Starlight Glimmer's excellent plan

Starlight was ambushing. She was sitting inside a cloud and watching one particular spot on the road surface with an evil grin. Any second now...

There. The time portal appeared, and out of it plummeted two familiar figures. Starlight grinned even wider. Her horn was lit.

The pony flew, before she would hit the road, catching the dragon in her magical grasp, then alighted. She seemed happy. That wasn't right...

"All we have to do now is to find Starlight and..." -- she said, but no sooner did she, than Starlight shot a beam at the two.

Bam! They were trapped inside a crystal and couldn't move. Yes!..

Starlight levitated herself closer:

"Well, finding her will be easy! -- she gloated. -- But stopping her is gonna be harder, than you think".

The duo didn't reply. They couldn't. The trap was this good.

Well... it had a weakness against powerful punches, but nothing could punch them out of it. So Starlight was good.

She looked at their disoriented faces and laughed. What, had they thought they could have... she didn't know, prevented her from succeeding? Ha, ha, ha!

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I created that spell to send myself back in time. So, even when you cast it, I still get sent back here".

Oh, what a magnificent plan it was! Starlight shuddered a little in excitement, as she reminisced:

"It wasn't difficult to change Star Swirl's spell. He'd already done the hard part. But figuring out I could use the map to go to any time or place and pull you along with me?" Starlight chuckled. "I even impressed myself with that".

Although she wasn't very keen on monologuing, Starlight couldn't stop herself. It felt unimaginably good to have finally prevailed after waiting for so long. After working so hard. After carefully thinking every little detail through. She had succeeded, and she was bursting to rub that right in Twilight Sparkle's gullible face.

She sneered:

"I knew you'd try to stop me. You're so predictable. Why else would I leave the scroll behind? Touching it triggered the map to whisk you here and to watch me erase the one thing that linked you with your friends!"

OK, Starlight thought, that was even better, than withholding her victory rant, till Twilight despaired and gave up. Who knew, how many times it would take for her to realise it was hopeless to fight Starlight? She wouldn't wait till her victory to savour the moment, for victory was already as good as hers.

And Starlight started ranting:

"My village was a sanctuary of equality, where nopony's cutie mark allowed them to feel superior! It was a special place, and you and your friends took it away!"

Wait, where had they gone to?

Oh, wait, of course. Twilight had moved, and when Starlight had encased her, she had been above a cloud. So now their crystal prison was sitting atop of it, or rather it had phased through it.

Starlight levitated herself to below the cloud. Sure enough, they were there. The cloud was holding the crystal by its top, but its "grip" was slipping. Soon they would fall, and then...

Uh... Starlight didn't want to kill them. She hoped the crystal would cushion their fall, breaking in the process. In which case... Hm. It would be a lo-o-ong way up. So much time!

Alright!

Starlight remembered she was in the middle of a rant:

"Now it's my turn to take something special from you! Without the rainboom you and your friends will never form your special cutie mark bonds! Cutie marks for cutie marks! Sounds like a fair trade to me!"

Alright, now she was done. Besides, the crystal had almost fallen off.

She tapped it lightly. The cloud's grip slipped, and the crystal plummeted toward the ground. Starlight waved. Bye-bye! Then she levitated herself toward the bullies to implement her plan.

This time it was fool-proof! Without the bullies picking on that wimpy filly Rainbow wouldn't have to race them, and the situation would be defused. She would never fly fast and never pull off that sonic rainboom!

Starlight felt a villainous laugh coming. She was so amazing she could barely believe herself. So many possibilities to fail -- and she had foreseen all of them!

Starlight danced again, and then quickly proceeded toward the bullies to defuse the situation.

"Hello, -- Starlight started. -- What is going on here?"

The bullies upon hearing an adult coming stopped whatever mean things they were about to say and prepared to run.

"Kids, calm down, -- Starlight attempted. -- Were you having a disagreement?"

"Uh... No, Ms, it... it was nothing!" -- one bully replied.

"Yeah!" -- chimed in the second.

"Sure, -- Starlight agreed, -- but for a second there I thought this little filly was crying".

"Uh..."

"Kids, I used to be miserable too, until I discovered something: differences between ponies only lead to other ponies hurting others. Look at yourselves! Because this pony... Uh... What were you saying about her?"

"It was nothing, we swear!"

