Starlight tumbled down a grassy slope, rolling end over and over end before finally coming to rest in the shade of a tall tree. Her hands flew to her throat, but where a hole had been moments ago there was only soft flesh.

What had happened?

One moment her world had gone an unbearably blinding white, and the next she found herself here... wherever here was.

She could feel something was wrong. Something to do with her hands. She felt weak and small, but there was more to it than that. There was no one else around as far as the eye could see, and when she tried to call for help, all that came out was a croak. Her throat might not have a visible injury anymore, but it was still sore, and hurt to even swallow.

As her eyes adjusted to the blazing sunlight, Starlight could see that next to the tree was a deep blue pond. She was suddenly seized by a deep thirst and a need to feel that cool looking water going down her raw throat.

She drug herself to the waters edge, her body allowing her to just barely crawl, and quickly cupped the water in her hands and began to drink.

Only, she didn’t have hands. She didn’t even have fingers. That was what had seemed off earlier!

Starlight gagged and sputtered, thinking her fingers had been blown off or something, leaving her with nothing but stubs. Instead she found she was staring at two shiny, if slightly squishy hooves. What in the world was going on?

As the disturbed surface of the waters calmed, Starlight caught her own reflection out of the corner of her eye.

She was a horse!

Or at least, some kind of pony.

What was that weird tattoo on her thigh?

(The horn in the middle of her forehead screamed ‘unicorn’ but she wasn’t ready to process that.)

How had this happened!?

Starlight racked her brain, placing her new hooves on either side of her head. Then the answer dawned upon her like the sun over the horizon.

At the last moment, her Goddess had delivered her.

While there was no longer a place for them in the human world, Starlight had been transported to another realm instead! Here she could continue her good work, and bring about the equality she had always dreamed of!

“Oh, there you are!” came an unfamiliar voice. It was another horse person, or pony (she still wasn’t ready to say ‘unicorn’), though this one wore a flashy star spangled cape and matching pointy hat. “You know Trixie hasn’t mastered teleportation magic yet! No fair hiding in such an out of the way place.”

“Do I... know you?” asked Starlight, splashing water on her face to rinse some of the grass and dirt out of her pink fur.

“Trixie would hope you would know your best friend! Did you hit your head or something? Is that why you're all covered in dirt?" questioned the blue unicorn... yes a unicorn, she must be. "But then maybe you have forgotten Trixie, after all. What other explanation could their be for you being late to help her set up the fireworks display for the Friendship Festival!?” The little pony reached out and somehow grabbed Starlight by the shoulder with one of her hooves. “Come on! We’ll be late if we don’t leave now! The festivities are just about to begin!”

Starlight still wasn't clear on who Trixie was, but a festival sounded like it might be fun after having been locked up in a padded cell for as long as she had been. She might even find something to eat to get this terrible sweet taste out of her mouth. The pond water had done her very little good on that score.

As Starlight followed Trixie, she tried to recall what she might have eaten to leave the cloying taste on her tongue.

She’d just have to find something else to bite...