Towers of books nearly blotted out the sunlight streaming through the window of Twilight's crystalline castle. Her violet eyes skimmed through the pages of the book currently in front of her. Ever since the terrifying encounter with Starlight Glimmer and her equality-based town, Twilight had sworn on the journey back to Ponyville yesterday that she would catch up on her research into Eastern unicorns. All morning, she hadn't moved from her chair in the castle's library even though her search was proving futile.
Not one book had revealed anything about spells used to take away cutie marks of any sort. She’d found spells to remove hair, zits, plaque and other things but nothing else. She dreaded to think what kind of twisted pony would conjure up a spell to purge somepony of their very identity in the first place. Scratch that; it was downright impossible to think with her mind constantly wondering as her magic danced across the rapidly-turning pages. Twilight's eyelids felt heavier, reluctantly continuing to take brief glances at the words on the speeding pages.
...IC ABOL...
Twilight's magical aura immediately vanished from the pages, her eyes popping open. Taking a moment to shift into a more comfortable position, she turned back a few pages until she finally reached the one of her interest. Her eyes scanned the title more clearly, growing wider as they passed over each letter:
MAGIC ABOLITION SPELL
Fully captivated for the first time that morning, Twilight curiously began reading through the paragraphs of the topic, instructional drawings to the side of each one:
This spell to exorcise a pony of their magical abilities requires intense concentration and calm thoughts in order to perform. Usage of this may lead to a depletion of energy in both the user and the patient, so do not attempt to cast any more spells for at least four hours.
To execute, ensure that the pony you are performing this on is completely still, lest any physical damage comes to the user or patient through any violent movement.
Next, press the tip of your horn firmly against their horn or forehead. Finally, concentrate very hard until…
Horrified, Twilight wrenched her eyes from the page and pushed the book away from her. To remove somepony's cutie mark was one thing, but a spell capable of taking away their magic entirely was a whole other level. She shuddered as eerily similar memories of Tirek draining her magic briefly flashed in her mind. However she couldn’t help but wonder if this spell would have proven useful had she known about it in the past. Tirek. Sombra. Chrysalis. They would all most likely be incarcerated in the Canterlot dungeons by now if Celestia had taught her this spell in her youth. Maybe if Starlight returned to seek revenge...
‘But if I used that spell on Starlight, I’d be no better than her.' Twilight's conscience instantly shoved her imaginary visions to the back of her mind. ‘I came to Ponyville to learn about friendship. We managed to reform Sunset, Luna and even the spirit of chaos. And I’m now the Princess of Friendship for pony's sake! The least I could do is try to live up to my title. If we reformed them, I bet we can reform her.'
Letting out a downcast sigh, Twilight took one final glance at the Magic Abolition page before enveloping the book in her sparkling purple aura and slamming it shut. As soon as it was levitated back to its former place on the highest shelf, the Alicorn finally rose from her seat and began making her way to the kitchen.
'I just hope, for Starlight's sake, I never have to use that spell.' she thought, the library doors behind her closing with a resounding slam.
For the umpteenth time that day, the clockwork-patterned vortex spat out Twilight, Spike and Starlight onto the clouds, just as filly Rainbow Dash was once again beginning her race with the bullies.
"You don't know what it's like to lose a friend because of a cutie mark." Starlight snarled, casting a quick glance at the three young pegasi above. A crazed look grew in her eyes as her turquoise aura ignited around her horn. "But once I stop the rainboom, you will!"
Before either Spike or Twilight had time to react, the dragon's backpack vanished in a blinding flash and appeared in front of Starlight. Levitating the crinkled scroll out through the flap, she dropped the bag unceremoniously through the clouds. Twilight and Spike froze in terror as the unicorn's aura began to tug at the paper, a tear slowly snaking its way down the centre.
"And when I destroy this scroll, there'll be no way for you to change it!" She yelled, her irises shrinking in unbridled fury.
Twilight looked on, horrified, as the rip in the scroll gradually grew bigger. Even after showing Starlight the consequences of her time-meddling, she was still willing to go through with her twisted revenge scheme. Even destroy the only thing that could transport them back to the present. Her options were running out. And there were no Elements or Rainbow Power here to help.
'There’s only one thing left to try…’ she thought, ‘Talk it out.'
"Starlight, you're right!" Twilight blurted out frantically. She let out a mental sigh of relief as Starlight stopped tearing the scroll, a vicious glare gazing into her soul. "I don't know what you went through! But I do know you can't do this! I've seen where this leads and so have you!
