Gorgon

Juniper Montage never understood the true price of things. Friendship took effort, fame required talent, and magic?

Magic had its own cost.

My entry to the Science Fiction Contest II.
Set in the same universe as Nature Of Love, though it's not necessary reading.

Graciously pre-read and edited by Krack Fic Kai

Featured on 28/3/23, thank you all.

Chapters (1)

Comments ( 7 )

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Kiue Jin

Kiue Jin #1 · Mar 28th, 2023 · 3 · ·

I loved this story. Well written.

I wish you luck on future projects.

Wild Stallion

Wild Stallion #2 · Mar 28th, 2023 · 1 · ·

Delightful little story. As someone who loves every bit of obscure characterization I can get, this little bit focused on one the most underdeveloped antagonists of EQG was greatly appreciated. I also liked how vague it was, keeping us guessing as to what was going on until the end.

The idea that magic could stick around as a alternate power is pretty neat, as is the exploration into Sci-Twi being able to relate to Juniper's struggles, or Juniper's own codependency of Starlight or subsequent jealousy and alienation towards the other girls.

Here's hoping it does well in the judging.

Moproblems Moharmoney

Moproblems Moharmoney #3 · Mar 28th, 2023 · · ·

11541552
Thanks 😁

I talk about it a bit in my blog, but Juniper is definitely lackluster as given, despite having two specials to her name. Free styling and running conclusions from what we do have was very much necessary.

Bicyclette

Bicyclette #4 · May 29th, 2023 · 1 · ·

Juniper Blush is feeling many things right now. None of them are particularly good, as evidenced by the mass grave of snapped pencils surrounding the nineteen-year-old and slowly filling her ratty sofa. She's had a tartarus of a time lately and would like a break, just one, just a teensy, tiny, little break. Instead, the Goddess throws a smirk in her direction, as a precariously stacked pile of half-eaten, three-day-old take out, decides right now is the perfect time to fall and cover her increasingly full coffee table in a greasy tsunami of crimson-coated noodles.

oof. girl, you gotta live better than this!

Even to interact with people! Something the teen acknowledged she... kinda sucked at.

relatable

It was torturous, yet after an eternity of red-hot pokers being run around the inside of her head like a particularly vicious cowbell, the torment began to fade from behind her eyes. It was snail-like and ponderous; each breath a shuddering, choking, labour unto itself, but end it did. Her only recourse had been to curl up on the soft familiar haven that was her sofa right now, begging whatever deity up there (whether horse shaped or otherwise) for speedy salvation.

oof, migraines? those are awful i hear :(

Stores refused to deliver to the edge of Canterlot frustratingly, unlike the fast food places which said a lot about society in Juniper's eyes.

so true, it really does say a lot about Society

With shaking limbs Juniper retrieved her battered Neighkia from the empty cutlery drawer it had been hidden in at the start of this ordeal. An ancient relic from her youth, the thing hadn't exploded into a shower of glass and melted plastic like her smartphone. Instead, its battery merely shrunk every time she looked at it. With only a quarter of a power bar left she'd held off using the weighty plastic brick, save for the quickest of glances to check the time and lightning-fast meal orders.

dang those things really do last forever. guessing Juniper lost the charging brick at some point? really adds to the awful state of her life and all

As she awaited a response the device decided then and there was a particularly useful time to give up the ghost, its death-rattle an uncomfortably cheery tune before the screen dimmed, her cheap phone transforming into little more than a decoration.

oof, really glad Juniper got her message out in time at least!

Working with the firm belief that Twilight Sparkle would arrive anytime soon (and ignoring the familiar, charming, voice in the back of her mind calmly explaining to her no she wouldn't) Juniper began the arduous process of bringing her home back to some level of 'liveable'.

so true that is indeed the best motivation for cleaning up after one’s depression pit

Similarly, she'd abandoned her signature twin tails, lacking both the time and willpower to go through every motion necessary.

yeah she is far gone past that point at this point

There's an edge to the girl's voice that paradoxically elates and infuriates Juniper. A keening, crawling, worry that she knows is fake. It has to be. Stuffing those feelings down (and ignoring her shaking hands) the world goes black, smooth fabric now pressing earnestly against closed eyes. A few heartbeats later and the scarf is tied tightly, so tight she can feel it rubbing mercilessly against her ears. Inevitable, but necessary pain.

ooh, love this paragraph

Working on film sets had been a core part of her life, and while her Uncle may have thought of her as 'a good girl' there were times when things were offered to 'pretty young ladies' like herself.

oof…

Blood slowly boiling, Juniper can almost see the girl's oblivious smile. There's a new temptation now eating away at her, to tear away the scarf. Let this nitwit really see why she's been hiding in fear of the outside world. It's a savage idea, cruel and malicious. She'll never do it she tells herself, but it's a darkly satisfying idea. Hubris deserves its rewards.

aw, dang! there’s that old Juniper still inside her

“I mean, it started as a better TV series,” she snarked, deflecting one set of bitter thoughts for another, this time about long irrelevant arguments on casting forums, “but yes the spy movies.”

haha, it does figure Juniper would be snarky about this kind of thing

That's why she'd called her. Sunset was out of town for the weekend and Starlight…
Starlight was never here.

oof. does Juniper know that she has a day job as a school administrator in a land of magical unicorns?

Admittedly Sunset had apparently zombified a whole school, but hey, no one was perfect.

so true actually. water under the bridge!

That’s what would be chiselled into her memory, she'd practically killed a man and all that preoccupied her was the buzzing in her brain, dopamine rushing like a freight train around a system greedily eating what it could from another human being.

oh boy. yeah, i would have trouble if this were my emotional reaction as well

If they'd just let her alone, let her chase Chestnut out of the role, then she'd never be near any magic, mirror or otherwise.

so true actually, it is all their fault!

