Fall Semester
Light Step lay on her bed. Her room was quite nice: it was airy and freshly painted, the furniture was modern and comfortable, and she had a skylight. The air smelled faintly of lavender, and there were even servants who came in once a day to change the sheets and bring fresh towels. A few of them were unicorns, but everypony knew that was just so the school couldn’t be accused of keeping “earth pony servants.” And they left mints.
Every student agreed the Twilight Sparkle Dormitory was the best on campus. The housing lottery to live in it had odds of hundreds to one. The only reliable way to get in was if a student’s parents made a donation to the school.
The statue of Twilight was in the courtyard outside her window. She could see it.
She didn’t have a single bedroom, though that was by her request. Her roommate was a changeling named Double Time. Double Time was the first changeling to attend the Canterlot School of the Arts, and Light thought it would be good to help her adjust. When she requested Double as a roommate, she assumed that this poor, hungry, oppressed creature would need a friend to introduce it to free society.
It turned out that Double had been living in pony society for years as an infiltrator, and so was already quite well adjusted. She also wasn’t from King Thorax’s hive, as Light had assumed, but was part of Queen Amaryllis’s hive in the north. Practically speaking, that made no difference. Both groups of changelings were reformed.
But it did mean that Double Time once had the psychic, vicarious joy of sleeping with Shining Armor.
“Good morning!” Double Time called as she pushed open the door, though it was well past eleven. She was in her natural changeling form, and she was filthy. The hairs on her legs were sticky, someone had drawn a smiley face on her carapice, and a number of lipstick kisses adorned her delicate faerie wings. “How are you doing?”
“Great,” Light answered, without looking up from the window. “I whored it up last night and slept with like, thirty strangers.”
“Wow, you too?” Double Time lifted one of her hooves to Light for a hoof bump. Her tone was so cheerful it became a weapon—a concentrated beam of positive energy. “Twin-sies!” she actually sang the word.
When Light ignored her, Double Time snorted and lowered her hoof. She collected her bathroom kit, pausing when she noticed her wing sponge was missing.
“Can I go with you to the studio after you’re done cleaning up?” Light asked, her voice still soft.
“What makes you think I’m going to the studio?”
“You always paint landscapes after a crazy night out.” Light lay so still, a twitch of her tail was the only motion to show her body wasn’t paralyzed. Her tone was muted, and her words were slow and quiet. “And your landscapes are really good. I like watching you paint them.”
“Professor Easel says he wants me to work on my figures more.”
“So? Forget him.” She paused, then went on. “He’s a racist ass who thinks just because you’re a changeling you’ll have a gift for figures and form.”
“Ooh, good advice, Professor. So tell me, with that statue right there, you must have accidentally looked out the window at a few points. Right?” Double Time paused a moment for emphasis, then concluded. “Have you ever, like, seen your sister’s face at the exact moment you start touching yourself?”
Light Step’s ears folded back against her head. Her dull expression turned into a hot glare, and she shot up in bed. “What the hell?” she shouted, her tone suddenly sharp.
“Look, Light?” Double Time raised a hoof. “There’s three things everypony on campus knows about you. First is that you’re Twilight’s little sister, because she’s famous enough you’re famous by proxy. Second is that you’re an immensely talented painter, because everypony who sees your work falls in love with it.” Double Time kissed her hoof like a chef sampling a fine sauce. “Mwah, beautiful.”
Double Time held that pose for a moment, letting it linger. Then she finished: “The third thing everypony knows about you is that you’re an asshole.” Her horn glowed and she yanked a sponge out from under Light’s bed. It was covered with paint. “And you used my special imported wing sponge to clean your palettes again.”
She threw the sponge in Light’s face, picked up the rest of her bathroom kit, and left.
Light didn’t react. She flinched when the sponge hit her, but she let it fall to the floor. She stared at it, and remained in that pose until Double Time returned twenty minutes later, damp but considerably cleaner.
“I envy you. You know that?” Light Step said before the door had even shut. Her voice was soft and scratchy. “I hate my life. I hate my life and I hate myself and I wish I could turn into somepony else and walk away.”
