//------------------------------//
// 08: Turning Back to the Future, Part II 
// Story: Being Juniper Montage 
// by Bookish Delight 
//------------------------------//

Juniper rose to her feet and looked around. She soon recognized where she was—the posters of Canter Zoom's previous works, scattered filming equipment, and large mahogany office desk were a dead giveaway.

I'm in the studio. The director's office. But why?

The storm that had been going on all night now raged stronger than ever outside the window. And standing in front of that window, with his back to Juniper, was the one person she had been afraid of approaching for weeks.

"Uncle Canter?" Juniper ventured, taking a step forward.

Canter didn't move. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"I..." Juniper took more steps forward. "I-I was hoping we could talk."

"About?" came another curt reply.

A flash of lightning preceded Juniper's words. "About, well... you know... everything?"

Canter turned around, his expression and voice exasperated. "Oh. You mean about how, once upon a time, I had a loving niece who was also the world's best assistant. Until one day, she decided to become something else."

Straight to the point. Juniper already knew this wasn't going to end well. She stepped back. "I-I said before, though, I'm—"

Canter rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, 'I'm sorry'." He sighed. "It loses its meaning after the tenth time, Juniper. Besides, I'm sorry, too. Sorry I ever trusted you."

Juniper gritted her teeth. If she never heard that word again, it'd be too soon. "I get it, all right? I screwed up! But I want to make up for it! Isn't there any way I can prove myself?"

Canter shook his head, walking to his desk and sitting down behind it. "Sorry, but you've proven way too much already. You only get one chance in this world, Juniper, and you threw it away. The only reason I didn't take stricter action is because you're family, but the industry has no room for saboteurs.

"You've been blacklisted," he said, the words daggers to her heart. "You're already banned from the studio, but I'll need all of the 'indefinite loaner' equipment back from you as well."

A massive clap of thunder boomed. "Blacklisted?" Juniper croaked, barely able to get the word out. She took more steps back. "You... went that far?"

"I didn't," Canter replied with another, longer sigh. "But word gets around. Like I said, family connections are the only reason things aren't worse for you. It took every string I could pull just to get you that job at the mall theater—and look how that turned out."

He looked straight into her eyes. Juniper peered back, hoping to see even the least amount of sympathy in his, and failing. "Make no mistake, Juniper. What you did on the lot, to say nothing of the stunt you pulled at the mall afterwards, is proof positive that Applewood just isn't for you. And now, it never will be."

Juniper felt her resolve crumbling, along with the ability for her limbs to support her weight. "But... but I love film!" she whimpered. "Movies are everything to me! You were a huge reason for that! If that path is closed off to me, what do I even do?"

"That's not a question I can answer." Canter folded his hands. "Look, Juniper, lots of people 'love film', but never end up releasing any. I suggest asking them what they found to do instead."

Juniper's heart froze. "But—"

"This discussion is over. And we won't have it again."

Juniper looked at her uncle, and his unwavering expression, and the reality set in: this Canter Zoom was no longer the loving, supportive man she'd known for years. There was no point in trying to appeal to him. He was no longer on her side. Nearly stumbling over herself, Juniper ran out of the room, wiping away tears.

Nowhere I go is safe! Nobody I know is safe! I'm not safe out of my own mind, or in it! And now I've been—

She stopped.

Wait. Blacklisted? That never happened. Uncle Canter and I never had that talk. That's just... 

She gasped.

This is what I've always been afraid would happen.

She wiped the last of the tears from her eyes, only to see darkness wherever she looked. She pushed down the creeping fear and dread, tentatively testing the ground she couldn't see. Mildly relieved that she could still walk, she took a few more steps.

In the midst of step number three, she bumped into a person. With a scream, she jumped back, and saw a young woman standing in front of her.

Once again, she looked a lot like Juniper, except also not at all. She had long green hair fashioned into impeccable curls, had blush and eyeshadow applied in exactly the right places, and didn't wear glasses. She stood before Juniper in a full-length jewel-encrusted sparkling blue dress, visibly proud of her appearance, and commanding of attention.

Upon further reflection, Juniper reconsidered the resemblance—she wasn't sure if she would ever match this woman's level of beauty, even after the longest of salon sessions. This wasn't the towering monstrosity she'd turned into on that fateful day in the mall, but the fashionable diva she'd originally seen when she'd bought the enchanted mirror hours before. She was the perfect picture of a cinematic starlet, Juniper concluded, mentally dubbing her as such for convenience's sake.

