//------------------------------// // The Looking Glass Self // Story: The Sunlight Theory // by Space Jazz //------------------------------// “Good morning, Wondercolts! It’s time for today’s morning announcements.” There was a collective groan across the cafeteria. It wasn’t often that Vice Principal Luna did the morning updates, but when she did, it came with the same booming radio voice everyone hated and was always followed by some terrible news. We probably hated the voice more. Now that I thought about it, that wasn’t all that bad of a strategy to deliver bad news. “Effective today, snacks and sugary drinks are temporarily banned in the classrooms. As such, we will be conducting locker room searches throughout the day for any more contraband.” “What!?” Pinkie Pie jumped from her seat, her daily breakfast lollipop hanging out of her mouth. That didn’t stop her from speaking her piece. “The school handbook clearly states that students are to be given a minimum twenty-four hours of notice before any changes to snacking privileges!” “She can’t hear you,” Rainbow heckled from across the table. “This change to snacking privileges came after an emergency call from weekend custodial staff regarding an ant infestation in certain student’s lockers filled with Valentine’s Candy. Your notice was posted on the Wondercolts MyStable page Saturday morning in accordance to the school handbook.” “Who the heckie reads the school MyStable?” Pinkie Pie stuck her tongue out at the speaker. I fought the urge to let her know that I did, which was why I had switched to water this morning instead of my usual orange juice. Vice Principal Luna clicked her tongue. “On an unrelated note, Pinkamena Diane Pie please report to the principal’s office.” Pinkie bit down on her lollipop and chewed. “Yeah, that’s fair.” “Oooh, you’re in trouble,” Rainbow hummed through a snide grin. Pinkie shot back with finger guns as she flicked the lollipop stick into the trash and moonwalked away from our table. Rarity stepped up to the table and took a sip of a plastic cup of coffee that was almost certainly the reason why she was nearly late. “Shouldn’t you be emptying your locker, Rainbow?” The whipped cream threatened to spill out her cup’s domed lid. Rainbow Dash scooped the excess cream with her finger then licked it. She scrunched her nose. “Your fancy coffee probably has more sugar than my locker.” “I wasn’t talking about sugar.” “Oof, you’re right.” Rainbow stood up, spilling her carton of chocolate milk over. “Uh, bathroom,” she announced to the rest of us before grabbing her backpack and rushing out the cafeteria. “Degenerates, the lot of them,” said my bi, biker girlfriend as she wiped up the spill with a napkin. Rarity turned her attention back to the table, specifically staring down both me and Sunset. She slid onto the bench and leaned in, holding her head up with both her hands. “So! How did it go?” “Ask Twilight, she had an itinerary planned down to the minute.” Rarity’s head whipped towards me, and I felt like I had been thrown under a spotlight. Luckily, I had come to school prepared for the inevitable interrogation. I reached into my bag and pulled out a little printed schedule. (A copy of course. The real one was taped inside my diary.) She snatched the sheet from my fingertips, ripping the paper slightly with her awe-inspiring speed and force. Fluttershy and Applejack leaned over her shoulders. Rarity slapped her palms against the table. “Wait, why does this whole section say ‘redacted’!?” Sunset only laughed, and Rarity looked through me like she was trying to decipher the secrets of the universe in my eyes. “Girls, you can’t just not tell me these things!” “Sorry.” Sunset said with a shrug, her tone betraying her entirely. “I wish I could, but Twilight made me sign a contract.” “A contract?” Rarity’s face finally had a color to it. “T-Twilight, I would have never guessed you were the type of woman to—on the second date?” “Whatever you’re thinking,” Sunset put her arm around my shoulder, “it was that and more.” “Ahah-haaah.” If I had just met Rarity now, I would have assumed her natural skin tone was red. Applejack hooked her arm around Rarity’s. “I’m gonna take her to the nurse’s office. Think she might’ve popped a vein or something.” “Here, let me help,” Fluttershy said, taking Rarity’s other shoulder. “I