This story is a sequel to Fair Is Foul and Foul is Fair
Twilight Sparkle was no stranger to life going off the rails and throwing her onto a new route and just... not working out. She had learnt that much when her magic had failed her the moment she had needed it the most. She had learnt it when she had cried at the end of her first week at college because it didn't seem anything like in her parents' stories. She had learnt it when her brother came home with a princess on his hoof and hesitated before introducing her - the family underachiever - to said princess.
In a way, working her way up the ranks at the only Pancake Barn in lower Canterlot was the first time Twilight had ever succeeded at anything.
Luna was no stranger to life being a mess either. It turned out the world didn't just stop for a thousand years when she got herself banished. She didn't understand how the world worked and she could barely stand to be in the same castle as the sister who had failed her and a hundred or so ponies who still feared her. And Luna may not have known what exactly those 'pancake' delicacies were, but she did know that the mare behind the counter was the only pony on the realm who made her feel normal-ish again.
Prequel not necessary to understand the story, it only serves as a bit of extra info to better understand my version of the royal sisters and their contrasting mindframes.
(Set just after 'The Crystal Empire' in a Sunsetverse AU)
EDIT: A thousand thanks to everyone who read for getting me featured once again! My last few stories didn't get me featured so it's great to be one of the 'cool kids' again lol.