“Won’t help.” Double Time shrugged, dropping her bathroom kit under her bed and rummaging around for her things. “In the old days, I changed my background all the time: what I looked like, who my parents were, where I come from. I was looking for just the right combination that would make ponies love me. So I could be happy. But no matter who I was, or how ponies treated me, all I could think about was the gnawing hunger in my gut. I was starving. I was always starving, and no matter how much love I got it was never enough.”
Double Time found her saddlebag and her paints, transforming into a unicorn pony in a flash before strapping the saddlebag around her midsection. It protected her fragile insect wings. “Because the problem wasn’t them. It was me. And the problem isn’t them, it’s you. You’ve got a chip in your shoulder the size of Canterlot Mountain. You understand? You have a raging, toxic inferiority complex and stealing somepony else’s life won’t change that.”
“Well maybe I wish I could just have one day when nopony recognizes me as Twilight and Shining’s kid sister.” Light’s tone turned bitter, and she glared at the floor. “Is that so much to ask for?”
“You know what?” Double Time snapped. “Fine.”
Her horn glowed, there was a bright green flash, and where Light Step had been sitting a moment ago, there instead sat a bright red unicorn stallion.
“What—” Light Step shouted, only to abruptly fall silent at the sound of her—his—deeper voice. His eyes went wide, and he slowly lifted one of his forehooves to stare at it. Seconds passed in silence before he abruptly jerked his head down to look at his torso. Then, with some trepidation, he lifted one leg to examine his own undercarriage and confirm his gender.
“Ta-da!” Double Time proclaimed. “The spell will wear off on its own after twenty-four hours. If you get tired of it before then, just say, ‘Kizzlefub’ and it will end immediately. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to work on my figures.”
“No, Double Time. Wait…” Light feebly lifted a hoof.
“Ta!” Double Time shouted. She left anyway.
Light Step walked away from his life.
He stood up, looked around his dorm room, and left. Then he left the building, and campus, and wandered into the streets of Canterlot.
His hooves took him where they wished. It didn’t take long before he was completely lost, and he never bothered trying to fix that. One road carried him for three full hours, until it turned into a dirt trail leading to a rock quarry. He’d long since left the good part of town behind, with the university and the coffee shops and the dress boutiques. The buildings around him were made of brick instead of marble. He picked a road at random, and started walking again.
When his sister’s mentor lowered the sun, he found that many of the streets around him had no street lightning. The buildings were abandoned or dim, and at times he was plunged into total darkness. Eventually, firelight drew him to a bazaar, were many petty merchants were hawking their wares to the impoverished.
He didn’t have any money, but he drew some drawings with a piece of chalk he found on the sidewalk, and a crowd gathered to look. A few of them threw coins at him, and he was able to buy a sandwich.
By ten, the last of the merchants were packing up. The bazaar closed, and one by one, the fire lights went out. Light Step stayed, having found a bench he did not want to part with. He was again enveloped in darkness. He lowered his head to the hardwood, and went to sleep, ignoring his shivers in the cold.
He was awoken by a stallion screaming.
Light’s eyes shot open, and his head jerked up. Instinct identified the source of the noise before his conscious mind had even finished waking up. There was a pony close by, no more than thirty meters, and they were in great pain. Motion in the darkness pulled Light’s head to the right. There were a number of faint lights there, clustered around the source of the shrieking.
When Light’s eyes cleared, he realized they were glowing unicorn horns. They were gathered around a pony thrashing on the ground.
If he’d had time to think, he would have ran. But the pony on the ground let out another plaintive wail, and once again, instinct took action before Light was fully ready. His own horn glowed in the darkness, and he grabbed the first debris he could find: an old metal trash can one of the merchants left behind. He rushed towards the figures, letting out a yell as much terrified as it was courageous.
He crossed the distance in six long strides. One of the figures turned to confront him. With their horn glowing, only their face could be seen: a unicorn wearing a black bandanna. Light swung hard, and brought the trashcan down across their face.
