Light and Dark: Road to Redemption

by MXCDarkHorse2020

Chapter 8: Swearing Vengeance

Chapter 8:

Swearing Vengeance

“Each of my friends has taught me something different about myself! It was their unique gifts and passions and personalities that helped bring out the magic inside of me! I never would have learned that I represent the element of magic without these five!” Twilight spoke to Starlight after she stops them from harming the three ponies who helped get the Mane Five’s cutie marks back. “And I certainly wouldn't be here to stop you now!”

“Spare me your sentimental nonsense! I gave these ponies real friendships they never could've had otherwise!” Starlight defiantly retorted in response to Twilight’s speech. “And I can’t believe a former convict like you would even come back to save these ponies sorry flanks even though you had no reason to.”

“How do you know that?! You never even gave us a chance!” Double Diamond quickly defended Twilight. “And at least this “former convict” cares about us better than you!”

Starlight seeing that she has lost uses her magic to make her escape inside the caves as nopony could tell where she went as she runs through the dark caves steaming with anger after losing and being outsmarted by Twilight Sparkle at her own game as she navigates using her horn’s magic as a flashlight.

“I can’t believe this?!” Starlight said to herself in disbelief as she makes her way through the caves. “Outsmarted by that goody four hoof princess who believes in the ways of friendship. She ruined everything for me!”

Starlight as she makes her way out of the tunnel leading to the back of the mountains would think back at when she first heard about said pony when she took over Equestria.

---

Following the Equestrian Games, Starlight was reading today’s paper where the headline reads “Midnight takes over Equestria. Darkness triumphs!” with a picture of Midnight holding the Crystal Heart as everypony bows to her with the story of Midnight’s attack at the games being read like this.

“At the end of the Equestrian Games, an alicorn named Midnight with the appearance of Nightmare Moon shows up with the Crystal Heart in tow threatening to shatter it if the princess’s refuse to surrender Equestria to her.” Starlight read out loud from the paper.

“That’s devious!” Starlight remarked finding Midnight herself very impressive in terms of villainy as she continued to read from the paper.

“She carried through her threat and shattered the Crystal Heart when Princess Celestia refused leading to a never-ending winter storm that ravaged through the Crystal Empire. Despite Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, and the Elements of Harmony trying to stop her, she ended up defeating them in the end and took over Equestria after repairing the Crystal Heart herself.” She continued reading from the paper.

“Oooh!” Starlight remarked now mildly impressed with how far she is willing to go to achieve her goals. “That is devious, evil, and heartless!”

Starlight would then put the paper away as she went outside as she sported an evil smirk as she looks on the town of ponies she has had stripped of their cutie marks and following her utopia of a perfect ideal town of equality and sameness while secretly awed and inspired by her and personally seeking to someday follow in her hoofsteps and become her protégé as she goes off to the mountains to secretly practice and improve her magical abilities so she can one day impress her on the day they meet.

---

Back in the present she is practicing her own magic unleashed very furious filled blasts as she blasts rocks from the cave ceilings trying to fall on her just managing to nail and dodge every single rock she comes across as she makes her way to outside of the cave where she stops running seeing that she gave Twilight and the others the slip.

She would then use her magic to produce an aura that allows her to see Part Favor, Sugar Belle, and Double Diamond embracing each other with Twilight included as they have forgiven Twilight for her crimes as Midnight making their way back into town to celebrate their new found freedom after regaining their cutie marks.

Starlight watching the scene unbeknownst to them growls and grits her teeth fuming in fury wondering how could a pony she was as her idol wanting to become a prodigy in magic under her tutelage and maybe being a princess ruling Equestria alongside with her with a lot of potential accomplishments they could do together as she thinks back to when she learned about her defeat and reformation.

---

Shortly after Tirek’s attack she would read today’s paper with the headline reading “Former evil alicorn saves all of Equestria and is rewarded as Princess of Friendship for her actions.”

