Harmonious Equalism
The Swallowtail Officer’s Academy and Flight School was one of the most prestigious schools on the continent, with a beautiful interior and sculpted design from the carved roots and cobblestone pillars that held the three levels and flights of stairs that circled around the glass dome ceiling, illuminating the entrance hall with sunlight. Hundreds of students, officers, and soldiers filled the halls and walkways. Some were marching in and out of the school for drill practice, others were scrambling to get to a class or meeting, sprinting madly through crowds of creatures as they hastily tried to beat the clock and their mentor’s scorn.
The group of creatures glanced around at their new surroundings, with everyone but Starlight feeling overwhelmed with the building’s layout and the crowds of tunic-wearing officers and guards-creatures in training. Starlight looked back to ensure everyone else was still together as she approached the front desk.
The Captain in question, a white owl griffin wearing a crimson and black cavalier hat, peered up from his large book full of student admissions, sign-ins, and schedules. Adjusting the small round glasses on his beak, he scanned the group slowly before looking at Starlight.
“Ah, we’re looking for a Pegasus? Rainbow mane, tail, cutie-mark? Her name is Rainbow Dash?”
The Captain stared blankly at her, “Ich spreche kein Polnisch.”
Gallus quickly shoved Starlight out of the way, “I got this, wir suchen eine fruchtig aussehende Stute?”
The Captain scratched his beak, “Die Regenbogenstute ist draußen im Hof.”
“Danke, she’s this way.” Gallus beckoned, leading the group across the main hall toward a set of doors near the back of the building.
“... Now I know why Twilight wanted you around,” smirked Starlight.
“I’m a scribe and a scholar. Speaking my native language is just the tip of the awesomeburg that is Gallus Gruff.” Gallus pridefully beamed.
Spike looked up at the Griffin with a furrowed scowl, “...Awesomeburg?”
“Shut up,” Gallus said with an eye roll.
“Oooh, Yona could teach Gallus how to speak Yak! Is very good language, better than Ponish.” Yona beamed, intrigued by the language and how fluent the Griffin was in Griffish. “Gallus teach Yona Griffin tongue too!”
Flapping her wings before landing beside the group, Smolder sighed, “Isn’t it just like, ‘Smolder eat and then stomp village!’ or something?”
Yona turned and grinned at Smolder, “Smolder good, but no, much more to learn!”
Gallus snorted, shooting a smug smile at Yona, “Grifffish is easy, well harder than Ponish or Yak but, pretty easy if you’re a smart guy like moi. See? I even know a bit of Prench.” chuckled Gallus.
Starlight passed a small smile to Smolder, "Welcome back."
Spike gently placed his hand on Smolder’s arm, giving his fellow Dragon a pleased look, “Glad you didn’t ditch us.”
She glanced at Spike, “Yeah....Whatever…” Rubbing her forehead, Smolder grumbled, “Let’s just get this over with.”
Stepping outside, the group stumbled upon a large patch of earth where griffins, harpies, and pegasi alike were training, lifting, drilling, and exercising to their limit. Yona’s eyes widened in surprise, placing her hooves on the solid dirt.
“How did Griffin, Pony, and birds get dirt up in the tree?” Yona wondered aloud to herself.
“Probably just brought it up bucket by bucket.” Smolder shrugged.
In the distance, a rainbow blur shot through the branches, a black streak following just behind. The two twisted and turned around each other, almost as if they were dancing, before landing on the yard with a thump. Their speed was immense, wind blasting everyone close enough to their landing.
“Phew, that was a work-out! You’re not too bad, but no one can keep up with The Rainbow Dash.” The spectral pegasus shook out her mane, hoof-bumping the black Griffin before turning to the group. “Oh hey, guys! Starlight, uh… why’d you bring them? Some kinda field trip?”
Starlight glanced over at the group and then back at Rainbow Dash, “They didn’t want to go to school.” she answered plainly.
Gallus threw his claws up, “Way to blow our cover, man. I thought you weren’t a snitch!”
Rainbow Dash laughed, “Hah, well, don’t worry, I won’t snitch. I blew off flight school back at home all the time, and I turned out great!” Lifting herself into the air, she grinned confidently.
Starlight rolled her eyes, “I doubt Rainbow Dash cares as long as you don’t get in the way of things. Speaking of which…” she would rummage in her saddle bag for something, “...where is it–’
Spike would hand her the schedule, “Oh, thank you, you’re quite helpful after all.” Starlight said as she patted Spike on the head with a magic hand and trotted up to Rainbow.
“You’re supposed to talk to the pegasus community and convince them to support the Doge’s legislation for creature rights down below. Do you have a speech prepared? Have you taken the time to study the local culture, or… who am I kidding? You didn’t do any of those things, did you?”
The grin slowly softened as Starlight began listing off everything she needed to do, her altitude dropping until she was hovering over the ground. Glancing over at the rest of the group, she rolled her eyes and smirked.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, no. I didn’t do any of that, but that’s not how I operate.” Rainbow snickered, “But I have been talking to a LOT of pegasi, harpies, and griffins around here. They’re pretty cool! And getting to know everyone can do a lot more than studying a bunch of stupid books or whatever.”
