One Little Change
Starlight Glimmer lifted her head to gaze at the cloudless blue sky. For a moment, she shut her eyes and enjoyed the warm sun on her face. A deep breath brought the scent of wildflowers in the vast meadows all around. A bit of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she let out a contented sigh before her focus returned to the road she was trotting down.
"This is nice."
It's good to be on the move again, she thought to herself. I didn't want to be stuck in that earth pony settlement for a whole week. Still, when I stumbled out of the mountains, they took me in, gave me food, aid, and a place to stay. It's amazing how valuable some levitation magic is to ponies who don't have it. A few days of helping them got me a new saddlebag full of food and some bits for the road. Of course, helping travelers down on their luck is no less than the residents of my town would have done.
My town…
An ugly scowl washed across her face. "Curse that meddling alicorn and her friends," she growled.
My town was working just fine until they turned it against me. And now I'm a refugee. She snorted loudly. Fine! They took something from me, I'll take something from them. But what…?
They essentially took away my life, I can take away theirs. If I took down that alicorn with a surprise blitz attack, the rest would be no problem. But... no. That's too easy. I want them to suffer.
They took away my home, I can take away theirs. Burn it with fire. Make them all homeless like me. But… no. She lives in a crystal castle in Ponyville which won’t burn. And the pegasi no doubt live in Cloudsdale. Cloud houses don't burn either.
They took away my "family", I can take away theirs. A sibling, or a parent. She trotted on, her grin slowly falling into a frown. But… no. Her ears drooped. No innocents. It's wasteful and unnecessary.
"Wait…" Starlight slowed to a walk. "How?" She stopped, one foreleg still raised in mid-step, and peered in the distance at two approaching ponies. How did she find me? And it's that country bumpkin with her. She took a step backwards shaking her head. It’s not possible. A quick glance to each side. Open meadows, no place to hide. A look behind. I could teleport, but she can probably track it. I know I could. She widened her stance, head low. Okay, so then it's a fight. Her horn took on a turquoise glow as her eyes narrowed. If I strike first... Either way, I'm not going down easy.
She squinted. Hang on... And raised a hoof to shade her eyes. That's not Twilight. It's just a couple of earth ponies hauling a wagon. She huffed out a breath as her body relaxed, the color bleeding off her horn.
Get a grip, Starlight. She probably isn't looking for you. You can't jump at the sight of every purple pony you see. After inhaling deeply, Starlight resumed walking as the ponies drew near.
"Hi there," the purple stallion greeted her with a wide toothy grin.
"Good morning," added the orange mare with her own beaming smile.
Starlight replied with a monotone, "Hello."
The pair stopped walking as the stallion nodded down the road. "Did you pass through an earth pony settlement back there? How far is it?"
Starlight briefly glanced behind her. "Yes, early this morning. At your pace, you should be there by lunchtime."
"Did you hear that?" the orange mare asked, her voice going up in pitch. "We're almost there. This is so exciting!" She pranced in place.
"Thank you," the stallion said. "It's been a long trip, and we're anxious to get to our new home. We appreciate the help." He smiled at his mate and inclined his head forward. With a couple of parting smiles to Starlight and a strained grunt, they got their cart moving and continued down the road.
Starlight watched them leave, turned, and continued walking. Right. Of course. I left this morning because the house they let me use was for a new couple arriving today.
"Their new home," she said wistfully.
Her expression turned dark. Why am I the one alone on a road to nowhere? Why am I the one who is homeless? Why am I the one who has to watch my back? It's all her fault.
She spat out, "I wish she'd never been born!"
She tilted her head as her eyes drifted up. Never been born?
Her brow furrowed. "Never... been... born…"
I could do that. Starswirl could time travel about a week. I can figure out how to go back farther. She bit her lower lip. Still, removing somepony might break the timeline. That's too risky. I need something that will stop those six from coming together without serious drawbacks. Some nexus point that just needs a little bump to redirect the outcome. She kicked a small rock off the road hitting a stone that fell over. One little change that would keep them away from my town.
Starlight nodded. Everyone knows the story. A sonic rainboom led them to get their cutie marks and eventually become friends. She swished her tail with each point. Stop the rainboom. Delay their cutie marks. They never become friends. They never come to my village. A grin started to form. It's an insignificant change. And it's not like their friendship is that important. She rolled her eyes. Preventing it isn't going to destroy Equestria.
She walked on for a while lost in thought. "Rustic Rune," she blurted out. He has a magic shop in Canterlot where I got that cutie mark magic book. He could find a copy of Starswirl's notebook. Add some research, and magic training… It’s a good plan. An evil grin spread across her face.
"No, it’s the perfect plan."