"We do all the things we can to essentially brainwash people into liking it before it actually comes out." - Dave Anthony

==========================================================================================

[1 Week Later]

I woke up to a crash, the breaking of glass, and a "Shit!" from downstairs. Cool, I got little miss Equality to use one of my words. Pulling myself out of bed, I trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen to see Starlight sweeping up a broken plate.

"What the hell did you do?" I asked, materializing a cup of coffee and taking a sip.

She huffed, "I was washing the dishes and was about to put it away, but then I turned around and stubbed my hoof on the counter," She made her way over to the trashcan, dumping the pearly white shards inside.

Wearing a shit eating grin, I replied, "You're probably the first I've seen to ever stub their toe, or hoof, on something that literally has a space big enough so you don't do that. With how long I've lived, that's saying something," I finished off the coffee with a big gulp, snapping my fingers and making the cup disappear in a cloud of smoke.

"Shut it. Anyways, here's your food for the week." She levitated four jars of dark purple fear into my arms, as promised, before she continued with her daily chores.

Staring at the jars with excitement, I muttered out a "nice" before going to the living room and plopping down on the sofa. I set three jars down on the coffee table and greedily opened the one clutched in my hands, wasting no time in dipping my hand in and pulling out an acceptable amount of jelly-like fear. Shoving it in my mouth, I practically melted at the taste, some falling away before it even got the chance to be eaten.

'Mmm, paralysis. One of my favorites.' I dipped my hand in again, coming out with more, before shoving that into my mouth as well.

Somehow, instead of getting wispy fumes of the stuff, Starlight had found a way to make the fear like jelly. Don't ask me how, just know that I absolutely loved it and I wasn't complaining.

"Why don't you use a spoon instead of your hooves?!" Starlight cried, hurrying over with a towel to clean up the mess I had, rather quickly, made.

I rolled my eyes, "Because 1) I don't have hooves, I have hands and 2) I can just make the messes I make disappear," I snapped my fingers, the mess she was cleaning disappearing mid wipe.

She huffed, "I don't care. I order you to not make a mess and use a spoon when you eat stuff like that," She motioned to the opened jar of fear, not caring that the mark I gave her was glowing.

I tensed up as my eyes flashed purple for a second, before I nodded and returned to my relaxed state, "Alright, Glimmer."

I stood up with my jar, made my way to the kitchen, picked up a clean spoon from the drawer, and proceeded to eat again right there. Starlight stared at me for a second before going outside to the newly formed town, shutting the door behind her. That brings me to the next new thing in my life. The town I had magically poofed into existence. So far, we only had about fifteen, cutie mark-less ponies living in this boring little town. Starlight had said it would grow overtime as more ponies came looking for their loved ones, or just stumbled upon the town. Looking out the window to the front through faded pink curtains, I grumbled at the blandness of it. All the houses were in a neat, straight line and barely had an inch between them. All were stone with just a simple wooden roof, nothing on the exterior to give it some pizzazz. The only exception was if your home was a store, then you'd get a bland wooden sign to tell everypony it just that. A store. As a mare walked by, her flank adorning an equal sign like everypony else, that reminded me of the vault and staff. Starlight had told me to move them to a cave in the mountains, tripling the vault in size and setting the staff on a pedestal for "generations of ponies to see the de-cutie marking." Devil, doesn't anypony get sick of her constant 'equality' talk?

'Anypony? Bleh, Glimmey is rubbing off on me.' I pulled away from the window, letting the curtain fall away as I dug into the fear with my spoon.

Shoveling spoonful after spoonful into my maw, I kinda felt... gross. Looking down into the jar in confusion, I wondered if Starlight had done something to it. Yeah, probably. She seemed like the type to do something crazy like that. Ugh, I feel... Grosser. Then it hit me, causing me to drop my jar and have it shatter from the realization.

Was I feeling... Guilty?

'ACK! It's like poison! Guil-ty. It sounds like some kind of disease or something.' I shook my head, nearly barfing at the mention of that dreadful word.

I snapped my fingers and cleaned up my mess, sad to see fear like that go to waste. To take my mind off of emotions and how fucking confusing they are, plus my loss of delicious fear, I transformed myself into my Golden Retriever. I pawed the door open, using my hindleg to kick it closed, the hot sun beat down on my golden fur the moment I stepped out.

'Starlight couldn't have picked a better place to live? You know, one that isn't like a desert?' I begrudgingly thought, that gross feeling increasing.

Maybe I should just stop thinking about Starlight.

A few ponies walked up to me to give my head a pat or asking me for help, help of which I begrudgingly accepted. After multiple tasks that took up more time than I wanted them to --four hours, to be exact-- Starlight finally approached me. The thing that caught me off guard was how worried she looked, though she seemed to be trying to hide it. Being bound to her by contract, plus ponies being terrible with hiding anything, it was easy to notice. Rolling my eyes, I trotted into up to her house and followed her inside. With a swirl of black smoke, I morphed back into my normal self.

Starlight spun on me, rearing up and shaking me with her hooves, "They won't comply! I've tried everything and-"

I softly yet firmly gripped Starlight's muzzled, shushing her, "I literally have no idea what you're talking about. Calm down and tell me why are you so freaked out."

She took in a deep breath as I let go of her, "Well, there are some new ponies that came into town. They came for their daughter, Morning Bell, and I offered to allow them to join our town so they could see her all the time... If they gave up their cutie marks, of course. They said no, they just wanted to bring her back home and... And..." She teared up, "I don't know what to do! I tried everything!" Sobs wrecked her body as she buried her face in my fluffy chest, the tears making my fur wet.

I awkwardly hugged her, giving the small pony a pat on the back as something in me seemed to kick into action, "Well, find a way to make them conform. Show them what the town has to offer and, if they don't..." Her glazed over eyes stared up into my mischief filled ones, ".... Find a way to force them to join your town."

Her eyes widened, a spark in her eyes at my words as she set herself back onto the floor, "Why didn't I think of that before? It was so obvious!" Her normal spark was back, her eyes showing excitement instead of stress and worry, "Alvar, do you think you can make a medium sized, square, wooden shack? Make sure it's aligned with the houses so it doesn't look out of place. Speakers on each wall, along with windows and curtains. Make sure that everything inside is about how great it is to conform and join our town, giving up your cutie mark for a better life! I'll take care of the speaker recordings," She nudged me towards the door, "Go! We have to get this done by today, or they may leave with Morning Bell!"

I shrugged, turning back into that dog and making my way over to the very end of one of the lines.

'At least she's back to her normal, equality obsessed self. Never thought it would feel good to have her like that again.'

Author's Note

Bu Dun! Done! Wish I could have had this out earlier. I've had the chapter finished for a while, just never got around to actually publishing it. Pfft, I feel stupid.

If you see any grammar or spelling mistakes, please notify me! (Seriously, please do. I was to tired to look over it) Also, constructive criticism is always welcome!

Word Count : 1,439