celestial

一

Last edited » July 14, 2023
Author's Note » personally, my school (US) offers international baccalaureate and now that i'm a junior, i'll be taking these advanced classes until my senior year. i gave y/n this education pathway as well (for reference, easiest to hardest is: college prep, honors, AP, IB). there's a certain schedule pre-IB students take in their freshmen and sophomore year (year 9 and 10) to prepare them for junior and senior (year 10 and 11)

also, i kinda see the mane 6 (7) as sophomores or juniors (especially considering we've seen them drive) so this story has the timeline of sophomore year to senior year. even though sunset shimmer had been princess of the fall formal three times before she stole twilight's crown in the first movie, making rainbow rocks their senior year, i feel like it'd be really chaotic and rushed to write sunset shimmer's entire arc, the dazzlings, sci twi, legend of everfree, and you and RD in one year of high school. so yeah
Referenced Movie(s) » Rainbow Rocks (2014)
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MARCH 2016

"Hey." You looked up, it was Rainbow Dash.

She was one of the more (if not most) popular girls at Canterlot. Captain of every - yes, every - sports team at CHS, she and her six friends could win any and all popularity polls if there was one. Not to mention, her multicolored hair naturally drew a lot of attention, even in a world as unique as yours.

You were very opposite of her. Reclusive, quiet, and very non-athletic. Your skin was a warm tan, your wavy hair shoulder-length and dark. However, you do have a few white streaks of hair that surely add some excitement, but this was not intentional.

You were born with these "highlights" and by age 6, your pediatrician determined that you had vitiligo, an autoimmune disease that caused white patches all around your body.

This discoloration appeared variously but you found it adoring. Above both your caruncles were small but asymmetrical ovals; your columellar base was too highlighted white but your pink lips nearly escaped the spread. A small dot that could pass as a mole was on your bottom left lip. Of course, your scalp also had variously placed patches, but until you shave your head (which, you never will), you only have a general idea of what they look like.

As far as your actual body, if you were to ever wear a bathing suit in public, your bottom would catch the most eyes for you have another patch on your right buttock. Your knees, ankles, and elbows were too affected in solid segments, but your hand was rather faint and started fading away years ago.

You waved back to Rainbow Dash's greeting. Adding onto your several other asocial traits, you only talked when necessary, but she didn't seem to mind. Rainbow Dash must have had to prepare herself to some extent: it was impressive to approach someone purposely hiding in the farthest corner of the library.

"You're... [Your name], right?" You nod. She glanced at the seat in front of you.

"May I?" Her lips quirked into an awkward smile, which seemed out of character for her.

i'm probably being difficult —You decide to alleviate any tension and speak, "Yeah."

She sat down. "You're good at math, right? We had geometry together freshmen year. You.. always looked like you knew what you were doing."

you actually remember me? like i'm a memory to you, not just some null space at a desk —You nod. "I like to think so, but I'm sure there's someone better than me."

"What math do you take now?"

"Algebra Two." Rainbow Dash reached under her tray as she took a bite out of her apple. It was a piece of paper. Once out in the open, she gestured for you to take it and read it.

parabolas, x-intercepts, y-intercepts... we're doing the same thing just at the beginning of the year. she must be in a CP class —You looked up to ask a follow-up question but Rainbow Dash had already digested the piece of apple she had bitten off.

Thus, she beat you to it: "Do you think you could explain all of that to me in one hour?"

you seem very nonchalant about it, i hope you care, at least a little. it's significantly harder to teach someone when they're just doing it to see a non-failing grade and not to comprehend —"...Yeah, I can. Now?"

"Please," she smiled. "My test is tomorrow."

"Formative or summative?"

"Summative." Your expression faltered and she clearly saw.

"I know, I know! But I just need someone to say it in not-math terms. Do you play any sports?" You shook your head.

She sighed. "Then... just explain everything like I don't even speak English."

At the beginning of the year, quadratics was also a difficult topic for you to completely understand. While you could do it just fine, it didn't really click until your class was already halfway into the unit.

Teachers often refrain from explaining mathematics in its entirety for they fear that it will confuse scholars, and while that fact is true for your less advanced peers, if you wanted an utter and complete understanding of a subject, you needed the entire history to see how everything was connected and made ultimate sense.

You would skip this step with Rainbow Dash, seeing that terminology was her issue. First, you established what she at least somewhat understood and what she didn't. If she had no concept of an X-intercept, there was no point in explaining Y's, but you would be pleased to discover that she could do everything with the occasional help of someone, but on a test that was going to measure her own understanding and performance, she already knew her demise.
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"Is it starting to make sense?" There was only 10 minutes before lunch was over, but Rainbow Dash's nod seemed genuine.

"Then do this." You first flipped the paper towards you, writing an equation from the mind.

While Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as her lips flatten, you believed in her. In the short hour that she was here, she made some good progress, especially when you noted that parabolas are the shape of the arc that a volleyball makes when flying across the court. She may not be earning the perfect score, but a 75 or even an 80 was well in her caliber. Before, you doubted a measly 65, the minimum for passing at CHS.

"Once you do that, I'm leaving to dump my trash." You flipped the paper back to her. "I leave five minutes early to beat the crowd."

"Oh, I can go with you!" she brightly smiled. You nod with a shrug.

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