"Shining...please...l know it's painful..." The mare drew in a pain-filled breath. "But you have to let her go!"
"I don't believe it for one second," Shining replied coldly, strapping on his helmet. "Neither does Luna, or the others."
Cadence's eyes bloomed with unshed tears. "Our child needs her father!"
Shining tightened his straps and crossed to the door without looking back. "And my sister needs her brother."
Buttercup collapsed to the ground and trembled in agony. A fierce stinging sensation entrapped her entire left wing in horrible pain, a pain she had never experienced before. Prism, Sunshine and Moonlight leapt onto the beast, screaming and punching at the tiger that bit their sister. The large animal roared terribly in their ears and thrashed about, claws swiping in the night.
Sapphire shrieked and dropped to the ground beside Buttercup and leaned over her. Her shaky hooves caressed her tear streaked face, afraid she might hurt her sister further. “You’re okay!...You’re okay, you’re okay you’re okay!”
Buttercup only wailed in response.
Behind them came a sharp yelp of pain, but Sapphire was too distraught to even register who it was. A mix of bloodied and anguished cries mixed with the soft chirping of birds flying into the disappearing sun. Sapphire only stared at the mix of red and yellow on the ground in front of her. “It...hurts,” Buttercup sobbed between gasps.
Sapphire snapped back into reality at her sister’s weak voice. Suddenly she looked up. “P-Pearl?” She cleared her throat roughly. “Pearl!” She awkwardly got to her hooves and shuffled on the grass with dirt staining her knees. The Tiger was nowhere to be seen, nor were her other sisters, but it was all but silent.
She could hear loud growls and frightened shouts coming from the deeper parts of the woods. “P-Prism! Moonlight! Sunny!...Please…” She hiccupped and let out a small sob as tears stained her cheeks. She felt paralyzed. “Help us, somepony!”
“Saph…”
Sapphire flinched and turned around to see Pearl standing beside her. Her normally bright blue eyes seemed dull and grey under the fresh moonlight. She stared at Buttercup as if millions of roaches sprouted from the ground. Sapphire wasted no time. She pushed her towards Buttercup, away from the chaos. “I need you to take Buttercup and get home!”
Pearl’s mouth opened and closed. “Take her home? B-But where are you going?”
“They need help! Just get her out of here!”
“All by myself? What about you? I can’t just leave--I can’t! I…we need mom!”
“Mom isn't here!” Sapphire screamed bitterly. Pearl staggered back and grimaced. “GO! NOW!” Sapphire turned away from her and ran into the trees, only to see the face of a tiger glaring back at her. Sapphire blasted it between the eyes before it pounced.
The tiger yowled as Prism dashed out from behind the beast and roughly pushed Sapphire from out of the tiger’s reach. Sapphire grunted as the back of her head hit the ground. Her blue eyes flashed with irritation before softening. Prism’s right eyebrow had a gash underneath it, painting almost half of her face dark red.
“Prism!” she cried out.
The Tiger lunged forward with glassy eyes and swiped its claws at them at a frightening quickness. Prism gripped Sapphire tightly and Sapphire buried her face into her sister’s chest. But somehow, the pain never came.
Both girls looked up and saw the creature being dragged backwards as it furiously dragged it’s claws into the ground. “What?” Prism choked out with a gasp.
“Keep hold of it, Sunshine!” they heard Moonlight yell.
“No way!” Prism shouted. She hopped over Sapphire and flew a head above the Tiger, disappearing behind it. “No bucking way!” Sapphire got to her hooves and cautiously stepped forward as the beast slid further back. Moonlight came out from behind a tree, her horn glowing. She glanced back, her lips curled into a worried frown. Her mane had come undone and fell unkempt over her eyes and shoulders. A deep scratch covered her left shoulder. Other than that, she looked like she had no serious injuries.
