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Description

-Twilight’s castle doors open to reveal the Princess of Friendship herself. She walks in with her two guests, Sunset Shimmer and Sunset’s son, Astral Dusk-

Twilight Sparkle: *grins at her friend* Sunset, I can’t wait to tell you all about the new discoveries! I’ve waited all morning for this!

Sunset Shimmer: *chuckles* Well trust me, Twi, we’re looking forward to hearing about it too! *winks at the brown colt beside her* Aren’t we, Astral?

Astral Dusk: *smiles and gives a firm nod* Definitely. But I’m just grateful you still don’t mind having me tag along, princess…

Twilight: *giggles* Oh Astral, you’re practically a fellow scientist! As long as you don’t get bored, I absolutely don’t mind-

*jumps in realization* Wait! What time is it?! *whips her head to look at a nearby hanging clock* Oh gosh, how did I forget…

Sunset: (?) What’s wrong?

Twilight: There’s an early dismissal today, so Nova will be home soon...*uses her magic to poof up her schedule, furrowing her eyebrows at it* Tempest is on patrol right now...UGH, I always make sure at least ONE of us is here to greet him so he can talk about his day and ask any questions about his homework!!

Astral: *chuckles* That...certainly sounds like you.

Sunset: *thinks for a moment...and forming an idea, she turns to Astral with a cheerful smile* Hey Astral? Why don’t you wait here for Nova?

Astral: (?!) W-what?

Sunset: I know it’s sudden, but Twilight sounds kind of troubled. Besides, the two of you have never gotten to just sit down and talk, you know? I think this is a perfect chance for you to get to know him.

-When Astral thinks about it, he realizes that any time he has ever seen Nova was only during brief encounters with short exchanged greetings or from far away. Not surprising, with the five year age difference and the differing schedules. He knows Twilight and Sunset had always wanted the two of them to spend time together and become friends, but their workload and the timing never seemed to work out.-

Astral: I…*glances down at his hooves, a nervous feeling now settling in his stomach* I guess...

Sunset: *gaze softens* Don’t you worry, sweetie, I’ll be sure to fill you in later! *gently rests her head upon her pre-teen’s* Just give it a chance. It’s good to take up opportunities to make a new friend.

Astral: *appreciates the gesture and lightly nods, already knowing the reason behind her words. He then looks up at Twilight, and manages to give a weak, reassuring smile* I’ve got this covered, Twilight.

-Astral sees Twilight's violet eyes shine with delight and hopeful glee; he can only guess she’s excited over a new friendship blossoming, one involving her son no less-

Twilight: Oh thank you, Astral. I’m sure Nova will appreciate the company! I’ve talked about you plenty of times before!

-Sunset gives her son one last encouraging hair-ruffle before walking down a nearby corridor. Before she follows, Twilight shoots him one more grin-

Twilight: Make yourself at home, okay? And pft, I know you’re no troublemaker, but be sure that you two stay out of trouble~

Astral: *watches Twilight disappear down the corridor* Thank you…

-The large room at first echoes with their retreating hoofsteps before it’s filled with complete silence. Astral is left to his thoughts as he sits and waits. He hates feeling nervous, but knows he can’t help it. Not with how awkward he is at making friends. Most of his attempts never worked in the past...he nearly winces when he remembers that his mom literally had to help him out to meet his best friend, Terra Rosa; and that required dragging him to a whole different dimension-

Astral: ‘Nova is like...practically Terra’s half dimensional brother. Maybe it’ll be the same...maybe we’ll have a lot of things in common. He’s Princess Twilight’s kid, surely we-’

-Astral begins to hear deep voices on the other side of the large double front doors of the castle; probably the guards, he decides. He then watches as the doors are engulfed by a magic aura before they’re opened inward. And as they do, they reveal a small purple colt. He begins trotting in with an utterly bored expression. That is, until he notices the other colt sitting in the foyer, causing him to stop in his tracks and stare blankly. Behind him, the guards close the doors-

Astral: *already feeling pretty uncomfortable, but moves to stand* Uh...hey Nova.

Nova: *furrows eyebrows* What are you doing here?

