Cold and angry.
Those were the two things Starlight felt as she stood face-to-face to her brand new enemies: her old followers, who recently regained their cutie marks that were rightfully taken away from them, and Twilight Sparkle, along with her friends.
Twilight! Starlight spat the name in her mind. Her perfect utopia, the one that took years to construct, had been demolished all because of her. Even though she should blame Fluttershy and Party Favor, the ponies that actually led to her exposure, she highly doubted that the two of them would come up with this "brilliant" plan to expose her. Especially considering that Party Favor was not exactly the brightest member of the group.
No. She knew exactly who came up with the plan, and she's standing right in front of her. The princess was lecturing her about how "she wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her friends" and all that other stuff. But the words went to deaf ears.
Does she really expect me to listen to her after what she just did to my town? Starlight thought in both anger and disbelief. Not even an hour had passed since her town's destruction, and she was being practicality scolded!
"...and I certainly wouldn't be here to stop you now!" Twilight finally finished. Starlight fought the urge to just blast the alicorn in the face with a powerful beam. But even in the midst of rage, she knew that it would make the situation worse for her than it already did. So all she could do was roll her eyes.
"Spare me your sentimental nonsense!" Starlight managed to spit out the words. She could hear faint gasps from Twilight's friends, but she ignored it. What did they expect? Were they really expecting her to consent that quickly?
"I gave these ponies real friendships they never could have otherwise!" Starlight finished as she raised her hoof as a gesture.
"How do you know about that?" Starlight stared at the new voice that spoke up. Double Diamond, who used to be Starlight's loyal follower, took off his ski helmet and whipped his head to face Starlight from afar. "You never even gave us a chance!"
Starlight's eyes narrowed in rage as her anger continued to boil. She wanted to make a cold threat towards the earth pony, but she was too angry to even say any more words.
With only one option in her hoof, Starlight shut her eyes tight, and her horn glowed brighter than usual. Then once the spell was complete, she teleported herself inside the tunnels and ran as fast as she could. It didn't help that she left snowy hoofprints on the ground, and they could probably hear her loud galloping.
"She's getting away!" Starlight recognized the voice of the blue pegasus that was part of Twilight's group. Although for some reason she couldn't remember her name. But then again, did she care?
"We'll never find her in there!" She heard Double Diamond's reply to the pegasus.
At least he was right about one thing: they weren't going to find her in this tunnel, and she wasn't going to let them.
After running for at least three minutes, she finally stopped to catch her breath. She lit her horn dimly when she found herself surrounded by complete darkness. While taking a rest stop, she strained her ears to hear any upcoming hoofsteps. Thankfully, after minutes of listening, she didn't hear any.
For once they did something smart. Starlight thought in strange relief as she continued panting. She needed time to process what just happened to her village, and she wasn't going to do that if they were there. Plus, if they had followed her, then she would most likely try to attack them. They were lucky that she left them unscathed.
Starlight decided to walk this time. She assumed that the others left to probably "celebrate" her defeat in her own town. That sentence alone made her blood boil.
They were happy under my rule... so why did they suddenly want change? She thought, but then she found what her answer was, and it was attached to her own body. Oh, right. They found out about my secret.
Starlight looked at her uncovered cutie mark in distain. This was the one thing that destroyed her entire utopia, the one thing that led her to exile... and was it her fault?
Oh, don't kid yourself, Starlight. You're the only one who is innocent in this case. The others only came to destroy you. Of course they are the bad guys in this story! she told herself sternly. They destroyed your entire life. You could've lived in many years on tranquility. But instead, you were thrown out like trash. All because of them.
Starlight felt a headache run through her head. She didn't need to guess why. Doing two powerful spells in a row does drain the unicorn sometimes. She had gotten used to it by now, but this time was different.
She decided to stop and rest her head, and think of what to do next. She wasn't going to live in these tunnels forever. She needed a plan before she ventured in the outside world, which had probably deemed her a criminal by now.
She ventured a small area in the cave until she found a spot that was suitable. She didn't care about being comfortable. She only wanted to rest.
She laid her body on the cold, unforgiving ground. She was a little wary about deactivating her magic, which was her only light source. She was mostly worried about a creature coming to eat her; she wasn't the only one in this cave after all.
But her magic wasn't making her headache any better.
Whatever. Her horn stopped glowing, and as time passed, she slowly closed her eyes to the darkness that surrounded her. Both outside and inside.
Starlight slowly blinked her eyes as she rose from the ground. At first, she was a little startled that she was surrounded by the dark cave walls, but then she remembered that she wasn't in her house anymore. Instead, she got the downgrade. But she couldn't complain.
Now she had a new problem. Her stomach felt hollow and she started to get thirsty. She hadn't eaten and drank since yesterday morning. She had to find food and water if she were to continue her journey in the tunnels. Water may not be a problem, since this cave probably has a hidden cavern inside. Food however...
Since it's impossible to find food in these tunnels, I have to find my way out of here. Starlight concluded. But where should she go? She hadn't been in the tunnels in years, so she had no idea which way is out. But the longer she stood, the more her hunger increased.
Using her horn as a light again, Starlight trodded ahead of the cave. She also looked around for available water sources. So far, she found none. As she continued onward, food and water was not the only thing Starlight had in mind.
What do I do next? Starlight began to think. There's no use to reclaiming the town anymore. Twilight and her friends already infested it with their morals. I doubt that they will listen to me again. Once again, she was hit with another painful reminder that all of her hard work over the years had been completely wasted. All because of strangers that they met for two days.