Smolder smirked, “I think I like this one.”
“How many more kids did we pick up? We have another dragon?” Rainbow blinked, “Eh, whatever, the more the merrier, as Pinkie’d say.”
“Anyways, I figured it’s gonna take more than one day to do this stuff...that...and I have no idea how politics work.” The pegasus shrugged, “I figure it’s better to get to know the creatures before starting anything too big. And I’m not much of a speech pony. If I do, I come up with ’em on the fly.”
After a small wink, Rainbow zipped into the air, almost too fast for the naked eye. Smolder’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, her crossed arms dropping to their sides. “Woah…”
“But if you wanna write a speech for me, I don’t see why not.” Setting back down onto the ground, Rainbow wiped the sweat from her brow. “As long as it doesn’t have all that weird Equalism stuff in it. I didn’t forget you trying to brainwash me.”
Starlight groaned at the mention of the brainwashing, feeling frustrated at the mention of her past, “Look, what do you want me to do? I already apologized, and I’m stuck with you ponies til I’m free to go home.....Why don’t I just do the speech, then? I don’t do half-hoof measures with speeches. Equalism isn’t as crazy as I made it out to be. I actually worked on reforming the idea with Thorax during our time in the Crystal Empire… I had a lot of time to think, actually…” admitted Starlight, “We’ll call it…” she sighed, already loathing the name Thorax suggested to her.
“Harmonious Equalism…”
“DID SOMEPONY BRING A DAMN POLITICIAN IN MY ARMY!?” boomed a female voice, turning toward the sound of a hen wearing dozens of shiny metals atop of a fine crimson dress uniform, with a large bicorne resting atop of her head with dozens of brightly colored feathers poking from the top of the hat.
The General had arrived, hobbling over with a limp in her left back leg as she quickly began hopping and fluttering toward the group.
“RAINBOW DASH! THAT WAS THE FINEST FLYING THESE SORRY EYES HAVE EVER SEEN, WITH DRILLS THAT LIKE THOSE UNICULTISTS WON’T SEE WHAT THE HAY HIT THEM!” barked the General.
Gallus covered his ears, “Why are you yelling!?”
The General quickly snapped toward Gallus, “WHAT DID YOU SAY?”
Gallus quickly backed up.
“SPEAK UP BOY– hang on…” the Griffin quickly lifted her hat before removing a set of earplugs from her earholes, “Ehehe, sorry ladies, rifle and artillery drills get pretty loud.” she’d clear her throat.
“You youngsters must be new enlistees. Welcome to either Flight Camp or Boot Camp grunts! I’m General Gabert!” grinned Gabert.
Starlight quickly spoke up, “Er, no, ma’am, these aren’t new enlistees. We were actually just leaving. Rainbow Dash looks like she has this.”
Gabert stared at Starlight with disgust and disdain as the mare spoke to her, “Did I give you permission to speak maggot?”
Starlight side-eyed the creatures between her, “... No? I’m not part–”
Gabert fluttered her wings and squawked, “DON’T think I don’t know about you and your trouble, worm. If it were up to me, you wouldn’t even be here. Now, go make yourself useful. I doubt Twilight or the Doge would want a liability like you around and not be of use.”
Starlight took a deep breath as she exhaled through her nostrils, feeling a deep sense of anger and resentment flare up inside her. Just like earlier in the morning, Gabert was still giving her flack and Tartarus for something she wasn’t even a part of. But it wasn’t like Starlight’s crimes were a closed secret...word tended to get around fast, especially when you were so close to a celebrity like Twilight and her friends.
"Fine… I’ll help drill the guards.”
Yona stomped, her brow narrowing angrily as she stared up at the Griffin. “Griffin not being nice to pony friend…”
“Woah, like, I know she’s a pain or whatever, but not cool.” Smolder piped up, her wings lifting her into the air and to eye-level with the General. Her eyes were narrowed, looking as if she were ready to say something else that would more likely than not make the situation worse.
Rainbow Dash cut in just before Smolder opened her mouth. “Hah, kids, amiright?” Raising a brow, she silently communicated with the dragoness with her eyes. Smolder seemed confused and put-off, but landed back on the ground.
“Listen, Starlight’s not all bad. Just give ’em a chance. And while the kids can’t join up… I don’t think Twilight’d like that… they can at least watch and learn from the best!” Flexing her muscles, Rainbow grinned. “That way, everyone has something to do.”
The General nearly exploded on the dragonness and dri before Rainbow intervened, scoffing at the notion of being kind to the species that was her main enemy. Waving off the concept of giving Starlight a chance entirely. But an idea came to Gabert’s mind as she quickly nodded to Rainbow Dash’s suggestion, grinning ear to ear.
“Dash, that is a fantastic idea; why don’t you and Starlight agree to some martial combat? I’ll allow her to prove herself on the battlefield, the only place that matters.” she’d turn to Starlight, “Maybe it’d do you good to fight in the dirt like a real mare instead of throwing around magic wildly.”
