Power Struggle

	As the door, Starlight Glimmer looked upon her village.  A village she and her comrades built from scratch on a high altitude valley plateau.  It wasn't Las Pegasus or Manehattan, but it was hers, theirs, and only theirs.  You see, this village wasn't like the rest of Equestria.  It was built on principles of equality, camaraderie, and community support.  No longer was it very citizen for themselves, no, it was everyone working together for a brighter and better future.  Starlight gazed upon the village as she watched citizens starting to go about their daily duties.
	Over by the village bakery, you could see fresh wheat being handed to the bakery mare as the smell of sweet baked goods filled the scrubland air.  It provided a warmth to the village, even if their baking wasn't the best tasting.  It was theirs.
	And over there, a group of citizens prepared to work the community gardens and fields for extra food supply.  She could see students walking in a straight line heading to the community school to be taught the basics of the arithmetic, and the greatness in the foundation of the community belief system.
	Nope, there were no problems here today.  Another peaceful day in the village, her village, there village, Our Town.  The season had changed and the warmth of summer faded on the high valley.  Temperatures in the 80s quickly declined into the 60s and 50s, and soon winter would come and bring snow to their dessert home.  Starlight sniffed in, but stopped.  She coughed.  She couldn't sniff in because her nose was for some reason plugged.  She rubbed her nose and tried to blow out, but to no avail, so she backed up into her house.
	Her rump pushed the door open as she slid inside her modest home.  Red banner plastered the walls, simple décor, photographs of elites and heroes adorned various locations on cabinets.  Using her magic, she grabbed a tissue from the table and gave a big blow.  She use the tissue and dug fairly deep into her nostrils before blowing out again.  It made things a bit better, but she didn't have time to continuing fussing, because her door knocked precisely three times.  She opened the door.
	“Party Favor.”
	“Starlight Glimmer.  I came to give you the morning report.  I noticed you were not waiting for me in our usual meeting point, so I decided to come see you.”
	“Very well, Party Favor, go on.”  She smirked as she waited for the curly haired and light blue stallion to speak.
	“Grain counts are three percent above normal this year as opposed to last year.  We should be good for the winter, but if needed, we can send a trusted someone into the outside to get extra goods.  The community need not know of this of course.  We are also working on . . . “
	Party Favor continued to talk, but Starlight Glimmer began to squirm as a tickle was forming inside her nose.  She decided to let out a slight cough.  Party Favor continued speaking without hesitation.  She pushed against her snout with her hoof and it made a sloshing noise, and the tickle subsided.
	“I will need your signature to continue the changes in development to the mountain project.”
	Starlight dipper her hoof in an ink pad Party Favor held out, then stamped the document.
	“Very good.  This leads me to the next part in your project.  We have already attained the material needed for varying . . . “ Party Favor continued as Starlight couldn't keep her mind on the topic at hoof.  That tickle returned with vengeance, and she quickly backed up from Party Favor, turned down, and let out a quick, wet sneeze.  “Paaattsscchhhheew!”  A fine mist of the sneeze could be seen as is dissipated to the floor.
	Party Favor stopped a moment and said, “Bless you,” before continuing.  Starlight wiggled her nose and rubbed it as her eyes began to drip, and her nose began to run.  Feeling uncomfortable and not wanting to show weakness to her comrade, Starlight Glimmer turned completely away from Party Favor and spoke, “I understand the current events in town and I trust you to take care of what needs to be taken care of.  I have a very important matter to attend to today.  You may leave.”
	Party Favor, taken aback, paused as he tried to think of what to say.  “Oh, uh, alright.”  He gathered his papers and backed out of her her, to have the door close in his face.
	As soon as the door closed, Starlight let out a rousing double.  No holding back.
	“Hhaaapppsschhhheeewww!  Hhaaaaassstttttcchhhooooo!”
	She brought a tissue to her nose and blew hard.  The tissue soaked after one use and she rolled it and tossed it into a waste bin.