know which smelling salt she likes.” That left me and Sunset alone. If the cafeteria bench had a back to it, she’d be leaning on it. “She took it a lot better than I thought she would.” “What exactly was she imagining?” I asked. Before I got an answer, Principal Luna continued. “For the final announcement, I’d like to remind everyone that the Spring Fling Pageant sign-ups begin this week. Any students interested have until five PM on Friday to register in the Principal’s office.” I looked over to Sunset and vaguely gestured towards the speaker. I didn’t even need to say anything as she simply said, “I’m still thinking on it.” I nodded, even if it was a little frustrating, but I reminded myself that she was genuine. “Which way are you leaning?” “A hard maybe.” “I’ll sign up if you do.” I flashed her a smile that I hoped was reassuring. “If it’s bad as you make it out to be, we’ll suffer through it together.” She chuckled and looked away, but she seemed to really consider it that time. “Strong perhaps.” •·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·• “Oh, you exist!” My brother laughed. “As if I don’t hear it enough from Cady.” “Sorry, couldn’t resist,” I said as I nearly leapt into my BBBFF’s arms. If it wasn’t for the giant box of food, I would have let him fireman’s carry me back into the living room. “What’s all this for? Mom and Dad are only out for a few days.” “You know her. Any excuse to feed people. Better you get some before it all goes to me,” Shining said as he breezed past me and set my next month’s worth of meals on the kitchen counter. He turned to me and put his hands on his hips. “So, my fiancée’s a narc and asked me to put the fear of Celestine in you.” I nodded, quickly piecing together where this conversation was heading. I patted the couch cushion next to me, and he took the offer. “It was just one night.” From the smile on his face, I could tell he was proud. “One night, sure. Unless you put it in context.” “Which was?” He started counting on his fingers, which I figured was the only way he could count (judgy!). “Transfers out of prep school, suddenly likes chicks on motorbikes, breaks her leg in a motorcycle accident, joins a rock band, starts sneaking out at night.” “Okay, I get it.” I pushed his shoulder. “When you put it that way…” “It sounds like I have a cool little sister.” “You think I’m cool?” “Nah, I know better.” This time I punched him, and he laughed it off. Although to be fair, he was a firefighter, and I still didn’t think he was cool. “Okay, serious big brother here.” He swiped his palm down over his face, brushing off his smile. “Cadance is concerned that you might be hanging around some bad influences.” “She said that?” “You know how she worries.” He gestured back to my rations for the year. “She thought you’d starve if I didn’t bring you food.” At least I had meals I could use to impress Sunset for the week. “Well, thank you for looking out for me, I guess.” “Just promise me you won’t get into too much trouble.” He sunk deeper into the couch and chuckled. “This is probably my first parenting test.” “A for effort,” I answered, reclining against the arm of the couch and intentionally hogging up as much space as I could. “Wait, does that mean?” He nodded. “After the wedding, me and Cadance will be trying. Gates’ll be open.” I cringed and kicked at his shoulder. “The point of a euphemism is to make it less gross. Could you have phrased it any worse?” “Yeah, actually.” I continued to kick at him and pointed towards the door. “Out. Out of my house!” “Fine.” Shining was slow as he rose to his feet, seemingly satisfied with his attempt to rein me in and annoyingly unbothered by my attacks. “I’ll go to my own house, where the gates are open.” “Out!” I tossed a throw pillow at him. “And don’t forget to call Mom.You’ll probably be back at work by the time they get back.” Shining gave me a quick thumbs up as he swiped one of my tupperware meals to go. My phone buzzed in my pockets, and I jumped to reach for it. “Your girlfriend?” he teased, mouthful of chicken carbonara. “It’s probably one of my bad influences,” I countered, only realizing just then that it might have been a little too mean. He was only looking out for what he thought was best for me. That’s all I could ever ask from my BBBFF. I gave him a quick salute, which he took as his signal