//------------------------------//
// Tomorrow 
// Story: Growing Up Glimmer 
// by Lord Camembert 
//------------------------------//

It was midday. Starlight had a lecture for another magic class, Introduction to Enchantments. She spotted Sugar Belle towards the rear of the auditorium. Up front, she spied Midnight, who waved her over. Starlight gave Sugar Belle an apologetic look and pointed towards the front before joining Midnight in the front row. Midnight spoke as Starlight sat down.
"So have you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"A bunch of ponies have been talking about the 'awesome prank' somepony pulled on the performing arts center. Apparently, it’s so stuck even the staff pegasi can’t get it off."
"Are you kidding me? I just wanted to fly my kite. I knew I should have gone up there."
"Star, you would have fallen and you know it."
"Are you two talking about that thing on the performing arts center roof?" Starlight turned away from Midnight to see Sugar Belle sitting next to her. "Was that you?"
"Not on purpose! I was flying my kite, and then a gust of wind knocked Midnight over, and the next thing I know the kite's stuck on the spire."
"Oh, wow, you've been having the worst luck, haven't you?"
"That's what I've been saying," complained Starlight.
Sugar Belle’s expression was sympathetic. “Sounds like yesterday was rough all ‘round.”
“Trust me, I’d rather just pretend like yesterday didn’t happen.”
The lecture started and Starlight quickly grew bored. The lecture material was all about enchantment techniques and spells she already knew. Sugar Belle was studiously jotting down notes while Midnight’s expression drifted in and out of confusion.
Once class was over, Sugar Belle turned to Starlight and Midnight. “You two want to hang out? I’m meeting up with a friend for lunch; you can come with if you like.”
Starlight answered, “Yeah, sure.”
Midnight was already standing. “I’m in, too.”

“Heya, Sugar Belle! Who are those two?”
A blue pegasus with silver wind-swept hair waved, gliding over to them. Sugar Belle walked ahead to greet her.
“Hey, Night Glider. This is Starlight, and… uh, sorry, I just realized I never actually got your name,” she said with a chuckle.
“Midnight. I’m Starlight’s roommate.”
“So that’s how you two know each other. Makes sense.”
Night Glider interrupted before they could continue. “Let’s go grab some grub. The cafe’s gonna be packed if we don’t hurry.”
The group made their way through a throng of ponies outside of the cafeteria, many of whom were holding signs.

Vegan or bust!
Do YOU want to be milked? Stop cow exploitation NOW!

A litany of similar phrases appeared on the other signs, some also bearing rough marker drawings of cows or milk bottles with red X’s running through them. Starlight glanced at Midnight, who seemed just as confused.
Sugar Belle explained once they got to the door. “This isn’t the first protest here. They’ve been here every time Night Glider and I come for lunch.”
Night Glider continued, “This cafe doesn’t even serve milk; I checked. They serve some substitute called ‘mylk.’”
One of the protestors overheard Night Glider’s remark.
“We’re not protesting the cafe. This just happens to be the one part of campus where all the walkways converge, so a lot of ponies protest here.”
“Oh.”

