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// 21. A New Year Means A New Us 
// Story: A Dazzling New Life: High School Edition 
// by Joshua the Dragonslayer 
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Summer had went and gone, and before the Dazzlings knew it, it was time for the start of their second year of high school. No longer was the girls Freshman starting off in high school, they were now Sophomore! And the girls were glad that they were finally no longer newbies in a place they'd never been before, they were now more experienced and no longer afraid. The morning of the first day of their Sophomore year the girls started their morning routine. From doing their makeup and hair to eating some breakfast so that they started the day off right, brushed their teeth, and then put on their shoes, and headed off to school.

As Sunset drove the girls to school, the Dazzlings started thinking about all the things that they did during their time off of school. The three girls had done so much during their summer break that it was too much to remember. Their family had gone on a vacation to the tropicals and it was super fun! From drinking coconut milk, swimming around, and seeing all the cool ocean animals, but for Adagio it was showing off her amazing bikini. Aria had built a big sandcastle which was later ruined by Sonata, who soon felt the full wrath of Aria. 

The girls had also helped Applejack on the Apple Farm which was a ton of hard work but in the end, super fun and a good exercise for them. They were at first weary of the work but Applejack showed the girls honest but letting them know that the work wasn't as hard as they thought. They had helped Pinkie Pie make delicious deserts which involved a bunch of laughter, and they even cooked some for themselves, and they had helped Fluttershy at the animal shelter. Working at the animal shelter and seeing all the cute animals and showing them love and kindness was sweet and a nice experience for the girls. Rarity had asked the girls for help making dresses and they had done a fabulous job. Rarity showed generosity by making three dresses for the girls. Rainbow had taken the girls out one day to show them how to skateboard and when Sonata was having trouble Rainbow showed her loyalty by staying by her side the whole time until she got the hang of it. Twilight had shown the girls a science experiment she was doing and with a bit of magic, the experiment was a success and it was very well a breakthrough in science itself which made the four of them very happy. And the night before the Dazzling's first day of Sophomore year, Sunset had a talk with the girls and told them that if things continued with Dawnshine then instead of fighting it would be better to show empathy for her. Even though Aria didn't like the idea of showing empathy to someone she didn't like, she decided to just nod her head even if she didn't really mean it. 

The Dazzlings had learned a lot of things during their summer break, and they were glad that they did. They had learned so many lessons from their mom and her friends, ones that they would never forget. From being honest to others from Applejack to having a bunch of laughter with their friends and family from Pinkie, showing kindness to others from Fluttershy, showing generosity from Rarity, being loyal to the ones they loved from Rainbow to believing in the element of magic, and showing empathy to others that you may not like from their mom, Sunset. They were glad that they had such amazing aunts and amazing parents. But they weren't the only ones who taught them a thing or two. Even Celestia and Luna had given the Dazzlings some valuable knowledge. 

Celestia had a girl's day with the girls where they went to the spa, had lunch together, watched a movie, and even played a few games. When all said was done Celestia had let the girls know that each day was valuable and that they shouldn't take any day for granted. Each day they woke up to see the sun was something that they were blessed to be given, and that life was the best gift that they could be given. And even if some days might be harder than others, they should still be happy that they were able to experience that day. The Dazzlings were in awe and had taken Celestia's words wisely, and from then on each day they woke up they made sure to make the most of the day. 

Luna, on the other hand, had taken the girls camping for the night. However, she didn't take them camping in the forest, so they did the next best thing, take them camping in the backyard. The four of them had made a tent and the four went in the tent and hung out. They talked, played card games, and told scary stories that made Sonata and Adagio scream in horror, but Aria listened with full attention amazed at the story. Sonata had tried to say that Aria was scared but Aria stood her ground saying that she didn't get scared which made Adagio and Luna laugh as the two sisters fought with one another. As the night was getting late the moon and the stars shined bright in the night and the four girls went out of their tent to do some star seeing where the girls were able to see star alignments like the little and big dipper. After doing that for a bit the girls went back into their tent and started to get ready for bed. As they lay down in their beds Luna then started to talk to the girls about how the night was a scary but a beautiful thing. The dark was scary, but it was because of what in the darkness that was scary, the unknown to be exact. But in the night there were stars that shined bright in the dark and that was what the Dazzlings and everyone were, stars. No matter how bad and dark things may be, no matter what trials may come their way, people should push forward and shine no matter what came their way. And when they did get through the challenges and obstacles that came their way, they would shine only brighter! The girls took Luna's word and slept well that night. 

As the girls got closer to Canterlot High School, they thought about what this new year would mean for them. People had helped them so much that they wanted to do the same. New Freshmen would be coming in and they would most likely not know where their classes were and would probably be a bit nervous since they would be starting high school, which was a new experience. And the Dazzlings were going to do their best to help the newcomers and make sure their first day of Freshman year and their time at high school started off well as it did for them. So the Dazzlings made a promise with one another that if they had seen a newcomer having trouble they would step in and help them out.

As the girls got to Canterlot they got out of the car and waved goodbye to their mom who waved back and drove off. The three girls looked at one another with a determined smile and walked into the school together. After an amazing summer break, they were finally back at school and they were looking forward to what Sophomore year would bring them. The girls had learned a lot during their time away, they weren't the same girls they were in Freshman year. It was a new year and that meant a new them, and they were ready for everyone to see the new versions of themselves!