"I only saw what you showed me!" the unicorn retorted. "Who knows what'll really happen?"
Twilight and Spike took a brief nervous look at the race through the cloud rings continuing behind them. She only had so much time left and Starlight still wasn't listening.
"I've seen it a dozen times! Things don't turn out well in Equestria without my friends!"
"Ugh, what's so special about your friends?" Starlight groaned loudly, ripping the scroll even further with a roll of her eyes, "How can a group of ponies that are so different be so important?!"
'Now's my chance. I can't blow it now.'
The corners of her mouth curling up into a tender smile, Twilight slowly began walking up the cloud towards her as Rainbow and the other colts whizzed by.
"The differences between me and my friends are the very things that make our friendship strong." She explained, taking on a gentle and warm tone. Starlight looked away, clenching her eyes shut as tears streamed down her cheeks like waterfalls.
"I thought Sunburst and I were the same." She replied, her voice quiet. "But we turned out different, and it TORE OUR FRIENDSHIP APART!"
On those last four words, the rip in the scroll grew larger. Her dragon companion still clinging to her back, Twilight took flight and stared into Starlight's dark blue eyes pleadingly.
"So try again!" the Alicorn urged, still retaining her compassionate smile. "Make new friends! And if something that you can't control happens that changes things, work through it together! That's what friendship..."
"SHUT UP!"
Twilight and Spike froze at those aggressive words. Starlight glowered at them from down on her cloud with piercing, tear-drenched eyes.
"Don't you dare pretend to understand! I’ve had enough of your pitiful lectures for an eternity!” she spat venomously, her irises now half their normal size. A chill raced down Twilight’s spine as the corners of Starlight’s mouth slowly curled up into an unhinged grin as she ranted. "No matter how many spells you throw at me or how many 'terrible futures’ you show me to try and convince me otherwise, you'll NEVER stop me from trying to eradicate you and your friends' precious bond!"
Firing a beam at Twilight, the unicorn let the scroll slip from her aura's grasp. Twilight was thankfully alert enough to duck underneath it, just as Spike dived off her back towards the almost-destroyed scroll dancing away in the wind. The dragon clamped his claws around the scroll, quickly rolling it up before it ripped any further, just as Twilight rapidly flew underneath him and caught him on her back.
Her face contorting into a hateful scowl, Starlight looked around wildly before catching sight of filly Rainbow Dash going into her familiar dive towards the ground. She quickly lit up her horn, smirking as a magic wall instantly formed in front of Rainbow. The young pegasus let out a grunt of pain as she slammed facefirst into its sparkling surface. Starlight gave a deranged chuckle while the time portal opened above Twilight and Spike again.
"Hope this next future's more scenic, Twilight!" she called with a sneer. The moment she finished her taunt, the two friends were whisked away into the rotating maelstrom once more.
‘Scenic’ was miles away from the best description for this newest timeline.
The sky red with fire over an alternate Ponyville blanketed with dark crystals and demolished buildings, Twilight and Spike crouched low behind the smoldering wall of Sugarcube Corner's remains as the brainwashed army of helmet-donning Crystal ponies marched past.
Their hooves pounding the blackened path of the wrecked town, King Sombra himself led the troops as his fangs glistened through his malicious grin. And bringing up the rear was a gargantuan Tirek, every step he took making a crater in the ground. It was clear to both Twilight and Spike that the two tyrants had joined forces in this timeline and had already made short work of Ponyville.
The moment the villainous duo and their hypnotized forces had left and continued their trek to Canterlot, Twilight and Spike finally released their held breath and slumped against the half-destroyed wall, the tattered but thankfully still intact scroll still clenched tight in the dragon's claws.
"So... now what?" Spike broke the silence for the first time in the past ten minutes. Twilight said nothing, only continuing to stare down at Sugarcube Corner's cracked floorboards as the latest encounter with Starlight raced through her mind.
As much as she didn’t want to face facts, she had to; there was no changing Starlight’s mind now. Any shred of rationality Twilight hoped she would still have was gone. But if all her options had been exhausted, what others were left?
"Twilight!"
The Alicorn's eyes blinked rapidly, finally snapping out of her panicking thoughts. She glanced down to notice Spike's clawed hand resting on her right hoof. The dragon's frightened green orbs gazed up at her in worry as she let out a deep sigh.
