Ground Hog's Neigh
"Okay Spike, you've got everything under control, right?" Princess Twilight Sparkle asked as she stacked two more books into the large cardboard box on the floor in front of her.
"Of course," Spike said.
"It's just that you know what my schedule's like, and—"
"Will you relax already?" Spike said. "You already rearranged the important stuff on your schedule, the rest of it isn't a problem! You need a break, you've been working too hard on that friendship summit! Besides, you're only going for an overnight visit!"
Twilight took a deep breath. "You're right," she said, smiling. "You'll be fine on your own for one day."
"That's the spirit!" Spike dusted the table, waving a claw at Twilight. "Tell Sunset and the girls hi for me!"
Twilight giggled. "Alright. See you tomorrow!" With that, she levitated the box closer to the glowing, rippling mirror in the corner, then used her head to shove it the rest of the way through, following close behind on her own hooves.
Once she was gone, Spike, humming idly to himself, put down his duster, picked up a comic book, and tottered to the library door. "Time for an ice cream and comic book break," he said to himself, chuckling. "Work can wait until later, this dragon needs his fun time..."
In the stillness of the library, a pony-shaped patch of air shimmered and rippled. With a faint blue glow, the shimmering air resolved into a light purple pony with a violet mane. Eyes narrowed, Starlight Glimmer approached the strange mirror, tilting her head. "Well now," she said softly to herself, "what kind of magic is this? I wonder..." She placed a hoof against the glass, tilting her head as it rippled under her touch. With a cautious frown, she stepped fully into the mirror. Her world exploded in a kaleidoscope of color and a rush of white noise, and she felt something pulling and stretching her body. She let out a soundless scream...
Bright sunlight assaulted her senses as her body hit the ground with a heavy thud. She sat up, groaning. Everything felt...wrong.
She blinked open bleary eyes; as her forelimbs came into focus, she saw that they ended not in hooves, but strange, soft, slender claws or paws of some sort. She looked further down at herself, and found that her hind legs had stretched out and elongated, the joints not quite where they should be. Furthermore, she was wearing some sort of black pants she definitely hadn't been wearing before.
She ran her soft, fleshy whatevers over her body and face, finding all sorts of changes that sent her mind racing in a panic. The worst part was the lack of a horn.
*Is this a trap? Did she know I was spying on her? What's going—*
She became aware of sounds around her: loud rumbling noises, voices talking and laughing, faint music, leaves blowing across grass. She looked around and saw creatures—creatures that looked like nothing she'd seen before, all of which had the same slender paw-things she now had and the same long, oddly-jointed legs, upon which they stood and walked. They all wore different types of clothing.
She turned her head as she caught a familiar voice. She watched a familiar mane of dark violet hair sway and swing in the breeze as a lavender-skinned whatever in a blue blouse and purple skirt wrapped a forelimb each around an amber-skinned whatever with a wavy copper and gold mane and a yellow-skinned whatever with a long, pale pink mane. Several other whatevers with very familiar manes and skin resembling a certain group of mares' coats were with them, and as she watched, all of them climbed into some sort of large, box-like metal carriage, like a train car that wasn't connected to anything. It let out a ghastly rumble as it lurched off down the road a moment later.
Starlight sat there, taking it all in, her mind racing. *What in the...what is this? What's going on here?*
Frowning, she watched the creatures ambling back and forth around her, chatting with each other, for all the world appearing to enjoy a lazy, ordinary day. After observing the way they walked for a time, she gingerly stood up, wobbling as she found her new center of gravity, and slowly walked toward the large building nearby. As she approached, she saw a light-skinned creature with long green dreadlocks coming down the steps. She waved to catch his attention. "Excuse me," she said. "Could you direct me to the library, please?"
He blinked. "Uhh, sure," he said. "Go right through there, down the center hall, it's the third door on the left. Oh, but it's gonna be closed in like twenty minutes, so..." He tilted his head. "You a new teacher or something?"
"Ah...something like that," she hedged. "Thank you for your help." And making as though she absolutely belonged there and wasn't an alien wearing false skin, she headed directly for the library. Once she was there, she made certain to avoid being noticed by the librarian, slipping into the vacant recesses of the reference section. She waited patiently, silently, until the librarian left and locked up for the day.
Then, with a determined frown on her face, she went to work.
