"Why?" asked Twilight Sparkle one evening. Starlight looked up in confusion.

"Why what?" she asked, but was worried she already knew the answer.

"Why did you make 'Our Town'?" pressed Twilight

"I already told you that"

"Barely"

"Fine. Twilight, you've asked me this ten times today. If I tell you, will you stop?"

"Yes"

"Fine"

***
"Mommy, where are we going?" asked Starlight Glimmer, walking along side her parents. Instead of answering, her father lifted a hoof and pointed to a small purple flower.

"Go grab that, dear" He said, forcing the dear. Starlight, being just a filly, not even having her cutie mark yet, didn't sense the strain in their voices. She smiled up at her parents before trotting over to the flower. She reached it and stopped for a moment to smell it. It was a beautiful deep purple with four white petals poking out. She turned quickly when she heard loud hoof steps.

"M-mommy! Daddy! Wait for-" cried Starlight, but tripped over a bush, landing on her nose and causing it to bleed. When she looked up, her parents were no where in sight. Starlight got to her hooves shakily. "Mommy? D-daddy? Where are you?" She called out, crying as she did so. "No! I don't want this! Don't leave me here alone! I don't wanna be alone! I wanna be at home and eat pie with Nanny again! I wanna swing in the backyard with Daddy! I wanna play soccer with my friends!" She cried after falling for a second time. She stayed down and sobbed loudly for a while, her mournful cries echoing in this barren, desert like place. After she started feeling better, she got up and trudged back over to the flower, taking comfort in its soft scent. She inhaled deeply and spluttered and coughed when she saw blue, magical wisps floating off of it and into her lungs. She fell back and coughed, but found she could breathe normally. Then she started thinking.

'Why am I so sad about this. No, I shouldn't be sad, I'm angry! How dare they? Did they decide that they just didn't like me, and so decided to leave me here to die!? Well, I'm not just going to keel over. I'll show them'

"Is that a filly?" came a voice from behind her. Starlight turned around, putting on her best 'helpless little filly' face. A mare and stallion approached her, both dressed for hiking.

"Where are your parents?" asked the mare.

"They left me here" said Starlight, trying to look as innocent as she could.

"O-okay, what's your name?" She asked, examining Starlight's bloody nose.

"Are you going to leave me too?" Asked Starlight.

"Well, after we find your parents, yes" explained the mare.

"You'll never leave me!" shouted Starlight, eyes flashing green. At the same time, the couples flashed white. They both fell down and writhed in pain as their cutie marks got torn from their bodies, both being replaced by a black equal sign. When the pair stood, they looked... robotic. "Do you still want to leave me?" asked Starlight tentatively.

"No, we want to be your parents" they both replied. Just then, Starlight felt a tingling on her flank and looked down. Her cutie mark was finally here!

"Hmm" she said. "A cutie mark in magic. Not bad". Her "Parents" eyes shot open and they started hopping around Starlight. Her "mother" burst into tears, saying; "Oh, my little baby is growing up!" while her "father" wiped at a tear and patted her back. Little did they know, Starlights cutie mark was actually supposed to resemble how one thing changed her life. That little purple and white flower that had added to her emotions of anger, fueling it. Eventually, their little family expanded. They found enough resources to build a town. Starlight grew older, and became their mayor. One night, she sat in her bedroom, thinking.

"We need a reason. Something that'll make ponies want to stay here. Something that'll make them willing to give away their cutie marks" she said to herself. Her eyes scanned the room, where she came across a framed picture of a black equal sign. She face-hoofed so hard. "Of course! Equality" she said, now regretting her face-hoof. The next morning, she went out and started talking about how to be happy, they need to be equal. From then on, she wasn't their mayor. She was just another resident. Except, with more color. Cuz, y'know, ponies. Everything was perfectly fine, until a group of ponies showed up. Six of them. And one of them was an alicorn. This was the only one Starlight was interested in. Everything about her was beautiful and elegant. Starlight knew that she needed her. "Okay, I'm just going to try and be nice this time. No magic" she would tell herself every night. But that didn't last long. As soon as things started going bad, well, old habits die hard. She cast the spell. Oh sweet heavens, even her cutie mark was beautiful! Then, everything went to hell. They found out that Starlight still had her cutie mark. That she wasn't equal. Then those ponies, all of them, chased her out of her home. And now, she was once again, in every meaning of the word, alone. Eventually, she was able to make it from the northern cave system back to Canterlot. That is where she reunites with Twilight Sparkle, her new mare friend.

***
"I'm so sorry, Starlight" Said Twilight, hugging her tightly.

"Why? You helped me!" Stressed Starlight.

"Not soon enough"

Author's Note

This is a prequel to Starlight shines at Twilight. I did this story really quickly on a request. Hope you all like!