“Moonlight--”
“Pick up that stick, Sapphire,” Moonlight said calmly. It was extremely unsettling. However, Sapphire did as she was told and levitated a long stick off the ground. She joined her older sister, who had a stick of her own. They followed as the beast slid further away. Following Moonlight’s lead, the unicorns violently poked the tiger in the face, causing it to yowl. The constant pain caused it to stop trying to pull forward.
Eventually, Moonlight yelled “Let go!” After a moment's, hesitation, Sunshine and Prism leapt out from behind the tiger. Before the animal could react, Moonlight had dropped her stick and blasted the creature directly into its left eye. The tiger howled in pain, but Moonlight didn’t even flinch. Her purple aura lit up the night and illuminated her scowling face. “Hear me, creature! You can attack me, scar me, rip me to pieces, I don’t care! But if you ever, ever come near my family again...I’ll kill you.”
The tiger snarled and crept backward.
“GO!”
The harsh forcefulness of Moonlight’s voice was the final punch. The tiger limped away, still growling, vanishing into the night. Heavy panting filled the air as Prism and Sunshine slowly stumbled forward. Sapphire held back a gasp at the sight of Sunshine. The corner of her lower lip was dripping with blood and scratches and blisters covered her legs. Her mane and tail was in tangled knots and her right eye remained closed. Moonlight dashed forward and held up Sunshine’s chin with a hoof.
“I’m fine,” Sunshine huffed.
“No you’re not,” Moonlight murmured. She turned to the others. “Where’s Buttercup?”
“I told Pearl to take her back home,” Sapphire whispered.
Moonlight hesitated. “....And?”
Sapphire looked away.
“Why are we standing around here?” Prism said angrily as she pushed past a bush. “That monster could come back at any second and Buttercup could be dead for all we know!”
Moonlight glanced over her shoulder in apparent fear and gently nudged Sunshine forward with Sapphire bringing up the rear. The four staggered through the woods, scraping their knees and shoulders on the sharp thorns from the bushes they brushed past.
Sapphire did her best to hurry her injured sisters along, but knowing Sunshine’s condition, they made an effort to go at a reasonable pace. This didn’t sit well with Sunshine. “Why are we slowing down?” she demanded. “I said I’m fine!” She misstepped and fell to the ground, barely holding back a hiss of pain. Sunshine tried and failed to resist as Prism and Moonlight helped her back up. “I can…. walk by myself,” she gasped.
“Quiet, doofus,” Prism muttered softly. She supported Sunshine’s back with her wing while Moonlight took the lead and cleared away branches and rocks from the dirt path.
Sunshine’s eyes narrowed, but she said nothing as they continued on. As the moon rose higher into the sky, they knew they were too late. Any minute now, their mother would return and find the stone removed from the opening and her six daughters gone. But Sapphire couldn’t care less about the punishment they might receive or the screaming fits she might throw. She just wanted her sisters to be safe, away from the dangers of this world.
After a while, Prism spotted the path leading up to their mountain. Drops of blood dotted the trail. Thinking the worst, they picked up the pace as they made their way up, staying as close to the firm surface as possible. It wasn’t long before the girls saw movement higher up the mountain. It was Pearl, trudging up the mountain with….
Moonlight’s knees buckled and Sapphire pushed past them, screaming Buttercup’ name.
Starlight happily made her way through the caves with a saddle bag filled with groceries. She had gathered as many vegetables as she could find in order to make a delicious soup. It was the girls’ favorite. This time, she had found a different variety of ingredients as a surprise. And it should hopefully quench their thirst for the outside world, she thought.
But as she neared her home, she noticed a strange light emanating from the opening. Starlight gasped and ran towards the light with fear gripping her heart. The boulder...it’s gone! Why is it gone!? Starlight halted at the entrance, her breathing growing shaky. “Girls?”
She stepped inside and searched about frantically. The living room and kitchen were empty.
Starlight’s saddlebag dropped to the floor. “Moonlight! Buttercup?”
No one answered.