* * * * *
Starlight Glimmer restlessly prowled the halls of the Canterlot Archives, waiting for the guards to change rotation. Her invisibility spell masked her presence, and a Skin of Silence spell muffled the sound of her hooves as she crept along the walls, going still and holding her breath whenever a unicorn guard's horn-light came into view.
Finally, the shift change was sounded. Starlight easily unlocked the gate to the Starswirl the Bearded Wing and slipped inside. She had five minutes to find what she needed and get out; fortunately, now that she was inside, she could teleport out without raising suspicion.
It took three minutes to find the spell she was looking for. With a smirk, she tucked it into her saddlebag, then teleported into the public courtyard. Once there, she drew the hood up on her cloak and silently ghosted away into the quiet Canterlot night.
* * * * *
"How DARE you keep this kind of magic from me?! You KNOW that I'm ready for this, that I can be GREAT!"
"You could be great. I thought I saw compassion and sincerity in you, but it was nothing but ambition. You're being selfish, you need to step back and reflect—"
"I'M selfish? That book right there says I could become as powerful as an alicorn princess. I could rule here. It's selfish of you to keep me from my rightful place."
*Good grief, what a spoiled little brat...*
Princess Celestia and a young unicorn named Sunset Shimmer were having a very public, very angry screaming match, in full view of the guards and the palace staff. Unbeknownst to any of them, a silent, invisible observer watched from a quiet, unobtrusive corner.
"I deserve to stand beside you and be your equal...if not your better! MAKE ME A PRINCESS!!"
"No. Being a princess must be earned. I have been trying to teach you everything you need to know, but you've turned from it. Every time you say you 'deserve' to get something without the effort just proves to me that you are not ready."
Starlight Glimmer watched as a furious Celestia banished Sunset Shimmer from the castle. Sunset Shimmer escaped from the guards escorting her, knocking them unconscious, and jumped through the crystal mirror, disappearing into another world. As the guards came to, Celestia instructed them to move the mirror to the throne room. Starlight waited as Celestia sat before the mirror, watching it with a sad expression, and excused the guards from the room.
*Is she going to sit in front of that mirror all night? I don't know how much longer it'll be open, or how long I can hold this spell—*
Celestia's head suddenly snapped sharply in her direction. "Who is there? Show yourself! Tonight is not a good night to test my patience!"
"DAMN!" Starlight dropped her invisibility spell and summoned the magic of the time spell into her horn just as the guards burst into the room. Before either the guards or Celestia could do anything, Starlight was sucked up into a glowing vortex in the ceiling, which snapped closed behind her.
A tense silence descended upon the room.
"Your Majesty?" a guard asked. "Who or what was that, and...and what are your orders?"
Celestia stared up at the ceiling, pursing her lips. She glanced back at the crystal mirror. She sighed. "You know...I just don't care. That pony will either return or she won't. Whoever she was, whatever that spell was...right now, I just don't care." She stood up and stretched. "If Sunset Shimmer returns, fetch me immediately. I believe I need to be alone now..."
* * * * *
Starlight crouched against a cold crystal wall, watching the mirror. As the castle fell silent, its surface rippled, and a unicorn mare in a dark cloak stepped out, black saddlebags slung across her back. Teal eyes scanned the room warily.
As soon as Sunset Shimmer left the room, Starlight dropped her invisibility spell, took a deep breath, and wove a complex series of spells around herself. The magic shields now enveloping her would allow her to retain her form and, more importantly, her magic once she crossed the threshold of the portal—she'd be damned if she was caught in that world wearing a weird body with no magic again. Besides, she didn't intend to be there long...
After another steadying breath and a quick check of all her spells, Starlight jumped through the portal. She immediately dove behind the statue, dropping her magic shell and casting her invisibility spell again, then crept around, squinting in the bright daylight. *Wasn't it night in Equestria? Weird...*
Several minutes passed.
A girl sat down next to the statue—Fluttershy. She carried armfuls of leaflets, and tried to pass them out to the people passing her, but nobody was taking any. Starlight rolled her eyes.
The surface of the statue flashed, and a crown—Twilight Sparkle's crown—flew out, bouncing off Fluttershy's head and skidding to a stop on the pavement. "Oh?" she said, frowning. As she rubbed her head, she stood up, picking up the crown with a curious purse of her lips. "How'd this get out here?" Shrugging, she headed for the front doors.