It connected with a loud snap that did not sound much at all like metal breaking. A handful of white objects flew through the dim night, glinting in the horn light.
“Hey! You-” One of the other figures rushed forward, but Light swung again. This time he swung low, but the attack still connected with the unicorn’s body. There was a meaty thump, and the light from his own flew to the side as he did.
“Run for it!” a third voice shouted. Then all the horns except Light Step’s went out, and he could no longer see his attackers. The sound of hoofbeats seemed to come from all directions, their flight into the darkness echoing off the brickwork buildings.
The stallion was still writhing in the ground, though his screaming had reduced to whimpers. With effort, Light Step brightened his horn until he could see a little better. His natural blue aura glinted off golden armor -- a member of the Royal Guard lay on the ground curled into the fetal position. He was surrounded by cans of spray paint, presumably dropped by the attackers.
His entire face was stained bright pink. From the look of things, Light guessed they’d emptied most of a can directly into his eyes.
“Here. Here,” he said, kneeling by the guard’s side. “Don’t worry, you’ll be okay. I know a spell to clean up paint. I’m an artist.” His horn glowed and blue light shone down on the stallion’s face. “Just hold still.”
It took only a few seconds. The paint that had dried inside his eyelids turned back to liquid, then turned from liquid paint to water. He sweated it, wept it, and it ran off him in rivers. His whimpering stopped, and his vision cleared. “Wha…?”
“Yeah,” Light said breathlessly. “That stuff’s pretty nasty. You’re really supposed to wear eye protection when you use it.”
The guard froze, looking into Light’s eyes in the dim light. Then he laughed. “Thank Celestia.” His chuckles wouldn’t stop, and it was with some effort that he staggered to his hooves. “I thought I was a goner!”
“You almost were.” Light smiled, rising to his hooves as well. “I thought guard were always supposed to travel in pairs.”
“I’m not on patrol.” He reached up to pull off his helmet. Light’s spell had only affected his face, and so the helmet’s edge was still covered in spray paint. He stared at it, illuminating his own horn to see more clearly. “I know some ponies who live here and they were worried. Thought I’d come down and make sure they were okay.”
Light couldn’t help himself. “Well they’re probably fine.”
“Yeah yeah.” The guard chuckled again and put his helmet back on. “Seriously, I can’t thank you enough. What’s your name?”
“I’m uh…” Light Step looked down, staring at his own hooves. “Uh…” He glanced around them, and his eyes caught an extinguished fire pit. “Burner.”
“Master of deception, you are.” The guard’s sarcasm bit.
“Pride of Equestrian Army you are,” Light shot back. A touch of bitterness entered his tone. “If you need combat training, I know a changeling. Maybe she could give you a few pointers.”
“I’d love to,” the guard replied, keeping his tone level and refusing to rise to the bait. “It’s actually not allowed.”
“Wait.” Light frowned. “Seriously? I was just yanking your chain.”
“Yeah, seriously. No going and getting combat training from foreign powers or non-governmental organizations.” He shrugged. “It implies our training is inadequate, you know? Makes the officers look bad.”
“Oh.” After a long pause, Light scuffed a hoof on the pavement. “That sucks.”
“I just got my flank kicked by four street punks. It really sucks.”
A lull came over the conversation. With their horns lit, their eyes had adjusted to the illumination, and neither pony could see a thing around them. The hoofsteps of the punks had long since faded, and silence ruled the street.
“Listen, ‘Burner.’ Or whatever your name is,” the guard said, “I owe you one. Really. My name’s Pile Drive. If you ever need something, you know. Come look me up.”
“Yeah,” Light said reflexively. Then he stopped caught himself, and his pose suddenly changed. He lifted his ears and looked more alert. “Actually, no. If it’s okay, I want to cash in that favor right now.”
“To do…” Pile Drive frowned, “what?”
Light picked up the spray paint cans the fleeing thugs had left scattered on the pavement. A few teeth were scattered amongst them. “Watch my back while I graffiti that big wall over there?”