A thought entered her mind. Maybe they’re in their room? She raced down the hall, feeling her sins crawling up her back. “Pearl? Prism? Are you two pulling a prank on me?”
She flung open the girl’s bedroom door. “Sapphire! Sunshine!”
Empty.
Starlight retracted backwards, her heartbeat increasing. “Where are you?!” she shouted. Silence slapped her in the face like a wet rag. Starlight stood still; deep down, she knew full well where her daughters went. She just couldn’t believe it.
They...ran away… Her eyes widened. Troubling thoughts ran through her mind. If...if they left after I did...who knows how far they must be now! Oh, what have I done? I held them too close...kept them away for too long. Stars and Moonbeams, what was I thinking!? They’re teenagers for Celestia’s sake! They’d never stay put when I tell them! Not anymore... My God! What if they reach Ponyville….
The pink unicorn started to hyperventilate.
They’ll find out who they really are...their families.... they’ll have me hanged before the Princesses can even get to me...and...and even wrath from Celestia is a better fate than what Discord has in mind for me….
…..
And my daughters would be right behind him.
Starlight wiped her tears away from her eyes and leapt into action, running into the kitchen and emptying her saddlebag. She quickly replaced vegetables with a knife and her special spell book from her closet.
With a determined scowl, she galloped into the caves with a fire in her eyes. She was going to get her daughter's back, no matter who she had to hurt to do it. “They know nothing about the outside world,” Starlight murmured. “Foolish fillies! How do they expect to survive out there on their own! They have no experience! None!”
She exited the opening, the harsh wind snapping back her ponytail. The unicorn sprinted down the mountain without hesitation, minding the slippery edges. She looked up and eyed the bridge that ultimately lead to two nearby towns. She bit her lip as she mulled over which way they had gone when she heard a surprised cry from below.
“MOM!”
Starlight gasped and peered down through the blistering winds and saw six little ponies huddled together, bloodied and bruised. Those were her ponies. Something strange awakened in Starlight’s soul. A feeling, an emotion she had never felt before. “My babies!” The words flew out of her mouth before she could even think.
She scampered towards them and Pearl and Sapphire threw themselves into her arms. “My goodness!” she rasped in between kisses. She pulled back to get a better look at their tear streaked faces. “What happened? Are you hurt!?”
Pearl shook her head while Sapphire blubbered unintelligibly.
“What!?”
“Mom--” Starlight’s stomach churned when her eyes fell on her other daughters--and one in particular. Starlight was there in a heartbeat and lifted Buttercup from Moonlight’s back. She stared at Buttercup numbly as she held her in her arms. After whispering her name over and over, Starlight used her magic to put Buttercup onto her back and turned to the others, her blue eyes blazing with pure unadulterated rage.
“Who did this!?” she screamed. “Who did this to you!?”
“A...tiger…” Sunshine said weakly.
Starlight’s horn glowed dangerously. “WHERE! I’LL RIP IT’S TEETH RIGHT OUT OF ITS SKULL!”
“No, Mommy, please!” Prism squeaked, gripping her fore leg. Starlight shifted her surprised gaze over the panicked pegasus. She hadn’t been called ‘Mommy’ in years, least of all by Prism. “It’s gone! We took care of it! Just...please...Buttercup….”
Starlight stopped herself before she could go any further. After a moment's pause, she conjured up a new spell. “Hold on to me, girls.”
The five teenagers clung to their mother. The next thing they knew, they were back in the safety of their home. As the girls looked around in awe, Starlight rushed into her room with Buttercup in tow. She came back out and levitated a first aid kit over to Sapphire. “Take care of their wounds,” she ordered.
“Wha-Is Buttercup going to be okay?” Sapphire called out.
Starlight turned in the doorway, her expression grim. “I honestly don’t know.” With that, she closed the door behind her, leaving the others in silence.
Sapphire turned to Pearl. “Well...let’s get them bandaged up.”