It was a look Juniper would have to grow into—and she knew that she wanted to. She just didn't want the personality that came with it. "Who... are you?" Juniper said, blinking and shuddering. She shrank back. "Are you here to hurt me? To take me over?"

Starlet didn't answer, instead, walking around Juniper, never taking her eyes off her. Every step she took echoed in the darkness.

Juniper trailed Starlet's path with her eyes, then shook her head, placing her hand to her temple. This was all so confusing. "Why have you been in my head all night?" she demanded, before an idea struck her. She stopped in her tracks. "Wait a minute. I've heard about you from my Twilight! You're... you're the monster in me, aren't you? Brought to life by magic from another world."

A surge of anger bubbled inside of Juniper, and she clenched a fist. "Everything's been your fault!" she shouted. "The sooner I overcome you, show the world that I'm not awful like you, the sooner I'll be better! The sooner I'll be worth becoming friends with!"

In an instant, Starlet was in Juniper's face with a sneer. Her lips didn't move, but Juniper heard her reply, clear as day.

"Do you really believe that?"

Juniper shivered and shrank back harder, but just as quickly gathered her nerve, and straightened herself, with a defiant glare of her own. "Yes! Yes, I do!"

Her voice slipped into insecure softness. She closed her eyes, and spoke again. "I have to. Everything else I've tried to believe in has... well, backfired."

Starlet nodded, then stepped back. A demure giggle echoed through the blackness. She outstretched her arm towards the void in front of them.

With a single swipe of that arm, the void swished aside like a curtain.





When Juniper opened her eyes, she found herself sitting somewhere soothing and comfortable. She looked around. It was the backseat of a car—no, a limousine? A spacious one, at that.

She felt different fabric covering herself than what she was used to. She looked down, and found that she was wearing a lavish full-length green dress, a fluffy pink scarf around her neck—and she still had her glasses, she saw as she reached up. She sighed in relief, as she enjoyed being able to see.

With the push of a button, she rolled down the window, and looked outside. What she saw made her jaw drop in disbelief. The limo rolled up to the deluxe-sized Canterlot Central Theater—where she could see the entryway packed with crowds of people, held back only by velvet rope.

The limousine stopped in front, her door opened, and a chauffeur's arm reached out to her. Juniper took her hand, and stepped out, seeing a green carpet rolling out in front of her as she did so.

And the crowd exploded. Metaphorically, fortunately—wherever she was, it wasn't an action movie. She heard her name screamed, loudly and often. Camera flashes flared all over. Some of them held up signs with her face on it.

She looked up. The cinema sign read:


"Leaving Everything Behind"
Starring Juniper Montage


The final piece fell into place, and clicked, stunning Juniper on the spot. "This is a premiere," she mouthed in an incredulous whisper. "My premiere."

"Juniper! Juniper!" A high school boy fought his way to the front of the crowd. "I loved you so much in Light of Justice!"

"Do you think you could you visit my school?" said a blushing high school girl who had done the same. "We could... hang out, you know?"

The boy rolled his eyes. "'Hang out, you know'? Bad enough you're trying to ask her out when I was asking her first, but that's your best line?"

"Buzz off! You're just mad because I asked faster!"

Juniper elected to not answer. Instead, she continued down the carpet, ignoring their bickering cries of "Just great, she's leaving now!" and "It's your fault!". As she walked, bewildered, she did her best to tune out the fans and even reporters, though she found herself no less grateful for their presence.

No less happy.

This. This is what I've always wanted.

"It's what we've always wanted," Juniper heard as she reached the end of the carpet. Starlet waited at the lobby doors, wearing a fashionable white movie usher's uniform with green buttons and trim. The voices of the crowd were by now a faint, distant murmur, allowing her to be heard clearly. "And the best part? It can be yours—ours—so, so easily."

"Oh, you can talk like normal people now?" Juniper snapped. "Finally admitting that it was you who's been harassing me this whole time?"

"I needed you to see before I said too much," Starlet said, gesturing towards the closed doors beside her. "I needed you to see everything."

"By constantly hitting the rewind and fast forward on my mind? By making me relive my worst moments? Witness my worst fears in first-person?" Juniper took a stern step forward. "I'm going to ask you, one last time, the same thing I've been asking you all night: what do you want from me?"

"To embrace who you are!" Starlet said. "Embrace what you've done! Stop trying to make everyone else happy! It does nothing for us!"

"But... but I've made mistakes," Juniper said, confusion in her voice. "Real mistakes, that weren't anyone's fault but my own. It's only right that I make up for them, isn't it?"

