“Glimmer-chan!” Starlight turned back to see her colleague and best friend, Twilight Velvet, trotting towards her, the little bundle in her magical grip floating close to her chest. Alongside her trotted a colt so young that he even lacked a cutie mark.
“Good morning Velvet!” she called back cheerfully, waving a hoof at the Neighponese mare. The two bundles in her own magic vehemently protested her volume, prompting her to bounce them, making quiet shushing noises to calm them down. Once they were sedated, she turned to Velvet, who had come to a stop just a half-dozen hooves away. “And hello to you too, Shining Armor!” The colt ducked behind his mother, causing Starlight to chuckle at him.
“So where are you off to, Glimmer-chan?” Velvet asked, smiling warmly at Starlight, who rolled her eyes at the honorific. In truth, she had long since lost the majority of her Neighponese accent, but she kept calling her ‘chan’ as a joke.
“I’m going to see Dawn. Care to accompany me?” she said calmly, still smiling.
Velvet’s smile, however, disappeared. “Sure… I haven’t been in a while…”
“I’m sure he’d like to see you again,” Starlight said, and began trotting off towards the Canterlot cemetery, Velvet and Shining Armor in tow. “Oh, by the way, I picked their names!”
“It’s about time! You’ve been out, what, a week?”
“It’s only been four days, thank you very much,” Starlight said sharply, cutting her eyes at Velvet. After a moment, the both of them burst out laughing. When the giggles subsided, they walked in silence for a bit. “I’ve picked Sunset Shimmer and Moondancer.”
“None of them… None of them have your name?” Velvet asked quietly.
“No… No, I think Glimmer is going to become a rather hated name in Equestria in the future.”
“I don’t see why. You’ve done nothing but good as Princess Celestia’s council. Your findings in researching medicinal magic have even won awards. Honestly, I’m a little jealous,” Velvet said as they approached the cemetery gates.
“Well, if you’d gone through Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, you’d have my position instead.”
“I’m not really an office worker. I prefer my combat magic. It’s a lot more exciting. And I get to blow stuff up!” Velvet said cheerfully, a near-maniacal grin crossing her face. “It’s a great way to let off steam.”
“Sometimes, you frighten me, Velvet.”
A look of mock horror crossed Velvet’s face. “Noooo! Please don’t be scared of me Glimmer-senpai! I love you!”
“No! You’re a madmare!” Starlight said teasingly, smiling at their ridiculous conversation.
“Ah, but if I were a madmare, I’d break off your horn and cut off your legs, and lock you in my basement. I’d say I’m definitely not a madmare!”
Starlight happened to glance down at Shining Armor for a moment. “Your son seems to doubt that.”
Velvet stopped for a moment and looked down at her son. “Oh, don’t worry Shiny! Mommy only hurts bad ponies! And Auntie Glimmer is a very good pony!” she said enthusiastically, before her head shot up and she stared wide-eyed at Starlight. “Oh, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you! I made Captain!”
“That’s great! I guess you’ll need a foal sitter soon, huh?”
“Yeah, but apparently, Princess Celestia is providing one. Crazy, huh?” Velvet said as the came up to the headstone they were seeking. On its face it read, ‘Here lies Dawn Guard, father of four, lover of two.’ Velvet placed a gentle hoof on the small plot where Dawn had been buried. “Tell me, Starlight… Is it wrong that I miss him?”
“If it is, then we’re both horribly wrong. I miss him too. I mean, how could we not? He fathered our children. That’s a hard bond to break… no matter how he betrayed the both of us.”
“I can’t believe we were both so blind, though… he led us on for five years…” A tear streaked down Velvet’s cheek, but was quickly wiped away by Starlight.
“Hey now, we have each other. We are two fierce, independent mares. We can handle whatever life throws at us,” Starlight said confidently, resting her hoof on Velvet’s shoulder. “Together.”
Velvet gave a quick nod. “Right, together!"
