“Bye, Mom! Going to school!” I called as I opened the front door. Mom came barreling down the hallway. She rammed into me with a hug.
“Have a wonderful day, Princess Jicxie,” she said as she tapped my nose playfully.
I grinned. “You too, Mom!” I pecked my mom’s cheek with a kiss, and then ran out the door. Right before I boarded the bus, I turned around. “I left something on your bed for you!” Without saying anything else, I swung my backpack into the bus and took a seat next to Kristyn. Before she closed the door, Luna saw Kristyn and I hug.
“Well done, Princess Jicxie. Well done.”
“So, guys?” Susie Lyrica said apprehensively. She walked toward Kristyn and I. We were sitting at a bench on the blacktop at Manetown High. It was Nutrition, so Kristyn and I took the opportunity to make up for the years of friendship they, namely md, had wasted.
“Yeah, Susie?” Kristyn and I said simultaneously. They giggled.
“Jinx!” we cried. “Double jinx!”
“Guys!” Susie sighed.
“Oh, yeah. What’s up, Susie?” I asked sweetly.
“Yeah! What’s up?” Kristyn added.
“So…” Susie played with her streak of mint green hair. She tried to find the right words. “So… I mighta, kinda, sorta twisted the truth when I told you about my new colored streak.”
“How so?” Kristyn asked curiously.
“Well, I never really went to a salon to get it done. On the day I showed you, Kristyn, my streak, it kinda just appeared.”
“Huh?” Kristyn and I gasped.
“I woke up that morning and the streak was just there. I asked my mom about it, and she laughed when I told her! I remember her saying, ‘You humans are so funny!’ ‘Humans?’ I said. Mom went on to tell me that she was really from another world, a magical pony-filled world called ‘Equestria.’ Apparently, when any girl who is the daughter of a ‘pony’ from this magical world is born with a colored streak in her hair, but sometimes, it doesn’t show up for many years. My mom’s ‘pony’ name is Lyra Heartstrings. You think that she’s making it all up?”
Kristyn and I looked at each other and smiled. We linked arms and stood up. Kristyn took Susie’s arm.
“Well,” Kristyn began, “remember my party last month?”
Susie rolled her eyes. “How could I forget?”
I turned six shades of red.
“Well, what your mom says is true.” I continued my cousin’s sentence.
Susie’s jaw dropped. Kristyn and I laughed.
“It’s true!” we both said.
“I’m ho-o-ome!” I called. I dropped my backpack onto the floor. Luna came speed walking toward me.
“Welcome home, Jicxie.” We hugged.
“Hey, Mom. You find my gift?” I asked with a wry smile.
“Yes, I did. And I think that it’s lovely.” I put my arm around Mom’s shoulder.
“Glad you like it, Mom. Susie and Kristyn gave it to me. Susie took it on the night of Kristyn’s party. Let’s go to the kitchen. I’m craving some moon cakes!”
Luna nodded. “I purchased some this morning.”
I looked at my mom and grinned. “ Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, Jicxie.”
“Well, on the night before Kristyn’s party, I saw a painting in the Spellan’s hallway. It was a portrait of Aunt Celestia and Uncle John on their wedding day.”
I noticed that my mom had pursed her lips and was trying to keep a straight face.
“Anyway,” I continued, “in the painting, Aunt Celestia looked shocked, like she was about to say something.”
Luna laughed. “Oh, that was because of me! I was making silly faces behind the artist painting Celestia’s and John’s picture.”
“You?” I asked.
“Yes, my dear. Even a solemn princess like me can be funny if she wants to be!”
“I see…” I was laughing, too. “Also, on the hem of Aunt Celestia’s dress, I saw a label stitched into it. It said ‘Dresses By Rarity: The Carousel Boutique.’ Who’s Rarity?”
“Ah, well, she is a unicorn seamstress from Equestria. Before Tia and I left Equestria, Celestia and I asked Rarity if she would sew us our wedding dresses. If I remember correctly, when my dear sister asked Rarity if she would make our dresses, the poor unicorn swooned, pulled a couch to herself with her magic, and fainted on it! Princess Twilight Sparkle aided Rarity by showing her what the body of a human looked like, and Rarity made us our gowns. Honestly, I think that Tia has the prettier dress.”
“Well,” I added, “I’ll bet yours is just as pretty. Can I see it?”
“Someday,” was all that Mom said.
Mom and I walked side-by-side, laughing. And as we walked past the bookshelf in the hallway, the moon tome glowed and lit up the newest treasure displayed on its shelf: a framed photograph of Dad, Luna, and Celestia (in their pony forms). In the photo, Mom was lying on the ground in, glowing and smiling. Dad was resting his hand on Luna’s shoulder, and Celestia stood behind Dad and Mom. She was smiling and emanating yellow rays of light. And me… I was standing triumphantly on the top step of the Spellan’s porch. I had my fists on my hips and I was smiling. A blue glow surrounded me.
Let me tell you now, this all really happened. Princess Luna really is my mom, and Princess Celestia really is my aunt. I really am the daughter of the moon, and I really did become Nightmare Moon. I’ve turned around, but let me warn you now: don’t let jealousy consume you. You might not be the daughter of a pony princess, and you might not become a monster, but jealousy can affect you. Trust me. If you’ll excuse me, I have to meet with Kristyn. We’re going to see if she has any powers, like I do. This is all I have time to say, but who knows? Maybe I’ll meet you again. If you’re ever in Manetown, look me up!