//------------------------------//
// Student to Student 
// Story: What Might Have Been 
// by Mystic Sunrise 
//------------------------------//

"That is a lot of model kits," Luster observed, as she and Pearl entered the latter's bedroom. "How am I even able to cloud walk? Only Pegasus ponies and alicorns can."

Pearl nodded happily. "You think this is a lot? This is just what I have built. I've got way more in my backlog than I care to count." She tapped her floor. "And Twily put a permanent cloud-walking spell on my house for my friends. It's also how my Gundams are able to stay put once I put them there."

Luster nodded. That made sense she supposed. You couldn't go far at the School of Friendship who had at least one mobile suit (as she understood them to be called) in their dorm room. Her own roommate had one herself.

Pearl could see how Luster eyed her various kits. It wasn't full interest, but it was there. "Now. We're just stalling I feel."

Luster nodded, bowing her head as she sniffed. "I am so sorry, Miss. Rose."

Pearl eyed her dubiously. She sounded sincere, but. "Are you? Or are you just saying that to get back on my good side? I'm passed my murderously pissed-off phase. But you have no idea how much you hurt me, Luster."

The unicorn nodded sadly. "I mean it, Miss. Rose. I knew that what I was doing was wrong and that I should have known better. But I didn't care."

Pearl's ears fell as she heard the heartbreak in Luster's voice. That's what she'd been afraid of.

Luster sniffed. "It doesn't matter now though. All those hopes and dreams? Broken and shattered. You want to be the world's best Dragon Scholar. I just wanted to learn more in the Dragon Lands than I ever could here in Equestria."

Pearl shook her head sadly. "You could. Trust me." She sighed as she pulled the journal out of her saddlebags. "I'm tempted to let you read some of this right now. But that wouldn't be right I feel."

Luster eyed it curiously. "Why would I be interested in it though?"

Pearl smiled. "Because this contains everything Kohaku's great grandfather, grandfather, and his father ever learned about eastern dragons. Hell. He even added some of his own studies to it. From personal experience of course."

Luster's eyes widened before something else occurred to her. "Who?"

Pearl blinked, before giggling. "Right. Most ponies don't know that name. You know him better as Lord Everfree."

Luster's jaw dropped. "He gave you his first name? Why?" She smiled sheepishly. "No offense."

Pearl rolled her eyes. "None taken. And I know it because of my rather personal connection with his mate, and my sister, Summer Rose."

Luster blinked, tapping her chin in confusion. "You're an eastern dragon in disguise? And you're an only child, Miss Rose."

Pearl snorted. "I wish I was an eastern dragon in disguise, and I am an only child. In the conventional sense anyway. Oh, what did Twily call it? Two souls born together, twins. But birthed into the world in different eras?"

Luster fell to the ground in shock. "You're a Twin Soul! And your twin sister is Lady Tsunami Rose?"

Pearl nodded happily. "Looks like it. It explains why I've gotten so many special privileges in the Dragon Lands." She wrapped a wing around the young unicorn with a smile. "And something she gave to you as well."

Luster shook her head, looking up. "Why? Unless there's something you are not telling me, I am nothing to her."

Pearl shrugged. "I'm honestly still not sure why she did. But I know your heart was in the right place when you asked me all those months ago."

Luster sighed. "Not that it matters now."

Pearl shook her head. "Never say never, Luster. You're right. I did destroy your hopes and dreams, even when I knew your heart was in the right place. Because you didn't deserve it then. Now? Earn that back. Prove me wrong. You haven't lost Twily either. Don't think you have."

Luster's heart lifted, but she was still unsure. "But why? Why do all of this for me? I've done nothing but be rude to you, Miss. Rose."

Pearl nodded sadly. "I'll tell you something Starlight told me, not long after I became Twilight's student. A time when I felt I didn't deserve it. Us students of Twilight-"

"Need to stick together," Luster finished with a small smile, earning a smile from Pearl as well. "She told me the same thing. But now the two of you are together." She smirked as Pearl blushed. "Everyone in town knows how you've looked at her flanks for years now. Even I could not miss the looks she gave your floor when you weren't looking."

Pearl groaned. Damn it. So much for being discreet. "Okay, fine, we are. And I was not that obvious." She frowned as Luster giggled. "And just what is so funny?"

Luster shook her head. "Flurry Heart says otherwise. And seeing as who her mother is, I am inclined to believe her. It's hard to argue with her when she is my roommate."

Pearl groaned. While she loved the younger alicorn as a younger sister, Flurry had inherited some of Cadance's more annoying traits. Mostly being able to pick up hidden love signs. Something she had relentlessly teased Pearl with growing up. Something Flurry was more than happy to continue.

Luster tapped her chin as she looked out towards Ponyville proper. "Are we friends, Miss Rose?"

Pearl wasn't sure herself. "I don't know, Luster. We're back on the right track for sure. I will look out for you, no matter what though. Even if we don't become great friends, I have your back. Count on it."

Luster nodded. It was a start, she guessed. Her time at the School of Friendship had done wonders for her though. She now had a close group of other students she hung out with all the time, and nopony in Ponyville treated her any differently for being Princess Twilight's personal student.

Something she was very grateful for. She had enough of that in Canterlot. Oh sure. Her friends did sometimes tease her about it. But it was never done with malice. She would take it any day.

She wondered just what Lady Tsunami had given her though. Somepony she didn't know and had done nothing but antagonize her sister recently. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too bad, whatever it might be. "What about their names then?"

Pearl shrugged. "Let's keep it between us for now. My friends from Baltimare and Twilight all know them as well." She handed the journal over to the unicorn. "And if you do want to read this, then ask me or Twily. We both know how to work it. We're only a few pages in, and nowhere near done."

Luster eyed it dubiously. While not thin, the journal was not massive either, and could probably be read in several days' worth of reading, if at that. Just what did Pearl mean?