“Come on, let’s drop the foals off at the palace nursery and go get some coffee,” Starlight said as turned away from the grave.
“Coffee would be nice…”
~Glimmer~
“And then, after I beat the robber up, the astronomer comes up behind me and says…”
“This is my favorite part!” Starlight whispered to a nearby pegasus mare, who nodded in agreement.
“He says, ‘Well, I guess he’s seeing stars!’” The coffee shop burst into laughter as Twilight Velvet finished telling her anecdote about an emergency call a week ago. “Thank you, thank you! I’ll be in town all… well forever! I live here!” The laughter doubled as Velvet climbed down from the coffee shop’s small stage and wandered back over to the table she shared with Starlight.
“So, Night Light?” Starlight remarked as Velvet sat down across from her. “He sounds nice.”
“It’s not like that!” Velvet said quickly, covering her face with her coffee cup. No doubt, it was as red as fire. “But yeah. He is kind of sweet…”
“I say go for it. Celestia knows, you deserve a good stallion in your life.”
“You know I can’t Glimmer-chan. I have duties as both a guard and as a parent,” Velvet explained, casting a glare at Starlight. “I can’t be traipsing about Canterlot with a stallion.”
“Suit yourself,” Starlight said calmly and waved a hoof in the air. It was then she noticed the clock on the wall. “Actually, I need to get going. I’ve got some rather important research to do.” As the mage stood to leave, her colleague followed suit.
“Alright. Same time tomorrow?” Velvet asked as she trotted outside the café.
“Of course!”
With a smile, they parted. This had become their regular activity. For the past two months, since their brief visit to the grave yard, they had met every morning, dropped the foals off, and had gotten coffee. They liked this routine. It was nice, and it helped ease their stressful lives as single, working mothers.
~Glimmer~
“Starlight, you should head home,” Map Tracker, one of the research assistants, said kindly, putting a hoof against the court mage’s lab coat-clad shoulder. “I’m sure your foals miss you.”
“Velvet’s watching them.”
“And what about Velvet?” said a new voice, recognizable as Starlight’s young apprentice.
“What about Velvet?”
“Isn’t your marefriend worried?” a hoof smashed across the apprentice’s face, sending him sprawling across the floor.
“She is not my marefriend!” Starlight shouted, casting a violent scowl in the colt’s direction, her now signature blood vessel protruding from her neck. Upon realizing her actions, she turned back to her work. “I’m sorry, Blueblood. That was far out of line.”
“Ah, don’t worry. You’re my teacher. It’s like Professor Night Light says, it’s a teacher’s job to smack a student around when he gets out of hand.”
“Night Light said that?” Starlight asked, turning back to smirk at the young prince. “So he has a heavy-hoofed side of him too. Tell him I applaud that view when you see him next.”
“Will do, ma’am.” Blueblood stepped up beside his mentor, watching her work. “So what exactly is this?”
“I’m delving into cutie mark magic,” Starlight explained, chancing a sidelong glance at her student. Specifically, she looked at his diamond-shaped cutie mark. Her eyes flashed over to Map Tracker’s compass rose cutie mark and an idea formed in her head.
“Isn’t that… illegal?” Map Tracker asked cautiously.
“Only if my loyal research team rats on me... I don’t think either of you would do that, would you?”
Their response was immediate and predictable. “Of course not!” they said in unison, smiling warmly at her.
Never again… she thought to herself, returning her attention to the little jar in front of her, which had a little eight-point shooting star floating in it.
~Glimmer~
“Extra, extra!” the papercolt called, waving a newspaper over his head in his magic aura. “Murder victim has cutie mark changed! Princess Celestia’s nephew suspected! Read all about it!” Citizen after citizen came up and flipped a bit into his little cup and took a paper from his rather large stack. Oh yes, today was going to be a good day for business.
An old mare sat beside him, reading the paper herself. The papercolt had been kind enough to lend her his chair so she could read the paper.
