Starlight Glimmer sat both anxious and disgruntled in the small room she had recently kept Twilight and her friends in. The irony of it all, a prisoner in the town she once ruled over. All she wanted was a place where everypony could live in perfect harmony, where nopony had to worry about who was better or who could and couldn't do what. Then these six seemingly random ponies show up and ruin everything, snooping around and fixing what wasn't broken... However she couldn't help but blame herself for keeping them around and attempting to force them to conform to her own beliefs. If she would have just done away with them none of this would have happened... The door opening startled her from her thoughts.
In walked Twilight Sparkle, the leader of the bunch who destroyed her dream... the alicorn, the princess... “What do you want? Why don't you just leave me to rot along with my aspirations?” Starlight spat, resisting the urge to attack her purple intruder.
Twilight simply sighed, shut the door and sat a few feet away. “Starlight... we want to hel-”
“Oh don't even!” Starlight interrupted. “I know what you ponies think of me. I know what-”
“I want to help you!” Twilight shot back in a raised tone. “I... me. Some of my friends and most of the town have less than... rational ideas with what to do with you, and if you don't listen to me here and now... even I can't save you. You'll end up in a prison or at the mercy of the town you yourself unknowingly imprisoned.”
Starlight snorted but fell silent. She wasn't a fool and knew she was beat. The least she could do was cut her losses and listen, if for nothing else but to bide for time. “Fine... what do you want?” She asked again.
“I want to listen... I want to know why.” Twilight replied.
“Why what?”
“Why was this ideal so important to you? Why was it so important for everypony to be equal, even so much so that you had to steal everypony's cutie marks?” The purple alicorn almost seemed sad asking the question.
“You already know why. I told you, told you all multiple times. A world without cutie marks is a world of equality. Nopony could ever lord themselves over another, nopony would feel jealousy or envious of another pony. There would be no war, no fighting, no hate... Everything would be perfect,” Starlight sighed. “And you ruined all of it.”
“You're right.”
This caught Starlight off guard, but also angered her. “I'm right!? You think I am right? Then why did you-”
“Because you're also wrong,” Twilight cut her off. “There'd be no war, but there'd be no true friendship, no hate but no love.” Twilight looked up at her. “Now... please, while I am here and willing to listen, tell me why you did this, the real reason for... all of this. I don't think you're bad Starlight. I really don't. Your intentions are too pure. Just tell me why. Make me understand.”
Starlight sat shocked, and in disbelief. Twilight saw through her and her concern seemed genuine... almost like a friend's would. The awful memory flooded back, the one that started it all. She contemplated the idea of spilling her guts to this mare. What could it hurt? It's not like anything could get any worse.
“His name... was Sunburst,” Starlight stated.
“Who's?” Twilight asked, suddenly a bit more hopeful.
“Somepony who used to be a friend,” Starlight replied. The hostility had left her voice and was replaced with sadness. “We were young foals... playing a game, stacking books and taking turns removing one from the bottom of the stack to see who would cause the stack to fall first. A silly game now that I think about it,” A half hearted chuckle left her before she continued. “Anyway... I was the unlucky one, and the the books began to fall, unfortunately in my direction. He stopped them with her magic, all of them. Next thing I knew he had her cutie mark. He looked so happy, smiling how I'd never seen him smile before. Sunburst ran outside to show everypony and ever since then nothing was the same. He left me behind, Twilight!” Starlight was angry again. “He got his cutie mark and we were never the same! He was too busy hanging out with all his non blank flank friends while I just faded into the distance.”
“But, what about when you got yours?” Twilight countered.
“By then it was too late, I resented the day I got my cutie mark. I obtained the very thing that stole my friends from me. I devoted most of my time alone scheming a way to prevent such a thing from ever happening again, thus I discovered the artifact, the staff of sameness and a new era had dawned, an age of equality. I took all ponies who'd been cursed by these symbols of what makes everypony different and relieved them of their burden. Everything was fine! Fine until you are your friends came along.” By this point there were tears in her eyes, of frustration, failure, sadness.
Twilight didn't want to pry further, but couldn't go back out there with a sob story and expect everypony to just let it all go. She needed to know everything. “Then... why did you keep yours?”
Starlight let out a small unexpected laugh. “Isn't it obvious? You saw what happened when you lost your cutie mark. You couldn't use magic. If I lost the ability to use magic I wouldn't be able to help others.”
Twilight digested this for a moment. Her intentions were pure, her methods were just... “Starlight you have to understand that you can't just force your beliefs on somepony-”
“I was helping them!” Starlight stomped.
“You imprisoned them,” Twilight replied, keeping her cool. “You didn't just take their cutie marks Starlight. You took their identity, their freedom and you said it yourself, what made them special,” she paused waiting for a reply and when none came she continued. “I want to help you Starlight.”
“No you don't,” Starlight whispered.
“Yes I do,” Twilight stood up. “Why else would I be here. I could have been home by now and had left you to the town's devices. I didn't because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had left without at least trying to help.”
“So what? This is just some compulsive heroism complex?” Starlight stood up herself. “Twilight Sparkle the Princess of friendship has come to save the day with all her wonderful advice of tolerance and acceptance. Talk is cheap Princess.” Starlight shot in a mocking tone.
“And I suppose becoming a jealous, petty, tyrant is soooo much better!” Twilight shouted, her horn glowing involuntarily and her wings spread. A knock at the door brought her back to her senses.
“Everything okay in there Twilight? Do I need to come in-”
“No Rainbow... everything is fine,” Twilight called back and relaxed, sat and smoothed her feathers, letting her head hang with shame. “I'm sorry.” When she looked back up Starlight still stood her ground, but there was hurt in her eyes. There'd been a harsh truth in her words.
“So what am I supposed to do?” Starlight asked.
“Listen to me, not all ponies are bad. You let one bad experience ruin your childhood and now you're mad at the world. I can help you. You can help you. You have a talent just like mine Starlight, use it to help ponies and make new friends. It worked for me.”
“What if it doesn't for me?” Starlight sat and sighed.
“I'll be your friend, and once you talk to the others I'm sure they will too,” Twilight replied.
“You're not serious,” Starlight replied disbelievingly.
“I am,” Twilight brightened up. “I wouldn't joke about something like this.” Twilight reached out her hoof for the purple unicorn who looked on as if Twilight were trying to hand her a poison joke plant.
Surely this was a trick, a cruel punishment. She studied the alicorn carefully but couldn't sense even a hint of deceit. Maybe she was telling the truth and really did want to help her. When layed out in perspective Starlight could see how what she had been doing was wrong, and this was... a second chance? What did she have to lose?
Hesitantly Starlight placed her hoof over Twilight's. “You... are serious?”
“Of course I am.” Twilight smiled, the yipped when Starlight suddenly pulled her over and wrapped her forelegs around her. “Thank you,” Starlight sniffled.
Twilight giggled and wrapped a foreleg around Starlight in return. “You're welcome.”
Everypony turned toward the door of the small building once it opened, revealing an all too happy Princess and a nervous looking Starlight who stayed close behind. “Everypony,” Twilight started. “I have something to tell you all.”