Starlight sighed, “Magic is not wild and unpredictable it’s–”
“EVERYBODY CLEAR OUT AND TAKE A SEAT. WE’RE HAVING A SPECIAL LESSON AND DEMONSTRATION TODAY!” shouted Gabert.
Starlight’s brow furrowed as red bloomed across her face before the mare stamped off, “I’ll show you a demonstration…”
Spike slowly looked up at Dash, “Is this really a good idea?”
Gallus laughed, “Not really, but who doesn’t like a good fight? I got a feeling this’ll be good.”
Rainbow Dash shrugged before a determined grin rose to her lips, “I dunno, but I think it’s pay-back time for when she turned me into a bird. Spike, I know you can manage the rest of these dorks; just try not to get lost, okay? And cheer for me!” Giving the group a wink, Rainbow spread her wings and lifted herself into the air, the pressure sending a gust of wind through the area. Yona’s braids were tossed back by the force.
Yona huffed, “That Griffin mean to pony… Yona not like her.”
Smolder seemed a little less upset, crossing her arms as she watched the General fly off. “Neither do I. She’s got a stick up her vent.”
“I think I’ll frame this moment of you two agreeing on something forever.” snarked Gallus as he gestured his claws to ‘frame’ the two.
Spike nervously began nibbling at his left claw, feeling the rising tension in the air. Quickly fetching a piece of parchment paper from his satchel, he hastily scribbled a message to Twilight.
” Get to the military Academy. Something bad is going to happen very soon. -Spike,” and with a quick puff of fire, Spike sent the message to Twilight.
The young drake anxiously watched as the crowd of creatures began to surround the impromptu arena or began to crowd the benches and bleachers that lined the small arena Starlight and Rainbow were standing within. Several creatures hastily built a cage and fence from whatever wood or chicken wire they could get to surround the patch of dirt.
The sound of drums would thunder and thump as the guard’s band began to play.
General Gabert quickly fluttered between the two mare's, “ALRIGHT, I WANT A GOOD CLEAN FIGHT. YOU EITHER WIN VIA KNOCKOUT OR UNTIL YOU CAN’T STAND ANYMORE. BUT LADIES, TRY TO GIVE OUR BOYS HERE A GOOD LESSON.”
She’d quickly hobble off as she drew a pistol from her coat, cocking the hammer, “ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET….”
BANG “GO!”
Rainbow Dash had moved a split second after the pistol was fired, already within punching distance of Starlight. Her rose-colored eyes flashed in the sunlight, a determined smile on her lips. Starlight was about to experience just how competitive Rainbow Dash could be.
“Time to taste the Pain-bow!” Rolling her body in the air, the pegasus struck Starlight in the chest, knocking her back against the arena walls. The crowd roared, a cacophony of chatter and shouting, the excitement almost palpable.
Smolder gasped while Yona held her hooves to her mouth, fearing for her mentor. The group had run up to the bleachers once the fight had begun but had to shove their way to the front in order to see anything past the crowd.
“Let’s hope your unicorn friend here can actually fight.” Smolder looked down at Spike.
Spike slowly looked up at Smolder, “Uhm…do you actually know why she’s here with us?”
"Something brainwashing." answered Gallus, ("Who do I cheer for, I hardly know these girls?")
Starlight smashed against the scrap fence. The mare strained as she peeled herself off the ground and quickly untangled her back leg from the wire before shaking her mane.
Starlight took a deep breath as she encompassed her body with levitation magic before rising off the ground and darting after Dash. What was the point of all of this? It was just a waste of time, and Dash couldn’t even tell that the whole point of the fight was to humiliate her.
Smolder shrugged, unable to take her eyes away from the fight. “Nope, and I don’t really care either way. Now be quiet; I don’t wanna miss this!”
Rainbow rolled her eyes at the display of magic, lifting herself higher and higher into the air before dive bombing towards Starlight. Right before she would have struck the unicorn, she turned and spun the unicorn around, explicitly trying not to hit her.
“Think that fancy magic stuff is gonna work on me twice?! No way!” Rainbow Dash shouted before using her mighty wings, forcing a gust of wind to throw Starlight off course. “C’mon, give me your best!”
Starlight winced as she was spun around, losing concentration of her levitation spell as she hit the dirt, quickly tumbling on the ground before rolling back on her hooves and looking up at Rainbow Dash. Panting heavily, she fired at hyperbeam at the pegasus, clearly not putting much effort into the attack.
“This is a complete waste of time!”
Rainbow easily dodged the attack, twirling around the magical beam before diving straight towards Starlight. Smolder and Yona squeezed their eyes shut, expecting to hear a solid hoof crack against the unicorn’s face.
When they heard no such thing, they opened their eyes to witness Rainbow Dash only a few inches away from the unicorn, a lazy smile on her lips.
“Yeah, so?” The pegasus shrugged, “It’s fun. Try to loosen up a bit. I don’t want to do this with you if you’re not into it.” The energetic, determined look in her eyes had softened. As if she was concerned but wasn’t able to say it aloud.
