Starlight

by PurpleFire135

Chapter Twenty-Two

Starlight sat in the dip of Applejack’s back as they raced through the forest. After they had left the rest of the camp ponies they had set out with a relentless, driving pace. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were using every bit of earth pony speed and endurance to keep that pace up. Starlight couldn’t figure out how they were going so fast without stumbling over roots or plants or fallen logs or any of the things that had slowed her and Rainbow Dash down when they came through the forest the first time.

One time Starlight had looked down and could have sworn she saw a root actually wiggle out of Pinkie’s way. She looked up. Fluttershy was flying overhead, catching the air currents that constantly blew over the Everfree to stay level with them on the ground. As she was looking to make sure Fluttershy was still with them, a glare caught her eye. She blinked and looked over towards the sun, so big now that it was brighter out than Starlight had ever seen.

Applejack had commented that it was nearly as bright as day. Starlight really didn’t know what that meant, since she had never seen the sun any brighter than the usual twilight brilliance it shared with the moon, and the sky was the same whether it was day or night. Now though, the moon, sitting on the other horizon, looked dim and small in comparison to the giant sun that was already starting to fill the sky.

A sliver of doubt nagged at Starlight. She was meant to fix that? That problem looked too big for any one pony to fix, let alone a tiny filly who didn’t even really know magic. She shivered. She would need more magic if she was going to do it. She just wished she knew where to get it. Ever since Zecora’s cryptic riddle right before she left the camp, she had been thinking about magic and where it came from. Zecora had even said that Starlight could get it back. Starlight wasn’t sure how she was going to find that magic, since she didn’t even know where it was gone, or really what it was.

Starlight could only assume that meant there was more magic, magic that belonged to other unicorns that she had to find. She frowned. It just seemed like an impossible task. Wouldn’t the other unicorns taken the magic with them when the Guard made them disappear, or killed them? That seemed more plausible to Starlight. Wasn’t the magic tied to its unicorn?

Rainbow had said that the Guards had ways of making the unicorns just disappear once captured. She said they had vanished without a trace. However, Starlight had a feeling that it was more permanent than that. She didn’t like thinking that way, but even in her young years, Starlight was a realist. They must have taken their magic with them, right?

She sighed. Where was the magic Zecora had mentioned? The question wiggled its way back to the forefront of her mind. She struggled to remember Zecora’s exact words. It was hard because she had been worried about Rainbow and trying to get out of camp unseen at the time; so she hadn’t really paid attention. She bit her lip, thinking.

Zecora had said that all ponies had magic, it just came from different places. Pegasi magic came from the sky, obviously. Earth pony magic came from…she couldn’t quite remember that one. Earth ponies seemed very un-magical to her, them having magic was a new concept. Actually, when she thought about it, if all ponies had magic, like Zecora said, then the whole Uprising had been a sham. That was a new thought too. It both made her feel less like an outcast and also sparked a bit of righteous fury in her.

Pressing beyond that thought, she turned back to the task at hoof. However, mere seconds after she went back to the problem, she was interrupted.

“Starlight? You totally bored yet? If you want, we could play a game! I love games! Did you know I hold the world record for ‘I spy’? ‘Cause I do! We should play!” Pinkie asked with enthusiasm, apparently undaunted by the fast pace she was running at.

“That’s okay. I’m fine. I’m thinking!” Starlight responded. Pinkie nodded, seriously.

“I wouldn’t want to interrupt that! Thinking’s very important! I try to do it at least once every day!” Pinkie laughed as she ran.

Starlight thoughts turned abruptly back to Pinkie. The way she could move so fast, sometimes even faster than Rainbow. The way she and Applejack could run for hours and the way the forest moved with her to let her through. Starlight gasped as she was hit with a realization. That was magic too. Earth pony magic, that came from the ground!

Feeling like she had just had a breakthrough, Starlight turned back to the problem of where to find unicorn magic. She figured that if she knew where to draw the power from, she would be able to supplement her own magic and therefore be able to perform the spell to stop the sun’s expansion…. Maybe. She briefly thought about trying to draw on earth magic or sky magic, but realized quickly that she couldn’t.

Reaching down to the ground with her magic, she tried to feel for the source of power than was flowing through Applejack and Pinkie. With a soft exhale, she slipped into her magic-sight. She opened her eyes and looked around. Flowing softly through and around the earth ponies was a green and brown magic thread that wove into them and back to the ground. Glancing around, she saw it flowing in every tree, every flower, every rock, and every bit of soil in a massive network of threads braided and woven together in an amazing tapestry of earth magic that thrummed with power.

