#someone helpfully pointed out their actual cutie marks to me last time

[swasdoodles]

the horse is spreading

[inurnctdreams]

ice hockey player - mark!au

:: i feel like this is such a cliche but i haven't actually seen any ice hockey mark yet so?? enjoy some canadian mark idk ｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

right ok so this kid is just naturally crazy talented

combine that with the fact that he's been skating since he was like six

and the fact that he loves sports

boom! youngest captain the junior league has ever had

but it's been a couple years now, and he's the oldest in the team now and will have to graduate soon

he's even started playing a lil with the older, nearly pro team to get a feel for it

but he loves his team rn so he's just gonna try and make the good times last while he can

anywayyy

this boy can also be a lil forgetful

so trust him not to remember to change his alarm clock on the night the clocks go back

so instead of getting to practise for 9am, by the time he rushes down to the rink it's actually only 8:20am

he'd been too busy rushing and thinking he was gonna be late to check his phone

so he figures 40 mins early is better than 20 mins late, and decides to hang around, maybe get some food and extra practise

so he grabs the breakfast he should've gotten before he left the house and wanders up to the main rink, backpack on his shoulder, bacon sandwich in one hand and skates in the other

only to stop dead at the sight of someone else on the rink

he didn't even think it was open before 8:45, he only has a key bc he's the captain and is v trustworthy and hardworking

but here you are, at 8:27, skating around the rink like you own it

shooketh mark aside, he's also in awe at how talented you are

gliding around the ice, twisting and turning effortlessly

"wow" and he shocks you into screwing up your landing and falling on your ass

"oh shit im so so so sorry are u ok?!!!"

forgetful boy drops his sandwich and skates and runs onto the ice in his vans

which makes him slip just as you were getting up

and boom he accidentally tackles you three feet down the ice and then you slide until you hit the other end of the rink and now he's on top of you

(uh and that's a long ass ride)

"y/n! we're opening up n- y/n?!" and that's your dad

"down here!"

you and this v clumsy but vv cute boy roll off each other with burning cheeks to see your dad looking at you with a raised eyebrow

"oh! mr y/l/n! sorry sir i accidentally startled her so she fell and i tried to help but slipped and we fell an-"

"just get off my ice in your sneakers, lee. you good sweetie?"

and now he's confused. sweetie? this graceful skater knew the owner? well he guesses it made sense if you were there before opening hours an-

"fine dad, we just fell"

oh. dad.

"alright well the boys are in the locker rooms now, you better join your team, cap"

and now it's your turn to be confused. cap?? team?? you knew the juniors practised at 9 but this clumsy fluff ball?? team captain?? no way is this the infamous mark lee your dad's always going on about

you've never really been into hockey, more into your figure skating which is more of a hobby than anything... even though you started when you were 3

but by the time you've processed and gotten off of the ice he's gone so you make your way to the girls' changing rooms

when you get out you can hear them so you decide to stick around a lil and watch out of curiousity

and wOW

where's the shy clumsy fluffy boy who was so concerned you'd hurt yourself he ran onto the ice in vans??

team captain mark lee is a badass

he's so focused and in charge, cutting up the ice with his swift tackles and sharp turns

he knows what he's doing and he has no problem reprimanding his teammates and showing them the right way to do things

it's a lil hot ngl

before you know it the practise is over and mark's in front of you... well one of his teammates you'd heard him calling hyuck pushed him but still

"oh hi... um y/n was it?"

and here's the shy fluffy boy back

wow what a contrast (shawty give me whip-whiplash)

"yeah, you're mark right?"

he just nods until hyuck nudges him

"yeah, i'm mark... sorry about accidentally tackling you earlier..."

"it's cool, like you said it was an accident. i was surprised at how clumsy you were until you put on your skates though, you were seriously awesome out there!!"

cue blushy shy mark again

this boy just can't take praise

"t-thanks... you were good too. amazing actually, that's why i was so shocked and scared you" but boy can he compliment you

"thanks, i can't believe we've never seen each other before, my dad's owned this rink since before i was born"

"mark's always late to practise" donghyuck helpfully supplies

"dude not cool" he hisses

by this point you're just giggling at them

"well it was nice to meet you guys in person, but i'm gonna be late to meet my friend for lunch so..."