to leave. I focused back on my phone and felt all my defenses melt as I saw that it was Sunset. Then I quickly realized it was a mistake as I read the message. A campfire, shielding me from midnight. My daydream. I’ll always be dreaming. Oh, dear goddess she found the poetry. On instinct, I screamed and threw my phone across the room. A few seconds after, I buried my head in my hands once I processed what I had just done. I crawled over to my phone and scanned the damage. Sure enough, the corner was chipped, and a long crack trailed down the side of the screen. I took a deep breath. I could get it repaired with the money my parents left me. If I dipped into the money I saved from my allowance, I could even buy a new one, and no one would have to know. Another message came in, and I strained to read it. First thing tmrw I’ll sign up I held my phone to my chest. She was doing it for me. When I pulled it away to look at the message again, the broken glass stabbed into my finger. Yeah, I needed to at least get it fixed. •·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·• “Dean Cadenza thinks Sunset might be a bad influence.” I took a sip from my smoothie, giving Lemon Zest and Sunny Flare a chance to respond. They had been kind enough to come with me to the mall and keep me company while I got my phone repaired. “Dude,” Lemon Zest leaned in, “your girlfriend’s an awesome influence. Just follow her lead, and you’ll be so much cooler.” “What do you mean by that?” I already knew the answer. I couldn’t help but be a little annoyed that this was the second time today someone called me uncool. “Your girl rides a motorcycle, plays in a rock band…” Lemon glanced over to Sunny Flare, “…gay.” “She’s bi, actually,” I corrected. Lemon grinned. “Even better. That, like, checks all of Sunny’s boxes.” Sunny rolled her eyes. “My standards are not that low.” “How come I fit the first two then?” Lemon flashed a grin. “Working on the third. The other day, Sugarcoat’s hand accidentally brushed against my knee in chem, and I didn’t hate it.” “First of all: no.” Sunny huffed. “Second, mopeds don’t count. And third, your emo band has to at least release one song before they break up.” “We’re not emo,” Lemon protested, pointing her finger in the air. “Self Titled Band is a punk band that talks about their feelings sometimes.” “Big difference,” I said, nodding. Sunny groaned. “No difference. And your band’s name is stupid.” Lemon clutched her chest and gasped. “I’ll have you know ‘Self Titled Band’s Self Titled Single from Self Titled Band’s Self Titled Album: Self Titled Band’s Self Titled Album’ is a chart topper waiting to happen.” Sunny pinched her nose. “Twilight, why don’t you go check to see if your phone’s ready? I don’t want you to be a witness for when I kill Lemon Zest.” “Avenge me, Twilight.” Lemon Zest gave me one last smile to remember her by. I made sure to take my smoothie with me as I left the crime scene. No need to leave DNA evidence. By the time I got to the little electronics shop in the corner of the mall, my phone was ready and looked like I hadn’t smashed it into pieces. Had to keep up appearances as breaking my first smartphone while I only had it for a few months was not a good look. The first thing I did when I got my phone back was text Sunset. Hey, do you think you can teach me to ride your bike? I didn’t get her response until I joined back up with Lemon and Sunny. Yea no. I’d rather u live, was her answer But it’d make me look so cool. Get a car license first then we’ll see I smiled down at my phone. It wasn’t a no. Can’t talk anymore, at work rn. See you tomorrow, I sent back. Bright and early. Brite n early, she responded. •·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·• Sunset made sure to pick me up bright and early alright. The revving of her bike's engine was my alarm clock, beating mine by a good half hour. I slipped out of bed and ambled to the window, groaning as I stared down at my girlfriend, who was happily waiting in my driveway. "You're going to wake the neighborhood." “Bright and early!” Sunset yelled back. Even under her helmet, I could tell she was grinning. "First thing in the morning. CHS opens its doors in thirty." I slammed the window shut. Two could play at that game. I slipped back under the covers and retreated under its warmth. She could