Returning Home

Chapters

Chapter 1- Tough Choices
Chapter 2- Going Back
Chapter 3- This Wall Between Us
Chapter 4- Strange Happenings In The North
Chapter 5- Trouble is a-Brewin'
Chapter 6- What Is Going On?
Chapter 7- Where It All Started
Chapter 8- Flanked
Chapter 9- Snowstorms and Steep Slopes

Chapter 1- Tough Choices

Starlight Glimmer found herself at a crossroads and her mind raced with emotions. She simply couldn’t decide what she was going to do, maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but she had never quite faced a more difficult decision in her life.

Blueberry or strawberry?

She stood looking over the basket of muffins. The smell had wafted through the air and persuaded her off course from several stalls away and she stood awkwardly hovering over the basket of beautifully browned muffins stuffed with brightly colored blueberries and strawberries. It was a sight she hadn’t seen in years and nothing had ever looked quite so appetizing.

“Go ahead dear, take one,” Mrs. Cake spoke up, breaking the silence and causing Starlight to snap back into reality. She embarrassingly wondered how long the baker had watched her practically drool over the basket of treats.

“Oh, I can’t just take one,” Starlight sheepishly admitted. She still felt strange from all of the special treatment she received from other ponies who were only too happy to make her feel welcome.

“Of course you can, you’re new to this town, and not to mention, a friend of Pinkie’s,” Mrs. Cake said from behind her bakery’s stall.

“Thanks, but it just wouldn’t feel right,” she told Mrs. Cake as she opened the flap on her saddle bag using her magic and lifted a few bits out, floating them onto the counter before lifting one of the blueberry muffins up.

“Well thanks dear, I hope you enjoy it.”

Starlight Glimmer smiled to the baker as she walked back into the crowd of ponies that filled the plaza. It had been the first nice day all week, after a scheduling conflict forced the pegasi to have an exceptionally rain filled week, and no pony wanted to continue to be stuck inside. Starlight had joked earlier that under her leadership this would’ve never happened. After all, under her rule, everypony knew their place and everything was organized.

Starlight raised the muffin in a light glow and took a large bite out of the top, savoring the blueberry explosion which let her know that she had made the right choice, before she spotted Rarity over at one of the stands and began walking over to her.

“Oh, there you are darling, looking over some of the finer pieces the market has to offer?” the white unicorn asked.

“I gotta muhfin,” Starlight boldly spat with her mouthful as crumbles launched outwards.

Rarity laughed before directing her to the fabric samples in front of them. “I need to know which one you like better.”

Starlight and Rarity had become close friends since Starlight had stopped being evil. They got along together easily, both being unicorns and having a similar refined taste, so when Rarity had asked Starlight to accompany her as she went to buy new fabric, she jumped on the opportunity, even though she knew nothing about the stuff.

“Okay well, the aqua-marine would contrast beautifully against my client’s eyes, but I don’t want it to look too obnoxious. Than again, the marine-aqua would be almost be too safe, too passé.” Rarity held up the two options and Starlight looked at them both intensely, finding no difference between the two. She wondered if Rarity was playing a prank on her at this point.

“Uh… this one.” Starlight pointed to one of the fabrics at random.

Rarity brought the piece back and gave it another quick examination before looking back to Starlight. “Bold… I like that.”

Starlight chuckled internally, not sure which one she even picked.

“I gotta be honest Rarity, I’m surprised you invited me out here to look over fabrics with you.”

“Oh, nonsense,” Rarity dismissed with a hoof wave. “You have great taste, just look at all these beautiful fabrics you helped me pick out.” She displayed all of the different brilliant fabrics which Starlight knew she barely had a role in picking out.

“But I don’t exactly know the first thing about fashion. I mean, don’t you remember though ugly cloaks back in my old town?”

Rarity shuddered at the memory of those horrid crimes against humanity.

Starlight continued. “Exactly. Well, I thought they were just fine.”

Rarity again dismissed the notion without a second thought. “Well, no bother, we've done great things here today and I’m sure Silver Mane will love her dress which you helped me design,” she gleefully responded as she lifted the fabrics in a familiar blue glow over to the stall’s owner.

Rarity paid for her materials and stuffed them in her bag, then the two began walking back to Rarity’s Boutique.

“So,” Rarity began. “Out of curiosity, has their fashion sense begun to take on a new life or are they still walking around in those…” Rarity cleared her throat, carefully looking a response that wouldn’t offend her new friend. “charmingly rustic…potato sacks?” Starlight was unfazed by Rarity’s comment.

“How the hay should I know?” Starlight admitted looking over to the unicorn.

Rarity stopped in her tracks, surprising her new friend who spun around to face her.

“You mean you haven’t been back there?”

“Well no, of course not,” Starlight admitted casually.

“Darling, why wouldn’t you have gone back?”

Starlight looked down at the ground, circling her hoof in the dirt. “I can’t go back and face those ponies, I did such horrible things to them.”

“But they deserve to see you again, just as you deserve to see them as well.”

Starlight continued to look away. “There’s no way they’d want to see me.”

“Of course they would, I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you once again now that you won’t try and brainwash them,” Rarity offered a chuckle, which went ignored by Starlight.

“I don’t know Rarity.”

“Oh come on, I’m sure if Twilight weren’t off in Canterlot she’d tell you how good it would be.”

“I mean I’ve thought about going back and apologizing for everything that I’ve done, don’t get me wrong. It’s just, it’s one thing to fantasize about revisiting them and another thing to actually do it. I’m sure they all still hate me.”

“But they’ll forgive you, I promise.” Rarity laid her hoof on Starlight’s shoulder. “And I’ll go with you, I’ll be there every step of the way.”

“I’m sorry Rarity, I just don’t think I can do it.” Starlight dismissed the idea and slowly walked back towards Carousel Boutique with the bags full of fabrics.

Rarity stood defeated as her friend walked ahead of her with her head hung low, she knew if she could convince Starlight to go back to her old town she would be forgiven.

Suddenly, Rarity sparked up and skipped up to Starlight, walking alongside her. “I’m sorry Starlight, you don’t have to go back if you don’t want to. It was wrong of me to try and pressure you like that.”

Starlight failed to notice the sudden change in her friend’s demeanor. “It’s okay Rarity.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you can just wait a few weeks or months until you’re ready.”

“Or years maybe,” Starlight joked as Rarity gave an overcompensating laugh.

“Who knows, maybe you’ll never go back there.”

——————————

The door to Carousel Boutique burst open and Rarity practically skipped through her shop allowing her bags to fall carelessly on the floor as she made her way into the kitchen.

Starlight followed her in, closing the door behind her. It took her a moment to realize that her friend wasn’t in the main room.

“Rarity?” she called out.

The unicorn poked her head out from the kitchen and looked to Starlight. “Sorry dear, I’ll just be a moment.”

“Oh, okay. Where do you want me to put your bags?” Starlight asked.

“Anywhere’s fine,” Rarity immediately responded with little interest.

Starlight set down the bags next to one of Rarity’s dress racks and began walking around the main room. She was always so fascinated with her friend’s shop. The beauty and almost opulence of the boutique spoke volumes about Rarity’s sense of elegance which she clearly took pride in.

She always felt like she had transported into a high-class boutique nestled in Manehattan every time she stepped through the door to the shop, something Starlight was sure Rarity worked hard to achieve.

She walked around the shop for bit, observing some of the dresses that had been on display long term, until she came across one of Rarity’s new dresses. It was a beautiful and radiant dress which stood out from the crowd. It was a light shade of blue with a vitreous front piece while the haunch was covered in brilliant azure feathers.

While Starlight wasn’t the biggest fan of fashion, or even dresses, she was simply awestruck by the magnificent work of a clear master in their field.

“Say dear, would you like some tea?” Rarity called from the kitchen.

It took Starlight a moment to register what Rarity had said. “Oh, uh…sure,” she said shaking herself back into reality.

A moment later, Rarity came trotting back into the main room levitating a silver platter with a similarly matched silver tea kettle and two cups.

Starlight tore herself away from the dress and walked over to sit on one of the couches as Rarity poured two cups of tea. Starlight lifted the hot cup with her magic and began to blow on the beverage to cool it before nothing a letter sticking out from under the platter.

“What’s that?” Starlight asked pointing a hoof to the letter.

Rarity practically blushed at the simple oversight. “Oh nothing, it’s just some outgoing mail for the mail pony.” She said tucking the letter further under the platter.

Starlight shrugged, returning her focus to the piping hot tea.

They sat for the next several minutes and spoke about the shopping the had just finished as Starlight took several regretful tastes of the still scalding hot tea, which she found too bland to truly enjoy.

Suddenly Rarity, who was in the middle of a story about Spike, got up and raced out the front door, levitating the letter with her. Starlight was left speechless and stunned as the unicorn sprinted out the door as if the building were on fire.

She turned over her shoulder to see Rarity gallop to the mail pony, who was several houses away, with the letter.

Starlight disregarded the sight and turned back to tea. With a moment alone, she quickly dropped several extra sugar cubes in her tea, something she was too embarrassed to do in front of such a refined and graceful pony. She took another sip and found the drink to be a euphoric and sugary mess that barely tasted like tea, just the way she liked it.

A moment later, Rarity came trotting back into the boutique and Starlight glanced over to her.

“Sorry, I wanted to make sure he got that letter,” she said while catching her breath and returning to her seat.

The two chatted for another minute before a knock was heard at the door. Rarity got up and magically swung the door open revealing the young fresh-faced mail pony.

“Uhhh… Starlight Glimmer?” he asked.

Starlight stood up. “That’s me,” she said with a look a confusion.

“Uh…I have a letter for you,” he said almost anxiously. He looked over to Rarity who shot a glance back to him. “Oh, it’s an urgent letter from the Princess.”

“The Princess?” Starlight asked, confused as to why the princess would send an urgent message.

“Oh darling, I’m sure he just means Twilight,” she suggested sweetly. “…Don’t you?” She shot over to the mail pony while biting her lip.

“Ye…Yes, Princess Sparkle, right.”

Starlight levitated the letter and opened it, reading it over for a moment as Rarity gave the nastiest look to the mail pony for his poor performance, convinced the earth pony must not want a Hearth’s Warming tip that year.

Starlight reread the letter before lowering it and looking to Rarity. “Uhm…it says we’re needed in Canterlot.”

Both Rarity and the mail pony gave the biggest sigh of relief. “Well than, we best head out.”

Rarity packed a small bag and the pair made their way to the train station. She managed to distract her friend while she bought tickets and they hoped on the train.

Starlight was worried what awaited them in Canterlot, but Rarity assured her that whatever lay ahead, they would be able to handle it.

She assured her friend that everything would be just fine as the train left the station, not for Canterlot, but for Starlight Glimmer’s old town.

Chapter 2- Going Back

Dear Starlight Glimmer,

Your assistance is required immediately in the royal city of Canterlot by order of the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle.

P.S. Bring Rarity.

—————

Starlight held the brief letter in her hooves and reread it several times. Something about the way it was written made her feel strange, but she couldn’t quite put a hoof to it. She found herself focusing on the final words ‘Bring Rarity’. She furrowed her eyebrow as she brought the letter closer to her examining eye.

Suddenly, she felt the paper being ripped out of her hooves and looked up to see Rarity behind it. “Oh dear, why do you keep reading that silly thing?”

Starlight blinked for moment. “Sorry, just something about the way it’s written I guess.”

Rarity held it up to her own face, pretending to analyze it with the same level of scrutiny. “Everything looks in order to me.”

“I’m just not sure, I hope everything is okay in Canterlot.”

Rarity repositioned herself and sat next to Starlight, carefully crumpling the letter in her magic clutch and stuffing it in her bag without being noticed. “Darling, I’m sure everything is going to be just fine in Canterlot.”

“But what if things aren’t fine?”

“You’re too worried about these things, I’m sure it’ll all work out,” Rarity assured her.

“But what if you’re wrong and the place is in ruins?”

“Then we'll help them fix it.”

“Fix it? There’s no way they’ll want my help,” Starlight said.

Rarity gave a perplexed look. “Wait, are we still talking about Canterlot?”

Starlight looked back at Rarity, surprised at the question. “Of course we’re still talking about Canterlot. Why, what are you talking about?”

Rarity snapped back into reality. “Oh nevermind, it was nothing. I’m sure Twilight just needs our help finding a book or something,” Rarity lied.

Starlight nodded. “You’re probably right.” She sighed, and allowed herself to lean back against the bench seat of the train.

