There is a certain sweetness to living outdoors.
Not many knew that, not when so many ponies lived in large cities Manesomething...Least Pegasus... Canter... Something or other. With so much time away from large civilizations, there was no need to remember their meaningless names. All the memories left for Starlight to recall was the husk of land covered in useless buildings that scraped the clouds, the hard pavement against her hooves and the foggy skies in the mornings. A distant picture in her mind slowly fading away.
Starlight had no idea why, if at all, she felt a faint longing for the company of others with that uprising. With a land this perfect.. this gorgeous, it was but an impure feeling plaguing her mind, of which she waved away with a sigh. She nestled out of her cozy bed, hooves touching the cold wooden floorboard, creaking under her weight.
Her house seemed to grow from the ground. The unicorn hardly remembered the construction of her living quarters nor the town itself. It all seemed so long ago, and since then the houses had snugly rested in each spot they were built in. Vines and leaves hung on the sides. Glass widely open to usher in sunlight, Starlight recoiling at the brightness, eyes slowly adjusting. With a breathy exhale, she brushed out her mane, readying herself for the coming ceremony.
See, Starlight Glimmer had created her own colony far away from Equestria. It was a safe spot for her. No longer would she be pressured by the societal expectations of long ago savage lifestyles.
She would settle in harmony with the civilians she had so easily fooled into coming to her town.
Maybe it was impure of her to impede on their privacy and lie to their faces about what exactly they were signing up for. A weekend getaway that seemed too good to be true delivered prosperity and equality with just a little help from a memory spell. But it was for the greater good and besides, she only did it once to start with her prosperous nation.
Of course, cutting all contact from the civilized world meant creating their own resources and traditions, never mind Celestia. With each year came about spring. And spring meant Kenomare's celebration. So, with dreary eyes, she creaked the old door of her room, and with a little extra shove it managed to open.
The soft earth under her hooves was warm. Starlight trotting through the lush green of her town. Long ago it had been nothing but desert, cracked ground underneath them but since then the farmers had brought in grass and trees and now a forest was steadily growing around them to provide protection - leaving only an empty field in the vicinity, of which they built a town hall in. Which was where Starlight was heading to.
It was a beautiful day, and the ponies of Kenomare had built the town hall with their beauty in mind. An entire wall was missing, and it looked more like a barn than a town hall - but it was functional enough to keep around. As she stepped in, two ponies ushered her into. She followed, soft willowy movements before sitting down at a mirror and table silently. The previous guides now brushed her mane - more thoroughly this time, braiding its ends in a ceremonial headdress. It twisted up against her head, and topped with a vibrantly hued flower crown. Many ponies around her sported the same look. Starlight stared at the mirror.
It's been exactly a year since the last time she wore this attire. It was exclusively worn during the Spring celebration, and it always seemed to look a little odd on her. With a sigh, she stood onto her feet, watching the ponies around readying themselves and the workers in the distance setting up the ceremonial activities. She cleared her throat, and immediately all chatter ceased as the ponies looked directly towards her, interested. "Thank you."
"As you know," Starlight started, all previous worries lost - "We must keep up to our best today. All work outside of the festivities is excused, I want you all to have fun! And as most of you have seen already…" she eyed a little filly looking frightened and hiding under a pony who wasn't her mother - avoiding eye contact, "little Sugar Lily here will be needing it."
The filly covered her flank with her tail, embarrassed. Starlight snorted. "Back to your positions then."
Leaving the building, Starlight stretched a hind leg until it popped, grunting aloud. This day had already proven itself a little...stressful. and without her magic, she couldn't exactly poof everything into place. It would be unfair to those without it. Magic was outlawed for a reason.
Watching as the ponies set up tables and poles in the fields, she settled down with a cup of herbal tea one of her civilians had brought her, yelling out orders and suggestions to the ponies as they worked. She sipped, would fiddle with a clover at her hooves, flick her tail and check their set up again. It was dull every year - but a leader's work is never done.
Glancing about for some sort of stimulation, Starlight caught sight of several distant blobs in the horizon. Unusual. Not many came here when nopony knew of its existence. Staggering to her hooves, she called for Double Diamond.