"Kids, I promise nobody gets in trouble, if you tell me".

Well, that seemed effective. One of the bullies reluctantly said:

"She was... a klutz..."

"Yeah, he even called her 'Klutzershy'... Ouch!"

"Shut it!"

"Gee, what's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with YOU?!"

"Kids! Listen! Because one pony is not very good at... flying straight, I presume... you decide to make fun of her? What did she do to deserve that? I'll tell you: she did nothing! You don't believe me? Look at your flanks. What do you see?"

The foals did as told, but, of course, being just little kids, they saw...

"Uh, nothing?" -- one bully answered in uncertainty.

Starlight resisted the urge to facehoof. Of course: no cutie marks yet. Embarrassing...

Wait...

"So wait a second... -- she began. -- You mean to tell me you have no cutie marks?"

"Well, nope. But we will one day!"

"Ah!.. One day some of you will fly, while some will cry, because they can't fly. Some of you will rhyme, and some of you won't. Well, not today! You know who you are without your marks?"

"Hey, Ms! What are you saying?!"

"Yeah! It isn't nice to tease... Oh, wait... O-o-oh! You get it?"

"Yeah... Uh... Fluttershy?.. Sorry..."

"Yeah, what he's said!"

"Kids! Do you understand now?"

"Yeah, we do, Ms".

"So. Who are you without your cutie marks?"

"Well, uh... I mean... We are..."

"Equal, -- Starlight finished for the bully. -- You are all equal. Same kids, no difference. Remember this! You have nothing to disagree about. Nothing to tease each other for, for you are all equal. Now be friends".

The bullies looked each at other. Enlightenment was on their faces.

"We see it... Now we truly get it!.."

Starlight smiled:

"And if you ever feel like saying mean things to ponies... just remember, how you'd feel, if someone said those things to you".

And that was the moment Twilight approached and interrupted them:

"What's going on here?"

"Oh, I was just reminding these two colts, how hurtful teasing can be".

"Well, don't!"

That earned surprised and confused looks upon the foals' faces.

"I mean... -- Twilight did a double take. -- You were?"

"Of course! -- Starlight replied innocently. -- In a world, where everypony is unique, some are bound to feel more special, than others. But that isn't a licence to be cruel, is it?"

The look on Twilight's face was priceless! She answered:

"No... Of course not".

"Oh, isn't it a shame we don't live in a world, where everypony is equal? No one would ever tease anyone there! Wouldn't that be nice?"

The foals all hummed, nodding in agreement.

Twilight protested, that being the same and not being teased were actually different things, but nopony listened. The reformed bullies went along with Fluttershy to help her to get better at flying, while Starlight stayed, smirking at Twilight cheekily.

The alicorn lunged at Starlight:

"I know you only convinced those bullies not to tease Fluttershy to stop the rainboom!"

"Oh, that's not true. I convinced them not to be bullies, because everypony should be equal. Stopping the rainboom is just a bonus".

Twilight scowled, preparing to answer, when suddenly a rainbow-coloured blur passed them.

"Look!" -- Spike shouted.

Twilight noticed, then turned to Starlight:

"This isn't over yet!" -- and with that she was off after Rainbow.

Starlight simply said:

"If you say so!" -- and stayed.

The race -- as well as the rainboom -- had been prevented. Twilight couldn't do anything. Was she about to convince the filly to do it of her own accord?..

...

Oh Starlight's gosh, she was not!..

Starlight watched the two nervously, thinking. Should she intervene? She readied her horn to shoot the filly again. Where was the time portal? Why wasn't it coming? Wasn't it time already?

Then Starlight saw the scene and relaxed. The filly didn't seem that convinced -- in fact, she seemed weirded out.

Starlight levitated herself toward the pair -- the trio, if she counted that useless dragon -- sure it was not going to work out between the two ponies.

And as she had predicted...

"No! Wait!"

...it had not.

"Gee, Twilight, what's the matter? Couldn't convince her to do the impossible? That's too bad", -- Starlight cooed.

Twilight was about to reply, when finally -- finally! -- the time portal appeared, sucking her and her dragon in. Perfect! Now Starlight only had to wait...

Surely this time she would despair. And if not... Well, Starlight was prepared to do it all again.