Astral: *taken aback by the straightforward response, not a welcoming edge to be found* I’m...Sunset Shimmer’s kid? My mom came to talk to your mom about their new research findings-

Nova: Oh, you’re the kid my mom keeps talking about for some reason... *he looks around the room, disgruntled* But that’s obviously not what I meant. Why are you here instead of my moms? Since when was it your job to greet me?

Astral: *is rather...bewildered, by Nova’s bluntness* Uh...the early dismissal threw off your mom’s plans to talk to my mom. We were already here when she remembered.

Nova: *appears disappointed* Oh.

Astral: But she wanted to make sure somepony was here to see you! They want us to, you know, hang out. And I can...help you with your homework?

Nova: *snorts* I’m sure you’d be honored to, but I don’t have any homework today.

Astral: ‘....honored?’

Nova: *eyes Astral* Well if my mom wants us to be friends that bad, then sure I guess. Come on, uh...

Astral: Astral Dusk.

Nova: Pft. That’s a fancy name for a kid.

Astral: (?) *watches as Nova starts towards a hallway without even glancing at him. Astral follows, falling into step with the young unicorn. Despite feeling the intense awkwardness, he forces himself to converse* So...how was your day?

Nova: Boring.

Astral: *waits for Nova to elaborate….only for silence to hang in the air* ...do you, uh, have a favorite subject?

Nova: Not really. Do you?

Astral: *perks up at this* Science! Like...geology.

Nova: *look at him in confusion* Geo-what?

Astral: Geology. The study of the earth’s structure, including its different kinds of rocks. *hesitates, but decides to keep going now that he’s started* Specifically, I love gems. I actually collect them.

‘Okay, here we go…’

-Astral stops to reach into his saddlebag. He pulls out a small, dark red bag with drawstrings.-

Nova: …..??

Astral: *he rummages inside the bag. At first he considers showing off the lovely labradorite his father had brought back for him just the other day, but he decides against it due to a lack of knowledge on the gem. Instead he pulls out…* Ah! Here’s a sapphire. A really well-formed one, too. It...kind of reminds me of your eyes?

-After mentally wincing at his odd comment, hope bubbles up at the sight of Nova staring at the gem within his hoof. Astral begins to feel grateful that gems are at least lovely to look at. That alone can garner interest, as it has for the many ponies before Nova....even if that’s as far as most ponies' interest in his collection goes. He continues-

Astral: Did you know sapphires are typically blue, but can come in other colors like yellow, purple, and green? Cool, huh?

Nova: ...its a rock.

Astral: (?) Well, yeah.

Nova: *meets his eyes, and Astral winces at the almost incredulous look he’s giving him* I mean it’s just a rock. How can it be cool?

Astral: *finds himself, yet again, taken completely aback. But he tries to push down the stinging feeling. Nova is so much younger. He probably just doesn’t see the value. He can’t help but defend the gem* A-all gems have so many different properties and possibilities behind them! *decides to reach into his bag and whip out his labradorite* I mean look at this! Isn’t it beautiful? When light hits it, you can tilt it and see all sorts of colors! How cool would it be to research it further and see what you could do with that property?

Nova: *stares at the gem as Astral tilts it around in front of him...and then stares at Astral with a raised eyebrow*

Astral: ...you honestly don’t even think it’s pretty?

Nova: *snorts and motions towards his castle* I’ve seen more impressive rocks, dude. But they’re still just rocks. They’re not exactly fun? You can’t really do anything with them. Unless you’re like, making dresses like Rarity.

-As much as he wants to argue, because Celestia knows the great magical potential these gems could hold, Astral holds his tongue. The last thing he would want is to bicker with the son of his mother’s best friend. OR create a bad impression of himself, if he didn’t already ruin it with his gem-talk. That doesn’t stop him from experiencing a familiar wave of deep disappointment. Of feeling out of place.

Not that this is the first time his interest or his gushing has been brushed off-

Nova: *yawns* Aaaanyway, enough talk! If we’re going to hang out, let’s actually do something fun!

Astral: *remembers what Twilight and Sunset had wanted* Sure…like what?