"Yes, Starlight?" He panted, trotting up. Two picnic blankets lay on his back, weighing him down.
"Go lock up the vault for me. I think we have newcomers." Starlight stared into the distance, far enough where the sandstone mountains stood tall. If she wasn't mistaken, those were ponies - and who knows what they could be here for? "Tell the town to put on a good face, as well. Specifically the fillies. And busy Sugar Lily for me."
Double Diamond obliged, though a little confused. He did not show it. Starlight hadn't even cast him a glance as he walked away, too interested in the growing figures. She made her way towards them herself, braided tail swinging heavily behind her.
Slowly, slowly...the figures became bigger. They were definitely ponies. Six of them, to be exact. All wildly different colors…
Soon enough they were standing face to face, Starlight eyeing them with great interest. They were all much more...vibrant. Kenomare, with selective breeding, had dulled down their coats to blend in with nature. If anything, all that was left were soft pastels. Anything this bright was awe-inspiring.
"...Welcome to the garden!" She breathed, baffled by what seemed to be an alicorn in the midst of them. They smiled back in greeting, and the alicorn stood forth.
"Hello! We were called here by a map to help you!" She spoke, grinning with anticipation. She hardly seemed to be looking at Starlight, eyes fixated on the town behind her. Starlight blinked, heart beginning to race.
"What map? We're not on any map, silly." She chuckled, trying not to sound nervous as she glanced back at the civilians, who seemed to be none the wiser to the foreigners.
Twilight shrugged. "Magic, I suppose." She blinked, flicking her gaze to the odd lack of mark on Starlight's flank - yet she said nothing. It still uneased her, and her friends behind her took note of the oddity.
"Well," Starlight turned, tilting her head towards Kenomare, "You're welcome in our town nonetheless. Come, come. We have festivities!"
Twilight was silently puzzled at her eager nervousness, glancing towards Pinkie who squinted at the mare. Brushing the awkward encounter off, they followed the unicorn.
Starlight made way into the large building in the centre of town, thr same building she'd been that morning - all the ponies still getting the fillies and colts ready staring at the newcomers in barely recognizable disgust. Fluttershy winced at the attention, Rainbow only puffing her chest pridefully, none of the six realizing that the object of interest was not them, but their cutie marks.
Starlight stood on the podium and realized that there was no need to call any attention to herself - everypony was already greatly disturbed by the prospect of full grown mares still harbouring their cutie marks. They were like diseases. Pleased, she began.
"Alright everypony! We have a very special group of mares here from the outside world! We will welcome them with open hooves until further notice." She shuffled her hooves, tilting her head towards the half unnerved, half excited group of ponies.They have noticed, Starlight thought distastefully, our flanks.
She continued. "They will be included in our festivities today. Please, behave yourselves." Her optimistic tone gave way to a cheer. Starlight trusted that word of mares with cutie marks, especially an alicorn no less, would spread fast enough that she wouldn't have to make the announcement to them twice.
The ponies huddled, most heading for Rarity and Fluttershy - most likely that they were most muted color-wise, leaving the rest of the bunch with only a few crowding them. Starlight assumed they would be dressing them appropriately. It was a tradition, afterall. And they would soon grow to know that traditions must be followed regardless of by whom.
They wouldn't be able to leave, anyway.
A considerable amount of time had passed by, the sun just about climbing up to its highest point, the lush greenery soaking up the light it offered, birds chirping under the shade of the sprouting oak trees. Starlight grinned genuinely - it'd been quite a while since that happened - pleased by the sight of the beautifully oriented bouquets and tables, a feast on the table wafting into the cool, light breeze. The nearby lake shimmered with crystal clarity, the reeds providing a soothing mist of lullabies. It was a perfect spring day.
The six newcomers trotted up to her in awe, a crowd of the civilians following as they returned to their usual routine, sitting in the field in an odd formation around a single large cherry wood chest, the newcomers staring blankly.