Seconds after she went inside, the statue rippled again. Sunset Shimmer, human, tall, buxom, and smirking arrogantly, emerged, tugging at the hem of her black leather jacket. Her smirk turned into a frown as she scanned the ground. "The crown...where is it?" She looked all around, her frown turning into a scowl. "YOU THERE! Did you see the Fall Formal crown lying around on the ground here?"
A pale-skinned boy shrugged. "Yeah, I think I saw Fluttershy take it up into the school just now."
Sunset growled, her hands curling into claws. "Fluttershy, huh? Well. We'll just see about that..." She stormed off into the school, snarling at everyone around her as she threw open the doors.
"Yeesh," Starlight muttered.
Several more minutes passed.
The portal rippled again, and Twilight Sparkle, in her human form, fell out, sprawling in an ungainly heap on the ground. A small purple dog with green ears popped out shortly behind her. Starlight watched, amused, as Twilight freaked out at her transformation, then fought not to burst out laughing at the incredibly hilarious way Twilight tried to walk on all fours with Spike on her back.
Once the coast was clear, Starlight switched from her invisibility spell to her magic shell and approached the portal again, smirking. "Say goodbye to Equestria, Princess," she said to herself in a soft, malevolent tone. "As soon as I destroy the mirror, you'll be trapped here fore—"
Her gloating was cut off as, with a bright flash and a loud ringing sound, she was repelled by the portal, bouncing and rolling across the courtyard.
A few heads turned in her direction. She quickly switched spells again. "Dude, did you see something just now?"
"I don't think so. What did it look like?"
"Like a really big dog or something..."
"I dunno, dude. C'mon, we're gonna be late..."
Starlight waited until the courtyard was clear of students, then approached the portal again, dropping all her spells. She gently pressed a hoof against it.
It felt like rubber beneath her hoof. She couldn't push through, and it resisted her—actively repelled her hoof.
Frowning, she backed up and charged the statue at a full gallop. As soon as she collided with the portal, she was violently rejected with the force of a cannon bolt, sent flying over the trees to crash in the sprinters' track. She lay there, stunned, for a time. "What in the—?" Her eyes shot open. "No. Oh no."
Sprinting back to the statue, she looked around, finding a medium-sized pebble. With a frown, she carefully lined the pebble up with the portal and gave it a kick. It struck; the portal rippled, and the pebble disappeared into it, bound for Equestria. Her frown tightening, Starlight trotted up to the portal and attempted to step through.
It once again violently repelled her.
Her jaw dropped. "I'm stuck," she whispered, dropping to her rump. "I'm stuck. I came here to trap Princess Twilight in this world, but now...now I can't..." She took a deep breath. "It's okay," she said. "It's fine. I'll just...I'll just use the spell! I'll just go back to before I came here, forget this stupid plan, and find some other way to get my revenge on Twilight Sparkle..." Shaking her head, she pulled the scroll from her bag and held it aloft, her horn lighting up. The vortex formed above her; she was pulled up into it, and everything went white...
Then everything was dark.
"Well, isn't this interesting."
Starlight ducked out of sight as she heard Sunset Shimmer's voice. She watched as Sunset, human, emerged from the marble horse statue, examining herself with malignant glee.
Starlight's ears wilted.
*I'm...I'm still in this world? But...no! I was trying to go back to Canterlot! Before I—*
Her eyes widened.
"Oh horseapples."
* * * * *
Starlight Glimmer adjusted the stolen amulet which hung between her breasts and smiled winningly at the man behind the desk. "My name is Starlight Glimmer, and I'd like to open an account..."
* * * * *
"Well, isn't this interesting."
Starlight ducked out of sight as she heard Sunset Shimmer's voice. She watched as Sunset, human, emerged from the marble horse statue, examining herself with malignant glee.
Shaking her head, Starlight turned and found a place to hide as she cast the spell to turn herself human. Once she was human, she quickly dressed and collected her luggage, wincing at the heavy weight of the gold bars in her satchel. She hiked down the street until she found a taxi. Ten minutes later, she was checking into a motel for the night.