—————

The rhythmic jostling of the train car relaxed Starlight Glimmer as she leaned her head against one of the large windows and stared at the scenery which passed by, while Rarity was reading a copy of Fashionista Monthly that she had brought with her.

After a few minutes, Rarity let the magazine fall beside her and spoke up. “You know I didn’t get to finish my tea from earlier, I think I’m going to look around for a snack cart pony. Who knows, maybe they’ll have some actual tea.” Rarity stood up. “Is there anything I can get for you?”

Starlight turned to face the white unicorn breaking her gaze from the scenery just outside the window. “No thanks,” she replied politely.

Rarity walked down the train car and Starlight rested her head back against the window, allowing her focus to fall on the individual trees which raced by. She then peered at the mountains in the background which barely seemed to move at all despite the train’s high speed.

‘These mountains sure are beautiful,’ she thought to herself. There weren’t any mountain ranges really visible from Ponyville and the sight brought her back to her time in her old town, surrounded by snow capped mountains. Except this time, sitting on the train, she was able to truly appreciate their beauty.

She allowed her thoughts to wander into the memory of her old town, a notion she’d fought so hard against for the past few months.

The truth was, she had been ashamed at what she had done, and there was no one to blame but herself. This wasn’t a maddening condition brought on by some sorcerer, or a spell gone wrong. She wasn’t being used by some higher, more fiendish power. It was her fault. The town which she proclaimed to be the happiest place, where no one ever complained, was a town filled with misery and fear which was brought upon by her.

For over a year she grew her town, and any pony unlucky enough to wander through was subjected to a vile brainwashing which told them being unique and special was wrong. She ruined their lives and she stole them away from their friends and families.

And when she was finally defeated by Twilight Sparkle and her friends she ran away, cowering in the mountains, waiting for the time to strike back for some petty revenge.

Starlight Glimmer was the bad guy. But at least she could admit that now. As silly as it sounded, it took the power of friendship to make her see the error of her ways.

Starlight sat there thinking about her past as tears began streaking down her cheeks. She did not wipe them, instead she stared aimlessly at the ground outside the train which flew by. This wasn’t the first time she had teared up since being accepted by Twilight and her friends, but for the first time Starlight felt she made real friends who cared about her.

It was a feeling she had worked tirelessly for after feeling abandoned as a filly, but could never achieve. So she sat there and allowed the tears to roll down her face for a moment.

About a minute later, Rarity came trotting back down aisle of the train. “I couldn’t seem to find that snack cart pony for the life of me,” she announced before noticing her friend’s face stained with tears.

“Oh no dear, what’s wrong?” she asked in a concerned tone as she sat next to Starlight and wrapped a hoof around her.

Starlight brought a hoof to her eyes and wiped away the remainder of her tears. “Oh, nothing’s wrong. I’ve just been thinking about how lucky I am to have made such wonderful friends.”

Rarity’s only response was to wrap herself around the unicorn in a tight hug.

———

“So are we almost there yet?” Starlight broke the silence as Rarity perked up and lower her magazine. “I mean, I haven’t been to Canterlot since I was a filly, but I thought we’d be there by now.”

Rarity chuckled nervously about the impending revelation she’d have to make. “Yes well, uhm…we’re almost there now I believe. Yes, not too much longer.”

“Okay, I was just wondering.” Starlight returned to the window before remembering something she wanted to ask. “Oh, by the way, I was wondering if this is a different route to Canterlot?”

“Why ever would you ask that?”

“Well it’s just, I don’t remember this many mountains being around the city.”

Rarity anxiously cleared her throat. “Yes well this IS a detour,” she lied. “There was a section of track out and this is just a big detour around the mountains to go into the city.” The lie was going perfectly, no-one could argue against the infallible reasoning.

Starlight stared confused at the white unicorn, and Rarity feeling the pressure of the gaze continued to spew the perfectly crafted fabrication. “Maybe it has something to do why you’re needed…WE’RE needed in Canterlot.”

Rarity smiled as the strength of her tale began to crackle and shake, threatening to collapse at any moment. “I know what you’re thinking, oh ho I know what you’re thinking. Why wouldn’t the letter say anything about Applejack or Pinkie or Rainbow, right?” She posed the question knowing she had no answer.

She hoped one would come as she opened her mouth yet again. “I…I don’t know why it said nothing about them, haha.” Rarity had gone off the deep end.

“Rarity, what’s going on?” Starlight asked plainly.

Rarity’s phony smile fell and she took in a deep breath. “I lied.”

“You did?”

“That wasn’t a letter from Canterlot, I wrote it.” She paused. “I handed it to the mail pony to deliver to you.” She still couldn’t believe that part of the plan worked.

Starlight recalled the letter and brought a hoof to her face. “P.S. Bring Rarity, I should’ve known. But why? Where are we headed, Manehatten?”

“Not quite,” Rarity embarrassingly admitted.

Suddenly Starlight’s eyes went wide as she realized all along where they’d been heading. “My old town?”

Rarity nodded nervously, afraid of how her friend would respond.

To Rarity’s surprise, Starlight simply sighed. Rarity sat confused at her friend’s lack of any drastic response “You’re not mad?”

“No, I don’t think so. I guess deep down I kinda knew that’s where we were headed, but I just didn’t want to believe it.” Starlight looked up with a small smile on her face. “You really think they’ll forgive me?”

Rarity smiled. “I’m sure of it.”

————————-

“End of the line everypony!” the conductor announced through the tinny speaker which hung in the corner of the train car. A moment later, the train began to squeal as it came to a halt at the end of the tracks.

Starlight and Rarity picked up their bags and hopped off the train car. The first thing that hit Starlight was the smell, the wide open air filled her nostrils with the subtle scent of the clean mountain air. She had never thought about, but the familiar scent was one she had taken for granted.

She was reminded about the early days of her town, before all the brainwashing, where every day she’d take in the wonderful clean smell as she handed out good mornings to her few residents.

She and Rarity began the trek back to her old town, even after an hour on the train they still had some distance to travel. After all, there was never any effort on her part to get a train going through her town.

Suddenly, Rarity broke the anxious silence. “I don’t want to seem intrusive, but I was wondering if you could tell me how you came about starting your own town?” Rarity asked. “If that’s not too nosy.”

Starlight chuckled honestly. She had never really spoken to any pony about starting the town, so the idea of opening up now about her past was intriguing. “Sure, not like it’s too much of a secret anymore,” she said as the two walked side by side.

“It all started after Sunburst had gotten his cutie mark and left, after that I’d never made another friend because I was too afraid they would leave me as well.”

“Aww.” Rarity couldn’t help extend her sympathies.

Starlight smiled. “It’s okay, it all worked out in the end,” she said, reassuring her friend.

“Well, after seeing some ponies in my old village get cutie marks in simple tasks, you know, baking, sewing, farming, I began to talk to them individually about how limiting their cutie marks really were. I told them that it didn’t matter that they were happy at that moment, because their cutie mark determined the rest of their lives. I began to put regret in their minds and I didn’t know it yet, but I was starting a small resistance.”

Rarity chimed in. “But what about you, isn’t that around the time when you got your cutie mark?”

“Well yes, I had gotten my mark earlier because of my magical talent, but I would actually use that in my favor. I’d tell ponies about how restrictive a mark in baking was, while my mark in magic was something that made us unequal. How unfair it was that, in the world of Equestria, I was more valued than they were. I lied and told them I was offered to attend magic school, but rejected it because I found the whole system unfair.”

“After a few weeks I had about 4 or 5 ponies come to hear me preach from the plaza about how their cutie marks forced them into a boring life of menial labor. One of them was that pastry chef Sugar Belle, I believe you know her,” she said as Rarity nodded in response.

“Well, she was there when I began preaching about cutie marks. She was sweet and kind, so of course it was easy for me to convince her that she and the others were beneath ponies like me, but it was okay because I sympathized with them and I wouldn’t stand for it anymore.”

“Soon, after a few times where I preached about the inequality of cutie marks, I started to gain a reputation around my home village. Sure, I had Sugar Belle and a few others who liked what I said, but the rest of the ponies had me pegged as a troublemaker, and I was often told by store owners that I wasn’t welcome in their stores because of the ‘garbage I was filling ponies heads with.’ I only used that to further convince my small following that the world was against them. The final straw came when one of my followers, a tailor, told me about a client who refused to do business with her because she believed in what I was saying.”

Rarity's eyes opened wide with intrigue. “Oh my Celestia.”

Starlight smiled at her friends bemusement. “At that point I had enough and stood in the plaza. My followers gathered around me and I declared that I was renouncing my cutie mark. After that, the mayor got up and told me that she was sick of what I was preaching and she banished me from the village. I asked my followers who would join me and one by one they renounced their cutie marks and stood by my side. The mayor tried convincing them to stay, but at that point myself and five of my followers packed our things and left our village.”

Starlight stopped suddenly and Rarity turned to look at her. “Well, what happened next?”

Starlight just stood staring off into the distance. “I think we’re almost to the old town.” She drew in a sharp breath.

“Oh, right…” Rarity desperately wanted to the rest about how Starlight started her town, but she knew she’d have to wait. “…but you have to tell me the rest later.” Starlight nodded.

They stood just a short walk from the cliff which overlooked the town. Starlight began to feel more and more anxious as she approached the edge of hill side and was about to get her first look at the town in months.

With Rarity by her side, she walked up to the cliff and looked off at the town she once led.

It had grown. It was about twice the size as when she had left it, with two more rows of houses sitting parallel to the original rows.

But that wasn’t the first thing Starlight Glimmer had noticed, the first thing she noticed was the ten foot brick wall which split the town in two.

Chapter 3- This Wall Between Us

Starlight stood with her jaw wide open while overlooking the town she once ruled, a solid brick wall now splitting the rows of small houses in two.

Rarity was first to break the silence. “What in Equestria happened here?”

For a moment every fear Starlight had about returning to her old town dissipated. Where she had just been filled with fear at the thought of reuniting with ponies she had once brainwashed, now she was filled with an existential feeling of worry.

Twilight had told her that everypony decided to stay in the village after Starlight had been overthrown, so how could the town now be separated? Starlight couldn’t help but feel that whatever had drove them apart, it was her fault.

Now all she wanted to do was run down the cliff and see what was going on. After only a moment of silent reflecting, the purple unicorn took off at a fast pace down the hill. Rarity was nearly left in the dust of her friend as she tried to keep pace with Starlight.

“Darling, do slow down just a bit,” Rarity called out.

Starlight looked back and had completely forgotten about her friend, she slowed her pace and allowed Rarity to catch up to her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to take off like that.”

“It’s quite alright dear,” Rarity said. “What do you think has happened?”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever it is I’m going to fix it,” Starlight said with determination in her voice.

“That’s the spirit. Oh, if Twilight were here she’d be so proud of you.”

As the pair approached the town, Starlight couldn’t help but stare at large brick wall which became more and more of a reality as it drew closer. She simply couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

The two stopped at a fork in the road which began the split of the town and Rarity spoke up. “Where do we go from here?”

Before Starlight could give an answer her stomach gave one for her, rumbling loud enough for the white unicorn to hear. Starlight blushed. “Maybe we see if Sugar Belle’s still around…maybe still baking?”

Starlight led her friend down the left path as they entered what was now one-half of the town she once led. The brick wall had felt much larger and more dividing as she walked next to it.

As the two made their way towards Sugar Belle’s small bakery, which still had same appearance as every other building on either side of the town, they noticed ponies who stood outside their homes staring at the two of them, murmuring quietly to one another.

Starlight began to feel the pressure of their gazes and lowered her head to the ground in shame. Rarity raised the chin of her friend and gave her an assuring smile, Starlight smiled back with less certainty.

They walked up to the home of the baker and Starlight drew in a deep breath before knocking on the door. She waited anxiously at the front of the door for a moment before it slowly crept open.

The pony that opened the door wasn’t Sugar Belle, but rather a green earth pony which Starlight recognized as Ember Shine.

“Starlight Glimmer?” he asked in disbelief, his brow furrowed.

“Oh uhm, hi Ember,” she responded nervously.

The look on his face quickly changed from confusion to anger as he realized the mare standing at his door was truly that of the Starlight Glimmer and not a figment of his imagination.

“What do you think you’re doing here?” he demanded. “Come to take over the town again?”

“No, no,” Starlight began, the confidence in her voice quickly falling. “I’ve come to apologize for what happened.”

