The morning sun was already well over the horizon and climbing into the sky as Starlight Glimmer lay dozing in its warmth. She drifted in a wonderful place between sleep and waking, where thoughts would half form before spinning away back to oblivion. The place where dreams lingered, before daylight finally chased them away. It felt comfortable and safe, where even monsters from the past could not reach her. There was nothing she wanted more at that moment than to be left to dream the day away, but a gentle hoof upon her shoulder finally shook her awake.
“Starlight…” she heard Twilight calling, softly. “Starlight, wake up.”
Starlight stirred, then yawned and sat up, blinking her eyes as they adjusted to the golden light. Twilight stood by her bedside, looming over her. There was a smile on her face that was odd in a way that Starlight couldn’t quite put her nose on, as if she was hiding some private joke that was fairly bursting to get out. “Good morning,” she said brightly.
“Morning.” Confusion crept onto Starlight’s face. “Why do you look so big?”
Twilight chuckled. “Probably because you’re so little now.” She playfully tapped Starlight’s forehead with her hoof. “And you’re clearly not totally awake yet, are you?”
Shaking the sleep from her head, the previous day’s events came back to her. Starlight held up her own forelegs and saw her now tiny hooves. That’s right, she thought. Nine years old for the next couple of days. Which meant today was Field Day. Today, they’d see if Twilight and Trixie’s plan would work. Then she remembered what else had happened the night before. She turned to look at her friend, still blissfully asleep next to her.
Not Trixie, thought Starlight. Lulamoon. She’d glimpsed something heretofore unseen in her friend. She’d be spending the day with someone who was both familiar and new to her. Someone who apparently shared Trixie’s sleeping habits, because she showed no signs of waking, even now. Starlight shook her gently.
“Hey,” she said softly. “Time to get up, sleepyhead.” Lula grumbled and burrowed deeper into her pillow. Starlight shook her a bit harder. “Come on, we need to get ready!” The tiny blue unicorn shrugged her away and kicked at her.
“I don’t wanna go to school!” she whined.
Twilight brought her hoof to her mouth to stifle a giggle. Losing patience, Starlight leaned over and spoke into her companion’s ear. “Okay, but then you won’t get any cupcakes when it’s over.” Lulamoon’s eyes snapped open as she sat bolt upright, nearly knocking Starlight off the bed.
“I want cupcakes!” she blurted out, then looked around. “Wait… What’s going on, again?” she asked.
“Field Day,” Starlight replied, barely hoisting herself back to safety with Twilight’s help. “Time to spend the day with the local grade schoolers.” She poked Lula in the side. “You are nearly impossible to wake up, you know that?”
“I had a long day yesterday,” Lula protested. She finally noticed Twilight. “Good morning. Are we late?”
“No,” replied Twilight. “It’s almost seven. We need to report to the school field by eight-thirty, so there’s plenty of time.” Twilight walked to the door, then looked back. “Get washed up and meet me in the kitchen. Spike’s getting breakfast ready.” She brought her hoof to her mouth as if trying to hide the broad smile she wore, then to her breast as she sighed. Shaking her head, she trotted out to the hall as the two little unicorns watched.
There was a long silence before Lulamoon spoke. “Okay,” she said. “What was that all about?”
“What?” Starlight replied.
“The smile, the hoof on the heart thing. She looks like…” Lula searched for the words. “Like she just found a book called The Ten Most Heartwarming Stories Ever and then read every one.” She paused. “Twice.”
“I dunno,” said Starlight as she climbed down to the floor. “It’s Twilight. She gets emotional over everything.” She laughed to herself. “I once saw her shopping for greeting cards and she started crying while reading them.”
Lula’s eyes widened. “No!” she said in disbelief. Starlight nodded her head vigorously, holding her right foreleg over her heart.
“Filly Guides honor, I swear it’s true.”
“Wow…” Lula looked at the door where Twilight had stood. “Stupidly sincere doesn’t even begin to cover it.”
“What was that?” asked Starlight.
“Nothing.” Lulamoon climbed down to the floor. “We’d better get ready. I’ll go to my room for my stuff.”
“Okay, meet you back here in a few minutes.”
The now shrunken stage magician trotted out the door, leaving Starlight alone for the first time since the previous night. Everything in the room seemed too big for her now. The bed. The bureau. She could barely even see herself in the mirror on top of it. Not for the first time, she wondered if they weren’t about to make a terrible mistake.
True, she’d been the one to start all this by writing this age illusion spell, but that had been for Sunburst to see. She’d hoped that he’d be impressed by her technique, as well as overcome by nostalgia for the childhood they’d shared. But that would have been for the two of them alone. This… This was different. This would be going out and facing the world as a child.
She sighed. Deep down, she suspected that Twilight was right. That, at her core, she still faced the world as a child, and had simply gotten very good at hiding it. No wonder Trixie had seen the truth first; she and Starlight both wore masks with which they hid themselves from others. Well, Lulamoon had taken off her mask, and now it was time for her to follow suit.
She needed to face her fears and finally free herself from her past. Only then would she ever be able to find peace. First, though, she needed to wash up and fix her hair.
Fifteen minutes later, Lulamoon stood next to Starlight in her room in front of a full length mirror as Starlight carefully parted her mane into bunches and tied them back with her magic. She was utterly absorbed in the task, having long since fallen out of practice. She bit her lip in concentration as she finished up, the hair ties knotted into pretty little bows, then stepped back to admire her work. Lula, meanwhile, simply brushed her mane into her usual curly flip, then floated her hairbrush to the top of the now oversized bureau. The two adults turned children sat down on their haunches and gazed at their reflections in silence. It was Starlight who finally spoke first.
“So, there we are. The new kids in town.”
“Yeah,” Lula replied. “It almost doesn’t seem like it’s really me in there.” She turned to her friend. “Starlight, this spell of yours… It only changes how we look, right? Not how we think?”
“That’s the whole idea behind it. Why?”
“Well…” Lulamoon turned back to her reflection, a shadow of concern crossing her face. “Ever since you cast it yesterday, I’ve been thinking things that I never normally would. I feel like…” She trailed off, not wanting to complete the thought, but Starlight suspected what she meant.
“Like you really are a little kid?” Starlight asked.
“Exactly!” Lula exclaimed. “Just being this small again is making me feel things I haven’t felt since I actually was nine. And now I feel like…” She turned back to the mirror and studied the tiny unicorn looking back at her. “Like I’m about to go to a new school, and the teacher’s going to make me stand up in front and introduce myself.”
Starlight winced at the thought. “Oh, I hated that!” she said. “It’s like everyone in the room is judging you.”
Lulamoon nodded. “And you’re all alone up there and don’t know what to say, and you just know that no one will ever want to sit with you at lunch!”
“Yeah, that’s the worst.” Starlight looked through the mirror and far back through the years. “No one ever really sat with me,” she said. She lapsed back into silence, then let out a surprised yelp as Lula suddenly grabbed onto her from behind, throwing her forelegs around Starlight and pressing her head over her friend’s shoulder and next to hers.
