Best Served Cold

by David Silver

3 - Together Time

With a fwoosh of green flames, Saffron took her true form, stretching her large form. "Being a little pony for so long is so... confining," complained Chrysalis with a frown. She turned in the cave she was hiding in and thrust a hoof at a collection of papers. "Now then..." She drew them over with her magic and opened the first letter.

Your Ladyship,

The traitor, Thorax, continues to recruit your old faithful to his cause. The lost changelings now outnumber us uncomfortably and continue to grow. Despite their pacifist ways, they have not been eaten by passing predators as we had hoped.

My lady, when will you return to us?

We need you,
Ocelli

Chrysalis crumbled the note angrily in her magic and tossed it aside. "He will get his, in time. That weak-willed love-maker will fuel my rise to global ruler!" She clopped down a hoof, jaw tensed a moment before she let out a breath, calming herself. "But, for now, we have a task."

She reviewed it in her mind. It was going so well. The delicious look of pain that Starlight had worn. Mmm, it made her smile. It also made her curious. "I thought you were a little goodie. What was that about ruling a town with an iron hoof?" She walked in a circle around her cavern. "There is more to you than I thought..."

---

"Starlight!" Twilight craned her head to shout up the stairs. "Starlight!" No answer came. She frowned and ascended the steps with agitated stomps. "Starlight, you promised you would help. We were scheduled to begin fifteen minutes ago, and I know you're--"

"I'm here," interrupted Starlight with the sound of her door closing. "I'm here..." Her voice sounded dull and her steps were anything but lively as she approached.

Twilight's angry approach stalled out quickly. "Starlight? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she lied boldly as she came into view with a forced smile worn. "Just a stressful day. Maybe a few hours sorting books is just what I need right now. Lead the way."

Twilight turned around, going back where she had come from. "This way. What happened? You don't look so good."

Starlight followed her dutifully. "Nothing worth bothering you about."

Twilight stopped and turned back to Starlight. "I am your friend, and that means there is no such thing. Something is clearly bothering you."

Starlight grumbled softly before she sighed. "I don't know what I did, but I made Maud angry at me. I didn't even know she could be angry! A lack of emotions is one of her defining features!"

Twilight inclined her head with curiosity. "How can you be sure?"

"She told me to leave her mines, and that we'd never dig together again..." Starlight sank to her haunches on the stairs she never had the chance to leave. "Look, I must have said something stupid. Let's sort some books."

"We will..." She slowly turned back around and stepped free of the stairs. "We should talk to Pinkie. If anyone can explain her sister, it's her."

Starlight smiled a little. Pinkie did know her sister, usually... mostly? Starlight's smile fell. Pinkie adored her sister, but actually didn't 'get' her very well at all. "No. Let's not. That will just make things awkward, for both of them. I'll start from Z." She veered off as she entered the room full of books. "You start from A, and we'll meet in the middle."

Twilight bit back her reply as she went where Starlight had pointed. "Thank you, for helping." Starlight muttered something affirmative and Twilight sighed, moving to start the work of organization.

---

"Oh, hello there, darling." Rarity smiled at the new pony in her boutique. "Why, you're that pony I've seen with Starlight, aren't you?"

Saffron nodded with a little smile. "The very same. She mentioned your little shop." Saffron wobbled a hoof around as her eyes wandered. "Such lovely pieces you have."

"Thank you, Darling. Very kind of you. Now, how can I help you look your best?" She looked over Saffron appraisingly. "You appear to have your accessories working delightfully, but we can do better... You strike me as a Spring."

Saffron leaned forward a little. "Tempting, dear, but I was hoping for a little talk, between mares."

Rarity blinked before looking around suspiciously. "What is it? You sound serious." Her smile widened. "Or is this a bit of good gossip? Either way, you have my ear."

Saffron stepped around a standing statue showing off a dress. "Starlight's afraid of something she did in her past."

Rarity heaved a great sigh. "Ah, yes..."

"So you know? What'd she do? It couldn't have been that bad..." She hoped it was worse.

Rarity rolled a hoof. "I need your word that you won't hold this against her. The poor dear's working very hard to put this behind her, and I don't want to sabotage that. She's come so far."

