Midnight Starlight

by Moonatik

3 - Fresh Faces, Canned Expressions

01:47 - 20/03/1002 - Ourtown

“Make yourself at home!” Starlight announced, throwing her house door open and ushering Sunburst inside.

Starlight couldn’t believe her luck. Right when she felt she was rapidly descending a downward spiral, he appeared. The walls were closing in and he’d shown up right when she needed someone to tear them down. She couldn't have imagined a more perfect pony to show up. The encounter felt divinely ordained. First reaching out to her through the realm of dreams,then manifesting before her bathed in the radiant glow of the cutie mark vault. Gratitude, hope, and relief all surged through her. Things were going to be okay. No, not okay. Things were going to be perfect.

Upon entering, Sunburst’s gaze floated around the room, finding plain walls and utilitarian furniture free of any ostentatious embellishments. He’d been quiet since they left the cave.

“What do you think?” she asked with a smile.

A quiet moment followed. “Seems nice,” he replied flatly.

“There’s the stove, the fireplace, my study’s through there, bathroom through there, and the stairs go to the bedrooms,” Starlight said, her hoof dancing through the air to guide his gaze.

“Sweet,” Sunburst said, finishing his examination of the room and turning to Starlight. “Where do I sleep?”

“There’s a spare room for new arrivals, buuuut…” Starlight leaned in close to Sunburst, her smiling muzzle inches away from his. “You could sleep in my room.”

Sunburst let out a quivering chuckle, sliding back a step. “I’d rather have my own bed, thanks,” he said. “No offence. I appreciate the offer.”

Recoiling, her eyelids twitching a little, Starlight forced a wider grin. “No problem!” she beamed. “I could just drag the bed from that room into mine, and-”

“Do you still snore?” he interrupted.

Her voice halted as her facetious smile crumbled. She scoffed, and a smaller, sincere smile formed. “Ha! Yeah… Alright, fair enough. Have your own room. It’s upstairs on the right. I’ll show you.”

She guided him upstairs and into the guest bedroom. It was nothing special. Unpainted walls, a window, a bed, a dresser, and a bedside table with a glass of water and an alarm clock. Aside from a empty fireplace, nothing more or less than the bare essentials. Though, as a means to further comfort new entrants, Starlight made sure that the mattress and pillows in this bedroom were especially soft and plush, much more so when compared to the ones in the rest of the village.

“Oh, this looks nice! Thanks Starlight,” he said, smiling at her.

Starlight felt herself giggle. “Anytime.”

Almost immediately upon laying eyes on the bed, Sunburst yawned. Perhaps being in a bedroom amplified his feelings of tiredness. A quick flick of magic undid the fastening on his cloak and levitated it towards the hanger on the door, all of which was done while he walked up to the bed itself.

But as he tugged the covers upward and poised to climb into bed, his gaze gravitated towards Starlight, who still lingered in the doorway. “Uh, why are you standing there?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow. “You’re not gonna take away my cutie mark in my sleep are you?”

Starlight snorted, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks as her hoof shot up to her mouth. “Why of course I wouldn’t do that, that would be weird and creepy and offputting and I wouldn’t want to do anything weird and creepy and offputting to a long lost friend that might drive them away, would I, right? Right? Aha?” she blurted out, attempting to laugh it off.

Sunburst glanced at the window as he faintingly furrowed his brow. His lips subtly pulled back as he looked back to Starlight. “Yep. Sure would be.”

The message mostly received, Starlight retreated behind the door and pulled it to a near close. She was ready to let him rest, until another thought cropped up in her mind. “Oh um, by the way, Sunburst?” Starlight poked her head through the door again.

“Mrm?” he groaned. He was halfway to being under the covers, having already put his glasses on the bedside table.

“I hope you understand, I-” She drummed her hoof on the door, biting her lip while her ears flopped down. “I have to…” she said, looking to him as she threw on a remorseful expression.

“Have to what?” Sunburst squinted at her.

“I have to tell the whole story about the Staff, and Mage Meadowbrook, and have this makeup on.” Starlight pointed to her flank. “If I didn’t cover up my cutiemark, this wouldn’t work. The whole village would fall apart. If there was a way I could do it without keeping my own magic, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Like, I don’t want a cutie mark, I never asked for a cutie mark, and I’d like nothing more than to have a place like this where nopony needs one. But the way things are, it’s something I need to do for any of this to work. Ponies are happier here, they were miserable in their old lives and I’ve given them something better. I’ll prove it to you tomorrow, alright?”

