Chapter 1

Glimmer of Thought

The mountains in the unknown lands has caves which are easy to get lost in...unless one knows how to get around. You could hide in there if you were a fugitive for days and no one would ever find you. That is if one wants to get out of there alive anyway.

Starlight Glimmer knows her way around the caves by hearts. She always told the villagers of the town that she used to rule that she herself would leave to do some thinking, on trying to find ways to "save" the ponies with cutie marks. The unicorn knows how to get through the labyrinth, no problem.

Starlight groans angrily. Over the years, she ruled the village, giving them equality by taking their cutie marks away with one spell, claiming that talents would end up ruining friendship, making one better than the other. Starlight would put the cutie marks locked up in a cave so that the equalized ponies would see them whenever they want...and her brainwashing tactics would convince them not wanting to go back...ever.

But now? Starlight has to use these caves to escape. The village that she used to rule now know her secret: that she is a con artist who still has her cutie mark and is a fraud. And all because of Princess Twilight Sparkle, Prince Ben Mare, their friends and that former being known as Nightmare Moon has come and ruined everything!

"Did she really think that a speech about what she views as friendship could just turn me to her side?" Starlight mumbles, recalling the speech Twilight gave in hopes to get her to change her mind. The mare snorts angrily. "Please! May have worked with a lot of others, but not me! I know what is best! Equality is needed! The end of all rivalries! No enemies, villains; a place where the prejudice are no more! Why couldn't she see it? Why?!!"

Starlight looks into a pond, frowning as she remembers the day that she came to the village...

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Starlight growls as she treks away from her former home. Everyone at her former school mocks her because she isn't experienced in magic at all! The mare is jealous and angry of how ponies with better talents has outdone her. Starlight wanted to be like everyone else! But all they did was mocked her and made her a joke!

Starlight did found a spell: one that can get rid of cutie marks, giving them equal signs. It was the perfect way to get rid of rivalries...and make her better than everyone else at last! But unfortunately, her school officials saw it as a threat to friendship as well as ponykind and ordered her to never use it again! Starlight was furious. She was hoping that they would understand.

Starlight Glimmer, having enough, ran away from her school, from her home, everywhere where she would be mocked. The mare will get revenge, be better than them all...but how? She only had one spell. If only there are more ponies who felt like she is?

Starlight, leaving a cave, arrives in some sort of mountain area. Suddenly an Earth pony stallion with a white coat with the faintest gray tinge, a short white mane/tail, and darker blue eye arrives on the area on skis. As he took off his goggles, the stallion saw Starlight, making him grin and say, "Hey, miss! Haven't recalled seeing you here before?"

"Oh, I'm new here." Starlight said with a slight chuckle. "Tell me, what is this place?"

"Oh, this is a mountain area but we got a town right below. We didn't give a name to it yet. You're welcome to visit and stay long as you wished. My name is Double Diamond. And you are?"

"Oh, my name is Starlight...Starlight Glimmer."

"I see." Double Diamond said, noting Starlight's cloak which is covering her cutie mark. "And what is your talent?"

Starlight was about to speak, but stop, having an idea. Perhaps there is a way to make ponies realize that she's going through...

"Sadly, I have no talent...or cutie mark." Starlight said with a secret grin. This confused Double Diamond. A pony with no talent or cutie mark?

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"I made friends with those buffoons, they think I had no cutie mark." Starlight Glimmer groans in disgust as she moves onward. "To put up my charade, I painted over my cutie mark, putting an equal mark on it...and then..."

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"Wow...is that what happened?" Sugar Belle ask in shock. She is serving Starlight Glimmer, Double Diamond and Party Favor in her store. The "equalized" mare shows her new cutie mark, explaining her sad story to them all.

"Yes, my friendship was ruined...my friends' talents made them think they are better than one and another. I couldn't bear to see my friends act like that anymore, so I left." Starlight Glimmer said, pretending to sob.

"Wow, that's rough." Party Favor said in concern as he eats on a cookie. "To think, cutie marks would act like that, causing so much pain and heartache."

"Yes...I wanted to put an end to the pain and heartache, and bring equality to everypony, so no talent would be better than anyone else. I...I found a special artifact, one that belong to the great mage Meadowbrook, one of the nine enchanted items. I've heard of it, the Staff of Sameness which would remove a cutie mark and put an end to judgment, no fighting, or talents. I've used it on myself and I feel better."

