Friendship is Some Unexplainable Science and Certainly Not Any Form of Magic, Part Two
Catching Rainbow Dash proved to be a completely impossible feat. Even with the entire gym class (sans Rarity, Twilight and Fluttershy), Coach Williams, and Pinkie Pie of all people on her heels, no one managed to get within an inch of her before she would laugh maniacally and speed up even more.
And, though it was indeed possible to catch Applejack, there was no way to make her move.
(Sunset tried. It ended up with her sprawled breathless on the grass and Twilight desperately trying to reign in the gay.)
Half an hour in Coach Williams just gave up. He marched inside haggard and beat, not even bothering to yell at the class on the way out. Rainbow hooted and hollered and ran laps around the exhausted class until a boy yelled a string of expletives at her ending in, “AND SIT YOUR GODDAMN ASS ON THE GRASS!”
Pinkie told him that he rhymed. The boy told her to shut up. Rainbow tried to punch him “for being a dick”, and suddenly Twilight and all the rest of her ‘freakshow’ ended up kicked out to the baseball diamond.
No one really complained.
“Well that was a right mess,” Rarity sighed, daintily sweeping off her spot on the bleachers before sitting down all proper-like. “Honestly, Rainbow, I thought you knew better than to pick fights on your first day.”
Rainbow blew up her bangs and flopped down onto the highest bench. “Look, I was defending my friends. It’s a perfectly good reason!”
“Yeah, a reason to get us all expelled. Again,” Applejack grunted. Her good mood had worn off, and now she was looking uncharacteristically serious.
Twilight glanced over to Sunset, but before she could voice her question Sunset did it for her.
“Whoa, again? All of you were expelled?”
The new girls flinched and turned towards Twilight and Sunset, as if noticing them for the first time. Massaging the bridge of her nose, Rarity muttered something under her breath and said, “Well… yes, darlings. I suppose you could put it that way.”
“Are you kidding?! We totally got super-duper kicked out!” Pinkie shrieked. Then she seemed to deflate as she added, “Oh, wait. Not a good thing.”
“You think?” Rainbow scowled and kicked at Rarity’s bench.
Sunset frowned. “So is this some super-secret tragic backstory we get to unlock later, or are you going to share?”
Rarity chuckled all ladylike, as she was, and coaxed Fluttershy to come sit down beside her so she could do her hair. “Oh no no no. It’s quite public info, really. Last year’s farewell assembly simply didn’t quite go according to plan.”
Bouncing on her seat, Pinkie shoved her hand towards the sky. “Oh, oh! Is it because I totally spiked the punch?!”
“...Yes, dear. Part of it.” Rarity combed her fingers through Fluttershy’s hair as she spoke, continuing, “Really, it’s mostly Rainbow Dash here-”
“Hey!”
“-who caused the commotion by drinking the punch she knew was spiked. With copious amounts of alcohol I do believe.”
“Okay, yeah. Accurate.” Grinning like a loon, Rainbow leaned back against the railing and said, “I may have been the one to start the streaking, but I sure as hell didn’t force Pinkie or anyone else to go through with it, y’know?”
“Oh, I remember that! Good times, amiright?”
Twilight’s ears burned. “S-streaking?”
Rainbow nodded. “Yup. Get this - it’s supposed to be this ‘goodbye ‘til next year’ thing for everyone, right? So it’s supposed to be all nice and boring and PG. Imagine the looks on the teacher’s faces when it dissolved into a gym filled with drunk toddlers!”
“Drunk toddlers would’ve had better hand-eye coordination than Rarity did,” Applejack muttered, and repressed a shiver. “Or better mouth-face coordination.”
“Why-! Applejack, I’ll have you know I was the perfect picture of a lady! Just…” she paused, and bit her lip. “...slightly tipsy.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay. Very tipsy. Borderline drunk, if you will.”
“Ah wish you had done me the favour of being like Fluttershy here and just plain passed out.”
“I did say I was sorry, darling. Profusely.”
Fluttershy reached up to feel the braid Rarity was starting and managed a small smile. “I mean… it wasn’t that bad? The school board did allow us to apply to another school in their jurisdiction. And Kanterlot High seems pretty nice.”