"I... I don't know, Spike." Came the broken reply. "I thought I could do it. I... thought I could reform her. It was my last option. I guess… since we'd managed to reform Nightmare Moon, Discord and Sunset Shimmer in the past and… the others weren't here to help us, I thought I could maybe live up to my title as the Princess of Friendship and talk some sense into Starlight. Try to reform her too. But... I failed."
Built-up tears managed to slip through Twilight’s clenched eyelids, dripping onto the wooden floor beneath her grimy hooves. Spike ran a soothing hand over her shoulder as a quiet sniff escaped her nostrils.
"Well what about Chrysalis, Sombra and Tirek?" asked the dragon curiously. "They were bad guys and we didn't reform them." Twilight's eyes opened ever-so-slightly at his statement. She wiped some tears off her cheek as she chose her next words carefully.
"Well… I thought since Starlight was a pony like me… with no dark magic corruption or anything like that, maybe there was still some good in her. That she’d be able to listen to reason. I just thought… if I could convince her to turn herself around, maybe that would save all of Equestria. And maybe… I'd deserve the Princess of Friendship title." She responded after a long silence, still not looking up. A weak chuckle escaped her mouth though she didn't smile. "And I guess we saw how that turned out."
“But, Twilight… you’ve already done so much to earn it.” Spike protested, still rubbing her shoulder soothingly, “I mean, you gave up your magic to Tirek to save your friends and Discord, helped Moondancer regain her faith in friendship, made two fighting families put their differences aside to make a better home and even saved Princess Luna from… well, herself. And now look at what you’re doing.” Twilight finally lifted her head slightly, looking at him through wet eyes.
“You’re willing to go through all these horrible futures to save your friends and all of Equestria.” He continued softly. “As far as I’m concerned, Twilight, you’ve gained that princess title long before today.”
With that, the little drake could only wrap his arms around Twilight and hug her close. The Alicorn managed to give a tiny smile and cuddle him back with her foreleg as more tears poured down from her eyes. Neither moved for a full minute before finally breaking apart the embrace. Spike wiped some of his own tears away as Twilight gave a small appreciative nod.
"Although... isn't there anything left we can do?" He asked, his smile fading somewhat. "I mean, if we don't try something, she's just gonna keep wrecking time over and over again." Exhaling loudly, Twilight forced herself to sit up slightly.
"Well... I suppose but... but I don't want to resort to..." She hesitated, swallowing the lump in her throat as she forced out a substitute for that word she dreaded. "...ending her."
However Twilight knew deep in her gut that, for a very young dragon, he was right. Painful as it was to accept, drastic measures did have to be taken for the greater good, whether ponies liked them or not. She knew even Celestia had had to make that one agonizingly tough decision in her past to protect her subjects. But even so, the very thought of it made her struggle to not vomit. It would end this monotonous conflict, true, but Twilight wasn't the kind of pony to just take somepony's life.
Take...
…somepony's...
Twilight's eyes instantly shot open, her neck and back becoming rigid as Spike stumbled over in shock. As the youthful dragon got to his feet and gazed at her inquisitively, Twilight's conscience battled for dominance over her protesting memories.
‘If I used that spell on Starlight, I’d be no better than her.’
That inner voice of the past pulsated in her head furiously, making her briefly rub a hoof against her temple. Fortunately her conscience's soothing voice pushed that haranguing recollection to the depths of her mind.
‘But this is my only option left. I know it's a difficult choice I don't want to make but that's the price of becoming royalty. And if you don't choose this decision, all of Equestria will continue to suffer at Starlight's hooves. Is this decision cruel? Unfortunately, yes. But is it necessary to keep peace and harmony and save everypony? Absolutely.'
Twilight's eyes snapped open, a mixture of hesitation and newfound courage flowing through them. Rising back onto all four hooves, Spike found himself levitated into the air and onto the Alicorn’s back. His claws unclenched as Twilight's aura seized the scroll from them and held it in front of her. Staring at the torn parchment, a shimmering white ripple of her magic worked its way up the tear until the paper appeared as though it was never ripped in the first place.
Without a word, Twilight began her trek back through the ruins of Ponyville and toward the map table on the town’s outskirts, the scroll hovering beside her in her sparkling aura. A zap of magic into the table’s centre and the clockwork portal materialized instantly above the table once more. As the swirling winds from the vortex tugged furiously at her and Spike's bodies, the Alicorn spoke quietly to herself as they were both gradually lifted up and sucked into the clanking and roaring portal.