She looked up and was not surprised to find that glistening, lacy, strands of blue and white magic crisscrossed the sky. They formed lattice work around the clouds and gauzy silk that flowed with the currents in the air. The magic surrounded Fluttershy as she flew, holding her up and pushing her forward. The whole sky looked like a pattern of the thin, but very strong lace that shimmered in the sunlight and sparkled even in the weak moonlight.

Starlight’s widened. She was dumbstruck with awe. This was magic she had never seen, or even known to look for before. Tentatively, she reached forward with her purple magic. She noticed with a start that it had taken on a new color too. Deep within the purple aura, there were silver and gold lines of crackling energy. Starlight realized with a start that this was what unicorn magic looked like. Giving her magic a shove she probed towards the green magic that flowed with the ground.

Starlight’s magic bounced off the earth magic with a loud clanging noise. She thrust her magic at it again, but was again meet with resistance. Starlight frowned. Apparently the magics were incompatible, like trying to pour oil on a rock and expecting it to go through. The same was true of the sky magic. When she tried to connect with it; it recoiled away from her, like water around oil. So, calling on other pony magic was not going to be an option.

Magic was everywhere, Starlight realized. Equestria was a world filled to the brim with it. But, she could feel that something was missing too, some deep tie to put it all together like glue. The three pony magics were meant to exist in harmony, and now, with all the unicorns gone, they couldn’t. That was why the sky was wrong, why crops didn’t grow like they used to, why the world didn’t work just quite right anymore.

Starlight frowned again, that still didn’t solve her true problem; the source of unicorn magic and where it had disappeared to. If she could just figure that out, maybe she could pull on it and it could help save the sun. It wouldn’t fix the magical balance in Equestria, but at least it would buy them some time, time that was quickly running out.

What was it that Zecora had said? Something about unicorn magic coming from far up above? That couldn’t be right. Pegasi magic came from the sky. So what was up, but not the sky?

“Duck down, Starlight we’re getting closer to the edge of the forest. It won’t be long until we reach the city.” Fluttershy said to her as she coasted in lower to walk beside Pinkie Pie and Applejack. They all looked up at the towering city on the mountain. The seat of the Council and the home of the Guard’s rule. Starlight gasped.

Up! But it wasn’t the sky! The answer had been staring her down the whole way here!

“What is it Starlight?” Applejack asked.

“Nothing, nothing. I’m just happy we will be able to get to Rainbow soon.” Starlight replied. It was true after all, even if it wasn’t the reason she had gasped.

A theory started to form in her mind, what if the Guard had taken the unicorn magic? What if that was what they did when they made them vanish without a trace? It all made sense to Starlight. The magic was in the City! The highest point in Equestria! Far up above! Starlight wasn’t so sure how the rest of the riddle fit it. That part about the magic coming from ‘who you are and what you love’ or something, but then again, Zecora was hard to understand and if she had needed a rhyme, well, maybe only parts of the riddle were important.

Even the part about the ‘first part of you’, which Starlight figured either meant her, or the word you, could fit here. The City was the first place she had lived, the place where she grew up. It was the first part in her story after all. Starlight still felt like something didn’t quite add up, but it was the best idea she had.

She pushed her doubts to the back of her mind. She had to do something. If she didn’t, the whole world could be engulfed in a fiery inferno in a few days or less. So, she was sticking to her guns and her best idea so far. She bit her lip. She just hoped it would be enough.

She looked around. They really were at the edge of the forests that bordered the City. In the light of the growing sun, she could see all the way up the mountain, right to the top. The Guard Headquarters. That’s where they were going. Starlight was ready, she hoped. She stifled a yawn, tilting her head sideways. It took a little longer than usual for her to figure out the time, but after a few seconds she realized it was almost midnight.

Noticing her yawn, Applejack nodded.

“We’ll camp here for the night…Or for a few hours at least.” She said, looking up at the sky, clearly aware of how little time they had left to figure everything out. “We need to be ready for this.” She didn’t need to elaborate. They all knew the challenges that would face them when they woke up.

They bedded down in the small clearing they were in. Starlight could look out and see the edge of the forest. They were really getting closer to Rainbow, finally. With that thought in mind she curled up and closed her eyes.

Unfortunately, sleep evaded her. Thoughts of dire prophecies, unknown magics and Rainbow swirled around in her head. She tossed and turned, trying desperately to find a comfortable spot. She huffed unhappily, flipping over onto her back in another unsuccessful attempt to fall asleep. The bright sun in the sky didn’t help either. She was just too awake, despite her yawns and tired eyes and body, her mind didn’t want to cooperate.

Finally, after what felt like hours, she drifted off.
---

Starlight woke up inside a dark, stone room. She bolted to her hooves, the chill from the brick still clinging to her fur. She gasped and looked around. She didn’t understand. Where am I? She had fallen asleep in the forest right? She whirled around.

