//------------------------------// // Day 1, Part 2 // Story: Starlight Glimmer's Canterlot High Vacation // by Toon4Thought //------------------------------// The black limousine that the director Canter Zoom graciously rented for the girls’ trip was heading towards the mall entrance closest to the movie theater. The eight inside had spent most of the ride getting increasingly hyped for the movie. “So, most of the rides in this world aren’t quite this… fancy?” Starlight asked, bouncing experimentally on the comfortable leather seat. “Unfortunately, yes.” Applejack replied, from Starlight’s left. “In fact, this is only my second time in one of these fancy thangs. Usually we ride in cars about half this size with half as good material. Not to mention you have to steer.” “Or you ride the bus, even less comfortable,” Sunset added, from the opposite end. “I always use a motorcycle when I must drive, but it really isn’t for everyone. Maybe I’ll try driving an actual car at some point.” Starlight sighed, looking out the window past her. “I have no idea if all these should be considered primitive or advanced.” “Well, you sure can’t deny that we are ridin’ in style!” said Pinkie, emphasizing the last part with a flat sweep from her hand. “Definitely the kind of travel someone like myself deserves.” Rarity smiled, admiring her fingernails. “Well, we all know I’m the one who got it because I’m awesome,” Rainbow teased. “But seriously, I think it’s safe to say we’ve all earned this.” At that moment, the limo came to a complete stop at the curb. The driver opened the passenger door, letting the girls out one by one. As they began to walk, a bunch of hardcore fans screeched out in joy and took pictures of each of them. The crowd wasn’t quite as large as most other movie premieres, but it was still pretty sizeable. Pinkie Pie had recently turned their Dance Magic music video into an online hit, and word spread of their subsequent cameos not long after. Rarity, first to step on the path, particularly enjoyed the attention; giving the crowd irresistible looks and walking slowly to savor the moment. Rainbow Dash relished her five minutes of fame just as much, fist-bumping a few fans and occasionally posing to show off. Pinkie Pie was just excited to see all the pure happiness around her, and though she did try to keep her attitude somewhat professional, she couldn’t help but bounce from time to time out of glee and her energy proved contagious to the crowd. Sunset Shimmer and Applejack followed, both acting pleased yet humble, while occasionally finger-pointing or waving at the biggest fans. Fluttershy came next, blushing and keeping her head down. However, over time she did start to somewhat appreciate the attention. It helped that all of her friends were right beside her. Twilight Sparkle was slightly nervous herself, but she found herself having fun observing a few of the fans’ cosplays. Last was Starlight Glimmer. While she didn’t have the claims to fame that the others did, she still got a modest applause from those who had seen her in the mall earlier and complimented her dress. As nervous as she was, she still felt proud and liked getting positive attention for a change The seven presented their VIP passes to security, and while they couldn’t get Starlight one under such short notice, they were still able to buy her a regular ticket. She was perfectly content with this, as she personally thought she didn’t deserve the special treatment anyway. “We’ll be sure to look out for you inside the theater,” Sunset said. “Enjoy the movie!” She waved her new friend goodbye as she followed the others into the lobby. “Okay.” said Starlight, slightly uneasy at how much larger and crowded the box office area felt by herself. Before she could get even more uncomfortable over it, she quickly rushed through the doors. Juniper Montage was still at work at the concession stand, visibly bitter about what had happened earlier but was more focused on her work than before. Remembering Twilight’s advice to interact with others, Starlight walked up towards the stand and got noticed as soon as Juniper finished serving her current customer. “Oh, hi.” she greeted, somewhat timidly. “Star…bright, was it?” “Starlight.” she replied, just as nervous. “Yeah, right. I’m still trying to process everything I’ve dealt with in the past couple hours…” “I’ve been there... even today, in fact.” “So, uh… I’m kind of busy right now, so can you just come back later when I’m... not? I’ve been in enough trouble already, and I don’t want to wreck my reputation even further.” She chewed her lips in an attempt to hide her feelings as she began serving another customer. “Actually,” Starlight continued without changing her tone. “I was wondering if you would like to join me for the premiere? I mean, I wouldn’t want to watch it without my friend.” Juniper suddenly paused, her eyebrows and lips slowly dropping on the edges. After several seconds, she returned to her original expression, finished her current customer’s order, and very quickly turned her head back to Starlight to get her response in before the next customer. “I am getting off work just as the movie starts. Get a seat for me and I’ll find you in the theater.” Despite the stern tone, her agreement still made Starlight feel happy. With the small sum of cash Rarity had given her Starlight bought some popcorn and one extra ticket for Juniper before finding her way through the hallway. She was amazed at just how many large cinemas lied in this one facility, but then again, she had no idea how their movies even worked. Looking