“Well!” she declared with loud confidence, “you won’t be alone in front of the kids this time! I’m your wingpony! I’m here to help you fly!” She leaned in against Starlight’s back, held out her forelegs to each side and began flapping them. “See? I’m giving you wings!”
“I don’t think that’s what ‘wingpony’ means—”
“Wi-i-ings…” Lula stage whispered, flapping even harder. “And super spe-e-ed…”
Starlight snorted with laughter, and soon Lulamoon joined in as well, bringing her waving forelegs back down to hang onto Starlight’s back as the two fillies collapsed into helpless giggling. She still held on after they’d regained their composure, the two friends looking at their reflections, their faces cheek to cheek.
“You know what I see in there?” Lula softly asked.
“What?”
“The two most popular new kids in school,” she said with a smile. “The ones all the fillies will want to sit with at lunch.”
Starlight chuckled. “And I suppose all the little colts will want to be our boyfriends?”
“Oh, naturally! We’re irresistible, after all. And we’ll be the first they pick for teams at recess!”
Starlight’s expression turned distant as she imagined the sort of life Lula was describing. A childhood full of friends and popularity, as fantastic to her as something from a fairy tale. “And after school, we’ll be invited over everyone’s houses to play,” she murmured to herself. “And on our birthdays, every kid in town will want to come…”
Lulamoon laughed, imagining their imminent takeover of the elementary school social scene, then realized that her friend wasn’t laughing at all. She climbed down from Starlight’s back, then gently brought a forehoof to her companion’s chin and turned her head to face her. “Hey,” she said gently. “It’s going to be fine. Just playing with some kids for the day.”
Starlight answered with a crooked smile. “I know it shouldn’t matter,” she said. “I know it’s just some games, but still…” She looked at the floor a moment, sighed, then faced Lula again. “I just hope the other kids will like me.”
Lulamoon touched her hoof to Starlight’s chest. She understood that fear. It was the prayer that every new kid whispered to herself just before standing in front of the class. “Of course they’ll like you,” she replied. “How could they not?”
The aroma of cinnamon and brown sugar had begun wafting up from downstairs. “Are you two ready yet?” Twilight called from the bottom of the stairs. “Your breakfast is getting cold!”
“Come on,” said Lulamoon as she turned toward the door. “Before Mom starts yelling at us.” Starlight snorted a laugh and followed behind.
Twilight and Spike were already waiting in their seats as the girls took their places at the kitchen table. Spike couldn’t help but giggle when he saw that Lulamoon’s head was now nose-level with the tabletop, drawing a hurt look from her in response. Twilight only smiled, then turned to her scaly assistant.
“Spike, could you run to the library and get my Unabridged Tales of Maretonia, please?”
“Um, sure,” he replied, looking puzzled as he left his seat. “What do you need that for?”
“It’s for Trixie.”
Spike raised a brow ridge questioningly and turned to leave when Lula cleared her throat. “Twilight,” she began. “May I ask a favor?”
“Of course. What is it?”
“Well,” she said as she stood, bracing her forelegs onto the tabletop in order to face the princess, “while I’m like this, could you not call me Trixie, please?”
Twilight frowned. “You’re not still worried about others recognizing you, are you?”
“It’s not really that, just… Call me Lulamoon instead, okay? Or just Lula, for short.”
Twilight looked at Spike, who simply shrugged and departed to fetch the requested book. “Okay, fine with me, I guess,” she said, turning back to the little unicorn. “Lulamoon, huh?” She repeated the name as though tasting a new food. “That’s cute. I like it.”
“Thanks,” Lula replied. Twilight began levitating bowls of steaming hot oatmeal in front of them while they waited for Spike. He returned only a few moments later, struggling with an enormous tome. “I’ve got the book, Twilight,” he wheezed as he staggered back toward the table. “Where do you want it?”
“Put it where Lulamoon is sitting. Lula, could you move, please?”
Spike heaved the heavy book into Lula’s place as she stepped away, then returned to his own. She eyed the thick volume suspiciously. “Am I supposed to read something in this to give me advice for the coming day?” she asked.
“No,” replied Twilight. “You’re supposed to sit on it so that you can eat your breakfast.”
“Oh.” Lula sighed as she climbed onto her makeshift booster seat. She began eating her meal, grumbling to herself for needing special treatment at the table. Starlight leaned over. “It’s not so bad,” she whispered. “At least it’s not a high chair.” Glaring, Lula shoved her away, then pouted.
They ate silently for a few moments before Twilight spoke. “So, excited about today?”
“Excited. Nervous. Kind of scared,” Starlight replied. She levitated a spoon dripping with the hot cereal into her mouth, then returned it to her bowl and looked for the bowl of brown sugar on the table. She floated it over and began measuring out a few spoonfuls into her oatmeal. “Lula and I were just wondering if the other kids will like us.” She replaced the sugar on the table and began idly stirring her bowl. “It’s silly how worried I am about that.”
“It’s not silly at all. It’s totally normal.” Twilight paused to spoon some of her own food into her mouth. “It’s also exactly why we’re doing this. And I think you’ll both do fine.” As she returned to eating, she again looked across the table at her young companions, and brought her hoof to her mouth to cover her smile. Lulamoon noticed it, frowned, then could finally stand it no longer.
“What’s going on?” she demanded.
Twilight tried to play innocent. “What do you mean?”
“You!” said Lula, standing atop the book to bring herself eye level with her. “You keep looking at us and grinning like a fool! What gives?!”
Twilight wiped the smile from her face. “Nothing gives,” she replied, making herself stony-faced. The effort collapsed after only a moment, drawing laughter from Starlight. Twilight was a genius at many things, she thought, but she carried her heart on her forehead. Hiding her feelings was nearly impossible for her. Twilight’s huge grin returned as she blushed.
“It’s you two,” she explained. “It’s what I saw when I came to wake you up.”
“What did you see?” Starlight asked, tilting her head.
Twilight bit her lip, looking as though she was about to burst with glee. “I came in and saw you two asleep together,” she began. “So, I thought ‘Oh, that’s convenient. I can wake them both up at the same time.’ And then when I got closer, I saw it.” She paused, almost squealing to herself at the memory. Starlight and Lula looked nervously at each other.
“I saw how you were both cuddling together in your sleep,” Twilight blurted out. “Starlight, you had your forelegs wrapped around her like you were trying to protect her from something, and Lula was burrowed into you, and you both had these sweet little smiles on your faces, and it was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and… And…” Twilight paused her rambling. “And I just dropped dead right there and you’re talking to my ghost now.”
Twilight’s grin threatened to split her face in half as the two fillies looked uncomfortably around the room, trying not to look at her or each other. Lula blushed while Starlight rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. A terrible, awkward silence fell across the table.
“I wish I’d had a camera,” Twilight finally said.
“I’m kinda glad you didn’t,” Starlight mumbled to herself.
Twilight’s eyes suddenly widened. “A camera!” she exclaimed. “We need a camera for today!”
“We really don’t,” replied Starlight, desperation in her voice.