"WAIT!" and you turn so swiftly in shock and mark's there with red cheeks agAIN

"yes mark?"

"c-could i maybe um... it's cool if you don't want to but... maybe if you don't mind-"

"yes mark?" you giggle

"can i have your number?"

"smooth!"

"SHUT UP HYUCK!!!"

he turns back and you're already holding your phone out with the new contact 'mark 🏒💙' ready for him to put his own in

so y'all exchange numbers

he just grins and mumbles out an "i'll text you later" before shuffling back over to his team

and you bite your lip to hide the cheesiest smile as you scurry out to meet your impatient friend

right so dating this cutie would be a rollercoaster

bc he'd be slowly coming out of his shell and he'd surprise you with confidence in random bursts

like the time on your 2nd date when he walked you home and grabbed your hand

or when he took you to the fair and you said his cotton candy looked really good even though you'd gotten a churro so he just straight up ripped a bit off and put it in your mouth

or the best time when all he'd done was shyly peck your check and after a few weeks you were getting a lil impatient but he shocked you in the best way by tugging you towards him on the ice where you'd been messing about before his practice one morning (both with skates on this time) and went for it, straight up kissing you on the lips

of course this had to be when his teammates walked in and hollered at you guys, leaving you both with fierce blushes

speaking of skating!!

you started going to all his games and cheering him on

and it was sorta tradition to just have fun on the ice before his practise on saturdays, holding hands as you took turns skating backwards or twirling each other around and just having fun

you also shocked him after one game when he'd won and you'd gone for ice cream after to celebrate and you'd started reeling off all this hockey language, complimenting him on how well he'd played technically

and he's like "did you... learn all this hockey stuff for me??"

"well duh, i kinda need to know what everyone else was going on about. plus i wanted to know what i was saying when i cheered you on other than 'go mark!' and yelling when you scored"

and he's so touched that he just straight up leans over the table and kisses you

he's not overly fond of pda but sometimes he just needs to give you a peck here and there when you're extra cute or sweet

like you guys hold hands and shit but anything more than a quick peck is saved for behind closed doors

like everyone knows you're dating you don't need to brag about it

genuinely the sweetest though

i feel like he'd be such a good cuddler like as you guys watched a movie with hot chocolate

and he'd kiss your choco stache off with giggles

and if it turned into yet another make out session taking advantage of the empty house then nobody needed to know

[marvelandponder]

You Might Wanna Stop That, Glim Glam

Or maybe not? 

Dark magic in Equestria is a subject I’ve been pretty interested in since its first appearance in The Crystal Empire Parts 1& 2. Especially seeing how our introduction to it involved this:

And, what’s scary about all that is that it’s pretty easy to pick up. Just based on that very vague description about hatred and fear and the demonstration, Twilight was able to replicate the spell later in the episode (keeping in mind she’s still a unicorn, so it doesn’t even take alicorn power levels).

So, not only is Princess Celestia able to cast some dark magic, our main character has been capable of casting dark magic spells for 3 going on 4 seasons now. A fact which has never been questioned once.

Dark magic, as the name so helpfully suggests, usually has some morality issues attached to it. Or at least some grey areas. As opposed to white magic (which Wikipedia tells me is what it’s actually called), dark or black magic is often depicted as some kind of ritualistic practice usually used for sinister and/or selfish gain.

Hell, just look... pretty much anywhere else in pop culture. In the Harry Potter series, the dark arts are practiced by Voledemort and his sordid crew, it’s something to be defended against if you’re a good wizard. In Lord of the Rings, dark magic is used to forge the One Ring---’nuff said there.

And yet, there seems to be some grey areas when using dark magic in the land of Equestria.

Often, enchanted objects like the Alicorn Amulet or the cursed spell book use some form of dark magic to corrupt the user. I mean, at one point Trixie wanted Rainbow Dash to “writhe in agony.”

And yet using dark magic in small doses like Celestia and Twilight do in The Crystal Empire doesn’t seem to have consequences. It also takes a while to be addictive, like it is for Rarity, because Twilight uses it at least twice in the episode, and then again a season later to use Zecora’s memory potion in Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1.

So with that established, it seems to be a powerful, non-alicorn could learn to use dark magic in small doses and not feel the effects Trixie, Rarity, or even, to use an extreme, King Sombra did.