at the posters that she passed along the way (most of which looked overly flashy to her), she already got the impression they were much more ambitious than anything even the best video cameras in Equestria were capable of handling. This made her grow even more curious over just how large the gap between their technology and hers even was... When she entered her cinema, the arrangement looked more or less like what she expected based on most Equestrian auditoriums. In the center of the room were the VIP guests, who quickly noticed Starlight and waved cheerfully. After giving them a firm smile in response, she saw she was sitting in the furthest seat on the row below the group’s. After taking her seat, she noticed that despite her inexplicable watch showing the correct startup time for the movie, they were instead showing these long advertisements called “trailers” that unfortunately only seemed to confirm her suspicions with the medium. Though one of the later ones shown, a sequel involving a city being drowned in pudding, looked cute enough, part of it having to do with Pinkie gleefully screeching a couple times as it played. If there was one good thing she could definitively say about them however, it’s that they decently prepared for what she was about to see, for better or for worse. After thirty or so minutes, the lights suddenly dimmed, catching Starlight off guard, and the movie finally began. As the drawn-out logos played, Juniper arrived and took the seat next to Starlight’s. They greeted each other with small, awkward smiles. After a few moments ticked by in awkward silence, Starlight whispered into her ear, “Do most movies have this much advertising? I mean, it feels a little like overkill to me.” “You’d be surprised how much money goes into making movies like this,” said Juniper. “They need all the attention they can get to make up for it. I would know; I’ve been helping Canter on set for a few years now.” “Does it ever annoy you or something?” “Not really,” she shrugged. “I’ve seen so many movies that I’m used to it, I guess,”. Starlight chose to take her word for it and leaned back into her seat as the title “Daring Do and the Marked Thief of Marapore” flashed onscreen, followed by the opening credits. She wondered how they managed to make the words pop off the screen like they did, but didn’t want to ask Juniper too many questions. As the movie progressed, she found herself surprisingly engrossed in the story and the acting, slowly chewing popcorn while keeping her eyes locked on the screen. She couldn’t help but admire how much the camera work and large sets managed to add to the staging, as well as the special effects that she assumed came from magic of some kind. Granted, the effects could occasionally become a little distracting, but Trixie’s magic shows made her used to them. There were a few points where Juniper excitedly squeed at certain moments that were particularly exciting for a hardcore fan. She even whispered to Starlight about one or two particular instances, who politely listened despite only previously knowing about Daring Do through her teacher. Late in the film came a pivotal scene with Daring running through an exotic-looking village. And there was none other than Rarity and Sunset Shimmer, dressed to match the setting, followed by Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy. Despite how short each of their parts were, Starlight was still incredibly excited just to see them in the film. As the crowd cheered with each cameo, she gave a wide grin and a “Woot” of her own while Juniper simply gave a deep breath to not feel too uncomfortable. But it didn’t end there – as Daring found herself in trouble, there was Rainbow Dash throwing her the whip that was left behind earlier in the story. Starlight heard a raspy, over enthusiastic “YEAH! I look so awesome on there! I’m officially a movie star!!” behind her, as well as some shushing immediately after, which she only rolled her eyes at. From there, there was one action scene after another as the orchestration, tone, and staging became more and more tense. This made Starlight more invested than ever, never once looking away even when her distraction made her accidentally drop her popcorn. It all finally culminated in Daring saving the village from the violent eruption and setting off on her next adventure. As soon as the credits began to flash by, the crowd gave a standing ovation toward both the film and the girls. The girls’ applause, however, was the loudest of all. Starlight found that she enjoyed the movie more than she thought she would, and wished Equestria had the technology to make films like that, as overly commercial and effects-heavy as they were. “Y’know, as much as I hated her at the time,” Juniper admitted as she and Starlight exited the cinema, “Chestnut actually made a pretty good Daring Do! I mean, I definitely could’ve done without some of the makeup and accent, but I’m amazed at how much she nailed the charisma.” “I’m not... too familiar with Daring books myself.” Starlight admitted. “My teacher has told me about them though, and I think she would’ve loved to see this.” She then quietly muttered to herself, “Too bad things are a bit… complicated for her to.” “Honestly, I only really disliked Chestnut earlier because I felt like I would’ve otherwise had the role for myself, since I’m Daring’s biggest fan and my own uncle was directing. It just felt like a chance that I didn’t think may ever come up again.” “Still… as someone who once wanted petty revenge herself,” Starlight winced a little inside as she said