His eyes were already drifting shut. “Y-yeah. Sure thing, Starlight,” he said. “Sleep tight.”

“Okay, goodnight Sunburst,” she said, pulling the door closed and keeping it so.

Now alone with her thoughts, she leaned against the door. She’d thought of developing a way to remove cutie marks without needing her magic, but only in passing. Sunburst’s arrival suddenly made the concept seem much more feasible. Perhaps with his supposed knowledge of theory and her practical ability, they could develop a way to remove cutie marks without requiring Starlight to keep hers, finally giving her the chance to rid herself of that infuriating stain on her flank To use their exceptional talents to end exceptional talents.

Though it would definitely be best to leave it for the ‘morning’. She let out a yawn, finding it hard to keep her own eyes open. Sunburst had clearly been tired, and now so was she. Only now were those thoughts keeping her up. Sleep was calling her back, and he wasn’t going anywhere anymore.

06:00 - 20/03/1002 - Ourtown

A deafening, monotonous beeping ripped through Sunburst’s ears and yanked him out of his slumber. His legs jolted and kicked in a startled frenzy, throwing the covers into the air. Desperate urgency took over, his hoof frantically and blindly flailed towards the bedside table and threw a relentless slam down on the ‘stop’ button. Silence returned to the bedroom as suddenly as it had left.

Rolling back into a more comfortable position, Sunburst released a relieved sigh. Though hefelt his ears flick as if he could still hear beeping. Not from anywhere in his room, but from the window. Alarms going off in the rest of the village, perhaps? Whatever, he thought as he tossed a pillow over his head. The noises were out there, and the bedroom was quiet. He had achieved a moment of much needed calm.

It didn’t last.

The door crashed open. Artifical light from the hall flooded into the room and Starlight leapt in. “Wakey wakey!” she sang. Sang. First thing in the ‘morning’.

Clutching the covers closer to himself, Sunburst groaned. “What? Now? What time is it even?”

“Six o’clock exactly!” Quickly flicking the lights on, Starlight pranced up to the foot of the bed. “Everypony in Ourtown wakes up at the exact same time!”

“Six in the morning?” he complained, squinting and rubbing his eyes as the sudden burst of light assaulted him. “We went to bed at what, two? Three? And I got zero sleep on the train here. Just give me a few more minutes.” He pulled the covers over himself. “Or hours.”

Starlight brow furrowed slightly, her grinning teeth grinding together a little. “Sure!” she beamed. “Just be up before long! I’ll make sure there’s enough breakfast left over!”

While she slowly slinked backwards towards and through the doorway, Starlight’s gaze was locked on Sunburst. Even as she grabbed the door to pull it shut, she did so in no hurry, her head still poking through the diminishing gap and keeping him in sight until she disappeared behind the door entirely.

Not that Sunburst took much notice of it. He struggled to see any further than a hoof’s length without his glasses, and combined with the overwhelming tiredness fogging his perceptions, Starlight was nothing more than a lilac blur. By the time she’d shut the door, his eyes had already drifted shut, his head comfortably cushioned into the pillow, ready to pick up right where he’d left off before the alarm.

Sleep was well on its way to taking him back, only to falter as a wide range of distracting noises came from below. Sizzling stovetops, striking silverware, and clattering crockery. No discernable scents reached up to his room which had him wondering what was being cooked. Another thought, how were things being cooked? He didn’t see any signs of plumbing for water or gas, and it was unlikely any utility provider was serving them. He was wondering how they got the neccesary water or heat to cook, how they gathered and grew ingredients, and before he knew it his mind was abuzz with thoughts and questions that wouldn’t let him rest.

More noises followed, this time from outside. The front door to Starlight's house swung open, and doors all around the village echoed the same act as lamps flashed on all around. Starlight’s voice followed, being projected across the village and reaching into his bedroom. While he couldn’t discern anything she was saying, he caught onto the attitude that she was giving orders. Whatever it was, there was no chance of him getting back to sleep with everything going on.

Admitting defeat, Sunburst pushed himself up, throwing his covers off. After putting his glasses on, he crawled out of bed and groggily plodded out of the bedroom and towards the downstairs bathroom, intending to take a shower. There he found his suspicions about the lack of plumbing confirmed, that the word “bathroom” had a more limited and literal meaning. Nothing but a cramped room with a bathtub. He made a mental note to ask Starlight about the sanitation.

