March Of Three Prisoners (A Hearth's Warming Tale)

December 24

"It's freezing out here, I'm freezing out here." Starlight Glimmer yanked her new tan jacket up to her muzzle, her eyes almost shut from the harsh wind outside. Thankfully for her, it had stopped snowing earlier.

"Oh, come on. What d'you expect? Desert weather? It's Hearth's Warming Eve for Pony's sake," Rainbow Dash, hovering above her, complained before her eyes widened in a mischievous revelation.

"Okay, I get it, but below zero is pushing it. If I were a pegasus, I wou-" A rogue snowball rocketed strait to her face before it crumbled and fell inside her jacket. Rainbow Dash laughed as Starlight pranced around in freezing frustration bucking in the air like a filly trying to get rid of the snow.

Rainbow stifled her laugh but her sadism got the better of her. "Ha. You look like one of Pony Claus' Reindeer."

Starlight shook some more before freezing to narrow her eyes staring straight at Rainbow. "Oh yeah, we'll see how you like that." A glowing cyan aura danced around Starlight's horn as another formed a giant circle in the snow to her left. She levitated the snow, packed it into a faint-inducing sized snowball, moved it over Rainbow's head, and dumped all of it on top of her. She couldn't fly and Starlight didn't even see Rainbow buried under all that snow; it was at least a story high.

She dug herself out and growled at the unicorn holding herself from laughing so hard. "Hey. What was that for?" whined Rainbow.

"Hmm, I don't know." Starlight's sarcastic face was wiped clean by another doozy to the face. Thankfully, this one didn't get stuck inside her jacket, allowing her to react quickly. She lobbed a normally sized one at Rainbow Dash but she slipped back behind her own prison before it could deal any damage.

Dash flew up and hurled one at Starlight's forehooves and she responded by chucking a ball at Rainbow's shoulder. Rainbow was still visibly frustrated and the snow in her mane and tail didn't make her look any more cheerful.

"Oh, you're mad." Starlight gave Rainbow the vertical stare as she jumped from side to side, enticing Rainbow to shoot. She shaped a perfect snowball and extended her hoof all the way behind her, teeth gritting. She threw it too high and it went out of the park, almost hitting a formally dressed mare drinking her coffee. Starlight chuckled before shaping a not-so-perfect one of her own. Having hurled it after too long, Rainbow Dash easily dodged the snow but, unaware to her, the snowball slammed none other than Twilight Sparkle in the back of the neck.

"Watch what you're doing up there. We're supposed to be helping Rarity decorate and you are making it very hard to do just that, Rainbow Dash," complained Twilight.

"It wasn't me."

"Sure it wasn't," Twilight sighed sarcastically rolling her eyes. She then turned back to hanging up some garland and a string of new lights around Rarity's Carousel Boutique.

"It looks marvelous, my dear; the pink from the lights really highlight the roof and the blue from the walls." Rarity's excitement was met with a blank, accepting nod from Twilight and a groan from Rainbow Dash as usual. But Starlight Glimmer trotted up confused about Rarity's work.

"Wait, what are those?" She questioned as she ran a string of little candle shaped bulbs through her hooves. When she reached the end of the strand, she noticed the socket and the shape of the two holes were not lost on her. Starlight turned back to look at Rarity's shop and the sparkling pink lights that, by some magic, managed to glow under the oppression of the daylight.

"Those are Hearth's Warming lights," Rarity explained interrupting Starlight's thoughts. "Legend holds that ponies used to hang strings of lamps on their houses to signal Pony Clause to bring them food. The freezing snow and ice didn't just go away all at once, you know." Starlight's hooves, which once tolerated the snow, now objected to the cold.

Food, Starlight remembered as she looked down.

"...Of course now we use electricity," Twilight boomed in a matter-of-fact voice, Starlight's reaction completely lost on her.

"Whatever is the matter, dear?"

"Can electricity make food?" Starlight avoided answering her question but couldn't avoid thinking about it some more.

"Well, no. It can help cook it though." Now Twilight sensed something off about her, understood that she already knew the answer, and knew that she didn't want it to be true. "What's the matter?"

She looked down before glancing sideways at Rainbow Dash. "I threw the snowball."

"What? That's it?" Rainbow barked.

"Rainbow, please." Rarity scolded Rainbow before looking back at Starlight knowing that reconciliation would take more than the few days that transpired between Twilight's time travel trials and today. "It's fine, Starlight; let's just go and pick up our food from Sugarcube Corner for the party tonight," Rarity's stomach growled, "and I wouldn't mind some brunch myself."

"Me too, I'm dying from hunger," exclaimed Rainbow before realizing that Starlight might call her out for yelling at her for being cold. The mention of food sunk Starlight's spirits a tad lower than before and Rainbow was sympathetic enough to know that Starlight thought about her village more than usual. It must've been from the craze of the holidays. The four ponies meandered into the warm bakery chocked full of pastries; the Pie family was ready to take on the crowd and thankfully for them, it was still early enough in the morning to relax.

"Hiya Twilight, d'you want some of this raspberry pecan pie you requested yesterday?" Pinkie Pie dangled the box over her head as she stood on the counter. "Applejack helped bake this pie, right Applejack."

"Eeyup," Applejack said as she closed the door to an oven in the kitchen. She waved back at the four of them and at Big Mac and Scootaloo who sat and ate some special muffins. Twilight turned back to take the expertly baked pie and levitated eleven bits into Pinkie's cash register.

"Say, what are those muffins they're eating?" Rarity asked as Scootaloo lavishly smeared green icing over her face.

"Poison Joke Surprise." Pinkie gave a toothy smile as she rubbed her hooves together.

