The Glimmer Visitation
It was a warm spring afternoon at CHS as nine girls gathered together around the Wondercolt statue on the lawn. Among them was Starlight Glimmer, a pony from Equestria who was visiting. “I'm so sad to leave,” she said, looking around at the other girls. “I haven't really had the chance to get to know all of you!”
“Maybe you don't have to leave yet,” said Sunset with a grin. She held up the new journal and read from it. “Dear Sunset, some lessons are better learned in action, and you girls are great teachers. Starlight should stay for a while longer. Enjoy the premiere! Sincerely, Princess Twilight.”
“That’s wonderful news!” Gemini Shadow exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly.
Starlight blinked a few times. “Wait! Me? Stay here? For a while longer?”
Sunset nodded, and squeezed the new girl’s hand reassuringly. “It’ll be alright. You can spend a couple weeks with us and everything!”
“And we’ll get you in to the premiere too!” Gem promised. “One of us can bring you as our plus one, which means you’ll get the same VIP privileges as us!”
“What does being a VIP mean?” Starlight asked.
Raven counted off on her fingers. “Let’s see… you get to walk down the red carpet, attend the premiere party after the movie, hang out with the stars… it’s a pretty sweet gig.”
Adagio smirked. “You’re not just saying that because we play the villains, right?”
Raven grinned. “Nope.”
Gem bounced excitedly. “Come on girls, let’s go to my house! We have a premiere to get ready for!”
“What are we even going to wear to this thing?” Aria asked the group, as they gathered in the sitting room of Gem’s house. “I mean, we still have our outfits from when we first got to CHS, but they’re not really premiere material.”
“I was thinking about that,” Gem replied. “So I called in a favor or two.” At that moment there came a knock on the door, and a second later, the door opened to reveal a white-skinned girl with blue eyes and elaborate purple hair, wearing a Crystal Prep uniform.
Rarity smiled widely and held up a sewing machine while her sister, Sweetie Belle, unloaded a few bolts of fabric with the help of her two friends, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. “Good afternoon, Gemini! I’ve come to solve your clothing dilemma!”
“And you’re right on time, Rarity!” Gem said happily. “How fast can you whip up 9 dresses?”
Rarity blinked. “Nine? I thought there were only eight of you!”
“Then I showed up,” said Starlight, approaching Rarity. She offered a hand. “I’m Starlight Glimmer.”
“Charmed,” said Rarity, taking the offered hand and shaking it. “How did you come to be involved in this little venture?”
Sunset stepped forward to explain things. “Well, you know how my friends and I can use magic?” At Rarity’s nod, she continued. “Starlight is from the world that magic came from. And so am I.”
“But how?” Rarity asked. “You look just as human as the rest of us!”
“It’s a function of the portal to Equestria,” Twilight explained, pushing up her glasses. “If you go through as a human, you’ll turn into a pony, and vice versa.”
“I see.” Rarity blinked. “I would ask more, but otherwise we’d be here all day, and you girls have a premiere to attend! We simply cannot allow you to go unprepared, which is why I will be making each of you customised dresses, free of charge!”
Everyone’s jaws dropped. Gem put her hand up to speak. “Rarity, I have enough to pay for all our dresses… and then some.”
Rarity nodded. “I know you do, Gemini, but you are a friend, and I treat my friends well. Or at least, I do now.” She smiled. “Now, come along! Form a line, I have measurements to take and work to do!”
That evening, the nine girls rode toward downtown Canterlot’s biggest cineplex, where the film premiere was to be held. All of them were wearing dresses that Rarity had spent all afternoon making for them. As the limousine that had been sent to pick them up trundled through the streets, they talked amongst themselves.
“So, what exactly is the movie we’re seeing about?” Starlight asked. “They have movies in Equestria, but they don’t look as impressive as that trailer you showed me.”
“It’s the latest movie in a science fiction franchise called Star Trot,” Gem explained.
“Originally it was a TV series, then in the 70s, they made a series of movies based on the show, then movies based on a spin-off series that aired the late 80s and 90s,” added Raven.
“And this… New Endeavours is the latest spinoff?” Starlight inquired.
Twilight nodded. “The two writers who created the show read about us in the newspaper and asked if it would be okay if they based their characters off of us, and we all said yes,” she said. “And now here we are!”
