One Moment

A few years had flown by since Sunburst left for Canterlot, and Starlight got her cutie mark. Starlight had now gotten older, with her legs being longer than they were, and she got rid of the pigtail hairstyle that she had. Now her mane was starting to go down her neck, while her bangs remained the same.

And her style has changed too. Her room was no longer filled with butterfly posters, and her kites were nowhere in sight. But instead was replaced with skulls, edgy posters, and maybe a few purple crystals were scattered around her room.

Starlight sat on her bed with a book in her aura. She had been studying magic for quite a while ever since she got her cutie mark. Despite hating it, she understood what it meant: magic.

Ever since that day, Starlight had been excelling at her magic studies. She soon became one of the talented ponies in her class, and when she gotten older, she transferred to another school. But even there, she became popular the moment she went to her first class, much to her confusement.

Her classmates even wanted her to sign their papers, as if she were a celebrity. But most of them wanted to hang out with her, and wanted to be her "friend". But Starlight quickly shunned the ponies, and friendship in general. After the ordeal with Sunburst, she refused to make more friends. She got hurt once by friendship, she would not let it hurt her again.

And besides, Starlight could tell that they don't want to be her actual friend. She could tell that they only want to be around her so they could be popular, and be the star of the school. Hanging out with Starlight Glimmer herself would be a hot topic.

Give me a break. She rolled her eyes. She did not enjoy being used like that. In fact, how can anyone enjoy that?

And while being in her moody stage, her father has not made things any better. He would constantly call her corny nicknames, which is not surprising. She keeps giving her a blanket, and for his idea to make her "comfortable", he keeps tying it around her head, making her look like a baby. He would offer her cookies and milk whenever she was sad. But Starlight just kept glaring at him whenever he does this, hoping to signal him that she dislikes everything that he is doing, but continues to do it anyway.

Not even my own father knows me anymore. Starlight thought bitterly, but had sadness tainted in it.

She got out of bed, and brushed her mane. She headed to the kitchen to get something to eat. She grabbed an apple with her magic and bit off of it, relishing the juicy taste.

"Starlight!" Firelight exclaimed when he saw his daughter. "You never come out of your room unless you have class!"

"Oh, finally!" Starlight rolled her purple eyes. "You actually called me by my actual name and not those stupid cheesy nicknames that you give me every day."

Firelight chuckled. "Oh, Starlight, even though it may seem cheesy, I make them out of love."

"Whatever." she turned away from her father and kept eating the apple.

Firelight stood there awkwardly, until he noticed Starlight's ears.

"Starlight!" Firelight exclaimed. She rushed over and grabbed one of ears with his aura, making Starlight drop her apple. "Your ears have black tips!"

Starlight pushed him away with an annoyed look. "Calm down, Dad! Its just paint. Its not like I put piercings in them or anything."

"But what if the paint hardens?" Firelight looked aghast at the thought.

Starlight facehoofed. "Dad, it dries easily." she said slowly.

"How do you know that for sure?"

Starlight groaned. "You're so unbearable!"

"But sugar-bun." Firelight quickly hugged his daughter, which made Starlight even angrier. "You're going to be an adult in a few years, and I just want you to feel loved and appreciated while you can. Not to mention be a guide to you. You desperately needed one since your best friend left."

Starlight felt her patience snap.

"A guide?" Starlight shoved him away hard, which made Firelight lose his footing. She faced her father while her horn was glowing threateningly. "Here's a guide to you: learn to stop calling me names, stop treating me like I'm a little foal, and most importantly, STOP REMINDING ME OF SUNBURST WHEN HE LEFT ME WITH A BROKEN HEART!"

Firelight raised his hooves to calm her down. "Starlight! Starlight! Sweetie!" he stammered while sweat was starting to run down his face, clearly uncomfortable being scolded down by his own daughter. "I-I-I-I just don't understand how Sunburst could lead you down a path like this. After all, he is only a colt after all."

Starlight took deep breathes, trying her hardest to calm herself down. She is so close to practically injuring her father that even the tiniest wrong thing he says could possibly trigger an attack that she has stored in her horn.

"He's more than that." Starlight told him as calmly as possible. "And I don't expect you to understand."

"Starlight, I do understand." Firelight rose to his hooves when Starlight kept wiping the tears from her eyes.

Starlight opened her eyes and stared at her father with pure anger. "Well, you have a weird way of showing it!"

Before Firelight could respond, Starlight's horn glowed and instantly teleported away.

When he stared down at the spot Starlight was just moments ago, Firelight kept facehoofing his forehead until he felt he was starting to get a headache.

Starlight teleported on the hills that looked over the town of Sires Hollow. She had been to this spot many times. It was where she would calm down, and recollect her thoughts. Away from the town, and away from her father.

Starlight continued to wipe tears from her eyes, now beginning to get angry at herself.

Stop crying like a baby, damn you! Starlight scolded herself. But it was pointless.

Starlight laid on the wet ground and stared at the blue sky. It was starting to turn orange. Celestia is about to lower the sun, and raise the moon.

She wiped a few tears away, and noticed her cutie mark that was on her flank.

Starlight's ears lowered and hate instantly showed in her eyes.

"Its your fault that I'm broken! You ruined my life!" she snarled at her own flank.

It made no response.

Starlight sighed in defeat. She was making herself look stupid.

She looked back up at the sky, going through her thoughts. "You know, I wish there was a village where no one had cutie marks. That could be my forever home so I can no longer be reminded of your existence and how much you ruined my life."

But she knew that it was a dumb wish. A village with no cutie marks sounded extremely stupid, and not to mention unrealistic.

...

Or is it?

Starlight lit up her horn and teleported a book to herself that was labeled Spells and Tricks Exclusive at Sires Hollow.

Remembering a distant memory, she opened the book and scrolled through the pages until she found the spell that she had learned at her old school.

The Unmarking. Starlight found the spell in the book. Made by Feverfew himself.

Starlight stared down at Sires Hollow, and looked at the mountains and hills that were in the distance.

She now had an evil smirk on her face, and gazed down at the book.

"Mrs. Willow said to not use it for evil." Starlight said, remembering her old teachers words. "But she can't boss me around anymore, and besides, I'm not using it for harm, anyways."

She formed a plan in her mind, and her goal was set. She was going to build a village, far away from this town, and far from Firelight's eyes. Where cutie marks are nothing but burdens, and that it leads to misery, and sadness.

But would it work? Starlight now got to thinking. She had to be realistic about this plan. Would anypony really agree with her philosophy? A successful village needs to have a lot of residents after all.

But Starlight looked in the distance, and nodded with determination.

I will make it work.