"Wait, what?" Rainbow yelled.

"Ha, just kidding, it's Peppermint Delight; do you want some?"

"We'll take four." Twilight leaned on Pinkie's counter and levitated some more bits her way. Pinkie bought out the four muffins to Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Starlight Glimmer who took the window seat beside Twilight. Rainbow devoured a good chunk of the muffin in no time at all before noticing Scootaloo at the other table.

"Happy Hearth's Warming Eve, squirt," she said with a mouthful of muffin as she tackled Scootaloo with a big bear hug. She sat down beside her prompting the others to sit at her and Big Mac's table.

"Are things going well at the farm?" Twilight asked to make small talk.

"Mm-hmm... I mean, Eeyup." Pinkie's snickering could be heard from the kitchen but Twilight only noticed that Starlight's face fell at the mention of the farm. Starlight stared out the window looking for something that wasn't there, her eyes barely peering over her tightly zipped jacket. After a moment or two, she turned back and stared at her muffin before nervously pushing the plate away from her.

"Why don't you want the muffin?"

"I'm not hungry," Starlight said flatly.

"Come on Starlight, what's wrong? I have a hard time believing you were upset over a stray misshapen snowball." Rarity shot a stern look at Starlight who now leaned against the window. She easily cut through Rarity's forced expression and caught the doubting glimmer in her eyes.

"I can't say."

"Of course you can, you're with good-"

"-Then you know what's wrong." Starlight retorted eliciting grave stares from Big Mac and Scootaloo, two ponies who have only heard stories of Starlight Glimmer. Her royal blue eyes sharpened with anger as she stared at the white tablecloth.

"You're lucky all them ponies here forgave you. You-"

"-Not now, Big Mac," Rarity warned. "It's okay if you still feel guilty, we understand."

"It's not that." Starlight took another long stare at the muffin.

"We don't know what's going on, you have to tell us, you have to open up." Twilight tried her best to sound consoling.

"I don't have to... not for this, no." Starlight shrunk in her seat avoiding the gaze of Big Mac on the other side of the table. Staring out the window again, she saw a lone colt pawing the snow and leaving a long trail of snow behind him.

"We're your friends, trust us. You can tell us anything." Rainbow added.

"I can't." A long silence followed. Big Mac and Scootaloo quietly got up and trotted out of Sugarcube Corner. Nopony knew what to say and they all knew that there was something else that troubled Starlight, especially when she stared at her uneaten muffin. Her eyes swam in a glossy despair for a while before a realization spread across her face. "My village. Twilight, let's go to my village and celebrate Hearth's Warming Eve there. The ponies probably haven't had a good holiday in years and it's all thanks to me."

"Is that why-"

"-It doesn't even begin to describe it. You and your friends only scratched the surface." She exhaled her pent up anxiety but quickly turned from side to side to make sure that only Twilight heard. "I only want you to come along if you understand. I'll use the money all of you gave me to buy food enough for everypony in town. All the bread, cakes, pies, salad, stuffing, cranberry juice, corn hash, and candy you could ever imagine in one village... they'll see my generosity and-"

"-and what?"

"-and nothing. I'll make friends with all of them. I'm not using this food for a deceitful or manipulative plan, not like last time. Where's Pinkie?" Never one to miss an order from her friends, Pinkie appeared right on call. "I need fifty orders of Ciabatta bread, two dozen chocolate cakes, two-"

"-Woah, hold on for just a moment. Can't Sugar Belle bake all this?" Twilight questioned.

"No."

"Why not? I thought you knew she's a good baker."

"She is, but she can't."

"I don't understand."

"Please let it go, Twilight." Starlight stared at her for the longest time, trying to figure out what she thought and how much she really knew. She turned back to Pinkie, "...two dozen pumpkin pies, three tubs of mixed lettuce, five-"

"-It sounds like a party to me, I'll bring all the food you need." Pinkie's spirit faded when the two didn't smile in return.

"Pinkie, I'm afraid you can't come along. All we need you to do is to cook the food and Starlight will pay you back." Twilight continued delivering the same stern look.

"I wasn't invited?"

"It's not like that," mumbled Starlight. "This is probably a party you don't want to party at." Pinkie couldn't understand what she said, it wasn't physically possible for her. She had to help her friends first and so she returned to the kitchen without another word. The both of them, Twilight and Starlight, rushed out of the Sugarcube Corner before their ears withered from the screeching singing voice of Pinkie Pie. Starlight was more resolved now, but the cold in her hooves didn't go away.

Wind bellowed down the landing of the train station, howling through travelling ponies' manes as they hurried to rejoin with their relatives. Gusts of below zero air snapped at the banners of Ponyville and at the white cloth covering the first cart of goods for Starlight's Hearth's Warming Eve party.

"Come on, the train will be here at any moment; Pinkie should have been here with the second cart already." Twilight gritted her teeth in fear.

Starlight squinted her eyes at the horizon of the normally visible road. It wasn't snowing, but the wind kicked up the snow on the ground dramatically decreasing visibility. A silhouette of a pony with bouncy, curly hair emerged from the tumult of snow, no doubt belonging to Pinkie Pie. The two ran off the platform to help Pinkie hall the cart up the ramp attempting not to spill anything along the way.

Twilight reacted to a few pieces of candy falling out the side. "Wait."

"Leave it, we'll get it later," Starlight assured as the eastbound train arrived prompting all three to pick up the pace. Pinkie, Twilight, and Starlight managed to shove the two carts through the train door and after entering, they wormed the carts passed the other annoyed passengers trying to find their seats. "Thank you, Pinkie. Here, I owe you this." Starlight dumped a giant sack of bits on Pinkie's back which Pinkie didn't bother to count.