* * * * *
Starlight Glimmer adjusted the stolen amulet which hung between her breasts and smiled winningly at the man behind the desk. "My name is Starlight Glimmer, and I'd like to open an account..."
* * * * *
"Well, isn't this interesting."
Starlight ducked out of sight as she heard Sunset Shimmer's voice. She watched as Sunset, human, emerged from the marble horse statue, examining herself with malignant glee.
Shaking her head, Starlight turned and found a place to hide as she cast the spell to turn herself human. Once she was human, she quickly dressed and collected her luggage, wincing at the heavy weight of the gold bars in her satchel. She hiked down the street until she found a taxi. Fifteen minutes later, she was checking into a nice, lavish hotel for the night.
* * * * *
Starlight Glimmer adjusted the stolen amulet which hung between her breasts and smiled winningly at the man behind the desk. "My name is Starlight Glimmer, and I'd like to open an account..."
* * * * *
"Congratulations, Starlight," the dean said, shaking her hand. "What are your plans now?"
Starlight smiled. "I think I'd like to teach civics," she said. "I've heard that Canterlot High School might have an opening soon."
The dean frowned. "Is Polly retiring? I admit I haven't spoken with her in some time, but she's barely my age."
"Oh, you didn't know? I heard she was in a terrible accident..."
* * * * *
Principal Celestia examined the neatly-ordered folder of credentials lying on her desk. "Well, I'm impressed," she said. "You certainly are more than qualified." She looked up. "Wouldn't you prefer teaching at a university instead of a high school?"
The woman seated across from her smiled broadly. "I prefer the challenge of molding and shaping young minds, students who still haven't really figured out what they plan to do with their lives." She brushed a stray hair into place. "Besides, the timing honestly works out in my favor. Although I am so terribly sorry to hear about your Civics teacher's untimely accident."
Celestia grimaced. "Yes...Ms. Mare is a dear friend and I can only pray she'll recover one day. I've been in contact with her family. She's...still in critical condition. They're not even sure when she'll be able to leave the ICU." She shook her head. "But back to business. You seem to be exactly what this school needs, exactly when we need it."
"I'm just grateful for the chance to be able to step in and fill Ms. Mare's shoes. And to be able to work with such a diverse and interesting student body." She smiled. "I've heard quite a lot about the students here at CHS. There are several of your pupils I simply can't wait to meet."
Celestia smiled. "Well, I see no reason you can't start work tomorrow," she said. "I'll have my aide show you around campus for the rest of the afternoon. You can meet some of the students, observe the classes you'll be taking over, get a feel for the place."
"I'd like that very much, Principal Celestia." The woman stood and offered her hand to shake.
Celestia stood as well, grasping the offered hand and shaking it firmly. "Welcome to Canterlot High School, Ms. Glimmer."
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Starlight, you should know better than to abuse time travel! Even Discord shyed away from that!
(In case anyone is interested, there is actually a name for abusing a time loop until you get the ending you want: it's called an 'outcome pump'.)
I'm not going to lie, I've become so use to Starlight being a good guy that I honestly forgot she was still bad in this story and it took me getting half way through to realise why she was acting the way she was
Good chapter none the less
8596258
screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Star-Trek-Harry-Mudd.jpg
Someone ought to tell her about KISS.
8596258
Is not like she has much of a choice since she was stuck as a pony in a land of humans
I'm confused. So was Starlight trapped in a time loop or what??? Can someone please explain to me.
NO. NO! That freakin' cheater!
8596279
My interpretation of it was that she could go only as far back as Sunset first coming through the portal ('malignant glee' being the giveaway that it was when she was bad). So, she used the time loop deliberately to build up knowledge, then wealth, then her skills to set herself up how she wanted to enact her plans.
A chapter to show how Starlight started all this mess. Still wonder sometimes how a pony so vindictive that'll destroy everything without regards, could had been so easily reform.
8596279
Here:
8596307
This guy got it in one.
I question if you can really start a teaching job that quickly. I would've thought you'd need time to prepare stuff. But I don't actually know very much about that sort of thing, and Principal Celestia enrolls random girls off the street, anyway.
An interesting, if somewhat confusing chapter.
Thank you!!!
Well. I don't think this Starlight will come out of this whole thing unscathed. Personally hoping Sunset lands a good solid blow right on the kisser.