The stallion let out an annoyed snort. “Well, it’s a little bit late for that isn’t it?”

“I just want to know what happened. Why is there a wall?” The stallion shook his head in irritation as he began to close the door. Starlight kicked out her hoof, stopping the door but only further angering the stallion. “Please, just tell me what happened to Sugar Belle at least!”

Ember Shine loosened his hold on the door as a false smile appeared on his face. “Oh, Sugar Belle. You two are looking for Sugar Belle.” He mocked in an exaggerated tone. “Oh why didn’t you say so, I didn’t know you were looking for Sugar Belle.”

He now opened the door fully. “I’ll tell you what, you two just just head down this road.” He pointed at the dirt path. “Walk down it for a bit, and you’ll reach a fork in the road.” He demonstrated the concept of the split path with his hooves. “Walk down that path into the other side of town and you’ll find that traitor.” With that, he stepped back into his home and slammed the door on them.

The two were silent as they headed back down the path and out of the northern side of the town. Rarity wasn’t sure what to say after their first encounter and Starlight allowed her head to fall in defeat.

After a short walk, the two reached the fork again and Starlight stopped, letting out a sigh of anguish. Rarity turned to face her friend. “That guy was a jerk.”

“No, I don't know what I was thinking coming back here. I should’ve never stepped off that train.” Starlight’s face was filled with defeat. “We should just head back, there’s no way these ponies are gonna accept my apology.”

Rarity rested a hoof on her friend. “Oh dear, this isn’t about apologies anymore.”

Starlight looked up in confusion. “What do you mean, that’s the whole reason I came here.”

“That may be the reason we came here, but I saw the look in your eyes when we saw that wall,” Rarity said. “Darling, you were devastated.”

Starlight looked away. “It doesn’t matter, there’s nothing I can do to help these ponies.”

“Weren’t you the one who said you we’re going to fix whatever is going on in this town?”

“Yes, but…”

Rarity interrupted. “Well I’m sure we can figure this out,” she assured Starlight. “Together.” Rarity stepped back and presented the path which led to southern side of the town. After a moment Starlight picked up her head, gave a feigned smile, and began walking up the untravelled path.

Rarity walked just behind Starlight, almost following her lead. Her face, now out of view of friend, was filled with her own uncertainty. She was afraid that she had made the wrong choice by bringing Starlight back. She only hoped that whatever lie in the southern side of town was friendlier than the north side.

As the two entered the other side of town the first thing thing they noticed was how much more alive it felt. Simple things like planters proudly displayed in front of each home, and the houses were more colorful.

After a short walk through the more lively side of town, Starlight and Rarity sat at a table outside of what was clearly a bakery. They each picked up a menu that sat in front of them and looked over the options.

“Wow,” Rarity exclaimed. “Look at these things they have. Pies, cakes, sorbets, fruit salads, cheesecake,” she rattled off the options. “They all sound so tasty.”

“Yea, they seem to be doing better over on this side of town,” Starlight said. “I wonder why that is?”

As the two sat pondering over the choices listed on the menu, a familiar purple unicorn came trotting over wearing a frosting stained apron. She had her attention focused on her writing pad and hadn’t noticed the specific ponies that sat in front of her.

“What can I get for you two today?” she asked as Starlight lifted her head at the unmistakably sweet voice of the baker unicorn.

Sugar Belle squeaked as she saw Starlight Glimmer sitting at her table. “Sta…Starlight?” she asked fumbling over her tongue. “Is that really you?”

Starlight couldn’t help but smile at sight of the mare. “Sugar Belle, it’s so great to see you ag…”
Starlight was cut off as Sugar Belle couldn’t help but hug the unicorn. Though shocked, Starlight enjoyed every moment of the embrace. After a second, she released her hold and stepped back before noticing the other pony. “And Rarity too I see.” she said with excitement in her voice as she turned back to Starlight. “I never thought I’d see you again.”

Starlight tried to hide a smile of embarrassment.

“What brings you two back here?” Sugar Belle asked with nervous excitement.

“Well, I came here to seek forgiveness for what I’d done. But now I see that there is a bigger problem,” Starlight said as she looked at the large wall.

“Oh…” Sugar Belle said as she lowered her writing pad and looked over at the wall. “That.”

“Darling, could you tell us what happened here?” Rarity asked.

“Of course,” Sugar Belle started. “It all began after you left. For a few weeks everything went well. Everypony was happy. But after a while we started to run low on basic supplies like food and water. We just couldn’t keep up because things weren’t as organized as they had been with you. Some of the pegasi started making trips to other towns to gather supplies, but soon ponies began talking about going back to the old way.”

“The old way?” Starlight asked.

“When you were in charge,” she answered . “Ponies started to fight and some thought it’d be for the best if we went back to the old ways.”

“They wanted to be brainwashed?”

“No, not that far,” Sugar Belle clarified. “But they wanted everypony to share equal work. Just like you had us do.”

“But that’s crazy. That way didn't work.”

“Some of us knew that, but others believed the old way was best for a small town like this. They started doing things their way, the old way. After that, the two sides only started to hate each other more and more. Eventually, both sides agreed to build the wall, since no pony was willing to leave.”

“What about you?” Starlight asked.

“Me?” Sugar Belle asked confused.

“Do you hate the other ponies?” Starlight clarified.

Sugar Belle looked off to the side. “No… I don’t know. I just want us all to get along. We never really gave it a chance. Ponies on this side think they’re all crazy for wanting things the old way.” Sugar Belle looked at her flank. “And ponies over there think we’re too foolish to run a town.”

“What about Night Glider and Party Favor and Double Diamond, what happened to them?”

“Both Party Favor and Night Glider are here, on this side. Although right now Night Glider is off getting more food from Appaloosa.”

“And Double Diamond?”

Sugar Belle let out a sigh before responding. “Double Diamond believes in the old way. He’s on the other side of town.”

Starlight looked down, upset at the revelation.

“Do you know what goes on in the other town?” Rarity interjected.

“No, I used to go over there and share some cakes and muffins along with Party Favor. But…” She paused letting out another sigh. “We stopped going over when the wall went up. Now we don’t know what goes on over there.”

Suddenly Starlight’s stomach interrupted with a loud growl.

“Oh goodness, I’m sorry. I’m being so rude. You two have made a big trip coming here, I’m sure you’re both starving. What can I get for you?”

Starlight wanted to know more about how the two towns split, but she found herself craving the idea of one of Sugar Belle’s new treats. “Well, this cheesecake looks delicious.”

“Oh, I’m sorry we don’t have the cheesecake right now.” Sugar Belle admitted.

“Oh uh okay, how about the sherbet?”

Sugar Belle smiled innocently as her face began to blush indicating that the sherbet was also a no-go.

“Fruit salad?” Rarity interjected.

Sugar Belle shook her head. “Sorry, we don’t have much. Not until Night Glider gets back with more supplies.”

“Let me guess…” Starlight said. “Muffins?”

————————

A few minutes later the baker came back with a small tray with two steaming muffins and sat them down in front of the two. Rarity stared nervously at the muffin while Starlight didn’t hesitate as she picked up one of plain muffins and bit into it. While not the explosion of blueberries that she enjoyed earlier, she had to admit she still liked the taste of the plain muffins.

Rarity, after seeing Starlight enjoying the muffin, picked up her own and was surprised to find it much better than the last time. She gave a ‘Mh-hm’ of approval to Sugar Belle.

“I’m a much better baker with my cutie mark,” she joked as Starlight smiled timidly.

“So what else can you tell us?” Starlight asked in between bites of her muffin.

“What else do you wanna know?” Sugar Belle responded politely.

“Like, what happened to my old cottage?”

Starlight had seen her old cottage when she had first seen the town, it was hard to miss the oddly placed house. She just hoped she would never have to go back there. She knew that was one thing she couldn’t do. There were just too many memories of her abusive power, especially now seeing the town so divided.

“Nothing really. After you left, it was just something we all kind of avoided. We wanted to repurpose it, but then the wall went up and we really didn't want to fight with the North over it. Eventually we just boarded up the windows and doors and tried to forget it.”

“Hmm,” Starlight responded. “And the cave?”

“Oh, the first thing we did was cover up the cave.” Starlight gave a perplexed look. “With a boulder,” Sugar Belle clarified. “We all decided that it’d be best if we just sealed it off.”

Starlight nodded understandingly. It was best to try and forget the dreaded cave.

“Oh, I’m just so happy you’re back,” Sugar Belle said, surprising Starlight.

“You are?” Starlight asked.

“Of course. You really are great when you’re not trying to brainwash any pony.”

“Aww, thanks,” Starlight said as she got up to hug the baker once more.

————————

Just as the two were finishing up their muffins the light blue unicorn Party Favor came bouncing up to them.

“Hey Starlight, hey Rarity, hey Sugar Belle,” he gleefully announced. “Say Sugar Belle would you mind…” He stopped and looked directly at Starlight. “Ah, Starlight you’re back!” he said with excitement as he hugged the unicorn.

“Hi, Party Favor,” she began before being interrupted by the energetic pony.

“What’s it been, like five years?”

“Not quite that long,” she said smiling as she rolled her eyes and the two broke from their hug.

Party Favor was still practically vibrating when he stepped back and held her face with his hooves, as if examining her. “You changed your hair.” He paused. “I like it.” Starlight gave a shy smile.

“Ahem, you were saying?” Sugar Belle interjected.

Party Favor shot his gaze back to Sugar Belle. “Oh sorry, Night Glider’s just fighting with Double Diamond.”

“Oh no, not again,” Sugar Belle said as she ran off to settle the argument. Starlight, Rarity and Party Favor all followed her.

The four ran back to the fork in the road and found Night Glider, who was carrying two full saddle backs on her back, and Double Diamond arguing.

As they drew closer they were able to make out the argument.

“And that’s another thing we don’t want Starlight or Rarity coming through our side of the town!”

“What in Equestria are you talking about, Starlight Glimmer? Here?! I think you guys are starting to hallucinate over on your side.”

Just then the four, including Starlight, walked up to the arguing pair who turned to face them.

“Starlight?” Night Glider exclaimed. “So you really are back?”

“Yea, and she can stay on your side,” Double Diamond announced.

“What’s going on here?” Starlight asked.

“Well,” Night Glider started. “Flame Heart’s been missing for two days now, and I just know they had something to do with it,” she said accusingly, looking angrily at Double Diamond.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the white earth pony quickly responded.

“Of course you do!” Night Glider practically shouted to Double Diamond.

“You just stick to your side and keep Starlight over there with you,” Double Diamond said as he began to walk back down to the northern town. “It’s not like it’s going to matter for too much longer anyway.”

Chapter 4- Strange Happenings In The North

“What did Double Diamond mean when he said it wouldn’t matter for too much longer?” Starlight asked.

The five ponies were all in Sugar Belle’s bakery. Night Glider was unloading some of the supplies from her trip and Sugar Belle was sorting the different ingredients away. Party Favor was sitting at one of tables mindlessly wrapping balloons together and Rarity sat across from him. Starlight trotted back and forth throughout the kitchen.

“I’m not sure,” Sugar Belle admitted. “But they’ve acted strange over in the north side for a while now.”

“Maybe they're moving away,” Night Glider offered. “Wouldn’t that be great?” Sugar Belle responded with a polite, but insincere smile.

“I’m not sure,” Party Favor suggested still effortlessly making balloon sculptures. “I mean, they said they would never give up their side of the town, right? That’s why we have the wall.”

“Then what could he have meant?” Rarity posed the question but no one could answer.

Starlight continued to trot back and forth, her mind buzzing with questions. What happened to the ponies that Night Glider believed were taken on the north side? What made them so hostile in the other town? But above all else, she wondered what had happened to Double Diamond to make the once sweet and kind earth pony bitter and angry towards the South.

After a short silence she spoke up, hoping to learn more about him. “Can you guys tell us what happened to make Diamond choose to live in the northern side?”

Night Glider sighed as she continued to help Sugar Belle put away and rearrange supplies. “No idea, he just started to get more and more resentful. A lot of ponies got that way. Then all the fighting started and…well, we all decided to put up the wall.” She looked like she wanted to say more but her face lowered as if she couldn’t.

Sugar Belle walked over to the pegasus. “They won’t even speak to us anymore,” she said to Starlight.

“I do hope they’re not planning something drastic,” Rarity spoke up.

Starlight perked herself up and began trotting over to Rarity. “Why don’t I go ask him?”