Starlight sighed before lazily zapping Rainbow Dash with a paralyzing spell. Ending the fight as quickly as it started with one move, “Then you should’ve kept your guard up if you were serious about this.”
……
”BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”
The crowd was incensed, pegasi, harpy, and Griffin alike shouting at the pair. Some seemed personally offended that the unicorn had landed a hit on Rainbow Dash, throwing paper cups and other small trash at Starlight.
“Hey!” Rainbow huffed, her brow narrowed as she realized she had been bested once more. A frustrated look crossed her face, almost seeming as angry as the crowd, before it disappeared.
Her lips curled, and before she knew it, she was laughing. “Ha! Hahaha, wow! Well, I guess I deserved that. Good one, Starlight.”
Smolder took a step back from the arena, clearly confused. The rest of the crowd murmured among themselves, unsure what to make of the pegasus’ reaction.
“Yeah…” Rainbow’s giggles finally left her, “You got me good.”
Starlight chuckled before slowly unfreezing Dash, allowing her freedom of movement before turning toward the General, “YOU WANT ME TO HELP YOU? YOU WANT ME TO GIVE IT MY ALL? THEN TREAT ME LIKE YOU WANT MY HELP. I’M THE ONLY MARE IN THE ENTIRE CONTINENT WILLING TO TEACH YOU HOW TO DEFEND AGAINST MAGIC BESIDES TWILIGHT SPARKLE.”
A griffin from the crowd quickly shouted back, “MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE HER THEN, I THINK WE WOULD PREFER SOMEPONY MORE QUALIFIED COMPARED TO LOWBORN TRASH LIKE YOU! YOU GET THE TRASH BECAUSE YOU ARE TRASH!”
The crowd quickly started throwing more trash at the mare, now throwing more dangerous objects at her, like rocks and beer bottles.
Yona reared up, angry and frightened of the violent crowd, unsure of what to do or how to react. Smolder ducked down, attempting to avoid the trash being thrown over their heads. As Gallus and Spike dove for cover.
Rainbow Dash stared at the hateful crowd, getting back onto her hooves, feeling a little wobbly but no worse for wear. As the peanut gallery grew louder and louder, Rainbow could hardly take the noise before shooting into the air.
“QUIIIEEEEEEEEEEET!!”
The crowd went silent briefly, trash in claw or hoof falling from their owner’s grasp and dully hitting the ground.
“I don’t care if you guys don’t like unicorns! Some of my best friends are unicorns; the fact is that Unicornica is evil! It doesn’t matter that they’re unicorns or pegasi, or changelings or sphinxes! What’s important is that we have to WORK TOGETHER if we’re ever going to win!”
Rainbow paused to catch her breath, slowly fluttering her wings before landing on the ground again. Glancing over at Starlight, she carefully trotted over before wrapping a hoof around her neck.
“Starlight’s my friend, so if you have a problem with her, you have a problem with ME!”
Starlight slowly looked over at Rainbow Dash, puzzled and perplexed, friends?... Was it just for the crowd, or was it true? For a moment, she felt lost and confused. Why would she be her friend? All they did was fight or argue…maybe it was because Rainbow was loyal to Twilight…or perhaps it was because Starlight was loyal to Twilight and by proximity that entitled her to Rainbow’s fierce loyalty?
Starlight didn’t know. Her expression was lost and confused as she quietly murmured,” I thought you hated me.”
Starlight sighed before tightly hugging Rainbow Dash for a moment, “Thank you… I’m… sorry I turned you into a bluejay… and threw this fight away.” whispered Starlight as she slowly broke away from Rainbow before turning to the crowd.
“SOLDIERS OF SWALLOWTAIL! PLEASE HEAR ME. I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU’RE SO ANGRY, WHY YOU WANT NOTHING MORE THAN TO WATCH ME SUFFER! IT’S BECAUSE YOU’VE HAD SOMETHING TAKEN FROM YOU! FOR GENERATIONS, YOU HAD TO CONTEND WITH THE FEAR THAT YOUR LIVES OR FREEDOM MAY BE TAKEN AWAY BY THE UNICORNS!”
The mare quickly stamped her hooves as she roared with vigor and passion, that Rainbow had not seen since she met the mare in Our Town, “THAT ISN’T RIGHT, BUT SUBJECTING OTHERS TO PREJUDICE ISN’T THE ANSWER. I UNDERSTAND IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN FLOWERY WORDS AND A SPEECH TO CONVINCE YOU!”
She would shoot a look to General Gabert, “SO, I WILL DO MORE THAN JUST EDUCATE AND TRAIN YOU, I WILL JOIN YOU! NOT JUST TO ATONE FOR MY MISTAKES, NOT JUST TO MAKE MYSELF FEEL BETTER, BUT BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO! AND SURELY ALL OF YOU KNOW THE MEANING TO DO YOUR DUTY!”
The General slowly sat up from her chair as she stared in complete shock. Unsure of how to take this, this wasn’t exactly how she planned this to go at all.
“IF I AM WILLING TO FIGHT AND DIE BESIDE YOU, ARE YOU WILLING TO ACCEPT ME? AS A TEACHER? AS A SISTER? AS A FRIEND?”