“We do! Excuse me!” Twilight began shoveling oatmeal into her mouth in the most unprincesslike way imaginable, then wiped her face with her foreleg. “You two, finish up and meet me by the front door. Spike, you clear the dishes when you’re all done. I’ll be down in a little while!” Twilight dashed through the kitchen door, headed for the stairs.
“Honestly, you don’t have to bother—” Lula began.
“We can make a photo album from this!” Twilight gleefully called back.
The two fillies and baby dragon stared silently at the door, then resumed eating. After a few more spoonfuls, Lulamoon turned to Starlight. “Okay,” she said slowly. “Here’s the plan. If she tries dressing us up, we kick her in the shins and then run for it. Deal?”
Starlight swallowed another spoonful of oatmeal, keeping her gaze fixed on the doorway. “Deal,” she replied.
It was nearly 8 o’clock when Starlight and the others were all gathered in the castle entryway. Hooves had been washed, dishes cleared, and they were ready to leave for Ponyville elementary school. Twilight had made her reappearance, now sporting two fully-packed saddlebags and a camera bag that levitated in the air next to her. She passed it over to Spike.
“Here you go, Spike,” she said. “You get to be the official cameraman for today.”
“Yes!” he exclaimed, pumping the air with his clawed fist. His eyes suddenly widened. “Wait! I’ll need—”
“And here’s your reporter hat,” Twilight continued, floating a gray fedora onto his head, a card reading “press” held in its band.
Lulamoon leaned over to Starlight to whisper in her ear. “What’s with the hat?” she asked, nodding toward Spike.
Starlight leaned in to answer. “He really likes hats,” she explained. “He’s got a ton of them he likes to wear, for all occasions.” Lula snorted.
“Perfect!” Spike said, looking smug as he opened the bag and began loading the camera with film. As he fussed with it, Twilight removed the bags she was carrying and did a last minute check of their contents. Lula and Starlight moved closer, curious to see what she had.
“Do you really need so much stuff just to cheer for us?” Starlight asked as she peered into one.
Twilight nodded. “Cheerilee gave me a list of things parents are supposed to bring. That’s why I was up late last night. I was getting this all ready and packed up.”
Lula glanced sidelong at Starlight, an eyebrow arched. “Oh, she’s our parent now, huh?” she whispered. “Joy.” Starlight shushed her.
Twilight began ticking off the contents of one. “Lunches for all of us. I hope you like daisy and tomato sandwiches. I got some really nice nutty bread from the bakery on the way home yesterday.” Her horn flared as she rummaged a bit deeper down. “Bottles of apple juice, courtesy of Applejack. Fresh apples for snacks, also courtesy of Applejack.” She brought out a small jar. “Some honey, for dipping the apples in, because that’s what my mom always brought when she took snacks for me. A blanket to sit on. And… Oh! Almost forgot!”
Twilight floated a small bottle from the other bag and opened it, squeezing some cream onto her forehoof. She leaned forward and dabbed a bit on Starlight’s and Lula’s noses and began spreading it around. Lulamoon immediately wrinkled up her nose and pulled away, rubbing at it. “What did you just put on us?!” she demanded.
“Sunblock,” said Twilight. “You’re going to be out in the sun all day. You don’t want to get burned, do you?”
“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Lula growled. “Can we go now?”
Her tiny horn glowed as she opened the front door and scampered outside. Starlight began to follow, then stopped. There’d be no turning back once she stepped over the threshold, and she found herself once again filled with doubts. Her heart began to pound as her breathing quickened, and then as if by magic, Twilight was standing at her side.
“That last step’s the hardest one, huh?” she said.
Starlight kept her gaze fixed straight ahead, looking out the door. Lulamoon had dashed up the walkway leading toward town, and was now impatiently motioning for them to join her. “There is nothing for me to be scared of,” Starlight said quietly. “I’m just going to meet some children. I am an adult.” Even as she said it, Starlight wondered who she was trying to convince: Twilight, or herself. She turned and looked up at her mentor.
“Okay,” said Twilight. “That was big Starlight talking. What does little Starlight say?”
Starlight took a deep breath. “Little Starlight thinks I should turn around right now and run back upstairs. She wants to jump back in bed for the rest of the day and pull the blankets over her head.”
Twilight nodded, then sat down on her haunches, leaning down till she was eye level with the little purplish-pink unicorn. “Is she afraid of getting hurt?” Starlight opened her mouth to answer, but could only nod yes.
Twilight was silent, wondering how to break the stalemate, until the answer became clear. She sat up, then reached forward and hugged Starlight close. There was a moment of resistance, then Starlight relaxed, dropping to her haunches as well. Slowly, in her teacher’s warm embrace, the fear began to leave her.
“I know you’ve been hurt before,” Twilight said softly. “I know how scary it is to open yourself up to others. But you won’t be alone out there.” She gently brought a hoof to Starlight’s chin and tilted her head up. “You’ll have me and Spike, cheering for you.” Twilight then pointed out the door. “And you’ll have Trixie there, who I think is going to leave without us in another minute.”
“Lulamoon,” replied Starlight. “Call her Lulamoon.”
Twilight blushed. “Right. Sorry, I forgot.” She ruffled Starlight’s hair, then climbed to her feet. “Maybe, just for today and tomorrow, don’t think of yourself as big Starlight or little Starlight. Just be Starlight. Be scared, but be strong, too. Go out and face what you’re afraid of, and then you’ll see.”
Starlight tilted her head. “See what?” she asked as she stood.
“You’ll know it when you see it,” replied Twilight. She nudged her student forward. “Now, get going! You’ve got ponies to meet and races to run!” Starlight took a deep breath, then ran to join Lulamoon while Twilight and Spike locked the front door.
“What, did Mommy have to wipe your nose and help you go potty before we left?” Lulamoon smirked.
Starlight glared her. “Don’t be mean! This is hard for me!” she shot back.
Lula prepared to launch a retort, then reconsidered. “Sorry, it’s just… You both are just…” She finally let out an exasperated sigh. “C’mon, let’s just get going!” She began trotting out to the street as Starlight hurried after her. She looked back to make sure that Twilight and Spike were following them, then ran to catch up with Lula.
“We’re just what?” Starlight demanded as she fell into a trot at her friend’s side.
“Nothing! Never mind,” Lula replied. They were approaching the northern edge of Ponyville, and the town’s wood beam and plaster buildings grew more numerous. The school lay on the southwest edge of town, but Ponyville was small, and the walk wouldn’t take long. The streets were already filling with adults headed to work, but Starlight noticed that a great many school age foals and their families were also headed in the same general direction. Ponyville’s First Annual Field Day looked like it was attracting quite a crowd.
Starlight and Lulamoon walked on in silence before Lula turned to speak. “If I hadn’t come over yesterday and set this ball rolling, what would you be doing today?”
“Probably just our usual routine,” Starlight replied. “Twilight would be doing her princess stuff, I’d be studying magic. Spike would probably be helping Twilight.”
Lulamoon cocked her head. “Princess stuff?” she asked. “Like what?”