Both Party Favor and Sugar Belle laughed while Rarity and Night Glider looked at the unicorn with baffled expressions.

“Good one Starlight,” Party Favor said still chuckling.

“No no, I’m serious.”

“Darling, I don’t think they’ll be too kind to you over there.”

“So what?” Starlight posed the question. “I said I wanted to help, and there’s no way I can help from over here,” she said directly and with passion in her voice. “I have to figure out what’s going on over there. Besides, if they liked things the old way, then maybe I have the best shot of getting through to them.”

Sugar Belle walked up to Starlight. “Maybe you’re right. If there’s any pony they’ll listen to, it’d probably be you.”

“Very well, but I want to go with you,” Rarity stipulated.

“You can’t,” Starlight responded while shaking her head. “Like I said, maybe they’ll be a little more receptive to me if I go over there and be honest with them, but only if I go alone. If I show up with any other pony, they won’t even trust me enough to say two words to me.”

Rarity wanted to argue, but she reluctantly agreed. “Fine, but do be careful darling, we don’t know what they’re planning.”

Starlight nodded as she made her way out the door and out of the bakery, just a few seconds later however, she heard a voice calling out her name. “Starlight!”

She turned to see Night Glider flying to catch up to her. Clearly the pegasus wanted to speak with Starlight without the others present.

“Look, I know every other pony is convinced you’re here to help us, but I want you to know that if you’re planning something behind our backs or with the North, I won’t let it happen.”

Starlight understood her concern. “Night Glider, I’m sorry for everything I’ve done, but right now I just want to figure out what’s going on.”

“Okay,” she said while nodding. “but I’ve got my eye on you.”

————————-

Starlight began the short walk back over to the hostile side of town with new found determination. While she found herself filled worry, she hoped that she’d be able to get through to the struggling ponies.

Her mind began to wander, just as it had earlier, but now she recalled the day she met Double Diamond. She and her few followers had just settled into their newly built town, and Starlight would often go for walks around the area to clear her head and devise her next speech, though later she would go on walks to try and find wandering or lost ponies and try and bring them back to her town.

On one of her earliest walks, she came across the young Double Diamond. He had been skiing through one of the mountains in the area as he found them more challenging and fun, but after a mild heat wave, the snow had become unstable and he was caught in an avalanche while skiing down the slope.

He broke his leg on the way down and was trapped near the bottom of the mountain, and as an earth pony he had little hope to survive. Fortunately, after only a few hours Starlight happened to hear him struggling and was able to bring him back to her town where she and the other citizens helped nurse him back to health.

After a few weeks his leg had healed, but he was stunned when he learned that Starlight expected no compensation for his recovery. Fearing that he was taking advantage of their generosity, he stayed in the town and helped out by doing chores. At first he didn’t believe in what Starlight would preach about cutie marks, and he found it strange being surrounded by ponies who all gave up their marks, but as the weeks went on he found himself more and more accepting to his new life.

Eventually, he had become her most loyal subject, hanging on her every word. The day Starlight offered to remove his cutie mark was one of the happiest days of his life. He soon became essentially her second-in-command, reporting infractions to her and helping dole out punishments to those who needed reminders of their way of life.

She knew if she could just get through to him, maybe there was a chance she could bring down that dreaded wall and reunite the two sides.

As she trotted through the street in the north side, she was once again met with stares by several of the ponies she recognized. She held her head slightly down as to avoid making any unnecessary eye contact.

She made it to the house that Sugar Belle had told her Double Diamond lived in. It was the same as every other house on the north side, indistinguishable from the rest. She hadn’t realized it earlier, but it was clear now that while the South felt more lively and colorful, the North had remained the same as when Starlight ran the town.

She drew in a deep breath and knocked on the door. Through the thin wooden door, she could hear a scene of chaos beginning to unfold. Cabinets being shut, glass bottles frantically being clanged together and the sound of rushed hooves. After only a moment however, the pandemonium died and the door opened just enough for Double Diamond to reveal himself.

The white earth pony looked her up and down, scrutinizing her. “What are you doing here, I thought I made it perfectly clear you weren’t welcome on our side.”

“Please, I just want to talk,” Starlight spoke with sincerity.

Diamond chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re here to change our minds and get us to rejoin the other town, huh?”

“No, I swear, I’m not here to do anything like that. I just want to talk.”

Double Diamond still held the door open just a crack, he looked down as if considering the unicorn. “No tricks?”

“No tricks,” she said crossing her heart with her hoof.

“Very well then, I suppose you can stay for just a minute,” he said as he stepped back and opened the door revealing the inside of the small house. It had remained mostly the same except now the home looked as though a bomb had gone off. Loose and crumpled papers covered the floor and tables, empty jars and bottles with the smallest residue of the liquid once contained inside them littered the counters. The whole place was an absolute mess.

As she walked into the equally messy kitchen she saw Ember Shine standing near the sink. He had a look of irritation written on his face.

“What’s she doing here?” he asked turning to Double Diamond.

“She’s just here to talk,” Double Diamond said nonchalantly as he walked over to one of the chairs sitting at the kitchen table and lifted a stack of papers off of it, presenting the seat to Starlight.

She sat down slowly, trying not to disturb her surroundings, as Double Diamond trotted over to Ember. He whispered something in his ear and although the look on Ember’s face was one of annoyance as he still peered at the sitting unicorn, he nodded at what was said and made his way out of the small house.

With Ember gone Double Diamond walked over and grabbed a seat sitting across from Starlight.

“So, what brings you over to our side?” he asked politely.

“Like I said, I just want to talk.”

“Okay, let’s talk.”

Starlight drew in another sharp breath clearly Double Diamond was not going to go easy on her. “Maybe, we can start with the wall, like why it’s there?”

“Oh, I’m sure they already told you all about how hostile we are, and how much we hate them, so we put up the wall, hmm?”

“Well, not really,” Starlight admitted. “They said both of your sides weren’t getting along and agreed to put up the wall.”

“Seems like you already have your answer then,” He quickly responded.

“Yes, but I want your side of the story.”

“My side of the story,” Double Diamond asked as he stood up from his seat and began walking around the kitchen. “You want my side? Well, I’ll tell you. They don’t know how to run a town,” he said, pointing a hoof to the South accusingly.

“But they seem to be doing fine over there. Actually them seem to be doing better over there.”

“No…no, I don’t believe for a second that they’re truly happy over there.”

“Why do you say that?”

Double Diamond didn’t respond, he just looked at her for a moment as if he knew that he couldn’t give her a satisfying answer.

Starlight decided to change subjects. “What about you, why did you move to this side?”

“Does it matter?”

“Sugar Belle had said this side prefers the system I had put in place.”

Double Diamond stopped, looking directly to Starlight as if he’d waited for her to say something like that. “That’s not true, they’re trying to trick you.”

“Well, when this was my town, you were at my side, remember? You had more power than most of the other ponies in town.”

“You think I’m over here so I can be in charge?”

Starlight nodded, she thought it was possible that he was trying to run the town just as she had.

Double Diamond responded with a honest burst of laughter, not quite the response she expected.

“No, no,” he said. “I’m definitely not trying be in control.”

“Fine, what about Flame Heart, they say she went missing?” Starlight asked.

Suddenly, Double Diamond’s face lowered, his tone becoming more serious. “And what do they think happened to her?”

Starlight stared at the pony, cautious, but determined to finish her thought. “They think you kidnapped her.”

“And what do you think happened to her?”

Starlight turned her head away, not able to look the earth pony in the eyes. “I...I don’t know.”

Double Diamond snapped to Starlight, his voice now filling with anger. “You...you believe them don’t you? You really believe what they say, that we would actually kidnap a pony from their side?”

Starlight didn’t respond.

Double Diamond trotted over to the front door and held it open. “I think it's time for you to leave.”

Starlight got up from her seat went over to him. “But…but.”

“If you wish to believe their lies, that’s fine. But I won’t have you speak them on our side. Now please leave,” he demanded.

As she approached the door she wanted to say more to Double Diamond, but she knew she couldn’t find the words. She stepped out and saw Ember Shine waiting just outside the house. As he watched her walk out, he quickly scurried inside and shut the door behind him.

Starlight hadn’t learned anything from coming over to the North just as she feared. She was shut out from the moment she sat down and Diamond Diamond wasn’t about to tell her anything new, if anything she only made the situation worse. She had begun to fear that all hope was gone and there would be nothing she could do to help either side.

But Starlight had a one plan left. She still wasn’t sure what was going on, but she had one backup plan, one that she hadn’t told anyone about, and now was the time to set it into action.

Starlight trotted over to one of the few places she hoped she’d never have to return, she began the walk over to the cottage she had once called home.

Chapter 5- Trouble is a-Brewin'

Starlight found herself at the back door of her old cottage. She figured it was safer to go in through the back, rather than to risk being seen by a pony from either side.

And just as Sugar Belle had said, every window and door, including the back ones, were indeed boarded up. Luckily for Starlight, she had a magical horn which allowed her to use magical abilities, the same magical horn she used to remove cutie marks from ponies and brainwash them.

On another adventure she had used her magical horn powers to go back in time, and nearly destroyed the fabric of time and space altogether in order to get back at another unicorn. Those were some fun times.

Fortunately for her, a large piece of 1/4 inch plywood wasn’t as difficult to break as the space-time continuum, so even without any tools she easily removed the wooden board and set it aside.

She stepped in the long abandoned cottage and found herself completely in the dark except for the light creeping in through the open back door. She used her horn to illuminate a small section of the cottage until she found the light switch.

Flipping the switch she was surprised but relieved to find the power still functioning, after all her plan depended on it. The lights flickered on and the cottage was once again re-illuminated.

The sight of her old home brought Starlight back immediately. She felt her body nearly going numb as the cottage she still admittedly wasn’t ready to return to forced her to remember her past deeds.

Hanging on the wall and sitting on shelves were a number of photographs. Starlight walked over to one of them, it was caked with a layer of dust, just as everything else in the cottage was. She wiped off the layer of filth with her hoof and looked into it.

It was a picture of her and eleven of the first ponies to join her town. They all bore the same grey equal sign cutie mark and each one had an identical smile and gender based mane style. Starlight stood in the center of them looking as colorful as she always had. The smile on her face was not artificial as the others were, but rather a smug grin of accomplishment.

She set down the photo disgusted with her former personality, though she had to remind herself that she gave had given that up now. She couldn’t keep hating herself for what she had done, and if she could reunite the two towns, she might even forgive herself.

For now, she stepped away from the photos of her past. After all, she had work to do.

She stepped into her former bedroom and grabbed a lantern that laid on the dresser, careful to remove some of the dust before she lit the wick inside, lighting the lantern.

She then used her magic to lift her bed from it’s place, just as she had many months earlier, revealing the staircase she used to escape when her town turned on her. She stepped down the stairs slowly, the wood moaning and complaining with every step.

Once down the secret staircase, she turned around and opened a small hatch on the side of the stairs, it laid flush against the wood in the stairs and was nearly invisible to the naked eye.

She stepped through the small hatch and levitated the lantern in front of her before setting it on a table.

It was still there, all of it was still there just as she had hoped. She looked around the small secret room and found all the equipment she used to spy on her citizens including a feedback monitor, microphone, recording tapes and, most importantly, speakers. It was all covered in an even thicker layer of dust. Truly no one had entered the secret room since Starlight last used it to spy on Twilight and her friends.

It was a weird feeling. Knowing that the last time she used the secret room she had intentions to brainwash Twilight and her friends to join her. It was even more strange to think about how when she left the surveillance room to confront the princess, it would unknowingly be her last attempt at brainwashing a pony.

She sat at the once very familiar chair where she’d sit and spy on ponies for hours. She flipped a red paddle switch on the side of the big metal recorder and slowly the machine started up with a familiar whirring sound. She clicked the button on the side of the monitor, and it quickly flickered on.

The speakers she used to broadcast announcements in every one’s home’s also had a hidden microphone in it so Starlight always knew the loyalty of everypony in her town. It was something she had never revealed to anypony including Double Diamond. After all, what good would it do being a megalomaniac leader if you didn’t keep secrets?

The radial dial which selected who she wanted to listen to was still set on channel six, the storage house where she failed to convert Twilight. She turned the stubborn dial and clicked it to channel four, Double Diamond’s new residence.

She slowly raised the volume of the audio and switched on the speakers. She began to feel an awful pit in her stomach from resorting back to her former tactics, but she had to remind herself that it was necessary.