"Oki doki loki," Pinkie sang as she bounced out of the train before shivering from another blast of wind, disappearing in the dust.

"Wait, the candy."

"Forget it, I, I mean, we have enough food." Both of them sat down at a table sitting across from each other. Whistles blew outside as the tram doors closed and the train lurched to life, shaking Starlight's stomach as she shifted her weight from side to side. Twilight attempted not to stare at her new friend but she needed to know what Starlight's problem was.

It's not just because she's guilty she took those ponies' cutie marks, there's something else. Twilight tried to prevent her anger from showing, but it just wasn't fair; her and her friends went to her village to stop Starlight and at the very least, she should know what else she's done. She couldn't stay angry, she wanted to help her. She showed me her childhood, what more is there to reveal? Isn't that bad enough? Twilight looked out the window, at the food that gave off steam under the cloth, and finally at a vacant looking Starlight. "Why did you buy so much food?" She expected a snappy answer like before.

"I have my reasons."

"Come on, Starlight; you can tell me, there isn't anypony else around."

"I know."

"...So?"

"No, Twilight. I can't." Starlight bared her teeth, her prodding was wrong; it was something she would used to do.

Twilight sighed quickly saying, "I'm not just speaking for myself when I say I can accept anything you say, I know my friends and what they've all gone through before now. I have the heart to hear you out."

"Not the heart, Twilight, the stomach," she spat. "You won't be able to and I speak from experience... recent experience. You can't hear the details of what I've done, It'll break you, and you weren't even there." Starlight held her position.

A rush of anger flooded through Twilight for a moment before she tried diplomacy. "You're right, I won't know what you've done or how it kills you on the inside..."

"...But..." Starlight mumbled.

"...But whatever it is that's causing you heartache, It's going to kill you from the inside out." No immediate response came. Twilight looked down to see Starlight Glimmer as a little filly before she blinked, instantly transforming Starlight into her full size once again. The rhythm of the wheels changed, warning the both of them that they were gliding over a bridge.

Starlight eventually responded in a dull tone. "I don't need to tell you."

"Then why are you so upset when you're around us now?"

She yelped, "Because I-"

"-By the time we reach your village, you'll have to tell me what happened; that way, you can return as your real self, your true self. Starlight, you need to be honest with yourself."

Starlight tried to hide that she was irritated at Twilight for cutting her off, but Twilight was watching her to closely to fall for the guise. "Honest? I'm honest with myself, Twilight, even you have to admit that. I know full well what I've done and I intend to keep my personal faults to myself, thank you very much. I've already reconciled with you, your friends, and the ponies down at my village. I don't need to go farther than that, Twilight; I don't need to tell them about every misstep I took and I'm sure they'll easily figure out what else I've done. I don't need to say everything."

"You're wrong." Twilight upheld her matter-of-fact voice.

Sighing, though without any anger, she said, "You're too trusting, Twilight. You come from a town where nopony strips another's dignity, even when that pony has told another everything. Not everywhere's like that."

"Starlight-"

"-You don't know what you're talking about. Period." Starlight shot a withering glance at her telling her that the argument was over. It's unnatural, revealing everything. By Celestia, It's impossible.

The two of them rode in silence as the train rolled, veering more and more to the south as it forged onward. Trees thinned giving way to arid grasslands and then to rocky nothingness, all while Starlight remained silent.

"This is the final stop on Equestrian Transit, all ponies must exit now." A new, automated voice rang through the mostly empty cabin cars; empty except for Starlight, Twilight, and their two carts full of Hearth's Warming Eve food. They silently exited knowing full well that Twilight's ultimatum still held true. Further and further they ambled along a barely seen path, feeling the oppressive tension between them. Neither of them noticed the temperature change, the tall grasses of the hills, and the flowers in the jungle that stayed warm all year round. Bakery goods still managed to stay tucked as the carts bumped behind them.

Twilight and Starlight crossed roped bridges, maneuvered around streams and creeks, and heaved their cargo around towering boulders all without letting loose a single peep. The silent note of sadness still resounded as they trudged forward in the middle of the eastern wasteland straight as a pony guard's spear. Starlight looked back at the tracks they had created in the silt and mud and she understood the meaning of its shape.

"Almost noon." Twilight broke the silence, hours long.

It wasn't too long after Twilight had said this than when the two mares were halted by a giant fissure in the ground. A few boulders were strewn about but levitating them over the gap wouldn't do anything, it was way too wide. Not to mention the wind.

"I remember Rainbow Dash talking about something like this, you can't cross it by going down, the wind will just push you up again." Twilight's voice had a bit of a whine to it. She sat and thought about the predicament before looking at Starlight who, to her surprise, stared down the chasm with certainty as if it had always been her mortal enemy. "We could try-"

"-No, I know what to do." Starlight's cyan aura glowed around her horn as the fissure shook from her concentration. All the tiny pebbles strewn across the arid wasteland rustled and came to life as they were all levitated towards the chasm. A dust whirlwind spun around two sides of the chasm, meticulously depositing the silt and the pebbles into two extended overhangs, one on each side. These meet in the center to form an intricately carved bridge over the chasm complete with side rails and a barrier from the wind. It looked like it had always been there.

"How did you know?" Twilight asked still a little bitter that Starlight proved to be a better magician with her time travel. She hoped that wouldn't be a problem after she confronted Trixie the first time.

"I should know, I created the chasm before."

"Why?" snorted Twilight incredulously.

"Why do you think?" She simply stared back as she hauled her cart over the bridge first. Twilight's eyes searched the ground as if it might explain to her why Starlight would randomly create a giant crack in the ground. Randomly.

