Ҽ զ մ ɑ ӏ

This can't be.

I'm very angry at Starlight Glimmer. All of my friends have left me, and gone for equality. I had faith in you, Applejack. But then, you just turned away from me. I'm sorry! I should have talked to you more!

Oh, whatever. She can't hear me. I'm all alone in this chamber. I'm so alone. I have no friends anymore.

I'm sorry, all of you. I wish I was there for you.

How will I get out of here? I have to get the marks back.

Maybe one of my friends....no. They are equal now. And my magic isn't working. The door will not open.

Maybe...yes.

Perfect.

"Any new friends today?"

Starlight.

It's time.

"Y-yes."
Everypony gasped.

"Is this true?"

"I..I think so. But I just want to be sure. If I agree to leave my cutie mark in the vault, will I really be happier?"

"Just look around! Equality has given us more happiness than you've ever known!"

"And you wouldn't just let me live in the village with my old cutie mark?"

"Out of the question. We are all equal here!"

I walked past Starlight.

I'm gonna do it.

Celestia, help me.

"Huh? What are you-"

I broke off into a run, as fast as my hooves could take me.

Find the vault, Twilight. Find the vault.

Where is it?

Yes! I see it up ahead!

Oh..my cutie mark. It's here! And my friends' marks, too!

Just..have to..levitate it back and..

"STOP HER!"

No!

It was too late. I felt my friends holding me down, and trapping me from getting out.

"Girls..please!" I wailed. They didn't listen.

"So," Starlight was behind me. "Did you really think you could get your precious cutie mark back? Pity. Well, there's only one thing to do now."

Do what?

Starlight lit up her horn.

Oh no.

My body felt the most agonizing pain in the world. It hurt so badly. But my friends just stood there.

Smiling.

What was she doing?

"Join us, Twilight!"

"We miss you!"

"Princess of Equality!"

Princess of...Equlaity? What are they talking about?

"What?" I asked.

Fluttershy grinned at me. "Why Starlight Glimmer, of course. The new Princess of Equality!"

I realized where all of that pain had come from.

Starlight had taken my wings.

She had become an alicorn.

"NO!" I shouted. "YOU ARE INSANE! HOW COULD YOU!"

"Foolish little unicorn," Starlight teased. "You saw this coming. Now that you are no longer a princess, you are worthless. And now, you'll become one of us."

This is a nightmare.

Wake up, wake up!

PLEASE!

No.

No no no no no.

How could she have done this?

She's a princess now. I have no wings.

And I'm back where I started, in this chamber.

With my friends.

And they wouldn't.

Shut.

Up.

"Join us!"

"You'll be happy!"

"We miss you!"

"Are you all BLIND!?" I shouted. "SHE JUST TOOK MY ALICORN WINGS! I'M NOT A PRINCESS ANYMORE!"

"It's for the greater good," Rarity reassured. "Behold the Princess of Equality!"

Then, they all seemed to chant a song.

"Behold, Behold!

The Princess Starlight Cometh!

Behold, Behold!

The Princess of Equality!

No.

Tears flowed from my purple eyes. They were right. Starlight was an alicorn princess.

"Twilight Sparkle," Starlight said to me as she swung the door open. "I would like to see you, please."

"No thank y-"

But my friends pushed me over to her cottage.

Starlight slammed the door shut.

"GIVE ME BACK MY WINGS!" I defended myself. I was furious.

"Twilight, face it." She cooed. "I have the magic now. I've drained all of your magic, and I've gotten your princess wings. Behold, The Princess of Equality!"

I noticed a small drop of water roll over her equal mark....

To reveal a real one.

"Ah ha!" I shouted. "You have lied to those villagers! You have your own cutie mark, and they-"

I suddenly lost my power to speak. Starlight must have put a spell on me.

"Uh, uh, uh," she said in a motherly tone. "We can't have that, now can we?" Her magic forced me to shake my head.

She's been lying all this time! And now I can't even tell the villagers the truth. I can't talk.

"Now, it is time you truly become one of us."

I would never do such a thing.

Suddenly, Starlight teleported us to some sort of cave, not the vault, just an ordinary cave.

"Where are we?" I defended angrily. I could speak again.

"Don't worry about that, Twilight," Starlight smiled. "Just relax."

Relax? HOW? I have no wings, no magic, no friends. I feel TERRIBLE.

"How do you feel, Twilight?"

"I feel happy to be equal," I said.

Did I really say that?

She's forcing me to say it! I tried to speak again, but my mouth wouldn't open.

"What is magic?" Starlight asked.

"Equality is magic!" I answered.

"Good."

Why do I keep saying that? It's not true! Friendship is magic, not equality!