wait out in the cold for all I cared. I had a sleep schedule to keep consistent. Of course, that plan backfired rather quickly. My power nap ended prematurely as I was forced awake by someone shaking my shoulder. It was Sunset. Oh, dear goddess. It was Sunset. I sat up, meeting face to face with her. She was wearing my glasses. She was cute. Cute, but blurry. She laughed. "Yeah, there's no way I'm trusting you with my bike. You're practically blind." I swiped my glasses off her face. "Contacts are a thing.” “Honestly, I don't see why you're so eager to break that other leg." I shoved her off the bed with my good leg as she cackled all the way to the ground. Then I noticed that she was spending a suspicious amount of time on the floor. "What are you doing?" I asked, slipping on my glasses. "Where's the hard copy?" she asked from under my bed. "Of?" I groaned once I realized what she was getting at. "Shredded, and recycled in the proper receptacle." "Boo." Sunset popped up at the edge of the bed and stuffed her hands in her pockets. “Hurry up and get ready before I change my mind. I’ll be waiting downstairs on my couch.” After I took care of the abridged version of my morning routine, I met Sunset downstairs. She was toying with her phone and making herself at home on the couch. “What made you want to sign up?” I paused for a moment as I jumped the last step. “And do not say the poetry.” “It was the poetry,” she answered, and I unfortunately had to take that as the truth, as embarrassing as it was. “And a bunch of other things.” “Like?” From the way she bit down on her lip, I knew she was debating on answering. “I wanted to do something for you. Y’know, after you put so much effort into our Valentine’s date, I felt so guilty storming out like that. And I know it doesn’t seem like much, but trust me, if you knew.” I held her hands and braced myself for when the walls came up. “You can tell me.” “Someday.” The answer came out like a sigh, as if it took every bit of willpower to say it. “Someday,” she said again, this time with a little more firmness in her voice. She was trying, and she was doing it for me. That was all I needed to know at the moment. •·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·• Sunset stopped in front of Principal’s Celestia’s office. She looked to me like she was expecting me to give her permission or an excuse to back out. We stood there for about a minute. I watched her roll her shoulders as she took in air through her nose. Was she… nervous? No. Never. She opened the door and waited for me to enter first. Inside, Principal Celestia hovered over a fresh cup of coffee. From the her slouched position, it seemed like she needed the morning pick me up. “Oh, Twilight, Sunset.” Principal Celestia put on a smile, powering through her morning grogginess. “May I help you with anything?” Sunset matched her with her own polite smile. She stuffed her hands in her pockets. “Yeah, actually… Twilight and I were thinking about signing up for the Spring Fling pageant.” Principal Celestia seemed to brighten up at her answer. “Oh, wonderful.” She clapped her hands together before shuffling the messy assortment of papers on her desk as she dug around for signup sheet. You’d think the principal would have everything in order. But for a woman named after the sun herself, she seemed to not be a morning person. (Stop. Being. Judgy!) “I was worried that neither of you would sign up. Having former princesses makes the competition all the more interesting.” She gestured to the wall of photos, and I quickly realized they were pictures of the previous winners. One of them was me (well, the princess version of me), and there was a story there, one that I only knew part of. Even then, I wasn’t sure if anyone would ever tell me the full story. Someday, I had to remind myself. Then I realized that there were a lot of pictures of Sunset, and I couldn’t not investigate. “Oh my gosh.” I stepped up to a particular picture. “Is that you as a freshman?” Sunset dropped onto the seat across from the principal’s desk. “Yeah, pretty cute, huh?” “Those cheeks! That dress!” I traced the golden sash with my finger. The sophomore and junior photos were fine—but baby Sunset! I couldn’t help but take a picture on my phone. I needed it, and it would make us even. Pageant pic for pageant pic. Sunset only