Starlight paused to catch her breath freezing as her speech was met with a tense quiet.
Rainbow’s jaw dropped, unsure of what to say for a moment before a grin rose ear to ear. Zipping up to Starlight, the pegasus wrapped a hoof around her once more, lifting her into the air a few feet.
“Aw yeah! Now that’s the kinda spirit I’ve been lookin’ for!” Rainbow cheered, “I’ve fought and raced a bunch of you feather-brains today, and not one of you had the grit and fire she does!”
Looking out at the crowd, her eyes glinted, her confidence never waning. “I’m the Element of Loyalty, for Celestia’s sake! You think I’d steer you wrong?! Starlight’s one of the most powerful unicorns I’ve ever seen, and you really wanna pass up on that? Are you stupid or something?”
“Or am I just not important enough, y’know, being the Element of Loyalty’ n all?” Rainbow raised a brow, staring up at General Gabert.
Smolder and the other teens traded looks. Now, this wasn’t what they had expected at all. Just as Rainbow was done with her speech, a pop was heard right beside Spike, followed by a brief flash of magenta light.
“Spike, are you okay?! I’m sorry, I was busy with Quill and–” Twilight’s attention immediately turned to the arena, following the crowd’s gaze. “Oh boy… what’s going on…? I thought you said there was a fight?”
The Doge spun around as he appeared next to Twilight, desperately attempting to keep his hat from falling off his head as he held himself, “Oh my head…is everything alright? What’s going on!?”
“Oh– Doge, I’m so sorry, I only meant to teleport myself!’ Twilight spun around anxiously, “I hope you’re okay!”
“QUIET!” snapped the General, “ALRIGHT….” She quickly fluttered over to Starlight, “SO YOU WANNA BE A GUARDSMARE, DO YOU? THINK YOU GOT THE STOMACH FOR WAR, DO YAH? FEELING MIGHTY PROUD AND COCKSURE, EH?” she’d inhale through her nostrils before huffing as she turned away from the mare.
“FINE….” she’d snap and look toward the crowd, “WHO AM I TO DENY ANYCREATURE WILLING TO FIGHT UNICORNICA AND FOR SWALLOWTAIL.....IF THAT BE THE CASE. THEN IT WOULD BE MY HONOR TO ENLIST YOU INTO THE REPUBLIC GUARD.”
The Doge slowly smiled as he started clapping and whistling among the crowd of soldiers, quickly turning to see Twilight next to Spike and the teens.
“BRAVO! BRAVO!” called the Doge, his voice causing the other creatures in the benches and bleachers to look at the Doge with confusion and surprise before quickly erupting in thunderous cheers and applause for Starlight.
“WHAT?!” Twilight’s wing sprung open in shock, turning to Spike with profound confusion. “What in Tartarus is going on here, Spike?! I thought it was just a fight, not some sort of… initiation! We can’t have Starlight with the guard; we’re going to need her to deal with Unicornica and–”
“Did she and Rainbow even talk to the locals or research anything at all?!” It seemed the anxiety was getting to the princess, one hoof flying to her forehead as if a migraine had just come on.
“Jeez, chill out.” Smolder looked unimpressed, “Why isn’t this a good thing?”
Gallus nodded, “Yeah, I thought we wanted to beat the bad guys?”
Spike quickly cut in, “I don’t know– I thought it was going to be a fight. The General was getting testy with Starlight, and Starlight looked pretty mad. And I thought it was going to go crazy, or maybe Starlight would snap or something! But I don’t know what’s happening either!”
Spike swallowed as he nervously laughed and mentally prepared for Twilight to freak out, “Well… we were going to do that, but we kinda got caught up with this…”
The Doge turned to Twilight, “You should relax Twilight, this is a great thing! Besides, I personally don’t have any qualms with it.” he’d quickly cheered Starlight, “Congratulations, Starlight!” called the Doge, whistling loudly as he clapped for the mare.
Twilight, for her part, was attempting to calm herself down. Taking deep breaths, she fought against the overwhelming anxiety that suffocated her. “I… I don’t think it’s a good idea! Starlight’s too powerful and too reckless! She could really hurt someone!”
Yona butted in, “No! Starlight is good, pony; not hurt other creature unless they’re bad creature!”
Smolder traded a look with the others, “I really don’t get it.”
“Yeah, me neither, but I don’t think we’re going to get an answer from the Princess right now...she seems...uh...stressed at the moment,” whispered Gallus
Starlight slowly saluted the General as Gabert saluted the mare back. The unicorn slowly looked up toward the bleachers to see the Doge and Twilight, immediately noticing Twilight’s panicked expression.
“Uh oh…”
“Hm?” Rainbow followed her gaze, then cringed. “Oh no… uh, want me to fly us outta here? Twilight’s not as fast as I am.”
Starlight scoffed, “I’m not afraid; I guess I’ll just deal with that as it comes…”
The General sighed, “Well, you better not back out now after that speech… ALRIGHT, SHOW’S OVER. GET BACK TO YOUR POSTS, CLASS, OR WHATEVER YOU WERE DOING, OR I’M MAKING THE FIRST CREATURE I SEE DO TOILETS FOR THE NEXT MONTH!”