*for the first time, he sees a glint come into the colt’s blue eyes*

Nova: DUH, play a video game of course! Ugh, it sucks that they don’t allow them in class, I hATE being bored...anyway! *contentedly looks into the air as he thinks* I have all kinds of systems in my room! Like a Hooftendo, and a Ponystation-

*realizes Astral is making a weird face* ...what?

Astral: Uh, I just...I didn’t know princes played video games.

Nova: …*squints* What’s that supposed to mean?

Astral: *blinks* Sorry. I was just surprised.

Nova: Oookay…well whatever, let’s just go already! *begins walking forward, but stops to look over his shoulder when he doesn’t hear Astral walking with him* Well, are you coming??

-Astral awkwardly rubs a foreleg. As much as he doesn’t want to come off as rude, he also...doesn’t want to pretend he’s interested. Especially when Nova had no issues with being honest with his own disinterest-

Astral: Is there anything else we can do? I don’t really feel like playing-

Nova: Excuse me?? *faces Astral, narrowing his eyes at him* This is MY castle. So if I say we’re playing video games, we’re playing video games!

Astral: *eyes Nova warily, rather put off by the attitude* Well sorry Nova, but-

Nova: *nose crinkles* PRINCE Nova. We’re not friends yet, so don’t throw my name around all willy nilly! *huffs* I mean, didn’t your mom teach you how to talk properly to royalty?

Astral: *stares at Nova in a deadpan, now beginning to feel irritation bubble up inside him* Prince...Nova. As I was saying. I just don’t really like video games, personally-

Nova: *his eyes fly wide open while his head jerks back* WHAT?! YOU-

Astral: *watches as Nova sputters with a hanging jaw. Astral furrows his eyebrows and shifts uncomfortably* W-what?? I just find them kind of repetitive, so- *cuts himself off when Nova’s eyes somehow widen even further, this time appearing outright offended*

….

Nova: *races down the hallway* MOM?! MOM!

-Astral tenses, any annoyance replaced by confusion and alarm. He quickly follows, and realizes Nova is making a beeline for the throne room. Inside, Princess Twilight and his mother whip around, startled by the urgency in Nova's gallop as the two colts burst in-

Twilight: (?!) Nova?! What’s going on??

Nova: *skids to a halt and juts a hoof in Astral’s direction behind him, practically refusing to look at him while making a face of disgust* He needs to be exiled from the castle!

Astral: *whips his head towards Nova in disbelief. When he feels the stares of the two mares on him, he feels his ears flatten*

Twilight: *expression reflects sheer horror* Novis!! That is no way to talk to a friend, let alone a guest!

Nova: *pouts, stomping a small hoof* But he’s disrespectful and doesn’t even like video games! LIKE, what kid doesn’t like video games?! He likes rocks instead and he’s- he’s not normal!

-Those words hit Astral like a punch to the gut. In response, he immediately recoils back a step and stares at Nova with rounded, hurt eyes.

“Not normal”. It’s like his deepest insecurity had just been slapped directly into his face-

Twilight: *eyebrows draw back, deeply concerned* Nova, those are really hurtful things to say-

Astral: *tightens jaw* Well-! *stands up tall to glower down at the younger colt, completely done with putting up with his bratty attitude. Completely done with being forced to feel this way, over and over* Don’t YOU have better things to do than to play dumb, childish games?!

Sunset: (?!) *startled by her son’s aggression and steps forward, whispering worriedly* Astral-!

Nova: *bristles and aggressively nudges Astral back with his head* DUMB? Seriously?! Well you know what’s really dumb?! Rock-collecting and pretending it’s SOOO much more fun!

Astral: They’re GEMS, you-!

-The two colts growl and bicker incoherently over one another. At first Twilight and Sunset look between the two, stunned at the sheer amount of bitterness passing between them.-

Nova: You have NO respect for royalty!

Astral: If you ACTED the part instead of being a snob, maybe you could EARN my respect! What kind of prince are you?!

