Stardust Balance

"That was a close one."

"Hm. Good excuse you pulled back there, although acting-wise could be improved on."

"I panicked alright? I wasn't expecting to bump into my older brother of all people, I had to improvise!" Twilight protested to my light-hearted observation, rubbing her forehead tiredly as we passed a corner. "Sorry. It's just, Shining can get very protective of me, and the last thing we want is that blocking our way."

"Oh. I'm fully aware of how protective of his loved ones he can be."

Purple eyes glanced at me curiously. "You mean, you know him in your world?"

I grinned. "Was Best Man at his wedding." And what an event that was. "I'll have to tell you about it sometime." I added to Twilight's gaping expression, nodding forward. "Are we close?"

Closing her mouth, the girl nodded, motioning to a pristine door on our right. "Right here." Ah, excellent. We're halfway done with the plan! Twilight proceeded to knock, and... No answer. Another knock. No answer. "Huh... Must be on lunch break."

"Even better." And I almost laughed at Twilight's expression upon me callously opening the door, which wasn't locked for some reason, and into the room filled with recording cameras and controls, spying on every corner of the school building. Upon a reluctant Twilight following after me, I closed the door carefully whereas she lowered her bag and allowed Spike to come out and play.

The puppy was all too happy, to say the least. "About time! Sometimes it gets really stuffy in there." Spike scratched behind his ear, gazing around curiously. "Are we here then?"

"We are Spike. Now, time to get to... Work." Twilight already beat me to it, taking a seat by the controls and immediately hopping into it. The teen muttered beneath her breath.

"Yesterday... Two hours ago and fifty-seven minutes... Principal's Office..."

...Anyone who said any version of Twilight Sparkle was ineffective, was a Goddamn liar.

"I'll leave you to it then." I commented jokingly, prompting Twilight's quick glance and small smile.

"We should do this quickly as possible. I'm already breaking enough rules for doing this. If everything goes South, I can kiss that study program goodbye."

"Didn't I say I'd-?"

"Take the blame? Repeatedly." Finally, something akin to amusement emerged behind those glasses, staring back up at the camera recording the office of the detested Principal. "But despite which, I don't think I can bring it in myself for anyone else to take responsibility for actions I'm partially involved with."

Leaning against the edge of the table, I folded my arms and grinned. "Heh, noble. You're almost like my Twilight in every single way, but unique in other aspects. You're doing the right thing here."

Twilight was typing into the keyboard with the speed of a hungry jaguar, but couldn't refrain from asking. "...And what else is she like?"

"Hm?"

"The other Twilight. The 'Princess of Friendship,' as you called her."

"As everyone calls her nowadays." I smirked. "But where do I even begin?" The mental image alone of the smiling alicorn prompted my small smile, gazing up to the ceiling. "Beautiful. Driven. Ambitious. Determined. Passionate. Hilarious. Kind. Studious. Intelligent. Devoted. Brilliant. To be honest, I don't think every positive word in the entire dictionary could do her justice; she's... She's perfection itself."

The sound of tapping keys halted briefly, and I felt both pairs of eyes on me. "The two of you sound pretty close." Spike stated.

I chuckled lightly, eyes looking upwards still. "That's one way of putting it... She saved my life, for existing alone. At one time, we were the bane of each other's existence. But now... Without her, I'd... Well, I'd prefer not thinking of other scenarios."

"Why?" Human Twilight inquired softly, sounding slightly nervous, as if afraid of the answer. "Who is she to you...?"

The billion dollar question, an answer to which only I knew. And that answer came from the bleeding heart and dedicated soul towards that beautiful, Goddess of a mare, a sole word emerging from my throat that was quiet, but carried more weight and intensity than a thousand suns.

"Everything."

The room then became quiet for a long, good moment, the implications of the meaning behind that singular word filled with nothing but emotion sinking in. Until Spike said something which incited my genuine laughter. "Wow." Wow indeed Spike! "You don't strike me as Twilight's type, no offense."

Pft! "Don't worry Spike; I don't know what she sees in me either." Human Twilight, meanwhile, turned her gaze back on the screen, which was replaying the exact footage, I imagine, needed to expose the Principal permanently. "You found it? Nice work Twilight!"

The teenager nodded slowly, her mind seemingly occupied on something else. "Now we just need to download the footage and send it via email." Good point. First we'll need- Huh. "It always pays to come prepared." And Twilight inserted the Deus Ex USB stick from her pocket into the hard drive to proceed with the download.

Spike threw me an amused look. "Don't look so surprised. Twilight always comes prepared for anything."

"Anything but magic girls, talking dogs, breaking and entering the surveillance room in my own school." Twilight commented mildly, sending us a look of faint amusement. "This has been one surreal day, to understate it." A bing noise to alert us the download was complete, Twilight was efficient in pocketing the stick again, standing up and erasing any evidence of our presence here. "We should depart quickly. But first, Stardust."

I was so use to her voice calling me 'Jack' instead, hence my sudden surprised look. "Yeah...?"

Twilight looked nervous briefly, picking up the backpack after Spike lunged back inside it, composing herself before proceeding to ask, "You said this other Twilight was the 'Princess of Friendship,' correct?" Yeah-huh. "And... Is she happy? With her friends, I mean, and with her... Boyfriend?" Hah, it was nearly hysterical with how embarrassed she was adding in that last part.

But in answer, I nodded with a smile. "More than you know." Twilight nodded, staring at me then contemplatively.

"And you think... I'll find what I'm missing through those girls, back at CHS?"

Certainly-

"There are always better options to happiness."

...What?

https://www.fimfiction.net/story/243194/a-journey-beyond-sanity

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10959457/1/A-Journey-Beyond-Sanity