Origin of Starlight Glimmer

by indigenous

Rating: everyone
Tags:
Length: 1464

Starlight is initiated into an underground company that researches genetic engineering and other controversial things.

At the time it seemed like a good idea. I was really going to change the world for the better. He helped me see what real order and harmony looked like and he was right.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2015-04-05 18:00:01 UTC

Initiation

"Do you really want me to show you how the process works?" The doctor said in a slightly annoyed tone. I didn't think he was truly annoyed, but more sarcastic and angry if anything. We stopped in front of the metal door that had no doorknob, just a blue glowing screen on one of the sides, big enough for a hoof.

"Yes, I've been eager to find out exactly how to make ponies equal." I said with some excitement.

"We don't make ponies equal, we're removing their identities, and through this we're trying to create new identities," he said as if he needed to correct me, "I guess this does end up making ponies equal, but I'm more concerned about advancement. A side affect is that they become equal given we want them to, this would create a new utopia of shared ideas and push progression of this company forward."

"So it's brainwashing?" I asked.

"We call it defaulting," he said as he placed his hoof upon this glowing screen, which I assume directly opened the metal door.

"Defaulting?"

"Okay-y-y lemme say something real quick before we head in," he stepped in front of the doorway blocking my view. I managed to see some other ponies in the background, all of them wearing lab-coats. The doctor wasn't. Probably because his natural fur color was white, which is a great contrast to his styled crimson mane. He continued, "When you walk in you're gonna see a lot of weird sci-ency machines and computers with long words that might hurt your tiny pony brain."

"Hey!" I shouted a little embarrassed.

"Hay's for horses."

He was kinda right. There were a lot of machines and lights and ponies being tested on. The one he lead me to was inside a separate room, but we could see him through a glass wall. He had cuffs around his hoofs that were bolted to the ground. Right across from him was a large machine that ended in a rounded point, it hung from the ceiling.

"The glass is soundproof so you won't have to hear all the screaming," the doctor said. He had a very narcissistic and cynical tone of voice. Perfect for this company I suppose. I could see his greedy golden eyes reflect in the glass, like a Hyena lurking over a steak.

I watched as the machine -rather than stab the pony like I thought- shoot a laser at the poor stallion. The laser of magic (I presume) tore the cutiemark on the stallion right off. After a second or two, it was replaced with a gray and dull equal sign. It was horrifying and interesting to watch.

"You see ahaha?" The doctor shouted manically, "It rips the personality right outta the pony. That way were able to input a new personality."

"He still seems... normal," I said.

"Ahhhahah, don't worry, in a few hours to days he'll be as emotionless as- well- I'm not one for countryisms like the rest of you filth covered, dirty goat-cats." I think he was still wiping tears form his eyes.

"Hey- I mean... that was uncalled for."

"Where are you from?" he asked in a stern voice.

"Baltimare."

"Noooooo. Where were you born?"

I didn't want to say anything, I knew where he was going with this.

"Huh?" he said impatiently.

"... Timbleweed..." I muttered.

"Timbleweed? Timbleweed? You mean that place located in the armpit of Equestria out in the middle of the desert on the border of the Badlands where no princess ever cares to look or go, that Timbleweed?"

Again, I didn't say anything.

"You mean the little dirt-ville I saved you from?" he asked.

"...yes," I finally conceded.

"To me, you're still like them", he said,  "But only by a little. When you're through with our program, we'll completely reinvent you, giving you everything you don't have."

"What don't I have?" I asked.

"Ah well lets uhhh, lets see here. Good looks, charisma, a sense of style, nice hair, a sense of decency, morality, a nicer shade of pink, dignity-"

"Alright I get it!" I shouted.

"Grea-a-at, then we can begin," he laughed.

I lowered my voice, "I still have a question."

"Hm?"

"How does it work? I don't understand how the cutiemark is linked with their personality." To me it didn't make sense, what better pony to ask other than the CEO himself?

"It takes a logical brain to think about these things," he said flatly.

I remained silent, waiting for another bad insult to come my way.

"You know what?" he asked, "I'll give you a test, if you give me the right answer, I'll tell you how it works. Kay kiddo?"

"Okay," I said. How hard could this be?

"Okay, okay. If I have two apples... and you take one of those apples..."

"Really?" I whispered to myself.

"Then how much would I have to pay a window washer to wash all the windows in Manehatten?" He stood there looking at me, expecting a real answer.

"...what?" I stuttered out.

"I'm waiting for my answer."

"That's not possible to answer," I said.

"Of course it is. Your tiny pony mind is just too small to be able to fathom all the possibilities of an answer, your mind is restricting itself," he said with a smug laugh.

"Can you just explain it to me?" At this point was slightly irritated.

"Fiiiine. But if you get a migraine and start to cry, it's your fault."

I watched him as he pretended to hold up items in his hoofs, as if he needed to give me a visual representation of what he was saying. "So when a pony is created, it's given a set of fields, variables if you will. And most of these variables are final once they've been set, like eye color, mane color, and fur color. There's more but that's just an example. Other variables, personality, tone of voice, and size can change over the years. But usually after n amount of years, all these fields become permanent, or final."

"And so then what?" I asked.

"We'll get there," he continued,  "A pony's cutiemark -interestingly enough- acts like a class where it aggregates itself into the pony, and from there it seems to be responsible for some of the pony's fields."

"Uhhh..."

"If the cutiemark is removed, those fields it could mutate -which is nearly all of them- will return to a default status where they are very susceptible to change. And from there it's like the pony is being born again, except exactly how we want it, got all that kitten?"

"So what's the purpose of reinventing the pony?" I asked, pretending to fully understand what he meant.

"Do you know what Marxism is?" he asked.

"No."

"It's a form of government where everything is completely equal. It sounds great I know, but it's a utopia, it's impossible to reach. Ponies are greedy, liars, unkind, depressed, and betrayers. All of this destroys this idea of Marxism, and pony's have tried to run a Marxist government before and they call it communism, but just because they call it that doesn't mean that it is. Ultimately it's been an unreachable form of peace... until now. This breakthrough in engineering can truly bring peace and order to Equestria once and for all. That's our mission here. Harmony"

"It sounds right, in a weird and twisted way..." I said sounding slightly unsure, "I guess."

"When Luna was banished to the moon, harmony began to favor Celestia. If the Elements of Harmony really did bring harmony, then they would be used against her. Harmony's only harmony as long as she says it is."

"I think I understand," I said.

"You can never have a nightmare if you never have a dream, now I think you're late so go down that hallway and enter the first room on your right. We're trying to figure out how to remove a pony's cutiemark via magic and not machine. But you knew that already didn't you?" he asked in a rhetorical voice.

"Uhh, yeah, yeah. I know why I'm here," I said somewhat terrified.

He flipped through a couple of documents and papers that were attached to a clip board, that he levitated with his magic. "And from what your application says, your magic ability is just what we need, welcome aboard."

"Thank you, doctor," I said, beginning to walk down the hallway.

"Auuup! One more thing."

I turned around halfway down the hallway and looked up at him.

"What you're doing now will one day, eventually lead to the most peaceful society the world has ever created... just know that."

I nodded and gave him a little smile. Then I turned around and entered in the first room on my right.