Prism hissed sharply as Pearl cleaned her cut with peroxide. “I know,” she said gently.
“That tiger’s lucky that mom didn’t get to him,” Sunshine grumbled, covered head to hoof in white bandages.
Just as the words left her mouth, Starlight slowly entered their bedroom. The unicorn had dark circles under her eyes, her mane unkempt. The young ponies looked up at their mother’s solemn expression and felt their mouths dry.
Moonlight slowly rose from her haunches. “Mom?” She swallowed hard. “...Is...I-Is she…”
Starlight sighed deeply and shook her head. “No. She’s alive.”
Collective sighs filled the room.
“But I’m afraid I have bad news.”
Eyes turned up to her in curiosity and fear. Starlight hesitated. “Buttercup’s wing has been severely damaged. It’s still attached but...it’s…. useless now. It suffered too much. She’s never going to fly again.”
Sunshine buried her face in her hooves while Sapphire and Pearl started to wail. Moonlight simply stared off into space. Prism’s vision blurred before she furiously wiped her eyes. “No!”
Starlight watched Prism stand up, her features etched with internal agony. “No...she was just starting to learn...I could've...now she’ll never…” Her breath hitched and she turned to Starlight, her eyes burning with resolve. “The only way she’ll be happy again is if us pegasi are both equal. In every way.”
Sunshine lifted her head from her hooves, her voice raspy. “What are you saying, Prism?”
“...If Buttercup can’t fly, then I won’t fly either.”
Starlight’s eyebrows shot up and the others gasped in shock.
“But you love to fly!” Pearl exclaimed.
Prism shook her head. “How can I enjoy flying when Buttercup is handicapped? No. I’m grounding myself. Permanently.” She gave a weak smile. “It’ll even us out anyway.”
“You’d...be willing to sacrifice your wings for your sister?” Starlight inquired incredulously. Knowing Prism from her past life, the mere thought of it was unfathomable to Starlight.
“I’m sorry mom...I know pegasi are meant to fly...but now, at least me and Buttercup will have the same handicap. I’d never take off again without her. Ever.”
Her sisters sat in silence while a small smile graced Starlight’s face. “Your heart is pure, Prism.”
As Starlight left the room, Pearl shook her head in dismay. “This is just awful.”
“We still have some explaining to do as soon as Buttercup wakes up,” Sunshine winced.
Prism wrapped her hooves around her body. “After what happened tonight...I never want to go back into the forest for as long as I live.”
“Good.” The others looked up when Moonlight spoke for the first time. “Because we’re never going back again. Better yet, we’re not going back outside of this house again.”
Sapphire gave a sad look before looking down. “Never?”
“Don’t you see!? A world with cutie marks is a world I don’t want to live in!” Moonlight snapped. “A world of cutie marks is full of danger and malice! Did you get a look of those ponies we saw today? Did you really? Just who do they think they are, flaunting their marks and talents like they were in a parade! And that coltfriend of yours--” She jabbed Sapphire in the chest. “Showing off and bragging his mouth off about how much faster he is than anypony else!”
“That... was pretty conceited,” Sunshine admitted.
“Well...maybe...But...he’s a nice pony! Him and his sister!” Sapphire said.
“And they showed us wonderful things, yeah. But...I think it’s all a little... too much,” Pearl said reluctantly. “They aren’t mean ponies. They’re just misguided.”
Moonlight stood up, her face hard as stone. “Maybe they’ll learn, maybe they won’t. But I’m not letting my little sisters be exposed to that again. The competitiveness, the lifestyle, the hideous creatures...no. Like I said before, we have everything we could possibly need right here. Nopony is leaving this mountain again.”
Outside the doorway, a smile snaked it’s way across Starlight’s face as she strolled away. “My little Moonlight is growing up...She’s ready.”
That's it. I want this Starlight to be torn to pieces from the ground up. I want her whole plan to come crashing down on her and then shown how idiotic it is. I hate this Starlight.