this. “I really don’t get why you thought trapping those girls would really solve anything.” “I just wanted them out of my hair, I didn’t know it would put their lives in danger!” Juniper panicked, directly looking at Starlight. “When I looked at the cracked mirror and saw how afraid they were… I simply could not justify what I did. Who would adore someone who committed an act like that?” Sighing, she put her head down. “Not that it really matters at this point.” Starlight put her hand onto Juniper’s shoulder. “It’s never too late to climb back up. I know from experience.” Juniper’s spirits lifted at the support, which continued. “When I was given a second chance, I only felt better in life as time went on. So have two of those other girls, in fact. Just try your hardest with what you currently have, and if you work hard enough and prove to everyone that you’ve changed, someday you may just find yourself adored on the big screen after all.” The frown on Juniper’s face slowly turned into a small, but genuine smile, tears starting to form in her eyes. “I never realized having a friend like you could feel this great…” She wiped off her tears quickly. “Maybe I am just asking for too much, but I guess I should start by learning that fame is earned and not handed over. Thanks, Starlight. Come stop by when you want to talk to me again; I get a lot of hours.” “Will do.” said Starlight, smiling herself. Juniper held out her hand, offering a handshake. Starlight’s hand met hers in response, though she ended up shaking her arm up and down rather violently. Juniper was a little surprised by this, but she wound up not thinking much of it and the two kindly wished each other a good night. By the end of the hallway, a handful of people were getting pictures and autographs of the VIP guests, most of which enjoyed the attention while Twilight and Fluttershy were just… well, shy. Spotting Starlight, Sunset beckoned her to come to them. She did just that, even though she had to get past the crowd. A lot of the time she found herself squeezing between two people, and often over apologized for it. “Hey guys,” Rainbow Dash announced, pointing to Starlight, “If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have made it here tonight!” The crowd then began to cheer for Starlight Glimmer, with the other seven kneeling down to make her visible. The various flashes and sudden attention almost instantly made her very uncomfortable. “Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea.” Applejack whispered. But then, as Starlight remembered that she was among friends and that she didn’t have a bad reputation to worry about in this world (that she knew of, anyway), she slowly began to appreciate the burst of popularity that stood in front of her. She modestly smiled at the cameras, turning back and forth between them, and occasionally showed off her dress. “I’d say she is now fine with it.” said Fluttershy. This went on for a few minutes before they all went back to the limo to ride back to Rarity’s, this time only making conversation after they exited the vehicle. “So, how did you like it?” the fashionista asked Starlight. “Very… interesting. I can’t say we have movies like that where I come from. At most, they are about a tenth as long and not quite so… large.” “Admittedly, our movies can get kind of overwhelming sometimes.” Applejack replied. “But man, did you see me up there?!” Pinkie shouted excitedly. “It’s so amazing to think that you are being witnessed and adored by millions on the big screen! The big screen!!” Fluttershy, without saying anything, hid her face behind her own hair. “I’m sure it is,” Starlight replied, nervously rubbing her arms. “But I don’t think I would be able to handle all that myself.” “Don’t sell yourself short like that,” said Rainbow. “You did great with those crowds back there!” “Not to mention all the nice publicity when you showed off that dress,” Rarity added on. Starlight thought back to both of her encounters. She mostly remembered how closed-in and hesitant she felt, with her mind projecting slightly exaggerated images, but come to think of it… yeah, she really did seem to take the attention quite well after she let it sunk in. The last time she could recall relishing the spotlight at all was back when she led… Her mind immediately snapped back to reality, not wanting the reminder. “Well, we best be heading back to our places for the night,” said Twilight. “It’s getting quite late.” “Shame, I’m not sure I want this night to end.” Rarity mused. “Granted, the afternoon I could probably do without but…” “We get it,” said Applejack. With a roll of her eyes, Sunset turned toward Starlight. “I take it you don’t have a place to stay the night?” Starlight hesitated, only now realizing the rather crucial flaw in her plan. “Err… no,” she shook her head sheepishly. “I… didn’t think that far?” “Well, if it’s fine with you, I’d be happy to let a fellow Equestrian stay at my apartment.” “Uh… sure.” Starlight said, hesitating to take such a sudden offer. She most definitely appreciated it though, especially from Sunset. “I hope to see you later, girls.” After a few moments of cheerful “Goodnight”’s, Sunset led the way to her place of residence. Upon arrival at Sunset’s apartment door, Sunset swiftly opened the door and gestured with her arm to let Starlight walk in first. “I know this isn’t quite Princess Twilight’s castle,” she said, “but I make the most with what I have.” The first thing that caught Starlight’s eye, right outside the shut closet, was a large, black plastic bag, stuffed with worn laundry. Hanging off