8596316
Okay, this is somewhat close to my heart so bear with me
You have to remember. Most Villians don't think they are the bad guy. Starlight Glimmer had a really bad experience in her foalhood and as a child it wouldn't be too unbelievable to blame it all on cutie marks. And as someone who had his first real friend in 8th grade and hasn't really found more friends untill years later I can safely say that If I had lost that friend I would have been devastaded, so I can kind of relate to Starlight.
Most likely knowing how she is now, she never really talked about that problem or maybe was quickly shut down by others, so she only thought she was right and the others were wrong. This might have allowed her hate to grow until she founded her village. There other Ponies thought just like her (at least that was what she thought) and she could finnally start realizing her dream of banishing cutie marks from Equestria. Then Twilight and co. came and ruined it.
After that all she wanted was revenge. She was completely blind to the consequences only seeing her goal. From her perspective the only once she would hurt were the mane six, the ones who supposidly ruined her life.
However when Twilight took her to the desolated wasteland, things were different. She couldn't deny anymore that she was wrong, because the proof was right in front of her. She might have questioned for the first time if it was her who betrayed the people of her town and not the other way around. It would have been cooler to see such a feeling grow and develope over the course of a season and to see it beeing resolved in the end with her reformation, but the concept of the show doesn't allow that.
In the end, I don't think that her reformation was as unbelievable as many make it out to be. But that's just my view on things.
8596352
8596316
This Starlight Glimmer also apparently nearly murdered someone in her quest for revenge. So, she should have a far more difficult time finding redemption, if at all.
I see, so Starlight's appearance is explained. Does this mean the influx of Equestria magic in human world is all her fault? I don't think she realize that the exile Windigos and Sirens now become active due to the excess magic energy.
Huh. I'd put together some of the pieces, but other wrinkles had never occurred to me. I'd assumed that Twilight and Starlight were linked by the time spell, but I suppose that link only goes one way, assuming Starlight even initiated the time duel in the first place.
This certainly explains a lot, though I must say that I'm impressed by Starlight's sheer dedication. Time travel expedites a lot, but it seems like she genuinely worked for that education degree, and that entails years of effort to hurt Twilight, however indirectly. Of course, Starlight is arguably insane, so it doesn't come as that much of a surprise.
There is the matter of her being locked out of Equestria. If I had to guess, I'd say she's inadvertently created a paradoxical situation where she literally cannot exist in that world. Sucks to be her. Sucks to be in the same school as her even more. Still, with this answered, I hope it's a sign that Starlight's downfall will come soon.
8596317
Personally hoping that one of the girls does get a nice right hook on starlight she's just a so much of an issue and not worth anything at this point
Right, this is still evil Starlight.
Old Sunset?
Called it.
That happened.
And I think I know whose fault that is.
Well, we now know how Starlight got to CHS, how she's kept her magic, and also that pun, I congratulate you sir.
Eh...could've portrayed the time loop a bit clearer, but otherwise it got the job done.
8596316
Because of bad writing (show writing, not this story). She had the most pathetic excuse for becoming a villain that I have EVER seen in decades. It was mind-numbingly stupid, widely agreed upon.
For that, she created whole new timelines full of suffering, war, oppression, and death. Even one where, it would seem that perhaps the entire world was laid to waste - possibly due to Celestia and Nightmare Moon killing each other since there were no Elements - it was the only one we couldn't see evidence of sun or moon in the sky, but that's speculation. In other words, her killcount is ENORMOUS. Just because she didn't necessarily intend to doesn't mean it isn't her fault and she isn't responsible for it. It all came about because of her sheer arrogance and pure maliciousness.
Since the new showrunner took over, and she IS his favorite, she's gotten more screentime than some of the actual main cast of the show. She gets off with a smack on the wrist for breaking and entering, trespassing on royal property, theft, kidnapping, brainwashing, sedition, treason, abuse of likely forbidden magic, the aforementioned killcount... even when she winds up mind-controlling 'her' friends to do as she wishes. She wasn't even an Equestrian hero at the time and just... NOTHING - she gets something people would beg and pay for. She expected some form of real punishment, which shows that ponies typically get punished for these things! But not Starlight "I'm Twilight Sparkle +1" Glimmer. She's completely unrelatable and insane to start with (couldn't deal with something literally every single person has to deal with in real life and Equestria - and instead becomes outright evil) and just blatant Mary Sue when not a villain.