-The bickering continues, but as soon as Twilight spots Nova’s horn spark, she quickly swoops in and grabs her colt, holding him away from Astral. Sunset, snapping out of her stunned state, briskly trots to her son’s side-

Twilight: *shoots a guilty, apologetic look at her friend* Sunset, I’m SO sorry. *glares disapprovingly at Nova, who quickly ducks his head guiltily* Novis, you will apologize this instant! Not understanding somepony's interests is NO reason to attack them! You need to be respectful of your differences. THAT’S what friends do.

Sunset: *nods in agreement, frowning down at both colts* She’s right. You both need to find what’s ALIKE and go from there. *gazes sternly down at her son* You should apologize too, Astral. You said some rude things as well, and I KNOW you’re better than that.

Astral: *winces, flattening his ears from his own guilt. He looks back at Nova, and though he feels distaste fill his mouth, he mutters* I’m sorry…

Nova: *with all eyes on him, he glues his gaze onto the floor* Nng… sorry.

Twilight: *sighs deeply, frowning* Alright then…

Sunset: Astral and I should probably head out now. *offers a light smile* You can explain the rest to me tomorrow.

Twilight: Sure, Sunset... oh! Before you go, here!

-Twilight walks over to the table at the center of the room that some papers are laying upon. Sunset follows her, leaving the two colts behind them.
As Astral stares at the mares, wanting nothing more than to leave the unpleasant presence of the prince beside him, his ears manage to catch the colt quietly mutter under his breath-

Nova: I don’t like you.

Astral: *narrows his eyes and turns his head to see Nova shooting a dirty look at him through his bangs*

Nova: *closes his eyes and lifts his head, as if to appear high and mighty* I’ve just decided that a prince like me can’t be friends with someone as boring and uncivil as you. Too bad. It’s your loss for being rude to me.

Astral: *glares, any remaining feelings of guilt dying out at once* Believe me, I wouldn’t want to be a friend of Ponyville's bratty prince anyway. I doubt I’ll be missing out. *huffs, looking back at their moms* Just try to control that foul mouth of yours so we don’t make trouble for our moms? You can do THAT at least, right?

Nova: *scowls* Stay out of my way and we won’t have a problem.

Astral: *as he sees Sunset pick up papers with her magic, he decides to leave Nova and meet her by the table. But not before making a point to give Nova once last icy glare from the corner of his eye* Yeah. Likewise.
_________________________________________________
This is the day that began Astral Dusk and Prince Novis' rocky (ha) relationship.
Nova? Sure, he’s always had this trait of bluntness (although he had NO chill as a kid with it...). And he managed to mellow out and grow humbler as he matured and grew older, thanks to Twilight’s royal lessons and him going through lots of self-reflection. But as a kid? Oh boy…
You’d think that being raised by the friendship princess would make Nova this friendly, loving kiddo. But unfortunately, unbeknownst to Twilight, young Nova didn’t exactly grasp what it truly meant to be a prince. High treatment by everyone in Ponyville, thanks to his title and who his mother was, got to his head and fed his little ego. Not only that, but Nova severely misconstrued some of Twilight’s lessons…but that’s a story for another time. What I can say is that as far as he knew, being his friend (an honor for anypony, he thought) meant doing anything and everything he wanted. If you’re not willing, then you’re not really his friend, you’re a jerk
Meanwhile, Astral Dusk always had a hard time bonding and fitting in with his peers, due to his uncommon interests. Luckily Sunset Shimmer introduced him to human Twilight’s daughter, Terra Rosa, who he became best friends with. But as a kid, Astral was pretty self-conscious over having such a hard time relating to everyone else.
After this encounter, even though Nova and Astral desperately wanted to never see each other again, it was inevitable that they’d see each other due to their mothers being best friends and research partners. They TRIED to “behave”, for their moms' sakes, but when the mares weren’t looking they inevitably would pass snarky remarks or have short bickering sessions. Dusk refused to see Nova as anything more than a self-absorbed jerk with no thought for others. In response, Nova continued to see Dusk as a grumpy, boring, no-fun Ass-tral himself.
It….especially didn’t help that when Twilight decided to gift Astral his own lab in her castle, she purposefully made it just down the hall from Nova’s room.
The two stallions were exasperated, to say the least.
Destinyverse Archives
Feat.
Astral Dusk Nova Spark

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Description

-Twilight’s castle doors open to reveal the Princess of Friendship herself. She walks in with her two guests, Sunset Shimmer and Sunset’s son, Astral Dusk-

Twilight Sparkle: *grins at her friend* Sunset, I can’t wait to tell you all about the new discoveries! I’ve waited all morning for this!

