Author's Notes:

After uh... four months...

Woo...?

But from here on out, we finally re-converge with the movie-like events... hehe...? Heh...

Stardate 2263.99 - The Start of a New School Year

Twilight found herself staring the door down with the same intensity she had both times she had been here for another year of school. No matter how smart or ahead of Twilight was in her class, she still hated the long, boring lectures. She gained nothing out of listening to professors talk about something she already knew all about. Yet the system seemed to require her to do so.

No matter, Twilight thought. This year, I can finally escape those stupid rules and prove Shining Armour wrong!

As she opened the door, a blast of cleanliness and scented fragrance filled the air. She knew that smell. “Gemmy?” Twilight called out. “Gems!”

A shout could be heard coming from the bathroom. Twilight, cocking her head to the side, winced as she heard several things clatter around. Banging and crashing could be heard from within, and then, a long winded groan. Standing there with a pained grimace and a slow stream of air being sucked through her teeth, the door opened. Slowly, from where she stood in the doorway, she saw several products of hair, fur, and make-up as well as several miscellaneous items toppled over or teetering dangerously far.

“Would it kill you to knock?” an accented voice whimpered, and Twilight broke into a goofy grin.

“Gems! It is you!” Twilight smiled, slamming the door behind her.

“Of course it’s me!” Rarity grumbled. “Who did you expect, a country hick?”

“Now that’s just offensive,” Twilight said.

Rarity rubbed a sore spot on her muzzle and sighed as she adjusted the towel on her head. “Not to you, it isn’t.”

Twilight gasped, putting a hoof to her chest in dramatic happiness. “You don’t think I’m a country hick?”

Rarity closed her eyes and sighed. “No, Sparks. I think you’re a bumbling idiot that doesn’t know when to stop.”

“This is gonna be a great year!” Twilight announced, throwing her stuff onto her bed. “With you by my side, nothing can go wrong!”

Rarity cocked an eyebrow. “Sparky, the day when nothing goes wrong with you around is the day I’ll lick my hoof and call it sanitary.”

“I’ll hold you to it, then, Gems,” Twilight smirked.

“I’ve told you countless times to stop calling me that.”

Twilight blew a raspberry at her.

Rarity facehoofed.

“You’re still unbelievable…”

Stardate 2264.01 - Exams...

“Woohoo!” Twilight cheered.

“What is it?” Rarity asked, rolling her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve set fireworks in the middle of the garden again. I didn’t like that whole debacle with being reprimanded like we were, and I wasn’t even helping you!”

“No, no, it’s not that,” Twilight squeed. “I can finally take my exams in advance!”

“So…?”

Twilight whizzed around, facing Rarity with an intense glare. “Seriously?” Her smile quickly returned. “This means I can make my big brother eat it!”

“Darling,” Rarity said, “I’m already one of the senior medical officers designated to the soon to be christened H.S.S. Amity. That’s hardly an impressive feat.”

Twilight’s jaw nearly dropped. “W-what?”

Rarity smirked, having finally gotten an upper-hoof on Twilight. “Oh yes! Since I was already so well taught in the Sciences, particularly Biology, they let me skip a year when we both first came here.”

Twilight’s shocked expression took on an even greater depth of incredulousness. Soon, however, Twilight’s jaw slowly came back up as it began to clench. Her teeth began to grind together as her face began to turn red and Rarity was beginning to get worried as she thought she saw steam coming out of Twilight’s ears. Just when Twilight had crouched into an attack position and seemed ready to explode, she returned to normal and her whole body relaxed.

This in turn, made Rarity all the more cautious. “Are you… erm…” Rarity paused. “Are you okay, Sparks?”

“N-never better!” Twilight smiled widely, her ears flicking and twitching. “It’s just I found out that my best friend has actually been more of a year ahead of me and that I fought hoof and nail for three whole years just for this one opportunity and my friend is ahead of me!”

Rarity winced, clearly realizing her mistake. “Oh… uh, erm… does that… does that bother you?”

“Oh no, not at all!” Twilight began to laugh hysterically as she trotted to the door to their dorm. “Hehehe! Nope, I’m a-okay! Just going to go take my tests now and I won’t come back until I’ve finished everything!”

Rarity, for all it was worth, felt bed. “Erm… you go do that?”

Twilight’s head twitched erratically. “Hehehe! I’ll see you later!”

With that, the door slammed shut behind her, rattling the small Rod of Asclepius pendant Rarity had gotten as a small reward for being an outstanding knowledgeable doctor. WIth a grimace, Rarity straightened the charm on her bedside table and continued to look at the door.

“...nutcrackers…” Rarity murmured.

Stardate 2264.15

“You’re looking chipper today,” Rarity observed.

Twilight practically bounced in her step as they descended a short set of stairs just outside the Academy Hall. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Rarity sighed. “I don’t suppose you do.”

With a grin, Twilight took a small object out of her red cadet uniform and observed it with a glinting eye before pocketing it again and going on her merry way. Rarity could only watch in scrutiny. “I don’t suppose you know what that thing you just pulled out of your pocket is either, hm?”

“Nyope!” Twilight smiled before stopping to look at Rarity. “I’m taking the test again, Gemmy.”

Rarity nearly dropped the folder she was carrying in her magic, abruptly stopping in her tracks. Twilight could almost see the sparks emitting from her hooves. “You’re what.”

“I’m taking it again, and I want you to be there!”

Rarity groaned before tossing her head face to the skies as if to send a prayer of utter disbelief and chuckled nervously. “You’ve got to be kidding me, darling!”

“Nyope!”

This time, Rarity deadpanned. “Okay. The last time you took it, you were given a stern talking to about abandoning the lives of a crippled vessel in enemy territory. The time before that, you were reprimanded for being reckless enough to destroy your whole ship in an attempt to save everybody! Those are the only two outcomes of the test, Twilight Amicae Sparkle. You know better than anyone.”

“Uh-huh, and I’m taking it again. You’re point?”

Rarity blinked. “Seriously? I’m a doctor, Twilight! I’ve got better things to do than watch you embarrass yourself for a third time!”

It was Twilight’s turn to look at Rarity. “Rarity Belle, doesn’t it bother you that nobody has passed the test?”

“Twilight, it’s the Kobayashi Maru,” Rarity said. “No one passes the test or comes back for seconds, let alone thirds.”

Twilight frowned for a few seconds before lighting up like a Hearth’s Warming tree once more. “You know what, I’ve got to study. Be there or be square!” With that, Twilight was off, trotting at a brisk but gentle pace through a few crowds of Starfleet cadets.

Rarity could only watch on in disbelief before shaking her head and continuing on her way.

“Study my flanks,” Rarity muttered, wondering for the nth time why she put up with Twilight’s antics.

With a sigh, Rarity resigned herself to her fate with stupidity.