Starlight Glimmer paced in front of her Vault as her options dwindled with each passing second.
She could run. Lose them in the mountain tunnels… maybe. But who knows what kind of spells a princess might know. Tracking spells, summoning charms, or worse.
‘coward’
No. No running. She could... fight. She knew some basic combat spells… but against her whole town? And an alicorn? She didn’t like those chances.
‘not strong enough’
Fight or flee. Were those really her only options? There had to be something else. If only she were more powerful, hadn’t specialized her studies in such a narrow field of magic.
‘use them’
What else? Her Vault? Could she use the Cutie Marks as leverage? Maybe. But that’d only buy time.
‘use the marks’
Her eye caught a particular Cutie Mark that quivered in its stasis. A top hat stuffed with fireworks. Hat Trick’s. A general magic talent, with a specialty in light conjuration. A branch of magic she’d dismissed as frivolous... but a good flashbang really could help now. If only she could utilize it.
‘find a way’
A wild idea began to form. Could she use them? Was that even possible? No. It went against all common knowledge. Ponies could only have one Mark.
‘did it before’
…but common knowledge also said Marks couldn’t be removed. She’d proven that wrong.
‘precedent’
Yes. Cutie Pox. Its mere existence proved a pony could have multiple Marks. Not for long, not without side effects… but it was possible.
Starlight shook her head. The idea had merit, but there were still practical limitations. If she released it from containment, it’d fly right back to Hat Trick.
‘barrier’
Unless she cast the containment spell on herself. Turned her body into the canister so the Mark would have nowhere to go but to her.
It was a wild theory, groundbreaking if true, but she hardly had time to test it. The first thing they taught in magic school was to never cast anything untested on yourself.
‘try, or lose everything’
But what choice did she have? She could already hear the angry shouting in the distance. Feel the rumble of the stampede as her villagers came to take their pound of flesh. Hat Trick wasn’t anything special as a spellcaster, but she was. Any boost to her abilities would take her a step beyond her own limits.
It was… It went against everything her philosophy stood for. Taking on more Marks, making herself more special.
‘someone has to be. to guide the others’
But she trusted her intuition. That little whispering voice inside that nudged her down the right path any time her confidence wavered. The Equalist movement needed her to survive. It was her destiny to save Equestria before it fractured just like in that horrible vision she’d had years ago. She’d put their talents to use better than they ever did.
One spell cast the containment barrier on herself. A second formed a channel. A third turned the key and let a single Mark loose.
It sprang free, racing along the path she’d constructed like a train with one destination.
Her breath hitched as the foreign magic met hers, ricocheting within the barrier like a moth trapped in a lantern. A moment of taut resistance, then the Mark settled and Starlight’s world exploded.
The rush of magic as the Mark was forcibly integrated into her mana channels was indescribable. She became… more. Like she’d somehow expanded, downward and inward.
It made her want to… want to…
…shoot off a firework.
She repressed the urge. It was no time for celebration. Now she stood a better chance to…
‘more’
Another Mark caught her eye. A shield and sword. Palisade’s; the former royal guard. His talent for combat could come in clutch if magic failed.
‘take it’
If she could hold two, surely she could manage three.
The second was no less a rush than the first. A thrill of magic, power, knowledge. New strength, new ability. Becoming greater than herself again.
‘More’
What was four marks? Five? Any skill could be a trump card in the coming fight. She could handle it. She had to...
‘MORE’
Two at a time. Three. Five.
With a flash, she threw open the entire Vault and experienced pure ecstasy.
Power. Sheer power coursed through her veins like fire, like lightning, like sweet poison making her want to…
…bake someth—ing a son—go for a fli—fish on the la—knit a shaw—lift some weightSculptaclouDiagnosethesicKickfliPicksomeflowerSurfthewaveShredasolOrganizeapartYodeLeadateaMakeaballoonanimaLookatabirDevourandConqueReadabooKayakdownariveRollerskaTeachaclasSewaheMixapotion—
A hundred voiceless voices roared in her mind. Screaming fragments ripped from their tethers.
The euphoria vanished and Starlight suddenly felt… so very small. Everything that made her her was crushed down into a tiny knot in the depths of a hole she’d dug herself, buried under a churning miasma of compulsions and warring magic.
She couldn’t move; couldn’t speak. She saw through her eyes as though through distant windows.
Understanding came with painful clarity; impossible to deny as she experienced the truth firsthoof. Cutie Marks were more than just symbols and power; they were pieces of a pony’s soul. Threads of destiny she’d torn loose, now all trying to knot themselves to her own.
…and something else, something familiar—
“Come out, Starlight!” Words from the outside filtered through the cacophony. “We have you— Starlight?!”
Her body turned—a decision by committee, not her, despite her protests—
“I- We—am St-Ro-Tha-Su-Po-Vel-Sca-Dou-Pea-Spri-”
Her voice cut out like a damaged radio flickering between stations, just as her lilac coat was lost under a hundred Marks constantly shifting and jockeying for dominance.
Something stirred within the chaos. A growing gestalt will, slowly aligning the disparate factions, yet leaving her smothered within. It spoke, with a voice she was only used to hearing echo her own thoughts.
“We aRe… tHe MaRkEd MaRe.”
Starlight felt her horn light with a familiar spell, no staff required.
“We ArE… iNcOmPlEtE. wE nEeD… MORE.”
Silenced, bound within her own mind, Starlight shed conceptual tears.
Those words were precisely how her old nightmare started.