*Panicked screams*
I'M STARTING TO THINK STARLIGHT'S GOING TO WIN AND IT'S TERRIFYING!!!!
Shining tightened his straps and crossed to the door without looking back. "And my sister needs her brother."
If not for the all mighty narrative knowing they're alive. Shining Armor would come across as trapped in the past. Kinda like when Cadence turned out to be an imposter so suddenly Twilight being a self-righteous jackass was suddenly right.
6723520 I hate Starlight in general. Such a petty mare.
6723633 No more petty than other villains.
6723642 Too true.
6723647 Actually the other villains are even more petty. Tirek? Power because he wants power and no real reason.
Now I imagine Shining Armor's fixation on finding Twilight has grown to where he's a stranger to his own foal.
They...ran away… Her eyes widened. Troubling thoughts ran through her mind. If...if they left after I did...who knows how far they must be now! Oh, what have I done? I held them too close...kept them away for too long. Stars and Moonbeams, what was I thinking!? They’re teenagers for Celestia’s sake! They’d never stay put when I tell them! Not anymore... My God! What if they reach Ponyville….
The pink unicorn started to hyperventilate.
They’ll find out who they really are...their families.... they’ll have me hanged before the Princesses can even get to me...and...and even wrath from Celestia is a better fate than what Discord has in mind for me….
It's like the real conflict going on... is the part of Starlight that remembers this is supposed to be her communist master plan... and the part that's become a mother to them.
And when did Glimmer learn about Discord's lust for whatever he'd do to Glimmer with no end in sight?
She was going to get her daughter's back,
She was going to get her daughters back,
A feeling, an emotion she had never felt before.
That moment where the lie became reality.
“My babies!” The words flew out of her mouth before she could even think.
Ironic that she never reached that level with Our Town... Or maybe, that's the point.
Starlight hesitated. “Buttercup’s wing has been severely damaged. It’s still attached but...it’s…. useless now. It suffered too much. She’s never going to fly again.”
Somehow I doubt Glimmer is happy about that.
Again, the real conflict here is the part of Starlight that sees the fillies now as her foals, and the part that sees them as instruments to bring about her vision.
The real interesting thing will be to see which one wins out.
6723520
I'm cheering for this Starlight. I'm just curious to see which side of her ultimately wins out.
6723551
I'm excited.
6723649
Reminds me of Xykon from Order of the Stick, who LOOKS DOWN on villains with complex motives. Xykon is a cold blooded killer with no empathy for anything who wants power and to amuse himself and he never pretends he's more, and he draws STRENGTH from that.
6723692 I want neither side. She's an abusive parent who is brainwashing her children. Her plan better fall apart on her.
6723710
If I wanted to see Starlight's schemes fall apart around her I'd go read any of the other hundred fanfics on the site.
6723778 With good reason. She's the Anti-Twilight for a reason. Her plans don't work in the long run. They fall apart and break into splinters.
>feeling her sins crawling up her back
You didn't.
6723790 Nope. I didn't. As long as you don't have a bone to pick with me, I'm sure we won't have a bad time.
6723783
It's not just her plan anymore.
6723809
Nope, no bone to pick here. I've got a ton of respect for you.
A skele-ton.
6723844 Yeah it is. They start looking like their old selves? RESET! They start all thinking Starlight's a bit off? RESET! Her plan is to make them like her. That is her plan and so far? Twilight has fallen into it.
Welp, poor Buttercup. Prism gained more points with grounding herself.
6723852
She did only one 'reset.'
6723852
I've said before. If the girls return to their true selves, then Glimmer has a moral victory she can never have taken away from her. If her scheme works, she's proven herself wrong.
Err... It's kinda been a while, so I can't quite seem to keep everyone straight. Could someone maybe give me a chart/list of who's who now?