“What?” Starlight read in shock reading that said alicorn saved all of Equestria and gave up her control over Equestria just after taking over as she looks at the picture of Twilight Sparkle at her coronation waving to everypony and another picture of her flying around happily.

“Princess Midnight turns out to be Twilight Sparkle who orchestrated the train accident that took a number of ponies and disguised herself as Midnight Sparkle secretly building her way up into power by taking over Canterlot and Ponyville with a staged changeling attack at Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza’s wedding.”

Starlight in angered dismay throws away the paper before reading the part of Twilight’s speech at her coronation and why she gave up her control over Equestria and reformed.

“How could a conquering pony like her just give up everything she worked hard for just when she actually succeeded in achieving her goals?!” Starlight wondered to herself as she hears somepony at her front door.

“Starlight, we have some new visitors.” Double Diamond told the pony inside as all eight ponies walk inside.

Starlight quickly peeks from the other room and sees that said princess is here with her friends.

“Well this should be interesting…” Starlight said to herself as she teleports to the dark room so she could greet them as she emerged from the shadows as she sported a forced cheerful smile.

“Welcome! I'm so pleased to have you here.” Starlight happily greeted the Mane Six.

“This is Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle.” Double Diamond introduced the Mane Six to Starlight as she inspects Twilight closely who grins nervously again while shaking her wings a little.

“Forgive my bluntness, but I'm assuming its Princess Twilight Sparkle? We don't get many Alicorns around here.” Starlight questioned Twilight who still grins nervously.

“Yes, but "Twilight" is fine.” Twilight humbly and nervously responded as unbeknownst to her Starlight knows who she is and what she has done but decides to save bringing up that for latter when she reason to believe she is threat to her plans.

“So! How did you hear of our little village?” Starlight eagerly questioned while still smiling a little creepier this time.

“It's kind of a long story. Let's just say we found it on a map.” Twilight explained the short and straight to the point way.

“Technically, it's a Tree-chest-castle-map!” Pinkie Pie happily added before her face turned back to her suspicious face as she moved away from Starlight.

“Well, however you found us, we're happy to have you! We're happy to have anypony who wants to experience true friendship for the first time.” Starlight spoke with pleasure in her voice as the Mane Six eye each other in confusion by what she meant.

“Say what?” Applejack questioned out of confusion.

“Oh, indeed. That's what's so unique about our village, you see. Around here, we don't flaunt our special talents because we don't have any special talents to flaunt.” Starlight explained as she moved towards a nearby picture of an equal sign cutie mark and correctly readjusted it perfectly to her liking.

“Is that why you all have those cutie marks?” Twilight questioned as she points a hoof at the equal sign cutie mark on her flank.

“Perhaps it would be easier to understand if I gave you a tour of the village!” Starlight happily and politely offered with another bright smile as she stepped forward towards the door as she addresses everypony in town.

“I think I can make this work to my advantage.” Starlight thought to herself as she has an idea in mind. “I can get ahold of their cutie marks and hold an alicorn princess under my control and get her to accept our ways of life and equality. And perhaps maybe even remind of her accomplishments as Midnight Sparkle.”

---

Later when she is walking through town and overseeing everypony’s happiness she overhears the Mane Six secretly talking to Party Favor, Double Diamond, and Sugar Belle.

“I'd love to have my special talent back even just for a day! Make something besides those disgusting muffins...” Sugar Belle spoke hopeful of having her cutie mark returned to her.

“So what's stopping you? Go get your cutie marks back.” Rainbow Dash responded wondering why it’s so hard to do so.

“Daydreaming is one thing, but you mean actually having it put back on? That seems extreme.” Party Favor answered as he spoke.

“I'm not sure Starlight would like that. She wants us all to be happy in our sameness.” Sugar Belle mentioned.

“How do you take somepony's cutie mark anyway?” Twilight asked.

“The cutie unmarking is a beautiful experience!” Night Glider answered and recalled. “Starlight uses the Staff of Sameness to magically take them away and replace them with these.” She explained as she pointed towards the equal sign marks on her and the other’s flanks.