If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be in this mess. She thought resentfully. Although she had to admit that she had to put herself in a little part of the blame. I've let my enemies win! I shouldn't have ran away like a coward. I should've teleported Twilight somewhere for a duel. She would be no match against my hatred towards her.
She quickly stopped herself. Her anger was starting to make her think irrational thoughts. No. That's stupid. It wouldn't change anything. But she still regretted giving Twilight the win that she didn't deserve. Next time we meet, I won't be defeated that easily. she vowed.
Starlight took in deep breathes as an attempt to calm herself down. She still had a headache, but not as bad as yesterday. However, that, combined with Starlight's anger, did make the unicorn feel a little drained. She had to find food and water as quickly as possible. Maybe that will help her regain her energy back. Then once that was done, then she could make out a revenge plan. Resources now, revenge later.
Hours had passed, and Starlight felt her hooves starting to sore as she continued walking. The cave seemed to be endless, and so was her desperation of water and food. She tried multiple paths, and none of them led the way out. She considered turning around and exit from the same opening that led her inside in the first place. But the cold from the mountains would weaken her even more, and could possibly kill her.
She felt exhausted, and before she could even stop herself, her legs gave away and she flopped onto the ground. The light in her horn started to get dimmer and dimmer. She couldn't even force herself to get up.
Come on! You can't get revenge on Twilight unless you get up! She scolded herself, but not even that was enough. She started to feel dizzy, and her headache started to get worse.
Then a horrible question formed in her mind. Am I... dying?
No, I can't. Not like this. Starlight didn't expect that this would be the end of her life. Out of all the ways to expire, she would've preferred it to be in a nice, cozy home. Surrounded by... friends and... tranquility. But she had neither of those things.
I'm going to die an angry... dehydrated... mare. She thought wistfully. She thought about closing her eyes so she could get some... much deserved rest.
And so she did.
...
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Starlight's ears perked up by the sound.
Drip.
Starlight's head slowly lifted as she blinked open her eyes slowly. Can it be...?
Drip.
Sounds like water! For the first time since her exile, Starlight finally felt joy and relief as she heard the sound of water dripping from above. Once again, her horn illuminated and she looked around the area, searching for the source.
After desperately looking around, she finally saw water drip from one of the cave's many stalactites. She didn't even care if it was a droplet. She finally found a water source!
However, when she tried to go underneath the dripping stalactite, she felt the ground give away underneath her hoof. Too late, she fell through a hole and she tumbled to the ground. The rocky surfaces didn't help to slow down her fall, but instead it stabbed her body a few times until she finally crashed to the ground.
Feeling a brand new pain enter her body, Starlight didn't even know if she even wanted to get up. Her hoof started to hurt more than usual, and she had to process the fact that the only water source she had found had been taken away from her as quickly as she found it!
"Well! I guess this is it! I guess I am just destined to suffer alone in the... dark..." Starlight's words faltered when she noticed light illuminating one of the walls. Alarmed, she quickly rose to her feet. When she did, she encountered a giant area that had crystals all around, and it contained the one thing that Starlight was so desperate to find.
"Water!" Despite feeling tired and with her one hoof injured, Starlight carefully ran down one of the rocky slopes and once she arrived, she quickly drank mouthfuls of water. She never felt so alive in her life, especially considering the fact that she assumed that she was so close to losing her own life.
Thank Celestia that I found this part of the cave! Starlight thanked in pure relief as she drank her 18th mouthful. Once she felt full, she wiped her mouth with her injured hoof and she looked at the opening of the cave in a curious manner.
She limped her way to peek outside. She was now surrounded by a lush forest. She heard the birds singing and the frogs croak in the quiet background. It didn't take Starlight long to notice that there was an apple tree right in front of her.
Food! With her magic, she plucked the apples from the tree and she quickly devoured the fruits in one bite. Of course, she was careful about the seeds.
She had no idea how lucky she was, and she would never know. But she didn't care. When she was so close to being wasted, she finally found the resources that she needed, and she wasn't going to question anything about it.
Is is too good to be true? Am I in heaven? Starlight looked at her sides, expecting to see white wings form around her body. Of course, she found none. Nevermind. I'm still alive and well.
After filling herself up with apples, Starlight headed back to the cave. After hours of starving and being parched, she figured that it would be a good idea to get some rest. This time, she tried to find a comfortable spot to sleep. Thankfully, the cave generated a natural rock that was smooth enough to lay on comfortably.
She looked around the cave. She didn't want to leave a beautiful sight, but she had a job to do.
Now that I'm full and hydrated, I have to think about how exactly do I get back at Twilight? Kidnapping? No. Murder? Of course not! I may be angry, but I'm not angry enough to resort to killing!
Starlight sighed deeply as she rested her head in-between her hooves that were laid out in front of her. This is going to take some time...
Soon she came to the conclusion that this was probably not the best time to think about a revenge plan. With her tiredness finally caving in, she closed her eyes and slept comfortably, and a bit confident about the future.
Tomorrow, she would exit the cave, and work on a plan to defeat Twilight in revenge. How exactly would she do it? She had no idea.
But all I know is that I will not let her actions go without punishment. Starlight vowed as she started to close her eyes and drift off to sleep, awaiting for the next day to begin.
Sleep well for now, Twilight Sparkle.