"So the ponies in your village couldn't escape." Twilight stared back at her holding a smile filled with chagrin as she stepped onto the bridge.

"Yes," she responded somberly, no further explanation needed.

"How were my friends and I able to make it to your village the first time then? We didn't cross this on the way there."

"You and your friends must've traveled down the side of a few steep cliffs," Twilight nodded, "I designed the cracks and the cliffs as a one-way entrance so that anypony could come and nopony could leave. The only way out of there is my magic and the caves in the mountains I escaped through when I first met you. That's how I trapped those villagers." Starlight looked like she wanted to say more but decided to keep her mouth shut. A moment or so of silence followed.

"Is that what you're holding back?" Twilight blurted out.

"No." Starlight stomped her hooves. "Quit trying to find out. I don't need to tell you anything; you're not entitled to know everything that I've done, every action that I've committed, and everything that I caused." The bridge responded to her stamping in a sound of grinding disapproval.

Twilight growled, "I haven't said anything for hours about what you've done." The bridge barked at her as well.

"But you've been thinking it, I can tell. I know enough about your personality at this point to know that you're trying to figure me out, trying to... to..."

"...To what? What am I trying to do to you?" She yelled.

"I don't know, you tell me." Starlight spun forward before turning back again in a huff. "It can't possibly be because you want me to have a good Hearth's Warming party with the villagers, can't it?"

"What do you think I can gain for myself from knowing what you've done?" Twilight's anger still resounded but she lost some of her edge.

"Answer my question first." Starlight now moved back west over the bridge with her cart unstrapped on the village-side.

"Why would I ever want to see you suffer more than I already do? Why Starlight?"

"Answer my question first." Advancing faster, she levitated Twilight's cart and placed it next to it's partner on the other side.

Twilight tried to think of the seemingly impossible answer to why Starlight's royal blue eyes glowed so coldly. Finally, Twilight thought with her heart. "...I... ...I don't know, honestly."

"I might be able to give you an answer and though I know it won't be the answer you want, it'll be the truth." Her calm, angered voice didn't waver at all but Twilight could feel the electric fury of her presence. "There's something, Twilight, some strength, some... dominance in knowing everything about another pony. Just like how Applejack says it's unnatural to become friends with someone you just happen to meet, it's unnatural to know everything I've done. It's wrong." Twilight looked away. "I know it's not your fault, Twilight, but I can feel it, I can feel that you have an urge, an itching desire to know everything about what I've done, to have power over me." Starlight narrowed her eyes. "I made everypony equal in my village so that this wouldn't happen, so that nopony would attach strings to another pony and play them like a puppet... regardless if it's for the greatest intentions or not."

Silence.

"Is that what you wanted to do to your brother, Starlight? Put strings on him, put strings on ponies so they wouldn't get their cutie marks?" Twilight was back to figuring her out.

"Yes, and I was wrong." But her anger flared.

"That isn't what I think," Twilight said in desperation. "I want you to say everything because, if you don't, you won't be able to live with yourself or your friends. I'm trying to help you walk into your village with a clean conscience. Starlight, I'm trying to save you from yourself, your hopelessness is killing you." Starlight turned around, looking east.

Without warning, Starlight turned back around and smashed her two front hooves into the bridge, crumbling it back into dust and rubble. Before Twilight could fall into the chasm, Starlight grabbed onto her hoof as she stood perched atop the intact east end of the bridge. "Hopelessness?" Starlight shouted as Twilight swung back and forth. "Look around you, Twilight."

Twilight looked around. In the name of Celestia, maybe she's still evil after all.

"This isn't Ponyville, this isn't Sweet Apple Acres. Behind me are two carts filled with Pinkie's food because I know Sugar Belle can't bake."

"I know, but why?"

Starlight shook Twilight violently. "I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why I'm upset. But if I tell you, It won't be because I conformed to your little test. 'By the time we reach your village, you'll have to tell me what happened', such arrogance. If I tell you, it'll be because of my... my generosity."

"Just tell me."

"So eager," she chided.

"Tell me."

"This is a barren wasteland. I've done things to make me look like I was all-powerful. I made it look like I used the staff of sameness, you know that, but I did other things. Since everypony became equal and since they all lost their talents, nopony could sustain a village out here. I used my magic. I tapped at the side of cliffs and, 'magically', water poured out of crevices and divots, I stepped on stones and walked through dead bramble and they, 'magically', turned into warm bread and cool shoots of forest grass, and I collected jars of dust and silt that, 'magically', transformed into medicine for cold, sleeplessness, depression... even insanity. When somepony twisted a hoof or broke a shoulder, I used my magic to heal them. When somepony had nightmares, I would use my magic to make sure they wouldn't dream when they fell back asleep. I, Twilight, was all-powerful to them."

"...I-"

"-But I didn't care for them. I didn't create abundance, I kept leaving them wanting more. I kept them in line by only giving them just enough to eat and just enough to drink, I never gave them more that what was needed to keep them alive. Soon after I created this idea, I used food, water, even medicine as a reward for obedience. Giving Double Diamond more to eat for his espionage was no fur off my back, I could eat as much as I wanted. I played them off of each other like that. For the punishment of trying to escape," She narrowed her eyes, remembering something important, "breaking curfew, or purposely stepping out of line, whatever it was, I would give them less to eat and should they have any medical issue, I wouldn't give... it to them."

