Equal and Opposite

Humiliated.

Exposed.

Betrayed.

In a mere two days, those interlopers had destroyed her perfect society and left her with nothing. Every step she took through the caves embittered those memories and angered the mare. What right did those foals have to come to her town and undo her life's work? Oh how she longed to wipe those smug grins off their faces.

Those thoughts kept her going even as her body faltered. The chilly cave winds offered her no comfort; barely any light seeped through. She was almost certain she was lost but kept going anyway. Anything was better than being captured and hauled back to face her former comrades.

"OW!" A misstep on the slippery floor made her slam into a stalactite. Another step, a gasp, and a wince told her that she'd twisted her ankle. And in that moment, her anger boiled over.

"AARGH! Stupid ponies, stupid friendship, stupid cutie marks. I hate them all!"

She'd make them pay. They'd all pay. Especially that preachy Princess, who had dared to talk down to her like she was nothing but a filly. Who had wasted her time with useless sentiment when she could have had so much more. Yes, Starlight would enjoy grinding that wretched alicorn under her heel.

But how?

With or without their cutie marks, they outnumbered her six to one. If she tried to attack, they'd just gang up on her. Trying to turn the public against her was pointless. Twilight would just bring up Starlight's hypocrisy again, and that would be the end of it. No. Bringing them down would require support.

Something I don't have much of right now.

She stumbled around in the darkness for days, not knowing how far she'd come or where she was going. All of the paths looked the same, and her horn barely gave off enough light to see. She slammed into walls, fell into freezing water, and disturbed a nest of angry bats. At last, weary and on the brink of despair, she found a glimmer of light that led outside.

The land outside was unfamiliar to her: several shrubberies surrounding a city. After a moment of hesitation, she moved forward. If nothing else, the city would be a good place to hide. Odds were that no one would recognize her, so she'd be left in peace. On the outskirts, she found a sign.

Welcome to Manehattan. Population: over 1.5 million

Excellent. A city full of self-centered jerks is a great place to start looking.

But now, the question had changed from how to "where?" She couldn't just walk up to random ponies on the street and ask them if they hated Twilight or one of her friends. That would be ridiculous.

As the hustle and bustle of Manehattan swept her along, it became increasingly apparent that life in Our Town had left her out of touch with the rest of Equestria. With all of the assaults on her senses, she almost preferred being back in the cave.

How can anypony concentrate in all this pandemonium?

Neon signs flashed overhead, blaring out the latest film or play. Ponies babbled and gossiped about the latest trends. Food vendors loudly proclaimed sustenance for all to hear as the smell of their wares seeped into her nose. Her stomach grumbled in response to the delectable aromas, but she didn't have any bits for food.

"So...hungry."

As much as it pained her to do so, she moved away from the stalls. With no money, she'd only attract their wrath.

"Two carrot dogs please." came a nearby voice.

"That'll be four bits."

"Here you go. And here you go."

Starlight blinked. A tasty carrot dog was inches away from her face.

"Come on. I heard your stomach rumbling all the way across the street. Eat up."

Attached to the dog was a cream-colored earth pony who grinned at her and moved the dog closer.

"Are you talking to me?" Starlight stared forward dumbly.

"Uh-huh."

"And this is for me?"

"Yes it is. Don't look so surprised."

Snapping out of her haze, she snatched the vegetable away and devoured it, biting and growling like a wild animal.

"Geez! It's not going anywhere. What, were you lost in the forest or something?"

"Actually, it was a cave." Starlight muttered between bites. "So what do you want?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Ponies don't just walk up to each other and offer free food, so you must want something. I'll warn you right now, I don't have any bits."

"I don't want anything from you. I just saw you were hungry and wanted to help."

"Yeah, and what do you want in return?"

The mare gaped at her. "I don't want anything. I just thought I'd be generous to a pony in need."

"..."

"Ma'm? Are you all right?"

"..."

"You're not getting sick are you?"

Does not compute. Does not compute. DOES NOT COMPUTE!

"Who are you? And where did you get such crazy notions?"

"Uh, my name's Coco Pommel. And if by crazy notions you mean being generous, then you can thank Rarity Belle."

Rarity? That's one of the Accursed One's companions.

Thinking quickly, Starlight adjusted her attitude. Years of mediating in Our Town had taught her just the right tone of voice to use.

"Is that so?" She made herself look as curious as possible. "What happened between you and her that led you to such a discovery?"

Coco glanced around, a little worried. "Do you mind if we walk and talk? I have to be at Fashion Plaza in half an hour."

"Oh of course. Whatever you need." The honey oozing from her mouth was enough to choke a beehive, but the mare didn't notice.

"Well, Rarity helped me out of a jam with my old boss Suri Polomare." The mare winced at the name, as if even thinking about her past was a strain. "Last year, she and I entered Fashion Week together, and Rarity showed up with some amazing dresses. Suri took one glance at them and knew right then that she had us beat."

Starlight made a mental note. If the competition had already lit a few sparks, then that animosity could be easily exploited.

"Anyway, to make a long story short, Suri and I tricked Rarity, stole her fabric and plagiarized her whole line."

Ooh, so cutthroat. I like it.

Coco looked down with a sigh. "At first, I thought we'd done what we had to. Suri always told me that to truly succeed, you need to 'always seek the advantage and don't be held back by conscious.' But that wasn't what Rarity had done at all. She gladly shared her fabric with Suri with no gain to herself. And she didn't try to get back at my boss for humiliating her either. She just made a new line and entered with that instead. And even when we lied to her and told her she lost, she didn't care. Even with everything that happened, she would rather stay with her friends and lose rather than ditch them and win. So after seeing her so happy even in presumed defeat, I couldn't take the guilt anymore. I ended up quitting, and telling her the truth."

Ugh, it's so sweet, I could puke. Definitely one of HER friends.

Starlight hoped her involuntary twitch didn't give her away. "W-wow. That's really s-something. But I'm confused. If you quit, what happened to Suri?"

Coco allowed herself a small grin. "She won't be stealing from anyone else anymore. After I told Prim Hemline about everything we did, Suri got blacklisted from Fashion Week, and her ensuing tirade got her arrested. She's gone, and I'm free."

Right when she finished speaking, they arrived at Fashion Plaza. Starlight thanked her for the story and watched the nervous mare bolt inside. Just like the ponies in Our Town, she'd fallen under the sway of the Six. It was almost sad to see such promising talent swallowed up like that. But that wasn't important now.

I guess I'm not the only with with a score to settle. Next stop, Manehatten Correctional Center.