Saffron turned the ponykin around as if interested in it and the sunny dress it wore. "No no, of course not. Starlight's been a real treat. I just want to know why she gets so upset, as a friend."

The f word seemed to relax Rarity. "It's nice to hear that... Well, alright. When we first met the darling, she wasn't much of one. She was busy ruling a small town." Rarity rolled a hoof, her eyes on Saffron. "She had them all believing that cutie marks were foul, horrible things."

Saffron let her hoof fall away from the fabric she had little interest in, looking back to Rarity. "Really? Were they scarring themselves?"

Rarity's eyes went wide. "Heavens no! No... Starlight was using her magic to replace the cutie marks with equal signs. Now, see, she's... learned that wasn't the best thing to do." She stood up and began moving towards one of her pillows. "She still has things to learn, but who doesn't? She isn't doing that anymore, that I'm certain of, Darling."

Saffron tapped at her chin thoughtfully. "Very interesting. Now, about a dress?"

Rarity's attention jerked away from the pillow, centering on Saffron squarely. "I have just the thing." The previous topic was forgotten swiftly, just as Saffron wanted. Even if she had to endure Rarity's measuring and fussing, a job had been done, and further ammunition was available to use against the pony that deserved everything she could muster.

---

Starlight trotted through the town. It was a sunny day with not a cloud in the sky. She had done her various chores and nopony was angry at her, at least new ones. She was doing well! She considered a little drink and wove through the mild crowd to get to the shop when she bumped right into a pony. "Excuse me," she quickly blurted. "I didn't--"

"--It's you!" The pony, a stallion with an unsure smile, grabbed her by the shoulders. They were an earth pony with earth-toned fur but off-blue mane. "Finally! The Starlight Glimmer!"

Starlight went pink in her cheeks. She was not used to having fans that gushed at her like that. "U-um, yes, it is me. How can I... help you?"

The stallion bent in place, presenting his rump to Starlight. There it was, a big equal sign where a cutie mark should be. "I want to study under you, Starlight. Please teach me the ways of equality."

Color drained from Starlight's face as she staggered back. "W-what? I mean..."

"I am ready to be your student, your soldier." He threw himself at her hooves. "Only you understand just how corrupt cutie marks really are!"

Starlight looked around wildly. She could feel eyes on her from all directions. Ponies were judging her, harshly. They saw the way the pony was acting, talking... "No!" she squeaked, her breath almost entirely robbed from her. "No, please, stand up!"

"Yes, I will stand up." The stallion rose to all fours, tall and proud. "I will stand up to the tyranny of cutie marks! Be my general, Starlight Glimmer. Guide us to the promised land of equality, where we can all be the same."

Starlight shook her head violently. "We will not be doing any of that! I am Twilight's student of friendship. I left equality behind." She reached out and brushed at the equal sign on the stallion, but it didn't brush away. It didn't even smudge. She rubbed harder, desperately.

"Oh my, Starlight," said the stallion with a dreamy smile. "I never dreamed I'd get to feel your hooves on me."

Starlight jumped back as if she was touching fire. Furtive glances showed other ponies were watching their interaction. "What happened to your cutie mark?"

"Oh, I got rid of that." He waved it away like it was no big deal. "I prayed long and hard to you, High lord Glimmer, until it went away. You saved me!"

"I did no such thing!" she screamed far louder than she had intended. She could feel even more eyes on her. She backed away from the strange pony. "Y-you know I have a cutie mark, right?"

"Of course you do," sighed out the stallion, stepping with her. "You sacrifice yourself, so you can help the rest of us. Such a brave leader. You'll only abandon your mark when it is the last one. Now, how can I serve you?" He dipped his head and forebody as if bowing to Princess Celestia herself.

Carrot Top snorted from her booth. "What'd you do to him, Starlight? Did you use one of your brain whammies on him?" Soft sounds of agreement rose from around the marketplace.

"No! No whammies of any kind were used, I swear!" Starlight backed up several more paces, but the stallion was quick to close the distance. "Stop following me!"

"But..." The stallion slowed. "Oh, this is a test. Very well." He went stock still. "I will remain here until you tell me to move. I am ready to stand here overnight if need be to prove my loyalty."

Strawberry Sunrise took a slow bite of her titular fruit. "That's just not right." She shook her head slowly, watching along with so many others.