“Well…” Starlight considered the question as they made a right turn and headed toward Sugarcube Corner. What did Twilight do all day? “It seems to involve writing lots of paperwork. There is a surprising amount of paperwork involved with being a princess, apparently.”
Lula raised an eyebrow. “Really? Doesn’t she have… You know, other ponies to do that?”
“Not her,” Starlight replied. “She seems to be sending letters off to everyone these days. After that whole attempted invasion a couple of moons back, she’s gotten it into her head that Equestrian diplomacy needs to step up its game. She wants to make sure that no more Storm Kings show up out of nowhere.”
Lulamoon shuddered at his mention. She and Starlight had barely managed to avoid getting caught up in that mess, when Canterlot had been occupied for several days. Fortunately, Twilight and her friends had managed to save the day. It was all over by the time she and Starlight had emerged from hiding. As Starlight described their day, something occurred to Lula.
“So, wait,” she broke in. “You’re saying that Twilight just dropped everything to do this for you?”
Starlight shrugged. “I guess,” she replied. “I never thought about it. She just thinks this is really important.”
“No,” said Lula with an impish grin. “She thinks you’re really important.”
Starlight knew she was being teased. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” she sputtered.
Lulamoon stopped short, then looked her friend up and down. “Oh, my goodness,” she said in amazement. “You really don’t know what I mean, do you?” She resumed her trot, chuckling to herself as she shook her head. Confused and irritated, Starlight followed.
“So what if Twilight cares about me,” she said as she caught up with Lula. “She’s my teacher. And my friend.”
“I’ve had teachers before,” Lula replied. “I only had one that even came close to the way Twilight cares about you.”
“And my friend,” Starlight reminded her.
Lulamoon snorted. “Yeah, a friend. Tell me something: where do you live?”
“In the castle, of course,” Starlight replied, bewilderment in her voice.
“What does she charge you for rent?” Lula pressed as they rounded a corner.
They’d reached the smaller town square, with its fountain and cluster of shops. Starlight could just make out the gingerbread roof facade of Sugarcube Corner, the town’s cake shop, as they made a right and headed for the bridge leading to Ponyville Elementary. She looked back to see Twilight and Spike pausing a moment to look down one of the streets. She vaguely remembered hearing that this was near where the old town library had stood. It had been their home until it was destroyed in one of the many attacks the town had suffered, and they always seemed to get a little nostalgic around here.
Starlight turned back to Lulamoon. “She doesn’t charge me anything. She has lots of spare rooms.”
“Uh-huh,” nodded her friend. “Do you ever, I don’t know, buy food or anything for her?”
“Of course not,” Starlight replied. “She’s a princess. She gets money from Canterlot to maintain the castle.”
“And tell me, what do you do for a living, Starlight?”
“Nothing. I’m her student. She gives me a stipend every week.”
“Oh, a stipend,” Lula laughed. “That’s a fancy word for an allowance, isn’t it? And how are you still her student? I thought you graduated last year.”
The bridge was finally in sight. The crowd had grown fairly thick here, and a line of adults and foals were crossing the mill brook and headed for the school. As the pedestrian traffic snarled up, Starlight and Lulamoon waited for Twilight and Spike to rejoin them.
“What are you getting at?” demanded Starlight. “What, are you jealous or something?”
Lulamoon silently looked at her, and sighed. “Maybe I am,” she said. “And maybe I can’t believe that you won’t admit what she is to you.”
“And what’s that?!”
Lula rolled her eyes. “Okay, let’s go through this: she gives you free room and board, gives you a weekly allowance, hugs you when you’re scared, pats you on the head to make you feel better, and will clear her whole schedule just to take you to a kids’ sports day so she can cheer for you. What does that sound like to you?”
Starlight was silent a moment before she stammered out her answer.
“A really good teacher and friend?”
Lulamoon boggled at her. “Honestly, you can be the dumbest genius sometimes.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?!”
“Nothing, nothing,” Lula replied. “Oh, look!” she said brightly. “Here comes Mommy and Little Brother!”
Twilight and Spike made their way through the crowd, wishing passersby good morning. She was a longtime resident and most of the town knew her from when she was just the gawky young unicorn from Canterlot who liked to volunteer for everything. Still, she was royalty, and she had her fans. The town’s children loved her, and she enjoyed greeting them most of all. In a crowd of school kids, the going was slow. At last, they caught up with their small companions.
“Big crowd for this, huh?” said Twilight, wiping some sweat beading on her forehead as she looked up at the cloudless sky. “The pegasi really whipped up a nice summer day for us.” She surveyed the crowd in front of them as they slowly squeezed themselves across the narrow bridge over the mill brook. The next closest bridge was a few furlongs down river, further away from the school, and no one seemed willing to walk to it.
“This is taking forever,” Lula moaned. “We don’t have to wait, surely!”
“Oh, no,” said Twilight, annoyed at the implication. “I am not going to abuse my title and order anypony to move for us! That’s not how I do things! We can wait.”
“I didn’t mean that!” Lula replied. “Although that would probably be the easiest thing to do,” she grumbled. “No, I meant we can all teleport, right? And we’re outside now, so there’s no walls to worry about. Come on!” She bent her head down and closed her eyes as her horn began to glow. Starlight gasped as she realized what was happening. “Lula, no!” she shouted. Without even thinking, she raised a foreleg and smacked her friend’s horn.
Almost instantly, the mana field forming around it flickered and dissipated. Lulamoon staggered backwards onto her rump, grabbing her head in pain. “What’s the big idea?!” she gasped, massaging her forehead.
“Lula, whatever you do, don’t try to teleport!” Starlight exclaimed. “We’ve got an illusion and a transfiguration spell cast on us both!”
“So?!” she groaned. “What’s that got to do with smacking me in the face?!”
Twilight sat down to examine her. “It means you don’t have a real sense of your own body right now,” she explained. “Teleportation depends on you knowing where all your parts are, so you bring everything with you when you do it.” She reached down and moved Lula’s hooves a bit wider apart. “Try rubbing these spots here, okay?”
Lula did as instructed. “Oh, that’s much better,” she said as the pain began to fade. She looked up at Twilight. “What would have happened if I’d done it?”
“Well, you might have gotten across the bridge, but left pieces of yourself on this side,” Twilight explained.
Lula shivered, then looked at Starlight. “Is there any part of teleportation that doesn’t involve the risk of cutting myself in half or ripping myself apart?” Starlight and Twilight both turned to each other, then back to Lulamoon and shook their heads. The tiny blue unicorn groaned. “Fine!” she said. “I’ll wait my turn!”
The wait wasn’t too long, and soon they were across the brook. Turning left, they followed the crowd to the red schoolhouse that lay on the edge of town. The school’s field was fairly small, but neighbors had helpfully allowed the use of their land for the day. Starlight and the others could see children and adults milling about in the confusion that typically preceded large events like this. Twilight glanced around, searching for something.
“Ah!” she exclaimed. “There’s the check-in table. We need to go there first.”