The two locked eyes. Pile Drive’s jaw worked from side to side. He considered his armor, and considered the darkness and silence around them. “Yeah,” he finally said. “Okay.”
They stood there for hours. Light Step’s horn glowed bright as he manipulated eight cans at once, pulling them up and down the surface of the brick. At first, Pile Drive watched Light with a wary eye. But as the night went on, his gaze shifted to the wall, and he watched the art.
When Twilight’s mentor raised the sun, it peeked over the horizon and cast it’s early morning glow over the streets. Pile Drive looked around them, and nudged Light’s shoulder. “Ponies will be up any minute. We gotta go.”
“Yeah. I’m about out of paint, so. I guess this is as done as this thing is getting.” Light dropped the last can. “Thanks.”
“No, thank you, this was…” Pile Drive trailed off, then cleared his throat. “I like it.”
“Really?”
“It’s mean as Chrysalis herself, but, yeah. I like it. Says a lot of things I’ve been wanting to say.” He turned away. “Now get out of here before someone sees us and I have to arrest you.”
Light step nodded, turned away, and ran off into the city. He barely made it back to the dorms by the twenty-four-hour mark, and abruptly transformed back into a mare in the middle of a thankfully empty university corridor.
Then she crawled into her bed and stared out the window. Double Time never even asked her where she’d been all night.
Nopony at the art school saw her art. The students never wandered into the bad part of town, and The Canterlot Times wouldn’t dare run a printing of it. But there were plenty of amateur photographers who took their own snapshots before the Royal Guard painted over the wall.
She’d covered the entire west face of the old Canterlot Canning Company factory with a single, massive mural. With elegant lines, innovative use of color, and a bold impressionist style, it depicted Shining Armor, the Captain of the Royal Guard. His head was held high, his pose was regal, and his helmet was tucked in under one leg.
His face was also covered in makeup, just the way Cadence liked it.
He made a beautiful painted whore.
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Light Step, edge-lord, literally after the transformation.
Pure edgy teenager behaviour. Still, I vote Shining for being best female.
Man, Light’s a real bitch. Not sure if I like her or not yet
I guess horses aren’t immune to being teenagers.
Its kinda sad how light sees her family and how her family treats her minus twilight of course
When I read the first chapter I thought the story was completed and a one shot, glad to see there's more.
9275351
They grew up under the same house, by the same parents, and presumably by the same moral and ethical standards. They really shouldn’t be much difference in their world views to the point that one views being a complete entitled ass as a normal response. Also the show is called “Friendship is Magic” and for the last couple seasons the literal power of friendship has kept Equestria from burning. How is what Twilight said in this universe wrong?
"to attend the Canterlot School of the Arts"
In the previous chapter, you have "to go to Canterlot School of the Arts", without an article. I think either could work, or both, but I thought I'd point it out in case you wanted only one or the other.
"and number of lipstick kisses"
"and a number of lipstick kisses"?
"First is that you’re Twilight’s little sister, because she’s famous enough you’re famous by proxy."
I mean, yeah, they built a residence hall named after her with a big statue out front. And this is an art school. Twilight didn't even go here (I assume).
"parents were, where I come from"
"parents were, where I came from"?
"It protected her fragile insect wings."
Hm, interesting. So did she keep the wings in the unicorn form, or does changeling transformation in this universe just hide them under an illusion?
"got a chip in your shoulder"
"got a chip on your shoulder"?
"toxic inferiority complex and stealing somepony"
"toxic inferiority complex, and stealing somepony"?
"the noise before he conscious"
"the noise before his conscious"?
"he would have ran"
"he would have run"?
"and the light from his own flew to the side as he did"
His own? Whose, and what? And... who did what?
Sorry if I'm just missing something in that line, but it's not parsing for me at the moment.
"was still writhing in the ground"
"was still writhing on the ground"?
"He chuckles wouldn’t stop"
"His chuckles wouldn’t stop"?
"thought guard were always"
"thought guards were always"?
