Shining Together

by Bookish Delight

25: Exchanging Notes

"So, stop me if you're heard this one before. Once upon a time, I had a... small dominion," Starlight said, gesturing back and forth with her hands. "Little shanty town. Wasn't much, wasn't huge, but it was mine. Kept rule over it with half subterfuge, half an iron hoof. Wasn't that hard since the ponies there basically believed in me and hung on my every word." She looked up at Sunset. "I notice I haven't been stopped yet, taking it as a good sign."

Sunset shrugged. "No reason to. School, total iron fist, tons of fear. Though attending it even after my defeat and going through the slow process of having everyone forgive me..." She sighed. "I can almost look back on it and laugh, now. Almost."

"Definitely almost," Starlight said. "I mean, my old town's forgiven me too, to the point where someone from there's now dating a well-known figure from my current place of residence and lemme tell you how awkward that gets—" Starlight took a deep breath. "Jumping ahead too far, though.

"In my old town... let's just say I had my hooves in a lot of pies. All of them brittle and tasteless, by the way, thanks old doctrine." Starlight rolled her eyes. "What I wouldn't have given for a cherry pie made with real cherries instead of cherry tree bark. Anyway, I learned to schedule, to lead, to educate, to psychologically condition, to crush insubordination before it got out of hoof," she said, matter-of-factly. "Half of the way I got there was with my magic. The other half was... well, promising happiness and friendship to ponies who didn't have anywhere else to turn."

She shrugged. "I said some kind words. They gave me their cutie marks. Which in turn made them all a lot more submissive, and receptive to my words. In other words, the world's worst feedback loop." She chuckled sardonically. "I barely had to lift a hoof to be a monster."

Starlight regretted the chuckle moments after she'd voiced it. Reflecting on her deeds in full-on words, while somewhat liberating, also drove home just how... not great she felt about all of this. Okay, sure, understatement of the century, but this was her first time unpacking this stuff in a while, she was working up to the correct scale of wait a minute—

Was Sunset laughing? She looked over, hoping that the confused indignation on her face would speak for her.

It did enough to get an apology out of Sunset, at any rate. "Sorry, sorry," she said, waving one hand and calming down. "I promise I'm not making light of your story. It's actually pretty heavy and eye-opening stuff. But..." She tittered again, leaning back against the sofa cushions.

"Gonna need you to let me in on the joke, here," Starlight said.

"Do you have any idea how much work it is to take over a high school while being a student there?" Sunset exclaimed. "I kicked peoples' asses and took their money on a daily basis! I set up pranks, I set up traps, I turned teachers and students against each other, I survived groups of people trying to jump me, and also I'm hot as hell so that's just an extra five to ten weekly fights on top of watching my back every evening." Sunset calmed down with a sigh. "Wow, you just got me remembering just how much I missed my magic on this side of the mirror back then. Wishing every night that it would somehow come back to me. Though, given what I had to deal with every day, if it did?" She rested her chin on her knuckles with a wistful expression. "I would have been the most over-the-top supervillain ever."

Briefly, Starlight pictured it. "Big orange and red castle in an ever-present thunderstorm? Robot maids and butlers? Ooh, Ooh! You could make Twilight your evil scientist sidekick!"

Sunset squealed. "Love all of it, even with the high risk of Twilight trying to betray me with over-complicated plans every other week. But yeah. Basically that."

"I'd team up with you." Starlight sighed. "But wow, yeah, I never thought of what you had to go through here without magic." She looked away. "I... always saw my magic as a curse."

Sunset put a comforting hand on Starlight's leg. "Twilight likes to tell me that the grass is always greener on the other side of the space-time continuum." She rolled her eyes. "Always thought she just liked the turn of phrase because she's a big nerd, but I think I finally get what she means."

Starlight nodded. "Yeah."

"But. Okay," Sunset said. "Given what you've told me so far, can I ask one curious question?"

"Sure."

"So, uh, ripping cutie marks off of ponies is the scariest concept I've heard in a long time." Just as Starlight's heart was about to sink, she cast one eye towards Sunset, and was once more surprised to see her expression to be far more inquisitive than repulsed. "Speaking as a fellow magic student, though? It's also hardcore. What's that like?"