"I’m sorry, Starlight… but this is the only way.”
An anticipating smirk crossed Starlight’s face, never even flinching as the earsplitting sound of the opening time portal roared behind her once more before dissolving away. She turned around on her cloud near the hovering runway before finally glancing at her Alicorn and dragon pursuers, both glaring at her on the one opposite.
“Back for another round, your highness?” the unicorn asked with a malicious grin, casually checking the back of her hoof. Glancing back to Twilight for a moment, her smile wavered slightly as she studied her expression more carefully; behind that determined glare, she could almost see a hint of regret shimmering in her eyes.
Then came Twilight’s soft reply.
“The last round.”
Starlight almost had no time to react as her aura rapidly conjured up a shield, the Alicorn’s magic slamming into it and furiously fighting to break through. Feeling tiny cracks beginning to appear all over its sparkling surface, Starlight gritted her teeth in fury until she finally straightened her magical barrier into a slanted position, Twilight’s attack now bouncing off it. The two ponies simultaneously fired two beams at one another, the ends of each one colliding in a burst of crackling energy and colourful sparks battling for dominance. Through the blinding light of the clashing magic, they could just barely see their opponent narrowing their eyes at them, both their teeth clenching so hard that they might crack. Just barely balancing on Twilight’s back, Spike could only gnaw on his claws anxiously at the battle of magic unfolding before him.
Until a whoosh snapped him out of his nervous stupor.
Whipping his head to the left, squinting to get a clearer view, the little dragon could just about see filly Rainbow Dash and the two bullies begin their race all over again while Fluttershy plummeted from her cloud once more. Beads of sweat poured down his forehead as he turned back to look at the two horned ponies still engaged in their magic beam duel. A determined groan made its way through Twilight's clenched teeth, gradually growing into a scream as both beams crackled furiously. But neither waned nor strengthened. That wasn’t good enough.
Making his decision, Spike’s reptilian eyes narrowed in a mixture of reluctance and determination. Bending both his stubby legs, he leapt off Twilight’s back, onto her head and pushed off with all his might. A determined yell escaped the small drake’s mouth as he soared over the beam-o’-war and went into a dive towards Starlight. By the time she tore her eyes away from her rival to notice him, Spike’s claws seized Starlight’s mane to stop him from falling. Ignoring her pained cry, he bravely swung his other fist at the base of her horn and gave it the strongest punch as he could muster.
Almost instantly, Starlight’s magic faltered as a throbbing pain shot through her head like a lightning bolt. Letting out a yell, she raised a hoof to massage her stinging temples. And her magic beam finally disappeared.
Spike let go of the unicorn’s mane and ducked down on the cloud in the nick of time as Twilight’s built-up beam came barreling towards Starlight. Before she could process what was happening, the energy slammed directly into her like a train. The force of the ray was enough to push her off her cloud and through several others in her path, each one earning a gaping unicorn-shaped hole. At last the massive beam relented, sending a battered and barely still-conscious Starlight rolling across the last cloud before finally skidding to a stop near the edge. The only sound that emitted from her was a tiny groan.
“Twilight, if you’re gonna do something, please do it now!” Spike begged, leaping back onto the Alicorn just as she soared past him. Settling down on the end cloud, Twilight gently placed her hoof upon Starlight’s shoulder and turned her onto her back. The previous neatness of her mane was now ragged, the last of the black smoke dancing away from her singed chest. Inhaling deep, Twilight stood her front hooves on the beaten unicorn’s twitching forelegs. Opening her eyes a fraction, Starlight let out a barely-audible growl of protest as she feebly tried freeing herself from under Twilight’s weight, eventually collapsing back down on the cottony ground. The Alicorn simply glanced down at her with a sad look.
“I didn’t want it to come to this, Starlight Glimmer.”
Spike could only cling onto Twilight’s neck and stare with curiosity as she dipped her head down. Eventually the tip of her horn came to meet Starlight’s, the furious background sound of the race nearing its iconic moment entering her ears.
“But you leave me no choice.”