At one of the schoolyard picnic tables stood a magenta earth pony with green eyes. Cheerilee was the town’s only elementary school teacher, and Twilight’s twin loves of school and volunteering had led to a fast friendship with her soon after the young unicorn had moved to Ponyville. She was pretty and an enthusiastic teacher. Her students all loved her.
Catching sight of the princess and her entourage, Cheerilee waved them over. “Good morning, Twilight,” she said brightly as they approached. She looked down at Starlight and Lulamoon. “And these are the, um, new girls, I take it?”
“Yes,” Twilight replied, indicating each as she introduced them. “Starlight and Lulamoon.”
Cheerilee frowned. “I thought you said it was Starlight and Trixie—”
Twilight cleared her throat as she nervously interrupted. “Little mix-up on one of the names.” She nodded toward Lula. “It’s Lulamoon.”
Cheerilee shrugged, made a correction on her list, then turned to the girls.
“Okay, glad to have to both joining us today. Before you go off to your team, I need to go over something with you.” She leaned closer and motioned for them to huddle in. “Now,” she said quietly. “I realize that you aren’t like the other children who will be competing, so I need to make something extra clear.” She looked around the make certain no one was eavesdropping, then continued. “To make these games fair, we’re restricting everyone to legs only. No wings for pegasi, and no magic for unicorns. Everyone’s an earth pony for today, all right?”
The girls both nodded. Cheerilee continued.
“This is important, especially for you two, because your magic is much stronger than any of the other children here. If either one of you tries to use it to help your team win, you’re going to get your team disqualified.” She glanced at Twilight. “Now, Twilight assured me that there’d be no trouble, so please… Please, for the sake of the other children you’ll be playing with, be careful. Okay?”
“I promise,” said Starlight. She looked over at Lula, who seemed to be eyeing the snack table. Twilight cleared her throat loudly, several times, until the little blue eating machine finally noticed.
“I promise, too. I’m here for the free cupcakes, not to win,” she said.
“Oh,” said Cheerilee as she walked back to the table, “I’m sure the rest of your team will appreciate your enthusiasm.” She bent down and began rummaging through a cardboard box under the table, emerging with two yellow ball caps in her mouth. She trotted over and placed them on their heads. “There you go, you are both now officially on Cherry Team.”
Starlight peered at Lula’s cap, seeing a patch with two cherries sewn onto it. Spike eyed the cap enviously. “You get hats, too?” he said. “Lucky!”
Twilight bent down to whisper in his ear. “I’ll see if they have any extras.”
“There are six teams total,” Cheerilee explained. “Nine children per team. Just look for the sign with your fruit on it and meet your teammates. Once you’ve all settled in, you’ll meet your team coach, and they’ll explain all the details.” She looked over at Twilight. “You’re sure this will be all right?”
“It’ll be fine, I promise,” Twilight replied. “And thanks. I owe you for this.”
Cheerilee laughed. “And I’ve lost count of what I owe to you.” She turned back to the girls. “I hope you both have lots of fun. To be honest, I’m a little jealous. Maybe when this is over, I’ll want to try this out for a weekend, too.”
“Oh,” said Lulamoon, “do you also have a whole bunch of unresolved issues from your childhood?”
“Okay, hey! Why don’t we find your team now?” said Twilight as she hustled them away, a bead of nervous sweat forming on her forehead. As they walked toward the waiting areas for the various teams, Twilight lowered her head and motioned to the girls to come closer. “I may not have told Cheerilee all the details about why we’re doing this,” she said quietly. “It seemed like the prudent thing to do.”
“Good call,” Starlight whispered to Lula. “I’d be nervous about having me participate, too.”
“You stop that talk right now!” Lula shot back. “We are both great, powerful, irresistible, and adorable! Just you watch!”
Starlight laughed and then looked at the others: Twilight, over prepared as usual and fretting over details. Lulamoon, determined to keep her positive. And Spike, ready to document it all while offering counsel to the neurotic unicorns in his life. Whatever happened today, she was glad this group was with her.
They walked along through the crowd of adults and children, past signs painted with different fruits. Apple. Pear. Peach. Berry. Orange. And finally a sign with two cherries. They had found their team. Starlight and the others stood on the fringe of the area, surveying the small group that were already waiting. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Twilight.
“I think this is where we go in alone,” she said.
Twilight nodded, then caressed Starlight’s cheek. “Have fun,” she said. “And just try to help your team as best you can.” She gazed at her little student, then suddenly opened her saddlebag and brought out the little bottle from before, dabbing a bit more of the sunscreen on Starlight’s nose. “Just to be safe,” she said. She then looked questioningly at Lula, who sighed and stepped forward, offering her nose as well.
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” she mumbled as Twilight dabbed a bit on.
“Good luck, you two,” said Twilight as she put the bottle away. “I’ll be cheering for you both.”
“And I’ll be taking pictures!” added Spike. He suddenly stopped and held a up a claw finger, as though motioning for the others to give him a moment. As they watched, he let loose an enormous belch of green flame, which resolved itself into a ribbon-tied scroll. Spike caught the scroll neatly as it fell and presented it to Twilight. “You’ve got mail,” he said.
Twilight’s horn glowed as she took the scroll from the little dragon and opened it to read. She nodded to herself, then rolled it back up. “Well, I know what I’m doing tomorrow,” she said as she tucked it into one of her bags.
“Anything wrong?” Starlight asked.
“No, just an answer to a letter I sent yesterday. I’ll need to pop over to Canterlot tomorrow for a little while, though. Anyway, we’d better get going.”
With a final glance, Twilight and Spike walked away to stand with the parents. The girls looked at each other, nodded, then turned and entered the team area.
“So,” said Lulamoon as she looked around, “know anyone here, Starlight?”
“Why would you think I’d know anyone?”
“I don’t know,” Lula replied. “You live here. You’re more likely to know the local kids than me. Aside from those two idiot colts that always follow me around.”
“Yeah, well, believe it or not, I don’t normally socialize with school kids.” As Starlight looked around, her stomach began to knot. There seemed to be children everywhere, shouting, laughing, a few crying. They all belonged here. They all had a place. All except her.
And why would she have a place, a voice whispered inside her brain. She would always be the new kid, forever the outsider. Why would they ever accept a freak like her? No one ever had, not even her own—
Starlight pushed the thought away, stuffing it deep back down inside her. Deep in the past, where the monsters were all locked away. You’re wrong, she thought. I have Twilight and Lulamoon and Spike. They accept me, they care about me. But even as she desperately fought to hold the monsters at bay, a familiar sensation began to take hold.
Stories will sometimes talk about going numb with fear. What most ponies lucky enough to never experience it don’t realize is how accurate a description it is. Panic isn’t simply a state of mind. It is a raw, visceral, physical sickness. She felt her heart racing, her breathing growing shallow and quick, and a dull tingling in her chest that began to spread. She felt like she was going to die.
“This was a mistake,” she said as she felt the attack take control. “This is crazy. I don’t belong here! I should go. I think… I think…!”
And then suddenly she saw them. Two young earth pony fillies, one pink with a round, friendly face, the other white with a fluorescent-striped mane. Starlight froze, then shook her head as if to clear her eyes. The panic began to subside, replaced by a sudden feeling of relief. Could anypony possibly be as lucky as she was at that moment?