The crowd of soldiers and students grumbled but quickly dispersed as they immediately flooded back inside the school or flocked to their posts. General Gabert fluttered up to the Doge and Twilight.
“Sir, I need to speak to you about a few things. Do you mind if I separate you from the Princess?” Saluted Gabert.
The Doge sighed as he rubbed his chin, “Well… I suppose it would be best if Twilight spoke to her group and Starlight.” the Doge placed a paw on the mare’s shoulder, “Have a little faith in your friend, clearly she has grit if she's gaurdsmare material.” He gave her a kind look before walking beside the Griffin general off the bleachers and toward the Academy.
Starlight stared at Twilight before turning to Rainbow Dash, “Hey uh… can you take the teens and Spike somewhere else?... I got a bad feeling.”
Rainbow looked down and raised an eyebrow but nodded. “Alright, I’ll babysit the squirts for a bit. Just don’t destroy anything, huh?” She soared through the air with a small chuckle and nudge, meeting the teens on the bleachers.
“Hey Twi, did you see our fight? It was awesome, even if it was short.” Rainbow grinned before her expression softened. “Er, you alright, Twi?”
“Rainbow, are you hurt at all?” fretted Twilight, checking the pegasus for injuries.
“Uh, I’m fine…” groaned Rainbow.
“Are you absolutely sure? Don’t you remember when she–”
“Yeah, I remember Twilight! Geez, calm down, it’s not a big deal.” Rainbow sighed. “C’mon, kids, let’s go see if there’s any lunch in the mess hall.”
Smolder eyed Twilight and Starlight before turning to the rest of the group. Nodding at the suggestion, the dragoness shrugged. “Yeah, alright, I could eat.”
Shooting a look back at Starlight, Rainbow Dash led the group inside, closing the door behind them with a click. Twilight turned her gaze back to the arena before teleporting beside the unicorn.
“Starlight, what are you thinking?! You could have really hurt Rainbow or someone else in the crowd!” Twilight rubbed her forehead, her mane clearly a mess. “I just wanted you and Rainbow to talk to the winged and try and convince them to help, not start some gladiatorial battle to prove yourself!”
Starlight scowled as her expression melted into disdain and anger, “So that’s what you think happened? You’re not even asking for my side! I never wanted to get in this stupid fight. That’s why I only paralyzed Rainbow! But you didn’t even know that before you started lecturing me!”
Starlight chuckled as she shook her head, “I thought Rainbow was playing me for a fool when she said she was my friend. Maybe to just quell the crowd that was throwing TRASH and ROCKS at me, but no, I guess the real pony I should’ve been second-guessing was the Princess of Friendship.”
“You want to know what I did? I signed up for the guard because I wanted to help. Because I want a second chance, and I thought you did too….” she sighed before flying away, “Whatever.” and dissappearing from sight.
Twilight, for her part, seemed slightly cowed by the insinuation that she hadn’t even considered Starlight’s side of things. And if she thought of it… all she had really been thinking about was whether or not she had hurt anyone.
“Starlight, I…” Twilight bit her lip, “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have…”
But she found her hooves rooted to the ground, “Shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions…”
Fluttershy hummed softly as she stepped into the gardens. It was quite beautiful, with a lovely view of the branches below. The sunlight glimmered off of morning dew that had yet to fade, with the soft melody of fauna calling to her.
“Such a wonderful place…” The pegasus sighed deeply. She felt as if nothing could ruin this moment.
There was tranquility and peace in every corner of the gardens. Every living thing in the tree branches could feel a natural sense of harmony and unity. The Great Tree itself pulsated with an intense energy that Fluttershy could feel in her heart and soul. Refreshing and rejuvenating the mare, the more she spent in the gardens, the more she could feel the tree’s presence.
That was before Starlight Glimmer had decided to literally drop in, as she landed in the gardens looking red in the face and enraged as she stamped toward the palace. She trembled with rage that seemed to poison the gardens’ natural calm. The many squirrels, rabbits, and birds that were close to Fluttershy quickly retreated at the sight of Starlight.
The unicorn grumbled as she stomped toward the Doge’s Palace, “I should’ve just stayed in Yakyakistan; why did I even think Twilight would seriously give me a second chance? Stupid!”
“Eeeep!” Fluttershy jumped in the air, hiding in a low-hanging branch before slowly peeking out, watching as Starlight ranted to herself. Biting her lip, from what she could overhear, something had gone terribly wrong…
“S-Starlight?” Gently gliding down from the branch, the pegasus landed beside the mare mid-trot, stumbling as she attempted to keep up. “Are you okay? What happened?”
Starlight quickly turned to Fluttershy as she scoffed, “Oh nothing, just realizing that I have no point being here. Since I was supposed to change, right? I was supposed to be good and finally be a good pony, but I guess I was too stupid to realize that I’m not good enough for that. I’m always the bad guy, no matter what I do! So you know what, whatever!”
“I don’t need this, and I don’t need to be here! I could just break off and run off to wherever the HELL I want because CLEARLY, I’M NOT WANTED.”