Taking a deep breath, Twilight clenched her eyes shut as a shimmering white trail snaked its way up the ridges of her horn to the tip, the light twisting down to the base of Starlight’s own. Spike flinched as both ponies eyes suddenly shot open, the irises vanished and instead radiant in a bright white glow. Iridescent aqua green rings rose from Starlight’s forehead and ran along her horn with a low hum, their hue morphing into pink as they crossed onto Twilight’s horn. Teeth gnashing together, beads of sweat poured down Twilight’s head as the rings disappeared at the base of her horn one by one, each making her recoil slightly. Entranced, Starlight could do nothing to push her away or even move any part of her body. And by the time the very last ring had dissolved into the Alicorn’s forehead, the damage was done.
The familiar blast of a certain filly’s sonic rainboom echoed throughout the skies.
The white glow evaporated from both Starlight and Twilight’s eyes as Spike finally let out a relieved breath. Her body slumping a tad, Twilight panted wearily and stared as the pinned unicorn’s head collapsed back onto the cloud beneath her. Luckily she found the strength to hook her forelegs around the unconscious Starlight’s body as the time vortex opened above them for the final time. The time scroll still clenched tight in his fist, Spike held onto Twilight’s mane with his other hand as they all began levitating off the cloud. An all-too-familiar rainbow trail soared overhead as the three of them vanished into the cyclone.
The eerie silence of the map room was shattered by the sounds of humming and clanking as the portal opened on the room’s crystalline ceiling, spitting out Twilight, Starlight and Spike onto the floor. Before Spike could react, an invisible force had pulled the time scroll from his claws and formed a glowing aquamarine sphere around it. The bottom of the bubble vacuumed up a beam of energy from the table before finally levitating up and away into the still-whirring vortex. The clockwork-decorated dome then shrunk in an eruption of blinding light. When the flash had died down, there was only the two ponies, the dragon and the map of Equestria left in the room.
Twilight did nothing to celebrate, only gazing stone-faced at the unconscious Starlight at her hooves while her dragon friend fully embraced the floor, planting countless relieved kisses upon it.
“One castle of friendship? Check!”
His brief celebration was interrupted by the gigantic doors slamming open. Turning towards the source of the noise, there stood the rest of Twilight’s friends, each with their mouth agape and eyes wide with startled surprise. No bruises, crazy haircuts or injuries of any sort.
“What in Equestria was that?” Rarity exclaimed, drawing her attention to Spike.
“Is everypony okay?” Fluttershy stared at them both, worry in her tone.
“Ooh! Can you do it again?” asked Pinkie, retaining her signature excited grin. Spike could only smile in return, turning to look at Twilight.
“One group of amazing friends? Check!” But Twilight didn’t look back at him, or even give a smile of her own. She only continued staring at the out-cold unicorn still on the floor, her expression hard to read.
“Yeah, Spike,” came the cheerless reply at last, “It looks like we’re home.” Finally the other five ponies took notice of Starlight, all taking a fearful step back while Applejack put on a suspicious glare.
“Uh, what’s she doin’ here?” Letting out a sigh through her nostrils, Twilight finally turned to look at her friends, her eyes filled with relief yet at the same time vacant of any joy.
“It’s a long story.”
The desolate mood was quickly broken by the sound of a quiet groan. Applejack’s glare intensified while Spike, Rarity and the others all recoiled at the sight of Starlight staggering to her hooves. Twilight only looked on with pity as the unicorn finally rose into a standing position, slowly yet shakily. Blinking to a few moments, Starlight’s eyes fully opened. And her vision finally cleared, getting a good look at the sorrowful princess before her. Instantly her brow furrowed and her teeth clenched into a murderous scowl.
“You!” Rapidly adjusting herself into a battle position, Starlight aimed her horn at the Alicorn, ready for a killing blow. Spike inhaled deeply, his fire raging in his throat. Applejack narrowed her eyes as she changed into a fighting stance herself.
But no fight came.
Her glare melting away, Starlight stared up at her own horn with bewilderment. No aura had surrounded around it. Her eyes clenching shut, she strained and sweated as her head trembled furiously, biting her lower lip until it almost bled. Twilight never flinched while the others merely looked on in confusion, dropping their defensive postures.
“What… what’s going on?” Starlight panted, finally ending her futile attack as she returned her glare back to her rival, “What’s happened to me?”
“It’s gone.”
Starlight’s blue eyes widened slightly, praying to Celestia she didn’t mean what she thought she meant.
“What is?”
“Your magic.” Came the remorseful yet firm answer. “I took it away.” Silence filled the entire castle, everyone staring at Twilight in shock, Starlight bearing the most alarmed look.