They were done up in the traditional fashion, mane braided and tied, flower crown resting on their heads. Applejack's hat was long gone, sadly replaced as it sat back in the town hall. Rarity seemed enthralled with the attire, especially the lacy white shawl on her back. Starlight eyed them interestedly. "You would make for very nice citizens here."
"Oh, no," Twilight scoffed, chuckling awkwardly. "We wouldn't want to intrude!"
"You wouldn't be," Starlight cocked a brow, smiling. "You'd fit right in. And I'd find you and your friends would like it here. Say…" Double Diamond passed by, giving Starlight her shawl of which she'd been avoiding most of the day to work without needing to readjust. "I haven't even introduced myself. Excuse the informalities, I've just been busy. I'm Starlight Glimmer, head of Kenomare - Village of the garden."
Twilight tugged Rainbow down by her tail, who was flying and frankly quite bored with this calm hippie vibe. No one else was flying, and it made her stick out like a sore thumb. Twilight awkwardly grinned. "I'm Twilight Sparkle. This is Rainbow - Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and--"
"Pinkie." The mare finished for Twilight. She seemed awfully angry, though suppressed it. Her tone was bleak. Starlight chuckled nonetheless.
"What an interesting bunch." She stretched a hoof out, gesturing towards the crowd sitting neatly, sensibly. "Why don't you sit over there? And oh," Starlight tucked Fluttershy's wings in, "I suggest you neither fly or use magic around here. It's forbidden."
Twilight wanted to gasp, to ask why - but decided it was only their culture, and if they wanted to be respectful, they would listen. So they did.
They sat in the same pattern as all the rest did, wings tucked and shawls neatly spread on their backs. Applejack lowered her head, casting Twilight a worried glance. The princess only offered a sympathetic glance in return.
Starlight waited for all the ponies to settle, which happened rather quickly for an entire group of roughly a few hundred. She turned, making some sort of signal - a little filly catching sight of it and jumping out it her hiding spot, trotting up to Starlight, fear in her eyes. Sugar Lily.
Starlight urged her on as they both made their way into the middle of the crowd, standing tall. "Great thanks to Mystic Haze above. She has offered a great escape and signs for us all." She gestured towards the cowering filly, still making a sad attempt in hiding her flank. On it, she brandished a light pink lily, which matched beautifully with her light cream coat and pale pink mane. Starlight continued.
"Sugar Lily has shown her sign of maturity. She is now old enough to be provided a job, a husband, and training to become a mother. However...we must deal with the obvious first."
Twilight seemed stunned, and all her friends as well. "A husband! A mother..?" Fluttershy repeated in a hushed whisper. "She's only a filly!"
"We can't intrude on their traditions - we have no idea how long they've been doing this, and they all see okay with it...surely it isn't bad?" Twilight also seemed a tad uncomfortable with the topic, but really wished not to ruin their ideologies by forcing her customs onto them.
Sugar Lily straightened up her back. "I pledge adherence to Kenomare and those who lead it…" she seemed a bit hesitant, but continued once Starlight nodded to her encouragingly. She cleared her throat. "And promise to uphold law."
The crowd cheered happily, Sugar Lily's direct family waving out to her. Starlight purred. "Wonderful! Now, as a sign of your maturity...we must.." Starlight strained, heaving open the chest's top. The civilians watched intently, glaring directly at her horn. And as if it couldn't get any stranger, Starlight's horn lit up a soft turquoise blue, lifting a wooden staff.
"Give thanks to Mystic Haze." She hummed, mostly directed towards the filly, but everypony seemed to begin prayer. It greatly unnerved the six as they watched, and before they knew it…
Sugar Lily was held up by a glow, she shrieked and strained in pain as it slowly extracted her cutie mark, as though skinning her alive. It might as well have been, given the sheer screams she emitted. No one seemed bothered. They seemed excited, in fact.
The filly sobbed, all her magic, strength, ponyhood taken away from her in one hard tug. And by the time Starlight was done...a loud cheer bursted out from the crowd, the filly lying unconscious on the ground. Maybe half-dead.
The six were horrified. Scarred. They were celebrating her...her torture!