"Pride of Equestrian Army you"
"Pride of the Equestrian Army you"?
"Then he stopped caught himself"
"Then he stopped and caught himself"?
"and cast it’s early morning glow"
"and cast its early morning glow"?
...So, is Shining still the Captain of the Royal Guard, despite now living in the Crystal Empire? I'd guess that that was artistic license, but... well, this chapter wasn't exactly complimentary towards the Royal Guard's brass.
(And, similarly, not sure whether Light Step knows that Cadence actually likes Shining in makeup, or whether that was also artistic license representing aspects of their relationship visually rather than being literal. I'm guessing the latter, though; among other things, I assume Light Step would rather prefer not to know about that if it was literal.)
Also... I'm currently unsure whether Double Time's plan worked or not. I mean, first of all, assuming that the plan was to show Light Step that she couldn't get away that easily, and not something more complicated (or simple), well... did it? Because she did get out and do things she wouldn't normally do. She did seem to be enjoying herself. But that latter is... not entirely clear, at least relative to how much she normally enjoys herself. And her mural was probably related to her relations, but then, there's no reason someone not Shining Armor's littlest sister couldn't have expressed some grievances through art.
So... interesting. :)
Wow.
So, because her siblings are hyper successful, the only way she can make herself feel better is by tearing them down? She holds the entire family her emotional hostages at dinner to the point that they're terrified to even speak in her presence, lest they trigger a tantrum? She engages in toxic behavior because she clearly hates herself and hates Twilight for trying to make her feel better?
Why exactly should I care about this girl, again?
I, honestly, can understand Light Step. But I think for some you didn't show enough of "they think I'm defective for not having same level of achievements as siblings"
I understand her need and want to speak up or express how it's not fair but also unable to because it'd be dismissed or misunderstood. Would she take things too far sometimes? Yes, but that is what it'd be like in this world. Until she does make a name of herself, that's what it will be like, and she will always be compared, just as how people compare Shining Armor's achievements to twilight's.
That and the lack of combat experience or training for the guard, and how he said he agreed with the graffiti, implies that not being allowed to take combat pointers from outside guard might also be Shining's decision.
Light Step's reasons for her spite and such are almost about how fandom used to depict Trixie when compared to Twilight, and Light Step would make a good villain. Perhaps that is what will happen?
I like Double Time. She doesn't deserve this shitty bitch for a roommate.
Okay, we're not supposed to be more than barely on her side. I can roll with that.
A well-meaning but poorly informed assumption intended to help someone who doesn't need it? Yeah, this girl is definitely related to Twilight Sparkle. To say nothing of those heroic instincts.
And Double Time's attempted lesson backfired spectacularly. Light really would be happier if she had a different family. Sure, she might not get into the CSotA without a sister who donated a dorm, but she wouldn't be stuck under a pair of nigh-inescapable shadows. Heck, even Celestia isn't safe from a worldview dominated by Light's older siblings; she always thinks of Sunbutt as "Twilight’s mentor."
I can only hope that the experience as Burner encourages Light to try to be her own pony without a disguise. Otherwise, she's more likely to drown in her own toxicity, and ponies will grow tired of trying to pull her out only to watch her dive back in.
I love the concept of the story and I think you have executed it pretty well. Keep going, I already like this.
9276219
Well, she did get in for winning that contest. She probably just would be living in a less comfortable dorm.
Although on that note, I hope to see more on how Light handles the merits of her family. Because while she resents living in her family's shadow, it apparently didn't stop her from snatching up one of the coveted Twilight Sparkle dorms for the clean sheets and general luxury.
9276219
Yeah, I think the latter is the more likely option here.
She's gonna be a fantastic rebel, I love it.
Good work!
9276188
I think Double Step may be just the 'ling to help her roomie unfuck themselves.
Besides, being the literal third wheel here, there's gonna be JUST a lotta resentment built up, considering how awkward her siblings are with her these days...
9276566
By actually fucking her?
… I'm beginning to wonder when the paparazzi will discover that the Princess of Friendship is so absolutely brilliant at friendship that her own sister hates her.