He pulled himself back up the stairs and into the bedroom, going to collect his cloak. Upon levitating it off of the hanger, however, he noticed a neatly folded slip of paper in one of his inside pockets. He picked it up and read it to himself.

Pvt. Popper should’ve teleported this into your pocket. This ink will be visible only to you. Checked with higher ups, they aren't pleased but have formally authorised your mission. Get the spell without disrupting the social order. If we believe you have lost sight of the objective, we have orders to extract you by force if necessary. Will stay in and around the village and keep a close eye on you. Night Guards are commonly seen so a few extra shouldn’t raise suspicions.

-Cpl. Radiance

Corporal Radiance? That must’ve been the earth pony guard’s name, Private Popper being the unicorn. He’d been too nervous to ask for their names on the trip over and in the hurry following the dream disaster left little chance for a proper introduction. He stashed the note back where he found it and put the cloak on. The process of going down and up the stairs, as well as reading the note, had invigorated him, dispelling his sleepiness at once.

He made his way to the front door and stepped outside, being presented to the sight of the whole village gathered around a collection of tables arranged in a straight line with empty pots and ladles lay scattered on top. The villagers, mare, stallion, and foal alike, were all sat on wooden benches, digging into their meals. The lampposts lining the solitary street cast a cool off-white blue glow, lending much-needed light to the gathering. On the ledges and hills overlooking the village, he noticed a small number of Lunar guards presumably keeping close watch of both him and the village as a whole.

The scene reminded him of a large school cafeteria, only here it was an open-air affair. But it was also considerably quieter than any school lunchroom he’d ever been in. Not a soul was engaged in conversation with their neighbours. Everypony was just eating or sitting quietly.

Starlight, seated halfway down the table, quickly perked up upon noticing him. “Sunburst, you’re awake!”

Right as Starlight drew attention to him, everyone snapped around to stare at him in frightening synchronicity. It forced a shudder out of him, his glasses nearly slipping off his muzzle. Thirty-some ponies, all with the same unsettlingly, nearly perfectly identical features, only differentiated by size and colour. All sported broad, uncanny grins that spread the whole width of their faces, their wide unblinking eyes staring blankly like hollow voids, boring into Sunburst. The ponies seemed like puppets pulled on the same string, their every movement choreographed and commanded from above. The photos he’d seen didn’t capture even a fraction of the discomforting atmosphere that lingered over this cult.

“Come, sit!” Starlight commanded, nudging up and patting the space on the bench next to her.

Unsteadily, he heeded Starlight’s order and made his way over, desperatly attemping to avoid eye contact with anyone, as all the villagers swivelled their heads around to keep their stares locked onto him constantly. He sat down next to Starlight, unable to completely settle down as the feeling of being surrounded started to seep in.

“Everypony, meet my old friend Sunburst!” Starlight gestured to literally present him to the villagers.

“Welcome, Suburst!” the crowd chanted back, almost like a preprogrammed response, their expressions and eyes never wavering even for a moment.

Sunburst gave a meek wave in response. “Hi?”

“Believe it or not, Sunburst here is the pony who revealed to me the inherent wickedness of cutie marks!” Starlight swayed to glare at Sunburst, her jaw and cheeks noticeably tense. “Isn’t that right?”

Sunburst shrinked away, feeling a sudden antagonism directed at him. “Mrm, yep!” he said, nodding frantically. “I guess I was?”

“I’m certain everypony is thrilled to have you here!” she asserted. “Why don’t you introduce yourself, in your own words?”

He shuffled on the spot. “Erm, my name’s Sunburst. I…” His eyes were darting all over the place, finding no relive at all in the contantly blank, seemigly void eyes of the crowd. “I do magic. Specifically I research it, I’m a researcher-”

“A researcher, hm?” interrupted Starlight.

“Yeah,” he replied. “That’s what I said.”

“And who do you do this research for?”

“Huh? Oh, a… technology company, called um…” Sunburst’s eyes darted around the village, from pony to pony and table item to table item literally in search of a response that wouldn’t be suspicious. Then, in the corner of his eye, he spotted a Lunar guard gliding down under a backdrop of the stary sky. “Star… Guard. Starguard Enterprises,” he said, following it up by putting a grin on his muzzle. “Canterlot based firm. Been around for years.”