" To what is to fail?"

"Excel."

No, it's not.

"What makes you trapped?"

"My special talent."

No! Equality is magic!

Wait. Did I get that right? I'm confused. What about friendship?

"What is magic?"

"Equality."

"What makes true friendship?"

"Equality."

Cutie marks make us special...what? No, silly me. Cutie marks lead to heartache and pain!

Right?

I don't know anymore.

"Are you happy when you are equal?"

"Yes."

"Are you better than your friends?"

"Yes- ah!"

A wave of pain struck through my body. Was I wrong?

"Wrong. You are no better than your friends."

"Sorry, Starlight Glimmer."

She smirked.

All of a sudden, my cutie mark glowed.

It felt amazing.

"Equality is what?"

"Magic."

It glowed brighter.

Good.

"Are you equal, Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes, Starlight Glimmer."

I'm so confused! What's right and what's not?

"Equality is magic, Twilight Sparkle. Equality is the right thing, don't hold back. You have many friends around you."

Friends..when I'm equal? Of course! It all makes sense now. Equality is magic! I have many friends around me, just as Starlight said. And we won't have to disagree anymore. And all my friends are happy, too!

"Are you ready, Twilight?"

"For what?"

I suddenly felt pain overtake my body again, as if something was attaching to my body. But I remained happy, my smile getting as wide as a mile. As long as I am equal, I'm overjoyed!

It stopped. I felt something on my back.

My wings!

Starlight took us back to the village. It was sunset. All of the villagers stared in awe, right at me. What were they staring at? I saw my friends looking as well.

"Behold!" Starlight yelled, so the whole village could hear. "The Princess of Equality!"

"M...me?" I asked Starlight. "But..you are the founder!"

"Nonsense, Princess of Equality. You've proven to me that you are capable of this place in hierarchy. You are our leader now, Princess Twilight." She bowed down to me, as well as the rest of the village. I felt like the most special pony in Equestria.

I am the Princess of Equality!

It's been a few weeks ever since I was honored Princess by Starlight Glimmer. I'm so happy I chose to live here, everypony is so nice! My friends see me every single day, and, of course, we all smile together.

I could see Starlight walking toward my cottage.

"Princess?" she asked me.

"Yes, Starlight Glimmer?"

"I need you to do something very important."

"What?"

She used her teleportation magic to send us to the cutie mark vault. We were behind the Staff of Sameness.

"I..have a confession to make," Starlight said nervously.

"Go ahead," I allowed her to speak.

"This staff, it isn't really magical. It's just a wooden stick I found in the desert. Meadowbrook really had eight enchanted items, not nine." She went on. "I hope you can forgive me."

I looked her in the eyes, with a small smile on my face. "It's alright, Starlight. I knew you needed magic to remove those cutie marks. Now, what did you need me to do?"

Starlight took a deep breath.

"Unmark me."

"What?"

"You heard me. Remove my cutie mark and take yours back. You are the Princess of Equality now, remember? So, you need the magic in order to remove any more marks for those who come across us. Go ahead, Twilight. I'll give back yours, first."

Using her magic, Starlight lifted my cutie mark from the vault, and, it was returned to my body. My colors were back as well. I was free to do magic once more.

"Now," Starlight ordered. "Remove mine."

"Are you sure?"

"Do it."

I proceeded to use the Staff to lift up Starlight's whole body, and remove her mark. She was in great agony, but it was removed shortly after. She looked much happier.

"Thank you, Princess," she said. "Now I am truly equal."

"But, what about the villagers?" I asked. "I can't lie to them."

"Tell them. They will understand."

"Fellow ponies," I yelled, the many ponies stood around me. "You must understand, I must keep my cutie mark, in order to remove any more marks of new ponies that shall come across our village."

"We understand, Princess!" yelled a villager.

"Yeah, they need their mark removed!"

"I agree!"

Shortly after the cheering died down, Starlight Glimmer stood next to me.

"Everypony," she yelled. "I have a confession. My old equal mark, it wasn't true. I also had to keep my cutie mark in order to remove yours. I hope you can forgive me."

Mummers of confusion emerged from the crowd.

"It's alright," I reassured. "Don't be angry! I still have to keep mine."

The villagers made it back to their cottages, and soon, me and Starlight were the only two ponies outside.

"Thanks, Princess," Starlight whispered. "For getting this off my chest."

"No problem," I said. "Now, get some rest."

I lay down in my bed, in my new cottage. I never knew my life would change like this, Princess of Equality, they would call me. I'm so happy it managed to end up like this. All of my friends are happy, Starlight is happy, and, I am happy.

To be equal.

Because equality,

is the true magic of friendship.