The four ponies sat with their food in a corner of the cafe. Night Glider tore into a sandwich as she spoke.
“So, you’re both in Sugar’s magic lecture?” 
Midnight replied, “Yeah, enchantments with Professor Love Likely.”
“Isn’t she famous?”
“Yeah, some sort of love potion thing.”
“Huh. Well, I know about Sugar Belle; what about you two? Are you both studying magic?”
“I’m in the astrology-slash-astronomy program.”
“Just magic for me.”
“One of those specialists, huh?”
“Haha, yeah, I guess.” 
Sugar Belle eyes flashed as she spoke. “Oh, Night Glider, I’ve got some news! Starlight here is our spire prankster.”
Starlight spat the ‘mylk’ she was drinking on Sugar Belle’s face in surprise. “It wasn’t on purpose! I just wanted to fly my kite.”
“I need to stop surprising you.”
Night Glider eyes were wide. “What? Her?”
“Hey, what is that supposed to mean?”
“No offense, but you, uh, don’t really look the type. I’m not saying it’s the beanie, but… ok, no, it’s definitely the beanie.”
Starlight looked up at the one non-black beanie she owned resting on her mane. “Hey, I am just as hardcore as anypony else!”
“No, you’re not,” Night Glider replied, smirking as she crossed her hooves.
“Star, she’s kinda right.”
“Midnight!”
“Anyways, how in the hay did you land your kite on top of the spire? Some kind of spell?”
Midnight raised her hoof. “That one’s my bad. I asked Star to let me fly her kite and I kinda sorta lost my grip on it. And tackled her to the ground.”
Night Glider smirked. “Tackled her to the ground, eh?”
Starlight raised her hooves, quickly rebutting, “It was an accident, just an accident.”
Midnight laughed. “I think you and I are going to get along fine, Night Glider.”
“I try. Still, if you wanna be ‘hardcore,’ you should think about ditching the ‘accident’ part of the story.”
Starlight groaned.
Sugar Belle attempted to segue. “Hey, Starlight, did you get a chance to visit the registrar’s… oh.”
Starlight’s pushed away her food as her face met the table with a dull thud. Her mane moved slightly as a muffled “yep” reverberated through it. Night Glider whispered with Sugar Belle briefly, then looked at Starlight with a grimace.
“So… why do you want to find this guy so bad?”
Starlight looked up to reply, her voice unsure. “I want to be friends again?”
“Did he, like, talk to you at all after he left?”
“No.”
“Did he even say goodbye?”
“No…”
“Then why–”
“I don’t know," shouted Starlight. “I just thought ‘Hey, my special talent is magic and his special talent is magic we should totally still be friends!’”
She looked around. Several other ponies were staring at her. She shrank into her seat, speaking softly.
“Or something.”
Night Glider responded, “Wait, special talents? Did he leave because of a cutie mark?”
Starlight replied with a small nod.
Night Glider snorted. “Typical. Know when the last time I saw my dad was? Never. The dude up and left right after I was born to go make it big in Manehattan as an actor.” Her right hoof banged on the table as her voice hardened. “You ask me, you’re better off forgetting about him.”
Starlight looked shocked while Midnight gave Night Glider a sympathetic look. Sugar Belle lay her hoof on Night Glider’s shoulder, her expression mirroring Midnight’s. Night Glider's posture relaxed and the ponies staring at them gradually returned to their own conversations. Starlight broke the silence at the table.
"Maybe you're right."
Though still visibly incensed, Night Glider controlled her voice. "That whole special talents stuff is dumb anyways. You know what mine is? Flying at night. Besides the Guard or being a courier, there's no work in flying at night, and I have to compete with a bunch of ponies who were literally born to do whatever job I try to get."
Midnight asked, "What are you here to study, by the way?"
"Equestrian history. Figured if I was gonna have a hard time finding a job anyways, might as well study something I liked."
“Gotcha.”

Though the din of the cafeteria had returned, it was still noticeably quieter than when Starlight and her friends had walked in to get their lunch. They finished their lunch quickly and in relative silence, with only occasional breaks to make small talk, then left, carefully skirting around the protest near the entrance.
Sugar Belle and Night Glider broke off to go to their next classes, leaving Starlight and Midnight standing near an art piece on display in the middle of campus.
“You ok, Star?”
“I don’t think so, but it’s been so unrelenting that at this point I’ve reached a kind of peace. For now, anyways. Also, ‘Star?’ That’s new.”
“If you hadn’t noticed by now, I’m the nicknamey type. You ok with that?”
Starlight chuckled. “Yeah, I think I can work with that. Got any more classes?”
“Nope. I’m a free mare.”
“Well, I’ve got another lecture in a bit, so I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah. And Star? I know you’re disappointed about Sunburst, but… you’ve got us now. I’ve got your back, and I’m sure Sugar Belle does as well. Hay, even Night Glider sounds like she gets it, too.”
She pulled Starlight into a hug, surprising her, though she shook it off to return the hug.
“Thanks.”