Starlight and the villagers said nothing for a few seconds. “Sounds exciting!” said Starlight, cutting through the silence.

With that particular bullet dodged, Sunburst felt himself ease a little, yet he was still unquestionably tense. “Sooo… How’s this all work?” he asked. “Eating, I mean.”

“Ooh, ooh!” A unicorn mare to Sunbrust’s side perked up. “Every house has a kitchen with all the same things and all the same recipes, we follow a schedule set at the start of each week telling us what to make, and we bring it out here to eat together!” she explained, that creepy smile plastered to their face the whole time.

“Equal kitchens, equal recipes, equal meals!” an earth stallion seated across from them added.

Starlight clapped her hooves together. “Excellent, everypony! I see we’re well on our way to teaching Sunburst the ideals and benefits of Equality! And as our little welcome gift to him…” Starlight presented a steaming bowl of what looked like mashed potato, previously out of view, and set it in front of Sunburst. “We saved him a meal!”

“Oh, wow.” He stared at the bowl, a grateful smile forming on his lips. “Thanks.” A small assortment of utterances and giggles commenced from ponies no doubt eager to see his reaction. It took Sunburst’s attention away from the food itself, reminding him of the intense pressure he was under. But he felt he could push those thoughts to the side for a moment. After all he was being offered a free meal. And he was hungry, so what the hell, no reason not to. He scooped up a spoonful, put the spoon into his mouth, tasted it…

“Hm,” he uttered, his mouth full.

“How is it?” Starlight asked, leaning closer and fluttering her eyelashes.

Bland. So bland that to describe it in any detail would undersell its blandness. It wasn’t even bad, just tasteless and inoffensive. Yet saying that out loud would be offensive, so he said “It’s… good?” and went in for another spoonful.

As he ate, Starlight turned to the villagers, all of whom were reacting positively. “Now keep in mind everypony,” she said, “Sunburst here hasn’t undergone the cutie unmarking process quite yet, but until he’s ready for that, we should all do our part to assure his transition to a new life is a comfortable one.”

“Mch-what?” he gagged, coughing up bits of food. That was the first Starlight had said anything about him being ‘cutie unmarked’. What in Equestria was she trying to do?

“Something bothering you?” she asked, turning to him with lidded eyes.

“I- uh…” he murmured, fidgeting with his spoon. “What else do you eat out here? I didn’t see many-”

“All sorts!” Starlight interrupted. “Potato stew, jacket potato, roast potatoes…”

He quietly stared at her for a second, then at his bowl, then back at Starlight. “Anything that isn’t potatoes?” he asked.

“Usually just potato meals. They’re a good crop, very reliable,” Starlight said with a nod. “I can assure you nopony’s hungry here! Right friends?”

“Yes, Starlight!” boomed the whole village at once, their voices echoing as one.

“Wow, okay,” Sunburst murmured, startled by the sudden explosion of voices. Uncharacteristically true to Starlight’s word, none of the villagers appeared hungry or malnourished. All were well fed, some more than others, each with a similarly sized bowl in front of them…

Wait.

Some more than others.

The contradiction hit him like a mallet banging a gong.

“Sorry,” he swallowed, “if you all don’t mind me asking.” He scanned the villagers looking for ponies who’d make a good case, finding two that would’ve served his point well. One was a tall, broad earth pony stallion whose muscles were small in spite of his impressive build, the other was a small, meek-looking pegasus mare with some noticeable extra fat in her torso and thighs. He pointed to both of them. “You two. Do you have the same portions?”

“Of course!” the pegasus mare said, her smile unwavering.

“Everypony’s equal here, down to our food!” the earth stallion followed, his smile somehow growing wider.

“Alright, and - no offence or anything - you have fairly different physiques, one of you is pretty small and one of you is rather big. Different physiques with different biologies and different dietary needs, but you eat the same amount of food,” he continued. “Right?”

The pegasus and the earth pony shared a quick glance, a quiver on each of their brows and a fade in the firmness of their smiles. They slowly nodded.

“So…” Sunburst raised his shoulders. “Wouldn’t that make you unequal in a way?”

Silence. The smiles of the villagers flickered, replaced with a wave of furrowed brows and lips that clamped shut as if to try and lock some unspoken thoughts inside. Nopony said a word, the only sound the tense low howl of nearby winds that drifted through the street.