“The movie itself involves the villainous doubles of the show’s protagonists meddling with the time stream in an act of revenge,” added Sunset.
Starlight gulped. “That sounds… exactly like what I did before Princess Twilight took me on as her student.”
Gem blinked. “I thought you said you manipulated an entire town into giving up their talents so they wouldn't think they were special.”
Starlight nodded. “Yeah, that was my first evil plan. Then, I spent about a year planning to get revenge on Princess Twilight, which led me to using one of the spells in Starswirl’s time spell collection to manipulate the time stream so she'd never meet her friends, creating a series of bad futures in the process.” She counted them off on her fingers. “There was one with King Sombra, one with changelings, one with Nightmare Moon… there were more, but those are the 3 I remember most.”
Sonata nodded. “Yeah, that totally sounds like the plot of this movie. Want a taco?” She offered one.
Aria stared, her eyes wide. “Where does she even get those things?”
Emerald shrugged. “I’ve stopped asking.”
At the theatre, the girls were absolutely swamped as paparazzi ran around, snapping photos and shouting questions at them. Eventually, Canter Zoom found them and shepherded them away to a private box at the top of the auditorium where the film would be showing. “I’m glad you girls could make it,” he said, smiling at the eight. “Juniper told me what happened at the mall earlier.”
“Then I hope she told you that we intend to befriend her,” Gem replied, smiling back. “What she did was sneaky, underhanded, and a blatant betrayal of your trust, but that doesn’t mean she can’t be forgiven.” She looked around at all her friends. “I think it’s fair to say we girls have done far worse.” Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Except me,” said Emerald at once. “I’ve been a perfect angel!”
Twilight laughed and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. “Well, for a given value of perfect, anyway.”
“There’s my favorite cousin!” said a voice. An older girl who looked exactly like Gem entered the room, wearing her own dress. Joining her were the actresses portraying the rest of the Endeavour’s bridge crew. “How’re you doing, cuz?” Carrie asked, beaming.
“Splendidly!” Gem replied promptly. “Carrie, allow me to introduce Starlight Glimmer! She’s a pony from Equestria, like Sunset.”
Starlight waved. “Uh… hi. Who are you?”
Carrie shook Starlight’s hand eagerly. “The name’s Carrie Shadow, I’m Gem’s older cousin/wanna-be sister. And now, an actress!”
“Because I recommended you to play my character personally,” Gem teased. “Chestnut Magnifico applied too, of course, but she was allergic to the paint they used to recreate our skin-tone.”
"Is everyone in your family brown and grey?" Starlight asked.
Gem and Carrie both nodded. "Oh yes," said Carrie. "I mean, Aunt Indigo has a slight tinge of purple to her skin, but it really is very slight. You have to look at her for a while to really notice it.”
“As fascinating as this is, the movie will be starting soon,” Raven pointed out. Sure enough, the seats below them were filling up with people, and the lights began to dim.
Emerald smirked. “Hey Aria… we’ve got movie sign!”
Aria laughed, and the film began in earnest.
After the movie, the girls rode home in the limousine they’d arrived in, talking about their favorite parts and promising to see it again in the very near future. As the car dropped off each member of the group, the only ones left behind were Gem and Starlight.
“Hey, Gem,” Starlight began. “Is it okay if I stay at your place? Since I don’t really have a home to go back to in this world?”
Gem smiled warmly and nodded. “Of course it is. If you hadn’t asked, I was going to suggest it myself. I have plenty of room, I imagine you’ll be quite comfortable there!” She tilted her head slightly to one side as she asked, “How are you adjusting to being human?”
“It’s weird,” Starlight admitted. “My face is too flat, I don't have a tail, I’m missing two legs, and these…” She wiggled her fingers, then went back to curling her hands as if they were hooves, “I don’t know how Sunset got used to ‘em.”
“She says it took a lot of practice,” Gem commented. “The longer you stay, the more… human-like you become.”
Starlight nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think I’ll be glad to go home before long.”
The limousine pulled up outside Shadowfall, and Steno came walking down the front steps to open the door. “Hey you two!” he said warmly, as Gem helped Starlight out of the car. “How was the movie?”