“Those two girls over there...” Starlight turned to her friend. “I think I know them.”
Toola Roola and Coconut Cream.
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You might want to spoiler protect that there, man.
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Fine. But I’m probably not the only one who’s figured it out.
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It’s more a matter of it being out in the comments when you first load the story. It’s pretty easy to figure out.
But thanks for doing that.
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Fair enough.
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Honestly, in a story where Starlight turns into a child and has to interact with other children in Ponyville, it only makes sense for her to run into two of the only ones she’s had prior contact with. After all, Ponyvile is really small. There’s only about 50 kids in school that are around 9 years old. They also let her get past what was causing her panic attack: they already know her and were friendly with her. Starlight and Lula aren’t just strange new kids anymore, because Toola and Coconut are there to make introductions. I also really liked those two in the episode they showed up in, and wanted to get them into this story. I think they’re going to be good friends for Starlight and Lula to have.
There are going to be a few more familiar kids on Cherry Team.
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Good point.
Great capter I am really enjoying your story I wonder if the CMC are on her team or if they are competing as well it would be funny to see how Apple Jack, Rairity and Rainbow Dash will react when they see Starlight.
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Thank you. I’ll say right now that the CMC will not be on Cherry Team. I view this like it would be an actual episode, in which case the CMC’s team would probably be the main characters. Their team would probably have Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon on it, and be about them learning to work together to win. Since I want Starlight and Lula to be the heroes here, they’ll be teamed up with a bunch of secondary kids.
Cherry Team’s coach will probably be familiar for you, though.
This story is so good, I love it so much.
Very cute, the relationship between Twilight and Starlight is something to be protected.
I read with a silly smile on my lips.
ganhandoxp.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/my-little-pony-pinkie-pie-vomitando-arco-iris.gif
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It makes me happy how much you seem to be enjoying it. I hope you like where it all will end up eventually.
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Thanks for the reply I'll just wait for the next chapter keep up the good work.
Also it will be intressting to see what will happen on Mothers day can't wait
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Let’s just say that Twilight Sparkle is going to have a very, very busy Mother’s Day.
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Sounds like it's going to be a blast can't wait
It looks like this story got posted on Equestria Daily, so I'd like to welcome any new readers coming in from over there. I love hearing from readers, so please leave a question or a comment and tell me what you think.
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Yeah, found this from EqD. And apart from agreeing with Starlight that her relationship to Twilight is tenant and landlord, at least as far as the show has presented, the rest of the character work is holding up quite nicely.
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Well, considering Twilight's behavior towards Starlight in Celestial Advice and A Royal Problem, I think their relationship is way, way beyond "tenant and landlord." There are landlords that act like parents to their tenants, but that's acting like a parent, not a landlord.
Starlight fascinates me, because she's portrayed as being extremely powerful and talented, and yet also very naive and childish. Her relationship with Twilight since the beginning of season 6 has been my favorite thing about the show, because it seems more like Twilight adopted a troubled teen than an actual adult. And since coming to live in the castle, Starlight has regressed a bit. She lives in a bedroom, has no independent means of earning money that we see, and spends her time learning magic and life lessons from Twilight. It's very much the life a child would lead. Lulamoon just straight up calls her out on it in chapter 6. Twilight and Starlight are much closer than Twilight is to any of the Mane 6, because their relationship dynamic is totally different. The Mane 6 are Twilight's equals. Starlight is her student, and the student-teacher relationship can be very similar to that of parent and child. I'll be examining that a bit in a future chapter.
Wow! Just wow! This is definitely not only a excellent telling of Starlight's past but, also, Trixie's as well.
What is very grabbing about this tale is how it, to me, has genuine concepts about mental health all over it. I've learned of EMDR techniques that are very much like what Starlight is doing to heal her past. As humans we can only imagine our older selves going back to reassure that younger self that everything will be okay. However Starlight is actually able to be that child again to help heal her psyche from more than an imaginary perspective.
The plot is also extremely well developed with perfect pacing for everything. I'm particularly excited over how you developed "Trixie". I've also heard of people who go by other names to instill confidence in themselves that may not be with them naturally. This truly can explain why Lulamoon speaks of herself in the 3rd person. It would reinforce that she's not Lulamoon and hiding from a perceived 'weaker' self makes it easy to put up a whole bunch of mental barriers. After all any insults or rejection would be to 'Trixie' and not her true self. However, as I take from the story, Lulamoon has been at it for so long that separating herself from Trixie has become extremely difficult and hard to do.
To the above, I know how hard it is to be the real you. The real me is totally blind, trying to make accessible software work, trying to convince people that my total blindness doesn't make me less desirable as an employee, and a whole bunch of other things. However, as Yosh, I can 'choose' how to show myself. I've often talked with my therapist on the struggle of using Yosh as a part of therapy and not as an escape from reality.
Starlight Glimmer is my favorite pony for how she, like me, had a youth that was disrupted all too early. Mine was a result of growing up in a small town where having, at the time, partially blind kid was something nobody was prepared for. My sister, born three years later, also had the same congenital condition from birth that,fortunately, hasn't taken all her sight yet. But two kids with Glaucoma meant if one of us wasn't at an eye doctor getting checked out, or in surgery, the other one was. Not to mention the insane amount of teasing and misunderstanding that came with trying to adapt to growing up with a condition nobody else understood beyond their own fears and beliefs on losing sight.
This relates to your story in the scene where you have her looking in the mirror and seeing her young self. The time where the revelation is made that she's trying so much to over-compensate as an adult for what she never got past as a child. She hasn't really grown up as her childhood was disrupted and a disrupted childhood can lead to a lot of trouble down the line.
For me, I developed a diaper fetish. I've worked with my therapist on this but I can't 'will it away. The closest answer I've ever gotten is that my mind is trying to recover what it feels it lost once I became aware of the hardships of being 'different' coupled with constantly struggling as a result of having more-and-more taken away from me as my sight went from 20 / 200 to 0. (I lost my left eye at 5 years old)
I used to carry a lot of hate once I got into college and was discriminated against at my first job post-college. All I wanted to do was fit in despite my condition and, even now, reality never ceases to remind me of all the hurt I've had and continue to have as I struggle to 'fit in'. So, put simply, I relate with Starlight and I feel this story is going to be a part of my future discussions with my therapist on how I need to find additional ways to heal despite the continuing struggles.
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Wow. Thank you so much for posting such an insightful and brave comment. Saying things like this to the world can be so difficult; I imagine it’s all you can do sometimes to avoid having a near panic attack like poor Starlight began to have at the end of chapter 6. And I can’t tell you how happy it makes me that this odd little tale I’m spinning has touched you in such a personal way.
I think this story has developed out of my view that Starlight and Lulamoon are so good together because they help each other heal. The Great and Powerful Trixie has always come off as extremely insecure and lonely. She needed to connect to someone, but lived the life of a homeless vagabond. I liked the idea that having a friend like Starlight would ground her in a way that was life changing. Ponyville is her home now, whether she wants to admit it or not. And Twilight is also her friend, despite how she still teases her. I loved the dynamic between these three in No Second Prances.