When she heard the sound of the glass bottles being clanged together, she knew she was on the right channel. Now she just hoped Double Diamond and Ember would tell her something new.

The clanging glasses continued for a moment before one of them spoke up. “Pass me that one.” Starlight immediately identified the voice as Ember Shine. He must’ve been instructing something to Double Diamond.

She could hear another glass clinging before Ember spoke up once again. “Starlight?”

There was quick silence as Starlight shot up in her seat. They were talking about her.

“Her head has been filled with lies. She came over here saying we had kidnapped Flame Heart.”

“So…why not tell her the truth?” he said. “About Flame Heart, not about us, of course.” He clarified.

“Because, Starlight doesn’t need to know what we do over here.” There was another silence. “Don’t look at me like that, she’s never going to side with us anyway.”

"It's that Sugar Belle and Night Glider."

"What about Party Favor?” Ember asked.

"Ehh," he responded.

There was another long pause accompanied by more rustling sounds the unicorn couldn’t quite make out. “It’s unfortunate though, about Starlight…”

“Why do you say that?” Double Diamond responded. “If I recall, you were rather nasty to her.”

There was another pause. “No bother, it doesn’t matter now anyway.”

Starlight could hear excited footsteps from within the small house. “Is this it?”

Ember must’ve nodded because he didn’t offer a verbal response.

“Incredible…” Double Diamond said mystified. “and you’re sure this will work?” he asked the green earth pony.

“I told you, I’m not a potion maker, but yes. Through all my research I can say with confidence, this will work.”

Potions? They were brewing potions? What could they have possibly created? Starlight leaned back for moment her eyes fixated on the small speakers sitting on her desk. She wasn’t sure what they were making, but she knew it only spell trouble.

“Is there enough for everypony?”

“Oh…I’d say so. Hey, hey careful with that thing, it’s highly unstable.”

“Sorry.” Double Diamond responded resting the glass bottle back on the table with a cling.

“Here, seal the top of it…There, trust me you do not want that stuff to get on you.”

“So are we almost ready then?” Diamond asked.

“I’d say we’re ready,” Ember responded.

“Good, I can’t say Starlight and her friend came at the right time, but with this.” He paused. “…with this, after tonight we won’t have worry about Starlight or any pony in the South ever again.”

Chapter 6- What Is Going On?

Poison.

The North was going to use poison to take back the South.

Starlight sat in silence surrounded by her old equipment. Her hearing went dull as only the faintest buzzing from within her head was audible.

A wave of tranquility began to wash over her, the pieces immediately came together and Starlight finally knew what the North had been hiding all along. They must’ve felt entitled to the southern side. It was built using the old methods which were now being thrown away by ponies in the South.

But she never thought they could stoop to such a heinous measure to take back what they saw as theirs. She had heard it with her own ears and it was clear as day. Not only were they planning an attack on the South, but they were doing it tonight.

Starlight wasn’t sure what she could do. For a moment she sat in a near hypnotic state, staring off at nothing in particular and believing that perhaps all of this was a bad dream. It must be. She looked around the room for a sign but saw nothing out of the ordinary. She knew what she’d heard, and she knew what she’d seen.

While still stuck in a daze, she slowly reached out and flipped the red switch on her system and everything began to power down as Starlight broke free from trance.

She had to warn the others. She got up from her seat and rushed out of the cramped room, lifting the lantern with her. She ran back up the stairs in a feverish flurry of hoof steps, ignoring the secret room which she left open. She ran back through her room and through her former home, arriving at the back door.

She bolted out of the cottage and toward the South. She still couldn’t believe what was happening, Double Diamond and Ember Shine had once been so loyal to her. In fact, in her drunken state of power, she even considered them her friends. How could they do such a thing?

And for that matter, what of the other ponies in the North, were they all in on it as well? They had to be, Double Diamond and Ember weren’t just going to present them with the southern town with no explanation. The whole North must know what is being planned.

Suddenly, Starlight turned her thoughts to Flame Heart. Had they kidnapped her in order to test their poison? It was a grim thought, but Starlight wouldn’t put it past them. She would mourn for her later, but now it was about protecting the South, by any means necessary.

At Starlight’s fast pace she reached the Southern cottages in moments. She galloped through the dirt path and looked for the baker’s corner.

She burst through the door and trotted to the back.

Empty.

“Hello! Sugar Belle!…Night Glider!… Rarity!…Any pony!” she announced in the empty bakery, only her own echo responding.

She sat on her haunches for just a moment to catch her breath, or perhaps to clear her mind. She began to wonder how much of what was happening was her own fault. She was the one who brainwashed everyone in the first place.

After only a few seconds, the front door opened and the four ponies began to step inside.

“Starlight, is everything okay? We heard you shouting from next door,” Sugar Belle asked.

Starlight got up from the floor and regained her composure. “No, everything’s not okay.” she said, shaking her head.

“Why, did you find out something new from Double Diamond?” asked Party Favor.

“No…no.” Starlight continued to shake her head. “We… we need to gather everyone in town and leave right now,” Starlight said trotting towards the four and the entrance of the bakery.

“Woah, wait a second,” Night Glider put a hoof up and stopped her, the rest looked on in panic. “Why don’t you slow down and tell us what’s going on?”

“The North are… Well, at least Double Diamond and Ember Shine and planning an attack on all of us tonight.”

“An attack?” Rarity questioned.

“Yes, with poison,” Starlight clarified.

“No way, I know they don’t like us all that much, but they would never plan to poison us,” Night Glider said clearly upset. “What is this, some sort of plan to get back in control?”

“Night Glider!” Sugar Belle shouted.

“You really think Double Diamond would try and poison us?!” Night Glider shot back.

Starlight knew Night Glider couldn't accept what she was saying. “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t heard with my own ears.”

“So what, they just told you their plan than?”

“Not exactly.” Starlight sighed. “I went over to Double Diamond’s and Ember was there. He met with me reluctantly, but he didn’t tell me anything new. So…” Starlight paused.

“So….?” Night Glider mimicked.

Starlight didn’t want to admit her deplorable spying. “So I left, but I went around back and listened to their conversation… They were mixing potions and I listened to them. Night Glider, they were making poison, and they said they were using it tonight.”

Night Glider just shook her head, the others looked on in horror.

After a moment Night Glider picked back up. “Fine…but I’m not leaving. I won’t run away.”

“Night Glider no, you can’t stay here, they’ll…”

“I’m staying too,” Sugar Belle interrupted. “This is our home, and we won’t be forced out.”

“Me three, we can hold of the likes of them,” Party Favor added.

Rarity joined in them as well. “I’ll stay too.”

Starlight wanted to protest but she knew it was no use, they were staying. After all, this was their home now and they were going to anything it took to protect it.

——————————

After only a short time, the South prepared themselves to defend their town.

Most of the ponies were brought to Sugar Belle’s Bakery which was decided to be the safest spot as it sat safely in the middle of the town. They would stay there together until the attack was over.

Sugar Belle, Party Favor and Rarity would stay behind in order to protect the bakery. Night Glider and Starlight, along with two other pegasi, would keep watch over the town for signs of the attack, protecting the others as the first line of defense.

Many of the southern ponies they told of the impending attack were horrified, but Starlight was surprised when most gave the same reaction as Night Glider did, refusing to believe the North, with all their faults, would actually plan such a vicious attack.

Starlight could only imagine the misery of their scene. The North wasn’t just random ponies, they were neighbors, friends, and now they were going to launch an attack in order to take back what they saw as theirs.

Starlight couldn’t help but think of the situation as she and Night Glider stood on top of one of the cottages while Silver Storms and Blossom Wind were flying around the town in shifts.

Starlight walked to one side of the cottage roof while Night Glider remained on the opposite side. She could see how anxious the pegasus was and decided to leave her alone with her thoughts as Starlight looked over the landscape.

She found herself embarrassingly enjoying the view as the sun just began it’s descent towards the horizon, which bathed the sky in the most beautiful shade of amber.

The wind had begun to pulsate and almost breathe cool wind towards the purple unicorn which soothed and relaxed her. Her thoughts were able to catch up to her mind and she found that for the first time all day she was able to just unwind, even if just for a moment. She wasn’t running around or trying to solve a mystery, she was able to just catch her breath, however imminent the northern attack felt.

She stood watch for a while as Night Glider, Silver Storms and Blossom Wind switched turns flying around. Night Glider hadn’t said anything to Starlight all night, so it certainly didn’t help that as a unicorn she felt ineffective in keeping a watchful eye over the town.

“Nothing yet, huh?”

Starlight’s endless stare outwardly to the mountain range was shattered and she turned around to find Silver Storms standing there. He must’ve just switched out with Blossom and she hadn’t noticed.

“Nothing…” Starlight said, almost in humiliation.

“Yea, it’s the waiting…” Silver said walking towards her. “The waiting’s the worst part.”

Starlight agreed, but only silently.

“When I’m up there all I can think about is what went wrong….It’s like maybe we should've listened to them more. I don’t know why we put up that stupid wall in the first place, of course it was only going to make us hate each other more.”

Starlight turned to the pegasus in surprise. “You… you don’t blame them, do you?”

He let out a large sigh before responding.“I don't know. If they truly do attack us, then yeah I’ll be mad, but I can’t help but think we could’ve done things differently.”

“Tell me about it,” Starlight said flatly, getting an honest laugh from the pegasus.

Suddenly, Starlight let out a large almost exaggerated yawn. She turned to him, her face slightly red. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.”

“Yeah, and it’s only gonna get worse too.” He shrugged. “Hopefully we won’t be out to much longer. If we can deal with the north, of course.”

Silver Storms was about to return to his side of the roof to resume his watch when Starlight stopped him. “Hey wait, can I ask you a question?”

He stopped and spun around. “Sure.”

“Does Night Glider hate me?”

Silver began to walk back to Starlight. “No no, she doesn’t hate you. I think she’s just really upset at everything that's been happening, not just today, but over the last few weeks, especially that business with Flame Heart. I kinda feel like she’s wants to protect everyone, and losing her has made her feel…” He paused looking for the word. “Vulnerable. But she’ll come around, especially if we can stop the attack tonight.”

Starlight gave a faint smile. She hadn’t considered Night Glider would feel that way, but it made sense. As the most powerful flyer and best fighter, she clearly felt an obligation to the other ponies. And while the others could let their guards down and accept that Starlight had changed. Night Glider simply couldn’t take the risk. After all, she already lost one friend from her side, and who would protect everypony if Starlight really had come back just to seek some revenge or take back the town?

She came here for forgiveness, but while it was clear that Double Diamond was too far gone, she just hoped that she could make regain Night Glider’s trust.

————————

The night sky was blackened as dusk had come and gone hours earlier. Still no sign of any attack. It didn’t make any sense. Starlight was sure she had heard the plan was for tonight, but after several hours there was no certainly no sign of any attack. In fact, there were no signs of any ponies from the North.

The only thought that crossed Starlight’s mind was that they were waiting until midnight when everypony had went to sleep before they would attack, it was the only option that made any sense now.

Starlight revealed her concern to the three pegasi who reluctantly agreed that she was probably right, which meant they would be out all night just waiting.

While Starlight believed the North’s plan was still on, she desperately wanted a confirmation of the plan, and she knew just where to get it.

One simple lie later, and Starlight was back in her surveillance room once more. She held the lantern and placed it on the desk before she blew off some of the cobwebs she had missed earlier and wiped of some the grey dust which sat on her recording equipment.

She flipped the switch once more and the machine choked on reluctantly.

She raised the volume on the speakers and with the channel still set to Double Diamond’s, she waited for some revelation of unrestrained tongues.

She waited for a minute, then for another minute, then she began to wonder if they had moved to another cottage. She clicked the old stubborn dial around looking a hint of life.

Channel three, nothing.

Channel two, nothing.

Channel one, nothing.

She continued turning the dial, clicking it backwards.

Channel five, nothing.

Channel six, nothing.

Where was everypony? It didn’t make sense that they could all be asleep, Starlight spied on ponies all the time in the middle of the night and could always hear at least half of them snoring as though their airways were trying to kill them.

Starlight began frantically clicking the dial back around, she must’ve missed something. She raised the volume on the speakers, hearing the buzz of speakers being pushed to their limit, at which point she was able to make out crickets chirping outside the homes in which the speaker boxes resided.

She realized they weren’t there, the entire northern town had picked up and left. She sat dazed for a minute, perhaps they were attacking just at that very moment, but Starlight simply didn’t believe it.