The pressure on Sunburst mounted evermore; the need to justify his point rose. “Well, certainly different builds would require different caloric intakes, so if you were going to be equally well fed, you’d need different portions, and that would make you unequal in terms of the amount of food you get-”

“That is such a great question, Sunburst!” Starlight seethed, her eyes narrowing as she cut him off by throwing a hoof around his shoulder and pulling him tight. The suddenness of her motion nearly knocked his glasses off of his face. “Why don’t you finish your breakfast and we can talk about that later, hm?” she said, pressing her face in close to his, the words coming out between her teeth.

“Uh, sure thing!” Sunburst deftly slipped out of Starlight's grasp, adjusting his glasses and wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

“Alright everypony, are we all finished?” Starlight said, her smiling returning to normal, acting as if nothing had just happened.

“Yes, Starlight Glimmer!” The villagers' chorus of affirmations and nods followed.

“Alright, let’s clean up!” Starlight hopped to her hooves, then leaned close to Sunburst. “Stay here,” she said through grinding teeth, then prancing away to help the others.

At her word, the village sprang into action. Ponies gathered up the pots and utensils, stacked up the bowls, then carried the lot into their houses to be cleaned. The tables themselves were then dragged and pushed inside the houses. Everything was done by hoof, no magic in sight. Even Starlight contributed manually.

Sunburst could easily hold the bowl in his magic, so the table being whisked away wasn’t an issue. He continued to shovel mouthfuls of potatoes into his mouth, savouring it not for the taste but solely as a source of sustenance. While it certainly could’ve used a little butter, or salt, or… anything, it was an edible meal.

He felt a sudden nudge on his shoulder. “Psst, Sunburst!” a mare’s voice. An oddly familiar voice at that.

Sunburst flinched as he turned to see who it was. It was a mare. A unicorn mare. Dull-blue mane and dull-yellow coat as anonymous as anyone else, only her face was devoid of a smile and her gaze darted incessantly over her shoulder.

“Meet me in my house when you can, go downstairs, make sure you’re not followed,” she whispered, subtly pointing to the second house to the left of Starlight’s.

Sunburst shook his head. “What? Why?” he blurted out. But before he could ask any further questions, the mare’s grin returned to her face and she assimilated back into the mass of villagers, like she’d never said anything.

Taking a mental note of whatever that was, he absentmindedly dived in for another spoonful. A clink of metal hitting ceramic briefly resounded, and he looked down at the practically empty bowl. Only enough for one last spoonful, if that. Shrugging, he scraped the last remnants of potato up and ate.

“I’m sorry, Sunburst.” Starlight sauntered up by his side right as he swallowed the last spoonful. “I got a little carried away, didn’t I? Did you sleep well?”

“Ehh, I slept fine,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck, a small snap escaping from it. “Just wish I got more of it. I could tell you made an effort with the room.”

Starlight smirked and brushed up the back of her mane. “Heh, do I try! Now I oughta give you a proper tour of the village! It’s more than meets the eye! Anything you want to know first?”

He struggled to think of anything specific until a base biological instinct he’d tried to hold back rushed to the forefront of his mind. “Yes. Where’s the toilet?”

“The toilet? Ohoho! I can’t believe I forgot to tell you!” Starlight laughed. “We have an outhouse, just over there,” she said, pointing to a shed in the shadow of a rock formation just outside the main row of houses. Difficult to find it in the dark, but once he focused he could see it.

“Alright, thanks.” Sunburst nodded at Starlight. “Back in a second.”

He trotted over and entered. To his great relief, it was an ordinary outhouse. Even had a small light on the inside and a fresh roll of toilet paper. The smell he could do without. He quickly relieved himself and cleaned his hooves using his magic. At least some things here were sane, Sunburst thought. Though he kept thinking of the unicorn mare who briefly got his attention. Something about her was recognisable, and she spoke his name with a degree of familiarity. First chance he got, he decided, he’d go into that mare’s house and find out what was going on.

He stepped out of the outhouse and froze. Right in front of him stood Starlight with a white stallion by her side, both ponies in a stiff upright posture with grins fixed to their faces.

“Uh, Starlight?” he raised an eyebrow, taking a short look over his shoulder. “Were you waiting outside the toilet for me?”

“Sunburst! Meet Double Diamond!” She raised a leg to present the stallion standing by her side, sidestepping his question entirely.

Diamond dashed up to Sunburst, his grinning muzzle pushing up to Sunburst’s own. “A joy to meet you!” he said, seizing Sunburst’s hoof and shaking it firmly before he could react.