“I’m sorry, Starlight Glimmer. But it was the only way.” The princess sighed, regret still present on her face. “Even after I showed you how your actions would eventually lead to the end of everything and everypony in Equestria, you refused to stand down. Even when I offered you my hoof in friendship, you still vowed to go through with your revenge against me and my friends. Who knows how many ponies would have suffered in all those futures if we’d carried on fighting? After that, I knew any hopes of reasoning with you were useless. But I just didn’t have it in me to resort to ending your life. So I came to a decision I promised myself to only use as a last resort… I used the magic abolition spell.” A look of familiarity at the spell name flickered in Starlight’s widened eyes as Twilight continued, her face still solemn and her friends looking on tensely.
“I never wanted it to come to that, Starlight. But if I was going to protect the future or my friends and Equestria from your tyranny, I realised it had to come to that. Now you can’t use your magic to harm anypony… ever again.”
At those final words, something inside Starlight snapped.
Her left eye began twitching uncontrollably as her brow furrowed once more. Both her irises shrunk to the size of pinpricks, slowly baring her teeth. Everypony except Twilight took a fearful step backwards as a low growl escaped her lips, eventually rising into a livid scream. Looking daggers at the saddened Alicorn, Starlight tried to take a step towards her, a wild desire to maim present in her crazed expression. Fortunately for Twilight, the unicorn’s hoof touched the crystal floor at a slanted angle and slipped out from underneath her, causing her to collapse into a furious and sobbing heap. Her tears gathered in puddles around her convulsing body, her drenched eyes clenched tight in a look of fury as she took ragged breaths. All anyone in the room could do was look down at Starlight with grief, especially Twilight. Finally she breathed a sigh and spoke calmly.
“Spike… take a letter.”
The dungeons beneath Canterlot Castle weren’t exactly Las Pegasus. Tiny streams of water flowed through the hardened mortar between the stone on the floor as the monotonous noise of water dripping from the ceiling filled the dank air. Rows of iron cells stretched across the room, the only source of light being a single rusty lantern hanging next to every door and one window overlooking the valley. It was clear these dungeons hadn’t been used for quite some time.
And Starlight Glimmer detested being its first prisoner in moons.
That fateful day she was stripped of her magical abilities, Twilight had immediately messaged Princess Celestia to meet her in Ponyville at once. She advised that she bring guards with her too, explaining her situation of a unicorn criminal to escort to Canterlot. Celestia was told, however, that magic-disabling rings wouldn’t be necessary. Starlight had awoken from her madness-induced slumber and spent the past few hours becoming acquainted with her new surroundings. And she would have to get used to it. For as soon as Twilight had explained everything to her mentor, it was decided that for creation of a cult based around brainwashing, abuse and cutie mark theft, stalking the Princess of Friendship, breaking into her home and meddling with the space time continuum, she was to remain imprisoned for life.
Leaning against the walls of her new domicile, dust muddied Starlight’s heliotrope coat as her hooves scraped furiously at the wet stone beneath her. She took loud enraged breaths through her nostrils, glaring at the wall across from her. Each breath echoed lightly throughout the humid oubliette until her brooding was interrupted by the loud creaking of the huge wooden door slowly being pushed open. And in stepped the last pony she wanted to see.
Starlight glowered toward the purple Alicorn, her aura lighting up around the ring on the door as she pushed it shut again. Hovering next to her, engulfed in her violet magic was a posh serving plate of various upper-class cheeses and baked vegetables, complete with a slice of buttercream cake on the side. It was clear she had borrowed it from the congratulatory banquet Celestia had just held in the gala hall. It had been a grand occasion to celebrate her and Spike sparing Equestria a dozen terrible futures. But her mood hadn’t improved a whole lot, even with her friends invited and after explaining the whole story to them. Rainbow in particular struggled to hold in a laugh at the mention of Starlight’s backstory until a glare from Fluttershy shut her up. So she had settled on paying one last visit to Starlight in an attempt to hopefully make peace.
Twilight could only gaze at the scowling prisoner with sympathy as she made her way over to her cell. Neither said anything for the longest time, Starlight’s vicious glare piercing the princess’ sympathetic glance.
“Hey.” Twilight’s quiet voice finally cut through the burning atmosphere, trying her best to sound friendly. The corners of her lips curled up into a tiny, gentle yet extremely uneasy smile.