We as humans in the real world can only try and deal with our childhood traumas after the fact. I get the fetish thing, because I suppose it’s fetishizing a time of innocence and happiness in your life (Even though childhood is actually often scary and painful). What Starlight can do, however, is literally reengage with her childhood. It’s the advantage of being a magical pony, I guess. I suppose I’m writing this because I want her to find happiness.
Of course, reengaging with childhood the way she and Lulamoon are will have consequences. If this was just a story about these two having a fun and heartwarming day of playing with children, I don’t think it would be that interesting.
Thanks for such a heartfelt post! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
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As an aside, I’ve come to kind of love Lulamoon in this story, and she threatens to take it over at times. When I was first considering this story, I was wondering what sort of past she’d have. Trixie is insecure and an extreme showoff, so what would make her like that? The answer presented itself after a while: what if she grew up always being held back because of some perceived disability? In this case, she was a gifted unicorn who was simply prevented from ever being allowed to develop her talents by an aunt who had mental health issues of her own.
I see Lula as having been small and weak, but might have still developed a healthy self-image had she been given the right guidance. Had she stayed in Celestia’s school, her teacher might have become the surrogate mother she needed. Had her aunt not been so obsessed with protecting her niece, she might not have grown up with such a terrible need to prove herself to the world. The next chapter will include a child on Cherry Team that she’ll find surprising empathy with.
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It’s interesting that you say that this is a great telling of Starlight’s past because, if you notice, I’ve barely said anything about her past beyond what we’ve seen on the show. I give an explanation for her psychology and dropped hints about a bad relationship with her mother, but nothing beyond that.
It will be addressed in detail, but later in the story.
That's what I like about MLP and the way each of us who write about it bring it to life. You just never know how deeply you may touch someone by just adding in your unique touch to it.
I apologize that I can't directly reply to your comments. My technology is weird with FiM Fiction. I can write comments but not answer them. I can reply to messages but not start new ones. I also can't write journals / blogs anymore. However being able to read and comment to stories, especially this one, matters quite deeply to me.
I can tell you put a lot of heart into this story. Not to mention research. You should be quite proud for the degree of dedication you've put into a tale so deep. It's not necessary but really adds to the experience while helping to drive home the message of how childhood traumas don't just 'go away' and need to be faced in order to feel truly 'grown up'.
I've done a lot of research on the effects of 'broken childhoods' and their connection with wanting to be 'little'. It's amazing how many people who have youthful characters have some sort of time in their early youth that traumatized them to the core. Being so young makes it ultra hard for the mind to process the trauma and, from what I've learned, causes the mind to go back to when it felt 'safe'. Being made to grow up / realize the pain of the world too early is definitely not a positive. I know, from my own experience, I developed the fetish, which is very annoying, as a result of a coping mechanism that got mangled upon reaching teenage years. Others I talk to who are similar tend to point to things getting disturbing upon the onset of their teens. It truly is bothersome since an unknown to your defense mechanism can become something quite ugly.
I look forward to seeing how this story pans out for Starlight and 'Trixie'. It has already helped me to think more deeply on myself and my own inability to really 'grow up' past coming to feel I was very different from others no matter how hard I tried to be the same. Knowing I can bring this to the attention of my therapist means I may be able to make more breakthroughs in being the best me I can be as I work towards gainful employment and self-advocacy.
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Interesting that you bring up the link between Starlight's emotions and her magic. That's going to play a crucial role in the upcoming chapters, and will lead to the events that propel the second half of the story. I see Starlight's immaturity as her having grown up ungrounded, with no firm emotional support from anyone. Not from friends, not from family, and not even from other adults around her that should have been concerned (Like her teachers). The basic question I premised her backstory on is why would the loss of one friend have so affected her? Where were her parents? Where was anyone else? Why could she never move beyond that day when Sunburst got his cutie mark and was sent away? That's all going to have to be examined before this is all through.
As for their adult minds being an advantage, I don't see it as cheating any more than having a very mature child on the team would be cheating. These will be simple field games, like relay races and obstacle courses and tug of war. There's not much difference between how an adult would approach it and how a child would.
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This is where I rub the back of my head in embarrassment and admit that I haven't really done any research for this story at all. All these issues I'm bringing up with Starlight and Trixie just come from my view of them and my imagination. If I'm integrating actual psychological theory into it, it's unintentional. For Starlight, I just imagine what sort of mindset she has based on what I know about her (Although I saw a leaked episode a month ago which totally invalidates this story's backstory for her. I decided to press on anyway, rather than try and retrofit my story to the new information). I see Starlight as a very childlike character, with issues of self hatred and abandonment fears. If getting your cutie mark is the point where a pony is considered to no longer be a child, then wanting a world without them is to desire eternal childhood.
In a way, Starlight fetishizes her childhood also, although her object of desire is Sunburst. But not for romantic reasons; she desires him for what he represents in her memories. That would explain why she went so far to try and reconnect with him as a child in Uncommon Bonds. I honestly believe that, if you put a gun to his head, Sunburst would admit that he's more important to Starlight than Starlight is to him.
Hmm. I think I recall one of your Author's Notes mentioning you looked for the how The Castle of Friendship would be in distance from Ponyville School House. There are lots of other details that, I imagine, come from a very keen observation of details beyond just the character interactions.
I see exactly how Starlight would desire Sunburst as a way to validate feelings she has long held onto. His approval would fully validate her and, likely, help her heal knowing he was the Sunburst she always knew. Sadly, as seen in 'Uncommon Bond', this is not the case. Everything did turn out 'okay' in the end but Starlight got a lot of blows to her psyche during Sunburst's stay. He didn't mean to hurt her but I'm sure knowing that the two no longer have that closeness being confirmed pings her mind. She really doesn't have a genuine 'anchor' in her current life. Trixie is her best friend but she also frustrates Starlight as much as she validates that feeling of acceptance despite being an awful pony.
The show has definitely done well in reminding Starlight of her past, too. The worst part is those she came to trust tend to be the one's making her recall how she did those things. Coming to terms with a wrong is one thing but she seldom doesn't get hit at least once per episode she is in for how she did what she did. Even the season finale for Season 7 showed how Twilight really doesn't see past the negative actions of a pony. I'm sure as they went about the original plan to banish The Pony of Shadows that Starlight thought of how lucky she was that Twilight wasn't in a banishing mood that day when they were traveling through time.
I've been unable to really get the spoilers due to most being silent videos or images (Both useless to a person with no sight) However you have me curious as to what the show canon has in store for Starlight beyond the notice from one of the staff that she was a "Latch Key Child".