It was true. Starlight knew her, Sunset knew her. The rest of the Rainbooms? They made cursory attempts, but it was all so clear and obvious. She wasn't their friend. She was a burden. Someone they had to put up with because of her actual friends. Yes, she left the group chat. After no one responded to her messages, and yes she refused to do meet-ups, because, unlike the girls, she had to work for a living. Even with a house-slash-former-set gifted to her by a frustrated caretaker she still needed to feed herself, unable to rely on goodwill and loving parents.

and, oof. makes all too much sense that this is the fate of Juniper’s relationships after the end of Mirror Magic. which makes her agreeing to give up her power for the sake of friendship all the more ironic

“D-did you just scratch me!?” she asked Twilight incredulously, probing the area with her fingers and feeling a small dot of wetness. A cursory, hesitant, taste revealed the liquid to be blood... and now the scratch made sense. “You took my blood!? What the fuck! Ask a girl before you leech her, you crazy-”

oof. very Sci-Twi to just do this without asking, and very understandable reaction by Juniper

Her collection was eclectic, leaning more towards a mixture of franchise material, technical guides to media and Daring Do, yet even within that there were incongruities. Odd one off's, different sizes, even a few clear rip-offs chosen more for amusement than anything else. She'd tried finding order in that chaos long ago and had given it up.

dang she is so unique and interesting! i remember being this teenager lol

It would be easy. Just look at her. Stare at the girl as every shred of energy; electrical, thermal, biochemical, all of it seeps out of her. That perky little know-it-all would hit the floor, gasping as her nervous system flickered and died like a city hit by a power outage. A heartbeat getting softer and softer, each flutter closer to its last until the inevitable. Her rural backyard would do the rest of the work. She'd even heard wolves had been reintroduced recently.

dang, Juniper, tell us how you really feel!

“Bullshit!” the older girl growled, “ How am I like you? You get fucking superpowers after trying to eat the universe for a pop quiz. I use a mirror for less than three hours, and now my life's over? I want a second opinion.”

perfect way to describe Midnight Sparkle’s genesis

That was one detail which would always stick with Juniper. When you heard about telekinesis you didn't expect any sensations bar movement, but the warmth that washed over her was surprisingly pleasant. Even if she found her body (and mouth) unresponsive.

that might be a part of why there seems to be surprisingly little complaint when unicorns use their telekinesis powers on other creatures

An unusual stillness resonated within Juniper as the indistinct purple form came into focus. She knew with certainty that Twilight would die, her hands stained forever more with the girl's blood, yet she felt...fine. Accepting. It was an end to the mess she'd made of her own life, but one with a clear signpost. No more struggle, confusion, or misery. Just the assurance of her own death. She'd make sure of it.

now this is angst you can eat with a fork

She definitely didn't pass out when Twilight grew wings.
Nope.

understandable reaction to the whole “ponying up” thing. it’s freaky!

She was closing a chapter of her life, perhaps it was the artist in her but some symmetry seemed fitting. She'd begun like this, she'd end like this.

very cinéphile. i relate to her a lot actually, i think crap like this all the time

Juniper focused on the woman for a second, taking in every detail of her. Despite the jogger's size, there was a certain attractiveness in her face, handsome more than pretty. If her proselytising were to be taken seriously then she seemed to have something of an iron will.

Whoa Nelly?

“Well,” Twilight said, joining her on the bench with a calm smile “I did consider other options than contact lenses, but considering the eye-to-lens ratio and what I could complete in a week, it was this or goggles.”

hehe, nice! so Juniper is like Cyclops now. or at least would be if Twilight had gone for the goggles

“It's just...weirdly unoriginal for a land of magical horses.” Juniper mused out loud. “You'd think they'd come up with something more fanatstical. Even my crappy script has better endonyms.”

hey it’s a great endonym, thank you very much!

That was the old Juniper. The paranoid mess with an ego so big she fell into delusion after delusion. Who lied like breathing. She wasn't-couldn't be that girl any more. She had to do better, be better. Which meant owning everything, both praise and punishment.

aww, so true! yay personal growth!

“After everything you said last week, well it made me think. You were right, the girls and I don't know you very well, and it can be hard to fit in with a new group. I know I found it intimidating at first. It felt like they weren't seeing me, just the shadow of the other Twilight-

ooh, great observation! Sci-Twi definitely was in a similar position once of being that outsider with only one connection

'Juniper! It’s me, Starlight Glimmer, I'm so glad this worked. I've been missing you desperately, but Equestria has just kept me so busy-'

yay, Starlight Glimmer’s in this!

really enjoyed this one! great job in rounding out Juniper Montage, and giving her a more realistic arc than all of her problems being solved by one conversation with a pink horse alien that visited her world once on a whim. thank you for writing!

Cerulean Blue

Cerulean Blue #5 · Aug 13th, 2023 · 1 · ·

I like this story; it's a good exploration of one of the background characters as well as a nice look into the EQG universe. Well done :)

FanOfMostEverything

FanOfMostEverything #6 · Oct 18th, 2023 · 1 · ·

Fascinating stuff. I do love the idea of magic leaving permanent marks on former demons (or war dryads, or delusional, giant starlets.) And Juniper’s biggest social connection being with a pony who was just taking a day trip into this universe… Yeah, it’s all too easy to imagine her backsliding. Especially if she kept casting herself as the victim.

Her abilities are especially fascinating. I’m reminded of the hypothesis that her analogue is actually a changeling. It’d explain a lot.

All told, excellent work with an often forgotten character. (There’s a terrible irony that Wallflower’s gotten more attention.) Thank you for this.

UrsaMajor

UrsaMajor #7 · Oct 26th, 2023 · · ·

I liked it overall, but found the multiple tense changes jarring.

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