She had gotten something wrong, she just knew it. Something in what she had heard, but she knew what they’d said and there was no way she’d forget anytime soon.

‘After tonight we won’t have worry about any pony in the south ever again.’ The phrase uttered just earlier in the day, began to ring out in Starlight’s ears once more.

She turned off the recording equipment and headed back out her former cottage, careful not to be seen by any of the pegasi. She was grateful to find that during her outing the North had not attacked the South, but she still wasn’t sure what was going on.

She began to tell herself that perhaps the North wasn’t planning some grandiose attack to take back the South after all, maybe she was wrong about that all along.

She tried to come up with any alternate answer. She contemplated whether Night Glider was right and they were just planning to move, but like most of the answers she came up with, it failed to explain the poison they were making and had planned to use that very night.

She found herself looking up towards the old cave as if searching for an answer. All of a sudden, she stopped in tracks and stared at the cave she had not seen in months, a cave where she’d removed many cutie marks, a flash of revelation suddenly burst through her mind in an instant.

It wasn’t poison at all, and it certainly wasn’t meant for the south.

Chapter 7- Where It All Started

“Hurry now everypony, not too much further. It’s just up this ridge,” Starlight sang with regality in her voice as she led her following up the hillside towards a cave she had found a few weeks earlier.

After convincing her small following to leave behind their village and come with her, they settled on a flat patch of land, perfect for growing crops and setting up water wells. Progress in the small town started slow, everypony lived in small tents, but soon trips were made and carts filled with construction material were brought in carried by two ponies pulling a wagon at a time.

Each of the small cottages took about a week to build, but after a few months Starlight had her perfect town. For a while everything had gone pretty smoothly as well, but one pony, a pegasus named Nimble Bolt, wanted to leave. Starlight believed it was because she had been too hostile to the pegasus and invited her to stay the night in her cottage.

That night, Starlight convinced her to stay a little longer in the town, but she knew her dream town would begin to crumble if ponies wanted to leave. She figured if one pony were to leave the rest may not be far behind and then she would be left with nobody, once again. Only now she had a plan to prevent that from happening.

Starlight brushed aside some of the shrubs and adorned the view of the deep blue cave, leading the rest into its view. “Isn’t it specular?” Her voice carried her excitement to her followers.

Everypony responded with a gaze of awe as they slowly stepped toward the cave.

“Well, come on everypony!” she sang to her awestruck following.

She made her way into the main chamber and stood in front of the crowd. “This is the Staff of Sameness that I was telling you all about,” she cheerfully announced as she presented the glorious staff, later revealed to be just an ordinary, but pretty, piece of wood she found in the forest. “It was one of Meadowbrook’s nine magically enchanted items. With this we can finally live as equals.”

“So, who’s ready to go first?” she asked with the familiar excitable hostility.

Everypony stood there, while they were excited with the prospect of losing the cutie marks that Starlight had long ago convinced them to hate, there was still a strange air of opposition. It was the most important decision they would ever make in their lives. Starlight later thought about how, if Double Diamond had been a part of her town that early, he would’ve been the first to lose his mark without question.

Starlight, noticing the tension of the group, decided to volunteer some pony. “Sugar Belle?” The purple baker shot her head up at the sound of her name. “How would you like to be first to truly let go of your former limitations?”

Sugar Belle looked at her flank, she wanted to give up her mark, but she still found it difficult to fully embrace the change. She looked back to Starlight. “I…I…Uh.”

“Yes?” Starlight spoke in a familiar, menacing tone.

Sugar Belle cleared her throat to speak. “I…”

“I want to be first!”

The outburst caused Starlight to spin around and face the pony who caused it. “Well now everypony, it seems Ember Shine will have the honor of being first to lose his mark.”

The green earth pony stepped forward anxiously to Starlight.

“I’m so, very proud of you,” she said lifting his chin to make eye contact with him.

“Does…does it hurt at all?” he asked the simple question in a quiet reserved tone.

Starlight, who was standing on slightly higher ground in front of everypony, looked down on Ember. “Oh dear, the cutie unmarking is a beautiful experience. Once your mark is gone it will never cause you any pain again. Everything that has held you back will disappear in an instant and we can all finally be equal.”

Ember Shine nodded and closed his eyes, squeezing them shut tightly as Starlight raised her staff and caused a brilliant flash of light, which illuminated the cave like a flash of lightning. In a instance it was over and Starlight guided his cutie mark to the wall and pushed in one of the glass cases.

Ember’s brilliant emerald green coat suddenly began to mute its color, becoming a much duller green and his flank which sat bare for a moment suddenly presented everyone with a grey equals sign. Starlight took note of the mark she’d have to replicate later.

He stood silent and expressionless for a moment before Sugar Belle, who was next to him, spoke up. “How…how do you feel?”

He turned to her with the same blank expression. Everypony watched on in curiosity, including Starlight, and wondered how the earth pony felt losing his mark. He turned to look at his flank for a second and then back to Sugar Belle. A smile began to emerge on his face before it was an absolute ear-to-ear grin.

“Why, I feel…alive,” he said as Starlight breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s as if I'm seeing the world for the first time. Oh, I can’t wait until everypony gets to experience this feeling.”

————————

As Starlight came to her senses, she took off in a dead sprint towards the cave. The pieces all began to come together and she finally understood what they were doing. It all added up, and she was the only one who could stop them, she just prayed to Celestia that she wasn’t too late.

She felt wrong going off without telling any pony, but she knew it was something she had to do alone. She wondered if Night Glider would have even believed her anyway.

As she raced to the cave, she began to think about all the northern ponies and what they were doing, not just Double Diamond and Ember, but all the other ponies she was unable to see. She wondered about the other ponies in the town. Had she really been so dense as to miss all the signs?

Then, she began to wonder once more about Flame Heart. It didn’t make sense for her to have to been kidnapped now so Starlight wondered what had happened to her. She began to feel guilty nearly accusing him of such a heinous act, perhaps Double Diamond truly didn’t know.

——————————-

“Alright everypony, push harder!”

Double Diamond shouted the order as he and five of the northern ponies dug their heels into the dirt and pushed, with all of their might, against the large enslaved boulder, the only thing which separated them from the cave.

“It’s no use, it’s not gonna budge!” s pony named Lucky Stars shouted out as he collapsed onto the rock. The rest of the pushing ponies withdrew from their positions, allowing themselves to draw in large gulps of air.

“Whisper Leaf? Speed Rush? Think you could lend us a hoof?”

The two ponies obliged and trotted over to Double Diamond. The rest regained their breath and prepared themselves for another push. The now seven ponies began to press against the boulder once more.

“Okay, everypony, just…a…little…more!” After one great final thrust the massive boulder gave in and rolled just a couple of feet, but got caught under a small downward slope and continued to roll before coming to a rest just a few feet aside. The cave now stood completely open, for the first time in many months.

The seven ponies all took another minute to regain their wits, after all, they were all relatively weaker when compared to the southern ponies.

After a moment, the northern ponies all set off to venture into the cave. Double Diamond followed, picking up one of the several lanterns brought along to illuminate the cavern.

He stepped inside and was immediately hit with the cave air which was cool and humid. He stopped for a moment so he could savor the long lost smells of the cave. As he and the others walked along, he looked up in awe around the spacious cavern where he once felt so at home.

He trotted to the back and held up his lantern, revealing the large glass wall with slots for cutie marks, which now of course sat as empty and hollow as a log. He looked up in admiration to the now shattered glass wall. He walked up to one of the pockets in the wall and brought a hoof to it, running it against the edge of the slot. He knew it well as it held his own cutie mark.

He continued to sweep his gaze around the towering wall of glass, looking to each individual empty slot. As he glanced around, he noticed a small piece of wood on the floor of the cave, tucked over in the corner. He trotted over to it slowly and stood over it as he looked at the stick he knew very well.

He set down the lantern and picked up the once great and powerful staff. He looked it over, remembering it’s power as he’d witnessed first hand. He gazed at it with great appreciation for a moment before he reminded himself it was just an ordinary stick and he dropped it carelessly, banishing it back to the floor.

He regained his composure and walked out to address the northern crowd standing just where Starlight had on so many occasions. “This is it everypony, tonight is finally the night. I know everyone was scared when Starlight showed up in our town, but Ember has been working tirelessly and we believe the potion is now complete.”

The northern ponies all looked to Double Diamond as Ember trotted up to him and handed him the potion which glowed red in large pulses.

“Now, does anypony have any questions?” He paused. “…Anyone at all?”

Suddenly, a shy earth pony with a mane which matched a summer’s sunset raised her hoof ever so slowly.

“Ah yes, Flame Heart?”

The shy pony stepped forward revealing herself in the small crowd. “I’m just not sure if I can go through with this, I mean, we’ve all been through a lot maybe we’re being too hasty.”

Double Diamond walked up the shy earth pony. “I know we’ve had it rough, and believe me, when the Princess stopped Starlight I was the happiest pony in town, but I saw their system, and I saw their future and I wasn’t compatible with it. I know you feel the same way.” He lifted his head and addressed the crowd. “I know everypony here feels the same way.” He turned back to Flame Heart. “We just believe that we were happier living the old way, but it’s certainly not for everypony, we know that.”

“Wh…what about me?” She paused to swallow a gulp of air. “What if I didn’t want to go through with it?”

“Well, while we would be saddened by your decision, we’re certainly not about to keep you here against your will. If you wish to leave by all means, you are free to, but I urge you to do it now, because soon it will be too late.”

Flame Heart looked down for a minute, contemplating her entire future in mere seconds.

Whisper Leaf broke the silence which filled the cave, speaking directly to Flame Heart. “But…if you do stay, we will once again live in total harmony, everypony will be equal and things will go back to the way they were.” She paused turning to address the small crowd herself. “We will all be happy again.”

Flame Heart picked up her head and looked to Whisper, a smile began to reveal itself on her face as she turned back to Double Diamond who looked at her with anticipation. She announced her decision with a simple nod, ready to embrace her former life.

Double Diamond smiled himself. “And I thought I was the only one crazy enough to find myself missing the old ways, but together we can live once more as one community.”

He brought his hoof to the top of the glass bottle and popped off the cork plug with a satisfying pop.

Before he took a sip from the glowing potion he addressed the crowd one last time.

“Though we see the end of this chapter of our lives, we embark on a new adventure, together we can and will overcome anything. When we leave this cave, do not worry or fear, though we retire from the town we once built, the town which we called home for years, we will search out another land, we will rebuild, and so long as we are together, we will be returning home.”

——————-

Starlight galloped up the hill with such speed that she nearly tripped on several branches and rocks. She didn’t care though, all that mattered now was stopping the northern ponies from doing exactly what she feared.

She tackled her way through the bushes and looked up at the cave which she knew so well. She stopped for a moment, noticing the boulder which sat aside from the cave, and as her eyes began to readjust she noticed a very faint light coming from within the cave. The faint glow just confirmed that ponies were inside.

Starlight realized she had to be careful, she still wasn’t sure how they would react to seeing her and she wanted to brace herself.

She stepped slowly into the cave, allowing the light of her horn to dim. As she began to walk, she started to hear faint chatter coming from the main chamber. Her heart began to pound faster and faster, but she lifted her head and continued her approach.

Each step echoed off the walls as Starlight approached the main chamber. The muffled sound coming from within became clearer, until she was able to make out the end of Double Diamond’s speech.

“…we will search out another land, we will rebuild, and so long as we are together, we will be returning home.”

Starlight’s eyes went wide as she shot off like a bolt of lightning into the main chamber and watched as Double Diamond brought the fiendish red potion to his lips allowing a small sip of the foul brew.

“No!” Starlight shrieked to Double Diamond as she ran through the crowd of stunned ponies.

In the one moment where Double Diamond looked down he saw Starlight’s familiar face as she raced to him with panic. Their eyes met for just a second and Starlight knew she was too late.

Suddenly, Double Diamond began to glow, his body was consumed in ball of blinding energy which grew for a second. There was another large flash of light which illuminated the cave and in just seconds it was over. Double Diamond nearly lost his footing, but caught himself. In a rush of panic and excitement, he snapped his head around to his flank.

To his delight and to Starlight’s horror, his flank no longer bore his familiar snowflake cutie mark but rather the well-known grey cutie mark.

He turned his head back around to face the crowd and while looking to Starlight, a smile began to reveal itself on his face.