“What do you want?” Starlight replied in a low volume, her throat still stinging from her earlier screaming. But the venom in her voice was clear as crystal. “Here to gloat, I presume? As if you haven’t done enough already.” Her attempt at a friendly smile fading somewhat, Twilight’s glistening aura just barely slid the plate of edibles under the bars and into her cell, letting it rest at her hooves.
“I thought I’d bring you some food from Celestia’s banquet.” From the corners of her eyes, Starlight simply glared down at the plate with contempt. She appeared to strain for a moment or two until the bitter reality of her current powerlessness returned to her mind. Instead, in a swift motion, her hind leg kicked the plate into the wall on the other side, scattering porcelain shards and ruined food all over the dungeon floor.
“I don’t need your sympathy.” She spat hoarsely, the anger never fading from her face. Her soft smile melting away, Twilight breathed a sigh of regret.
“I’m truly sorry, Starlight. Really, I am.”
“Oh, you’re sorry, are you? Well then that makes everything fine, doesn’t it?” came the venomous response. Barely maintaining her tender tone through the tears building up behind her eyes, Twilight continued quietly.
“But as much as it pains me, you’ve hurt many with your selfishness and would’ve hurt many more. It’s only fair that you face the consequences for your crimes. I just… wish it didn’t have to be this way. That there could have been a better solution.”
“Oh, well if you somehow found a way to give me my magic back… and maybe even opened this door so I could come out and THROTTLE you, that’d be just super!” Starlight now sat up slightly as she spoke through clenched teeth, almost as if she could rip the bars into shreds and pounce on the Alicorn like a ravenous tiger. Still, Twilight’s calm demeanor never wavered from the gaze of the unicorn’s twitching eyes.
“I offered you the chance, Starlight.” She replied firmly. “A chance for starting a new life in friendship… but you denied it. So you gave me no choice but to go through with my last resort to stop you. And that was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make as a princess.”
“Well whoop-de-doo. I'll bet your friends are soooo proud of you.” Sarcasm hung off every word from Starlight’s lips as Twilight began speaking again.
“Starlight, when I earned the title of the Princess of Friendship, I thought that meant I had to be perfect. That my friends and I had to fix every friendship problem, resolve every conflict and reform anyone who hated the whole idea of friendship. And that I would deserve the title of a princess if I just made no mistakes.” A small smile crossed her lips. “But thanks to Spike, I realized that I’ll never be perfect. That everypony, especially those with authority, have to make mistakes and difficult choices in order to grow and help others. I now know that no matter how hard I try to avoid them, drastic measures have to be taken for the greater good. Decisions that aren’t victimless but are still the best ones I can come to. And this… this is the first.”
“Oh, don’t give me that sappy garbage.” The unicorn flicked her head to remove her disheveled bangs out of her eyes, her frown never breaking. “I had a vision for a perfect future. A world of equality. A world of no conflict. No diversity. No cutie marks. And best of all, none of you to take it away from me. It could’ve been a reality if it weren’t for you and your stupid dragon! And you have the gall to come down here and justify ruining my life so you could treat ruining the lives of everypony in Equestria with your backwards views as a good thing?” Twilight only stared back with sympathy while the insanity in Starlight’s expression never weakened.
“You can act as high-and-mighty as you like, princess. You can give me the old ‘everything will be alright’ pat on the shoulder, lecture me on how being different somehow brings ponies closer, delude yourself into thinking that keeping me locked up will magically reform me. But no matter how much you think otherwise…” Starlight’s voice lowered to a dangerous volume, her teeth clenched to the point of fracturing as she pressed her snout closer to the cold bars of her cell.
“…you and your friends will never change my mind.”
Neither pony’s stare toward each other broke, albeit Starlight’s being more wrathful than Twilight’s. At long last, the princess closed her eyes and turned away from the cell. The powerless prisoner’s hateful stare never left her as Twilight made her way back to the gigantic wooden door and slowly pulled it open with her magic. She stopped as she was halfway out the door and took one last solemn look at Starlight. Finally she made her final sad declaration.
“I know.”
With that, the slamming noise of the door’s bulk echoed throughout the dungeon, leaving nothing but dampness and rage hanging in the air. The light from the sun gradually set over the mountains and darkened the cells, the small flickering flames from each lantern dying one by one at a sluggish pace. The only thing that carried on burning through the rest of the night was Starlight Glimmer’s seething fury.