Sunset Shimmer: *chuckles* Well trust me, Twi, we’re looking forward to hearing about it too! *winks at the brown colt beside her* Aren’t we, Astral?

Astral Dusk: *smiles and gives a firm nod* Definitely. But I’m just grateful you still don’t mind having me tag along, princess…

Twilight: *giggles* Oh Astral, you’re practically a fellow scientist! As long as you don’t get bored, I absolutely don’t mind-

*jumps in realization* Wait! What time is it?! *whips her head to look at a nearby hanging clock* Oh gosh, how did I forget…

Sunset: (?) What’s wrong?

Twilight: There’s an early dismissal today, so Nova will be home soon...*uses her magic to poof up her schedule, furrowing her eyebrows at it* Tempest is on patrol right now...UGH, I always make sure at least ONE of us is here to greet him so he can talk about his day and ask any questions about his homework!!

Astral: *chuckles* That...certainly sounds like you.

Sunset: *thinks for a moment...and forming an idea, she turns to Astral with a cheerful smile* Hey Astral? Why don’t you wait here for Nova?

Astral: (?!) W-what?

Sunset: I know it’s sudden, but Twilight sounds kind of troubled. Besides, the two of you have never gotten to just sit down and talk, you know? I think this is a perfect chance for you to get to know him.

-When Astral thinks about it, he realizes that any time he has ever seen Nova was only during brief encounters with short exchanged greetings or from far away. Not surprising, with the five year age difference and the differing schedules. He knows Twilight and Sunset had always wanted the two of them to spend time together and become friends, but their workload and the timing never seemed to work out.-

Astral: I…*glances down at his hooves, a nervous feeling now settling in his stomach* I guess...

Sunset: *gaze softens* Don’t you worry, sweetie, I’ll be sure to fill you in later! *gently rests her head upon her pre-teen’s* Just give it a chance. It’s good to take up opportunities to make a new friend.

Astral: *appreciates the gesture and lightly nods, already knowing the reason behind her words. He then looks up at Twilight, and manages to give a weak, reassuring smile* I’ve got this covered, Twilight.

-Astral sees Twilight's violet eyes shine with delight and hopeful glee; he can only guess she’s excited over a new friendship blossoming, one involving her son no less-

Twilight: Oh thank you, Astral. I’m sure Nova will appreciate the company! I’ve talked about you plenty of times before!

-Sunset gives her son one last encouraging hair-ruffle before walking down a nearby corridor. Before she follows, Twilight shoots him one more grin-

Twilight: Make yourself at home, okay? And pft, I know you’re no troublemaker, but be sure that you two stay out of trouble~

Astral: *watches Twilight disappear down the corridor* Thank you…

-The large room at first echoes with their retreating hoofsteps before it’s filled with complete silence. Astral is left to his thoughts as he sits and waits. He hates feeling nervous, but knows he can’t help it. Not with how awkward he is at making friends. Most of his attempts never worked in the past...he nearly winces when he remembers that his mom literally had to help him out to meet his best friend, Terra Rosa; and that required dragging him to a whole different dimension-

Astral: ‘Nova is like...practically Terra’s half dimensional brother. Maybe it’ll be the same...maybe we’ll have a lot of things in common. He’s Princess Twilight’s kid, surely we-’

-Astral begins to hear deep voices on the other side of the large double front doors of the castle; probably the guards, he decides. He then watches as the doors are engulfed by a magic aura before they’re opened inward. And as they do, they reveal a small purple colt. He begins trotting in with an utterly bored expression. That is, until he notices the other colt sitting in the foyer, causing him to stop in his tracks and stare blankly. Behind him, the guards close the doors-

Astral: *already feeling pretty uncomfortable, but moves to stand* Uh...hey Nova.

Nova: *furrows eyebrows* What are you doing here?