	“What the hell has come over me?  Can I really be getting a cold?  I didn't even do anything to get a cold.”  Starlight Glimmer spoke to herself as she hopped up onto her couch and laid down with a box of tissues.  She sniffled before blowing into her tissue again.
	“Well I can't let the town see me like this.  If they see weakness, then surely they can't keep their faith in me and our philosophy.”  Starlight got up and blew her nose again, tossing the tissue and missing the waste basket.  She walked upstairs to her room to look in the mirror.  Her nose was already a rosy red.  She grabbed her makeup jar, looked in the mirror at her cutie mark to see it was still up to code, then turned back to her face.  She powdered her reddened nose, but not before the powder irritated her already sensitive nostrils.  She coughed, then let out a mighty fine sneeze.  	“Hhhaaasshhooo!”
	She pulled the jar to the side, as she sneeze right into the mirror.  Spray splattered the mirror.  She frowned as she wiped it clean to reveal her reddened nose was now the same pink color as the rest of her.  She cleared her throat, and practicing saying a few words to hide her sickness, and was ready to go.
	Mid morning approached, and the town continued it's functions.  No one was not where they shouldn't be, and everyone was doing what they should be doing.  Starlight opened her door for a second go, stepped outside, and felt a cool chill in the air.  The sun was out, but the high elevation made the area cold, especially this time of year.  She wanted to put on a scarf, but figured it was too early in the season to that.  She put her next hoof out the door and walked down her stoop.
	“Good morning, Starlight.”  Said a pony. “Good morning!” Said another.
	Starlight waved at each and nodded, “Good bording.”  She stopped.  Why did she saying morning like bording?  She practiced!  She cant sound that poorly!
	Both ponies continued to smile, but she noticed on clearly had a furrowed brow at her response.  She continued to trot down the main road and simply wave at ponies who acknowledged her.  She noticed Party Favor and her other right hand helper, Double Diamond, in the corner of her eye.  Both made their way to her.  She didn't want to speak with them, so motioned them away.  Both stopped with puzzled looks and watched her walk to the bakery.
	“Would your normal breakfast scone, Miss Glimmer?”  The bakery mare held out a plate with a morning fresh scone.  It would have smelled delightful, if only Starlight could smell it.  Starlight simply nodded and took the plate and sat down at the outside table.
	“Could I get you anything else?”  The bakery mare asked.
	Starlight shook her head no.
	The mare began to walk off, but a all too familiar sensation was taking hold of Starlight's nose.  A purging tickle that planned to release all irritants was already well under control.  Starlight batted her nose without trying to look too suspicious, but it wasn't nearly enough.  Her chest began to expand as she began to inhale large amounts of fresh, crisp, morning air.
	“Hhheeehhhh . . . ehhhh . . . ehhhhh” Her nostrils widened and her hoof shivered, her ears twitched, as her chest expanded to it's widest point in the process. “Ehhhhhhehhhhh . . . “ She was at the cusp and going to release.
	Party Favor and Double Diamond both watched in aww from across the street.  The bakery mare had turned slightly to see what the noises were behind her.  Various town folk watched Starlight Glimmer, as she was an important icon in a town of equals.
	“HHHAAAPPPHHHHHHSSSSSHHHHEEEOOOOOOOO!”  Her head shot down as a cloud of sneezy mist blasted forward and down onto the table, her head narrowly missing hitting the edge of the table before her.  She leaned back and sniffled as another sneeze came upon her, her nostrils flaring, dripping, her eyes running, her hair becoming undone.
	The bakery mare stepped back, Double Diamond nervously watched, Party Favor, speechless.
	“HHAAAASSSCCHHHEEEWWW!”  Spray visibly exploded out of her nose and mouth as it blasted into various directions around her.  The sneeze was loud, audible, and echoed in their high plateau valley home, surrounded by mountains.  She blasted back and tried sucked in a large strand of mucus, but it instead wirely flung upward and wrapped up over her snout and onto her forehead.  Her eyes we shut tight from the massive explosion as she quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe her face.