As such she's a perfect villain for this story and I am 100% behind a non-reformed Glimmer up to this point. If she becomes reformed, I have full confidence the author will do it in a sensible way.
8596328
You can if you're desperate for a Civics teacher, if you're the principal of a cartoon high school, and if you don't overthink it.
8596404
Pretty much. Her constant groundhog day loops that bounce her off the portal have broken a LOT of the seals and protections, and caused the portal to break down, magic to leak, etc.
8596416
Twilight was never linked to Starlight via the time spell. The spell itself is linked to Starlight. Nobody can use it without taking her along for the ride. What she's done here is use it the way she always intended to use it, except without taunting Twilight beforehoof--after all, in order to permanently banish Twilight to the human world, it'd be a bit foolish to announce her evil plot.
(Cutaway to Starlight farting)
Ahem. Here, unlike the previous canon revenge plan, the plot relied on exiling Twilight, then gloating to her helpless friends. Which she couldn't very well do if she raised alarms about her presence--nevermind the fact that at this point in time none of them know who she even is.
It makes sense. Kinda. A twisted, sociopathic kind of sense.
As to the lockout problem--what's basically happening is that she's mixed too many types of magic that aren't supposed to work together, and the end result is that whenever she tries to cross the portal, she bounces off it. VIOLENTLY. Even her time travel spell bounces off the portal, which is why it's broken down--think "trampoline that a Sumo wrestler kept jumping in until the springs gave".
8596437
Dude, bro, I barely understand this time loop, and it's my time loop.
The time looping was a bit confusing for me, but I think I got the gist of it. That Starlight was willing to damn near kill a woman for her revenge though has essentially sealed the deal on her being a fucked-in-the-head, crazy bitch. I shudder to think what else she'll end up doing before she's taken down, too. Excellent chapter.
8596475
That's time travel for ya.
8596475
Fair enough. I'm not really bent out of shape over it.
Her reason for becoming a villian is brilliant. it's not the writers fault that most fans are idiots and don't understand anything.
Like the fact that no real crimes were committed by her. The only serious thing she did was take the Mane 6's cutie marks.
The timelines existed before she traveled in time. That's a fact because the existence of EQ Girls show that there is a multiverse. Plus Celestia herself visited a reality where she and Luna were evil and Sombra was good.
All Starlight did was take Twilight to an alternate timeline. If Twilight has stayed in her own timeline, nothing would have happened except for Starlight being in another reality. Twilight would have been perfectly safe.
Plus, no where did it ever say that it was forbidden magic. Twilight herself has books in her library that have brainwashing spells in them, which other ponies are allowed to sign out.
Every pony in that village came to that village willingly gave up their cutie marks willingly and were never brainwashed. The fact that they were only mad at her for lying about her cutie mark shows this.
KILL HER!
Okay, honestly, I do feel a bit of sympathy for Starlight here, being stuck in a strange world, but pre-S6 GlimGlam is one of the few MLP characters I want to strangle with my bare hands. So ... props to you, I guess, for capturing that so perfectly in this story?
Meh, regardless, it's good to get an update. I am curious to see where this goes.
8596475
Well, that sucks. Congratulations GlimGlam, you're breaking the universe with time travel. I hope you're proud.
Starlight, there's a nice fellow in a big blue box who'd like a word with you. Be prepared to be offered jelly babies, get cursed out, or get utterly wrecked...maybe all three depending upon the face.
... what?
KEEP GOING STRONG!!!!!!!
So, I wonder where the EQG'verse Starlight Glimmer is? Did she get mad when her friend got accepted into a posh private school and is now an elite hacker trying to rid the world of currency to get back at rich people? Through blackmail, cryptocurrencies, and stock market manipulation? When will the mind control satellites be complete?!
8596486
Yeah, that is pretty messed up.
Or, maybe she just put the teacher under a spell that is ultimately (or is supposed to be) harmless, and doctors just don't understand what's wrong. No specifics of her condition are stated.
8596538
That Starlight did nothing major wrong broke down the moment she decided not only to take the cutie marks, but to hold a princess (a government official) captive against her will.
I could get pretty creative with the charges that would never let Starlight see the light of day ever again. I'll even break down how and why they are worse than they appear.
