Celestial Spark hated Canterlot.

Despite spending half of her life in the bustling city attending school, as well as being the plus-one to countless events with her mother, she never missed coming here. Maybe it was because it was too elitist. Maybe it was because she didn’t care much for high-end shopping. Or maybe it was something else.

She trotted at a steady pace from the train station towards the looming castle ahead, where she knew Twilight was waiting patiently for her arrival. Relievedly, he wouldn’t be there. He always made sure to steer clear when he knew she was going to be visiting.

Sparkie quickly rehearsed the speech in her head, going over the words she had been memorizing for the past week. Her mother and Princess Celestia had chosen her to open the official welcoming ceremony to the newest batch of accepted students at Celestia’s Magic School, thinking she’d be great to give this year’s opener as she had graduated valedictorian from the School for Gifted Unicorns years before, and would hopefully serve as a role-model to the young and inexperienced unicorns.

Distracted by her thoughts, Celestial Spark didn’t even notice she was about to cross paths with him.

Entropy was intimidating. He was massive, with sharp noticing eyes and a pointed, brooding face. The young crossbreed lacked the goofy face of Discord, who even in his villain days wasn’t as daunting due to his silly and lighthearted nature. Instead, Entropy nearly always looked bored, angry, or a cloudy mixture of both.

Apparently, he had been lost in thought as well, because neither of them noticed the other until they had brushed shoulders.

Zipped out of their daze by the sudden contact, they snapped their heads back to look at who they had accidentally run into. Celestial Spark opened her mouth instinctively to rush out an apology, but closed it quickly, forming a tight line.

He looked so jaded. He always did, she thought bitterly, frowning. She remembered, a twang of guilt pulling at her chest, a look of hurt planted on that same face when it was much younger. She stared for a second more into those violet eyes—

“Watch where you’re going next time.”

His voice was cold. Calculated. Unphased. He pierced right through her. It was as if he were talking to a complete stranger. She huffed, and turned her head the other way, furiously switching her focus to the ground. She wanted to say something, but she couldn’t find the words.

Begrudgingly, she began trotting forward again, less eager than ever to be in this stupid city. She didn’t turn around. She didn’t have to.

She could feel his unrelenting gaze gnawing at her until she was out of sight.