“I feel....complete again.”

Chapter 8- Flanked

Starlight stood motionless for a second as the crowd of ponies began to stare in awe over Double Diamond’s retransformation.

She approached him slowly staring at the mark which now laid on his flank. She walked up to it almost in awe. She couldn’t believe they created a potion that duplicated her spell. She picked herself back up to address the earth pony.

“D…Double Diamond?” She looked to the changed pony in anguish. “Why? Why did you do this?”

He looked the purple unicorn with the same phony smile she hadn’t seen in months. “We just want everything the way it was, back when you were in charge,” he said in an almost perfectly pleasant tone.

Starlight couldn’t understand the North and their fascination with the old system. She had realized long ago that the powerful magic she used to alter ponies only managed to smother individuality. “What…what are you talking about, things were horrible then?”

A voice called out from the crowd before Double Diamond could even respond. “Things were better then…” Starlight turned to see Whisper Leaf addressing her. “We were happier and everypony had a place, not like in the South.”

Starlight responded to the other earth pony. “But things are going so well in the south, it’s not perfect, but with everypony’s help…”

“They don’t want us there!” Starlight was interrupted by another pony, she turned to see the very familiar face of a pony she thought she’d never see again.

“Flame Heart, you…you are here, but why?”

“That’s right, I’m here because they don’t want us in the South, so I’d rather lose my mark and live in a perfect town.”

Starlight’s head was buzzing with more questions. “Why in Equestria do you think ponies in the South don’t want you all?”

“Cause we’re not good enough for them.” Starlight still stood baffled as Flame Heart clarified. “If you’re not a pegasus or a unicorn they don’t want you to do anything.”

Starlight looked around and noticed that everypony who choose the North was either an earth pony or what Starlight would describe as weak-flyer pegasus. It started to make sense now, ponies began to choose the North because they felt useless and unwanted in the South. It was ridiculous, but Starlight started to realize that many of the ideas she spent so long preaching to her followers were still being believed.

For one, she would often say that in normal societies, pegasi and unicorns were more valued for the work they could do, and unless an earth pony was strong enough to work a farm, they were doomed to an unwanted life in a small village. It was nonsense though, like much of what Starlight said. It was all about convincing ponies that they made the right choice following her. Only she began to understand that her ideas continued to infect ponies even now.

“But that’s not true. I know you all still believe what I used to say, but what I taught all of you was wrong and immoral and I’m so sorry for that.”

“No no, you were right. They would prefer us to leave so that they can tear down the wall and live in the town by themselves.”

“Please, they don’t want that at all, they desperately want to reunite your towns, but they were afraid that you were planning to attack them.”

“How could they possibly think that?” Whisper called out.

“Uhm, that was actually my fault,” Starlight admitted sheepishly. “But can’t you see, that’s what happens when you don’t know the whole picture! You start to assume the worst.” She turned to her head. “Flame Heart, just today Night Glider was brokenhearted because she didn’t know what happened to you.”

Flame Heart looked down in consideration. Starlight then turned her head again. “And Ember, earlier, Sugar Belle was saying how much she missed you.”

Ember Shine looked off as well as if taking everything into consideration.

Starlight then turned one last time. “And Double Diamond,” she started. “Sugar Belle, Party Favor, Night Glider, they all miss you. Your friends miss you. They want you back.”

Double Diamond’s face began to falter and his smile began to fall, even if just ever so slightly. “No no, I’m not going back. I can’t go back, I won’t, not now.” He began to step back in defense as he felt the mood of everypony beginning to sway in Starlight’s direction. “Can’t you all see she’s lying!” he shouted, still wearing the knockoff smile, the rest of the ponies looked to him with sympathy.

“Fine, you all abandon each other. I’m not going back there, I’m finally happy again and no one’s gonna take that away from me.” He stopped retreating and let himself run off in a sprint out of the cave.

“Double Diamond, no!” Ember Shine called out and began to run after him before he was held back by Starlight. He realized she was the only one who could get through to him.

Starlight stepped back in front of the crowd.

“Please, everypony, it’s late. Why don’t you all return home for the night and in the morning you can all see the southern ponies, then you can see how much they care for you, and how they want you all back.”

The crowd looked like they were considering the offer.

“And if you still believe you want things the old way.” Starlight walked over and levitated the potion with her horn. “Well, you can have things the old way.”

The crowd accepted the offer and ponies slowly started to head out of the cave one by one.

Starlight remained in front watching as the ponies retreated from the cave. She was overjoyed that most of the North hadn’t gone through with their plan and she was certain that once they realized the South wanted them back she could reunite the sides.

“What about Double Diamond?” asked Flame Heart who still stood facing Starlight.

“Don’t worry, whatever it takes I’ll find him and I’ll bring him back.”

——————-

Starlight trotted out of the cave and stood just outside the entrance so she could have a moment to think. She was overcome with joy that she was able to save the North from making the biggest mistake of their lives, but she still and one more pony to save.

For now though, she waited until the last pony, Flame Heart, began walking down the hillside before Starlight turned to walk to the side of cave. She popped the top off of the potion and dumped it carelessly into a thicket of bushes.

‘We won’t be needing this anymore,’ she thought to herself, glad to finally be ridden of the villainous potion.

She turned back around and sighed. ‘Now it’s time to find Double Diamond and bring him back.’

Starlight knew there was no chance he had headed back into town, other than that, she didn’t have clue where he could be.

She spent the next several hours looking around for him, but to no avail. She went up and down the path which led into town a couple of times, hoping to find him wandering down the dirt stretch. She climbed a hillside to get a good look over everything. Nothing.

She began to wonder if she had lost him forever.

Chapter 9- Snowstorms and Steep Slopes

“HELP!”

Starlight heard the faint and clearly weakened voice call out.

“Somepony, please help!”

The voice cried out, but Starlight couldn’t find the source. In the mountainous area, sound just bounced and echoed around the hills, while Starlight spun around frantically trying to find the pony.

“Don’t worry, I’m here!” Starlight cried back.

She still searched around with no source, but began running anyway towards one of the larger mountains.

“Help!”

He continued to call, unable to hear Starlight.

She trotted carefully up the slippery and unstable mountain snow, plunging her hoof deep into the snow with every step, mindful that the snow could give in and collapse at any moment sending her tumbling down the mountain side.

He cried out several more times and Starlight knew she was on the right track. She knew whatever happened to him must’ve been pretty horrific.

After a few minutes of careful footwork, she made in up the mountainside and up to a ridge wide enough for her to trot fearlessly on.

“...Anypony!” he cried out again.

“I’m coming!” Starlight shouted back.

“Oh, thank Celestia!” he called out in joy as he was finally able to her coming.

Starlight trotted around the ledge, using her horn to toss large rocks and branches out of the way. After about a minute, she turned a corner and spotted the white earth pony nearly buried in the snow.

She ran over to him, saw that he was pinned down by some large rocks, and lifted them away.

“Oh, thank you so much,” he told her.

“You’re welcome,” she responded, brushing away the thick layer of snow that built on top of him. She wiped the snow off of his legs and stepped back at the sight. “Your...your legs are broken,” she said in disbelief.

“I know, I went down the mountain too fast and got caught in an avalanche. I’ve been calling out for hours. I didn’t think anypony would show up.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you back to my town,” Starlight said as she began lifting the earth pony in her magic.

“Oh thank you, thank you. If you hadn’t shown up I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

Though she had fearlessly set out to rescue the injured pony, Starlight suddenly remembered her town and everything she worked for. She was about to bring an outsider into her town for the first time. In an instant, she worried she might be making the wrong choice bringing this pony back. Could she be bringing in a pony who might contaminate her town with ideas of individuality?

No. She wouldn’t let it happen. If she was going to bring him back to her town, she had to convince him about the way they did things. She thought about writing a song about how great her town was, but she didn’t have enough time, though she figured she’d get around to it at some point in the future.

She knew what she had to do and shot her attention back to the injured pony. “Well, you would’ve died,” she callously continued his grim thought.

“I…I know. It was tough when I went down because I knew for sure….”

Starlight interrupted. “Right, because as earth pony, you had no chance to survive. Not like a pegasus or a unicorn.”

“Yea, I... I guess,” he said, almost mindlessly, unaware of Starlight’s power of suggestion.

“It must feel so awful, I can’t even imagine,” Starlight began in her condescending tone.

“What, being an earth pony?”

“Of course, being so unwanted and unnecessary in Equestria,” she said with such indifference while levitating the pony.

“But, earth ponies are the farmers,” he asserted.

“Sure, the strong ones are valued farmers, but I don’t think you were so blessed?”

He looked down. “…No,” he said after a great pause.

“Don’t worry, in our town, we don’t place value on your race or your cutiemark. Everypony is treated equally, you’ll see.”

“That…actually sounds pretty great.”

“Oh it is wonderful, I’m sure you’ll fit right it,” Starlight said, a smile appearing on her face.

—————

Starlight looked up the mountain where she had first found Double Diamond. She had nothing to lose at this point, so she decided to check it out.

She started up the mountain with great ease. Though it began to lightly snow, the snow wasn’t nearly as thick and felt much more steady than the last time. She quickly trotted up the hill side and made it to the ledge after only a minute of climbing.

Once on solid ground, she looked out to the sky and saw the faintest hint of light beginning to peek out from the horizon. Dawn would be breaking shortly and Starlight hadn’t gotten any sleep since she went out shopping with Rarity the previous day. It hardly mattered, Starlight felt more alive than she had ever felt in her life.

She began to trot down the ledge, darting her eyes around for any signs of her once friend. Though, in the dark of night, she had to be careful because her visibility was so low, even with the glow of her horn keeping her company.

Another minute later, and she came to the spot where she had first found Double Diamond years earlier. But there was no sign of him now, she stood there and looked around for a minute. Snow began building on her face, covering her eyes and forcing her to brush her face off a couple of times.

The snow began to fall much harder and Starlight began to feel the cold which had slowly crept up on her. She was practically shivering but continued to look around for anything, any sign. She looked out over the ledge and tried desperately to search for Double Diamond as snow continued to pile on her face, mane and body.

She wanted to stand there and wait for him, she was so certain he would be here, but the freezing cold almost brought her numb. Her eyes began to fill with frigid tears and she couldn’t tell if it had been from losing Double Diamond or from the snow which continued to blind her vision.

She decided to find a spot where she could, at the very least, save herself from the oncoming blizzard and remembered the escape cave just a minute away.

She trotted toward the cave as snow continued to race down in larger flakes. Suddenly, a rush of whipping wind blew against Starlight and felt like daggers of ice piercing her sides causing her to seize up for a moment to brace against the arctic blast, making her regret not bringing any winter clothing.

After a minute, she made it to the cave. She stepped in and immediately began drawing sharp breaths of relief. She turned around and sat on her haunches, rubbing her hooves together trying to regain some warmth as she stared out at the sheets of pure white which continued to fall almost angrily.

She drew in a long breath as she considered Double Diamond, she wondered if she had indeed lost him forever. ‘Had he left to start another town?’ she considered.

“What are you doing here?” a voice asked from behind her.

She turned to face the earth pony “Double Diamond! You’re here!” She threw herself at him in a wild hug, which he took no pleasure in. “…You’re safe,” she said as she released from the one-sided hug.

“I’m not going back,” he said candidly.

Her smile quickly changed into something more serious. “Please, give it another chance.”

“No…no. I want to be happy again, why are trying to take that away from me?”

“Because this isn’t true happiness. You can’t just drink a potion and solve all your problems.”

Double Diamond turned around and took a few steps deeper in the cave. Starlight realized he could take off at any moment down the numerous branching tunnels and she would never see him again.

“Don’t...” she pleaded. “Please don’t run.”

He stood still for a moment as if collecting his thoughts.

“Do you remember what you said to me when we first met, up here when I broke my leg?” he turned to face her.

Starlight didn’t respond.

“Well?” he asked.

Starlight stood there, her face filled with regret and heartache. “Yes, I said some really, really stupid things.”

“You said, earth ponies who weren’t strong enough to work in farms were worthless.”

Starlight bit her lip as she looked up at the ceiling and to the walls of the cave, anywhere but at Double Diamond, she already felt her eyes pool with sorrow filled tears which threatened to burst at any moment. “I…I know,” she choked in between sobs.

“I never believed you until I came to your town. Everypony was as equal as you said. I know we were all brainwashed, but we were all equals. I felt like it didn’t matter that I wasn’t born a pegasus or a unicorn for the first time in my life.”

