>Be Daisy
>That's who you are to your parents, friends, and classmates
>Your life right now is painfully average for a city girl; get up, go to school, come home, have dinner, do your homework, watch Tati's latest video if it's out, go to bed
>Repeat
>But you know you're meant to be somepony more
>On Tuesdays and Thursday you have jazz dance, which is a bright spot in your life because it allows you to stand out
>You're quite good at it
>You also love sleeping in late on weekends and going out for boba after school with your friends
>You have two besties!
>There's Twinkle from your block who you've known since you were foals and Glitter from school who moved here from Los Angeles.
>Both are unicorns like your mom, but you take after your dad who is an earth pony
>(You suspect Mom may be a little disappointed about that, but if she is she hides it well)
>At any given week either one of them could be your true BFF
>Their status is a constantly changing thing, sometimes even day to day
>But that's what it's like when you have two besties: they can't both be number one
>Beyond those few things, you think you're a pretty typical Ponytown filly
>But you get to be a more exciting version of yourself on social media, which you have cultivated carefully
>freshasadayzee
>Somepony had already taken the usernames where your name was spelled normally so you had to switch up the 'daisy' part
>But it sort of helps to hide the account from your prying mom if only just a little bit
>Being a single child means your parents are always snooping on your stuff, so you keep your rinsta nice and clean (but bland) and save the best and most instagrammable stuff for Dayzee's accounts
>Dayzee is all the exciting parts of your life put on display with all the boring bits edited out
>She's a TikTok dancer and an Instagram nature enthusiast for now (not the gross stuff, though), but that's only just the start
>You know you're going to be an Influencer someday
>You can certainly pull it off; you're pretty without trying too hard, you have all the inside knowledge on culture from being a city filly, and you're from a marginalized group.
>People and ponies eat that stuff UP.
>You're kind of already an Influencer at school since the other girls have taken note of how you wear your mane and what kind of accessories you're carrying (Hydro Flask, Fjallraven saddle bag) and start to copy you
>You also have almost half the school following your insta
>Even some colts in the grade above you!
>But you've got your sights set higher than just being your school's go-to pony, though
>You need a lot more Instagram followers and a TikTok video or two that goes viral to get your name and face recognized
>Because you know there are a lot of other fillies out there who would benefit from your opinions about food, entertainment, fashion, and the environment
>Most importantly where to go and what to do so your real life has as many instagrammable moments as possible
>(You plan on spending as much time as you can at Coney Island this summer now that you're old enough to go without your parents!)
>(With your besties, of course!)
>This week Glitter is top BFF, which is why she's with you in your (messy) room now after school
>Your parents won't be home for a couple hours because they're both working
>Part of why you want to be an Influencer is so you're not chained to some 9 to 5 like they are
>Just living a fabulous life funded by other people and posting about it would be your job
>"Can I try it on?," Glitter asks, her light eyes flashing with a spark of mischief
>She doesn't need to say what "it" is
>You haven't stopped talking about it since you waltzed into the store and bought it with the money you got for your birthday
"Totally, just be careful though"
>You crouch down to get the bridle from its hiding place under your bed
>"Oh my god, my mom would totally kill me if she caught me with one of these"
"Saaaame. That's why it stays under the bed until they're gone."
>"I can't believe they just, like, sold it to you like that!"
"The mare at the shop didn't even bat a freaking eye."
>"She didn't ask for ID or anything?"
"I don't think they do that anymore. Or like, ever. I don't know"
>You pause.
"I think it's because I had cash. I NEVER have cash, but I got some for my birthday and I figured it was best to not leave a trail behind me for this kind of a purchase."
>"Dude, that's smart. My dad still looks at my account because 'You're not a grown mare yet' or some bullshit"
"Ugh, for me it's my mom, which is even worse"
>You present the box you retrieved from under the bed to her
>She squeals as she opens it, revealing the contents
>"Oh my goooooood, I can't believe you have one!! How much was it?"
"Thirty bucks because it's nylon. They had some leather ones that were over two hundred!"
>"Thank god it's bitless"
"I couldn't go THAT far! Not yet, at least"
>Glitter giggles then asks, "So I can...?"
"Sure, let me help you"
>You were afraid fitting it on her would be difficult because of her horn, but it was surprisingly easy
>She inspects herself in your full length mirror, turning her head from side to side to see herself from all angles
>"I feel so dirty," she says in a low voice, eyes wide as she continues to turn around in the mirror
"Yeah, because you look so hot!"
>She does - you don't want to admit it, but it looks as good on her as it does on you
>"I look like such a bad girl"
"Yeah you do! "
>A wicked idea hits you and you instinctively reach for your phone
>This would be TOO good!
>"Hey, what are you doing?," she Glitter with a distinct note of self consciousness.