Fluttershy reeled back, thrown off guard by just how heavy Starlight’s feelings were. How long had this been building up for? The pegasus’ brow wrinkled, and she stepped forward, laying a hoof on Starlight’s shoulder.
“Oh, Starlight, of course, you’re wanted here! You’re our friend,” Her turquoise eyes were clear, and her words were genuine, “Just because you and Twilight had a fight doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about you!”
“I’m sure it was all just a misunderstanding…” Gazing toward the palace, she smiled timidly, “Now, how about we talk over this with some tea, hm? I’m sure you’re hungry.”
Starlight slowly lowered her head as she squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the burning sensation of her tears as she choked back a sob, “That’s not true. I know that’s not true. Twilight doesn’t trust me, she didn’t even ask about my side…” she sniffled before finally shedding a few shameful, and agonizing tears.
“I lost my home, dignity, and freedom, and I deserve all of it… but I don’t deserve to believe in false promises…” Her eyes widened as a wave of guilt crashed over her, “... no…” she’d weakly chuckle, “No… I’m sorry…” she slowly looked up at Fluttershy.
“I’ve… been a fool, haven’t I…? I guess I deserve this, too, after what I did to my own family… why would I think I could have friends again. Is that the lesson? Is that the moral?”
Fluttershy seemed horrified by Starlight’s words and immediately wrapped her up in a hug, using her wings to dry the unicorn’s tears, “Starlight, you have nothing to be sorry for, and you don’t deserve to be hurt like this. But I know Twilight didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. She’s just…”
The pegasus sighed, almost helplessly, “She’s very stressed, Starlight. Twilight isn’t used to such… overwhelming stakes. These are kingdoms, Starlight. We’ve saved Equestria before, but that was usually just one creature. She’s… anxious and scared, and unsure if she’s doing the right thing…”
A soft smile rose to Fluttershy’s lips, tipping Starlight’s head so she could look her in the eyes. “Does that sound familiar at all? Starlight… friends always disagree and have misunderstandings, but that doesn’t make you any less friends. Sometimes there will be fights, but we should never hold grudges and give others a chance.”
“I’m sure she’s feeling just as awful as you are right now.” Fluttershy gazed below the branches, watching a squirrel scurrying to her family. “You just have to be willing to let her apologize.”
Starlight sniffled as tears uncontrollably poured down her cheeks, unable to contain herself in front of Fluttershy despite her efforts to suppress her emotions, just as she had during the duration of the journey. It was hard being so quiet and feeling like she couldn’t speak without fears of rocking the boat or upsetting the greater group.
“I know, I know this is all intense for her, for everyone… but it’s not just that…” she’d sigh before she and Fluttershy huddled over to a bench. Fluttershy kept her leg around Starlight every step of the way as they sat down. Starlight took a deep breath before sighing.
“I went to the military academy to get Rainbow Dash so we could talk to the Pegasus communities, and the General was giving me a hard time. She didn’t like me before when I had to show up to help show her guard how to defend against magic, but she wanted to throw me into the ring with Dash just to make an example out of me.”
“I didn’t want to hurt Rainbow, but she wanted a fight, so I paralyzed her… the crowds that watched us weren’t happy at all and started throwing trash and bottles at me. Rainbow stuck up for me… and I even went as far as to convince the guard I was on their side. I joined them just to prove I wasn’t like the Unicorns they’re fighting… and… maybe I wanted to prove to myself that I could be helpful and do something good.”
“Then, I don’t even know how, but Twilight shows up, and she freaks out, and it looks like she was worried about Dash or thought I could’ve hurt her… she didn’t even bother asking my side.”
Fluttershy listened without interrupting, her eyes full of understanding. Her wing slowly and gently petted Starlight down her back, trying to help soothe the poor unicorn.
“I think Twilight was talking to the Doge earlier. I-I didn’t hear much, I didn’t want to eavesdrop, but they mentioned something about war and plans…” Fluttershy sighed, “I know it’s hard, but I’m sure Twilight feels just awful now. It certainly sounds like an overreaction, but consider this Starlight…”
“You are a very powerful unicorn. You could hurt someone, not intentionally, of course. Accidents happen all the time.” Fluttershy’s brow was knit with concern. “Twilight just wants the best for every creature, including you, Starlight. She didn’t mean to hurt you…”
“I’m sure if you’re willing to give her a chance, she’d apologize in a heartbeat.” She wrapped Starlight up in a hug once more, “I understand you want to prove yourself. Luna and Discord wanted to do the same, that they had changed. But you don’t need to push yourself, Starlight. You’re not a bad pony. Twilight knows that.”
Starlight sighed, “I need to prove it to her, to everyone. Otherwise, I’ll just be like Trixie. Oh sure, everyone says they forgive you, and it’s water under the bridge, but put the chips on the table, and all bets are off.… nopony truly forgets and forgives. Not after what I did…” she slowly leaned into Fluttershy, feeling drained emotionally as her eyes began to feel heavy and tired from crying.
“....You were the only one that gave me a fair shot, and I stabbed you in the back.”