Starlight's anger wavered as she recounted the details. She continued, "If the mother of a filly with lung disease got caught after curfew, then... the child wouldn't get her medicine for... for weeks. If a stallion who suffered from nightmares argued... back at me or any of my assistants, I would turn up the intensity of his nightmares. I... I..." She breathed, letting more anger leave. "Mares who were desperately in need of food would... sit outside my house for days and get ridiculed by the other ponies so that she could become an assistant and get fed better. Twilight, they learned real quick not to bite the hoof that feeds them." She just stood there holding Twilight, her eyes vacant.

"Starlight, If only I-"

All of her anger returned in an instant. "You just had to know didn't you. I'm sure you'll enjoy that little bit of power over me, but know this: I know how to control ponies' lives, I can control them. It's not a good talent to have... at all." Her anger left for good this time. After a long, extended silence, Starlight pulled Twilight up and hoisted her onto the ground; her hoof was quite sore.

"But how did they survive on their own after my friends and I left? I had no idea food was such an issue."

"They broke through some caves and basements where I kept the food locked up. That's what they used for their liberation party I heard. While I left, I told some ponies I met along the way to keep them alive while I was busy hunting down you, but I doubt they kept their word. Even so, without much food, the villagers can have as much talent as they desire in cooking and not get anything. I'll be willing to wager that they haven't had a good meal since you left, but..." she tipped her head back at the two carts, still miraculously steaming hot.

Twilight gazed on at the carts now impressed by their full purpose. She stood like this for a while until she said, "What will you say to the rest of them? I know you apologized to Sugar Belle, Party favor, Night Glider, and Double Diamond... but what about the rest? What about the food?"

"They know about the food, they lived it, Twilight; don't be so dense." She sighed a hard sigh. "I'll tell them the truth." Starlight nodded before she trotted over to her cart, strapped it on, and rolled towards her village with Twilight following close behind. The oppressive silence lay back on the other side of the chasm.

As the sun hung high above them, they both agreed to skip lunch in order to save the food for the party, a decision that was difficult to make as the steam billowed out from under the cover of the food. The sun didn't help them travel any faster either, it made the wasteland ridiculously hot.

It's Hearth's Warming Eve, it should be cold outside, not a hundred degrees, Twilight thought plodding ahead. Her mind reeled from what Starlight had said and as she attempted to digest it, she recalled that hunger and the heat don't mix well together at all. She could even see the heat waves emanating from the rocky ground before turning to see that Starlight was handling the heat better though not by much. Twilight turned back to find that a sort of darkness disrupted the heat waves and only when they walked a few dozen yards more did she find that they were the silhouettes of town houses... instead of just another boulder. Eventually, the two of them came close enough to see the stony walls and the shanty wood roofs of the houses that haven't changed since Twilight had last visited, save a few faded paint jobs.

Only a few ponies lingered outside and they were too far to call out to.

She sat down on the side of her house and opened up a new can of packaged oats and hey trying not to notice her friend hovering over her shoulder.

"Y'know, there's only a dozen cans left."

"It'll last until next week." The squatting mare glared at her friend before turning back to her canned fodder.

"Are you sure? Are you sure?" She poked her in a seemingly friendly manner but her face said otherwise. After a while, she poked at her harder eventually tipping her friend over.

"Cut it out." The mare with the food spat back.

"Stop eating all of my food."

"your food? This is community food and this is the only can I'm having today, go pester somepony else or grow up."

"I should have more of this food and you know it, I have to my husband to take care of and he's sick-"

"-But he gets his own cans, we've gone over this, Daze."

"I should get more food because I have to spend my time taking care of him. It takes more energy than you, you don't even have a family anymore... you're lucky your husband escaped with those mares." She kicked her over again.

"Oh, shut up."

"No. Give me that can." Daze reached out to take the can but the other mare took the can and bashed it on her forehead causing her to tumble backwards.

"Go away, you bucker. The town is tired of your relentless demanding... you, you're like Starlight." Daze walked away until she heard her say the last bit prompting her to turn around, but instead of retaliating, she froze when she saw the silhouettes of two ponies approaching the town.

"Look, caravaners."

The other mare whipped around to see what she was talking about, still holding the can of oats in fear that Daze might steal it having set up a trick. It wasn't. Sure enough, there were two ponies approaching the village pulling loaded carts. "I thought they didn't come until Wednesday. Ugh, that's too long to wait for food. They're not sending us enough food like they used to... whoever they are."

"Yeah, and they don't usually come from that direction... who knows where the caravans come from anyway, we can't seem to find a way out of this place, it's surrounded by these giant chasms wherever you go."

"...There's only two of them." The mare with the food squinted. "Wait... those ponies aren't caravaners; they look vaguely familiar."

Daze squinted, realizing first that one of the mares was Starlight. "Starlight Glimmer, it's her," She shouted.

"Look who's with her."

"Who?" Dazed snapped back now completely angered.

"Twilight, one of the six ponies who freed us and ran Starlight out of town." She was confused, trying to figure out what both of them walking together could possibly mean.

"No, Starlight tricked Twilight and now she's coming for revenge. Tell everypony to escape." Fear mixed with the anger already shining on Daze's face but before she could run off and tell everypony inside, the other mare held her back, squinting some more.

"No, Daze; Sugar Belle and her friends were right, Starlight has been reformed. I can tell it in the way she walks, I can tell it... I can just tell. Daze, you have to believe me." She turned to her friend for a moment before turning back. "The carts they're carrying, there's steam coming from them. They have a tone of hot food. Daze, we're saved, we're saved." She felt her body shake with excitement and soon the rest of the town came out to look at the unlikely duo arrive.

Starlight slowed down to travel behind Twilight as fear visibly spread across her face. "I can't do it."

"Remember what you told me; if you can tell me what you've done, you can tell them. I'll be behind you the entire time."