“Fantastic,” Gem replied happily. “But it really is quite late… I don’t suppose you’d mind showing our guest to her room?” She indicated Starlight, who blushed again.
Steno nodded. “Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem. Come on in, Starlight!” He led the two young ladies inside. Gem went to her room and began dressing for bed, while Steno guided Starlight to the main guest room, which had already been filled with some clothes for her to wear, including pajamas.
Starlight dressed, and then went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. As she brushed, she stared at her reflection in the mirror, and took a step back. “Is that what I look like now?” she asked herself, too surprised to believe it. A young teenage girl looked back, with skin that was slightly lighter in color than her fur, and the same purple hair streaked with green that she'd always known.
“This is too weird… it's me, but it's not me…” She put down the toothbrush, staring at her hands as if truly seeing them for the first time. She breathed heavily, sweating.
A knock came at the bathroom door. “Starlight? Is everything alright in there?” Gem called.
“I’m fine!” Starlight lied. “Don’t mind me!” She grabbed the toothbrush and started brushing.
Starlight didn't sleep very well. Her dreams involved invading space aliens, and an army of fleshy mutant apes taking over Ponyville. Then she dreamed she couldn't go back to Equestria, and had to settle in to life as a human. In the end, she wound up waking at 2 AM and walking through the dark house to the kitchen for a drink. She grabbed a glass and poured herself some milk, before going to sit on the balcony just off the kitchen.
As she stared into the night sky, she realized something. “At least the constellations are the same…” She drank her milk, and went back upstairs to try sleeping again.
At breakfast the morning, Starlight asked Gem something that had been bothering her. “Have you ever looked in the mirror and saw somepony who looks like you, but doesn't at the same time?”
“Oh yes,” Gem agreed. “In more ways than one. Why do you ask?”
Starlight sighed, and took a deep breath before speaking. “Last night… I don't know. I looked in the mirror and saw my reflection for the first time. And it looks like me… but it's not me.”
Gem nodded. “I completely understand. I’ve had that feeling for as long as I can remember.” She thought for a moment. “Starlight, have you ever read about stallions who wished they could be mares, or mares who wished they could be stallions?”
Starlight nodded. “Oh yeah, plenty of times. There were even a few in my village. Why do you ask?”
Gem breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, that feeling you mentioned is how I spent a lot of my childhood,” she explained, and produced a picture of a boy with Gem’s grey skin, brown hair, and green eyes. “This was me, age 14,” she said. “And here I am now, the girl you see before you.”
“That's all amazing,” Starlight said, looking between the picture and Gem, “But… what does it have to do with me?”
Gem took Starlight’s hand and held it in her own. “Because I’ve been where you are,” she said softly. “As a young boy trying to figure out who he really is, and as a human in a pony body the first time I went to Equestria.” Then she smiled. “But, I think if you want to talk to someone who truly knows what it's like to be in your horseshoes, you should go talk to Sunset.”
“I will,” Starlight promised, finishing her breakfast. “Thanks Gem.”
Sunset Shimmer had sort of expected Starlight would come over. Twilight’s letters to her had made it clear that the purple girl was in much the same boat she’d been in after the whole she-demon incident in her freshman year. Then there was the fact that Juniper Montage, the latest girl to join the “recovering crazed magical girl” club, had come over to Sunset’s house almost as soon as the sun had risen, and was subsequently treated to Sonata Dusk’s famous breakfast tacos.
Needless to say, when the car carrying Starlight (Gem’s Aston, driven by Steno) appeared in front of Sunset’s house and Starlight walked up and knocked on the door, Sunset simply smiled and said, “Come on in! We’re just getting breakfast now. You hungry?”
“Actually, I already ate,’ Starlight admitted, entering and smiling. “Gem recommended that I talk to you.”
Sunset nodded. “Yeah, I had a feeling she'd do that… it’s kind of her thing.” She led Starlight into the kitchen and gestured around the room. “These are Adagio, Aria Sonata, who you met last night, and Juniper Montage, who you met yesterday too.”
“Hey,” said Juniper, waving. “Sunny here says that you and her are magical ponies from another world. Is that true?”
Starlight nodded, sitting down at the table where the others were gathered. “The Dazzlings are too.”
“Though of course,” Adagio added, “my sisters and I have been here so long that we’re more human than siren these days. Especially now that we’re mortal.”
