The breeze of the air was felt through the car window. Her belt adjusted and glasses positioned to perfection, Twilight Sparkle was going to the Chocoratte Plaza at high speed. His driver was None other than Flash Sentry, of course. After a friendly competition in the evening of Saturday, Flash gathered his courage and asked to her love interest if she would be interested in spending the Sunday with him. Surprisingly for him, she accepted. To say that he was happy would be a massive understatement.
Twilight didn’t have an excuse to refuse him. How could she? Always polite, gentle and coming to appreciate his sense of humor, she gave him a chance. Now during this Sunday on midday, after he picked her up near the entrance of her former school, she was in his car, thinking how wonderful would be to make a new friend. The young genius couldn’t help but start to feel comfortable at the side of the young rocker.
The parking lot of the plaza was almost empty, making Sentry somewhat happy for this outcome. Happy Sweetie House was one of the best family breakfast diners in the suburbs, and Flash knew it. He offered to pay her lunch. She refused, stating that she brought enough money for her food and other expenses. He didn’t mind because eventually he will pay in future dates at full. That’s what he hoped for.
Lunch was served in the form of a big-sized sandwich with lots of tasty vegetables for the amethyst eyed scientist while the rocker ordered a hamburger with extra bacon. He was being polite, amiable and nice during their talking. She was being friendly, outspoken and welcoming. If you didn’t know them in person, you could misinterpret them as a formal couple.
“And that shot that Thunderbass did in the wrong lane was hilarious!”
Twilight released a small giggle. “I know! But he is a good player!”
“Yeah, he is! We play bowling every month with another group of friends from other schools. Ponyville High in the town’s limits is a strong team, to be honest.”
“I bet you and your friends can defeat them.”
“We are tied, actually. If they win three games, we win four, and then they win one and so on. But anyway, tell me how your week was.”
“Apart from yesterday, it was great. I made a great deal of progress in my prototype of the Informatics Project two-point-oh, I helped Fluttershy in some cleaning task at the shelter and every night I played with my dog, Spike, before going to sleep.”
“Hehehe! That sounds like a nice week!”
“How about you, Flash?”
“Well, besides yesterday and our little hang-out to the movies from last time, I didn’t do anything interesting. I tried to compose some new songs but I recently haven’t come with something original.”
“Why?”
“I haven’t been inspired… perhaps I just need someone to help me out.”
“I don’t know much about music… but perhaps I could… help you out, if you like the idea!”
“I think it’s a great idea!” Flash exclaimed vigorously. “For now, let’s go out of here and enjoy the day in the plaza!”
They paid the bill and went straight to visit all the stores in the place that picked their interests. Walking across the colorful buildings of the transparent roofed plaza, whispers could be heard from the people. Curiously, the voices were female.
“He is so CUUUUTEEE!”
“So dreamy!”
“She is so lucky!”
“They don’t do good-looking guys as him anymore!”
Even if they were at really low volume, Twilight could hear every single word the girls were saying. She was blushing with embarrassment for such misunderstandings. It didn’t help that Flash was treating her like a lady, enforcing the Gentleman’s Code: Opening doors, allowing her to pass first, and many kind of actions that could conquer the delicate lady. She wished she had brought Spike with her. Her loyal dog and friend was a sanctuary in situations like this.
“Twilight, look!” Flash pointed to a bookstore. “There is special discount in that store over there! Wanna go?”
She nodded in agreement. Her weakness was used against her. If there was something that Twilight Sparkle loved the most, it was the experience of feeling the weight of knowledge in her hands, inhaling the sweet aromas of paper, new and old, and from time to time, live the indescribable experience of being transported to other worlds through the embellished words of those few, talented poets that put all their passion into every sentence, every scene, every attention to detail. Electronic books were fine but… it just feels incredible to grab the book and enjoy the tangible art.
Suddenly, she came back to reality. She saw two familiar faces that were welcoming to her sight, and as soon as they made contact, both duos got closer to exchange a little chatter.
“It’s a surprise meeting you here! What are you buying?” Flash asked.
“Some reading material of my interest and a rare book that Bittersweet mentioned he was looking for so I bought it for him.” Bon Bon replied nicely.
“May I know what the book you bought for him is? Perhaps I may know his favorite genres and recommend him some!”
“It’s not a normal book as you may know, Twilight.”
“Really? May I see it?”
The girl sighed at her request, finding impossible to deny her. Bon Bon showed the book in question named Knight Seiyamus #17 and Flash released a small chuckle.