That was all Twilight could think. This unicorn..one who has no training in magic no less, could do this to a filly and she didn't even seem phased by it. No one did.
It was horrifying.
Twilight only realized right then, that Starlight was looking right at her.
The ceremony carried on.
Sugar Lily was accompanied by her family. They didn't seem concerned, only caring as they fed her and helped her onto her feet.
Through it all, Twilight could only think of three things. One - how could a unicorn whose never studied magic nor uses it on a daily basis use it so effortlessly? Two - why was everyone here bare-flanked? Perhaps this ceremony had answered that - but even Starlight herself bore no special talent. It was...frightening, to say the least, that these ponies genetically still had cutie marks and yet still they had them taken away in a humiliating display. Three - Why? Why no cutie marks? Or magic, or flying? Why this ceremony?
It all frankly unnerved the six, especially when Starlight waved them over from across the fields, closer to town. Rarity winced. "Mmh, perhaps we don't follow her alone, away from the big crowd..?"
Rainbow shivered. "I'm with Rarity on this one. That pony's weird."
Twilight huffed. "Isn't it safer if we go together? It's six against one." She fiddled stressfully with a strand of her hair that fell out of the headdress.
The six came to a consensus; deciding to follow Starlight. Once they'd reached her, Twilight stood on guard, ready to spring with a spell at any moment. But Starlight didn't seem angered or on edge at all, she just stared out into the field with a smile on her features.
"I'm glad you stumbled upon us on the day of our festival. It's a coincidence, but a welcome one." Starlight turned to the town, trotting deeper in. Frankly confused, the six followed in. Eventually, they'd reached town hall - but when they entered, Starlight had led them deeper in and opened a door previously thought to be locked, or even unseen as it blended into the walls seamlessly.
The room was tight-nit. Only two chairs, rusted and old, sat in front of an equally well-used desk, paintings mounted on the wall of majestic alicorns Twilight had never seen. They were bare-flanked, and even throughout the cluster of blank flank alicorns stood the tallest one, completely pure white with three eyes. This was...new.
By the time their eyes had searched through the room, Starlight was waiting in the seat behind the desk. She looked as friendly as ever. "That's Mystic Haze. Our savior, I suppose. She is to us as Celestia is to you." Starlight explained.
"You know Princess Celestia?" Rainbow blinked, surprised. "You've been to Equestria?"
Starlight nodded. "Of course! I founded this garden as an escape for all those felt abused by the system. Everyone is completely equal here." The pale purple unicorn toyed with a stone carving of the three eyed alicorn weeping. "We all know of Equestria - all those who are older than a few hundred moons old, at least. This village casts a magical barrier that keeps our life spans much longer than an average pony. This of course means that anypony old enough to have known Equestria first hoof will…" she paused, searching for the right words. "...deteriorate. and as for newcomers.." Starlight chuckled.
Pinkie only squinted further, a discontent scowl on her face. "What about them?"
"Well," Starlight blinked innocently, "their magical abilities slowly dissipate."
The six stared at the unicorn trying to take the situation all in. On one hoof, they were sent here by the map - and leaving would be failing their mission. On the other hoof, this place had some spooky undertones and they had to fix whatever the problem was here...without magic.
"Surely you've been sensing it? None of you have been flying to high off the ground, and by this point even the most skilled alicorn can only do a spell or two." She chuckled. "But not to worry! Magic here is only a burdon. It only upsets those without it."
They all seemed silent, casting glances at one another before Fluttershy stepped forward. "I think what you're trying to achieve is certainly a kind gesture, miss Glimmer...but - wouldn't dulling down somepony else's special talents only make them...less...great?"
"Oh Shutterfly dear, greatness is not great if others feel worthless for it. " Starlight waved the pegasus off. "How do you think those without the potential feel? They must be feeling so unimportant and frustrated that no matter what they try, they'll never live up to a great pony's standards." Fluttershy winced.
"I...I suppose that's fair." She mumbled. "And...it's, uhm, Fluttershy." She corrected the unicorn. Starlight blinked.
"Is it? Forgive me."