sank deeper into the chair, likely from embarrassment. “It was the first time in school history a freshman was crowned Fall Formal Princess,” Principal Celestia noted. “It was a unanimous vote, too. Also unprecedented.” With those eyes how could it not? It looked like she was genuinely touched to be named princess by her peers. With the absolute surprise in her eyes, there was no way she could have expected winning. “Found it!” Sunset announced, dragging out the sign up sheet from under a stack of papers. “Thank you, Sunset,” the principal said. “As I was saying, today’s the last day for signups, and I’m glad you two are here. I’d like to have as many quality candidates I can get to bolster the current line up.” “Lyra Heartstrings and Trixie Lulamoon,” Sunset read. She looked to me. “Can we not sign up? Honestly, seeing those two face off would be a riot.” I sent her a look. “Sunset.” “Fine.” She scribbled her name down and pushed it over to me. Even her handwriting was perfect. I signed my name just under hers and set it back on the desk. “I’m not going easy on you, just so you know, Miss Summer Sun.” I laughed. “Bring it on.” “I’m expecting good things from the both of you,” Principal Celestia said.“Especially you, Sunset Shimmer.” Sunset Stood up, and I could tell she wanted to leave. “Yeah, of course.” “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve been making an honest effort since last semester,” the principal said. This time her smile was genuine. “I’m sure the rest of the student body would agree.” Sunset nodded. We met eyes for a moment before she addressed Celestia. “You can thank Twilight and the girls. They see the best in me.” •·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·• “So a little birdie told me you’ve signed up for the Spring Fling Pageant.” Rarity slid in next to me on the lunch table. Fluttershy sat to my right. “Well, the birdie told me. Then I told Rarity.” “Word travels fast.” I looked down at my lunch. There was a corner of food that I left for Sunset to sample, but she seemed to be running late. Rainbow was usually last to show up, and even she beat Sunset here. “What else did you hear?” “Sunset’s also running,” Rarity said. “Which, after the Fall Formal, I’m surprised she has any desire to… Is there something you wanted, Trixie dear?” There was a presence hanging behind me, and I would have jumped if it didn’t mean accidentally uppercutting Trixie with my shoulder. Instead, I recoiled to the side, brushing into Fluttershy. “Trixie is simply scouting the new competition.” She analyzed every inch of me, and I felt the need to put on a sweater. Her brows contorted, and I wasn’t sure if I needed to say anything to get her to stop. “Afraid Twilight’s gonna give you some stiff competition?” Applejack asked. Trixie shook her head. “No, she poses no threat. Trixie is more concerned with Twilight Sparkle’s…” She paused, and her brow bent again like she was searching for the right word. “Lover.” That was probably the worst word. “Dude, you’re making it weird.” Rainbow’s face scrunched up. “It is only prudent to be concerned with any…” Trixie paused again, and I feared the next word. “…collusion affecting Trixie’s chances of earning her rightful title as Miss Wondercolt.” Rainbow shrugged. “Take it up with the Spring Fling planning committee.” “Whomst is?” Pinkie Pie’s hand shot up. “Oh, oh, she’s me! And I see no problem with it. Sunset Shimmer is, like, suuuuper-duuuuuuper competitive, so there’s no way she’s just gonna let Twilight win. “And Twilight once tried to return a juice box when Lunch Lady Smith accidentally gave her two, which is, like, the most self-control I’ve ever seen—because: Two. Juice. Boxes! Who could ever turn that down? So there’s no way she’d try to cheat. She just doesn’t have it in her. “Oh, and just the idea of two girlfriends competing, womano-a-womano, for Ms. Wondercolt is just so-so-soooo cute. They could make cute little bets like ‘loser pays for lunch’ or ‘loser kisses the winner.’ How could I not allow it?” “This whole thing is rigged,” Trixie concluded with a huff. She balled her hands into fists. “No matter. It’ll just make my victory all the sweeter, and The Great and Powerful Trixie will be the greatest and most powerful-est Spring Fling Princess the school’s ever had.” She stuck her nose up and stomped away. “For just one day, I’d love to feel the confidence she has in herself,” Rarity commented. “Where were we?” “Sunset versus Twilight, round two” Applejack answered. “The Dusk Bowl!” Rainbow Dash punched at the air. “The Sunlight Series!” Pinkie cheered. She swung an imaginary bat and grinned. “Right. That.” Rarity laid her palms on the table. “Considering the pageant is a competition, based on popularity…” She held her arm out and rolled her wrist, expecting me to extrapolate for her. “Oh. Makes sense.” I nodded. “I guess I’m on my own.” Rarity put her hands on mine. “Goodness, no. Of course you’ll have our support, darling. It’s just that Sunset will, too. Though I suppose the only appropriate action would be to abstain entirely.” Rainbow Dash snickered. “Prude.” Rarity glanced down at the plastic knife on her tray. “Besides, I’ve already started sketching up what you’ll be wearing for the formal wear category. It’ll be equally as fabulous as the one I’m drawing up for Sunset. You get what I’m saying, dear?” “Yeah, I think I do.” I slouched a bit. “But Sunset’s Sunset. She doesn’t need the help.” “It still ain’t right picking favorites anyways,” Applejack added.“We’ll support ya, but it’s not like we’ll pull out all the stops and do a whole musical number.” “Yep. Totally.” Pinkie bounced in her seat. “Also, we kinda already blew our best material on the other you at the Fall Formal.” “It was a wicked-sweet flashmob, though.” Rainbow pounded a beat on the tabletop with her fists. I nearly choked. “The other me got a musical number!?” Life wasn’t fair. Fluttershy smiled. “Oh, yes. It was lovely seeing the whole school come together and join in.” “The whole school did it?” “I think I might still have the video,” Fluttershy said, digging into her bag for her phone. “No thanks.” I shook my head. “I don’t think I can handle the jealousy right now. Did Sunset get one, too?” Rarity smiled awkwardly. “Uh, it’s a complicated story.” “Sorry I’m late, girls.” Sunset Shimmer stopped at the edge of the table, and everyone turned to greet her. She smiled at us as she chewed through a mouthful of gum. “Had to move my bike. Did I miss anything?” Rarity lifted herself up from the table with her hands, grabbing control of the conversation. “Oh, you came right at the perfect time. I was just telling Twilight how I was already planning your formal wear for the Spring Fling Pageant.” Sunset stepped back. “Oh, seriously? Rare, you don’t have to.” “Oh, it’s nothing,” Rarity waved her wrist. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a few designs burning in my sketchpads since freshman year’s Spring Fling.” Sunset stared at her shoes. “Of course.” •·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·☀·.·´`·.·•·.·´`·.·• Since I couldn’t rely on the girls to advise me through the pageant process, I decided to consult the one person who I could always trust: Myself. Summoning Princess Twilight was a surprisingly, almost insultingly simple process. I waited till most of the other students had gone home for the day. Then I grabbed a rock from the school’s lawn and threw it into the base of the still broken Wondercolt statue. It was my little method of letting the other me know that I wished for an audience with the princess. Most of the time, the rock just bounced off the marble, but it didn’t take long before I figured out the exact hours the portal was open by tracking the lunar phases from my telescope at home. It was simple pattern recognition, really, but it seemed to impress the other me for a moment before she told me that she could open it literally any time she wanted via magic. I took a seat and passed the time watching puppies fail at running obstacle courses on my phone. Usually, I attached a note to the rock for a later meeting time and place, but I only wanted a quick chat. Sunset was also at work, and I didn’t have anything going on after school, so I didn’t mind waiting for our much needed Twilight Time. The other me eventually emerged from the portal, and I jumped up to meet her. I swiped the dirt off the back of my skirts just glad that she didn’t toss the rock back, which was her way of letting me know she was too busy to talk. Of course, I could never blame her, she was a busy princess after all. “Spike says to start under-handing the rocks when you throw them into the portal.” “He