"And exactly how do you plan to mend the complete mess that's been made of things?" Starlet said, walking up to Juniper and putting her arm around her. "Yes, you could try. But you and I already know how it is out there. You and I know how little people care—and how easily people can hate when you give them the slightest reason or permission!"

Starlet slid around in front of Juniper, sliding her arm off of, and her hands onto, Juniper's shoulders. She stared into Juniper's eyes. "And you know how disappointingly the world we live in is not the movies we love. Out there, the bad guys can win, and usually do."

Her voice slipped into softness. "But here, the world as you dictate. You are, and can be, whoever you wish to be, for as long as you wish to be her. All of the pain, the sadness, people misunderstanding you, fearing you, hating you, whether they deserve to or not..."

She leaned into Juniper, whispering two final words in her ear.

"All gone."

Starlet let go of Juniper, and walked back to the cinema doors. However, even though Starlet was now several strides away, her words lingered in Juniper's heart.

Juniper heard doors unlatching, creaking ajar. She tried to look through the newly opened doorway, but all she could see was a bright white light shining out from it. It was impossible to see anything inside.

"We've tried so many things, and nothing's changed. We've suffered enough, Juniper. There's only one way to escape." Starlet held out her hand, her voice encouraging and inviting. "Let's go see the premiere. Let's go see the universe as it could be—as it deserves to be. Let's be stars together."

Juniper looked back. There were still dozens of people, cheering, chanting her name, saying how much they loved her. They didn't stop for a moment. There didn't seem to be a catch.

This was it. That was all she'd ever wanted. True, she would have settled for far less. For just not being hated.

But worship worked, too. Worked for how tired she was. Tired of it all. Tired of how people hated her, tired of how, even when things were going well for her socially, she could never escape the fears, the nightmares. Tired of losing all hope of those nightmares going away, especially after she pulled her sabotage antics.

And, especially right now, tired of magic.

I'm over the world. Over friends. Over trying to prove myself. Why bother trying anymore?

Juniper's decision struck even her as unnervingly easy, and she elected not to think about it. Thinking had led her to far too many terrible places lately.

"I..." She reached her hand out towards Starlet's, stepping towards her and the door. "Okay. Let's go."

"You've made the right choice," Starlet said with a widening smile—a smile which looked almost relieved. She took Juniper's hand. "You and I will never have to be sad again."

Starlet's hand was cold. Juniper ignored it, her heart swelling with each passing second from the words she'd just heard. "That sounds wonderful," she breathed.

They took the final steps towards the door—and then, Juniper heard a faint voice, growing louder even amidst the buzzing of the crowd.

"Juniper, no! No, please! Don't do it!"

Juniper stopped where she was upon recognizing the voice. "Twilight?"

"Juniper! None of this is real!" Twilight's voice echoed around her. "Please! You have to come back to us! You have to wake up!"

"Come back?" Juniper said, letting go of Starlet and looking around her frantically. "Wake up? Where are you?"

Juniper then saw Twilight running up the carpet. Starlet gritted her teeth, and swept her hand in Twilight's direction. More velvet ropes appeared in thin air. They interlocked together, forming a net that blocked all entry past the box office. Twilight pushed and struggled against them, but the velvet net held her at bay.

"There," Starlet said. "Distraction dealt with."

Juniper shook her head and sighed, backing herself towards Starlet as she looked at Twilight through the ropes. "Sorry, Twi," she said, her voice melancholy. "But I get it now. You shouldn't have bothered forgiving me. Nobody should have. I'm the worst sort of person. I'm a monster." She looked away, and sniffled. "Possibly literally, given the whole magic thing. Anyway, it's time I accepted it. I'm just sorry you took up a lost cause."

She looked back at Twilight, expecting protest. Even if she did, though... well, it was time to see a movie. She reached out to take Starlet's hand again, for the first and final time.

And Twilight spoke.

"You are a monster, Juniper."

Juniper whirled around. "Yes, I am, Twilight! Don't try to argue against me on—" She stopped and blinked. "Wait, what?"

"And so am I," Twilight continued, gripping the ropes. "And you know what? So is Sunset. So's Starlight. Heck, let's throw in Rainbow Dash, Principal Celestia, Fluttershy, even Canter Zoom!"

"Hey, now!" Juniper gritted her teeth in indignance. "Don't you dare talk about my—"

"We all have monsters inside of us!" Twilight yelled, pushing her hardest. "Everyone in the universe! Everyone in every universe! They claw away at our hearts, our resolve, our joy and happiness, and never give us a moment's peace! And when we try to stand up to them, they bring up the pain of the past, or our deepest, darkest fears, and it always, always works! It's horrible! And it's universal! No one's the 'worst sort of person' for it, because in that respect, we're all the same!"