Twilight had enough of this. She stood forth, wings expanding. "Starlight, surely you don't think this is fair!"
Starlight looked bored, unintimidated. "Tell me, Twilight - did your own Princess Luna not turn on her own sister and kingdom when she felt as though she were not treated equally?"
Twilight's throat went dry. "Yes, but--"
"And who's fault was that?" She purred, pleased that she'd backed the alicorn into a corner. "Nopony's. It was because she was not equal that she turned. You can't have a nightmare if you never dream."
Twilight thought of this extensively as they exited, leaving Starlight behind in the office, slowly returning to festival grounds.
Rarity spoke up. "Perhaps she's right, darling. These ponies seem happy, do they not?"
Rainbow, who was trotting beside them for her difficulty in starting flight, which was a strange feeling to say the least, scoffed. "Are you kidding me? You got bees in your brain? Everypony has a place in society!"
Fluttershy sighed. "You're only saying that because you can't fly anymore. Starlight has a point! There can't be evil if everypony feels safe and included."
"You're only saying that because they've been kinder to ponies with duller coats!" Applejack hissed.
"Duller!" Rarity repeated, eyes wide. "Applejack darling, Fluttershy and I are certainly not dull! How rude of you."
"So you've noticed they've been kinder to you!" Applejack retorted.
Pinkie rolled her eyes, screeching out. "Stop fighting! Can't you see this is what they want?"
The group stared at the pink mare."...Want what, Pinkie?" Twilight mumbled, barely audible on its own but the silence throughout them made her voice loud and clear. Pinkie stood on edge, looking around before leaning in.
"To prove ponies with cutie marks argue regularly! They want to establish a propaganda that equality is good! None of the bare-flanked ponies are arguing, but we are!" She explained, distress in her quiet voice. Fluttershy curled her lip, irritated.
"Maybe that just proves their point further." She hissed quietly, and the argument would have gone on endlessly if it weren't for a completely white stallion trotting up to them.
"We were looking for you lot!" He grinned widely. "We were just about to start the welcoming dance. Gee, this festival is like...three pent up into one! Sugar Lily's unmarking, your welcome, and the spring ceremony! Isn't that great?"
"Absolutely marvelous!" Rarity chimed in. "We would love to have a look around."
Double Diamond's grin grew wider, but only seemed just that bit more like a grimace; like a snake waiting for its prey in the grass.
They followed into the field, each swept up by a group of dancers, a large swarm of ponies happily prancing about. Even Sugar Lily seemed to be having a grand time, but nopony but her family really wanted to be near her. Twilight frowned.
"Why's Sugar Lily all alone?" Twilight mused to Double Diamond, who stuck to her side and was ogling wings, horn, and cutie mark. Twilight seemed not to mind - it was clearly a rare sight to see a mare this old with a cutie mark for this bunch.
The stallion shook out of his interest. "Well, the filly still has a little bit of magic left over from her mark. It's uncontrollable for a while, at least until the natural law of this garden to eat it out of her." He explained. Twilight blinked.
"Why uncontrollable? She's a unicorn afterall. Unicorns can control magic fairly well, right?"
"Well," He cleared his throat, "I understand it's a little different from where you're from, but here - we are not taught flight or magic to assure nopony uses it, even when out of sight." He returned to prancing about, too caught up in the oncoming swath of mares twirling in the grass and inviting him over. Twilight worried greatly.
The day seemed like it went on forever. For years, maybe. It went from endless dancing to endless feasting to endless chatter and prayer, all completely alien to the newcomers. Rarity and Fluttershy seemed to have an open mind and enjoy it, but as for the rest...they just wanted to escape.
The stars had started to wink in, the moon slowly overtaking the sun. The sky was a gorgeous hue of scarlets and magentas. But they could not stop to admire it, as the village was packing up large wagons decorated with a lovely assortment of flowers. Rarity helped, doing what best she could without use of her magic. Fluttershy sat atop the wagon, giggling. She was clearly enjoying the day.
