“Come on Blossom!” called Moss Stone, her voice echoing across the river. “We don't want to miss this!”

“I'm coming!” I replied, making a show of trotting forward for a moment onto the bridge. But I settled back into a walk a moment later. We had the time, no matter what Moss thought, and I didn't see any need to hurry.

Moss had been excited all week once she had heard the news. If she hadn't been so excited, I would be at home right now, reading my latest Daring Do book in the fading light. But Moss wanted me to come, and I was terrible at saying no to her.

She waited for me impatiently at the end of the bridge. In the dusk, I could see her strong hoof tapping on the ground, her green coat darker than normal, and the pumpkin cutie mark on her side standing out more in contrast. She looked beautiful, as usual.

The moment I caught up, she was off again. For a moment we raced together down the street, before Moss pulled away again. Down we went to The Blouder’s Stage.

Boulder’s Rest was not a big town, and The Boulder's Stage wasn't a big theatre. But it was close enough to us that I had been there before. It was well maintained and friendly, with warm light glowing out into the street as the sun finally set.

A few other ponies were still entering, mostly alone. One old mare I didn't recognise stood outside the entrance, shaking her head at those entering.

“You turn back and go straight home, young Moss Stone,” said the older mare, a scarf wrapped around her head for warmth. “Decent ponies don't need to listen to this turnip mush.”

“Oh leave off Granny Briar,” Moss replied airily. She turned towards me again and beckoned me in.

“I'm telling you, this fool is nothing but trouble,” warned Granny Briar.

“She’s a visionary,” snapped Moss, wheeling back to Granny Briar again. “A true luminary. She knows the truth, and she's got a plan.”

“That's dangerous codswallop,’ Granny Briar replied, her face turning red from her usual blue coat. “You listen to her and you’re just getting yourself into real trouble.”

Their altercation was drawing attention from the other ponies wandering in. Some looked nervous, like they felt slightly afraid of what they were doing. I saw some ponies nodding at Granny Briar’s words with an angry look on their faces. But even they still seemed to be heading inside.

Moss Stone turned her back on Granny Briar again to look at me, “Come on,” she urged, and we stepped towards the door.

I looked into Granny Briar’s eyes as I walked past her, and shrugged helplessly at her. Granny Briar just watched us walk in, and I saw her walking away from the theatre with a look of disgust as we stepped inside.

Inside, most of the chairs were filled. But we had no difficulty getting seats together at the front.

“Ignore her,” said Moss to me as we sat down. “You'll see. Starlight Glimmer is amazing. I can't believe she's come here!”

I struggled to believe it too. It's a lot of effort to come so far - I certainly wouldn't want to be away from home for so long.

The lights dimmed around us, and a hush fell, as the curtain rose up.

Starlight Glimmer, I presume, stood on the stage. She was wearing a deeply hooded cloak, but she threw back the hood now too look around the audience. Her gaze met mine for a moment, and I felt like she was looking deep inside me.

“Friends!” cried Starlight Glimmer, “It is good to meet you all.”

Moss let out a loud cheer of excitement, but it was swallowed up by the silence of the other ponies around us. I looked around, and I saw many ponies already had scowls on their faces. No pony there hadn't already heard of Starlight Glimmer, and rumours of what her disciples whispered.

Starlight Glimmer seemed not to notice her cold reception.

“I see all of you in front of me, and I see friends,” she said. “I know none of you, but I see friends.”

“For what could stop our friendship? What could keep us from helping one another, as ponies should? And yet, Ponies do argue. Ponies fight. Ponies hurt one another.”

Starlight paused, letting her words sink in.

“Friends, I tell you now, I understand. We have differences, differences that keep us apart. But I have journeyed far and wide. I have spoken to ponies from sea to sea. I have seen the anger of Manehatten, the riots in Galtrotten, the division in Canterlot. And I have seen the one thing that drives them all, the one true division, that keeps us apart.”

“Cutie Marks.”

Beside me, I heard Moss exhale softly, and I heard murmurs from around the room. I felt my flank, where I knew the image of a lupine rested. But my eyes were fixed on Starlight. She seemed to be looking directly at me as her eyes swept around the room

“Yes friends,” she says slowly. “Cutie Marks. These pretty little marks, these icons of talent? I tell you now, they are nothing more than distractions. These marks keep us apart.”

The rumour was filling with murmurs now, but Starlight just raised her voice and kept going.

“These marks tell us that we are different. They tell us what we must do. How many of us are forced to work in a profession based on our cutie mark? How many of us are forced to spend our lives following this mark? And yet, they do not give us the same bits for our work! No, we are told that some talents are more important than others. Some talents are worth greater rewards than others. We are told some of us are worth more than others.”