6723989
Moonlight- Twilight Sparkle
Sunshine- Applejack
Sapphire- Rarity
Buttercup-Fluttershy
Prism- Rainbow Dash
Pearl- Pinkie Pie
6724010
Thanks! I kept thinking that Pearl was Rarity (because it's off-white like her coat and also a gemstone) and then that just threw me off for the rest if them.
6724056 Heh, sorry about that, the changes are quite sudden. I wanted Rarity to remain the jewl that she is, mostly on account of her deep blue eyes. And Pinkie's named after the pink pearl Angie gave Oscar in the movie Shark Tale (I'm so old, lol)
Uh, oh. Looks like Twilight's come around to Starlight's beliefs: her mother is happy, bad news for the world, really bad news.
I wonder who will follow next. I don't know what to think of Starlight now: one half of her really cares about her foals, and the other about her master plan. I wonder what will happen next.
I want the caring side to win in the end.
6723783 what exactly does being "anti twilight" mean? Does it mean she's irrational? Perhaps weaker of will? Maybe it means starlight simply has an opposing view point on friendship? If it's the last, which I suspect, how does that make her destined to lose?
6724735 The first two and she's actually more spur of the moment rather than long term. Think about it. Twilight faces change? She may not like it but she adapts and gets used to it. She never thought she'd make friends but low and behold she has more than she can count. Starlight? She never plans long term. Something new happens that changes her old plan? It falls apart because she refuses to change which is part of her character. In truth she's scared of it, due to what her background showed, and thinks of it as evil. She's destined to lose because she outright refuses to change.
6723904 If your going that route, then no matter what, Starlight wins. Even if she's proven wrong, she still ultimately separated 6 ponies from their friends and family, as well as taken away Equestria's greatest protectors. That would be a victory no matter if she stayed in that cave with them and never left. Also in the season final we saw that despite the different lives each of the Mane 6 lived without the Sonic Rainboom, they still got their same cutiemarks, meaning that Starlight is correct about the destiny part, wrong about that cutiemark defining what that pony does for the rest of their life.
6724740 starlight doesn't plan long term? You must be joking. She planned out the season 5 finale. She planned to ambush the mane six. She planned an entire town. Also, I'm afraid your idea of her irrationality is, for lack of a better word, biased. She's working from a belief she holds and, like a belief, it can coexist with other beliefs. I'll grant you starlight went far by forcing her philosophy onto others, but that is the way of history; either the new belief is crushed and discredited or it becomes the dominant belief and is justified. Calling her belief irrational is from the perspective of the Victor (the mane six 's friendship ideas)
6724783
And I'm fine with that.
6724783
And personally? I HATED that they all had the same cutie mark across time and space. Yes Starlight's methods are extremist and GO TOO FAR, but I'm counting on her daughters eventually adopting a saner view of her goal.
6724545
I agree on there obviously being two halves of Starlight here.
Typically Starlight's schemes fall apart (and for perfectly logical reasons), it's interesting to see a fic that goes out of its way to show how her scheme might actually WORK!
While Starlight didn't learn that forcing everyone to the lowest common denominator is wrong, I think she DID learn caution.
The REAL question is what Starlight's scheme is, she wouldn't go this long without an end game, and she obviously knows she's a dead mare the moment her daughters are discovered. So what's her ultimate goal with her daughters?
6724858
No she planned on stopping Rainbow's Sonic Rainboom.
Sure it can. Just place it next to the Sombrian Bible and the Code of Discord. Surely they're equally crazy. Als o so you're saying that the chick whose belief that cutie marks are evil is rational. Keep in mind that this also includes CELESTIA AND LUNA. You know the beings who control the sun and moo n? So by her absurd logic they should lose their cutie marks as well. It's not just from the victors that I think it's crazy and irrational but pure logic.