The room was bare, and one wall had bars. She was in some kind of prison cell. She raced to the bars and tried to peer out. There was nothing but darkness.

“Hello?! Is anypony there?! I don’t know where I am!” She screamed into the darkness, anxiety slicing through her belly.

To Starlight’s shock there was an almost immediate response.

“Starlight? Where are you?!” A voice echoed in through room. Starlight flipped around.

“Rainbow?!” She gasped, but there was no one else in the room. “I can hear you but I can’t see you! Where are you?!” Starlight yelled into the darkness.

“Starlight?” Rainbow’s voice repeated again, vibrating against the walls, this time sounding like it was coming from the hallway outside the cell.

“I’m here!” Starlight yelled even louder, pushing herself up against the bars. “I’m here.” She said, softer, when no reply came and the place fell silent once again. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She didn’t understand. None of this made any sense.

Suddenly the sound of pounding hooves reached Starlight’s ears as some pony thundered down the hallway at full speed. Starlight gripped the bars and listened as the came closer. The running pony galloped past in a fraction of a second and then kept going.

For Starlight though, that fraction of a second was enough to recognize the flash of blue and rainbow that had gone past.

“Rainbow Dash! Come back! I need you! I’m back here!” She screamed, her voice raising shrilly. She needed to follow, she had to find Rainbow. Starlight fell forward as the room pitched and she found herself staring down the hallway. She took off after Rainbow.

“Wait! Wait for me! I’m coming!” She yelled again, but the retreating form of Rainbow just got farther away. “Please!!” She put every ounce of energy she had into her small frame, trying to desperately catch up to Rainbow.
She was there one second and gone the next. As if by magic, Rainbow’s running form in front of Starlight had disappeared.

“Rainbow!” She called out. She ran faster, but then, her front hoof, instead of hitting solid ground, found nothing but air. Starlight pitched forward a saw nothing but a yawning dark abyss before her, the drop immense. She slammed her back hooves into the ground and skidded to a stop, right at the edge of the cliff.

“Kid! Right here!” Rainbow’s voice laughed from below her. Starlight looked down, and sure enough, hovering right below her was Rainbow. “I gotcha good didn’t I?” She laughed again. Starlight felt a prickle of unease. This was wrong. Something wasn’t right. Other than the fact that she had no idea where she was and had no clue what was happening, she felt an even bigger sense of wrongness.

“Here, Kid! Jump down! I’ll catch you!” Rainbow called up to her. Starlight frowned nervously as Rainbow smiled reassuringly at her. Then, it was as if time slowed down. Rainbow’s body seized with electricity and she let out an ear splitting shriek. Her wings buckled and she started to fall.

“Starlight!” She wailed.

“Rainbow!” Starlight screamed her eyes widening. Without a second thought, Starlight dove after Rainbow, all her doubts flung away. She had to help Rainbow, no matter what. Rainbow flipped around as they fell, still crackling with electricity. She smiled, a wicked grimace that sent shivers down Starlight’s back. She opened her wings and slowed, right under Starlight as she fell. Starlight saw something dark and black in her eyes.

“Gotcha.” Rainbow said.

Then, just as Starlight was about to fall into Rainbow, a swirling nexus of magenta magic engulfed her.

Comments

[Rainbooms]

AHHHHHHH I FORGOT ABOUT YOU AND YOUR CLIFFHANGERS! NOT AGAIN!

I MUST KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.

[PurpleFire135]

2933395 Hee Hee sorry.

[PurpleFire135]

2932124 Thanks so much for reading and for your thoughts on this. I realize there isn't much background on all this, and I apologize for that. I'm not sure how far you've gotten, but there are hints in there that the Uprising wasn't really as straightforward as it seems. It started as a group (the council and their followers) who wanted control of the Equestrian government (for reasons...I know what they are, but hey, spoilers!) and decided the way to do that was to morally unseat those in power: namely those who could use magic. At that time, it wasn't (and still isn't) well known or well thought that the other races have magic/power of their own (the fact that Starlight can see this is part of why she is important).So, there were smear campaigns, propaganda, all that shit to bring the other races into a hate storm against those who could manipulate the world they lived in basically (it's more in depth than that, but that is the short version).
I have a lot of regrets looking back on this story (since I am near the end of it) and wish I had planned the damn thing out a little better. This is what I get for writing and posting on the fly And the reactions from the camp ponies? Didn't even think of that. (God I just don't even know somedays).
Anyway, thank you so much for reading and offering your feedback. It really helps me out.

[Flink]

It's a trap! Don't let them steal your magic!

[Snowfeather]

"TheCcity was the first place she had lived, the place where she grew up."
You might want to change that to, "The city was the first place she had lived, the place where she grew up."