“I see,” said Juniper, before turning back to Starlight. “So, what bad stuff did you get up to? You mentioned something about brainwashing yesterday.”
Starlight nodded. “What happened was, after my childhood friend got his cutie mark, which is something ponies get when we find out our special talents, I went crazy and decided that cutie marks were bad. I created a spell to remove them, kidnapped about a dozen ponies from their homes, brainwashed them, and gave them new equal sign cutie marks. Then, at some point, Princess Twilight, our version of the science girl you know, and her friends came to my town. I tried to brainwash them too, only I got outsmarted, and ran away to lick my wounds.”
“What did you do next?” Juniper asked.
Starlight took a sip of coffee (Sunset had poured her some earlier) and continued. “After that, I lay low for a few months, keeping tabs on Twilight as often as I could without attracting attention to myself. Eventually, I had a plan in mind: I’d go back in time and try to stop her and her friends from ever meeting, but she caught on and tried to stop me. In the end, she managed to convince me that I was wrong, and took me on as her student, which is what I am now.”
Juniper whistled. “That’s one heck of a story, alright,” she commented. “I guess my next question is what the deal was with that mirror.”
“My guess is, it got hit with some of the background magic that’s been floating around here the last few years,” Sunset ventured. “Most humans, like you, won’t notice anything, but magically-sensitive individuals like me, Starlight, the Dazzlings, and our friends will. A couple years ago, it almost overwhelmed the portal and would’ve turned us all into humanoid ponies, but luckily the girls and I were able to stop it in time.”
Juniper raised an eyebrow. “Magically-sensitive? Really? That sounds like the Force from Star Wars.”
“Hey, it works,” Sunset said, shrugging.
“So, because I turned into a giant lady, what’s gonna happen to me?” Juniper asked next.
Sunset shrugged. “Hard to say. It’s the second time someone not from CHS or Equestria has used magic, so… it's entirely possible you’d be able to sense magic now, or not. What I can say for sure is that magic definitely doesn’t work here the way it does in Equestria.”
Starlight thought of something. “Hey, Sunset, is there a place where we could talk privately? I wanted to ask you some stuff.”
“Yeah, sure,” Sunset replied, getting up. “You don’t mind, do you Juniper?”
Juniper shook her head, smiling. “Not at all, go on ahead.”
Sunset nodded, and led Starlight into her room, making herself comfortable on the staircase that led to her bed. “What did you want to know?”
“What was it like for you when you first came here?” Starlight asked. “How did you feel waking up and seeing a body that was yours, but wasn’t?”
“Honestly, it was kinda weird the first few days,” Sunset admitted. “I didn't have anyone to show me what was what, so I had to get used to my new body on the fly.” She chuckled. “You know that thing you do where you curl your fingers up so they look like hooves?”
Starlight blushed. “Yeah, why?”
Sunset grinned. “I did that all the time my first week or two here. Honestly, being human isn’t too bad, you’ll get used to it after a few days.” She touched Starlight’s hand in reassurance.
“Have you ever been back to Equestria?” Starlight asked curiously.
Sunset nodded. “A few times, mostly with Gem. And while I like visiting, I wouldn’t want to live there.”
Starlight blinked. “Why? You’re a pony, just like me! Don’t you miss it there?”
Sunset shook her head. “Not anymore.” She leaned in slightly. “I used to though… a lot of people, and by that I mean no one, not even my friends, don’t know this, but the first night I was in this world, I spent pretty much all night crying. I mean, I’d just been dismissed as Celestia’s student and left behind everything I knew, all because I was angry at Celestia. I had no magic, no connections, no anything. I was totally alone, and I wanted to be back where I belonged. But when I tried to go through the portal the next morning, it was closed.” She leaned back. “I wasn't the goody two-shoes I am now. Back then, I was a total bitch. I missed home, and I took it out on everyone.”
“What changed?” Starlight asked.
Sunset smirked. “I turned into a raging she-demon and got hit in the face with a rainbow. Twilight could have just left me in that ditch, or even dragged me back to Equestria to face punishment for what I did, but she didn’t. Instead, she let Gem jump down and talk to me.”
