The Legend of Starlight Dragon

You find yourself in the center of Ponyville, in the shadow of town hall a figure is covered in shadows. A unicorn emerges from this moonless night’s shadows with a scarlet red coat, sky-blue hair with silver streaks and white tips keeping part of her forelock covering her right eye. Leaving the left eye exposed a glowing light teal color. She is covered with a tattered black cloak on covering her saddlebags. As she walks further into the starlight, her cutie mark becomes visible through a hole in the cloak. A standing book with a quill on top of its cover. She begins gathering a crowd with a promise to tell a story like no other. “Come ponies lend me your ears, for I have a story that will entertain. A legend long forgotten, of a unicorn who was cursed on a night much like tonight. With this a powder that makes the story come to life in full color. But be warned this tale is not for the faint of heart.” As the pony's horn begins to glow with a white aura a book appears from beneath her cloak wrapped in her magic, a powder begins to fill the area in front of the crowd. She disappears in to the shadows of the night just before the mist she created covers her completely from view. Her voice pierces through the silence and the mist, being heard clearly as her loud but gentle voice begins to make the powder stir.

“This story is, The Legend of Starlight Dragon.” A tattered and warn book appears before them, covered in a white aura with its pages turning slowly as the book's illustrations come to life before them. "According to the stories passed from generation to generation and from written accounts dating far into the past. Tell the tale of the origins of the organization and early documentation of the stars and planets. The result of a unicorn with the encouragement and guidance of her mentor, she became driven to discover the great power hidden within her. Led by her confidence and curiosity she would create a powerful spell that shocked many. That would unfortunately brought her to the feet of the most powerful creature of her time, who's dark magic left her with a evil and powerful curse. That came to change her forever, turning a once kind and considerate pony into a cold and ruthless monster."

"With so many different versions of the story out it’s about time I share the true and full story of the Starlight Dragon. We must go back in time, back before the sisters brought harmony to Equestria. A time when Discord the spirit of chaos and disharmony, controlled all of Equestria." The crowd of ponies are transported to what Ponyville looked like during his rule, a desolate place with small shacks and ponies hiding in fear. The sun and moon rise and fall randomly in the background out of control. "Born into these dark times was a young unicorn named Starlight; she was a rather curious little filly with her head constantly in the clouds. She was born with a Shimmering silver coat her mane and tail was a brilliant sky-blue with white faded tips. Her eyes were a bright blue; sadly she hid half of her face with the way she kept her mane. She was a smart, kind, independent, considerate and often outspoken filly by all accounts." The pony appears before them as she is described doing what is being described. "She wasn't a popular filly as she lacked her cutie mark, other ponies often picked on her and with the times no one put a stop to it. Obviously it wasn't easy to make friends if you’re being picked on a lot but she did have a few, just none her age. Unlike many ponies that haven’t earned their cutie mark it really didn't bother her she knew it would come eventually. But it did motivate her to try many things she never done before."

"As she tried more and more things, she became driven not just to try, but to excel at anything she saw as worth trying. As we should all know it’s not always such a good thing that you push yourself to try to earn a name for yourself, let alone a cutie mark. The countless hours she spent alone toying with things far away from home in a lab she put together herself. Pushing what ponies were willing to accept in fields of magic and general knowledge. Her next big idea was to study the night sky and she came to learn of an alicorn whom we know now as Princess Luna, who shared in her interest of the night sky. Starlight sought Luna out and began asking her questions relating to what she knew about the night." Luna now appears, no pony has seen her in 1000 years, speaking to little Starlight. Seeing the young pony’s interest she smiled and became a mentor to her. "After a while Luna began to notice how Starlight has become obsessed with the few stars in the random and short night sky. Drawing maps of them fascinated by the way they dance across the sky. Illustrations of her star maps slide across the powder each one with great detail. Luna urged Starlight to be weary of the dangers of Discord discovering her if she pushed too far. However, this warning fell on deaf ears; as she began work on a spell that she would cast every night that slowly was going to equal out the night and day. Starlight is seen smiling her first casting caused her cutie mark to appear a shooting white star with blue centered lines and faded yellow contrails. After her excitement was contained she quickly began to draw the stars for didn’t have long to study the night."