"Oh, good for you!"

"I could use it on you all...getting rid of your cutie marks if you want." Starlight Glimmer said with a thoughtful look. "That way, your talents will not ruin any friendships like my former friends’ did."

"Oh, I don't know. I think we're doing fine, thanks." Double Diamond said with a chuckle, assuring Starlight that the town's village is doing fine with their cutie marks.

"Okay, don't say I didn't warn you. Cutie marks will lead to friendships being ruined forever."

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Starlight Glimmer didn't waste time in proving her point, or so to speak. She quickly worked on ruining the cooking of every ponies but Sugar Belle, making it looks like she is better than anyone else. The ponies got bitter and envious, thinking that the mare is better than them all.

Starlight got to work on "improving" everypony else's talents, ruining everyone else. Soon, it didn't take long for arguments to occur, making them fight amongst one another.

Starlight Glimmer smirks, knowing that it won't be long for the idea of what she said to catch on.

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Soon Starlight Glimmer summons Double Diamond to her cave. The white stallion looks concerned, saying, "It's a mess in our village, Starlight! Everypony is arguing, accusing the other of being better than the other."

"What did I say, Double Diamond? Cutie marks ruined friendship!" Starlight Glimmer exclaims with a pretend look of disgust. "Something must be done!"

"Oh yes, but what would you suggest we do?"

"Get rid of the cutie marks. Bring equality to everypony in the village...no, everypony in Equestria! No more mocking, enemies, rivalries!"

Double Diamond pauses, glancing at his cutie mark. His friends grew envious as he is a better skier than they are. It forced him to abandon his skis. Perhaps...getting rid of his cutie mark is for the best.

"Okay, I will like to be the first to have my cutie mark after you." Double Diamond said seriously to Starlight Glimmer. "I don't want my friends to hate me again."

Starlight smirks as she took out a long wooden staff, saying, "Your wish is my command..."

Starlight fires a blast at Double Diamond, he yelps as his body begins to tremble. Soon his cutie mark breaks away from his flank before floating away. A flick of the staff send the cutie mark right into a vault, the glass covers it in an empty compartment.

Double Diamond saw the same gray equals signs on his flank...with his coat, mane and tail colors losing some of their brightness. The stallion blinks, saying, "Weird, I felt the same..."

"Oh, I think with some teaching, the idea will come to past." Starlight Glimmer said with a secret wicked grin. "Now then, let's help the others, shall we?"

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"And with my teachings and brainwashing, along with my spell, it didn't take long for those ponies to become "equal". I had them in my thrall, doing the same thing to any pony who visited our town." Starlight said with a deep frown. "Then she and her friends came..."

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Starlight Glimmer was working in the back room of her room, preparing on trying to figure out how to spread her equalness to all of Equestria, one way or another...then a knock came at the door.

"Starlight?" Double Diamond's voice is heard on the other side. "We have some new visitors."

'Ah, more cutie marks.' Starlight thought as she prepares herself. The mare then heads to the door and open it, greeting the new visitors: a purple and black Alicorns, a blue and yellow Pegasus ponies, a brown, orange and pink Earth Ponies, and a white unicorn. "Welcome! I’m so pleased to have you here!"

"Uh, charmed." The black Alicorn filly said, a bit uneasily. The blue Pegasus pony looks surprised as if this caught her off guard, but she groans in disgust.

Double Diamond introduces the newcomers, "This is Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash…and Twilight Sparkle, Ben Mare, and Nyx."

The princess gave a sheepish smile as Starlight runs a critical eye over hear. So Equestria got a new princess while she was gone? Oh, this is too perfect.

"Forgive my bluntness, but I’m assuming its Princess Twilight Sparkle? We don’t get many Alicorns around here." Starlight said with a chuckle.

"Yes, but “Twilight” is fine." Twilight said meekly.

"And I am Prince Benjamin Maregilligan...but Ben Mare would do fine." Ben said with a nod. She motion to the filly, adding, "This is my daughter, Nyx, formerly Nightmare Moon but her real name would do fine."

"Yeah, hey." Nyx said, hiding behind her parents.

'Nightmare Moon? She came back? This may be complicated.' Starlight thought in concern. Regardless, she spoke up in a pretend sweet matter, "So how did you hear of our little village?"

"It’s kind of a long story. Let’s just say we found it on a map." Twilight said with a smile.