Starlight stomped the ground. "No standing! No following! Go away!" Anger flaring, she grabbed the stallion in her magic. She hefted the surprised male into the air. "Go... away!" She hurled him away with the second word, sending him flying.

He yelped, hooves pedaling through the air before he crashed right into Carrot Top's booth, sending carrots everywhere.

Ponies gasped, several rushing to help Carrot Top and the strange stallion. Others glared at Starlight. She shrank back under their accusing glared. "B-but... He... I..." Starlight turned back to the castle with a wordless cry of frustration. Seeing no way to explain herself at that moment, she fled in a wild gallop away from it all.

The stallion accepted the help, shaking his head. "I guess I was wrong about her..." He slipped away from the crowd as soon as he could, leaving them discussing just how badly Starlight had behaved, to say nothing of the nasty rumors of her relapsing that had begun to circulate.

"We should tell Twilight," suggested one pony, with the loud noises of agreement that came from the others.

The strange stallion snuck away from it all, barely hiding the smile on his face. That couldn't have gone much better than it had. Starlight's face... priceless.

He slipped out of sight and emerged, Saffron. She trotted at a casual pace for Twilight's castle. She had a 'friend' to console. That the act would let her witness the pain she caused was a nice side benefit of the task.

Things were going well.

Author's Note:

Chryssie, why are you so mean? Were you just drawn that way? This is a typo in need of correction.

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Comments

[badninja]

Where can I get a permit to hunt down Chrysalis? I hope she becomes a statue in someponies garden by the end of this story.

[lazyreader19]

Aaaahhhhhh, so mean

I hope they can get to the bottom of this soon...it hurts to read.

Edit: (Not in a "this fic is bad" way, but as in I feel bad for starlight way!)

[Jade Dawn]

8800286

Also a shame that ponies in Ponyville are so easy to turn against each other.

Well, all sentient lifeforms seem to have that problem.

[Jade Dawn]

8855499
If you find a place where you can get that kind of permit, let me know ASAP.

Now I'm stuck with the image of a crowd of bronies with torches, signs, and pitchforks chasing after Chryssie.

8855506

I hope they can get to the bottom of this soon...it hurts to read.

Same.

[Vansho-Lakon]

Chryssie You magnificent fiend I love it! Wah ha ha ha!

[Daremo]

As much pain as I feel reading about Starlight bearing the brunt of Chrissy's passive agressive wrath, if this is not, in fact, how her revenge plays out in the current (or possibly future) season, I will be very disappoint.

I'm not exaggerating about the pain, either. These chapters are getting progressively more difficult to read as Starlight keeps getting pummeled. This is intensified as we see the ponies around her acting very much as we have seen them act in the canon series, leaping to judgement and assuming the worst of every situation and pony.

This is some great writing, I feel.

[Daremo]

something is clearly bothering you." - Something is clearly bothering you."

Starlight trot - Starlight trotted

grabbed her at the shoulders. - grabbed her by the shoulders.

demonstrating his rump to Starlight. - presenting his rump to Starlight.

her breath almost entirely robbed. - her breath almost entirely robbed from her.

[David Silver]

8864323
Fixed!

[titanhades70]

8867566
I know. Ironically, it's actually Maud that helped narrow down how short a time Starlight's village was around.

She mentions she was working on her rockterate when she first met Starlight. In the flashback, you can see her village just being built and she hasn't started collecting cutie marks yet. In The episode that introduced Maud Pie, Pinkie mentions that Maud is just starting her rockterate. Which is only about five or six episodes from when the Mane 6 go to her village. So sometime in that six episode stretch Starlight started building her village and met Maud.

😊 I just have a mind for details.

This actually fits with my idea that Starlight was still a teen when Twilight met her (18 or 19). Most likely she went on to start the village not long after leaving home.

[David Silver]

8867576
You appear to be making the dangerous assumption that an episode equates to any given amount of time.

[titanhades70]

8867606
I like to assume that they are not having years pass over a stretch of only six episodes. Plus if you use real time, when Maud graduates in season 7, it actually fits how long something like that takes to learn. 2 1/2 years sounds about right.

It's generally accepted that the first three seasons only happen over a period of a year and a half.

[Ri2]

Gasp! It's Chrysalis! Whoever could have seen this coming?!