"Two years have passed Luna, fearing for Starlight’s safety, asked her older sister Celestia what to do?" Changes her voice to mimic Celestia’s “There isn’t much we can do Luna, but warn her to be aware of the dangers. There was more work to be done to find the elements of harmony to combat Discord, and bring harmony to Equestria. I hope we find them before more suffer his wrath.” Her voice returns too normal, "As the young Starlight grew up her magical abilities and her confidence grew with her. Sadly no pony knew of Starlight’s true plans not only were her plan to extending the night. She was trying to organize the stars and planets setting the way they would move. She needed to keep it quite no one could know, not many even watch the stars who is going to notice if she didn’t tell a soul." "She’s running to the edge of the forest into a lab with full saddlebags she making final preparations for her final spell, Luna’s warning drifted into her mind. She shrugged "No one noticed yet why they would now." The final spell she cast lit up the sky with a beam of bright light. As her spell forced night to roll in thousands of stars slowly began to appear. A beautiful moonless night the longest there has ever been, but it wasn’t going to be seen for a long time for it wasn’t meant to be."

"Starlight weakened by the spell she cast looked at her handy work but as she drank it in everything was about to change. This time someone did notice and it wasn’t just Luna a brief flash of light appeared behind her, a figure walks to her side. She knew this figure well as Discord and he wasn’t amused with her meddling in his “glorious night”. He would make a decision that changed her life forever, to make an example of this rebel pony. Greatly weakened by her spell she barely was able to run out of the lab, but she wouldn't make it far. Luna, who could do nothing but watch the horror unfold before her, witnessed this event from a distance." The crowd watch as the powder brings them into Luna’s eyes forcing them to watch just as she did hearing what she heard. "He lifted her off the ground with his magic and began to surround her with it; she began to scream in fear and terror before it covered her completely silencing her briefly. Seeing a red dragon flying by he smiled as he plucked it from the sky combining the dragon with Starlight. After a minute he dropped the magical cocoon to watch her change, to enjoy his handy work. With cries of pain her beautiful mane falls out, replaced with sharp blue spikes growing out of her neck and head. Her tail slowly became solid gaining flesh as spikes grew out on the top of the tail all the way down. Her once shining silver coat became scarlet before scarlet colored scales grew painfully out from head to tail. With a dark gray underbelly made of scales her body was more dragon then pony. Her horn disappeared completely in to her body replaced with a line of 3 spikes just above each of her darkening now teal colored eyes that became dragon like in appearance. Finally apparently flickering on the edge of consciousness, wings like a dragon's shot out just behind her front shoulders their membranes were black as night. She could not take anymore she finally blacks out, as Discord's cruel laughter was heard. All the changes forced upon her causing her great pain that created the piercing bloodcurdling screams heard that terrible night."

We return to starlight shack as she is lying on the floor beginning to wake. "As she awoke she wished it was a bad dream but she noticed the changes that happened to her. Her mind is broken, still in pain, she realizes not just her appearance has changed but even her cutie mark has changed. The star appeared to be burning the edges of the white star darkened by flames licking around the star appearing to be consuming it. Discord who had waited for her to wake informed her of his plan," her voice deepens imitating a male voice “You have gone against me destroying my hard work but I have plans for you. I'll have you fix what you did and help me spread my merriment across Equestria. My little dragon pet you will serve me until the end of time.”her voice returns to normal again, "He used the existing darkness in her heart; he fueled it to the point where it over took her corrupting her soul and mind." The crowd is greeted with a heart blacking as her actions further darkened her broken mind. "She willing went out of her way tormenting, abusing and enslaving ponies of all ages, she was even seen to be smiling as she did it, to Discord’s pleasure."