Comments

[ShadowLDrago]

"Speaking as a fellow magic student, though? It's also hardcore. What's that like?"

Dammit Sunbutt Jr!

[Herald of Opera]

I mean, it does sound like the sort of magic that's too horrible to exist.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Huh. Note to self: Story about Starlight's reaction to seeing Sugar Belle in Ponyville. And possibly Trixie's reaction to Starlight's reaction.
("I live here to get away from my mistakes!"
"Yes, your mistakes who smile and wave whenever they see you. How terrible that must be."
"Okay, I guess I might be overreacting a little."
"I'm just saying, ponies still throw tomatoes at me when I go through Seaddle. Though some of them do it because they think I'm Dad.")

What I wouldn't have given for a cherry pie made with real cherries instead of cherry tree bark.

"I have several questions."
"The answer to all of them is 'I was a misguided idiot who was convinced I was right about everything.'"
"Ah. Big mood."

Briefly, Starlight pictured it. "Big orange and red castle in an ever-present thunderstorm? Robot maids and butlers? Ooh, Ooh! You could make Twilight your evil scientist sidekick!"

I want literally all of this.

Sunset squealed. "Love all of it, even with the high risk of Twilight trying to betraying me with over-complicated plans every other week. But yeah. Basically that."

"You should be thanking me, Sunset. No more high-stress world domination. Just simple, lazy days in the Eroticator!"

Twilight likes to tell me that the grass is always greener on the other side of the space-time continuum.

I legitimately can't tell which Twilight likes to tell her that. Possibly both.

Huh. This chapter gave me a lot of little ideas.

[Bookish Delight]

9734733

"You should be thanking me, Sunset. No more high-stress world domination. Just simple, lazy days in the Eroticator!"

I have several story ideas questions

[CapNTilfy]

"Speaking as a fellow magic student, though? It's also hardcore. What's that like?"

i.pinimg.com/originals/e6/d4/62/e6d46258647cad19caf5da7fc44066be.png

[The Voice in the Water]

The first step to healing is admitting that you did something wrong GlimGlam. You're doing just fine.

9734733

"You should be thanking me, Sunset. No more high-stress world domination. Just simple, lazy days in the Eroticator!"

That actually got me to laugh loud enough for my roomates to hear. Well played. Well played.

9734764
Now, I'm not saying that we don't want to see any of those story ideas made real hear any of those questions, but I'm sure we would all be immensely interested.

9734800
Hey, just because she's not a megalomaniac anymore, doesn't mean she's not interested in the academic application of said megalomania.

[CapNTilfy]

9734733

"You should be thanking me, Sunset. No more high-stress world domination. Just simple, lazy days in the Eroticator!"

Question: Are you aware that someone here actually has that as a username?

Edit: Apparently you do, you're following him. XP

9734922
I suppose. Truth be told, I just wanted to post that pic.

[The Voice in the Water]

9734965
Can't say I blame you.

[EchoWing]

Starlight's kinda glossing over that whole brainwashing thing, isn't she? I mean, yeah, it didn't involve magic, but still...

[Darkstarling]

9734764
The answer to all of them is 'Yes, but more so.'

[Bookish Delight]

9735321
Read closer. There will be a quiz later.

[EchoWing]

9735333
...aw crap, I thought I was done with those when I graduated from college.

[Lurks-no-More]

9734733

Briefly, Starlight pictured it. "Big orange and red castle in an ever-present thunderstorm? Robot maids and butlers? Ooh, Ooh! You could make Twilight your evil scientist sidekick!"

I want literally all of this.

Yes, seconded. It would be hilarious and probably pretty cute to boot.

Also, nice reminder that Sunset's a reformed villainess (and a high-level mage), of course she'd be interested in Starlight's equalization spell.

[BenRG]

Isn't the answer obvious, Sunset? It's addictive. Having extreme power over others and the self-mandated freedom to use it at will always is.

[PresentPerfect]

and also I'm hot as hell

And so humble.

Sunset calling Starlight's cutie mark-stealing spell "hardcore" is kind of amazing.