And who do we know that can justify the use most any kind of magic, if put under enough pressure?

Starlight Doesn’t Play Well with Others--- Just Magic

I think in particular there’s three aspects of Starlight’s character I personally like most and that’s:

1) The snarky and even cynical sense of humour she manages to sneak into the most optimistic show I know (without taking away from the light-heartedness), 2) The anxiety she has about socializing in general despite being a Friendship student (this, as Gamelink Reviews so awesomely pointed out, makes the most sense as Social Anxiety Disorder)--- which kinda helps explain the whole never tried visiting Sunburst thing, by the way. and 3) Her fun interpretation of morality when it comes to magic.

Every Little Thing She Does was a lot of fun for me because of how it incorporated all three. She’s very obviously in the wrong, but as the episode shows you instead of just telling you, she’s still extremely dependent on her natural aptitude towards magic, so that’s the solution that makes the most sense to her.

Especially when she’s anxious about disappointing her teacher and new friends (seriously, go watch Gamelink’s theory, it makes so much sense). She means surprisingly well for someone who can justify actual mind control to get a task done.

And, by the way, that habit of combining spells seems to be something she and Sunburst share. If you remember, Sunburst’s solution to the problem in The Crystalling was to combine the relic reconstitution spell with a whole whack of other spells and the Crystalling itself. Plus, Starlight never would’ve been able to do all that time-travel magic if she hadn’t combined Starswirl’s time-travel spell with the map’s Harmony magic!

This, by the way, makes me wonder if Starlight was ever really as powerful as Twilight. Like, it kinda makes you scratch your head when you see an alicorn and a unicorn reach a stalemate in a magic duel--- Twilight should be more powerful than Starlight, right?

But perhaps Starlight’s natural abilities in magic are actually just about the same as Twilight’s were when she was unicorn---except, when Starlight uses strategies like combing spells to make them more powerful, she can match wits with her.

That would certainly make more sense to me (you would have to be a very masterful spell caster to do that, so she’s still quite a powerful unicorn and it’s not something just anyone could do---in fact, in the Crystalling, Sunburst gives all those different spells to a number of different magic users).

Combining spells is a simple yet awesome concept, but that does bring me back on topic, at long, long last: Are any of the spells Starlight has used so far dark magic? And if so, are there any implications to that?

[Light spoilery sentence ahead] I might need to update this post when season 7 comes out judging by those spectacular teasers, but for now, how’s about we go for a spin on Glim Glam’s wild ride?

Starlight, Starbright

Let’s start back at the most logical place to start: the beginning, and Starlight’s Cutie Mark Stealing spell.

By the way, should any of the spells she uses be dark magic, it might explain why she’s able to perform them. Like I alluded to earlier, as naturally gifted a magic user as she is, she’s still just a unicorn. Dark magic spells, on the other hand, seem to give the user access to a greater amount of power that they wouldn’t have previously been able to use on their own. Just look at Trixie.

It’s sort of like the Dark Side of the The Force from Star Wars, except it’s used a lot less frequently in MLP.

So, the Cutie Mark Stealing spell.

Watch this scene again and tell me if you notice any out of place details.

Wow, you already caught it? Geez, you guys are smart, what am I even here for?

Well, I’m still going to ramble on, just so I can hear myself type! As you remember from watching the episode, the Staff of Sameness there is just an old piece of driftwood Starlight found in the desert, just a lightning rod for her magic---meaning, all magic used in this scene comes from her.

But not all magic she uses in this scene is the same colour.

We can see that the light from the Cutie Mark vault is thrown over everything, so it might be easy to miss if you’re not looking for it, but when Starlight levitates the staff of sameness, the magic she’s using is her own light teal.

However, when she uses the Staff of Sameness as a conduit for the Cutie Mark Stealing spell, the magic is an entirely different colour and comes out in a powerful blast. It’s more... baby green, if you will. Kinda sickly looking.

Kinda exactly like the magic Rarity used in Inspiration Manifestation, or at least the parts around her eyes.

Sure, they’re different spells, and dark magic has come in a few different fashionable colours, but that’s a pretty dead on match in my books.

But... the eyes have it, don’t they?

Whenever dark magic has been used by someone in this series, there’s usually a pretty easy tell, but Starlight’s eyes are clear. Welp, that’s my theory busted. Go home, everybody!