“Y-you too,” Sunburst replied, pulling his hoof away and stumbling back. A passing look at Double Diamond revealed little, an all-white coat and mane with the same uniform presentation as anypony else in the village. But meeting his gaze demonstrated there was more to him than the average resident. Real energy holding his smile up, real conviction behind his unblinking eyes, real zeal in his slightly frantic breath. In the Ourtown report he’d read it noted Diamond’s fanaticism, and glimpses inside Starlight’s mind had shown Sunburst that she considered Diamond her most loyal follower. He was the first to heed the call of Equality, after all.

“If you have questions about Ourtown and I’m not there, ask Double Diamond.” Starlight took a couple steps closer to Sunburst. “Just Double Diamond. If you want the most accurate picture.”

“I’ll help you however I can, new friend!” Double Diamond saluted, his grin somehow seemingly growing wider from its already wide contours.

“Now you two, follow me,” Starlight instructed, walking in the other direction. “I’ll show you the farm.”

With Starlight ahead, and with some not-so-subtle prodding from Diamond, Sunburst followed along. She led them through and past the main street onto the other side of the town. As they walked, Sunburst looked up. Perched on clouds and cliffsides he could spot mostly thestral Lunar guards, their gazes clearly following the trio. They weren’t making much of an effort to hide themselves, and neither Starlight or Diamond paid much attention to them. Possibly he may have had a chance to signal to one of them, have them distract her. No, Sunburst disregarded it. Saying anything to the guards or drawing attention to them might reveal his allegiance.

“Don’t worry about the Guards,” Starlight grimaced, likely having taken notice of where Sunburst was looking. “They’re always following and watching me.”

“Ah, gotcha.” Sunburst nodded.

“And we’re here!”

It was a potato farm. Just potatoes. Not even plumb, well attended potatoes. Somehow here in Ourtown, even the potatoes were all equally plain and stock. Starlight gleefully presented it and explained in detail how it all worked, but much was self evident. Sunburst pretended to pay attention. His mind was elsewhere, fully focused on how to slip under he notice. Perhaps he could create a distraction, such as sparking a small fire? What? No, Sunburst immediately forced the thought out his mind. He wasn’t an arsonist, that’d risk ruining the town’s food supply, and it wasn’t like he could pull off subtle pyromancy to begin with.

On the walk back to the village proper, Starlight was telling the tale of how how she met Diamond and how Ourtown was founded. Sunburst knew parts of it were laced with lies, and could intuitively guess the truthfulness of parts he wasn’t sure about. If she was going to breathing down his neck, then he’d never get a chance to quietly slip to the side. Unless…

“It was there, upon showing him the Staff of Sameness, that we decided-”

Sunburst slowed to a stop. “Starlight.”

Starlight and Diamond abruptly halted. “Yes?” she said.

He brought his chest up and sucked in a breath. “Could I…” he groaned. Word whirled in his head as he constantly struggled to seek out the right ones to use amidst the fear of awkwardness or infuriation. He waved a hoof in front of his mouth. “Could I have some space?” he finally blurted out.

Starlight blinked. “...I’m sorry?”

“I-I don’t mean any offence by it, but,” he gulped. “But I’d rather explore the village at my own pace. Without anypony looking over my shoulder. Without being pulled along to see things in the way you’re having me. Without worrying about who I’m supposed to talk to. Just let me have some space, okay? Please?”

Starlight's once animated voice fell silent, her lips drew into a line that mirrored the furrow of her brow. Her eyes turned away from Sunburst and towards the ground. She drew a breath in and sighed it out. “Okay.”

“Wh-” Sunburst stammered. “Really?”

“Double Diamond,” Starlight said, causing the earth stallion to perk up, despite the hard tone of her voice. “Let Sunburst be for the time being. We wouldn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable, would we?”

The surprise nearly forced a laugh out of Sunburst he was only just able to repress. “Wow, uh, just like that?”

“Of course!” A full grin had returned to Starlight’s face. “The last thing I’d want is for you to feel weirded out here or get any thoughts of… leaving.” Her smile again faded, and her eyes drifted to the ground. Suddenly her gaze shot back at Sunburst as the grin lit up again. “But nopony who’s ever spent a night here has ever wanted to leave because we’re very very accommodating!”

Sunburst had personally read over at least three cases of ponies leaving Ourtown.