Fluttershy brows knitted together this time in confusion. “Starlight, what do you mean? You never stabbed me in the back. You’ve only ever been helpful…”
“That’s not true… In Our Town, you were the only one who even considered giving Equalism a chance. You gave me a chance, and I broke your trust by trying to brainwash and control you. But you’re the only pony from Twilight’s circle that’s been so… consistently pleasant… and I don’t understand.”
Fluttershy’s eyes brightened at the reminder, and a soft smile rose to her lips, “Oh, Starlight… I already forgave you for that a long time ago. I’d never hold a grudge, especially toward a friend. Sure, You did something wrong, but every creature deserves a second chance. And I think you’re doing great.”
“I’m not going to pretend that I wasn’t upset and hurt when you… when we were at Our Town. But that was then, Starlight. This is now, and now I trust and care for you. Ponies change, creatures change… you’ve changed. The only creature you’re really trying to prove yourself to is… well, you.” She slowly moved a hoof, booping Starlight on the nose.
“And I know it’s going to be hard, but you will forgive yourself in time.” Fluttershy’s voice was soft and soothing, fitting for a lullaby. “And Twilight will want you to forgive her, too. And hopefully, you can find it in yourself to do so.”
Starlight wrinkled her nose before letting out a deep sigh, “You’re too nice for your own good, you know that? I feel like I need to watch over you now.” chuckled Starlight as she slowly peeled herself from the hug and sat up.
“... Fluttershy, can I ask you a question?’
Fluttershy giggled and offered the mare a gentle smile, “That’s very sweet of you, but don’t worry, I can handle myself.” Perking up, the pegasus gave her a curious look. “Of course, Starlight, you can ask me anything.”
“....If creatures in nature live together in harmony, wouldn’t that mean all creatures could live together? As equals, not like Our Town, but… treated the same, with the same level of respect and dignity… I hear creatures say things about one another that just aren’t true, and all it does is cause fighting.”
“... I remember joking to Twilight in Yakyakistan that it would be silly to mix Equalism with harmony, but… maybe that’s not so crazy… maybe it’s the answer to all our problems here.”
“Well…” Fluttershy paused, considering Starlight’s question. “In a perfect world, perhaps. You can’t force creatures to treat each other with kindness; you simply have to hope they will learn that being kind is better than being cruel. That hatred only begets hatred.”
“But there’s always hope. There are always creatures searching to better themselves and be better to others. You’re an example of that Starlight. And I think that you might be right.” She held Starlight’s gaze with an air of comfortable confidence, the smile not leaving her lips for a moment.
Starlight’s eyes met with Fluttershy’s, feeling a small warmth bloom in her chest as she quickly turned away. Trying not to get flustered by all the attention she had been receiving, she had done her best to remain in the background and out of the limelight, considering her past. But she couldn’t help but smile as she slowly opened her eyes to the beauty she had neglected during her outburst.
Seeing all the beauty and life surrounding them momentarily tempered the pain and sadness. The guilt that weighed on Starlight’s soul lifted for only a moment as she listened to the bird song echoing through tree’s branches. Her mind wandered,
“I hope I’m right about all of this…”
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awesomeburg hmm that's a new word lol
I can actually see that lol 😆
Yeah I figured these two would have get along really well since both of them have in common with each other
Glad that Smolder came back to the group before the unique events of this chapter unfolded! Loved how you subverted expectations with RD making peace with Glimmy
while Twilight thought the worst without asking first! 
Hoping bookhorse can rectify this next time around & looking forward to the next chapter, keep up the great work!
Nice de-escalating the situation Rainbow Dash awesome
Twilight
And don't worry Starlight she's being truthful
Ohh I really hope she doesn't take it too personal and hopefully these two actually talk to each other calmly next time they see each other
Oh come on Starlight don't say that try to give you some credit here don't let the anger get the best of you
Ok wow that was pretty intense so it looks like Starlight and the rest of the group of the kids enter the Academy to find Rainbow Dash which apparently had a pretty good impression to the creatures in this Academy but apparently the general did not like Starlight too much but before things get out of hand Rainbow Dash try to calm everybody down but it looks like the general has some idea to let rainbow and starlight show the demonstration of the skills which they were gladly too but Spike thinks this is going to get ugly and it looks like the battle is on and so far as rainbow was pretty good in how to dodge and everything from Starlights magical shots that looks like Starlight came through and paralyzed Rainbow Dash ending the fight which apparently rainbow was pretty impressed but not every creatures was not too happy about it and they boo at her but rainbow stepped in and defended her and telling them she is not a threat and she wants to help and everything and even Starlight tried to defend herself as well even joining the battle to defeat the enemy and so far things looks like everything was calming down then things got more intense again when Twilight got a little upset what was going on and she didn't even hear Starlight side of the story and starlight was pretty upset and just left and she teleport herself into the garden where Fluttershy is and Fluttershy in her goodness of her kindness as usual talk to Starlight hearing her side of the story and giving a comfort words to her and everything and hopefully both of them will talk this out without any miscommunication I guess we'll find out next time