“A foreign comic book? I didn’t know he liked that childish stuff!”
“It is?” Twilight asked curiously. “My big bro has more than two-hundred and seventy six of those in one of his stands and his friends, Professor Gizmo included, enjoy the reading material as well. I didn’t know they were considered childish.”
“I also read some of them as well!” Lyra added. “My favorites are Cherry StampCaptor and Pirate Moon!”
“Ugh! This is one of the legendary occasions that I disagree with you, Lyra! I prefer Tenma and Half, Mimuyasha and Hoho Tatusho than those things you read! I also like Knight Seiyamus but not as much as him.”
Flash immediately felt that he shot himself on the foot. Thankfully, none of the girls had hard feelings against him.
“Shōjo all the way for me, girl!” Lyra said proudly. “But anyway, we should go! Bon Bon and I will go to her place and watch the football game!”
“Who is playing today?” Flash asked.
“The Sailor Commandos of Fillydelphia versus the Iron Lords of Philidelphia!”
“Oh! Those hate each other with a passion!” He added. “Their city names almost sounding identical and the fact that the founder presidents of each team are twins!”
“Yeah, I read somewhere that they hate each other… is a pity” Lyra said a bit sad. “If I had a twin or a sibling, I would never hate her for most of my life. But that’s their problem.”
“We should go, Lyra! Have fun today, you two!”
The girl duo said their farewells and each group took separate ways. Flash hurried to the somewhat small movie section of the place after seeing there was many discounts in some titles. The young scientist was about to join him as well but suddenly, Twilight was stopped by someone.
“One more thing before I go, Twilight!” She got closer to her, positioning her lips near the young scientist’s ear. “Are you sure that he found the right castle?” She whispered with violent hiss, freezing Twilight’s spine in the process.
Twilight Sparkle looked at Bon Bon’s eyes… cold… piercing. “W-what do you mean by that?” She asked in fright.
She quickly winked and the piercing sight was replaced by a friendly stare. “I just, uhm, noticed something these past few weeks while hearing other rumors on the school. Consider this an advice to help you out about a certain misunderstanding that prince charming has! Have a nice day, and remember that twins will be always different on the inside, no matter if they come from the same mold!” She soon joined Lyra with great speed and left the place with her, leaving Twilight confused.
‘Why did she say all that?’ She thought hard about it, not without trying to remove that grim face that she showed to her.
Her reasoning came to a halt, though. Flash joined her side with pessimism on his face. It seemed that the movie he was searching for run out of supply moments before his arrival and he could only lament that he didn’t come sooner. Twilight appeased him and that did the trick for him. Twenty minutes after exploring what the bookstore had to offer, they left the place and went to another store.
Their next stop was the music center and hundreds of instruments, stands filled with CD’s and DVD’s were shown to the public. The clerk, none other than Vinyl Scratch, was gleefully dancing at the rhythm of the music through her headphones. Flash waved at her and paid some kind of fee. She pointed out with the groove of the music to one of the rooms on the back. Once inside, a music test room was in there with many instruments at their disposal, ready to be used to their hearts contents.
“You were serious about me helping you with your songs!"
“I thought we could start by singing first some songs! I have some songs from the Rainbooms and I’m sure you’ll want to sing some with me!”
He grabbed a mic from the place and gave it to her. Confident that she could sing decently thanks to Pinkie’s help, she agreed to it and they sang some easy songs at first. As the time passed, the songs were increasing in difficulty. She thought she was singing badly. He was reassuring her all of the time. Eventually, Twilight just let the music go through her, allowing the inner talent in her to blow up to the sky. Until…
“Alright! Next song is… the Cafeteria Song?”
“Ah… that’s a song I think we should skip, Twilight.”
“Why?”
“I just don’t feel like playing it.” Flash said a little depressed.
“Come on! What kind of song could make you feel like that?“ Twilight read the song and it came to a point where she felt… weird. ‘We thought we were different, as the night is from the day, until Twi…’ Suddenly, she felt the urge to go somewhere else. “Could we go to the boutique nearby? I heard that they sell some neat belt pursues!”
“Sure, let’s go!”
They left the place with urgency, trying to move as fast as they could. The ambiance felt awkward for the couple on the road ahead. She almost forgot that her other self… nevermind. Flash noticed her moody behavior and went to a nearby convenience store as fast as he could. One he returned, two big chocolate bars with peanut butter was at his hand and he gave away one for her. Enjoying their sweets and finally getting back the pleasant mood, they continued their date.
