Starlight Glimmer was getting ready for bed when Twilight Sparkle walked in.

“Hey.” said Starlight.

“How are you doing?” Twilight asked.

“Oh not much. Just getting ready for bed.” Starlight said, and she laughed nervously.

“Oh?” Twilight replied. There was a silence for a few moments. “And?” She prodded.

“Nothing, really.” Starlight replied. Twilight waited a few moments. “Nothing, except I still can’t believe what I did to you and your friends, to all those ponies when I took away their cutie marks, and mostly... Myself.” Starlight yelled, Breaking the silence. Twilight had been suspecting this. So she motioned to a couch for them to sit down. When they had sat down, twilight summoned a glass of water and gave it to Starlight.

“Thanks” said Starlight. She took a couple of breaths and started speaking.

“Even though you have forgiven me for what I have done, I still feel guilty. I just can’t seem to let it all go. I know that I am reformed and all, but I did such terrible things. " Starlight said really fast.

“Look, I know it can be hard. But, you need to keep trying. How do you think princess Luna felt after she returned from being Nightmare Moon? She was feeling more guilty than you are now, I can assure you. She created the Tantabus to punish herself. The Tantabus was a dream demon that fed off of Princess Luna’s guilt. When she finally realized that she was a different pony, that she had changed, she forgave herself. Long story short, after she forgave herself, the Tantabus ceased to exist again.” Twilight assured Starlight.

“But, even if I do Forgive myself, my past still hurts. I couldn’t help Chrysalis, the feelings I had when I did such terrible things, and....” Starlight paused. “Sunburst” she whispered.

Twilight told Starlight, “Look, I know the past can leave a scar, But it is the hardships of our past that make us strong. If we didn’t have the trials we do, or mistakes that we can learn from, where would we be? A pony that never made mistakes, never made anything. You have overcome your trials, now you just need to learn from the past, and let it go. I think you proved yourself a different pony when you saved the empire, and help reform all the changelings (excluding Chrysalis.).
You are stronger than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. You are a different pony and a great friend.”

Starlight sniffed with tears on her eyes “Really?” She asked.

“Yep.” Twilight said

“Thanks Twilight.” Starlight said.

“No problem. Remember, I am always Here to talk.” Twilight assured, and she left Starlight to her own thoughts.

There she was.

She was about to pull the book from the tower.

But, all of a sudden, the books began to fall!

Suddenly, there was a bright glow, and the books began to circle a clouded figure.

Then, the books were shot back onto the shelves.

There standing in the mist was a orange unicorn with white socks and a white blaze on his face, wearing spectacles.

He was standing there, but something about him was different from the original she knew. There was a cutie mark!

Her friend looked at it, and gave a jump for joy, and ran out the door.

The other ponies saw, and carried him away cheering.

She witnessed this, and never saw him again.

She learned a valuable lesson that day: That cutie marks were evil.

She ran away, never to be heard of again.

Starlight gasped. The dream, it felt as if she was there again. She sighed. This happened every night. Oh, she felt so alone.
But, she was tired, and exhaustion to hold, and she fell back asleep.

She was there with a staff.

She activated it, and it disassembled something.

A wall opened, and closed, holding what was taken.

A evil grin spread on her face, its origins unknown.

6 down, the rest of Equestria to go.

Now there was a clock.

Being rewound, time and time again.

The spell was repeated, intended to go for all eternity for a goal set in mind.

But, a pest kept ruining the final destination.

In the end, despair and hope lost. And a meaningless rainbow.

Starlight opened her eyes. She was feeling awful. This happened every night. She would relive her past, always feeling more guilty than before each time. If that was even possible. She went to sleep once again. But something different happened that night.

There was a different figure. It looked like the night sky in the form of a tall unicorn.

“What are you?” Starlight yelled in panic. The figure just stood there.

Then, all the guilt that Starlight had been feeling seemed to just disappear with the figure just standing there.

Then Starlight closed her eyes and waited for something to happen.

The realization of why she was even feeling this way was because of him.

She remembered that she didn’t want anypony feeling the heartbreak she had felt.

No pony was better than another. They had a right to be all equal.

And random as it may seem, Starlight now understood why Luna had turned against her sister.

She was not her equal, and that drove her over the edge.

That is what the problem was still today. All at one, Starlight realized she had to be the one to set things right again.

She had to help these poor ponies, And that was exactly what she was going to do.

She was going to fall to fate, fulfill her destiny, And release all ponykind out of misery.

Starlight turned to the mysterious figure and “Thanks for helping me back on the right track. I now know what I need to do. But, do you think you could help me?”

The figure started to glow, and with a sudden bright flash, all was dark.

Starlight woke up with a startle wondering what she had just seen. Then she had the overwhelming compulsion to look in the mirror. When she did, she was in for a big surprise.

She was now very tall and midnight black. She had dark blue and purple dragon eyes, with a black star mane and tail that had a purple and light blue streak in it. But her cutie mark was the real eye catcher. It was a purple diamond star with a white X behind it, with a great big blue equal sign in the middle.

Starlight was shocked. What could have caused this? And Why? Why did all of a sudden did she look like some freak show with a different cutie mark? Then she remembered. The dream. At 1st, Starlight was hesitant, but then remembered why she was doing this for. “If I was not meant to do this, Then why do I not feel Guilty. Ever since that Twilight Sparkle and her friends have taken me in, I felt so low. It was as if my emotion, pain, and grief from Sunburst was all of a sudden teleported into me. But now, now, I... I feel so free. Like this is what I am suppose to do. There is nothing to be hesitant about,” Starlight said to herself. Even she was a little surprised with her boldness. But, nevertheless, she had to start her way to Canterlot to take over Equestria, and make things right.

Celestia and Luna were sitting on their thrones having tea and just talking when the doors suddenly came crashing down.

“What in Equestria was that?” Celestia asked while searching for the source

“It was I” Nightmare Equality said. “I have come here to make Equestria right again.” Nightmare Equality then proceeded to put Celestia and Luna in magic-free bubbles as she made it a point to explain her glorious plan and destiny. “I have come here looking to make all Equestria equal. No pony is better than another. I’m sure Luna knows what I’m talking about, don’t you?”

“I knowest not what thou meanest.” Luna replied

“Ah, well,if I remember correctly, your sister thinks she is better than you after all. I mean, with her sun and the ponies who like it. Even though now she gives some attention, it is only a fraction. You realized this when you turned into Nightmare Moon, like I, who as turned into Nightmare Equality. After all though, you lost your drive when the Magic of Friendship was introduced. I am so powerful, not even the Elements of Harmony can stop me."

"you monster!" Celestia cried

"I am no monster Celestia. if anyone is, it's you. You inflict this pain on everypony, even your own sister. I will make all those who suffered happy, and the guilty will pay. Luna, your pain is over. You will be very happy now, as I, Nightmare Equality, you, and others set things right. I am no better than anypony else, and I will work together with others as their equal. A new era begins.

Author's Note

"You are stronger than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." this is a quote from the movie "Winnie the Pooh: The Search For Christopher Robin"

this story line happens shortly after the season 6 finale, and before season 7. In this universe though, starlight never reunited with Sunburst. She alone saved the crystal empire with her shear magical talent.