“To think, colt, that we live in a world where ye very identity can be taken…” she said quietly, but still loud enough for her friend to hear.
“Yeah, I say it’s pretty messed up, ma’am,” the colt answered, grimacing as his stack completely finished. “I mean, I got mine for singing. That’s a pretty hot talent, if I do say so myself. I better watch out.”
“Ye think the killer still be out there?”
“I’ve met Prince Blueblood. He’s a nice guy; wouldn’t hurt a fly,” the colt explained, holding up a foreleg for emphasis. “Besides, the prince was beat up too.”
“Mmm... maybe,” the mare said calmly. “But I have a feeling there's more to it... than what we're seeing in the papers."
“Aw gee, you really think so?
“I do. Say, if I give you a few bits extra, could ye get me some cold lemonade down the road?” she asked, wanting to change the subject. It made her skin crawl, just thinking about it.
“Sure thing! Watch my stuff for me?”
“As ye say, sure thing,” she replied with a smile, levitating a few bits over for the colt.
~Glimmer~
The hooded figure stood over the bundle lying in the basket, tears streaking down her cheek. She didn’t want to… but she had to.
Turning away, she trotted down the street, and levitated a rock up to the door she had just left. The small stone thumped four times against the door, before it was tossed to the side. A large unicorn stallion with an orange coat and a yellow mane opened the door and looked around, before noticing the bundle. He picked it up with his magic and read the note attached to the basket. “Honey!” he called inside, prompting a white mare with a red mane to come stand next to him.
~Glimmer~
Sunrise Shimmer and his wife, Spice Drop, stared at the bundle levitating in his aura. Snoozing softly, wrapped in the blankets was a foal. It was everything they had ever wanted. The foal had an orange coat, paired with a red and yellow mane. If they hadn’t know better, they would have thought it was their own child.
But the doctor had made it rather clear that that was impossible.
“Our prayers have been answered, Sunrise… We have a foal…”
“Indeed we do, my love…” Sunrise brought the foal next to his muzzle and whispered to it, “Welcome to the family, Sunset Shimmer.”
~Glimmer~
Two mares stood in the Canterlot castle gardens, staring each other down.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Twilight Velvet said coldly, standing several meters away from Starlight, blocking her pathway. Velvet was clad in her Captain’s armor, minus her helmet, which sat beside her right hoof. The gold and violet plating over her white gambeson was a striking sight, to say the least. Her mane, tail and the hem of her gambeson swayed lightly in the wind.
Starlight’s sunken in eyes narrowed. “Don’t be foolish, Velvet,” she replied harshly. “Of course it has to be this way.”
“You had to kill your friend?!” she shouted, her own eyes narrowing.
“I did no such thing! That fool, Blueblood, is responsible for that.”
“I see,” Velvet said quietly, dropping her gaze to the ground. “Before I take you in, then… answer me one question. Why?”
“Because of Dawn,” Starlight said calmly. “You weren’t there Velvet. I watched the fight. Dawn Guard was severely outclassed… I’m going to make sure that never happens again.”
“And how do you intend to do that?”
“By making everypony equal,” She replied, glaring at Velvet. “Now stand aside.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“You can’t stop me.”
“You really think that?”
“My magic is stronger. Ergo, I will win.”
“I have to try!”
“Then you will die!”
“So be it!” Velvet declared, levitating her helmet from the ground and slamming it onto her head. She lunged at Starlight, who jumped to the right and instinctively began charging a paralysis spell.
She was too late, as Velvet turned and bucked her in the barrel, causing her to stumble sideways and her spell to dissipate. Velvet charged up her own spell, which was less a spell, more a pure blast of arcane energy. In a split second, Velvet had sufficiently charged her horn, and released the energy straight at Starlight. She responded by putting up a shield, but the force of the blast was too strong for her to stand her ground. She was sent flying into one of the statues, shattering the wings of the great Commander Easyglider. She hit the ground on the other side and rolled to her hooves, sliding a meter and a half before stopping.