They saw that the local boutique was promoting their new line of products in its inventory, so that was their next stop. As they were about to get inside, Flash had an urge to do his human necessities and told her companion that he’ll be back soon. As the rocker approached the public services, he saw a horrible, long line blocking the Public Throne of Relief.
“Great…”
The young genius sat in a nearby bench, thinking thoroughly about many things; her project, her friendships, her loyal dog’s food… Flash. She didn’t think it could feel so relaxing just walking with someone so mindful. It felt… nice to her. Subtlety, her thoughts came to an end. She saw a group of welcoming faces leaving the boutique. Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity were walking across the corridors of the plaza, and by the looks of it, the Cowgirl was in a very bad mood.
“Land Sakes, Rarity! Can we stop this fancy shopping spree of yours? I don’t need another pair of boots!”
“Nonsense! A modern femme fatale can never have enough pairs of anything in the world of fashion clothing! With these materials, I’ll design a new pair of boots and an irresistible hat to help you in your love crusade!”
“I’m not that silly term yuh used, yo! And what yuh mean by crusade of love? You’re saying nonsense, I tell yah! Besides, I like the new hat that he gave me so I’m going back home!”
“Oh! I believe a new pair of boots would be nice, my friend!” Fluttershy tenderly suggested. “Perhaps a pretty flower in them would look amazing!”
“You too, Fluttershy? P’shaw! I gonna go home and do extra work instead of hearing this all day!”
“Oh nonono! You are coming with us and- OH! Darling, Yooohoo!”
Applejack and Fluttershy turned to Rarity’s point of interest and were surprised by the casual meeting. Twilight soon joined her friends. “Hey, Twi! How fancy meeting you here! What are you doing here by yourself?”
“Are you waiting for someone, darling? It is a date?”
“Rarity! Enough of your love nonsense, already! Don’t listen to her, Twi! She is been more Rarity than usual these days!”
“How rude of you, Applejack! I just happen to be perceptive in the aspect of socialite and relationships!”
“Tee hee hee! I’m glad to see you are doing well. Yes, I’m on a date… well, not exactly a date-date but I’m just hanging out with Flash and I’m having a lot of fun!”
When she ended her comment, the Cowgirl, the Veterinary and the Fashionista made troubled faces while looking at each other. The Scientist felt something… wrong.
“Am I doing something that I shouldn’t?”
“Oh no… Not at all, Twilight. It’s just… I thought you had rejected him by this point.” Rarity calmly said, trying to hide the discomfort in the situation.
“Ah… yeah… the rejection.” Twilight just smiled a little, slowly looking at the floor. “… I forgot about that.”
“… Dear, I’m glad you are having fun. But perhaps you should reconsider and be more… well, I… What I mean to say is… Perhaps I’m thinking too much and-“
“Rarity.” Applejack said in a direct but thoughtful way. “This has gone for too long and you know it!”
“What are you talking about?”
Rarity sighed in discomfort. “You see, Twilight… There is something we must tell you about Flash… Heavens, I don’t know how to start.”
“Listen, sugarcube. Sometimes there are things in life that you get in one point and you lose them in the other. Some people move on and find something else while others find something similar, making things… Oh shoot! Twi, the truth is that-”
“GIRLS!” Someone greeted from afar with a friendly, loud voice. The rocker finally made his human necessities and walked straight to the girls' position. “How nice to see you around here! Want to join us? The more, the merrier!”
“Oh no, dear! We are just going to my place and make some clothing designs for my friend here!”
“What?“ Rarity looked with a frowning stare to the farmer. “Yeah! We better get going, y’all!”
“Applejack!” Twilight said, making the farmer somewhat nervous. “What were you going to say to me?”
“Girls only, darling! Flash can’t hear it! We’ll see you tomorrow at school and talk about it alone!”
“Twilight.”
“Yes, Fluttershy?”
The delicate girl rested a deep but kind stare at her friend, her presence soothed them all of the sudden. “Remember to always be kind! I’ll see you at the school tomorrow.” And she walked away with her companions to the exit.
“Fluttershy is always so nice… but Rarity and Applejack acted weird.” Twilight said somewhat confused.
“If Rarity says it’s something between girls, then it must be pretty much what she says, Twilight! Trust in her.” Flash reassured her.
She looked at them for a moment with a forming smile in her face. “You are right.”
Flash didn’t give her time to worry about that little reunion. Making sure that it was still in the theaters, he invited her to watch the romantic movie that he suggested the first day he started messaging her: Rising Moon.