Rainbow leaned forwards to flick Fluttershy gently on the forehead and deadpanned, “That’s because Kanterlot’s headmistress was the only one that would take any of us. And you weren’t even expelled; you just wanted to stick with me!”
“O-oh. Right.”
Sunset blinked, then cracked a grin. “Wow. You guys are a crazy bunch, that’s for sure.”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Yeah? Says the two weirdos with the crazy hair.” She paused. “How long does it take ya to dye it?”
Twilight and Sunset glanced at each other. “Um,” Sunset began. “Well, I know mine was… done in a flash.”
At this Twilight glared, spun her around, and socked her right in the shoulder.
“Ow! Hey, lighten up, noodle arms.” Rolling her sore shoulder, Sunset turned back to Applejack and said, “Believe it or not, Twilight’s is natural. And mine is… permanently genetically altered?”
Applejack snorted and leaned forwards. “No way.”
“Yeah! She just touched my hand at lunch, and bam. Magic.”
“Science,” Twilight coughed rather conspicuously. Sunset ignored her.
“Huh.” Curiosity beat out suspicion in Applejack’s mind, and she reached out towards Twilight saying, “So if I grab your hand here-”
“W-wait!”
Their hands met and there was a tiny flash between their palms, but nothing else happened. Applejack was still Applejack - blonde hair, green eyes.
“Whelp. That’s about that, then, I reckon.”
Confused, Twilight stared at her palm. “...Huh. Nothing happened? Though, there was a similar light, but much smaller in its range than before. No physical shockwave either…”
“Pfft, come on.” Rainbow crossed her arms and said confidently, “Everyone knows magic ain’t real.”
Twilight nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, exactly! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell Sunset-”
“It won’t enter the world until my cousin Daring manages to bring back the six gemstones of Divinity from the deserts of Africa!”
“...Nevermind.”
Laughing, Sunset shouldered Twilight gently and turned her attention back to Rarity. “I’m wondering, though, why did you all get introduced after lunch while I was first period?” She paused. “And on the third day of school?”
“Hm. Why is that?” Twilight poked Sunset. “You have an excuse, saying your transfer finally went through. I know how Celeste can get with paperwork. But the rest of you?”
“...Celeste?”
“Th-the headmistress I mean! Ah ha ha.”
Rarity snorted and rolled her eyes, tugging a bit too hard on Fluttershy’s hair as she did. “Oh, our paperwork was similarly delayed. And we were lectured very strongly by the superintendent this morning, sofar that we were a bit… ah, held up, yes?”
“We were chewed out harder than granny on a strong piece of tobacco,” Applejack grunted. She took her hat off her head and let it rest on the bench beside her, saying, “Having an unwanted reputation as a troublemaker gets you places, it does, but certainly not the nicest ones.”
Sunset smiled. “Yup. I get you there.”
Definitely a bad girl, Twilight thought to herself, and cursed her luck. My first friend is hot, smart, and rebellious. This won’t end well.
The blare of the bell cut off her train of thought, and the girls reluctantly got to their feet. Fluttershy was sporting a pretty waterfall braid that flowed over her left shoulder, with Rarity looking proud of her handiwork. “It will look even better once we’re changed out of these unsightly uniforms!” she promised.
“I-if you say so.”
“Well,” Applejack said. “Catch y’all later?”
“Well, duh,” Sunset said, and tossed her hat towards her. “Always needed a couple more crazies in the club.”
“Ha!” Rainbow vaulted the benches and landed with a crash beside Twilight. “Awesome!” Before Twilight could back up her hand was slapped with a stinging high-five, and another flash of light occurred. Grinning, Rainbow pulled her hand back and moved to chase after Applejack and the others, leaving Twilight to think she almost imagined the flash.
“You know,” Sunset said slowly. “Call me crazy, but I think her eyes are pink now.”
“Sure, crazy. Like another part of your so-called magic happened.”
(Curiosity killed the cat, though. Twilight snuck a glance at Rainbow when they passed each other getting to the buses at the end of the day, and saw to her increasing displeasure that the other girl’s eyes were indeed a light shade of magenta.)