Because that won't throw jet fuel on this dumpster fire or anything.
9276579
There's a certain liberation from you when you get to be someone else for a while.
All hail Light Step! Future Princess of Teenage Rebellion!
I'm glad there is more and I can't wait for it!
Shining Armour the Whore? Not at all suprising
Damn this is good. Very interesting to capture what it would be like to be “average” in that house hold.
Keep it up!
Doesn't exactly disprove Light's opinions on Shining if the royal guard's training is so inadequate because of the fragile ego of its officers that a few street punks can easily nearly kill one. Don't really think much of the quality of their equipment either. In a magical society like Equestria, royal guard armor should really have all sorts of enchantments to prevent things like, say, getting paint sprayed in their face, from being a hindrance.
She rushed in to help someone who needed help without any concern for herself or thought of reward (sure, she took one after it was offered, but that's different).
That's all I really need to make sure that I remain interested in her, even if she is kind of an ass. I'm rooting for her!
9276733
Marines can still get cheap shotted, especially if they don't want to hurt someone.
Hell, a marine got offed because some asshole guy was beating his girlfriend, and when he subdued him, she stabbed him. Not sure if he actually *died* but still, weirder shit has happened.
--
And I guess it's a jab at how in the episodes the guards (and even Celestia) just keep getting Worf'd.
I feel bad for Double Time. Light Step only requested her because she assumed Double Time would be pitiful and even more ill adjusted to society than her.
9277195
In such a case, I would agree with you. But has any of this happened? No such things have been said or hinted at. Unless the story were to say something to this effect, it's reasonable to assume that she has not been called a disappointment or shamed for her passion with any real frequency. Twilight's, Shining's and Cadance's issues with her, as well as Double Time's, come from her bad attitude, and have not been indicated so far to come from anything else. Twilight Velvet, for her part, is clearly proud of her daughter's achievements.
Being shamed for her passions and talents would justify Light Step's behavior, but it has been neither shown nor hinted at that she was. It's a fine headcanon, but unless it were to be confirmed it remains that -- a headcanon.
What grief has he caused her? The one interaction between them we've seen or been told about consisted of him trying to avoid conflict with her. Even when Light Step insulted him to his face, he tried to avoid further verbal strife. We've seen Light Step cause her brother a fair bit of grief, but I'm not sure what grief we've been shown him showing her.
9277195
There's no sign she's been criticized for her art. In fact, her roommate explicitly stated that every pony on campus knows she's a great artist. They don't like her because she's an asshole. If she turned that asshole part around she would have "she's a great painter, she's nice to be around, and she happens to have two famous siblings." Not "she's the asshole sister of Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor who is better than art than most of us but apparently that's not good enough for her."
My one suggestion is change the rating to Teen. There is DEFINITELY some sexual things implied here. Just to let you know. :)
9277195
Light Step's not a bad pony, no. But unless she can do something about that inferiority complex, and her bitter assholishness, she will become a bad pony. Like FOME says above, this kind of behavior tends to be self-reinforcing as it drives off others who tried to help you, leaving you to stew in your own toxicity.
Huh, interesting. She's indeed a teenager under extreme peer pressure just due to her siblings and parents that are way too permissive, most likely because of that. She's also salty as fuck.
I wonder if she'll become a rebel artist or an actual villain that'll be taken down by her own family... If they can get themselves to do it, that is.
Ohh I wonder if future murals will appear.
Cadence sat up. "Actions have consequences, young filly. Artists live or die based off patronage-just the way it is. As of now, you've lost the potential patronage of the Crystal Throne. Not a smart move this early in your career. You keep alienating creatures, at some point the only place willing to display your art will be your mom's refrigerator."
I think Light Step is understandable. She feels less, much less, than her siblings. She sees disappointment in other peoples' and her parents' eyes when they look at her, even if it might not be there. She has an inferiority complex, but she has one for a good reason and her family have handled it poorly. The special treatment likely just reinforces it. Her parents try to say 'we love you anyway' and she hears 'we love you despite not being Twilight Sparkle'. It's worse because normally she'd get compared to other teenagers, and not heroes of the nation. It's a trope because people, especially teenagers, actually act like this.