She closed her eyes and smiled, before pointing at a rainbow pin that sat on her bedside table. “That was a Christmas… I mean, Hearthswarming gift from Gem to me… she likes to say that on the night of the formal, after I got hit with friendship magic, I was reborn as a human. And, honestly? She’s right. I mean sure, I can use Equestrian magic now, and I can still eat hay and flowers and stuff, but as far as Gem’s concerned, I’m human. And I’ve spent six years living here, getting used to this body, this world, this life. The truth is? If it wasn’t for all the magical disturbances going on, I don’t know if I’d set hoof in Equestria again. There’s nothing for me there.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” said Starlight, sounding pensive. “What do you think is gonna happen to me? I’m gonna be here a couple weeks, after all.”
“Probably not much,” Sunset admitted. “The girls and I will show you what it’s like to be human, and then… that’s it. You can go back to Equestria, study with Twilight, and come visit whenever you want.”
Starlight nodded. “Sounds like a good plan to me.” She smiled and adjusted her hat. “I guess I’ll head back to Gem’s. Thanks for talking with me.”
Sunset smiled and gave Starlight a hug. “No problem.”
“Welcome back, Starlight!” said Gem, as Starlight stepped into Shadowfall’s sitting room. “How was it at Sunset’s?”
“Great!” Starlight flopped onto the couch beside Gem and grinned. “It was great talking with somepony who understands me. I mean, no offense, but…”
“I’m not a pony, and you wanted to talk to someone who was,” Gem finished breezily. “I completely understand. Did you see anyone else while you were there?”
Starlight nodded. “The Dazzlings and that Juniper Montage girl from yesterday. Didn’t get to talk to her much, but she seems nice.”
Gem nodded approvingly. “Good! I’m glad it went well.” Then she smiled and clasped her hands together. “How would you like to go to the spa with me?”
Starlight gasped. “No way! You have a spa here too?!”
Gem nodded. “Indeed we do! I first went there with Adagio, and since then, I’ve gone about once a month! Sometimes on my own, sometimes with one of the girls! The owners are very friendly, I think you’ll like them!”
Starlight smiled. “It sounds fantastic! I love going to the spa in Ponyville, so I’m sure I’ll love it here too.” And off they went.
The owners of the spa were, in fact, the same Aloe and Lotus that owned the spa in Ponyville. Aloe smiled as Gem and Starlight entered the main reception area. “Ah, Miss Gemini! A pleasure to see you again, as always! Will you be having your usual?”
“Actually, Aloe, I’d like the full deluxe treatment today,” Gem replied, smiling back. “Aloe, this is Starlight Glimmer, she’s visiting from out of town.”
“I’m pleased to meet you,” said Aloe, shaking Starlight’s hand. Lotus brought over robes and slippers and handed them to Gem, and Gem led Starlight to the changing rooms.
“I think the heated bath is probably my favorite part,” Starlight said to Gem a few minutes later. Both girls sat in the heated pool, wearing matching white bathing suits. “It feels kinda weird as a human though, with the warm water against my skin. I’m used to fur!”
Gem chuckled. “I thought the same the first time I went to the Ponyville spa… Sunset and I spent two weeks in Equestria for fall break, and Rarity invited me on one of her spa dates with Fluttershy. It was delightful! But, as you say, the difference between skin and fur took getting used to.”
“What’s in the full deluxe treatment, anyway?” Starlight asked. “Back home, there’s pool time, a massage, and hooficures.”
“The same as there,” Gem responded, “though instead of hooficures, we have manicures and pedicures.” She gestured to her hands and feet, respectively.
“This isn’t going to cost you a lot of money, is it?” Starlight asked suddenly. “When I go, I usually just get a massage. It’s cheaper.”
Gem shook her head. “Don’t worry about that, Starlight,” she said soothingly. “Just relax. This is how you’ll get used to your new self.”
Starlight nodded and leaned back in the water, sighing happily.
An hour later, Gem and Starlight sat together outside Sugarcube Corner, enjoying a collection of baked goods. “I gotta say, that was probably the best spa treatment I’ve ever had,” Starlight was saying. “This world’s version of Bulk Biceps really knows how to make a girl feel new again!”
Gem nodded in agreement. “Oh, absolutely! A lot of people are put off by him because of how imposing he looks, but in truth, he really is a sweetie. He’s one of the nicest boys at CHS, everyone loves him!”
