//------------------------------// // A Better You - III // Story: Canterlot High's Changeling // by OdicHastings //------------------------------// My alarm clock sent off a deafening buzz. I hated waking up early. Back in Equestria I always made a point to impersonate someone who got to sleep in. Needless to say, a teenager of any kind was always on my blacklist. Why do schools open so early? Is it going to damage the kid's education if they get an extra hour of sleep? “Or three...” I sluggishly sat up, feeling around the table for my clock. I was relieved when Glory didn't bring up yesterday's conversation that morning. She quickly munched down some sort of protein bar and was out the door before we really had a chance to say anything to each other. The sky was very dark that morning. Thankfully there wasn't any rain yet, but I made a point of rushing to school that morning anyway. I lived close enough that walking was viable, but it didn't mean I wanted to be caught out in the open during a storm. Every now and then a rumbling came from the distance. Flashes of light kept appeared in my peripheral vision. I picked up the pace, breaking into a brisk jog. My bag rustled behind me, its contents shifting and bouncing as I went. Despite my concerns about the storm, I was actually enjoying myself. The poor weather was keeping other people off the streets, so much so that aside from the occasional car, I pretty much had the road to myself. I enjoyed the near silence, and the solitude. A few blocks from the school unfortunately, I spotted someone walking along the same sidewalk. A familiar head of red and blond hair gave away who it was well before I reached her. I frowned. “Sunset Shimmer. This is what I get for trying to be quick, if I had just walked...” I could probably take a detour around her if I needed to. Or at least, I would have thought that, had she not looked behind her, spotting me. I grumbled something under my breath while looking around. I was split between wanting to turn onto a different road, and just playing it cool and moving forward. After a few feet I had an opportunity to turn left. However, instead of just turning, I entered a strange stride where every third or fourth step would move me to the side, only for me to step back into my original course. My open indecisiveness looked, for lack of a better word, unbelievably stupid. Eventually went far enough that it was too late to change direction. With a sigh I slowed my jog down to a brisk walk. Just in time to wind up almost right next to Sunset Shimmer. “Hey,” she said. “Hello.” In the moments that followed, I swear you could hear a pin drop. Our collective footsteps and the rumble of thunder were the only sounds present on the near deserted neighborhood streets. I shot a glance her way every few moments. Sunset Shimmer kept her attention ahead of her. Maybe she didn't want a repeat of what happened yesterday. Maybe she just didn't care about my presence one way or the other. She cleared her throat. I looked over to her. She didn't do anything else. “So...” I looked away from her, watching the nearby houses. “Aren't you usually walking to school with those other girls?” “Yeah.” I frowned at her. She just kept walking. “But not today.” “No.” I rolled my eyes. “Great talk.” I picked up the pace, leaving her behind. Apologize to her? Hah. I tried meeting her halfway, and she didn't even make an effort. A few droplets of rain were falling by the time I arrived at the school. It wasn't enough to really bother me, but I didn't dawdle. I was certain it was only going to get worse as the day went on. The only thing that gave me pause was when I saw a familiar slogan on the side of a van. 'A Better You', was crudely painted across the side of it. I wondered if I should mention how creepy that guy was to someone. I didn't understand how Dr. Brighter even got permission to set that booth up on school grounds. He was so awkward, it was hard to believe he held up in a meeting with the administrators. “Get out of here. Now.” The front doors flew open. Dr. Brighter came stumbling out, clutching several papers and a briefcase to his chest. Principal Celestia stood in the doorway. “But-but!” “If you show up on these grounds again, I will call the police.” She glared at Dr. Brighter as he went over to his van, threw his things into the passenger seat. “I assure you-” “Go.” She practically snarled at him. Dr. Brighter leapt into his van, and drove off. “Uh...” I tentatively approached the principal. “Isn't that the guy who had a booth set up outside yesterday?” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes.” “Changed your mind about letting him push his... product here?” “You could say that.” Celestia looked me over for a second. “Radiant?” “Huh?” I raised a brow. “Oh! Yeah, yeah. That is most definitely... my name.” “Good to see you coming through these doors on your.” “Yeah. It's great.” I frowned at her. I would have been angry if I believed she was mocking me, but she didn't look any more amused than I did. I pointed toward the doorway. “I should really get going.” She nodded, stepping aside as I entered. The rest of the day would normally consist of me brooding about my current predicament, and fantasizing about what I'd do when I finally returned to my own world. However, I found myself distracted by Dr. Brighter's recent actions. That... cocoon, thing, was creepy. That lab was creepy, heck even the guy was creepy. But was he actually trying to do? He set up a booth on school ground's to lure student's to his lab. Considering that my mother knew about him, he must have been set up somewhere else too. He tried to show us something, but I got the sense it didn't turn out how he wanted it to. And then principal Celestia booted him from the premises. ...Why? Ultimately, that was only one way to find out, and that was to go to the woman herself. During lunch I entered a bathroom stall, and waited for everyone to clear out. I chose one of the bathrooms furthest from the lunchroom to ensure few people would unexpectedly drop by. Standing in front of the mirror, I looked myself up and down. blue hair, yellow skin, green eyes? “Lets fix that.” My magic may have diminished in this world, but it's not gone yet. I took a deep breath and focused on my reflection, as a veil of green light enveloped me.