I actually wrote a story about Starlight coming to terms with herself. However it is far less involved than yours. I also wrote it in conjuction with coping with how I was officially losing the last of my sight. Though I'm glad she is around as a character as they've done well to give a lot of us with broken childhoods who feel lost and misunderstood someone to relate with. :)
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Oh, my research into Ponyville's layout. I don't even count that as research, but I suppose it is. That was simply because I wanted to have that walk to school have an understandable geography to it. Like, to get to the school from the castle, you walk out the front door, hang a right, walk a few blocks, make a left around the corner, head down into the square where Sugarcube Corner is, then hang a right toward the bridge that leads to the school. If you go down a side street away from the bridge, you'd come to where Golden Oak library stood. The school apparently lies on a road leading to Sweet Apple Acres, and the CMC clubhouse is just off the road about halfway between the two.
Sunburst is going to make an appearance later in the story in an attempt to solve a problem that crops up after the whole Field Day thing. As for the spoilers, it has to do with her parents. There's an episode in which Starlight and Sunburst travel back to their hometown to deal with a friendship problem. Something we learn about Starlight completely invalidates this story's take on how she feels about reliving her childhood.
You know, I find it sort of sad that you can't see the nice piece of art I commissioned for this story's cover.
I do hope the Season 8 spoiler doesn't take away from how you feel about the story you've put so much work into. If anything the content isn't even supposed to be 'canon' yet. (This is why I wonder why and how Hasbro / DHX has allowed such leaks to happen. Sometimes I really think it is on purpose to see the degree of reaction they get from the non-target audience viewers. Perhaps they are secretly trying to do market research on how toy and rating sales go with certain elements being known in advance?)
A lot of stories I did miss the mark on canon by miles. However I'm still glad I did them. There are also stories I've read that have, in my opinion, content that is better than the canon.
Overall, I'm saying no episode of the show will ruin my enjoyment of this story. It feels 'right' and that's all that really matters. :)
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There's no danger of the episode spoiling this story. I came to that decision months ago. How this story will end isn't anything that would ever happen on the show, and so it starts out being completely non-canonical. I used to criticize fanfic as being inherently masturbatory, in that it's for self-satisfaction. Well, I'm writing this for that very reason. This is my view of these three characters and their relationship. This represents how I would handle it, not how the show would.
I have a lot of affection for these three. At the end of this story, I hope you put it down and think that it makes emotional sense to have it end where it will.
8722335
I honestly thought that was going to be Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
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Is her dad the Snape pony? Please tell me he's the Snape pony.
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See, this it's why spoiler tagging is so important.
And no, her dad isn't the Snape pony. He's kind of the opposite, actually.
I...I love this. Every damn bit of it. I haven't read fanfic in a long, long time, but it looks like I picked the right time to come back! It's cute, it's funny, it's heartfelt, it's well-written, and it's actually delving into these characters a lot more than I expected it to, and I really appreciate that. Your prose is elegant, the characters are spot-on, the conflict is believable, and this whole thing is just so damn cute and...well, it's honestly kind of relatable.
If I were to criticize anything, it'd be that there isn't more of it yet, and that's perhaps the best compliment I can think of to give to you.
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Okay, pardon me while I blush.
Thanks, that really means a lot to me. To be honest, I never read fanfic seriously. Least of all FiM fanfic. It's just that this story was buzzing around in my head for a couple of months until I finally decided to just have a go at writing it. I've never, ever written a fic prior to this, and actually held them in pretty low regard.
I want this story to be dramatic, but heartfelt. By turns funny and sad. And so far, I've been mostly satisfied with what I've accomplished. Cute, but relatable, huh? I think that's the appeal of FiM in a nutshell.
I'll do my best to keep the story output moving along. Field Day is going to be a little difficult, but I have a feeling it'll end up being two long chapters.
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You are so far succeeding on every front you're aiming for.
One other thing I'd like to say is that I appreciate the layered mystery you've got going on. We don't know the full extent of Starlight's backstory, but the temptation, the need to know, is driving me to read further...just like Twilight's need to know, I guess.
And it's good you're balancing funny and sad, because, IMO, adding both adds depth and relatability and keeps us hooked.
Keep up the good work, man.
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The question of what's the deal with Starlight Glimmer is ultimately going to hang over the back half of this story. The trouble is that the more Twilight asks about it, the less anyone wants to talk. I've left a lot of clear clues about Starlight's self-hatred, but where it comes from and why will hopefully be a shock.
I think a lot of the writers on this site are extremely young (Disclosure: I am probably way older than most users here), so they may come at drama with the notion that it has to be serious all the time. The thing is, with characters like these, it's going to be cute and fun most of the time. You need to have a balance, or else the reader will just get exhausted. So, for example, Lulamoon can be a goofball whining about not wanting to go to school and saying she's in it for the cupcakes, but at the same time she'll be prodding Starlight about her relationship with Twilight.
I want this story to be mostly cute while poking your feels button every once in a while. I think the scene in chapter 6 that does both for me is where Starlight and Lula are in front of the mirror. I love this image I have of Lula hanging over Starlight's back, with her head pressed up against her friend's. I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a lot of physical contact between characters in this story. They touch hooves, they touch shoulders, they tilt another's face up, they caress cheeks... I try to aim for descriptions of affection between them.
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By the way, is anyone ever really "relieved" to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?
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Well, given that we've seen almost nothing from those two since DT's reformation, you bet I'd be relieved to see them come out of the background.
8731507
In my mind, if this were an episode, it would be all about the CMC’s team, and DT and SS would be on it. They’d have trouble working together until they reach an understanding, then go on to win. Starlight and Lula’s team would be one of the generic “other kids” that you wouldn’t be paying attention to.
You're late to the party, Twilight. I died a while back.
8733587
Let the image fill your mind of filly Starlight cuddling tiny Lulamoon as they both sleep, smiles on their faces, and see how long before the diabetic coma begins.
img00.deviantart.net/868a/i/2018/048/8/d/an_tea_ques_by_bobthedalek-dc3hkzq.jpg
I love the relationship between Spike and Twi in this story! The fact that she was gonna check to see if he could get a hat for Spike was adorable! I can certainly see a Mother-Son relationship between them!
8743366
It's funny, but Spike loves to dress up all the time in the actual show. Back in Mysterious Mare Do Well, he showed up wearing that fedora while interviewing other ponies. I like the idea that he just collects hats for all occasions, so of course he'd want a Field Day team hat.
The thing is, I don't see Spike and Twilight's relationship as mother and child. To me, they've always been sister and brother. Spike loves her, but will often call her on her bullshit in a way that, say, Starlight never would.
Damn this is getting so fun!
8764787
You all have no idea...
I was unsure of this story t first only because I have seen some weird crap on this site before and was a little worried, but you have definitely managed to make this story charming and heartfelt instead of creepy.
8767127
I set out to do something that almost never happens: write a story involving age regression that doesn’t turn into multi-page descriptions of diaper usage.
I want to cuddle those two not-fillies so hard right now.
8784143
I've long believed that Starlight makes more sense as a child than as an adult. What's been surprising is how well readers of this story have been reacting to Lulamoon. Together, they're almost unbearably adorable. If there's one constant in this story, it's how much those two care about each other.
8784982
It almost reminds me of her depiction in the novelization of Turnabout Storm. Have you read that?
8784143
No, I haven't. Is that based on the Phoenix Wright parody?