“Is that it, then? Are we doomed from the moment the mark appears? Trapped in one course of life, trapped to always repeat the same actions day after day? Without choice, without hope that some day we might show others around us that we are not worth less than them?”

“My friends, these marks keep us apart. They keep us from being friends with one another. They cause strife and discord.”

“But we do not have to suffer. I have the answer.”

I looked over at Moss Stone. She was looking up at Starlight, her eyes wide and reverent. She had love in her eyes. I wished that I had ever seen Moss look at me like that.

Two more ponies came out of the wings of the theatre to stand beside Starlight. They wore the same heavy grey cloaks. And then, all three of them three off their cloaks together.

I gasped despite myself. She had no cutie mark. None of them did. The whispering of the room cut off in stunned disbelief.

“Friends,” said Starlight Glimmer, “This is no cutie mark.”

And she pointed a hoof at the equals sign upon her side.

“I once had a cutie mark. But I found a better way. A way to live free of its enforced divisions. And I have shared that with others, so we can all live in freedom.”

Around the room voices were rising. Looking around I saw scared faces, and angry ones. But I saw hopeful ones too.

“And who is responsible for this system?” cried Starlight. “Who works to keep us down? The false Princess! Princess Celestia!”

It was too much, and like a dam, the room broke.

I could see, from the front, regret in Starlight’s eyes as she realised her error. Or perhaps, the regret was from the tomato that smashed into her face, as she staggered backwards.

Ponies were up, ponies were shouting. Moss Stone started running forwards towards the stage.

I hesitated, feeling the fear coiling inside me, hearing the yelling around me. I wasn’t sure what Moss was doing. But I followed.

We were on the stage in an instant. Starlight looked at us in alarm, and her disciples pulled in front of her.

“You're incredible!” cried out Moss, “this way, we need to get you out of here.”

I saw ponies - angry, strong, ponies - beginning to follow us. Starlight saw them too, because she nodded at us.

Moss clearly knew this stage a lot better than I did, because she was leading Starlight backstage. I followed along, caught up in their wake, conscious of the ponies shouting indistinctly behind me.

We darted out through a door, breaking out into the night air.

I took a moment to breathe, but Moss was smarter. She slammed the door close in front of our pursuers, holding it firmly shut.

With a bang, I could hear them crashing against the door. With another bang, I could hear them pound on it again. Another bang, as they tried to force it open.

But Moss is strong and mighty and fierce.

She held the door, and she was not budging, no matter what they did. I've always admired her strength, but I had never seen her use it like this.

“Thank you,” said Starlight, “my new Friends.”

She looked slightly shaken, still covered with tomato chunks. Her cloak was gone, abandoned in our flight. But even as I watched she drew herself up, and for the faintest moment I saw a spark of magic on her horn.

Suddenly, I realised I could smell smoke. I looked at the door of the theatre, and I could see faint wisps of smoke curling around it. The indistinct shouts from inside were replaced by indistinct cries of alarm. I could hear the high pitch and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end as I looked between Starlight and the door with wide eyes.

“I saw a candle knocked over as they chased us,” explained Starlight, “they'll be leaving through the other doors now, I imagine.”

Certainly, she was right that the pounding had stopped, and Moss drew away from the door. I hadn't noticed the candle, but in the confusion, anything was possible.

“We need to leave, now”, said one of Starlight’s companions, a dark blue pegasus with a white mane. “They'll come around soon.”

Starlight nodded decisively.

“Come with us,” she said, “we have a boat waiting for us.”

“No,” I said, just as Moss said “Yes.”

She whirled around towards me as I turned to her. I saw my own hurt mirrored in her eyes.

“How can you ignore everything she said,” Moss whispered to me. “She's got such insight.”

“I can't,” I said, “I can't just abandon everything. I like my home. My bees need me. Don't go, Moss”.

Moss looked at me like she had never seen me before.

“I'm not going to consign myself to a life of struggling to sell pumpkins that no one wants,” Moss Stone said, “just because you're too lazy to seek out something new.”

It was like she had plunged a dagger into my heart. I felt tears surge to my eyes and I staggered backwards, away from Moss, away from Starlight’s judgmental gaze, back away from it all.

Suddenly I, lazy, stupid Blossom Stream, was running. Running like I hadn't run since I was a foal.

“Blossom!” shouted Moss after me.

“We've got to go,” I heard Starlight say.

And Moss went with them, and I haven't seen her since.