"B... behind?" She swallowed hard. She couldn't ignore the gathering crowd, they obviously saw her already. She turned to look at her destroyed house lying in ruins and immediately regretted looking at what they would do to her when she got close enough. "Where's Sugar Belle and the rest of them," she said, voice quavering.

"I'm sure they're somewhere in the crowd, you just have to walk out and ask where they are. Look, Starlight, when you returned, the four immediately accepted your apology when you explained yourself; they'll probably do the exact same. I'll be behind you if anything goes wrong." Starlight knew that small talk with Twilight wouldn't help her nerves anymore.

Starlight walked passed her shattered house and into the middle of the square where everypony stood staring at her with cold eyes, their fake smiles long gone. Local ponies filled in around her, cutting her off from Twilight and the two carts of food. She slowly spun around to see that nopony talked or moved, noticing that they were either completely terrified or furious. The heat from the sun didn't help lighten the mood either.

Stuttering, she managed to say, "Wh... Where's Sugar B... Belle?"

A raspy cough bellowed from somewhere as the ponies still stood completely silent.

"N... No? Okay..."

Silence.

"I... I haven't come back to... to hurt you, not like I did... before. I-"

"-Then leave." A stallion shouted, rushing out before his wife gently touched him stopping him in his tracks.

"I just ask the same in return: don't attack me."

"That doesn't sound fair to me," Daze boomed.

"Yeah," Somepony echoed.

"No, you don't understand." Starlight looked back at Twilight who was obviously panicking at the growing hatred; she couldn't really promise her safety. But then she looked at the two carts and she got an idea. "If I'm really not fair now, then why would I bring those along?" She pointed at the two carts.

The ponies murmured in confusion and some had to move out of the way so that others could see. Sure enough, everyone in the entire village could now see the two carts loaded with baked goods. Everypony approached it cautiously, all making sure it wasn't some sort of elaborate trap; it checked out okay. More silence followed but Starlight could feel the mood lighten ever so slightly. Unfortunately, a slimy sounding mare hissed, "Oh yeah, I'm sure you just walked around here and turned a bunch of stones and twigs into food like you used to do. You're not going to impress us with the same tricks, Starlight; it isn't thanks if you don't put any effort into apologizing." The other ponies around her weren't so sure about her argument, all they wanted was the food she had to offer.

"You used to use food as a reward," another stallion boomed, "now you're just using it to get favors."

"The only favor I want is to reconcile with you ponies and besides," she levitated the white sheets off of the two carts revealing the baked goods and their craftsmanship, "I couldn't do that. I know somepony else who can bake, right Sugar Belle?"

More silence followed but the mare and the stallion backed off after seeing that this wasn't her usual boring bread and grass. After a long moment, the ponies gradually looked harder and harder for the mare in question as well as her friends. Eventually Sugar Belle emerged from behind two houses. "That's right. She's talking about Pinkie Pie, she's Ponyville's best baker."

"Ponyville?"

"Where's that?"

"Who is she?" One of the mares pointed at Twilight.

"Don't you remember? She's the one who helped get your cutie marks back."

"Yeah, but what about you? What made you change? What's she got to do with it?" The hissing mare asked.

"She showed me what would happen if I kept seeking revenge and she made me realize that I was in the wrong. I'm sorry. Before coming here, I had to show her exactly what I did to you; how I turned stones into bread to feed you all, how I refused to give medicine to disloyal ponies, and how you sacrificed your sleep to get petty favors from me. I told her everything. I told her to quit being so naive, to quit asking for things she doesn't want to hear, and to help me regain trust from all of you. I've treated you like shit and I'm sorry, I apologize. That's what the carts are for." Starlight hung her head as the circle around her edged closer to her in a mysterious collective empathy that breathed in and out as one.

Daze was the only mare who didn't accept the apology. "It's not enough," she declared simply.

"It isn't."

"So?"

"You know, we actually came here for another reason."

"And what's... that..." her dominating voice decayed quickly.

"I don't know if you ponies have forgotten completely or not, but today is Hearth's Warming Eve. I brought this food for the party." She searched the blank faces for answers. "Do you not remember Hearth's Warming? Don't you remember Pony Clause, the story of the Windigos, and the founding of Equestria?"

"We do." Night Glider announced.

"What's the matter then?"

"Uh... I forgot all about it. Since you came, the days have blurred together."

"Things haven't gone well since you left," Sugar Belle added. "After you left, we were fed by mysterious caravan ponies who kept passing through the area. They gave us plenty of fresh food and drink everyday but no matter how many times we asked, they wouldn't say who they were or where they came from. We even tried to follow them, but those seemingly nice ponies threatened us with violence if we followed them. As time went on, they gave us less and less. Now they give us cans filled with mushy oatmeal and hay and they don't give us nearly enough. The last few times, they came with soldiers who threatened that the caravan would never return again. Thank Celestia you're back."

Starlight knew exactly what she meant, she knew exactly who those ponies were and, to her surprise, they had kept up their promise to feed the town. I don't understand, I only told them to give them just enough, why would they flood them with food to begin with? She decided to keep this little bit of information away from Twilight...

"Did you know about this, Starlight?" Twilight asked upset.

"No. Luckily I thought to bring some food along." Starlight turned to Daze who now had her back turned and her head down. "Hey, this is Hearth's Warming Eve, nopony can make things completely even, completely equal... especially not me. I have to be generous, I'm offering you to join the party with all of us. Don't worry about the food, it's not a good time to worry about anything. Will you join us?"

"I can't stop worrying, Starlight," She urged. "Look, I get it. You're sorry for what you've done and I believe it, I have to, but it doesn't change anything, we'll still just run out of food when you leave for Ponyville again."