But, then again, this isn’t the Alicorn Amulet, Rarity’s book of curses, or the hate and fear thing. It’s not coming from an external source, and it’s not coming from emotions deep within. This is a specific spell with a specific purpose.

In the same way that Friendship and Love magic turns the users’ eyes white, it might be true that there are some spells more powerful than others on either side of the spectrum, and those are the ones more likely to have an effect on your physical appearance.

There’s also the fact that Starlight’s very methodical about how she presents herself to the ponies in her village. Every night, she uses make-up to cover up her cutie mark.

Starlight’s magic being in two different colours is a small detail, but if her eyes were to glow green or something of that nature, don’t you think that would make it harder for her villagers to buy into her beliefs? Oh, we’ll definitely trust the pony with the sinister glowing eyes!

... Unless there’s an added bonus to using that piece of driftwood. Some way to hide the effects so if she is using dark magic, ponies can’t see it in her eyes.

Maybe the only reason Starlight is levitating that stick is so she has something to levitate. As in, maybe she’s using a levitation spell to cover up the fact that she’s using dark magic.

Come to think of it, Starlight’s now famous for combining spells, so we know she can cast more than one at once. If a simple levitation spell keeps the magic around her horn bluish teal, maybe it can also keep her eyes clear.

When she had it, Rarity used her dark magic for everything, including levitation, but Starlight has reason to hide it. So, she’s really just levitating the staff to appear as if the dark magic in the Cutie Mark Stealing spell isn’t effecting her. Both hiding the fact the she’s not all that equal to the others and that she’s using something far more sinister to take away their cutie marks.

So, the first spell we’ve examined and already we found our answer: Starlight has used dark magic. We’ll talk about what that means in a sec.

For now the question becomes, does she still use it, even after being reformed?

We already mentioned how the time-travel spell she uses is really just a combination of two powerful types of magic (hence how she could do it and not another great wizard like Starswirl the Bearded), and both of those are on the up and up, I think. The map’s Harmony magic doesn’t need our scrutiny, and Starswirl’s time travel spell originally didn’t do any harm---it’s supposed to be a paradox-correcting time-spell.

But that’s not the last time Starlight dabbles in powerful magic, and here’s where things get even more interesting.

You would think the spells Starlight’s using in Every Little Thing She Does would qualify as dark magic. Together, they make a mind control spell, and even on their own they sound pretty sketchy. Fiducio Compellus? Persaudari? Those sound like the kinds of spells some evil royal adviser would use in a Disney movie.

But, even when those spells are combined, Starlight’s magic doesn’t change appearance in any way. And in fact, when Starlight completes the spell, her eyes go white.

Now we’ve definitely seen that before:

But hang on, that doesn’t mean Starlight’s spells are necessarily good---this just in, mind control: still evil, free will: kinda important.

Instead it seems to indicate “white” or Harmony magic we would normally classify as good, and the dark magic we know corrupts most every user it comes in contact with after prelonged exposure, aren’t necessarily coded as Good magic and Evil magic.

One tends to be righteous and good and the other not so much, but there can be grey areas. Less powerful spells here and there that fall under the categories of either white or dark magic, but can be used in ways other than they were intended to be used, if the magician is resourceful like Starlight. 

This is important because, this sort of gives us some context as to why Starlight would try to combine these spells. They’re not inherently bad---none of them are dark magic spells. It’s just, the way she uses them that makes them a wee bit evil.

That makes a ton of sense, given her experience. Back when Starlight was a dictator, she used a dark magic spell to get what she wanted, but, she felt, in small enough doses or infrequently enough that it wouldn’t effect her too much.

We can’t know how much it actually affected her but even if it did, Starlight’s always been good at justifying morally questionable things for a good cause. And especially if there are smaller less powerful dark magic spells that don’t corrupt the user---meaning, it’d be easy to justify using Evil/dark magic if you can use it in a good way. 

... She’d kick ass in debate club, let me tell you.

In my recent Top 10 Reformed Villains list, I suggested Starlight might have developed this debate-winning ability because of the cycle she trapped herself in after Sunburst left---which was a catalyst, to be sure, but not the actual reason she was alone. With Gamelink’s helpful diagnosis of Social Anxiety, I would wager Starlight developed that reasoning the more she isolated herself.

