood six ponies.

I walked up to them and said, "Welcome to Our Town! I am Starlight Glimmer, what are your names?"

Twilight decided to introduce the group. She pointed her hoof at her friends and replied, "Well this is Applejack, this is Fluttershy, this is Rarity, this is Pinkie Pie, this is Rainbow Dash and my name is Twilight Sparkle."

Hmmm.....Twilight Sparkle. I know I have heard that name before. I took a closer look at her, a much closer look at her. I could tell that she was feeling uncomfortable with me getting as close as I did but I didn't care. After checking her out for a few seconds and violating her personal space, I realized that this was her, this was the pony that Celestia brought in when she was getting frustrated that myself and Sunset did not desire to make friends and hang around her lesser students.

While I knew it was her, I had a feeling that she did not recognize me, which caused me to breathe a sigh of relief. I pretty much knew that with her being an Alicorn that she had to be a princess, so addressing her as such would help me get the information I desired. I wanted to know how she became an Alicorn so I decided to ask, "Princess Twilight, how did you become an Alicorn? I thought that Princess Celestia and her sister, Princess Luna were the only Alicorns."

She would not make a good first impression with me. She sneered, "Why should I tell you? I just met you and I am not going to share that with somepony I just met."

I sighed, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you so angry."

She calmed down a bit and sighed, "Oh, it's ok. You can just call me Twilight."

Well at least she isn't as formal as Celestia was. With her I always had to refer to her as Princess Celestia or at least princess. I asked, "So Twilight, where are you six from?"

Twilight replied, "We are all from Ponyville. I grew up in Canterlot but now I live in Ponyville with these five."

At least she was being nice now but I saw her looking around at everypony's flanks with confusion. She continued, "I don't mean to sound nosy, but what is up with your cutie marks? Why are they all the same?"

I replied, "Perhaps you will understand things better if I give you a tour of the town."

They gave me an odd look as I got a good part of the town to join me in a very inspirational song about our situation and how friendship is only achieved through sameness while differences and special talents lead only to heartache. One thing I noticed is that while we were singing our song, Fluttershy seemed to really be getting into the song. I was thinking that she is the one that will be the easiest to get to accept our ways while Pinkie Pie, who reprimanded her for getting into our song will be the toughest. It seems like she has some serious trust issues, but hopefully I can fix that.

After our song Rainbow Dash was being arrogant and acting like our ways are a joke but thankfully Fluttershy came to our defense. Twilight seemed to take a less confrontational approach by simply saying that she didn't understand our method of thinking. I'm thinking, "Alright, I can understand that. They've lived their whole lives with their marks so living without a special talent would be hard to grasp." Of course my main goal was to make them live without their marks, especially Twilight given the history I have with her.

I decided to have Double Diamond take over showing them around while I decided to go get some water in my system and get a bit of rest. Dancing around and singing a song in the desert heat will wear a pony out. I just hoped that perhaps he could persuade them a bit more to stop questioning our ways and hopefully accept them.

A couple hours later I get a knock on my door and it is Double Diamond. He notified me that our visitors were interested in our cutie mark vault. While I was glad they were, I am wondering how in Tartarus they even knew about it because it certainly isn't mentioned in any books. I quickly realized that somepony had to have told them about it. Was it Double Diamond or was it somepony else? Well when I lead them up to the vault I will find out who it was and then take their marks. If I can get the mark of a princess and have her move out here, perhaps all of Equestria will come out to be unmarked.

Equalizing Our Guests

Twenty minutes later I along with Double Diamond were leading our guests up to the cave where the vault was. Once we arrived there I showed them the vault. They looked in awe upon it. I said, "Behold, our cutie mark vault. This is where we store the cutie marks of ponies that have been freed of their special talent."

Twilight looked skeptical as I levitated the staff and continued, "And this is how we free ourselves from our marks. This is the staff of sameness, it was one of Mage Meadowbrook's nine artifacts." I then decided that I was going to find out how they knew about the vault, "I'm curious, how did the subject of the vault come up?"

Pinkie Pie replied, "Oh, there were some ponies here who were talking about how much they missed their cutie marks."

Before she could say anything else Twilight nudged her. I realized that now was the time to act on my plans. I asked, "Oh really? You six inspire all sorts of free thinking don't you?"

They could tell that I was not thrilled over this. Rarity replied, "Well we didn't mean to cause any disruptions to your charming community."

I headed towards her and backed her up against Double Diamond. I sneered, "Well good, let's keep it that way!"

As soon as I said this, other villagers of mine that Double Diamond had told to go up there began to come out of the shadows. Twilight realized that it was a trap and yelled out to her friends. The time had come, the time to take their cutie marks. First though, Twilight had to lose her's. I grabbed my staff and using the same energy I did when she was a filly, I grabbed her with my aura and proceeded to remove her mark. It was far more difficult this time but I was able to remove it and get it put in the vault. I realized that since I removed her mark, I could probably remove the marks of other Alicorns as well.

As soon as I removed her mark she fell to the floor and for the second time in her life, she had an equals sign cutie mark. I then easily removed those of her friends and got them all put in the vault. I thought to myself, "Yes! Soon Celestia will come looking for her prize pupil and when she comes here, I'll take her's as well!"

Now many may think that once I removed their marks that my work would be done, but it wasn't. I realized that they would likely run off and be asked about their new marks. They would then tell others about what happened and eventually Celestia would find out about this and do who knows what to me. So now I would start phase two of the equalization process, I would place them in a room and bombard them with propaganda that would eventually cause them to become brainwashed. That way they would be like all the others who have come here, they would want to stay.