Twilight Velvet was already upon her, jumping over the statue, her front hooves glowing vibrant blue. Starlight recognized it as the thunder hooves charm, a spell to increase the force of impact. If she got hit by that, it was over. Starlight jumped back, charging a simple lightning spell. It wouldn’t be enough to stop Velvet, but it would slow her down. With a loud crackle, a bolt of electricity arced towards the captain, but it didn’t hit her horn as Starlight had anticipated. Instead, it seemed to conduct itself into Velvet’s body. She cursed herself for forgetting that her friend had enchanted her armor.
Velvet transferred the energy from the bolt into her horn and launched it back at Starlight, swinging her head in a broad arc and using the lightning as a sort of energy whip. The former court mage leapt over it, barely feeling the tingle of electricity on her hooves. She landed safely on the other side and immediately fired another paralysis spell at Velvet, who threw up her own shield consisting of a wall of raw mana erupting from the ground in front of her. It was a far cry from Starlight’s own bubble shields, but it served its purpose.
As the spell faded, Velvet’s shield shattered as she leapt through it, eyes suddenly glowing white with arcane energy. When she hit the ground in front of Starlight, a crater formed under her glowing hooves, causing the mage to lose her hoofing and stumble forward. Velvet saw her chance and reared up and swung her right hind leg out to smash it into Starlight’s temple, once again sending her flying.
Starlight slammed into the garden’s edge railing, the impact sending her breath rushing out of her lungs. A savage scream prompted her to look up, only to see Velvet rushing her again. The captain leapt at her, glowing hooves outstretched. As Velvet’s hooves made contact with her barrel, Starlight’s eyes closed.
This was it.
She was going to die.
The rail exploded outward, the two mares going with it. To Starlight’s surprise, Velvet’s hooves wrapped gently around her former friend’s neck and she was drawn into a gentle hug. The two stayed that way for only a second, before Velvet pulled back and pushed off Starlight’s barrel. The captain gave her a teary smile, before she flipped backwards onto the rocky mountainside. Suddenly, her hind hooves starting glowing just as her front hooves were.
Velvet blasted off the wall, hurtling straight at the mare she called a friend, intent on driving her straight to the ground below…
…even if she had to go too.
The two made contact and their descent hastened significantly. As the mountainside zoomed past them faster and faster, Starlight looked down at Velvet, who still had her hooves around her barrel. She was crying. Tears were flowing up her face, driven by the force of the wind, and flying off in droves.
In that moment, Starlight made a decision.
Charging her horn, she cast a simple gravity spell of Velvet’s back armor plate, and then planted her hooves against her old friend’s stomach.
“I’m sorry!” she hollered, drawing Velvet’s attention to her again as she used her front hooves to untangle the captain’s forelegs from around her. Velvet’s eyes widened as Starlight kicked her off, sending her crashing into the mountainside, where her enchantment stuck her in place.
Velvet stared in shock as her friend plummeted to the distant ground without her. The tears that had been from the wind in her face now intensified, becoming tears of despair. Her muzzle scrunched up and her eyes shut tight as she screamed out her best friend’s name in anguish.
“STAAARLIIIGHT!!!” No! It wasn’t right! She was supposed to go with her! Both of them were supposed to die!
But she had foals to take care of. She couldn’t leave them yet. Starlight… would pay for her crimes, regardless of whether Velvet went with her or not. But why did she save her?
She’d never find out, now.
~Glimmer~
“Report, Captain,” Celestia commanded from behind Velvet.
“They haven’t found the body. Knowing Glimmer-Ch… Glimmer. Knowing Glimmer, she probably planned for this and had a way to survive it,” Velvet said coldly staring at the huge pile of boulders in front of her.
“It’s not unlikely. I can’t believe she betrayed us like that…”
“I can,” Velvet said quietly. “She had a damn good motive.”