Astral: *taken aback by the straightforward response, not a welcoming edge to be found* I’m...Sunset Shimmer’s kid? My mom came to talk to your mom about their new research findings-

Nova: Oh, you’re the kid my mom keeps talking about for some reason... *he looks around the room, disgruntled* But that’s obviously not what I meant. Why are you here instead of my moms? Since when was it your job to greet me?

Astral: *is rather...bewildered, by Nova’s bluntness* Uh...the early dismissal threw off your mom’s plans to talk to my mom. We were already here when she remembered.

Nova: *appears disappointed* Oh.

Astral: But she wanted to make sure somepony was here to see you! They want us to, you know, hang out. And I can...help you with your homework?

Nova: *snorts* I’m sure you’d be honored to, but I don’t have any homework today.

Astral: ‘....honored?’

Nova: *eyes Astral* Well if my mom wants us to be friends that bad, then sure I guess. Come on, uh...

Astral: Astral Dusk.

Nova: Pft. That’s a fancy name for a kid.

Astral: (?) *watches as Nova starts towards a hallway without even glancing at him. Astral follows, falling into step with the young unicorn. Despite feeling the intense awkwardness, he forces himself to converse* So...how was your day?

Nova: Boring.

Astral: *waits for Nova to elaborate….only for silence to hang in the air* ...do you, uh, have a favorite subject?

Nova: Not really. Do you?

Astral: *perks up at this* Science! Like...geology.

Nova: *look at him in confusion* Geo-what?

Astral: Geology. The study of the earth’s structure, including its different kinds of rocks. *hesitates, but decides to keep going now that he’s started* Specifically, I love gems. I actually collect them.

‘Okay, here we go…’

-Astral stops to reach into his saddlebag. He pulls out a small, dark red bag with drawstrings.-

Nova: …..??

Astral: *he rummages inside the bag. At first he considers showing off the lovely labradorite his father had brought back for him just the other day, but he decides against it due to a lack of knowledge on the gem. Instead he pulls out…* Ah! Here’s a sapphire. A really well-formed one, too. It...kind of reminds me of your eyes?

-After mentally wincing at his odd comment, hope bubbles up at the sight of Nova staring at the gem within his hoof. Astral begins to feel grateful that gems are at least lovely to look at. That alone can garner interest, as it has for the many ponies before Nova....even if that’s as far as most ponies' interest in his collection goes. He continues-

Astral: Did you know sapphires are typically blue, but can come in other colors like yellow, purple, and green? Cool, huh?

Nova: ...its a rock.

Astral: (?) Well, yeah.

Nova: *meets his eyes, and Astral winces at the almost incredulous look he’s giving him* I mean it’s just a rock. How can it be cool?

Astral: *finds himself, yet again, taken completely aback. But he tries to push down the stinging feeling. Nova is so much younger. He probably just doesn’t see the value. He can’t help but defend the gem* A-all gems have so many different properties and possibilities behind them! *decides to reach into his bag and whip out his labradorite* I mean look at this! Isn’t it beautiful? When light hits it, you can tilt it and see all sorts of colors! How cool would it be to research it further and see what you could do with that property?

Nova: *stares at the gem as Astral tilts it around in front of him...and then stares at Astral with a raised eyebrow*

Astral: ...you honestly don’t even think it’s pretty?

Nova: *snorts and motions towards his castle* I’ve seen more impressive rocks, dude. But they’re still just rocks. They’re not exactly fun? You can’t really do anything with them. Unless you’re like, making dresses like Rarity.

-As much as he wants to argue, because Celestia knows the great magical potential these gems could hold, Astral holds his tongue. The last thing he would want is to bicker with the son of his mother’s best friend. OR create a bad impression of himself, if he didn’t already ruin it with his gem-talk. That doesn’t stop him from experiencing a familiar wave of deep disappointment. Of feeling out of place.

Not that this is the first time his interest or his gushing has been brushed off-

Nova: *yawns* Aaaanyway, enough talk! If we’re going to hang out, let’s actually do something fun!

Astral: *remembers what Twilight and Sunset had wanted* Sure…like what?