“After you left and things were restored, I didn’t matter anymore.” He shook his head. “With you, I would work in the fields, work in the bakery, help build new homes, I felt useful.”

“Believe me your friends still care about you. Do you know what they told me?”

Double Diamond didn’t respond.

“Sugar Belle, she said you would always help her around her bakery, cleaning and baking. Party Favor told me you were like a mannequin that he’d cover with balloon sculptures, and Night Glider, she said you two would go out on walks and watch out for bears, but…I know that was a lie, she just wanted to spend time with you.”

“We never did find any bears.” Double Diamond he said with mild somber as he looked down.

“You’re useful, believe me, you’re useful. You’re one of the hardest working, bravest and most caring ponies I’ve ever met.” He looked up to her. “Trust me they want you back…the real you.”

———

Ember Shine trotted back and forth through his small home, he didn’t get any sleep. He tried, but he just lay in bed with his eyes fixated on the ceiling. He couldn’t help himself but worry obsessively about Double Diamond, not too mention all the ponies in the South. He tossed and turned in bed for hours, his mind refusing to break of horrid thoughts

Right now, he found himself pacing back and forth through the small cottage as every imaginable thought raced through his mind. Every couple of minutes he would switch and sit on one of his small chairs. He did this after realizing he wasn’t getting a wink of sleep an hour earlier.

So he paced and waited for anything, any sign of Starlight or Double Diamond. He looked over to the table which still lay littered with glass beakers full of failed potions of all shades of color.

Suddenly he heard a knock on his door and shot over to it, swinging it open swiftly.

“Oh…Hi Flame Heart,” he said with obvious disappointment. “What’re you doing here so late?”

“Late?” she asked. “It’s morning.”

In disbelief, he stepped outside and looked up to find that it was in fact early morning as dawn just began to break the horizon.

“Did you get any sleep last night?” she asked stepping into his home.

He turned around and followed her back into the cottage. “No, none at all. You?”

“Not really, I’ve just been worried sick about us and the South and Double Diamond,” she said with melancholy in her voice.

“I shouldn’t have let him run off. It’ll be my fault if he never comes back.”

“No, you were right, Starlight was only one who could’ve helped him.”

He looked to at her with desperate hope that she was right.

He raised his hoof to wipe away at his tired eyes. “We…we should go gather everyone so we can all be together when we go over to the South,” he spoke logically. “…We shouldn’t wait.”

Flame Heart smiled a weak smile, but she agreed that it would only be more difficult and painful if they waited all day for Starlight.

They exited the cottage and split up, each one knocking on every pony’s door so they could be all be together.

Ember nearly knocked on Double Diamond’s door before he realized it would be a pointless measure.

He met with all the other ponies from the North and gathered in the middle of the small town.

Suddenly, Flame Heart raced up to him. “Woah, slow down. What’s wrong?” he asked, concerned.

“It’s Whisper, she says she’s not going until Double Diamond comes back. Says she refuses to go until then,” Flame Heart managed to get out while catching her breath.

Ember let out a sigh. “Don’t worry, I’ll go talk to her,” Ember said as he walked toward her small cottage determined to change the small earth pony’s mind.

He knocked on her door which laid open a crack. “Whisper?” he called out.

He watched through the crack as she trotted up and opened the door, allowing it open fully before quickly turning and walking back to where she had been sitting.

He stepped in the room slowly.

“I don’t wanna go until he comes back. It’s not fair.”

He walked over and sat next to her, looking down at the floor as she did.

“I know what you mean, I’m really worried about him too.”

“I can’t go without him, I’m too afraid. I just don’t think they’re going to forgive us.”

“I know…. I was up all night worrying about what’s going to happen today.” He paused and shook his head. “It’s like, if he were here it would be such easier. He always knew what to say to give us courage. I keep thinking, there’s no way we would’ve survived over here without him… But believe me Starlight will do anything to bring him back safe.”

“You really trust her that much?” She said looking up to him.

“Yes, I mean… when I first saw her yesterday I thought she was going to ruin what we have, but after last night I realized she only wants to return what we lost.”

She perked up and smiled at him, beginning to believe what he was saying.

“I know that she has a special bond with him, and I know she’ll find him and bring him back, it’s only a matter of time.”

“But for now…” He said standing up. “I know they would both want all us to reconcile with the South.” He extended his hoof to her. “C’mon they’ve already done so much for us, the least we can do is let them return home to a reunited town.”

————————

“So the last time you saw her was last night?” Sugar Belle asked.

“I’m telling ya, I was flying around, keepin’ watch during my shift and when I came back Silver Storms told me she had left,” she told her close friends in the small bakery. “I told you, I didn’t trust her.”

“There has to be a simple explanation for why she left. Maybe she realized something about the North,” Rarity proposed in between sips of her morning tea.

“Maybe she stopped the attack somehow, I mean, we weren't attacked,” Party Favor offered.

All of a sudden, Sugar Belle’s ears perked up and her attention was quick to follow.

“Do you guys hear something?” Sugar Belle asked, hearing the faint sounds of doors opening and hoof steps against the ground. She wiped her hooves on her apron as she walked over to front window to see what was going on, the others remained sitting at a table in the back.

Suddenly, after seeing something out of the window, Sugar Belle gasped and quickly ran out of the bakery without hesitation.

The others watched in surprise, but quickly ran out to follow her.

Once outside, the ponies, along with other southern ponies who came out to see what was going on, were met with what seemed to be just about every pony from the North. They stood in one small crowd at the edge of the town.

Night Glider instinctively made her way to the front of the small Southern pack.

For a moment everypony stood still, as if holding their breaths and waiting for the other side to say something as each pony from either side scanned the other group, taking note of each individual.

Suddenly, Sugar Belle was the first to break the silence as she saw a sight she truly didn’t expect. “Flame Heart?” Her voice cracked as she became overcome with emotions.

Sugar Belle didn’t waste another moment as she galloped up to the once lost pony and claimed into her in a hug. The red earth pony’s face already began to swell and break with tears and chokes of sobbing gasps.

In an instant, the tension had been released and the hesitant ponies of the South began walking over to join in the full embrace.

In that moment, everypony realized what the return of Flame Heart meant. She hadn’t been kidnapped, and there wasn’t some nefarious reason for her disappearance. Her voluntary return, along with the rest of the North, meant an end to their long conflict.

——

“C’mon, I think it’s this way…No wait, it’s this way.”

“Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

“Of course I do, I navigated through these caves for months as I planned my attack against that dreaded Twilight Spark…Wait no, it was that way.”

Starlight now explored through the caves she had called home for a short time with Double Diamond. While she knew she had made progress in assuring him that he was making the wrong choice, he still refused to fully surrender. The old ways were still deeply ingrained in him, but Starlight knew he would come around.

For now though, she was making progress. He was speaking to her, he listened to her, it was like there was a piece inside of him that knew he was wrong, it was just fighting to take back his mind from the potion. Starlight did manage to get him to agree to go home one last time before leaving for good, she wanted to show him how much progress she was sure the North made, even without her. Double Diamond agreed, believing the North to be in just as much disarray as when they left.

The pair waited for a couple of hours at the opening of the cave, but after a while they realized the snowstorm wasn’t going to let up and even if it did, navigating through the now thick snow on top of the mountain would be too risky. Instead, Starlight suggested they attempt to return down the mountain through the cave she had once used to escape from Twilight Sparkle.

After about an hour of navigating through the cave, she wasn’t sure what progress they had made to the small opening that she remembered at the base of the mountain.

“So…” Starlight began as the two continued down one of the tunnels. “How do feel right now?”

“Right now?” Double Diamond asked to Starlight’s nod. “…Cold, mostly.”

Starlight chuckled lightly. “I meant the potion. Like, do you feel that you’re happy?”

“Oh, I don’t really know,” he answered honestly. “I mean, I was happy last night when I thought everyone was going to join me. But, when I ran away, I don’t know… I guess I’m still happy.”

“You don’t seem too sure.”

“I mean, I feel like I used to, like an equal pony. I don’t feel…shame, anymore.”

“Were you ashamed of being an earth pony?” Starlight asked with concern.

“I was ashamed that I was unequal, that everypony else was unequal. I guess without anyone to be equal with, I sort of, feel alone in being equal.”

“Maybe it was different because last night you were surrounded by friends, but now, even though you have that grey cutie mark, because you have nobody to share it with, you truly are unequal.”

Double Diamond looked away, unable to face the mare.

“Think about it, what happens if you leave and go off to live alone? Even though you’ve rejected your cutie mark, there’s no one to join you, there’s no equality in solitude. Who can you be equal with?”

Double Diamond stopped in his steps for a minute to ponder the thought, while Starlight continued to trot forward.

“Hey, Diamond, we made it!” she called back as her voice echoed off the walls of the cave.

As he raced up to her, the cave began to fill with more and more light pouring in from the outside before he made it to the opening where he was met with a burst of light from the sun, which nearly blinded his vision.

“Oh thank Celestia!” he cried out as he bowed himself to the ground and kissed the Equestrian dirt that he was so happy to see again.

“Told ya I knew my way through the caves. I mean, I did live in there for like, months.”
Starlight boasted.

“So…” she started. “Ready to go see you’re old friends?”

————————

It was just about late afternoon when Starlight and Double Diamond trotted back towards the town, all the while Starlight prayed that the two sides had made amends. She just knew that if he could see them beginning to get along again, he would stay in the town.

As the town drew closer and closer, Starlight fixated her eyes on the clearly visible large brick wall which still divided the town in two, though she she had to tell herself that it didn’t prove anything.

Starlight also began to feel the effects of exhaustion, she had been up nearly one and half days without an ounce of sleep, and now it was beginning to take it’s toll. Her yawns became more frequent, and the increased severity led to her to the irrational fear of dislocating her jaw. She was practically hallucinating as well, hearing birds chirping and trees rustling in the wind, or wait maybe that stuff was real. She wasn’t sure anymore.

Still, it didn’t matter much, until she brought Double Diamond back and saw the two sides come together once again, she would not sleep. ‘Oh kind Celestia, let that come soon,’ she told herself.

As they approached the town from the north, they both saw it was empty.

Double Diamond interpreted this as everypony in the North came to their senses and wanted to join him.

Starlight interpreted it as every northern pony was in the South, reuniting the two sides…she hoped.

The two walked around the empty side of town and into the lower southern side.

Once they passed the brick wall they saw it. Everypony from both sides getting along and hugging. Starlight’s eyes began to swell.

Everypony stopped what they were doing when a couple ponies turned and pointed to the returning pair, they all galloped over to meet them as they entered the southern town.

“Starlight!” called half the ponies. “Double Diamond!” cried the other half as the two were met with full embraces of the roughly two dozen ponies.

Once the craziness died just a little, Rarity was left as the first to face her unicorn friend. “Darling, you’re back!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Starlight responded happily though thoroughly drained.

“You did it!” Sugar Belle shouted gleefully.

“Yeah, you’re the best!” exclaimed Party Favor who quickly fashioned a crown made of balloons and rested it on her head.

“Double Diamond,” Night Glider said simply as she wrapped herself around the white earth pony, allowing tears to flow from her eyes.

They broke from their embrace and she wiped tears embarrassingly from her face as Ember took his moment with his good friend. “You’re back,” he said, giving his friend a hug.

Night Glider was so overcome with emotion that she could barely hold in her chokes of joy when she noticed his flank which bore the familiar grey cutie mark. “You’re not keeping that are you?”

He looked back to his flank for moment and then to Starlight who was being hugged by Party Favor. “No…No, I don’t think I am.”

Starlight watched as he made his decision and gladly walked over to him to remove that dreaded mark.

“Now I’ve never done this before, so hopefully I can do it right. Remember, I only took away marks, I never gave them back. ”

“You can do it,” Sugar Belle assured her.

Starlight smiled back before turning to his flank and lowering her horn. The magic from her horn began to glow violet and pulsate deeply. She felt herself pouring her heart and soul into the her horn and she tried with every ounce of energy she had left to return his mark. After just a moment, her horn was glowing as bright as the sun in the sky. His flank illuminated slowly in a purple hue and with one final flash of light, which lasted a second, the awful grey mark was gone and his three snowflake cutie mark had returned.

Starlight smiled at the sight, and overcome with joy and utter happiness at the reuniting of the two sides, and Double Diamond’s return to sanity, she collapsed on the ground and fell asleep, but mostly it was exhaustion.