Juniper stood, frozen, watching and hearing Twilight gasp for breath. In retrospect, she should have realized that a science genius would have had such a way with words.

"The way we differ is in who lets their monsters win," Twilight continued. "And the only way they win? The only way we really become them ourselves? Is if we believe them when they try to tell us that that's all we are. But we're not, Juniper. You're not."

Juniper faltered. "But... but I've... but I am, Twi," she choked. "I really am."

Twilight shook her head. "Not to me, Junie. Not ever to me. I've been exactly where you are. I know what it took to get me out of it."

Juniper fell silent.

"The Juniper Montage I know is sweet and funny, and she's exactly the kind of massive dork I wish I'd met sooner. Sure, she makes mistakes. Sure, she blows some things out of proportion. Who doesn't, though? I got silly over a kids' movie tonight—one near and dear to her heart. But guess what? She didn't judge me. She didn't hate me. Because she's done the same thing."

Starlet gritted her teeth, grunted, and snapped her fingers. The ropes holding the crowd back fell away, and they rushed the net, crowding Twilight, doing her best to pull her away. Twilight hung on for dear life.

"Which was why she could understand me! Just like she understood Sunny Flare and Photo Finish! I know she thinks she failed them, but given what I've heard from their own mouths, she's wrong about that too! The Juniper Montage I know is creative and passionate and so many wonderful, worthwhile things! Can all these people say that about you? They say they love you, but do they really?"

"Of course, they do!" The Starlet said, wrapping her arms around Juniper, more tightly than she had before. She pointed to the crowd. "Look at them! Can't you tell they clearly love us? More than anyone in the world ever could?"

The crowd erupted in an affirmative chorus of shouts.

"Juniper," Twilight said, "they may chant your name, but do you know any of theirs?"

The words hit home. Juniper looked amongst the crowd, at the dozens—no, hundreds, of people. She didn't recognize a single face. Even when I hurt Uncle Canter, it hurt me, too. Because we meant so much to each other.

A pendant appeared around Twilight's neck, and her body glowed with a violet aura. The ropes fell away. Starlet gasped, and stepped back—and at the same moment, Juniper felt a sharp pang of intense fear.

"When you go home," Twilight said, "would you feel comfortable calling or texting any of these people out of the blue? Or inviting any of them over to your house? Would you feel comfortable telling them your greatest fears? Do you think they would understand? Because you can do that with me." The sea of moviegoers parted around Twilight, and she stepped forward. "I'll always want to be your friend, Juniper."

Juniper inhaled deeply, not sure what to think. Her body took steps towards Twilight before her mind registered the action. "Always?" she breathed.

Twilight nodded and smiled. "I'll always want to visit you, or for you to visit me. We can watch movies, do lab experiments, go out to eat, take trips around the city or to different ones, or even just walk and talk a bunch. And even if I don't outright love everything you're into, I promise I'll always at least be interested, just because it's part of who you are! And I want that in my life. I want Juniper in my life."

Juniper's mind and heart reeled. No one had ever said those sorts of words to her before. Could she believe them? More than being Daring Do, more than making up for her past, she wanted to believe the words she'd just heard more than anything.

"And so do the other girls," Twilight said, as she and Juniper met in the middle. "They all feel the same way. The question is, do you feel that way about us? It's completely your decision. But it's one you have to make. You have to ask yourself if friends—real friends—truly are what you want.

"I had to do the same. I said yes. And because of that, look where we are. Now we're here, able to talk to each other."

"I-I..." Juniper stammered, looking into Twilight's eyes. "We are, aren't we?"

Juniper reached her hand out.

And then, the fear came back, another knife to Juniper's chest.

"No!" Starlet roared, and tugged Juniper back. "Don't listen to her! You've been here before! We both have! ‘Friends’ are just more people to let us down! To let you down!"

The crowd rushed Twilight again, grasped her again, pulled her back again. Twilight clasped her pendant, and with a relieved smile, waved her hands gently from side to side, gently shifting away the people away from her as if they were weightless.

"How many times have we been here before?" Starlet said. "Do you still not get what will happen if you listen to her? If you need a reminder, then have one!"

Before she could respond, Juniper felt Starlet's hands on both sides of her head. This time, they were freezing.





One blink was all it took. She was in front of her house. Twilight, Sunset, and Starlight all stood before her. Their faces were stern—no, more than that. Each girl's was different.

Sunset looked angry. Starlight looked hurt.