6725028 That's leaving it a a bittersweet ending though, at the very least, they should remain with Starlight until she dies of old age and then they have to leave and head out in the world to find jobs, in which case somepony recognizing then, sends them to meet Celestia where Celestia can undo what Starlight did and allow them to spend the rest of their lives with what ever is left of their friends and family while they try to cope with what they missed out on, or in a different scenario have it where Celestia learns what happened to them and sees just how far gone their original personality is, makes a harden decision to allow them to remain as they are as to not burden them with the grief of the family members they lost and the friends that moved on. It would atleast give Celestia and the others some closure as to what happened and would ensure them that they are safe and alive.
6725205
I'm just wondering what the next stage of Starlight's scheme is.
6725173 perhaps I should be more clear. When I talk about her planning, I mean the creation of the spell, luring of twilight, and the study of the past constitutes planning.
Concerning Celestia and Luna, I am of the opinion that starlight didn't want to remove their marks, for one simple reason: immortal alicorns. Starlight makes true friendship by removing the marks of their destiny. Celestia and Luna don't make real friendships. And let's not forget that even if nightmare moon had one, ponies had survived for years. Let's also mention why her hatred is targeted to twilight. She is angry because a normal group of ponies are so important. Neither Celestia nor Luna are normal, they are immortal deities.
I would love to continue this debate in the comments, but could we move this to messages, so we don't cloud up the comment section?
6725534 I'm actually stopping right here. We both have our opinions and I'm stopping here.
For the record? Not flying because her sister is crippled and Glimmer approving DOES show her twisted side. And how self-destructive her mentality is when taken to such extremes as Glimmer embraces.
One fan one pointed out how, Glimmer never once blamed Sunburst himself for leaving her, she blamed his cutie mark, it was NEVER his fault, "his cutie mark made him do it."
Starlight raised them right this time. Luck is on her side. I can't wait to see this all back fire somehow. I was happy to see her maternal side kicking in though. I hope you'll give more of that at some point.
6723778 Very good point! I'm also cheering for Starlight, and I really like how her character evolved into truly caring for her daughters and acceppting the fact that they are now an important part of her life she could not deal with losing (she was almost desperate when she arrived home and thought they could be gone) while at the same time clinging to whatever masterplan she had from the beginning. I think I'd like her motherly half to prevail and enjoy a happy life with them, but I'm not entirely sure as her plan hasn't been revealed to us just yet!
6723520 How do you know her plan is "idiotic" in the first place? I understand the feeling of truly hating a character, but calling an unrevealed plan idiotic is nothing else but your bias showing up...
6725173 Look, let's get something straight - Starlight is, both in this fic and cannon, a twisted individual who believes nopony should have born talent in anything (cutie marks) due to overreacting to an event from her childhood, and has forced her beliefs upon other ponies through manipulation and deceit, She's hardly your world-enslaving-dreaming Sombra, Nightmare Moon or Tirek, but she's batshit crazy. That being said, I would beg to differ on her being illogical - she was logical and intelligent in deceiving, controlling and planning an entire town before the mane 6 arrived and the only reason they got to escape and defeat her was the rushed-up 40 minute timeline Hasbro has for two-part episodes and a covenient plothole. The season finale has pretty strong evidence of her not being a con and having seriously believed in her philosophy, so why wouldn't she have revealed to the other residents that the staff was indeed a worthless stick and that she had kept her cutie mark cause it was the only way of her being capable to remove cutie marks? A compromise for the greater good? Sure, Fluttershy unmasked her, but she truly believed these things and given how indoctrinated the town already was chaces are the mane six would have been starved in reeducation for far more weeks until they truly broke up if Mlp hadn't been a show for kids with limitation on gore and darker psychological themes... (our fellow commenter in this thread, stupidhand14, wrote a really good story on exactly that premise - it'c called "Equal Equestria Enlightment")
Also, you are making two unfounded assumptions when saying her belief extends upon Luna and Celestia: 1. that it does; 2. that they would not be able to raiise the sun and moon without their cutie marks - they are goddesses with milennia of magical training and the show does not at any point state that it is impossible for them to perform that task without their cutie marks...
