Chapter 2
The sextet of mares and prisoner made their way back across the desert and towards the end of the rail line where the six had gotten off several days before. It would take at least that long to get back, if not a little longer. Fortunately, an abandoned homestead still had a usable water pump and the mares would be able to refill their canteens for the return trip.
The group was led at the front by Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia and recently crowned Princess of Friendship. Just behind her were three of her friends: Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Behind those three were Applejack and Rainbow Dash, the self appointed wardens of the last member of the group: Starlight Glimmer.
The lilac mare pouted as she was led quite literally like a dog on a leash. The lasso was still taught around her neck, but not so tight as to strangle her. It was at that perfect spot where a hard tug would cause the noose to grip at her neck painfully if she did something that the two ponies found unpleasant.
The lavender alicorn had a map in her magic, retracing the path that the group had used to get to the small village. As she scrutinized it, a certain blue member of the party voiced her frustration.
"This desert sucks!" Rainbow Dash complained. "Are you sure I can't just fly ahead and get some guards to come meet us, Twilight?"
Twilight looked back at Rainbow Dash with an annoyed stare. "Dash, it would take some time for a squad in the guard to get organized and ready to ship out to meet us. By the time they got the ponies and resources together and started to move out to meet us, we'd be on the train and heading to Canterlot."
Rainbow Dash huffed. "What does it matter?" she questioned. "We'd get her out of our manes sooner."
"She can hear you," Starlight announced to the group, "and you'll all be sorry once I figure out how to get out of these restraints!"
The lasso on her neck suddenly got really tight and a force yanked Starlight totally off of her hooves. Trying to recover, she noticed a shadow looming over her. Looking up and expecting to see the orange earth pony, she was surprised to see the white unicorn Rarity.
"You are being most uncouth about this whole situation!" she chastised Starlight, who looked away with a huff. "What you did was reprehensible beyond words! Stealing cutie marks and keeping ponies from their destiny! What in the world would make you think that was such a good idea?!"
Starlight turned and glared back at Rarity. "It put everypony on even hoofing!" she spat at the unicorn. "Nopony was better than anypony else! Everyone was treated as equals!" She emphasized her point by pointing her hoof at her new equal sign cutie mark.
"Everypony being the same isn't equal."
The six mares turned to face the pony who had spoken just then. The five friends were surprised to see that it was none other than Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus approached Starlight with a stern glare, and admittedly, Starlight did feel a small twinge of worry upon seeing the timid pegasus looking at her that way.
"Taking ponies cutie marks to make them equal is wrong!" the mare continues as she points her hoof at Starlight. "Even without their special talents, they still aren't equal to each other. Nopony can ever be truly thee same as another, and the reason is because of how different all ponies are!"
"Well they can certainly not be better than the next pony!" Starlight spat at her in retort.
"Nopony is better than anypony else" Fluttershy told the mare sternly.
Starlight scoffed. "Yeah, like I'd believe that coming from a pegasus that can barely fly!"
The stern look on Fluttershy's face was washed away by one of complete shock.
"Oh really?" Starlight says mockingly. "You thought I wouldn't realize? Every pegasus I've met is always itching to get in the air whenever they can, but I haven't seen you so much as fluff out your wings."
She then turned to Rarity.
"And you! You seem to have telekinesis down pat, but what else can you do?"
Rarity is left speechless for a moment as she tries to answer Starlight. The lilac unicorn doesn't give her a chance.
"Diddly squat!" she spits at Rarity. "That's what else you're good at! Diddly squat!"
Her ire then turns towards Pinkie.
"And then we have the party pony that can't stand a little bit of sad and miserable. Well, get over it, sweet cheeks! Life is full of sad and miserable!"
SMACK!
Five of the mares gasp as Starlight falls back on her flank and rubs a now very sore cheek. Looking back to verbally chastise the pony who did it, she's met with a death glare from Rainbow Dash.