---
“Welcome home, Twily! How was your third day of school?”
As soon as Twilight stepped through the door to her house she was swept off her feet by her older brother, Shining. She struggled in his grasp for a second before relenting and muttering, “Fine. Just like yesterday, and the day before. Can you let go of me?”
He pouted, but put her back on the ground. “Fine. I’m just worried, you know? High school can be tough, and as your guardian-”
“Yeah, yeah.” She pushed past him and into the kitchen, dropping her bookbag by the stairs as she did. “Is Celeste here yet?”
“Yup. Living room; came early since it's her first meeting with you since the end of last year and all. She’s waiting for you.”
Twilight took a deep breath, snagged a cookie from the counter and stuffed it in her mouth, and rounded the corner to the living room. Celeste was standing at the sliding door and staring out into the backyard, apparently oblivious to Twilight’s presence. Her long blonde hair caught in the fading sunlight, casual white dress hanging gently from her shoulders.
“Um.” Twilight quickly swallowed her snack and cleared her throat. “Good afternoon.”
“Oh! Twilight!” At this Celeste turned around, a small smile on her face. “You startled me.”
“Ah ha ha. Sorry.” She shuffled on the spot hesitantly until Celeste took the hint and motioned to the couch.
“Come, Twilight. Sit with me.”
“O-okay.”
Here we go again. Time to see if I’ve made any friends yet this year, Celeste? Well, this time’s different. Twilight felt her face heat up as Sunset popped into her head, only for the other five girls she’d met to follow. Huh. Are they my friends too?
“And how was today, Twilight? Did you-”
“I made a friend!” Twilight blurted out. “Her name’s Sunset Shimmer and she’s really nice!”
Celeste chuckled and pat her on the head with one delicately manicured hand. “Oh, wonderful job! Tell me more about her.”
“Well…” Frowning, Twilight decided to start with personality, then looks, so as not to seem shallow. “She likes science. And she was pretty good at gym, from what I saw. She’s a bit sarcastic and likes to joke, but I think she’s really nice, too.”
“She sounds like a great match for you.”
“Oh! And, she’s really pretty. Like…” Twilight made a few vague gestures and settled on, “Really, really pretty. She’s got this curly hair and brown eyes - oh, wait, blue eyes, and-”
Frowning, Celeste cut her off. “Both brown and blue eyes?”
“No, no. They were brown, but now they’re blue. Some sort of scientific anomaly happened during lunch,” she said, dismissively. “I’ll have to look into the theory of parallel universes and instigators more, since that seems the most probable option, but-”
“What exactly happened?” Celeste said. All the warmth in her voice was gone, replaced by a cold steel that made Twilight flinch. Uncertain, she looked up to her mentor and tapped her fingers together.
“We touched hands, and there was this light. Her hair colour changed with her eyes, but she was the only one that happened to.” She paused. “Well, there was a flash with Applejack and Rainbow’s eyes-”
Celeste suddenly stood, a strange shadow flitting across her face. “Wonderful, Twilight,” she said, though her tone suggested it was anything but. “If you’ll excuse me, I do believe it’s time for me to leave.”
“What? But you just… got here,” she tried, only for Celeste to ignore her and sweep out of the room. She heard Shining call something out and the front door slam, and then the engine of a car fading away. Groaning in frustration, Twilight sank back against the couch with a thump.
“What was that all about?” Shining asked, poking his head in from the kitchen. “In the three years we’ve known her, I don’t think Celeste has ever left before dinner.” He ran a hand through his black hair and muttered, “And I was making her favourite, too…”
Twilight sighed and buried her face in her arms. Her anxiety from earlier flooded her mind, and she had to shake her head a few times to clear it. Eventually she decided to pursue a different topic to get her mind off Celeste.
“...Shining?”
“What’s up, Twily?”
“Why did our parents name us so weird?”
Shining blinked, not expecting the question. Slowly, he put down the mixing bowl and made his way into the living room, saying, “What brought this on?”
“Today there was a new girl with a weird name. And then five more. And it’s just… I don’t know. We all ended up together in gym because everyone else was sick of us, which I don’t really mind, but…” Twilight rolled over to look a Shining and said, “What if I only get to know them because I’m weird, too?”