That kind of genre wasn’t her cup of tea, but she made the exception this time around. Twilight soon regretted it wholeheartedly. Being completely in agreement with her sister-like Cadence’s ideals in the topic of love, she found the plot of the movie painfully unbearable. Love at first sight, pointless misunderstandings and the horrible feeling that the plot could have been fixed during the first ten minutes was enough to drive someone crazy. The heroine didn’t make any sense and the hero was a stalker, making her brain scream in agony on why this movie could last this long on theaters.
At least he saw that Flash was enjoying it a bit so she needed to resist and smile at him. It wasn’t the case. He felt the same way deep inside, but since he glimpsed Twilight’s fake smile and supposed delight on her facial expression, he braced himself and made a big smirk. They needed to withstand it for two hours more since they were watching the director’s cut.
Their torment ended eventually, sighing with relief deep on their minds. Whatever horror of sequels would appear in the future, they’ll make sure to never see one of those in their lives. For now, the time has come for them to go home. It was getting late for her. Flash offered her a ride home and she agreed in a shyly way.
As soon as they got out of the plaza, a spectacle in the sky was taking place. When we look up at night and view the stars, everything we see is shining with the radiance of the almost eternal sky bodies, and today they were gracing the night with the half-moon mistress around her. Twilight breath was stolen by them. It was truly a rare occasion for the celestial lights of night to shine like that in a zone near the artificial shimmering of civilization.
Flash was admiring the heavens just like her. His sight soon resting upon the silhouette of the love of his life and it made him feel this was the perfect chance to declare his feelings. An opportunity like this will never repeat itself under such utopian conditions, after all.
“…Twilight.”
“Yes, Flash? What is-?“ She noted his cheeks were turning reddish as the seconds passed. His eyes were completely in daze. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like... you're admiring..." Twilight stopped for a moment and shook her head in slow fashion. Rethinking the situation, she thought that his sudden blush was a kind of sickness. "Are you feeling well?"
Flash nodded. "Oh me? Yeah, Yeah." He assured her. "Don't worry about it."
"How I can stop worrying when you have a reddish face like that?" She asked. "Do you feel sick?”
“No! Seriously! I’m fine… it’s just, uh, well. You could say I was admiring you a little.” He said romantically.
She was surprised. “Admiring me?” She asked weakly. “Why? I’m just standing here and doing nothing! That’s hardly something worthy of admiring.”
“That’s not true! I believe you are a really special girl, Twilight! One of the most beautiful, if I may say!”
Her cheeks turned into flaring lights. If Twilight ever felt like a normal girl being flattered in her life, it was right now.
“Really?”
“…Yes.” He said embarrassed.
“I don’t know what to say, I mean, well… I also think that you are… nice to be around.”
He closed the gap and took her hands with such gentleness that it left the heart of the pure lady defenseless. “I have met many girls before… but none like you! Twilight, you are one of the sweetest girls I ever met.”
“You too are really a great company, Flash! You are truly a great friend of mine!” She said lovely.
“Actually… Have you ever thought that you and I could become something else?”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked intrigued. “Like Best friends forever?”
“Like a couple, perhaps.”
That made Twilight snap back to reality. “A couple?” She said baffled. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Why not? We are totally compatible with each other! Given time, we can establish a formal relationship!”
“Ah… no.” Twilight said defensive. “I’m not prepared for a romantic relationship.”
“You said that because I believe you haven’t met the ideal guy! Give me a chance and let me prove to you that love can conquer it all?”
“Love?” Twilight was naive in many things about society, friendships and personal acceptance but she wasn’t that ignorant to see where this was going. “Are you saying what I think you are trying to say?”
“I believe I’m starting to love you!”
She was shocked with those words. Flash said that so carelessly and easily from his mouth that she felt uncomfortable.
“How can you say I’m special enough for you if we only had met for only two months? And do you have any idea of what are you saying? How can you say that you love me just like that? It’s weird!”
“It’s because we are from the same world! If you give me the chance, I can prove to you that I can bring you happiness! Make you feel special! After all, you are like a Princess to me!”
“Like a princess to…” Twilight’s mind started to work outside the box as soon as she started to reason something. “Flash… what do you think of my cousin?”
A lovesick Flash didn’t notice that Twilight slowly was assuming a face of discomfort. “She's smart, courageous, beautiful, and she knows how to take charge of a situation. Just like you!”
Slowly... in a near motionless action, her hands soon covered her mouth and her eyes took the shape of bottomless pits that sucked away the dim sources of light around her.
‘You are no stranger to us nor a replacement!’ Rarity.