As Rarity hung a bouquet of petunias on one wagon, a bundle of jasmine on another. This seemed to catch a lot of attention from the surrounding ponies, but Rarity continued. A mare, pale blue with a cream mane stood forwards. "Rarity, don't you think you should decorate all the wagons the same?" She chuckled awkwardly.
Rarity folded her ears back, a confused look gracing her features. "Whatever do you mean, darling? The composition is fully taken account of!"
The mare leaned her head down in embarrassment, a poorly hidden frown on her face. "Well," she started nervously. "The ponies in the wagons might want to see lilies or roses or poppies...and one wagon shouldn't be hogging the flowers from the others."
Rarity flicked her tail with a snort. "Please darling, they'll all look wonderful in the end!" She squinted, inspecting the uncomfortable pony's expression before exhaling with a bout of pity. "Well...I suppose I can fix it. Apologies."
With a quick repositioning of the flowers so they all looked the same, the ponies were ushered into each carriage, even Starlight and the newcomers. Even the fillies. Nopony was left behind.
The wagons began to creak as they moved, the randomly selected wagon carriers pulling the carriage through the fields. Rarity seemed disappointed at the change to keep each carriage completely unoriginal, Fluttershy comforting her. Twilight's attention was completely stolen away by the open back, watching the ground they crossed as they moved. There must have been a hundred or so carriages to accommodate all the ponies, at least a dozen in each wagon.
The altitude began to shift, Twilight noted, and soon enough she could recognize they were going up a steep mountain. The wagons shook violently against the stones beneath them, but they had stopped almost halfway up the mountain.
The wagon screeched to a halt, everypony exiting. The six followed, Fluttershy quite excited. Once each pony exited, everypony waited for the rest of exit as well. But in the meantime…
A large, gorgeously designed colosseum stood tall and proud inside the mountain side. It reminded Rainbow of her home land - cloudsdale had plenty of this architecture, but it wasn't common you'd see it on the ground. Starlight lined up all the ponies, Double Diamond by her side with a box. It didn't have a particular shape.
One by one, they entered the colossal building, and by instinct, Twilight and her friends followed.
It was bigger on the inside.
Of course it was. It was built into the side of a mountain. But it didn't show - not really. It was nicely decorated, flames of ancient times burning out, reminding Twilight of the stone holds of the vestal flame of ancient times, though they seemed to serve no purpose other than illuminating the place.
Starlight was far ahead, the only sound was of the echoing of the crowd's footsteps, and they only seemed to push the newcomers forwards. Starlight stood front and centre, turned to the crowd as she eyed the lavender alicorn and the five huddled around her.
The crowd nosed them forwards. This certainly didn't look good.
A screen. Large and glowing behind Starlight. Intricate designs coating it, the same cherry wood chest from earlier in front of it. Starlight cleared her throat, directing their attention back to her.
"I'm sure you're impressed? These are their cutie marks. They are welcome here at any time to recall their horrid times outside of Kenomare." Starlight waved a hoof towards the vault. Twilight winced.
Double Diamond stepped up with the box, handing it over to Starlight who opened it. A jar was inside it.
The jar was small, for sure - beautifully shaped, as all things were here...but it contained a small pink lily in it. Once Starlight screwed the jar open, the lily burst out and hovered into an empty spot in the screen, becoming nothing more but a carving. Twilight watched, shock on her face.
Starlight heaved open the chest once again, levitating the staff with a turquoise glow of her horn. "This is a gift from Mystic Haze herself. Our goddess gifted it to us many moons ago through ritualistic prayer...oh, that day was so happy. We used it to erase our cutie marks, to achieve purity. Since then nopony's ever been sad."
"But.." Starlight added, fiddling with the curved staff, "I've heard that you ponies have been going around making others feel incompetant with your skills."
Rarity stiffened up. "We did not mean to!" She blurted. Starlight cocked a brow.
"Of course you didn't." She raised the staff. "But, I'd like to keep it all fair here. Ponies like you would destroy our entire system. And considering you can't exactly leave…" the staff began to glow, hovering the six - much to their anxiety as they flailed in the air with desperation.
"We'd like to have you join our paradise."