It's also not likely to end until she accomplishes something that she can feel proud of without immediately comparing it to Twilight, and it may never happen. Distance from her family might make it easier, or it might make it harder.
9277566
Twilight Velvet might have a tendency to spoil her kids.
9278255
Light Step needs to grow up and get over herself. Being held up to her siblings is no reason to act like an ass, and the world doesn't owe her shit. And it doesn't matter if she does do something that proves her worth; she's still gonna be judged for who her brother and sister are. The sooner she gets the stick out of her ass, the better life will be for her.
I like her. She's not a coward, I'll give her that.
This is great. Really keep it up! Very relatable and real.
Seriously, it's raw in a wonderfully explorative, putrid, venty, expressive way. Its 10/10 art
9274770
But Hope Corgi is the greatest of all heroes, and is truly the goodest boy.
I just don't really like Light Step. Her problem isn't even that terrible, all things considered. I mean shit most of her family bends over backwards just to not piss her off. Not only that, but she seems to enjoy taking out her misery on others, to a certain degree. An NOT in a friendly loving harassment kind of way between two close friends either.
Considering the wealth of magical knowledge that Light Step could have access to due to connections in Equestria AND the Crystal Empire...,it really shouldn't be that hard to find something to let her live out her dream. Plus her family has money, so it's not like it would be hard to do. I mean shit, just look what happened with that changeling spell, she could have done something like that long ago. Instead she just seems content to wallow in her misery without trying to CHANGE anything about her situation. Content in her hatred of her siblings."
HOWEVER I will say that it was well written and to some degree enjoyable. It's just definitely not my kind of story, since I don't find her sympathetic, as much as lazy and spiteful.
9279602
Really that's cold and a really harsh thing to say. She has the right to prove and seek her own worth without the comparison to her siblings. They cast stupidly long shadows and she's just their little sister. If that's all anyone ever sees her as then her life really has no meaning never able to stand out on her own. She's hostile b/c everyone expects her to be as good as her siblings from the get go. In the eyes of others if she isn't a genius b/c her siblings are Royalty then she has no worth and isn't worth their time. She's judged before she's even met someone. She craves recognition and independence, of course she's going about it the wrong way. One cannot simply get over something like that. She has to realize how toxic she's being and how much her attitude isn't helping before she can change. You aren't helping
"What, ponies called 'Romanes?' They 'go into houses?' "
9279602
Everything you said is true. In fact, it's truer than you think. It's universally true--of every teenager. Including--perhaps especially-- the ones who turn out okay.
9280896
I stand by my statements. The truth is often cruel, and what I said is the truth. Other ponies will never stop comparing her to her elder siblings, just like others did the same with Luna. The sooner she realizes that they and their words don't matter, the better she will be. That's why I said she needs to get over herself, and that the world doesn't owe her anything. She has to shine for her own sake, with the knowledge that her achievements are never going to outshine what Twilight and Shining have done.
9281260
Yeah but you don't just get over it. To overcome the massive insecurities she has it takes time and understanding, and first and foremost she has to realize she's part of the problem, her family is also to blame when her parents include her but don't really understand their own fucking tone, Cadance really isn't helping and should just stay out of it, Twilight approaches her with kitty gloves, and I can't really pin down Shining's attitude. You are right the world doesn't owe us anything but emotional problems aren't just swept away, personalities can't just change over night. Also the more you tell someone with her kind of attitude and her particular mindset to get over it or suck it up you come off as just as much of an ass as she is, and instead of helping she'll just dig in deeper b/c it's one more person she can't turn to. What you do is either help her to overcome her problems or be there to offer her a helping hand when it all comes crashing down.
Welps. Double Time has got massive points in my book. Just the kinda roommate this chick needs.
9278140
You're assuming Equestria has no need of editorial cartoonists.