- Duress/Coercion. If you step out of line or show a change of opinion that differs from Starlight's idea, you go in the propaganda building. The propaganda building that is built like a jail and keeps you awake with constant propaganda speeches. I could argue TORTURE here, but I think that would require more solid investigation. Either way, not good. If you want to get a little more technical, you could call Duress to Goods because Starlight has their cutie marks (arguably a 'good' in this instance) and refuses to give them back as a means of control. I mean, otherwise, a pony could just walk out. But without their magically enforced skill, they're pretty much helpless.
- Theft or Theft by False Representation Pretty Much Starlight's entire Modus Operandi here.
- Assault and Robbery. Six counts. Including Assault on a Public Official.
While it might not have lead to physical injury, Starlight forcefully attacked the cast and stripped them of their cutie marks. She didn't even try to talk her way out of the situation and instead chose to double down when caught.
- Kidnapping
It goes without saying that after assault, locking the cast in a propaganda building is morally reprehensible and imprisoning them in such a manner is pretty much Kidnapping.
- Conspiracy to Commit Treason
Starlight Makes it PRETTY clear she wants to spread the love across Equestria, even going so far as to forcefully go against the wishes of a princess in the process when she fails to sway the cast. That's one step away from going full insurrection on the crown. And by one step away, I mean one step over the line.
- Public Endangerment
A town that barely functions with a population that can't boil water without their cutie marks seems like the kind of place that would be lacking in things like professional construction, fire safety, food cleanliness standards... Do I REALLY need to go on about how bad it is to willingly render everyone in town to the skill level of a four-year-old in a water-colors class?
- Another round of (Attempted) Assault.
Taking a direct shot at her pursuers, even if Twilight shielded it, is pretty much textbook.
- Resisting Arrest
Being told to stop in any form by a legal authority and you don't comply? This charge is automatic whether it's moral, immoral, justified, or no.
- Tax Evasion
That whole, barely functioning town probably has an even less functional economy. Let alone one capable of generating the revenue needed to pay for land taxes. And it WAS still in Equestria, so there would STILL be a responsibility to the crown there. If starlight is de-facto town leadership, handling the annual tax docket is her job.
Needless to say, while Starlight might have a sentimental background for her "Why"s, she lost any moral high-ground the moment she tried to use force, if not before with duress. As far as degrees of moral reprehensibility, she's actually pretty much rotten. There's no way a person who did this much damage in the real world would be considered a 'good' person who 'only' did a few things wrong. Her entire way of thinking was pretty much Cult Leader levels of messed up. It's not overt like arson, murder, and rape, but most criminal and immoral behavior isn't.
8596549
That box isn't all that big...outside.
Ummm why do two scenes repeat? I've always liked the idea of reformed villains and time travel plots where they face themselves, not sure if this will happen here but it's possible if Glimmy is will to screw around with time this much.
8596814
I suppose if the woman she replaced is "merely" in a magical coma, it's not quite as severe. That's not really the vibe I got from it, but I guess we don't yet know for certain. That is assuming she can still be woken up from it. I somehow don't have much faith that Starlight would have the medical/magical ability to safely incapacitate a human in such a fashion.
Even with the title, I didn't expect that the chapter would be about Starlight trapped in a time loop. Guess mixing a time travel spell with the portal is a really bad idea. I'm surprised she didn't just try to take apart the portal herself at some point. Starlight has never been stable, but I wonder how many time loops she's gone through, and what a number that's done on her already low sanity. I'm even more surprised she actually has teaching credentials, I thought she just got that post through mind control.
So everything really is Starlight's fault, huh? I thought it was just too much magic but a time loop, ugh. I just hope whenever things are fixed that the whole story isn't undone. Not to mention how to fight someone who has a literal redo button (unless they're able to talk her down), although who knows how much longer the human dimension will stay stable (and with approaching windingoes too).
8596258
Did...did you miss the season 5 finale? This is villain Starlight, she abused the heck out of time travel until Equestria was a barren wasteland. Of course she'd abuse it here!
8596971
It's to show how helpful timetravel is. If you read between the lines, you see how Starlight gets her money. Going back in time and opening an account, again and again.
8597035
She abused Equestria's timeline, not her own.
...admittedly, I'm splitting hairs here.