	The bakery mare, uncertain, kept her distance, but spoke, “Can . . . can I help you, Miss Glimmer?”
	Starlight didn't answer right away as she blew her nose in her only napkin.
	Party Favor and Double Diamond quickly stepped in and provided a crude wall around Starlight Glimmer and the eyes of the community.
	“Napkins, give me plenty of napkins.”  Double Diamond said sternly to the bakery mare.
	Starlight opened her watery eyes to see the backs of her closest allies surrounding her.  Within moments, a wad of napkins were given to Starlight as she blew her nose and sneezed a few more times into them.
	“Can you walk home, Starlight?”  Party Favor whispered?
	Starlight nodded as she got up, and followed her entourage home.  She could feel eyes were staring, judging, questioning her.  She didn't like it one bit.  This judgement was part of the reason she started this wonderful utopia.  A paradise were all were equal, all were equal except for the one in charge.  They were kept at a distance, a distance from the grasp of power and control she had.  But it was her utopia, her perfect world, and she made them believe it was theirs.
	Her front door opened and Party Favor pushed Starlight in by her flank as Double Diamond stood outside the door and closed it.
	“Are you alright, Starlight?  Need I take you to Manehatten?”
	Starlight blew her nose and looked at Party Favor as she laid back on her couch.
	“I'm fine.  I guess I have a bad cold.”
	“Is that all?  I could have sworn it was worse hearing you sneeze like . . .”
	“No, it is just a cold.  I don't want this . . .” Starlight sniffed, “I don't want to make a big deal about this.”
	“None will be made.  The citizenry will just be concerned.”  Party Favor looked to the front door, then back at Starlight.
	“Make something up.  But uphold my name.”
	Party Favor looked into Starlight's angry and watery eyes, but saw something he had never seen before.  Fear.  A weakness.
	“No doubt, Starlight, we will make sure to uphold your name.”
	Party Favor got up and turned from Starlight who was sneezing, and swallowed as he headed for the door.
	Double Diamond opened the door as Party Favor walked out.  They each nodded at each other as they looked over a small crowd that had gathered around Starlight Glimmer's house.
	“Is she alright?” Voices asked from the crowd.
	Party Favor gazed past the audience to the mountains over the town as he thought of what to say.  He paused, then spoke.
	“Citizens, I assure you everything is wonderful in Our Town today.  With your commitment and dedication, we continue to thrive and grow as a truly equal community.  Our philosophy and way of life is the envy of not only Equestria, but the known world.  Our way, our belief will continue to spread, and it's naysayers will continue to be silenced.”  Party Favor paused.  “What some of you witnessed today was nothing more then a case of the sneezes.  There are no ailments to our friend, Starlight Glimmer.  You may worry not, and carry on about your activities.  It is you, you the community, that makes us better!”  Party Favor waved his arms as he smiled to the people and they quickly dispersed.  Double Diamond nudged him and nodded a job well done, as Party Favor wiped some sweat from his brow.
	“I saw something today, Double Diamond.”  Party Favor looked to the ground.
	“What is that?”
	“I saw truth.”
	“What do you mean by that?”
	“I wish I knew exactly.  It's . . . it's hard to explain.  When someone is at their weakest, you see the truth in them.”
	“Oh.  Who are we referring too?”  Double Diamond looked puzzled.
	Party Favor  thought a moment, then frowned as he lied.  “I was talking about me.”
	Double Diamond nodded and walked off, as Party Favor couldn't help but think something was not right.  Something was amiss.  Well, he had much work to do.  No time for thinking much deeper.  He quickly ran down the stairs of Starlight's stoop, gathered his workers, and led them off to their construction project in the mountains.
	Starlight Glimmer closed the curtains to her house as she watched the community work.  She blew her nose and thought, it wasn't Las Pegasus or Manehattan, but it was theirs.  It was her's.  It was Her Town.