“Stay out as long as you like,” she said, making a small grin. “If you decide to stay here for good, that will be entirely your choice. But there is something I’d like to discuss with you in private when we’re both back at my house.”

“What do you need to talk about?”

“Just a thought I need to share, but it can wait until later,” she said. “See you!”

Just as easy as that, Starlight and Diamond had set off in the opposite direction, leaving him be. He nearly laughed. All his thoughts on how best to create a distraction or slip past her notice when all he needed to do was be open and ask her. Of course, any reasonable adult would’ve adhered to his request. Even though everything around him suggested Starlight was anything but.

Whilst the pair were walking away, Sunburst could overhear what they were saying. “I thought you said a pony living here with a cutie mark would disrupt our entire way of living?”

“Oh, I know what I said, Diamond. See, he’s a special case…” The pair had drifted out of earshot, and crucially out of sight.

For a brief moment, Sunburst could enjoy a moment where nopony was looking over his shoulder. But as nice as the moment was, he hadn’t gotten Starlight off his back just to get a bit of quiet. Sunburst focused his eyes forward, and set off to that one unicorn mare’s house.

Comments

[Comma Typer]

Gets a little hairy now, huh? I apologize for not having much to say, but with things closing in for both Sunburst and Starlight, I do find it endearing that, at the very least, a desire for revived friendship still lingers (or, in Starlight's case, at least wanting to have an old friend back). It'll be fun, at least, to see how Sunburst balances between some possible reform/liberation of Ourtown from this mysterious pony and staying loyal(?) to Starlight (even with, well, everything about her).

[ChubbyNia]

Oh boy! What's gonna happen next?
When's the next chapter?

[Mix-up]

This was a very fun chapter it's been so long sense I wished we get to really explore the Out Town setting more deeply like this.

we got to see a lot of Starlight's thought process in how she manages her cult town. For what I can see she takes a rigid dogmatic approach for her teachings of being 'all are equal' irrespective to any form of pragmatism to out side factors or reality, and doesn't take any into consideration to ponies individual needs, like the food portions forcing them to eat what is prescript by her instead of just the community providing food for everyone. The reliance on mono culture for their food, which is doomed to an eventual crop failure(think of the Irish potato famine), seems to be an extension on the control she exert on her ponies. One thing I would wonder is what does Starlight do to keep her town busy to most of the day other then working on being completely self sufficient, I doubt there are that many daily chores to keep them busy from thinking of dangerous idle thoughts, so I am supposing their have a lot of lectures and teaching involve along with constant loyalty tests to SG's indoctrinations. I would also wonder how you can make muffins out of potatoes anyway if Sugar Bell could serve them to the Mane Six? I am betting SG's control over them is strong if they can't seem to be able to conceive questioning SG's teaching, which extends to her power and authority that she represent, even as dumb and obvious as Sunburst's question he asked to them was.

For the possible cult member spy, seeing that she has probably been there a while, I am taking that she is impersonating one the residence that might have tried to escape the town, or just plain impersonating them, seeing that SG has unmarked all the townsponies herself, she probably knows them all by name at that point. I take it she hasn't been able to get close to SG despite being there for way longer or that her mission is just strictly monitoring, or that their previous attempt to have their own spy when nowhere or was successfully brainwashed SG, which I doubt is that case. I am betting Sunburst will eventually be ordered to subject himself to the Cutie unmarking, along with the equalization process, and that she will study/monitor the effects on a 'loyal' NMM subject, along with maybe.

For the mention of at least three other ponies leaving the town(assuming without their cutie marks), I strongly suspect that they were captured by the army and were intensely studies and integrated on the effects of ponies having their cutie marks remove or replace and haven't managed figure out on how to decode the process of how she does it yet, from them alone, or that they broke their subject they had and needed more. I am pretty sure Sunburst wasn't informed of what happened to those three in the report he was provided with. I would wonder if Starlight had built in counter measures from magical tampering on her equal mark and what happens, what happens if the Equal mark spell is unraveled on a adult pony and there isn't their cutie mark near them to take back it's place. Are equal ponies eventually driven to come back to the cutie mark vault and are compelled to stay near Our Town, because of their links to them? I am betting their previous subjects they couldn't get anything useful from interrogating them, or couldn't articulate what they wanted to know, and SB was a better test subject to to monitor, or better describe what happens when a pony is unmarked.

Looking forward to see what happens next.