"Maybe Fluttershy isn't the strongest flyer in Equestria," Rainbow says to Starlight, "and maybe Rarity isn't the strongest spellcaster, and perhaps Pinkie is a little too positive for some ponies, but they are my friends , and my equals, and if you ever say anything like that about them again, I'll make sure all the meals you eat for the rest of your life will have to be sucked through a straw!"
Rainbow turns with her tail twitching angrily. Starlight was going to spit another jab at the pegasus, but it died in her throat as the hat wearing pony firmly jerked her back up onto her hooves.
"If you say anything else nasty before we get to Canterlot" Applejack says, completely dropping her southern accent, "Then I guarantee you that you won't be worrying about sucking your food through a straw. Your mouth will be wired shut so tight that they'll have to pump it straight into your stomach."
Applejack turned around and gave the rope another hard tug, taking Starlight off balance and forcing her to walk. The lilac mare wanted to give her another verbal jab, but the lasso again forced her to keep quiet and moving, unless she really did want to be strangled.
The group reached another homestead, this one having some ponies living in it. After trading a little bit of food they weren't going to use, they refilled the empty canteens they had with water from the family's well.
After moving on from the homestead, Twilight looked up at the sky and let out a sigh. "It's getting late in the day" she told the group. "We should find a place to set up a camp for the night."
"What about gonna do about her?" Rainbow Dash asks while gesturing to Starlight. "All of our tents are single pony tents."
"Starlight's a flight risk," Twilight points out, "so we'll need to keep an eye on her. She can use my tent and we'll all take turns keeping an eye on her. I'll take the first watch and we can decide the rotation after that."
Starlight scoffs. "Just let me sleep outside and freeze" she spits at the group. "It's what you all want to do with me anyways."
Twilight scowled as she then approached the unicorn.
"I would never do that," Twilight retorts, "and for two reasons. One, I would never do a mean thing like that to another pony. As for two..."
She leans in and glares at Starlight.
"I want you intact when you face Princess Celestia."
Starlight scoffs again but doesn't say anything. Twilight turns back to her friends.
"Applejack, come with me and help me find some sticks or something we can use for some firewood. Rainbow, you can guard Starlight here. Now, don't do anything to her unless she tries to do something to you first. Even if she's spitting verbal jabs at you, just ignore it. Everypony else, please find a campsite and get our tents set up for the night. Rarity, shoot up a flare spell so we can find you if it gets too dark."
Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie all nod and go about finding a campsite. Rainbow Dash gives a salute and takes the lasso from Applejack. The farm pony follows Twilight as she walks away from the group and in the direction of some nearby shrubbery.
"Let's go" Rainbow says through gritted teeth as she holds the lasso, giving a sharp tug and getting Starlight moving again. "I'm pretty sure there's a spot big enough to keep our tents close to a fire but not too close, and there should be plenty of rocks to make a pit."
Everypony agrees and they begin moving forward. Starlight follows against her will, not seeing a way to escape without immediately being recaptured by the pegasus guarding her. However, the current situation doesn't dissuade her from trying to come up with some kind of plan.
After about fifteen minutes or so of walking, the five mares come across an open patch of ground with a good scattering of rocks spread around it.
"Okay, this looks like a good spot" Rainbow says to her friends. "You girls go ahead and set up your tents while I keep watch of little miss troublemaker over here. I'll take care of mine when Twilight and Applejack get back."
The other three mares nod as they get out their tents and start assembling them. As they do so, Twilight and Applejack approach the group, bundles of sticks and dry shrubbery on their backs.
"I'll take over watchin' her" Applejack tells Rainbow as she unloads her pile next to a fire pit quickly dug out by Rarity's magic.
"Thanks, AJ" Rainbow says to her friend as she gives the lasso back and goes into her bags for her tent.
"You worry about keeping an eye on Starlight, Applejack" Twilight says after unloading her own pile of firewood and kindling. "I'll set up your tent for you."
"Thank ya kindly, Twi" Applejack says in appreciation before returning to keeping an eye on Starlight. The lilac mare snorted as she chose to lay down for the moment. Inside her mind, she still continued seething at the ponies around her.