said hands?” “Claws, actually, and I had to practice not saying hoof a couple times.” She cracked a smile, and I mirrored her. Then we hugged it out for a moment to catch up for the lost time. I didn’t want to say it out loud, but it felt more like getting hugged by an older sister than myself, which I figured made it feel less weird. “So, how did your date with Sunset go?” She asked, eyes lit. “It went great. Actually, we’re—“ “Girlfriends now, I know,” she interrupted, seemingly just as excited as I was. “Sorry, it’s just that Sunset already told me everything.” Right. The magic journal. Sunset Shimmer could write to the other me any time she wanted. She had access to the literal perfect pony princess version of myself—the one she knew for longer and was from her home dimension—yet she still said yes to the “me” me. Why? Even more baffling was that Sunset would talk about me to the other me. “Everything? Oh jeez, I hope not.” She shrugged. “It’s not that bad. Sunset just comes to me for advice sometimes. Like any of my other students. And I’d be lying if I wasn’t curious about you two.” “Don’t you find it kind of… weird she’s telling you about yourself.” She waved it off. “Well, it was odd at first. But I got over it once I figured out that we’re basically different people.” That was possibly the worst thing I could have heard from her. My shoulders sunk. “Actually, that’s part of the reason why I called you over.” “Oh, okay,” Twilight led me over to the stairs leading up to the school and sat down. “What’s up?” “Sunset and I signed up for the Spring Fling Pageant.” “Oh, that’s wonderful,” she said. “I know it’ll be good for Sunset—oh, and you too, of course. It’s just that she’s come so far since the Fall Formal.” “Principal Celestia said the same thing.” I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to ask, but I did it anyway. “Did something happen last semester?” Princess Twilight’s face scrunched, and I closely watched the mind of a friendship master at work. Though I did wonder if I made the same face when I was thinking. “Did she not tell you?” “No one wants to talk about it. Even the girls. They just say it’s for the better. All I know was that there was magic involved, and that it was kind of like when I…” I still didn’t want to say it out loud. Princess Twilight rubbed my shoulder and squeezed at the same place where my mom would when she’d comfort me. I appreciated the fact that she knew exactly what to do. “As hard as it is for you to talk about it, I’m sure it’s just as hard for her,” she said, absolute wisdom in her voice. “Part of being a good friend—girlfriend included—is just being there for when they’re ready. Until then, just try to understand her.” Someday, I reminded myself. Even then, her answer told me all I needed to know. I had so much to learn. “Teach me how to be you!” I grabbed her hands and looked her straight in the eyes. Hers were wide, taken aback by my sudden aggression. “You are me.” She set my hands back down at my lap. “But earlier you said I wasn’t!” She laughed. “Okay, let me amend what I just said.” She paused for a moment, most likely to phrase it a bit more carefully. ”We might as well be different because we’re in different stages of our lives. I’m still adjusting to what it means to be a princess, and you’re currently me when I was a teenager—which by the way, sweet Celestia, I’m so sorry, you poor, innocent baby.” She gave me another hug, this time holding it for much longer. “What was that for?” “I just thought you needed it,” she said, still smiling. I hated the fact that she was right. “I know your mind must be racing with overthinking and hormones.” I cringed and clawed at my face. “Oh, gods, please don’t. You should know how much I hate that word.” “Oh, I do, but I grew out of it.” She grinned, and I shoved her shoulder. “And you will, too. If you’re anything like me, you’re gonna grow up to do great things.” I giggled. “I wanna be just like you when I grow up.” I couldn’t resist. Even then, I meant it. She was like me, but if I had everything figured out. She was a princess, and whatever that meant in this world was kind of exciting to think about. I just wished that I had a small chance to even live up to her example. She smiled again and pulled at my scrunchie, letting my hair fall down my back. “You’re already on your way.”