6723783 How in the world could being an "anti-Twilight" be a bad thing? Twilight is a Mary Sue in this show! She knows something about everything, (it's not that unfeasible to have read tens of thousands of books in 20 years or so, while also excelling in and practicing magic throughout this time...) ,she's easily able to master the power of both Celestia and Luna when she fights Tirek and if it's not the Elements of Harmony the show uses as its typycal Deus Ex Machina, it's either Twilight or some bright idea of hers. Honestly, I still like her over Rainbow Dash, but she's such a Mary Sue by this point in the show with little to no character development to make that I sincerely hope (SEASON 5 FINALE SPOILER ALERT) now that Starlight has been reformed that she will become part of the main cast as Twilight's pupil in friendship and step by step outrun the alicorn in screentime and wholly integrate into the group. She is a much more interesting character with her dark past, the regret she'll have to face and the remnants of her philosophy which might not be entirely shattered. i Anyway, I think the only reason I liked her the first time in the show was that she kicked Twilight's flank at least for a short while, so being Anti-Twilight is not bad for everyone...
Very good story until now Summer Dancer! Keep us posted as often as you can! Also, as much as I'd like to see Starlight prevail at the end of this story, it is yours and only yours to tell so I'm gonna refrain from saying what "should" happen. You've done a great job until now and I'm sure the next chapters will be just as intriguing! Faved it!
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This is definitely a powerful chapter. It feels so wrong that Prism is giving up her flight. Maybe she'll still fly around if she's carrying Buttercup in her forelegs?
Starlight's plans may have been thrown into disarray. Presumably at some point she wants to take her daughters out into the world to demonstrate equality or something, it'll be kind of funny to see her switch from keeping them locked up to having to drag them out of their mountain home.
6723688 Starlight's inner conflict is definitely my favorite part. As for Discord's terrible wrath, it's a fairly straightforward guess to make for anyone who has spied on him with Fluttershy. I suspect Starlight has a poison pill or something on her, because that is a lot better alternative than what would happen to her if she gets caught prematurely.
I just realized a damning plot-hole to her plan, if the Mane 6 is allowed to venture out and spread her message of equality, then there is a high chance of Starlight being caught. After how much she worried about Celestia or even Discord finding out what she did, it is unlikely she will ever let them venture anywhere farther then the cave they live in, but if that is the case then what was the point in doing what she did and wasn't it kind of a waste to basically have taken the Mane 6 from their friends and family without atleast having a motive other then because she was lonely and wanted to be a mother? I mean her plan was doomed from the get-go and I want to believe that Starlight isn't that cruel that she would take the Mane 6 way from their families just to spite them, without a alternative motive, but if said alternative motive is one that had no hopes of coming true without risking her being discovered then isn't that basically the same thing?
Starlight's plan is doomed from the start if Celestia and Luna actually do control the sun and moon. If all ponies should be equal, pegasi and unicorns shouldn't have their wings and horns since it makes them different, and if she somehow managed to do that to Celestia and Luna, the world would burn or freeze because the celestial bodies no longer move and no pony would be able to. Granted, there's discord, but that comes with its own set of problems. While I am loving this story I have one thing that upsets me. Discord not being able to find them over 15 years, even with him being distracted keeping Ponyville safe, is highly improbable.
Sorry if these constant messages are annoying you. Tell me if they are.
Right now, I think at this point, Starlight is at the point where it's not just her now lifelong scheme failing or the wrath of the gods she fears if her daughters find out the truth, I think even if she's not about to admit it herself, what truly has her scared now is losing her daughters.
6770542 I like these comments, lets me know what kind of job I'm doing and how the story impacts the readers. I myself am attactched to each and every one of these characters. whether the ending turns out happy, sad, or inbetween the main goal is satisfaction. I'm writing the next chapter, which will reveal most of Starlight's plans are.