‘You should clip his wings as soon as you can!’ One of the Spa sisters.
‘Have you ever felt the horrible feeling of a lover rejection?’ Nitpick.
‘Princess?’ One of Flash’s friends.
‘Just like Princess Twilight!’ Sunset.
‘Are you sure that he found the right castle?’ Bon Bon.
‘Others find something similar’ Applejack.
‘Making someone feel bad is wrong, even for the right reasons.’ Fluttershy.
‘There is cruelty in kindness’ Lightbulb.
The world banished around her as all the comments linked to this moment emerged from the deepest corner of her memory. In its place, darkness reigned on the earth. Her face broke down in a cold sweat. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, what he was saying. Intellect. Reasoning. Observation. All of those traits and virtues of mind were cut down from her. She could barely grasp the countless sensations she was feeling in her mind; Doubt, anguish, disappointment.
The innocent substitution.
Flash Sentry, is the embodiment of the perfect boyfriend in all aspects: Good looking, charismatic, sociable, above average grades with a promising future on the horizon. He will do whatever she asks of him and he’ll rarely complain. He is not a man of words, but actions, making sure to make his beloved know that she is loved. He may not think of her at every moment, but her loved one will cross his mind often enough. He is a like a modern poet, trying to find his Shooting Star and travel across the Milky Way at her side. And he found her. He found his Shooting Star. She wore a crown in her head and possessed wings of divinity on her back.
That Shooting Star existed. She was in another reality, another world, another life. Twilight Sparkle is Twilight Sparkle. She always has been and always will be. She is bright, pure and beautiful in all aspects of flesh and spirit. But there is one thing she is not. One thing she’ll never be. His words, his feelings and his kindness suddenly turned into thousand needles that pierced her heart. It hurt… it was suffocating, toxic, making her feel an emotion that she rarely enforced in her daily life. She didn’t know what she was experiencing at fullest, but Twilight knew it made her feel... uneasy. She hoped for - Wished for – Maybe – What does it matter? In the end, you only have to release it.
“I’m not Princess Twilight!” She exclaimed in anger.
The air surrounding Flash constricted him with violent force, making him unable to breathe for several seconds.
“I know, Twilight!” Flash desperately said. “You are like an everyday person! Like me! We should-”
“No!” Twilight interrupted. “I’m not like you! I don’t believe in love at first sight! I don’t believe in destined relationships! And I… And I won’t be used as a replacement to fill out your heart’s desire!”
“I would never use you! And I don’t consider you a replacement, Twilight! You may share the same face but-“
“And that’s why you tried to befriend me in the first place, didn’t you? I reminded you of my so-called cousin! Of Princess Twilight! You didn’t look at me like a normal girl since the beginning! I share her face, her name, and some of her virtues, right? That’s why you… YOU selfishly tried to use me as a scapegoat of reality and make you feel loved by the one who only exist on the other side of the mirror! You never saw me as Twilight Sparkle, the common and weak-willed girl! No! You only saw me as someone who resembled PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”
“That’s not true! You are very different from her!”
“What are the differences, Flash? Is she more talented, smart, courageous and beautiful, uh? Were you hoping that I could be someone as her while I do with you the same things that both of you love the most?”
The world around them stopped its motion. Flash Sentry was left without a voice, without an answer… he just stood there, repeating her words in his head multiple times, unable to say something at her. Twilight’s brief burst of anger soon started to crumble. Tears were about to drop from her majestic amethyst eyes, but she embraced herself and gave her final saying.
“The most hurting thing of all of this was that all this time you were looking for me, trying to reach me, to befriend me… your kindness and affection wasn’t for me in reality. I feel like I experienced a fairy tale that promised me the meadows of heaven and the river of roses, only to turn down in a bitter ending. I think that this special treatment that you gave me was the most inconsiderate and hurtful thing I ever experienced in my life. For you to tell me that you wanted to find the path to affection with me is like hearing the cries of a bird searching for his mate who won’t come back, looking for anyone to fill the void that was left in his heart.”
“Twilight… I...”
“Flash, I don’t want to be with you in any kind of relationship… it would be sick.” She made a weak smile. “Safe travel home…”
She slowly turned around without looking back and left the place, finally releasing her silent cry far away from him. Flash on the other hand, was standing there, looking at the floor with mixed feelings on the matter. As he looked upon the stars, in one way he was sad at the sight of them and on the other hand he just admired their bright as a way to replace what he had lost.
The bright Shooting Star that was slowly vanishing from his life.