Within the hour I had them secured in the same hut that I used to brainwash everypony else and put two guards outside the door. I had no idea how long it would take to get them to accept our ways, but I had a feeling that some of them would take longer than others, and it turns out that I was right.

The following day when I brought them out to see if any of them wanted to join us, two of them were very defiant while the other four just gave me glares, but as they were being led back in, Fluttershy turned around and said that she wanted to join. I was thinking to myself, "Excellent! With one of them having accepted our ways, with the exception of Pinkie Pie, the rest of them will soon follow. After all, they won't want to be apart from their friend for too long."

Until the villagers got her cottage built, Fluttershy would live with me. I could tell that she was very nervous so that first night was rather quiet and it just felt awkward. It always did feel awkward when I had a pony move in with me for a bit but it was the best way to do things. It showed that I cared enough not to pawn them off on one of the other villagers.

That night after Fluttershy went to bed, I headed over to Double Diamond's and ordered him to bring me the marks of the six new "friends." He seemed a bit reluctant at first but he knew what would happen if he didn't do what I said so he brought them to me. I decided that I would store them in my bedroom. That way I could keep a close eye on them in the event one of those free thinkers decided they wanted it back, they couldn't get it.

Well the following day arrived and I decided to see if we would have any new friends joining us. At first it seemed like that would be no but as they were being led back in, Twilight Sparkle decides that she thinks she wants to join us. My initial thought was, "Yes! I've done it! I have drawn in the ultimate recruit. TAKE THAT TIA! Your little star student and now princess is MINE!"

I decided that if she ever did come here looking for her, that I could make her pay a hefty price for the return of her little princess. The price, returning the eastern half of Equestria to the mages, withdrawing all Equestrian troops from the East AND her cutie mark. I am more powerful than I was when I was kicked out of her school and I believed that now I could take her mark.

What irritated me though was that suddenly Twilight began to ask if she could have her old mark back and stay in the village. Does she not understand what this place is all about. It is about equality, and having a pony with a different mark and a special talent, especially one as powerful as her's to live with us, would be unacceptable.

Their Betrayal

While Twilight was pleading for me to let her stay in the village with her old cutie mark, I could tell the villagers were getting quite upset with her. I could tell that I had them firmly under my hooves. My explanation to her about how we had to be all equal caused my villagers to cheer, but then disaster struck. Fluttershy threw a tub of water at me. While I was able to dodge it for the most part, ONE DROP of water hit my flank and caused my mark to run. Even worse, Party Favor notices this and rubs my flank with a towel and exposes my mark, displaying my true mark for all to see.

I tried to convince my villagers that they were the problem, that they were the ones who brought all the trouble into town but oh no, they just had to join their side. Suddenly I find myself being lectured by Twilight and having my villagers whine and complain about me keeping my mark. Sugar Belle whined, "But why Starlight, why did you keep yours and take ours."

I yelled, "Because I had to, it is MY MAGIC that makes this possible."

Of course Night Glider actually believed that the staff had all the power we ever needed. It was at that moment that I realized that I had to tell the truth, albeit in a rage. I told everypony that it was a piece of wood I found in the desert. Hey, I wasn't lying there so I'm not all bad, right?

Eventually I took off towards my house while all those traitors headed off to the cave to get their cutie marks back. I figured, "Fine, go get your damn marks. I'll just make sure that Twilight and her trouble making friends never get theirs back."

Well I grabbed them, put them in a cart and began to head for the mountains. I figured that if I can get into the caves with those marks, I'll have them for good. They would never find me in those caves. Unfortunately, the four ponies that I first brought out here would wind up being my downfall. They decide to chase after me and eventually they catch up with me. Damn that Double Diamond, he would have to create a freaking mini-avalanche and bury me in snow right before I got into the caves.

I couldn't hold on to the jars any longer being buried under the snow so I wound up dropping them and the marks were returned to them. While I knew my ruling days here were over, I wasn't finished yet. I decided that I would try to take the marks of my first four one more time and take them into the cave with me. I'd figure out one way or another to keep them but then that damn princess just has to cast a shield to prevent me from taking them.

Of course she goes off on a little lecture which I quickly got tired of. I yelled, "Spare me your sentimental nonsense."

I finally realized that I simply had to get out of this situation so I used my magic to blast away the snow and headed off into the caves. I was furious at this point. Not only was I furious, I felt like I was a failure. I felt like I had failed in my mission to equalize Equestria, I felt like I had failed to live up to my heritage. I did do one thing though, I vowed that this would not be the end. I would simply bide my time and when the time was right, I would return stronger and more focused. I would fulfill my destiny. I will not let Meadowbrook down.

Comments

[Twilight is the BEST]

You should put Starlight Glimmer saying.

[Nox Knock Jokes]

She would not make a good first impression with me.  She sneered, "Why should I tell you?  I just met you and I am not going to share that with somepony I just met."

Wow. Is it just me or are the Princesses acting really OOC.

Like at first Celestia addresses Starlight as "child"?! Then Twilight acts all stuck up in this chapter here.

I would imagine Celestia addressing Starlight by something nicer like "little one" or "young one" or possibly "my little pony" as she had said that in the past once. Not to mention that she sweard intentionally in front of ponies (large crowd or not she still needs to keep her "Princess" composure).

I would imagine Twilight acting all modest saying how she became a princess wasn't a big feat. Then somepony or somedragon might blab about it, telling the story as exciting possible. Eventually Twilight would shush them and act all modest again. Then she'd probably go change the subject off herself.

So once again, is it just me or are the Princesses acting really OOC.

[RDDash]

Equalizing Our Guests

I wish she won't do that.