Starlight had everything prepared. Ever since Twilight Sparkle and her friends had ruined her chances of proving that talents got in the way of friendship, she had wanted revenge. But she also knew it would take time to perfect. After all, Twilight was an alicorn princess. A new one, sure, but if what she had seen earlier was any indication of her power, Starlight was not about to face Twilight head-on so soon.

She instead took the time to study Twilight and her friends; Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. And then she noted something interesting. In looking up the history of these ponies, Starlight had discovered something. That when Rainbow Dash had gotten her Cutie Mark while performing the legendary Sonic Rainboom, she had inadvertently allowed the other five to earn their Cutie Marks.

That got Starlight thinking. If she could somehow remove that factor, it would tear apart their friendship. Sure, it would mean they wouldn't be around to prevent a number of catastrophes from befalling Equestria, but surely they weren't needed. Not with three older, more powerful alicorn princesses available. The real trick was finding a way. And then she discovered a scroll containing a spell from Starswirl the Bearded.

It seemed the perfect irony, since Twilight practically idolized Starswirl. But then something happened that Starlight didn't expect. As Starlight prepared to use the spell, Twilight quickly fired a spell blast at her. Starlight grabbed the nearest thing to block the shot, which turned out to be the spell scroll, causing it to disintegrate while the time portal was open. That got Starlight worried, since she could no longer be certain where or when she might wind up.

She barely had any conscious thought after that. She felt smaller, younger. A lot younger. And she could barely make out words. She also had the sensation of being held. Also, her body felt more than a little different. "Look at her Johnny," came a woman's voice, the accent difficult to place, "She's not gonna survive out here long at that age." "Yo, I understand Eesh," came a more masculine voice, Johnny presumably, "But we're just out of college. Where are we gonna get that sorta cheddar?"

"Well," the woman, Eesh presumably, "There is that contract offer I got from Kingdom Come Records." A bit of a pause, before Johnny sighed. "I guess it'll do. But that still leaves me the one to take care of her." Eesh laughed. "Johnny, didn't you ace that child-rearing course back in high school?" Starlight could feel herself being passed off into a different set of arms. As she looked at the new face, her juvenile mind came up with one word. "Papa..."

Johnny chuckled. "And there goes the wall around my heart. And here I thought my girl Aisha was the only one who could do that." Even in her infant state, Starlight's mind still worked like her adult form. She realized "Eesh" must have just been a nickname for Aisha. She turned to the woman next to Johnny. "Mama..." Aisha cooed as she gently tickled Starlight's side, making her giggle.

Johnny then noticed the birthmark on Starlight's stomach, her Cutie Mark having been shifted due to her new form. "A star trailing down a curved line," he noted, "Like a glimmer of starlight." Starlight blinked at him and smiled. Johnny quickly caught that. "Wait... Starlight... Glimmer... Is that your name?" Starlight gurgled happily, and Johnny chuckled. "Kinda sounds like something outta MLP, but what the hell. I happen to be a brony."

He and Aisha walked back inside their apartment. "Well, for better or worse Starlight, your new home is here on Saint's Row. And one way or another, we'll make sure you grow up as safe as possible." Starlight just yawned and curled up and she drifted off to sleep, worn out from the excitement and the magical burst. She hadn't even begun to comprehend her new, human, form.

"I'm telling you Ben," Julius Little said, "Working legitimate business is going to bite you in the ass." Benjamin King, who had long been friends with Julius, sighed. "Look, I feel ya Julius, I really do. And I know you blame yourself for what happened to my sister Angela..." "Damn right I do!," Julius said, "I let her get too deep into the gang business. This shouldn't be the sort of thing family gets involved in."

Benjamin shook his head. "Look, we've done good work running the Carnales outta Stilwater. We've taken action, so now's the time to build. To make sure they stay gone." Julius frowned. "Bullshit! We start mixing the wrong business with a criminal empire, and the Lopez family will swoop in to take advantage of that weakness!" He took a deep breath. "Listen Ben. We may have managed to take out Alejandro at the cost of a few of our own, but his two sons are all but ready to take over the family business."

"And we'll deal with the two of them when the time is right," Ben assured his old friend. "No, Ben, not we," Julius said, "Just you. Well, you and your army. I can't be in this anymore. Not after what happened to Angela. I'm dropping my colors here and now." Ben looked sad, but nodded in understanding. "If that's what you need to get closure, then I won't stop you. But if you ever need a favor, be sure to look me up. I'm never gonna be too busy to help a friend."

The two of them shook hands. "I'll take you up on that," Julius said, "And if I ever feel like you're getting in too deep yourself, I'll do all I can to stop you." Ben chuckled. "You'll need an army of your own for that." "Maybe," Julius said, contemplating, "But I won't build one just yet. It's too soon after quitting. Maybe a few years down the road, if my gut proves correct." And with that, he took off his yellow vest and walked out the door. "See ya around sometime."

Author's Note

I hope this is a good start. I have a lot of ideas for this story that I hope to get off the ground. This is my first story on this site, so I hope I did a good job.