"I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about the food problem. I can't undo what I've done. The best I can do. The best I can do is bring carts of food along. That's it. Nothing more."

"I know you can't do anymore." Daze paused for a long time as she looked at all the ponies already gathering around some benches and the food already getting arranged and dished out by Twilight. She sighed and inhaled, "You did good. Thank you, thank you. I can at least live the rest of my life knowing that one mare did care about us in the end."

"Don't say things like that, hunger's the worst way to die."

She responded softly, "Don't you say things like that," she chuckled low, "it's Hearth's Warming Eve after all." Her chuckle grew into a laugh and soon the two of them pranced over to the long table filled with Pinkie Pie and Applejack's best bakes and treats. Doubt still lingered in the minds of the ponies about food in the future, but for now, they ate in comfort knowing that somehow everything would be okay. After all, the one thing they no longer doubted, the one thing they knew for sure, was that Starlight Glimmer had realized what she had done and had given a generous apology.

The ponies sat down to the best Hearth's Warming Eve meal they had ever had before in a long time.

Double Diamond stood up with his drink in hoof. "Twilight, tell us how you defeated Tirek."

"Oh yeah, and the evil king Sombra," Night Glider added.

"One at a time," said Twilight. "I didn't know it at the time, but apparently there was this sinister centaur named Tirek who escaped from a place called Tartarus a while ago, which, if you can believe it, was a lot worse of a place to live than here." Some chuckled. "Anyway, he was able to march out of prison and return to Equestria where he stole the magic from unicorns and each time he sucked the aura out of a pony, he would grow stronger. Stronger and stronger he grew, gaining the ability to take power from earth ponies and pegasi along the way, until he set his sights on ridding Princess Celestia herself of magic..."

"...No..." A little filly whispered in awe.

"...Oh yes, but the princesses had a trick up their sleeve. They agreed to give me all of their magic so that when Tirek arrived, he would have nothing to steal from. It worked, but he sent them to Tartarus by surprise. He and Discord searched for me until the latter found me and my friends in Ponyville; he imprisoned my friends and gave them to Tirek. That's when Tirek betrayed him and stole Discord's magic, the magic of chaos."

"...In the name of Celestia," somepony said.

"Discord gave me an amulet that Tirek gave him in apology. Eventually, Tirek found me out and destroyed my tree home. He knew I had the princess' magic but I wouldn't let him have it and so I fought him hoof and nail until he decided we were too equally matched. He offered me a trade: my friends for all the alicorn magic in Equestria. I thought for a long time and I thought it was a trick, but after everything I've gone through, I knew that I needed to take the trade. He followed through with the deal and gave me back all my friends even though I had to convince him to release Discord. When he sucked all the alicorn magic out of me, he grew to the most gigantic size possible, destroying everything in his path."

"What did you do?" Asked a confused Sugar Belle.

"I went back to the chest at the foot of the Tree of Harmony and used the amulet as the final key to unlock a power that I can only describe as the pure magic of friendship. Tirek didn't stand a chance; he returned back into his weak and decrepit form and the princesses, the unicorns, the pegasi, and the earth ponies all got their powers back. It was a battle I couldn't win without my friends." Twilight looked at Starlight beside her knowing that she could wield that same power now.

Silence was quickly followed by cheering and more loud talking. "Tell us about Discord."

"No, what about Chrysalis?"

Twilight retold all the epic struggles she's had as the ponies ate their fill. They at at the end of their chairs for some, they looked down disappointed for others, and they cheered whenever Twilight and her friends pulled through. These ponies were amazed at this simple power, having not witnessed anything like it for years.

She noticed there would be quite a bit left over for Hearth's Warming Day. Eventually Twilight said, "How about letting Starlight say the Hearth's Warming Tale?"

An uneasy pause was followed by a mumbling yet supportive yes.

"Uh, where do I start?"

"Come on, you know it," Party Favor urged.

"So... before the founding of Equestria, there were three tribes made up of the three races of ponies: The Unicorns, The Pegasi, and The Earth Ponies. They originally had a contract that worked well, the earth ponies would give food to the pegasi and the unicorns in exchange for good weather and the maintenance of the sun and the moon. As all contracts go, distrust came from somewhere, Celestia knows where, and the distrust caused the winters to grow harsher. The harsher the winter, the less food earth ponies could grow and the less food the other tribes could collect. The unicorns and the pegasi garnished and eventually forcibly seized food while the earth ponies hoarded what was left over, attempting to starve off the others. Things got so bad that they had to hold a summit.

"The leaders of the three tribes, Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead, all traveled to Summit Castle where they tried negotiate a resolution before they all starved to death. Unfortunately, they were too blinded by their hatred to negotiate and the leaders returned back to their tribes deciding to seek out new land. This went perfectly well until they discovered that they had all found the same land... what are the odds? They argued over this as they always did and the snowstorm came rolling in again. They had to retreat to a dull cave where their hate eventually froze them stiff. Luckily for all of us here today, their advisers didn't want anything to do with their leaders' arguments and they agreed to form Equestria out of compromise. That's the true reason we celebrate Hearth's Warming, it's about caring." Starlight had everypony's attention.

"Speech." Somepony called out from the other side of the table.

"Nothing can be more embarrassing for you than what you said earlier." Night Glider nudged Starlight making everypony laugh.

"Well, yes, I agree, but I-" Starlight noticed Twilight talking in a hushed tone with a saffron colored stallion with a redder, cinnamon colored mane and tail she didn't quite recognize. He wasn't a part of her village. He looked up at her as she sat down. "What do you want with Twilight?" Her voice was obviously on edge. "...And who are you?"