So she did it all again. This time it was different. For starters, Twilight was ready, surprising Starlight with deflecting her attack with a shield spell. After some verbal exchange the two ponies tried to shoot each other. And that was when Starlight realised Twilight's true potential. She was pretty powerful, so Starlight was glad she had not decided to incapacitate the princess back then to bring her to the past.

But all that was nothing. However unwise it had been, Starlight had really picked up a fight with an alicorn. The consequences would never be the same. Starlight understood that. But at least Rainbow Dash dropped whatever she was doing and watched their fight in awe, munching on some popcorn. So Starlight had inadvertently prevented the 'boom. Whoo, Starlight. A job well done. Have a pat on your withers!

After the fight ended, Starlight was exhausted. Fortunately, so was the alicorn. But Starlight still told herself never to give in to her own emotions again, because how she had not screwed that one up was a mystery everypony wanted solved, but which couldn't be solved anyway. Now all Starlight could hope for was Twilight being determined enough to redo everything, because Starlight shuddered to think, what the fight would have done to the timeline.

To her great relief, that was exactly what happened next. Rewind and do over.

This time it was different again. For starters, Twilight surprised Starlight with managing to freeze her in a crystal prison, and for a second there Starlight thought it was over. Without her being there to stop the rainboom... Well, that would be a failure, the biggest on her part...

Fortunately, the crystal was susceptible not only to powerful punches, but to powerful magical attacks as well. Although Starlight hadn't much believed it would have worked. So that had been a relief. After that incident she was very careful with Twilight... who kept coming back, by the way. To be honest, Starlight had not expected such determination on her part. Of course, if need were, Starlight would keep up the fight for all of eternity -- the rewinds allowed her that.

But the further they went... the less likely it seemed Twilight would give up.

And if determination was on Twilight's side... her desires for the world might override Starlight's.

That was concerning, but what could Starlight do? She had woven the spell and the plan herself, and now it was going all according to it. So why didn't she feel she was... winning?

There came another rewind. Twilight Sparkle was very determined! But not as determined, as Starlight! -- Starlight thought, trying to stay determined. All she had to do was to prevent the race.

Again.

That was becoming more tiresome, than Starlight had imagined. Her body wasn't tired -- it didn't tire -- but her mind... Her mind had lived a long time and needed rest: this task was becoming more and more gruelling with each rewind.

Darn it! -- Starlight thought.

There came Twilight.

"Up for another race-ending fight, Twilight?"

Of course she was. And of course she would come back after her failure again. Because she never gave up. But, hey! A façade is a façade, right?..

So Starlight was very surprised -- but very glad -- to hear Twilight say:

"No. You were right. I can't stop you".

Did it mean she was giving up? Then why had she come? What was her deal?

Starlight shot a magic beam at her, hoping against all hope to encase her in a crystal, and when that didn't work -- of course not, what was she thinking? -- Twilight continued:

"But you can't stop me from trying, and we could be stuck doing this for all eternity!"

How very interesting... So she finally got it!.. It was a battle of determination!

"If that's what it takes to keep you and your friends from getting your cutie mark connection, then I'm game!" -- was Starlight's response.

The battle would continue.

"What you're doing goes way beyond cutie marks!" Twilight found a moment to shape a cloud into a slide and demonstrated her words with it: "Everything we do here in the past — even the smallest change — can snowball into an avalanche of trouble for the future!"

A cloud-ball on her demonstration did exactly that. Starlight zapped it angrily. Of course she understood it. The time stream would be different. But that change would be worth it in the end. It wasn't as though the fate of Equestria itself had hung in the balance...

"It does!" -- Twilight protested.

"Spare me your overblown ego! No group of friends -- not even Princess Twilight's! -- is that important!"

As Rainbow was flying by, Starlight shot her, again preventing the rainboom. What that entailed for Equestria, Starlight couldn't have cared less. The important thing was, that she would win... even if her rival could undo it all just with a spell.

Hm... The spell... Starlight wondered, if she could... kinda, sorta... reach inside...

Ah, too late: the time portal appeared above. Good-bye, Twilight. See you really soon.

"I don't know, -- Twilight started, -- how important other ponies' friendships are to the future..." She looked at Starlight resolutely. "...but I can show you what the world is like without... mine!"

With those words said she surprised Starlight one last time.

She leapt at her and tackled her in a bear hug.

And the two of them were whisked away.

Wait, no: the three of them: Starlight, Twilight and her dragon Spike.