~Glimmer~
Twenty years later:
Velvet slapped the mail on her coffee table, save for one navy blue envelope with violet and pink stripes curving across the back, and flopped down on her couch. “Honey, we got a letter from Twilight!”
“Oh really?” Night Light said casually as he trotted down the steps. "That’s rare these days.”
“You know our baby girl’s busy being a princess and all that.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Preeeetty stationary, though.”
As Night Light sat down beside Velvet, she popped the wax seal bearing her daughter’s cutie mark and pulled a folded sheet of lavender colored… and scented stationary. Interesting. Velvet read the letter out loud:
“Dear Mom and Dad,
I know it’s been a while since I’ve written, and I’m sorry for that. I’ve been really busy, dealing with this new mission of mine. I’ve got some good news! I made amends with my old friend, Moondancer. She was so broken after I left for Ponyville… But we’re good again!
Yeah, a lot’s happened in just a few short months…
The real reason I’m writing to you is because of a certain mare I met. Don’t get your hopes up, Mom; it’s not like that. I mean to warn you about her.
Her name is Starlight Glimmer. She’s about your age, I think. She has a pale lilac (or similar color) coat with purple and teal hair. She… this is going to sound crazy, but she can remove a pony’s cutie mark-permanently-and replace it with a facsimile in the shape of an equal si–"
The letter suddenly fell out of Velvet’s magic field. Night Light was quick to scoop it up in his own before it landed on the floor. He turned to his wife with a look of fear. “Honey? Is everything okay?”
“No… No, Dear… It’s not okay. Glimmer’s resurfaced.” She stared at the coffee for just a moment, before she turned back to her husband, brow furrowed. “Get me a pen and a piece of paper."
He left to comply, returning in only a few seconds with the requested items. Velvet snatched them from his aura and set to work writing her response.
~Glimmer~
The letter appeared before Twilight Sparkle with a flash and a crack, lacking both an envelope and subtlety, as she was taking off from her castle’s balcony. Twilight instinctively locked her wings in and fell six hooves to the hard crystal floor.
“Ow… What the hay? Who just tele…” She trailed off when she spotted the hastily scrawled word ‘URGENT’ on the folded sheet of paper. Carefully unfolding it, she read the contents of the letter and with every word, her heart sank.
My Dearest Daughter,
I am familiar with Starlight Glimmer. She and I were rather good friends, once. It is disheartening to learn that she has resurfaced… I had hoped she’d given up her quest. Be careful. Starlight is an incredibly powerful mare. Her magic's power dwarfs even my own. If what you say is true, and she’s found a way to permanently remove a cutie mark without switching it with another pony’s, then she is even more dangerous than when I fought her.
I’m sorry for never telling you, but Princess Celestia ordered me not to say anything unless she resurfaced.
Take caution, Sparkle. Starlight Glimmer will not be as easy for you to defeat as any villain you’ve faced up until now. In a sense, she’s even more dangerous than Lord Tirek. She’s just a mortal pony, despite her terrifying power. No pony else in the world knows what she is capable of. You have to find her, Sparkle, and put a stop to her madness.
I don’t think she’ll let you take her alive, and I don’t think reforming her will be an option. I’m sorry.
Love,
Mom
Twilight gently set the letter on the balcony floor and stared off into the sky.
“I see…” she whispered quietly, a tear sliding down her cheek as her mother's message sank in. “I… I never thought I’d have to cross that line…”
Author's Note
I am throwing my headcanons in you're face!
Just a thing I came up with. I didn't put a lot of work into it, so it's probably not too great. Then again, I think all of my work sucks, so I guess it's up to you to form your own opinion like the sentient, carbon-based life-forms that you likely are. I do hope you enjoyed it, though.
Alternate Titles:
Separation of Friends,
Splintered Fates,
Broken Fences,
A Line to Cross.
Note: folks seem to be confused as to why Velvet was horse Japanese. Twilight Velvet <--> Twilight Sparkle. Their names resemble the Japanese format of [Surname-Given Name], so I chose to portray them that way.