"I said 'excuse me'. That's it. That's all I said. Can we talk in private?" He boomed low in an accent that she knew a little too well. It was an accent that Twilight has probably never heard.

"It's not a good time."

"I insist." He hissed. His dark teal eyes stared unwavering back at her.

"Don't worry ponies, I'll be back." They responded to Starlight with a resounding groan but luckily for her, they didn't think anything about her leaving with a stallion they didn't know either. "Where do you want us to go? What do you want from us?"

"I need your help."

"Okay," she said skeptically.

"Can we bring Sugar Belle, Party Favor, Double Diamond, and Night Glider with us to talk, I trust them as much as I do her... and I don't trust you, not yet." Twilight said in an ominously flat tone of voice.

The stallion stood still thinking. "Sure."

"Sugar Belle?"

"Yes?" She said sweetly though she was unnerved by the anxiousness in Twilight's voice.

"Can you get your three friends and meet us and this visiting stallion in private?"

"Yeah, but what do you need? What does he need?"

"I don't know." Sugar Belle turned to get her friends' attentions while the mysterious stallion led Starlight Glimmer and Twilight around the back of a cottage on the south side. He chose a bad spot because the sun shone directly on them, it wasn't under any shadows. Eventually, Sugar Belle and her friends ambled around back while the rest of the ponies continued eating in celebration.

"Tell us your name before we tell you anything," Starlight demanded trying to gain some kind of leverage.

"I'm Raider. Can I ask for help now?" He said impatiently.

"What do you want?" Double Diamond said caustically, sensing the distrust.

"I need help tracking down three criminals in m'home town and I think the combined talents 'f'all of you will help m'find them and bring them to justice. They've been tormenting m'town and I would like you to help stop them. Agreed?" He stared coolly at everypony though Twilight got the impression that he was trying to be nice.

"Yes." The collective answer was almost immediate.

"Are y'willing to follow me after y'finish your... your... what kind of party are y'having anyway? It's the middle of winter for Meadow's sake." None of them understood what he was talking about.

"It's Hearth's Warming Eve, haven't you heard about Hearth's Warming Eve?" Party Favor said surprised.

"Never heard 'f'it, sorry."

"It's a long story," said Starlight sighing after having just got done retelling the old tale.

"Don't bother, you can just g'back to your meal." Raider watched as Twilight, Sugar Belle, and all her friends met back with the rest of the village. Starlight also began to walk back when Raider pulled her aside. "You," he stared down at Starlight hoping that she would listen and trust him, "I want to know what these are." He rustled his hoof around in his pale, over-sized saddle bag until he pulled out three clear jars filled with one cutie mark each. Starlight stared at the marks astounded. It wasn't possible, Double Diamond broke the glass and the cutie marks all flew away to meet with their respective pony. It wasn't possible that these three didn't make it, she couldn't accept it.

"How is this possible?" Starlight yelled at Raider.

"I 'avent the slightest idea." He boomed. "What I want t'know is whose are these."

"Three ponies who escaped a long time ago, are they the criminals?" Starlight didn't have any worry in her voice at all.

"I can only assume yes."

"Why didn't you tell them that?" Starlight narrowed her eyes.

"I want them t'learn for themselves, but the real reason is because these criminals don't have their cutie marks," he dangled the jars above her head, "I can't imagine they're going t'receive your company very well at all. I'm withholding all 'f'this from them for your safety... and for theirs. Did you hear how fast they responded 'yes'?"

"Yes?" She couldn't figure out where he was going with this.

"They're too eager and if they knew that they're going to be looking f'three ponies with equal signs, they would rush in to capture them with you by their side and... well, let's just say they'll do what criminals always do." Raider's voice sounded manipulative, but he honestly tried to fight his own foreign tone of voice.

"What good does it do to bring them along then?"

"They will help us find those criminals, but it will be you who will capture them because you are th'only one they fear with their lives." Raider nodded consolingly as Starlight realized that she had to use her former self to help his town, I just can't do that, I've haven't spent all this time seeking revenge with Twilight and seeking forgiveness from the villagers just to scare these criminals with my former self. Starlight straightened up after figuring out that it just didn't make any sense.

"That doesn't explain the cutie marks not returning to their flanks when Double Diamond broke the glass. We're talking about powerful and innate magic here, cutie marks wouldn't be stopped just by mere distance." Starlight paced now, trying to figure out what Raider knew and didn't know.

"I don't know a'ton'bout magic and your argument makes sense. I don't know how it happened; my superior gave m'these jars, that's all I know. You know what these ponies'll do t'ya, y'know. I'm asking you not t'leave me and the others during the trip. I am relying on you to capture these criminals because you are the center of the plan. I left m'home town just so I can find you and, luckily, I found y'on the exact day they sent me. Will you do this, will you help me?"

"First, tell me what they did exactly." Starlight stared at Raider but she accepted what he had to say for the most part; whatever happened with the cutie marks, it was out of his power.

"I'll tell everypony at once, they shouldn't know this little talk ever happened. For their safety, remember. D'you accept?"

Starlight responded with more hesitancy than her friends. "Yes."

"My boss would like you to sign this paper in that case, it's nothing y'should be worried about." He looked disinterested in Starlight's reaction and instead he stared at a tiny spider scampering up the back of the house they stood behind.

She read through the entire text of page and, after reading everything about the possible hazards and the chance of deaths to occur, she didn't find anything that would make the contract shifty or dishonest. It was just like any other regular form. She stared down at the two lines, one for his signature and another for her. She signed the bottom line.

And the shape of the lines were not lost on her.