“But nopony should keep you from your cutie mark. It represents such an essential part of who you are.” Twilight spoke from experience.

“Oh, we're not kept from them.” Night Glider quickly responded. “They're in the vault up in the caves. We can visit them any time we like to remind us of the heartache of a life with special talents.”

After a moment of thinking Twilight asked them. “Can we visit this cave?”

At this moment Starlight frowns as she realizes that Twilight now knows too much and is now a threat to her plans as she makes her downstairs so she can use Twilight’s villainous past as Midnight Sparkle to have her leave her town in shame taking some silent satisfaction at seeing get glared at by many disappointed ponies as she flies off crying.

“That should take care of her no problem.” Starlight said with a smirk as she turns back to lead her friends into her trap at her cutie mark cave where she would strip them of their cutie marks thinking that Twilight will be flying back home to Ponyville.

What she did not expect was Twilight to have retreated to the nearby mountains where she would hear and witness her stripping the Mane Five of their cutie marks and was helping them without her realizing it until it’s too late when Twilight showing up to join them was really a ploy to distract her so Fluttershy could expose her cutie mark or the fact that Twilight is just as powerful as her as she stopped her from hurting Double Diamond, Party Favor, and Sugar Belle with her magic by conjuring up a magic shield to counter her attack.

---

Back in the present day, she would then make her back to the cave entrances where she last saw Twilight and her friends as she made her way back to her home village where she witnesses what has been happening since the moment she disappeared after her secret has been exposed by Twilight as well as losing her control over them.

She then watches the Mane Six celebrating their success of their successful friendship mission and the towns’ ponies celebration over their freedom from Starlight and being able to do whatever they can now that they have their cutie marks back with their true talents and gifts reawaken from afar and on top of the nearby mountains.

“Go ahead and enjoy today Twilight Sparkle, because one day I will return and have my revenge against you for ruining what I built over these ponies.” Starlight swore her vendetta against her as she runs of ahead to as she sets out to plan her revenge against the Alicorn princess. “You may have outsmarted me this time, but nothing lasts forever as the true winner of this game always triumphs in the end and I will come on top. As from this moment on, I won’t stop until I have you begging for mercy under my hooves.”

Once she speaks her own personal vow she runs off into the distance and into Ponyville’s direction to gather research on how to carry out her new plan so she will come on top the next time she and Twilight meet face to face ready to do whatever it takes no matter what the cost is as she evilly smiles with a newfound determination.

Author's Note:

Like "Slice of Life." this chapter is admittedly one of my shorter works compared to most episodes I have covered as this chapter is an episode solely focusing on Starlight Glimmer after her defeat in "The Cutie Map."

Before meeting Twilight herself she has heard about her actions as Midnight Sparkle through the papers to whom she admired her for her cunning, deviousness, ambitiousness, and ruthlessness in her villainous deeds and schemes much like how Twilight looked up to Princess Celestia up to wanting to someday become her protege and and a princess ruling Equestria alongside her.

At least until she reformed and settled to become the Princess of Friendship leaving her unable to comprehend how she could give up everything she worked hard for and succeeded in flying colors because she didn't allow herself the time to read the part about her speech of why she did what she did.

In addition to showing her to the best of my ability of what I think would have happened after her defeat as she secretly watches Twilight and her friends from afar before trotting off in Ponyville's direction as she carry's out a new plan to get revenge on Twilight in this little Villain Episode it also further showcases that aside from different circumstances that lead to their Starts of Darkness of how much Starlight and Twilight are alike especially when the latter was the villain herself both are very talented and skilled with magic and fighting abilites while looking up to an Alicorn Princess (Celestia for Twilight, Midnight for Starlight) while having their faith and admiration to them shattered and seeking vengeance on them. Starlight being Twilight's Evil Counterpart and Shadow Archetype is like Twilight when she became evil and before she became an alicorn.

Next up on the calendar is "Amending Fences." as we get back to Twilight atoning for her mistakes and sins as Midnight Sparkle with some tugged heart strings to come in this episode.