The Stars and the Moon

“You’re wrong!” snapped Twilight. Starlight whirled to face the alicorn, stretching her lovely new wings out. Oh Celestia did that feel good! One would think wings would need adjusting to but Starlight felt like she was born to have them.

                    “Oh really? I already told you that your friends cannot help you! Especially now that I have your cutie-mark my magic is stronger than ever. I sense your purpose inside of me. Your drive to learn everything about magic, your natural talent to wield magic, everything about you I now possess inside of me! Even your precious wings! Finally I’m not just a power mage, I can actually do something with my magic!”

                    “No. You don’t understand Starlight Glimmer” the alicorn responded, her violet orbs bore into Starlight’s with a fierce seriousness the unicorn was not expecting. “You never will because all you care about is power. I knew somepony who was just like you and all she did was nearly destroy herself in the end.”

                    Before Starlight could respond the princess continued, but with a strange softness to her tone. “Please, I can tell you have a gift, you can do good in this world. You have no idea what having my cutie-mark might do to you! I don’t want to see you end up like Sunset Shimmer…”

                    There was a heavy pause in the air, Starlight Glimmer’s mouth opened in surprise. ‘Sunset Shimmer’ she thought. She’d been just a little bit older than the arrogant unicorn when the brat was chosen as the princess’ prized pupil.

                    Suddenly a surge of anger flashed through her like lightening. Starlight could not prevent the words that leapt from her mouth. “Sunset Shimmer is dead!” she shouted, the volume of which could almost rival that of the Royal Canterlot Voice. “You are nothing but a pathetic liar! You are just as unworthy as she was for the position of Celestia’s prized pupil!”

                    The unicorn spun around, starting to pace furiously. ”I should have been her student! I had all the talent! I had all the power” her horn lit up on its own and she gritted her teeth. “What made you two so special!?” she finally burst out. Her horn fired a discharge and suddenly the world slowed to a crawl. She watched with horror as the deadly burst of anger induced energy shot through the air and struck princess Twilight square in the head.

        The pause in the air was so silent one could hear even the tiniest mouse shuffle. Twilight’s body crumpled and shifted in slow motion. Starlight had to fight down the nausea that grew in her gut at the horrific sight.

                    Shutting her eyes the unicorn turned away. Her stomach knotting and twisting as the dragon started screaming in horror. ‘No’ she thought to herself, ‘How could I have done that?! I’m not a murder! I didn’t mean to’.

        Adrenaline surged into her veins, her heart started to pound and her muscles tensed. Without bothering to untie the now traumatized young dragon, without bothering to even spare another glance at what she had done, Starlight turned tail and started running yet again. Faster and faster she ran, as if to try and escape what she had just done. To try and escape all the emotions she had pent up inside of her.

                    But no matter where she ran she kept stumbling upon the now gruesome scene of the former living princess and her anguished dragon companion. The castle seemed to grow darker and darker when suddenly voices came from all around her.

                   “Ya’ll are nothing but a dishonest murderer!” shrieked an orange pony with a country accent.

         “Applejack!” cried Starlight, skidding to a halt and looking around, but as soon as she stopped the image in the wall disappeared and was replaced by another.

                    “You’re pathetic! No wonder you couldn’t amount to anything!” yelled the Pegasus with the rainbow mane.

        Starlight backed away, eyes wide with shock. She charged up her horn and tried to strike at Rainbow Dash’s image in the crystal walls, all she accomplished was blowing a hole in it. With a yelp the mare first attempted to fly, crashing mercilessly into the ground.

        “And they considered me a weak flier!” a soft yet cruel voice rang out mockingly. Tears now flowed freely down the pink mare’s face as she pulled herself up and continued to run.

                    More and more voices joined them and Starlight could swear she saw the ponies as she ran. Rarity and Pinkie Pie joined the other three in a cacophony of insults and accusations. “I didn’t mean to!” she howled. “I just wanted to take what was supposed to be mine!”

                    Suddenly she saw a bright and warm yellow glow and instinctively skipped to a halt. Her heart felt like it stopped for it was none other than Princess Celestia herself. The regal white alicorn’s eyes held rage as she stared down the sobbing pink mare.

                    She stood over the princess’ body, the dragon was now gone and so were the voices of the elements. It was only her and the sun princess now, and for once in her life Starlight wished it weren’t so.

                    “Starlight Glimmer” the other spoke, her voice was professional but had a strong undertone of rage.

                    “Please princess I-“

                    “SILENCE” the pony used the Royal Canterlot voice, Starlight cowered under it’s power and might. “For your crimes against ponykind, your murder of a royal, and your endangerment and abuse of a baby dragon I hereby sentence you to 1000 years banishment in the moon! Then, after you have had the time to reflect with nothing but your own thoughts you may be released… From life!”

                    Starlight felt nothing but horror as Celestia’s horn charged up with powerful sun magic. Her eyes glowed white. The pink unicorn could not find any words so she simply shut her eyes before being hit with the burning magic.