Author's Note

Turns out even I have a limit
So how long was the main character of this fic in that house? Too long.

Equality

In sameness, there is peace.

How long had it been? Days, for sure.

Exceptionalism is a lie.
That's all she could determine. The passing of days marked by the rising sun, and being paraded out into the town.

Free yourself from your cutie mark. Choose equality as your special talent.

Every time, Starlight Glimmer asked the same question, she and her friends gave the same answer. But she wasn't feeling it as strongly anymore, and she could tell her friends weren't either.

Difference is frustration. To excel is to fail. Be your best by never being your best.
The words really started to bore into her head. Maybe it was the frustration of being trapped in here...

Conformity will set you free. Accept your limitations, and happiness will follow. You're no better than your friends.

Confirmity would set her free...Her cutie mark glowed at the thought of that. Of course she wan't better than her friends, that was natural.

The looping voice started again. Being equal...everypony out there seemed pretty happy about it, didn't they? Maybe she didn't need her cutie mark for true friendship.

Once again, the cutie mark pulsed, reinforcing this thought. How must the other girls be doing, with this? She looked over them, each of them having that same cutie mark. Perfectly equal. The same. And in sameness, there was peace.

The recording stopped, and she knew what was coming next.

Indeed, they found themselves before the town again, and again, they declined the offer. This time, however, something changed.

"Twilight Sparkle, I think it's time you and I had a talk."

With a last look back at her friends, Twilight Sparkle followed Starlight Glimmer to her house. The door closed, and Starlight looked back at Twilight.

"I can see it in your eyes, you know."

Starting, Twilight took a step back, her heart beating faster. "What are you talking about now?"

Starlight Glimmer merely chuckled, shaking her head. "You can't hide it from me. Remember, I gave you that mark." she nodded at the equal sign on Twilight's flank. "You've been feeling a bit more...equal today, haven't you?" at the look on Twilight's face, she smiled wider. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Equality is simply perfection."

"Equality is perfection...?" Twilight asked, half as a question, half as a repeated statement. The mark glowed, and Starlight nodded, stepping foward.

"That's right. In sameness, there is peace." she whispered to Twilight.

"Exceptionalism is a lie..." Twilight droned, looking off into space. The mark pulsed as the mantra repeated in her head.
Starlight paced around Twilight, watching as she mouthed the same words she had been listening to just moments ago. Just as she thought, seperating the Princess from her friends had done wonders for her acceptance. She reached the front of the mare, directing her vacant gaze to her own face.

"We are all Equal. Equality is happiness."

"We are all Equal...Equality is happiness..." Twilight repeated, a lightness to her words. There was happiness in Equality. Freedom. No more fighting, no more trouble, just happiness...

She was falling, and Starlight was prepared to swoop in for the kill. "You don't need your cutie mark, do you?" she asked, drawing out the words. Oh, she was enjoying this.

Twilight shook her head slowly. She never needed it, did she? It just separated her from others, caused problems. "N-no...I choose equality as my special talent..." she replied, a smile on her face. Accepting it felt so much better.

"That's right..." Starlight cooed, a magical aura surrounding Twilight. Fixing up her mane, her tail. "You don't want to leave, do you? You want to be just like the rest of us."

"Conformity will set you free..." Twilight said softly, as the aura faded, her smile growing. "Yes, I'd love to join your village."
The mark glowed a final time, flushing out everything that made Twilight Sparkle special. Well, except those wings. Magic did have a limit, but it didn't matter now. Twilight was hers...and besides. Those little reminders of what she used to be would only drive home the message.

"There is true friendship in Equality. Why don't we share that with your friends?"

"No better than my friends..." Twilight whispered, following Starlight Glimmer out. The poor mare would need a few weeks to recover from the rather intense...convincing. Once she did, though, she'd be a smiling beacon of Equality
Just like everyone else.