After all, even in real life the more you isolate yourself, the more insecure you get that if you did try to reach out, you’d only be rejected. Which means you go into social situations looking for that rejection, and that in turn makes social situations a much more nerve-wracking process.

But, knowing Starlight, I suggested in those lonely years she’d be looking for something to blame other than herself or Sunburst, who she still thought fondly of, it seems. And that’s where the cutie mark thing slowly developed---as a way to push the blame anywhere but on herself.

It’s why Twilight’s line at the end of the Cutie Remark is so effective in getting Starlight to reform:

Twi: “So try again! Make new friends! And if something happens that you can’t control changes things, work through it together. That’s what friendship is! ... Just imagine all the friendships waiting for you if you just give them a chance.” Star: “How do I know they won’t all end the same way?” Twi: “I guess it’s up to you to make sure they don’t.”

And at that point, Starlight decides to take responsibility for her relationships, for everything. Even though she ended up getting off too easily in the punishment department (probably), she wasn’t going to blame anyone or anything else for her failures.

No more going after Twilight in a twisted, sadistic way to get back at her for ruining her perfect village (eye for an eye justice; how Babylonian of you, Starlight)---she knew she was a dictator/cult leader, and the ponies took their marks back by choice because they wanted to.

And even though she’s had to deal with her fair share of anxieties going forward into season six, she’s still living by that motto. 

She reunited with Sunburst. She made a new friend in Trixie decided to followup after their first fight. She, uh, tried to follow Twilight’s instructions and not let her down (even if she still misses the point sometimes). And in the end, assumed the responsibility of a leader again without the crutches of magic or throwing the blame elsewhere if something were to go awry.

So, knowing that, it’s easy to see why she could justify some messed up spells.

First and foremost, like we said, they probably aren’t dark magic, if for no other reason than the fact that I think after taking responsibility for her usage last time, she’d probably want to avoid it. At least, so long as the situation isn’t truly desperate. 

Second, justification should really be her special talent. She can convince herself of anything.

Third, she obviously shouldn’t have used magic at all, but that’s the point: we know her anxiety (whether you agree that it’s actual Social Anxiety Disorder or not) clouded her ability to see what Twilight actually expected of her was just to spend some time with them. 

Starlight’s anxieties and doubts can still make normal social situations into pressure cookers, if she worries enough. It really does make her a regular Crazy Twi.

You know, season 2 Twilight, who famously decided to make a friendship problem by... using a ‘Want it Need it” spell which... in hindsight seems a bit close to mind control in and of itself.

And that time she was so stressed about and impending disaster she wanted to stop time itself forever?

On Equestria Daily, (correct me if I’m wrong) but I believe it was Sethisto who explained that Starlight’s appeal to him was that she reminded him of the mad scientist aspect of Twilight’s character from the old days. I, for one, definitely agree.

Starlight’s unique in other ways (for instance, a constant fear of rejection that Twilight never really had), but in that respect she really does take after her teacher. An anxiety-prone lunatic with god-like powers and the intellect to work around their own limitations.

That’s what makes this snarky maniac so interesting to me. She’s certainly complex. Despite the fact she means well and genuinely does want to make friendships, she’s our gateway into some really dark, questionable areas. Or, depending on how she uses magic and why, maybe just grey areas. It’s what makes her redemption worthwhile to me.

Well, that, and the cute friendships she’s made along the way, of course.

And with that said, here’s to a new season! May we see her wrestling match with morality and friendship develop new and interesting ways.

MLP editorials? You want them? I’ve got loads! In fact, this post marks the 20th MLP editorial I’ve written (I just get a kick out of the fact that it’s releasing on March 20th), and you can find them all right here! Or if you’d rather, here are the most recent three, right here for the clicking:

IDW Comics, Derpy Editorial, and Top 10 Redeemed Villains

Year of the Pony

Header Image Wouldn’t be Possible Without...

Magic Circle by BlackPaperMoon-95 Canterlot Background by EStories Starlight Vector by Osipush

All the part of that image were edited to fit together, as usual, but these are the people who made them beautiful to begin with! Go check out those talented artists!

Transmutation and Summoning Circles Only Ever End Well, Obviously