"Do you have your eye on him?" Starlight asked curiously.
Gem laughed and shook her head. "Oh no, no! I mean, I will not deny that he is handsome, any girl can see that. But my door does not swing that way. For you see, I am a lesbian."
"Yeah, which means her girlfriend is me!" said a voice. Raven Sable came striding into view and sat backwards on a chair at their table, kissing Gem's cheek. "Hey, sweetie! Showing Starry here the sights?"
"Something like that," Starlight replied, sipping her milkshake and munching on a cookie. "Where have you been all day, Raven?"
"Practicing my soccer skills," Raven answered, producing a soccer ball and spinning it on her fingertips. "Gotta say, having magic has really upped my game." She pointed at her Camp Everfree necklace.
"You haven't been using magic during competitions, have you?" said Gem in a stern voice, frowning at her girlfriend.
Raven raised her hands placatingly. "Relax! I only use it when I'm practicing solo. If I'm playing with Corvus and Dash, I leave my necklace off. I promise!"
Gem smiled and hugged the purple girl tight. "I believe you!"
Raven was suddenly struck with an idea. "Hey Starlight, wanna go watch me practice? I could even play a little one-on-one with ya if you wanted!"
Starlight smiled. "I think that sound great!" She got up. "Let's go!" And off they went, toward CHS' athletic fields.
"So, what are the rules of this game?" Starlight asked. "I'm used to playing with four legs, after all."
Raven nodded, "About the same as the rules in Equestria. Kick with your feet, not allowed to touch the ball with your hands, the winner is the team who can score the most goals... since it's just the two of us though, I'll make it easy on ya. Whoever gets to five goals first wins."
Gem made herself comfortable in the bleachers. "I'll be the score-keeper and announcer!"
Starlight blinked. "What do we need an announcer for? We're the only ones here!"
Raven grinned. "It's her accent, honestly. It's really hot."
Blushing bright red, Gem cupped her hands and shouted, "If both players are ready! Ready... set... go!"
The game began, and Gem began to commentate. "And they're off! Glimmer tries for a goal only to get blocked by Sable! It's clear she's still adjusting to having two legs! Sable gets a goal, then Glimmer's pelting up the field, and she scores! The score is tied at 1-1! Sable back in possession! Here she comes, with Glimmer trying to block her and... not fast enough! Two-one, Sable in the lead!"
It went on in this way for about 20 minutes, and by the end, Raven won, by a point. Both girls panted heavily as Gem came down to congratulate them. "Great job, you two! Truly excellent work!"
Raven nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Glimglam! That was awesome! If you were sticking around for longer I'd ask you to join the school soccer team!"
Starlight blushed. "Thanks, you two... can we go get something to eat now? That was exhausting!"
"Let's go over to my place," Raven suggested. "I can introduce you to my brother!”
As it turned out, Starlight and Corvus got along famously, so much so in fact that he was mildly disappointed when he learned that not only was she a magical talking a pony, she was also dating somepony back in Equestria: Sunburst, an old friend of hers from childhood, and Trixie, a new friend she’d met shortly after becoming Twilight’s student.
Gem had blanched visibly when she heard this news, and when asked why, had responded that the girl she’d killed the previous spring had, in fact, been Trixie’s human counterpart.
“I think I remember her mentioning that,” Starlight had said. “She didn’t name you specifically though.”
Gem nodded. “I don’t like talking about it… but Sunset and Twilight were the same way after their respective… episodes, so I imagine I’ll get over it in due course.”
Corvus steered the conversation to a lighter topic a few minutes later, and the four enjoyed a pleasant dinner before breaking up for the night.
In what seemed like no time at all, Starlight and the Rubies had again gathered at the portal that would take Starlight back to Equestria. Starlight hugged each of the girls in turn, smiling sadly. “I wish I didn’t have to go,” she said, sniffling a little.
“Look at it this way,” suggested Twilight. “This isn't goodbye. It's just goodbye 'til next time!”
Starlight nodded. “Yeah… goodbye ’til next time. Maybe you can come to Equestria and visit me!”
Sunset smiled. “I think we’d all love to,” she said. “See you later, Starlight.”
“So long!” Starlight replied, before stepping back through the portal to the other world.