"Technically, it’s a tree-chest-castle map!" Pinkie said happily though she gave a hint of distrust. Apparently, she knew what was going on.

"Anyway, we came here to do some help if you don't mind." Ben said in concern. For some reason, he felt something off about this.

"Well, however you found us, we’re happy to have you. We’re happy to have anypony who wants to experience true friendship for the first time." Starlight said with a wicked secret smile.

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"Yes, and an idea popped up into my head. I will tricked or steal the princesses and prince's cutie mark from them...and once news of this spreads, the main princesses would have to come and investigate." Starlight said with a cruel chuckle as she moves through another cave. "I would have them ambushed and their cutie mark removed. No Alicorns doing better than all of us. Then we will have them preach the "same way" to everypony else...then came the moment..."

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Twilight and her friends was alarmed by Starlight's words...and saw Double Diamond after Rarity collided with him. And he isn't alone: the village ponies appears, every face frozen in a wide-eyed grin.

"It’s a trap!" Twilight screams in alarm.

Twilight quickly teleports herself to a point several yards above the cave floor. But before she could do anything else, Starlight uses the power of "the staff" to fire a beam at the princess, hitting her in the gut. Twilight screams as she is left "standing" frozen in midair.

"Mommy!" Nyx exclaims in shock and horror.

Everyone else watched as Twilight's cutie mark begins to pull away from her flank. The Alicorn tries to fight it, crying out in pain, but soon it came off, floating away from the mare who fell silently to the floor. The cutie mark floats down to a stop between the Staff's tines, making Starlight grin insanely.

Soon everyone watch as Starlight's staff send it hurtling over her shoulder to the vault. The usual glass cover on an empty compartment slide opens to receive it before snapping shut again. Twilight's flank soon got a gray equals sign before her coat/mane/tail colors are now like the others, sending her to the ground.

Starlight didn't waste time in hitting the rest of the Mane Five, causing them to scream as the mark are separated and locked away. Soon they are remarked with their colors and belligerence gone.

"Ben, Nyx, get out of here!" Twilight cries out to Ben.

Ben nods as he throws Nyx onto his back and teleports out of the way, much to the surprise of the equal ponies...if you can see it through their creepy smiles.

"You two, find them." Starlight Glimmer snaps to the two smiling ponies who nods and gallops off to look for the escaped Ben and Nyx. "It doesn't matter. They won't stop what must be done...Oh, I don’t blame you for what you tried to do here today. You’ve spent your whole lives thinking those marks are a good thing."

"Give them back!" Twilight demands furiously to the villainess who walks away, putting the staff back onto its pedestal.

"Well, now you can spend the rest of your lives here, with us. Your colt friend and that former Nightmare Moon monster will join us soon enough. And we’ll teach you just how much better life can be without your cutie marks.

Starlight laughs cruelly as her allies surround the cutie markless heroines…

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"We locked them up, hoping my brainwashing will change them...I was close to victory." Starlight Glimmer fumes angrily then stomps in a puddle of water. "I thought Fluttershy would reform when she claimed to do so...but turns out it was a trap was those idiots set up, along with Ben and Nyx who managed to dodge my ponies! Then..."

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"Then how do you explain…" Fluttershy demands as she is hovering overhead with a bucket of water. "…this?!?"

Fluttershy dumps the water right towards Starlight, but she yelps and move out of the way in time. The mare looks angrily as she snaps, "I knew you couldn’t be trusted!" Unfortunately, she saw Party Favor's eyes widen in shock as he saw something on his friend's flank: one drop of water landed is and getting rid of paint that exposed her real cutie mark. The stallion came up and rubs his ragged cloak onto the spot, making her gasps, "No! Get away!"

But it's too late: Party Favor drops the cloak and everyone gasps. Starlight grimaces and tries to use her tail to cover her flank...but the jig is up.

"Wh…what are you looking at?" Starlight protests as she points at Twilight and company. "They’re the problem, not me!"

"WRONG, TRAITOROUS VILLAINESS!" A booming voice is heard. Nyx, in her Battle Form, appears with Ben, surrounding the liar. "Thou are the real problem!"

"The jig is up, Starlight. Everyone now knows the truth!" Ben exclaims sternly as Fluttershy lands near her frowns, everyone smiles confidentially.

"How could you?" Party Favor ask, hurt and stunned by this revelation.

Double Diamond steps up in agreement, exclaiming, "You said cutie marks were evil! You said special talents led to pain and heartache!"