the handle of the closet was a surprisingly nice-looking backpack, the open zipper revealing textbooks and cheap, paper-filled folders filing it to the brim. In the living area was a brown, wooden, three-drawer chest that, given the various scratch marks, clearly must have seen better days. The top drawer, halfway open, was tightly packed with numerous papers. The sheets at the top of the piles all appeared to involve either magic or science. On top of it, there was a bulky, box-like appliance that resembled a miniature cinema screen -- another technological curiosity of this world. The small kitchen area looked especially unusual. On the surface, it looked like little more than a small mess of appliances, but on closer inspection Starlight was surprised to find half the tools would fit much more at home at a chemistry lab than a kitchen. What caught her attention most of all, however, was on the wall just past a slightly stained, round-frame couch. Taped to the otherwise plain white surface were pictures of some of Sunset’s happiest and proudest moments, most of them with her friends. Starlight studied these pictures for a while. They spoke more about the seven’s bond more than words possibly could, serving as a wonderful reminder of just how great the circle of friends truly was. Overall, Starlight found the living quarters quite small and cheap compared to what she had grown used to, and certainly far from extravagant, but it still looked serviceable all things considered. “It’s… nice,” she finally said, exaggerating her opinion slightly. “Yeah, not the comfiest place out there. It gets the job done though,” Sunset shrugged. “By the way, you’ll be sleeping on the couch-bed.” She took the seat cushions off the couch, unfolding it into a bed with a simple pull of a handle. It didn’t look incredibly comfortable to Starlight, but she appreciated the accommodations nonetheless. Her focus then shifted toward a lamp next to the couch that was unlike anything else in this room. It had a unique, jar-like shape attached to a typical hard plastic base embedded with Sunset’s cutie-mark. Most interesting of all, however, were the bunch of tiny, sparkling, occasionally fading lights flowing within it like tiny fireflies. Starlight simply couldn’t take her eyes off it. “I can see you like that lamp I made,” Sunset smiled. “...You made this?” said Starlight, finally turning away from it. “Yup! I even won the school science fair with it,” Sunset said proudly, pointing at one of the pictures above the couch. It showed her standing right next to the firefly-lamp receiving a shiny gold medal, with a smile so wide, Starlight couldn’t help but grin herself. “Neat!” Starlight exclaimed. “Have you made other things like that?” “Nah, I’m more focused on studying theoretical stuff and whatnot, particularly the magical kind.” “Oh. Still, a lot of what you have here looks quite impressive.” Starlight spread her arms out to emphasize the entire room. “How did you even get to be so good at science?” “Well, after you’ve spent part of your life studying under Princess Celestia, you’re bound to pick up certain habits you’ll love too much to drop.” Before Starlight could ask about that, Sunset changed the subject. “Alright, so now to prepare for the night…” Almost out of nowhere, Sunset put her arm around Starlight’s and dragged her to the bathroom. Upon reaching the bathroom door, she quickly grabbed and shoved in Starlight’s hands a toothbrush, towel, and set of pajamas from the bedroom for her to borrow. Sunset clearly wasn’t trying to be too rude, but Starlight still found it jarring just how forceful her companion suddenly became. Starlight found the teeth-brushing and clothes-changing more challenging than expected with just her hands instead of magic, but thankfully Sunset was happy to help her with advice no doubt born of her own experience. It’s like she switched back to her kind self at the flip of a switch, Starlight thought. However, she chose not to speak up in fear of coming off as inconsiderate herself. By the time she was back at her couch-bed, Sunset had already placed the pillows for her. The bed felt pretty much like she imagined it would -- kind of stiff compared to the beds she was used to, but still comfy enough for a fine rest. The pillows, however, felt almost as soft as clouds. She dug her head into them and sighed with content. “So…” said Sunset, sitting next to her on the bed. “How do you like it in this world so far?” “I’ll admit, as jarring as everything was at first,” Starlight replied, quietly and slowly. “It sure does have its charms. I can still taste that wonderful ice cream…” She gave a content sigh and closed her eyes as she recalled the multicolored treat. “Wait until you see what I’m going to show you tomorrow,” Sunset chuckled. “You wouldn’t believe what else they have here!” Starlight was slightly nervous but still curious. “I’m sure I won’t… but I am looking forward to it and everything.” Might as well make the most of this opportunity. “Well, I think you’ll like what I have in mind.” her companion replied. “Goodnight Starlight. I’m glad to see you’ve enjoyed yourself so far, and hopefully that’ll only continue from here on out.” Sunset turned the light off on the way to her own bedroom. Starlight spent a few processing all that happened that day… Despite her having to deal with her new bipedal, fingered form and the mirror magic, she had to admit this was a pretty wonderful day for her.  That made her anticipate what was to follow more than ever. She slowly closed her eyes, and fell asleep with a soft smile.