"That was until the sisters defeated Discord with the elements and sealed him in stone 4 years later witnessing him being turned to stone. She was seen with tears coming from her dark teal eyes and a grin from ear to ear, a rather terrifying and evil smile with her razor sharp teeth and muscular jaw. As the sisters glanced over to her the smile fell from her face, as their confident glance brought Starlight expression fear. Starlight flew away from them that day, as all Equestria rallied behind the sisters. The darkness he fed to her disappeared, as a result her eyes and scales slightly lightened in color. Her eyes changed from dark teal to a lighter shade, dried-blood red to scarlet. She wandered around town broken, fearful, and hated by all those around her. As time passed Starlight never returned to her former self the Starlight they knew, the Starlight Luna knew was gone. The sisters now had to decide her fate as ponies demanded justice; it has been a year since they beat Discord." The broken Starlight is seen wandering town with her head down being attacked by her former victims, not even defending herself. Taking both verbal and physical abuse without retaliating, a miserable sight. "Starlight’s crimes were equal to Discords too many ponies who suffered from her wrath. But the sisters, mainly Luna knew it was discord's magic to blame but they also weren't willing to risk her releasing Discord. But before they could act Starlight just vanished, they couldn't find her anywhere. Many years will pass before the discovery of her hidden lab and what it contained created a legend. Not only were there papers that Luna knew Starlight had created but also there were others, charts depicting the current night sky and a tattered diary signed by Starlight Dragon." The powder allows them to see the lab, nothing more than a poorly built shack unable to keep the rain out. Its contents carefully protected by bags and boxes stacked neatly on a makeshift desk. "No pony knows for sure where they were taken after being discovered, but its information was published with Luna’s orders though many may have stolen Starlight’s work claiming it to be their own. The final location of all her work disappeared in a week after its discovery although many believe it was a hoax they continue hunting her."

"As no pony is sure if she ever addressed herself as Starlight Dragon before disappearing, and I’m not sure she did, the royal records also never mentioned it. It would be odd for her to take a name that was being used to belittle her, as her true name. What continues to fascinate ponies of all ages is that Starlight is rumored to be sometimes seen on the edge of the Everfree Forest to this day. Some ponies have tried to connect Starlight to a shy brown cloaked, red furred pony with a glowing teal blue eye the other covered. But it was seen once and appeared to be a dragon’s eye. Some believe that Discord’s magic wearing off created this pony, a shadow of her former self. As no one has spoken to them they always disappear if someone gets near them. I even stumbled across a possible prophecy relating to Starlight." “With the return of darkness and chaos unrivaled, at the return of her dark master. The dragon shall rise again serving her master once more.” "Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic in the Legend of the Starlight Dragon after hearing the story, if she is in fact still alive after all these years of living in isolation. Is it possible that she lives alone hiding in fear not just from us but also trying to hide from her dark and miserable past that likely haunts her, seeking the forgiveness for all her evil deeds. Or is she waiting for the right moment of weakness to free Discord and continue to spread Discord’s “merriment” across Equestria under his leadership. Whatever you believe sometimes the answers are right in front of you, waiting to be found by someone willing to look in the right places."

The mist dispels and the book returns to her saddlebag as well as an empty bottle that once contained the powder. A blue colt from the crowd speaks to her “That was amazing, I never been so interested in hearing an Old Pony Tale. What’s your name?” She blushes and replies, “My name is Scarlet, I traveled all of Equestria collecting all the rumors and legends to put together in a book.” “Is there somewhere that we can buy this book of yours?” A purple mare asked. Scarlet replies “No not yet, but I see what I can do if you’re interested in buying it. But, tonight’s show is over I’ve gotta hit the road, perhaps I'll return sometime with a new story.” She smiles and walks away down the main road leading out of Ponyville, pausing briefly to look at the stars that have guided her way for years.

Story created by Anastasia Newman AKA Starlight Dragon