"They do! Don’t you see? Look at them!" Starlight protests, trying to regain control of this situation.

"Then why? Why did you take ours and not give up your own?" Sugar Belle demands furiously. Her friend lied to her all these years and have to doing the same thing to everyone else ever since!

"I…I had to, you fools! How could I collect your cutie marks without my magic?"

"But…the Staff has all the magic we need!" Night Glider protests, stunned like the rest of the pony in the village.

"Except the staff is a fake, is it?" Ben ask, narrowing his eyes at the villainess.

"Shut up, but you're right. The Staff is a piece of wood I found in the desert! It’s my magic that makes all this possible." Starlight exclaims furiously to everyone. "You’d all still be living your miserable lives, thinking you’re better than everypony else, if it weren’t for my magical abilities! I brought you friendship! I brought you equality! I created harmony!"

"Sounds like somepony is jealous that everyone else is better than her all this time. You don't care for everyone, you just wanted to make ponies suffered as you did, because everypony else was better than you!"

"You lied to us!" Double Diamond exclaims furiously to Starlight.

"So what?" Starlight ask giving out a nervous smile. "Everything else I said is true. The only way to be happy is if we’re all equal!"

"Except for you!"

"Despite having different cutie marks and talents, we are all still friends." Ben said, standing near his love, his daughter and his friends in determination.

Twilight nods as she adds, "He's right. Everypony has unique talents and gifts, and when we share them with each other, that's how we-"

"QUIET!!!" Starlight yells out in fury.

Twilight backed away from that outburst with a surprised look on her face. Ben, on the other hoof, was incensed by Starlight's response.

"How dare you speak to her that way?!" Ben exclaims furiously. He wanted so much to pound this witch into the ground for saying that to Twilight!

"Can it!" Starlight snaps furiously at Ben.

"Never! You don't talk to my fillyfriend that way!"

"I can talk like that to whomever I want, Earth filth scar-chest!"

Ben's eye twitched in irritation. First Dum-Dum, and now this unicorn had to say something rude about his scar?!

Ben brought his Master Sword, waving it out while yelling, "Why, you...!"

Twilight put a hoof in front of Ben to stop him. She said, "Easy, Ben. Don't react."

"It's like they say...'Don't feed the Troll'." Pinkie said randomly.

Starlight, a bit upset by what Pinkie said, demands, "Excuse me?! What was that word again? What did you call me? A Troll?"

"Uh...maybe?"

"You can't have a cutie mark, Starlight! Either we're all equal, or none of us are!" Sugar Belle exclaims sternly.

"Give yourself up, Starlight...because your former friends won't take it easy on you." Nyx said sternly to the soon to be former leader of this village.

Starlight Glimmer saw her former ponies and friends surrounding her. Not good, she is now losing a battle that she wasn't prepared for. The mare knew what she must do now...

Run.

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It's over. Starlight came out of the snowdrift, scowling angrily at her former friends who now got their cutie marks. She will make them all paid! The unicorn end her usual spell at the four. If Starlight can get their cutie marks once...

But to her surprise, Twilight and Ben lands in front of them, throwing up a defensive shield which blocks the spell, causing Starlight's power to wash over the surface and stream off the trailing edge. The villainess was force to stop the attack, allowing her enemies to drop the shield. Not a hair is out of place on themselves or the others. They are good and sore though.

"Wha—? I studied that spell for years! How can you—" Starlight ask in confusion, wondering what just happened.

Twilight crosses over, saying, "I studied magic for years too. But what I didn’t know then was that studying could only take me so far. Each of my friends has taught me something different about myself." The rest of the Alicorn and Earth Pony's friends appear, gathering on the path and blocking the other way out for Starlight. "It was their unique gifts and passions and personalities that helped bring out the magic inside of me. I never would have learned that I represent the Element of Magic without these five. And I certainly wouldn’t be here to stop you now!"

"Spare me your sentimental nonsense! I gave these ponies real friendships they never could have had otherwise!

"How do you know that?" Double Diamond demands as he removes his helmet and goggles before tossing them aside. "You never even gave us a chance!" Now the stallion wishes that he never met Starlight Glimmer before.

"Starlight, last chance. Give up now!" Ben exclaims sternly. "We got you surrounded!"

That was the last straw. Starlight closes her eyes and fires a sphere of energy at the group who avert their eyes in times as a brilliant flash of white appears. When all is clear, the snow is gone, along with Starlight...except for a curl of smoke coming from the newly bare patch of ground. Starlight has apparently learnt another spell in the event of her defeat.