Dagnabbit Starlight! So you're the reason the portal is broken! But what about those Windigoes....?
Keep going! ;)
I am a bit confused with this chapter, I think that some parts are repeated
8597059
She IS Equestrian.
Well, wasn't that interesting. Time travel shenanigans, who would have though? This also paints the picture of Starlight in so much worse light... it's going to be incredibly satisfying when it all comes undone.
And all of that in the name of petty revenge.
Recycling wealth like that would be a pain given that bills have serial #s. I suppose if she converted to diamonds or other non currency valuables before each loop though.
8596472
Indeed.
Heck, the only reason I find her remotely tolerable in season six onwards post "redemption" was that it was pretty clear (to me) she was still Clearly Evil now[1], and I find that entertaining. I know some folk that never changed their minds, though, and I can see why,
Season five finale, I was among the people who would have cheerfully started by lynching her.
(Mind you, I'd have cheerfully lynched Discord, Sunset and Nightmare Moon prior to reform (not that I've ever been hugely convinced by the former regardless), so...)
So, yeah, really not got a problem with her Being the Villain here.
[1]If you think about it, Starlight only stopped destroying the world because SHE was allowed to join the Super Special Clique; unintentionally, Twilight basically offered her a "join me, my son, and together we can rule the galaxy" from Starlight's perspective.
She was never REALLY interested in equality, it was just a good excuse to hide her desire to control behind.
...
Huh.
That just made me realise that it probably wasn't Sunburst moving away and getting his mark that was really made her snap, it was something happening that she couldn't control, because she's basically a megalomanic control-freak. (And it takes one to know one.)
8596352
While it makes sense that a young child might have a reaction like "blame cutie marks for a friend moving away", how she managed to hold onto such a belief 20-something years later, having gotten her own cutie mark and become some kind of magical savant offscreen, enough to form a cult out in the middle of nowhere and start plotting a revolution, is another matter entirely. Which hints at the real question. Where the hell are her parents? Or any kind of guardian figures? Was anybody raising this pony at all? It's like if a kid ended up drifting apart from her friend because her friend's boobs came in first, then grows up to get several doctoral degrees so they can develop a super-virus or nanobots or something to enact their plan of ridding the world of all breasts. They're nuts and there has clearly been some dramatic failures in the field of responsible adulting all around them.
Same problem with Tempest from the movie. Child has traumatic experience, child apparently walks out into the wilderness determined to build an entire worldview/philosphy/code around said experience, flash forward 20-something years to them being a villain, having had no further defining life experiences since that day.
8597322
That cult which she lured there with charisma, and people skills BEFORE brainwashing. Meaning she had all the tools she needed to make NEW friends, to keep them entertained, to maintain those friendships. She somehow studied her way to a power that even Twilight Sparkle did not manage through sacrificing her friendships of younger days... all to 'get revenge on cutie marks' because of one friend of a couple years when she was a blank-flank child.
Everything you've said makes sense. People trying to say Starlight is somehow sensible or an amazing character with great depth, or the writing involving her isn't a broken and busted train wreck are half as deluded as she is. And I mean that objectively, without insult, to any of you to whom this applies to. All evidence points to bad writing, and a character who is absolutely stupid as a concept let alone the execution. "I'm mad that this guy I knew for a couple years moved away so I'm going to blame puberty and spend the rest of my life evilly plotting towards the destruction of all puberty, gaining all the skills I need to replace that guy that moved away with many more friends. ... And the ability to go FIND my old friend and catch back up, which does not occur to me at all for a couple decades." ... Just. Ugh.
Tempest the Edgicorn is also bitten by this stupidly-done writing flaw. These children clearly had parents and were not orphans, yet they both just struck out on their own to go destroy the world with an ironclad philosophy that they let no one challenge with even an iota of sense. Where were their families? Their other friends? A broken horn is obviously something that's happened before in the world - so where are the doctors who know how to deal with it? Why didn't Tempest drop down from her ship and ASK the Princesses to use their supposed-to-be utterly overpowered magic to fix her horn, since... APPARENTLY it took their magic to fix it anyway, according to what she believed from the Storm King. Who knows how many lives she took or ruined, how many nations she was at the forefront of conquering and enslaving in his name when she could have just asked a doctor. Or turned to her family.