A pause. Hesitating, Shining sat down next to her and put his arm around her. “Well. If you had to pick a normal name, what would it be?”
“I dunno.” She leaned into his side and muttered, “Something simple, like Lauren or Tara. Do you think that fits?”
Shining laughed. “Twily, the only name that fits you is your name. Twilight Sparkle.” He put a hand on his chest and said, “Besides, no matter what, you’re still going to have that hair. Being ‘Lauren’ won’t change that. Embrace your differences, okay?”
Frowning, Twilight pulled on her pink streak and sighed. “I guess. Thanks, Shining.”
“That’s Shining Sparkle to you, missy. The man with the manliest name!” He ruffled her hair, kissed her on the forehead, and got back to his feet. “But seriously. Don’t worry about it. Our parents named us because it’s us.”
“Yeah.”
“Now, I gotta finish dinner. There will definitely be leftovers, unless you’re hungry enough to eat a horse tonight? No? Thought so.” Shining rolled his eyes. “Can’t believe Celeste walked out on us, though.”
Twilight didn’t move from the couch, but said, “She seemed stressed. She’ll probably be back to normal tomorrow. I can get to school early to talk to her, if you want?”
“Yeah, sounds good. That’s probably for the best.”
---
Twilight glared at the locked door in front of her, and wished she had Applejack’s strength so she could knock it in. Celeste’s normally open office was shut tight. And after she had gotten to school an hour early, too!
She rapped softly on the door, and, when there was no response, she knocked a little harder. “Celeste? It’s Twilight. I was wondering if you were busy…?”
There was a loud thunk from the office, and the sound of locks unlatching. Then the door swung open an inch, held fast by a chain across the gap.
“Twilight?” Celete’s face was worn and tired, dark circles around her eyes. She was dressed in her normal white pantsuit as far as Twilight could see, but there were splatters of red across the front. “Whatever are you doing here?”
Twilight fidgeted, staring at the floor. “I, um, was worried. About you. Since yesterday you walked out so suddenly, and… oh. You've got a little... something on your shirt.” She trailed off and squinted at Celete’s visible hand. “And, wait, is that a gauntlet? An honest-to-goodness gauntlet?”
Quickly, the hand retreated into the room. “No,” Celeste said. She raised an eyebrow and said, “Don’t you have classes to get to?”
“...It’s 8:15. School starts at 9:00.”
“Oh. Well.” Clearing her throat, the headmistress moved to close the door, only for Twilight to shove her sneaker in the gap.
“Celeste, I know you have your secrets. Shining and I get that!” Twilight rattled the door chain and continued, “But this isn’t like you at all. Why are you acting so distant?” She paused. “And please tell me you had an accident with fruit punch, or something, because all that red is really disturbing and I'm kind of starting to freak out.”
Celeste opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no sound came out. “I…”
“Is this what my parents would have wanted you to do?”
As soon as she said it, she new she had made the wrong move. Celeste’s eyes burned with some distant emotion, and she said sharply, “Goodbye, Twilight. You’ve said enough.”
The door slammed shut, leaving Twilight alone in the hall. She debated knocking until Celeste got fed up with her, but decided not to. Maybe she just needed some alone time. Sighing, Twilight decided to walk around the school a bit, the forty-five minutes she had to kill seeming like long, drawn-out torture.
Stats
Page generated in 0.019 seconds
Total duration
1,060 users online
2,161,237 hits today, 2,280,440 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Is this an Equestria Girls story or not?
Hmm...I like it so far. It's an interesting take on everyone, and I want to see what happens next. What's Celeste's deal? What's with all the magical happenings? Why do seven girls have such strange names?
So yeah, safe to say you've caught my interest.
8347540
Its marked AU so probably not.
8347540
ah, it's not. think of it like season one but humans maybe?
8347811
thank you for commenting!! and yes, what is the deal with celestia hmm......
Oh my gosh <3
8492911
;)))))
"Reign in the gay." lol
It's fine! I can see some events happened in the past that I don't know very much about, but I don't need to know all of the backstory right away. (Maybe some pieces of it can stay secret forever, as long as this story works with that.)
8347540
AU.