*for the first time, he sees a glint come into the colt’s blue eyes*

Nova: DUH, play a video game of course! Ugh, it sucks that they don’t allow them in class, I hATE being bored...anyway! *contentedly looks into the air as he thinks* I have all kinds of systems in my room! Like a Hooftendo, and a Ponystation-

*realizes Astral is making a weird face* ...what?

Astral: Uh, I just...I didn’t know princes played video games.

Nova: …*squints* What’s that supposed to mean?

Astral: *blinks* Sorry. I was just surprised.

Nova: Oookay…well whatever, let’s just go already! *begins walking forward, but stops to look over his shoulder when he doesn’t hear Astral walking with him* Well, are you coming??

-Astral awkwardly rubs a foreleg. As much as he doesn’t want to come off as rude, he also...doesn’t want to pretend he’s interested. Especially when Nova had no issues with being honest with his own disinterest-

Astral: Is there anything else we can do? I don’t really feel like playing-

Nova: Excuse me?? *faces Astral, narrowing his eyes at him* This is MY castle. So if I say we’re playing video games, we’re playing video games!

Astral: *eyes Nova warily, rather put off by the attitude* Well sorry Nova, but-

Nova: *nose crinkles* PRINCE Nova. We’re not friends yet, so don’t throw my name around all willy nilly! *huffs* I mean, didn’t your mom teach you how to talk properly to royalty?

Astral: *stares at Nova in a deadpan, now beginning to feel irritation bubble up inside him* Prince...Nova. As I was saying. I just don’t really like video games, personally-

Nova: *his eyes fly wide open while his head jerks back* WHAT?! YOU-

Astral: *watches as Nova sputters with a hanging jaw. Astral furrows his eyebrows and shifts uncomfortably* W-what?? I just find them kind of repetitive, so- *cuts himself off when Nova’s eyes somehow widen even further, this time appearing outright offended*

….

Nova: *races down the hallway* MOM?! MOM!

-Astral tenses, any annoyance replaced by confusion and alarm. He quickly follows, and realizes Nova is making a beeline for the throne room. Inside, Princess Twilight and his mother whip around, startled by the urgency in Nova's gallop as the two colts burst in-

Twilight: (?!) Nova?! What’s going on??

Nova: *skids to a halt and juts a hoof in Astral’s direction behind him, practically refusing to look at him while making a face of disgust* He needs to be exiled from the castle!

Astral: *whips his head towards Nova in disbelief. When he feels the stares of the two mares on him, he feels his ears flatten*

Twilight: *expression reflects sheer horror* Novis!! That is no way to talk to a friend, let alone a guest!

Nova: *pouts, stomping a small hoof* But he’s disrespectful and doesn’t even like video games! LIKE, what kid doesn’t like video games?! He likes rocks instead and he’s- he’s not normal!

-Those words hit Astral like a punch to the gut. In response, he immediately recoils back a step and stares at Nova with rounded, hurt eyes.

“Not normal”. It’s like his deepest insecurity had just been slapped directly into his face-

Twilight: *eyebrows draw back, deeply concerned* Nova, those are really hurtful things to say-

Astral: *tightens jaw* Well-! *stands up tall to glower down at the younger colt, completely done with putting up with his bratty attitude. Completely done with being forced to feel this way, over and over* Don’t YOU have better things to do than to play dumb, childish games?!

Sunset: (?!) *startled by her son’s aggression and steps forward, whispering worriedly* Astral-!

Nova: *bristles and aggressively nudges Astral back with his head* DUMB? Seriously?! Well you know what’s really dumb?! Rock-collecting and pretending it’s SOOO much more fun!

Astral: They’re GEMS, you-!

-The two colts growl and bicker incoherently over one another. At first Twilight and Sunset look between the two, stunned at the sheer amount of bitterness passing between them.-

Nova: You have NO respect for royalty!

Astral: If you ACTED the part instead of being a snob, maybe you could EARN my respect! What kind of prince are you?!