"She went in there!" Nyx exclaims as she points a hoof at a snowy prints that led into the cave. Looks like Starlight used her spell to allow herself to make a break for it.

"She’s getting away!" Rainbow exclaims angrily.

"We’ll never find her in there!" Double Diamond exclaims in concern. The caves are too big, anyone would get lost in there for days!

"We just have to hope that when she’s had a chance to think it over, she realizes that you all have taught her something." Twilight said with a sigh.

"Although, with her attitude, she is lost to darkness for good." Ben said sternly with a nod.

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Starlight took a moment to suddenly shake off her little trip down memory-lane. The past was in the past, & the future is what she must focus on since everything she had planned is gone. A town of all things being equal, no differences, all gone up in smoke because of what the Mane Six group did. They exposed that no one was truly happy & that they learn she didn't become equal to remove her own cutie mark. Everything that happened was ruined the moment such outsiders came into her life.

"Everything I did, everything I worked for...gone." Starlight complained off in seeing how things took a turn for the worse for her.

Starlight vaguely recalls her little past, how she made many believe in her theory, but now the matter of being equal is now...gone.

"Everyone believes they are more happy now with their cutie marks then without them. But that's where they are wrong, it’s all wrong!" Starlight protest over the matter in seeing how the town she run believes they are happy with being unique & different.

The mare snorts off in just having to think about such things.

"Being different is what keeps those from having friends, that's the truth & I have seen it!" Starlight protest more in arguing over something that was her point alone that was true...at least, to herself.

That was when Starlight looked down in seeing a little puddle of her own reflection now.

"One day I'll return to get back at those who ruin everything I strive to work for..." Starlight issued this off with an annoyed frown look off her face.

Flash images of the heroes that were the cause of her suffering are seen, seeing them made her mad to splash the puddle with a hoof.

"And those ponies will be the ones I'll deal with when the time comes." Starlight issue this off in fury of who will be the ones she gets payback to for having ruined her whole equality planning.

Now Starlight turns around to leave the scene as she feels that she must work her brain out.

"But for now, I need to prepare...I must prepare a way to get back at them, & make them all see...how wrong they are..." Starlight was muttering this to herself, knowing that she must plan herself & her steps carefully if she will exact revenge on those like Twilight Sparkle & her friends for causing everything to backfire, she'll show them all that the friendship theory is a lie unless all...are equal & the same...

At that moment, Starlight goes off through a tunnel to vanish without a trace now, for wherever she'll end up or whenever she makes a scene...we will know. For now, the story of what Starlight Glimmer started that came to an end is not over, no...this was just the beginning, of an unforeseen future yet to come as everything went dark around here...

The End

Author's Note:

Cast list
Kelly Sheridan: Starlight Glimmer
Tara Strong: Twilight Sparkle
Ashleigh Ball: Rainbow Dash
Andrea Libman: Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy
Jason Marsden: Ben Mare
Daveigh Chase: Nyx
Tabitha St. German: Nyx's Battle Form
Brian Drummond: Double Diamond
Rebecca Shoichet: Sugar Belle, Night Glider
Sam Vincent: Party Flavor

Big story, don't you think? All right, time we make a return to the Mirror-Verse world (from the comics) in the next story...

Return to the Mirrorverse (a sequel to the "Reflections" arc of the MLP comic book series; set shortly after the Season 5 opener): While on the run, the Erroneus Equines (the small-time criminal counterparts to the Mane Six and Spike) end up discovering long-lost magic talismans that grant them near-unlimited power, even to the point of gaining a new "Dark Rainbow Power". The newly super-charged former small time criminals ended up going on a rampage that is too much for even the combined might of Captain Goodguy (Discord's Mirrorverse counterpart) and Chrysalis. Fortunately, they ARE able to bring help in the form of the Equestria Prime versions of the Mane Six and Spike. But can even the Mane Six's OWN Rainbow Power allow them to fight their criminal counterparts on equal footing?
Villains: The Erroneous Equines
Note: The VERY next story is DIRECTLY referenced, as Captain Goodguy explains to the Mane Six and Spike that his universe's versions of Trixie, the Flim Flams and Derpy are busy re-educating the recently reformed Celestia and Luna on how to be good

Can't wait for it to get started. Until next time, read, review and suggest!

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