And Twilight stared at Juniper, looking utterly betrayed, and on the verge of tears. Juniper's mind spun. What had she done? What was going on? Why was this always what happened?

One by one, they shook their heads—and one by one, they turned and walked away. Juniper tried to run after them. The ground fell apart under her feet for her troubles, and she fell, endlessly, into pitch blackness.

No! Juniper's mind screamed. Twi! Sunset! Starlight! Come back! Please! I'll do anything you want! I'll promise I'll be a better person! Please don't hate me too! I can't lose anyone else!





Starlet removed her hands from Juniper's temple. Juniper's vision blurred back into focus, along with Twilight in front of her. She gasped for her breath between choked sobs.

It was another vision. It wasn't real. But Starlet had a point. Would it be, eventually?

Twilight shook her head. "We would never hate you."

Juniper gasped. "How did you—"

"You were kind of screaming out loud just now. Seriously, give us a chance. It's okay to make mistakes with friends. We'll let you know when you do, sure, but we'll also know you're just being yourself. And above all, that's what we'll always want.

"There will be some bad times, because we're all human. But they'll always be better when we're together. Whenever you want to be sad? Or angry? Or even a little mean? Be those things." Twilight winked. "We'll ride them out with you."

Juniper perked up with a gasp. It couldn't be. She totally understood that reference. "And... when I get finished feeling all those things?" she probed.

Twilight nodded with a confident and earnest smile. "We'll still be here."

Juniper's grin could have rivaled the sun in size and brightness. She could feel true warmth in her heart for the second time that night, and the first time in years—along with a rising panic. Juniper looked back at Starlet, who was close to hyperventilation. Her gasps rose in volume, until she finally screamed.

"No! You can't!" A white beam of light erupted from Starlet's outstretched hand, engulfing Twilight.

"Yes, I can!" Twilight struggled against it, moving forward at half pace. "And I'm bringing my friend back with me!" She held her hand out in front of herself. Her body re-covered itself in violet light, which then channeled from her palm, pushing Starlet's light backward.

"Don't you realize what you're doing?" Starlet said, her voice cracking. "Don't you realize just how much happier I—she and I—would be here? Get out!" She reared her other, also glowing, hand back. Twilight held up her other hand in kind.

Both of them thrust those hands forward, and suddenly Juniper had the strangest flashback to the first and last time she'd attempted a Neighponese movie marathon. She looked back and forth between both girls, feeling sidelined. Aside from her heart racing a mile a minute, she wasn't even a part of things anymore.

Or am I? Twilight's here. She's even winning. So why am I still so scared?

Her heart raced faster. Words, so many words flooded her mind, so much yelling, pleading, confusion, heartbreak, hope? She clutched her head with her hands as her mind swirled, her heart pinballed, with so many emotions at once, all fighting as intense a battle as Twilight and Starlet were.

Starlet's light doubled in intensity, pushing Twilight's back. "You won't take her!" she shouted. "You won't make her leave me all alone! I'm all she has! She's all I have! I can't lose anyone else!"

The realization hit Juniper like a ton of bricks.

She ran to Starlet, grabbing her wrists and pulling her out of the path of Twilight's light. The two of them fell to the ground. "What are you doing?" Starlet demanded.

"It's okay," Juniper said. "It's alright. I'll go with you."

The light in Starlet's hands dissipated. "What did you just say?"

Juniper flashed a reassuring smile to Starlet, causing the latter's expression to shift from angry to hopeful. The two of them stood back up. Juniper turned, and gave that same smile to Twilight.

"Thank you both. Because of you, I now know what I need to do. And I need to do it now. Otherwise, this'll just keep happening, over and over, friends or no friends." She turned back to Starlet. "Let's go."

"I knew you would do what was best," Starlet said, her voice shaking. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Juniper nodded, and the two walked to the lobby doors.

"No! Juniper, come back! We can make this right!" Twilight ran forward, and clasped Juniper's arm with both of her hands, her voice a pleading whimper. "You don't have to give up! I meant everything I said!"

"I know you did. And I'm not giving up," Juniper said, gently slipping her arm out of Twilight's hold. "But this is something I've been running away from for a long time."

She turned her back to Twilight, resolving not to look back. She could hear Twilight's sobs already—she knew that seeing Twilight's face, whatever it was right now, would hurt too much. She would be convinced to come back, and the cycle would simply continue.

She closed her eyes as she entered the theater, with Starlet at her side.

Twilight's despairing cry of "No!" was the last thing Juniper barely heard before the theater doors slammed shut behind her.