-The bickering continues, but as soon as Twilight spots Nova’s horn spark, she quickly swoops in and grabs her colt, holding him away from Astral. Sunset, snapping out of her stunned state, briskly trots to her son’s side-

Twilight: *shoots a guilty, apologetic look at her friend* Sunset, I’m SO sorry. *glares disapprovingly at Nova, who quickly ducks his head guiltily* Novis, you will apologize this instant! Not understanding somepony's interests is NO reason to attack them! You need to be respectful of your differences. THAT’S what friends do.

Sunset: *nods in agreement, frowning down at both colts* She’s right. You both need to find what’s ALIKE and go from there. *gazes sternly down at her son* You should apologize too, Astral. You said some rude things as well, and I KNOW you’re better than that.

Astral: *winces, flattening his ears from his own guilt. He looks back at Nova, and though he feels distaste fill his mouth, he mutters* I’m sorry…

Nova: *with all eyes on him, he glues his gaze onto the floor* Nng… sorry.

Twilight: *sighs deeply, frowning* Alright then…

Sunset: Astral and I should probably head out now. *offers a light smile* You can explain the rest to me tomorrow.

Twilight: Sure, Sunset... oh! Before you go, here!

-Twilight walks over to the table at the center of the room that some papers are laying upon. Sunset follows her, leaving the two colts behind them.
As Astral stares at the mares, wanting nothing more than to leave the unpleasant presence of the prince beside him, his ears manage to catch the colt quietly mutter under his breath-

Nova: I don’t like you.

Astral: *narrows his eyes and turns his head to see Nova shooting a dirty look at him through his bangs*

Nova: *closes his eyes and lifts his head, as if to appear high and mighty* I’ve just decided that a prince like me can’t be friends with someone as boring and uncivil as you. Too bad. It’s your loss for being rude to me.

Astral: *glares, any remaining feelings of guilt dying out at once* Believe me, I wouldn’t want to be a friend of Ponyville's bratty prince anyway. I doubt I’ll be missing out. *huffs, looking back at their moms* Just try to control that foul mouth of yours so we don’t make trouble for our moms? You can do THAT at least, right?

Nova: *scowls* Stay out of my way and we won’t have a problem.

Astral: *as he sees Sunset pick up papers with her magic, he decides to leave Nova and meet her by the table. But not before making a point to give Nova once last icy glare from the corner of his eye* Yeah. Likewise.
_________________________________________________
This is the day that began Astral Dusk and Prince Novis' rocky (ha) relationship.
Nova? Sure, he’s always had this trait of bluntness (although he had NO chill as a kid with it...). And he managed to mellow out and grow humbler as he matured and grew older, thanks to Twilight’s royal lessons and him going through lots of self-reflection. But as a kid? Oh boy…
You’d think that being raised by the friendship princess would make Nova this friendly, loving kiddo. But unfortunately, unbeknownst to Twilight, young Nova didn’t exactly grasp what it truly meant to be a prince. High treatment by everyone in Ponyville, thanks to his title and who his mother was, got to his head and fed his little ego. Not only that, but Nova severely misconstrued some of Twilight’s lessons…but that’s a story for another time. What I can say is that as far as he knew, being his friend (an honor for anypony, he thought) meant doing anything and everything he wanted. If you’re not willing, then you’re not really his friend, you’re a jerk
Meanwhile, Astral Dusk always had a hard time bonding and fitting in with his peers, due to his uncommon interests. Luckily Sunset Shimmer introduced him to human Twilight’s daughter, Terra Rosa, who he became best friends with. But as a kid, Astral was pretty self-conscious over having such a hard time relating to everyone else.
After this encounter, even though Nova and Astral desperately wanted to never see each other again, it was inevitable that they’d see each other due to their mothers being best friends and research partners. They TRIED to “behave”, for their moms' sakes, but when the mares weren’t looking they inevitably would pass snarky remarks or have short bickering sessions. Dusk refused to see Nova as anything more than a self-absorbed jerk with no thought for others. In response, Nova continued to see Dusk as a grumpy, boring, no-fun Ass-tral himself.
It….especially didn’t help that when Twilight decided to gift Astral his own lab in her castle, she purposefully made it just down the hall from Nova’s room.
The two stallions were exasperated, to say the least.
Destinyverse Archives
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Astral Dusk Nova Spark

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