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.
"Pommel! It's about time you got back. Where in Equestria have you been?"
The fear that had held her captive for years was no longer there, replaced by new-found determination. "Nowhere important. I was just out getting coffee."
"Great, give it here. I need my fix before Rarity 'forfeits.' Hate to look bad on stage mkay."
Coco would savor both this moment and the coffee for years. In clear view of Suri, she pulled it out of her saddlebag and s-l-o-w-l-y took a couple of gulps.
A bit taken aback, Suri shook herself. "Hey! That was mine."
"It was never yours, nor were the other ones. You made me pay for all of them."
Her employer's voice took on a confused tone. "What do you think you're doing Pommel? I told you before, nothing's free in the business world."
"Rarity didn't seem to think so when she loaned you her fabric."
A chuckle accompanied the reply. "No she didn't. And look how that turned out. I didn't even have to seek the advantage; she gave it to me on a silver platter."
"Tell me something." Coco took a step forward. "Do you tell yourself that every time you lie? Every time you steal from somepony else? Every time you gain fame and prestige that didn't belong to you? Because that's what you had me believing. That all the sneaking around, the deception, it was all in the name of survival."
The tone changed from confused to dangerous. "I don't 'just tell myself that.' It's the truth. Do you think I got as far as I did by looking out for the little guy? Or plopping a few bits in one of those charity scams? Please. The only way to get to the top is by looking out for number one."
"WRONG! Rarity beat you in fashion week without doing any of that. She didn't lie, she didn't cheat, and she especially didn't steal from one of her betters. And even after we lied to her, she didn't even care. She was just happy to be with her friends instead.
From her saddlebag, she pulled out the trophy still engraved with the contest's real winner. "Rarity deserves this much more than you ever did. And I'm gonna make sure she gets it."
If looks could kill, Suri's harsh glare would have given Cerberus himself some trouble. She slowly walked towards Coco, teeth grinding with every step.
"HOW. DARE. YOU! I did all this to teach you, to show you how to survive in this city, and this is your gratitude? You think you can turn around and betray me?"
As impossible as seemed, the cream mare met the gaze eye-to-eye. "Yes I am. Because what you did, and what I did with you, was wrong. And I won't just stand idly by anymore." And as Suri tried to protest, Coco cut her off. "Don't bother trying to stop me. I already told Prim Hemline everything. You'll be lucky if you ever get to present here again."
"You can't do this to me. I'm your boss!"
As Suri tried to swipe the trophy, her hoof hit Coco's open saddlebag, sending the cup of coffee inside flying into the air. As other nearby ponies watched, the drink hit its arc when gravity took hold.
And the scalding hot beverage splashed all over Suri.
"BLAAGH!"
Coco smiled. "I quit, Suri. Find another stooge to get you some coffee."
"Dinner time, Polomare."
The sound of a food tray slipping into her cell jolted Suri out of her recollections. Turning from her desk, she stared in disgust at three-day old rice and beans, brussel sprout souffle, and mystery meatloaf. Nasty. But despite the protests of her gag reflex, she managed to choke the gruel down. If she took too long to eat it, the guards would give it to somepony else, and she'd be left to starve for the rest of the night.
It's not *fair.** Even eating nothing but junk food would be better than this junk.*
As bad as it was, the food was the least of her problems. Although the prison (correctional center my flank) separated the inmates by gender, she'd learned the hard way that she wasn't in any less danger. Her fellow prisoners had been delighted to see the "new meat" when she'd first arrived, and they'd spent a whole week putting her through their "initiation."
I just wanted a nice hot shower, and I ended up getting scalded again.
In just days, she'd lost everything, going from rising star to sunken ship. And even when she got out, there would be no returning to the fashion world. News traveled fast, and she doubted many ponies would want to do business with a "lying, stealing, cheater." All she could do now was keep her head down and try not to get hurt too badly. Though that wasn't easy when the ponies here were immune to her sweet talk and her "seek the advantage" mindset only got her bodily harm in retaliation.
Plus, prison orange went out of style years ago.
Her life now wavered between awful and miserable, and it only felt worse whenever she thought of the wretch responsible for her suffering. The words "Curse, you, Rarity!" were scribbled all over her cell walls.
Rarity. The name left a stench in her mouth far fouler than the nasty food. That mare had come in with her stupid hotel fabric and taken what was rightfully hers. And worse than that, she'd caused Suri's assistant to turn against her and ruin her reputation forever. Now, she was angry all over again, and she took her anger out on the food tray. Her teeth clenched around it until her jaw hurt, but her pain was rewarded when the plastic broke in two.
She hated that mare. Hated her more than anything. Grabbing her cell's bars, she howled with fury and despair. In that moment, she would have given anything to see purple-haired witch in chains beside her. To make her suffer as she had suffered. To bash her head in with a pickax when they broke rocks outside.
But all she got for her trouble was the guards yelling at her to knock it off and a spritz of pepper spray in her eyes.
When everypony else had turned in for the night, she sat awake and stared at the ceiling, too angry to sleep. Instead, she stood by her door and stared out into the hallway, listening to the hoof-falls of the guards on patrol.
That were strangely silent at the moment. Maybe they were outside.
No wait, that wasn't right. Another patrol was supposed to be outside. The shift change had only happened a few minutes ago, so why weren't they patrolling?
THWACK! "Oof." THWACK! "Oof."
A pair of guards slumped unconscious in front of her cell. A key rattled in the lock. A third pony opened her cell door. Stepping forward into the moon light, she grinned at the mare.
"Who are you?"
The newcomer laughed. "My name is Starlight Glimmer. And Suri Polomare, do I have a deal for you."