"How DARE these ponies do this to me!" she thought to herself. "I had the idea for that village! I recruited those ponies to help me! We built every one of those houses ourselves! We started farms! We dug wells! We made a town and we made it perfect! Why did these no good ponies have to come and ruin it all?!"
She directed her attention to the ponies in question. Twilight was using her magic to levitate the tent stakes that would make her shelter for the night. Rainbow Dash was finishing her own. Fluttershy had just finished piling up the kindling to start the fire, with a spark provided by Rarity's magic. Pinkie Pie was rummaging through her bags and sorting out some food to make for a meal.
Bizarrely, or at least it seemed bizarre to Starlight, the mare had produced a full platter of brightly decorated cupcakes.
Her attention to the group then passed over to her current warden: Applejack. The country mare glared at her as she held the lasso around Starlight's neck in her muzzle. The look on her face almost seemed like an invitation for her to try something, as though the mare was looking for any excuse to vent some recently built up frustration.
Starlight let out a breath as she sank down onto the ground. With the farm pony keeping an ever vigilant eye on her, there was little to nothing she could do to even attempt to escape. So with that in mind, the lilac unicorn decided to lay down and think on the issue for the time being.
The tents had been set up and a meal had been concocted. Canned vegetables made into a stew, with a can of candied apples as a dessert. The six friends ate well, but Starlight refused; she had decided on a hunger strike as an act of defiance against her current wardens. Twilight made an effort to get the mare to eat, but eventually gave it up as a futile effort.
Once bowls and tableware were cleaned and cans were stowed for later recycling, the mares decided to go to bed so they could get up early and make their way back to the train so that they could take Starlight to Canterlot and the two princesses. As stated before, Twilight had given Starlight her tent and agreed to keep her eye on the unicorn until another pony woke up to relieve her.
The lilac unicorn in question had kept quiet for quite a while. Of course, no one plots an escape out loud, especially in front of the ones holding them prisoner. In her head, she was taking note of everything around her and what she could use to aid in her escape.
Unfortunately, there was little to nothing. In fact, the only real option that wasn't entirely bogus was the sand on the ground around them. If she could kick up enough of it quickly enough and for long enough, she might be able to blind the six mares and find a hiding place out among the rocks before they could react.
A quick survey of the terrain beyond the tent effectively put that plan to rest; there were no rocks large enough to hide a pony anywhere the lilac mare could see..
Sighing in defeat, Starlight opted to try and get some rest for the night. However, her wardens for the moment elected not to give her any peace.
"Why did you do it?"
Starlight looked and glared at the pony who spoke - Princess Twilight Sparkle.
"Whatever do you mean?" Starlight mockingly asked, venom clear as day in her voice and a mocking smile on her muzzle.
Twilight just glared back. "Why did you start stealing cutie marks?"
Starlight rolled her eyes and turned away from the mare.
"Hey!" Twilight called to her. "I asked you a question!"
"And I have decided not to answer it" Starlight shot back, intending to be defiant for as long as she could.
Twilight wanted to say more, but she decided to simply drop it. She clearly wasn't going to get any answers, and pushing the issue would make her clam up more than she already had.
Resigning herself to a momentary defeat, Twilight directed her attention to looking around the campsite as she stood sentry over the mare. Soon enough, it would be her turn for some shut-eye.
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That's ok, can't wait for the next chapter
But she can fly. She just choose not to.
If I can remember correctly she can track gems. Also, I find it ironic she says that because she can’t do ANYTHING anymore.
11496544
She's being spiteful because that's all she can really do at the moment
11496590
Makes sense
Oh reading this has made my day.
Bout time she learned the hard way
So when's the next chapter?
11502042
I can't say exactly. I have some other stories I'm working on, plus I started doing artwork to go with stories, which takes time to get done. The best I can do with a time frame is probably sometime before summer. Can't be any more specific than that.
11502059
Okay