"Bad girl Glitter video time!"
>"Oh my god no way!!"
"Just for my private TikTok. Only for you, me, Twinkle and..."
>"-and a few colts from school. I don't want them to like... y'know... DO it while they watch me"
"EWWWW!"
>You both fall into a fit of giggles
"I bet it'll seem a lot less gross next time you're in heat"
>"Shut uuuuup! I can't believe you just said that!"
"You're the one wearing the bridle! Now listen to me, here's the shot: your backside, tail up just a little, looking back at the camera and then you say..."
>You lean over and whisper the words into her ear
>Which sends both of you into a pile of squealing giggles
>"Daisy, I can't say that shit out loud! That's like... a porn star or something!!"
"I DARE you"
>Well no self respecting friend of yours is going to turn down a dare like that
>Three takes (and three more giggle fits) later you have the shot
>You show her the video
>She looks like a total bad girl looking back at the camera with her eyes lidded, purring, "Want to ride me? I don't have a saddle, baby, so it'll have to be bareback"
>She moves her tail a little to the side and says, "I hope I can handle that" in an exaggerated filly voice
>It's fire!
>Glitter peers over your shoulder and gasps.
>"Daisy, you CAN'T actually post that"
"Too late - I just did"

>Be Daisy
>In the lunchroom sitting at your usual spot between Twinkle and Glitter, even though Glitter isn't here
>Today they gave out your report cards in homeroom and yours was good
>Good enough to keep your parents from helicoptering around you while you do your homework
>They used to do that when you first started school and it drove you crazy, with Mom asking if you read the directions like at least four times and then demanding you let her read the directions herself to make sure you were doing things the right way
>Math was always the worst though; Dad turned every explanation into a three credit course that you never signed up for 
>You know that the C in math is going to earn you a disappointed look and trigger a lecture about STEM being the future
>And you're going to have to bite your tongue not to comment on the irony that a guy whose only social media presence is Facebook - like a boomer grandpa - is trying to lecture YOU about tech
>He doesn't even know what TikTok is
>Besides, it's better to be a trendsetter than some loser code monkey
>But who really cares about all that?
>It's lunch time
>The most important part of the day for you
>Since the school banned phone use in the classrooms (you've already been given two detentions for sneaking a look at your Insta during class and your parents FREAKED when they heard) this is the only free time you have to check social media during school
>The rest of the world doesn't stop just because you have class so you have to catch up as quickly as possible in the measly half hour you have
>Stuff is going down that you need to be aware of!
>Really you spend more time scrolling through social media that you do actually eating
>You haven't heard anything from Glitter today and you're a little concerned
"You got anything from Glitter?," you ask Twinkle, who is perched neatly beside you with her lavender eyes glued to her phone 
>"Nope, nothing yet."
"She must really be sick, because if she'd taken a mental health day we'd have heard from her by now."
>"Yeah she always sends us a good morning text even if she isn't feeling good - maybe her phone broke?"
"Oh my god that would suuuuuuuck. I hope not."
>Twinkle shrugs in an 'I-can't-help-you' way, going back to carefully arranging her buddha bowl so that it looks best in the cafeteria lighting for a pic
>Glitter may be new to school, but you two hit it off right away
>You two both have a highly tuned sense of fashion, like romantic comedies, and have a secret sweet tooth even though you try to eat as healthy as you can
>You're so close that you're often holding hooves or hugging, especially in pictures
>You like it best when she plays with your hair, but you haven't told her that yet cause it might be kinda weird
>It would almost be like a little romance if you weren't both straight
>Thankfully Twinkle isn't jealous; she's almost as tight with Glitter, which is why it's weird that neither of you have heard from her
>You hope she's doing okay
>But it's nice to get a little one on one time with Twinkle
>You two grew up together and are practically like sisters
>Sometimes it's like you can even read each other's thoughts
>You've just glanced over to the table across from yours, which - conveniently enough - is the table your crush is sitting at when the question forms on your lips
"Has he...?"
>Twinkle, without looking up from her lunch, interrupts before you finish
>"Not even once. He's totally engrossed in whatever they're talking about."
>You're used to him stealing clumsy glances your way every now and then, but today he's deep in conversation with the other colts and hasn't looked over at all
>Which is a little disconcerting and digs at your ego
"What do you think they're talking about?"
>"Probably Insta memes. Or video games. Definitely not us if that's what you're wondering."
>You wrinkle you nose at how self-assured her response is and you can't help but flatten your ears in disappointment
"How are you so sure?"
>"Daisy, colts our age just aren't into girls like that yet - or if they're interested, they're scared shitless enough that they aren't gonna try to make a move or anything. That's why I only date older guys; at least they actually know when they want your attention"
"But older guys want more than just texting and cuddling and stuff..."
>"Well there's what they'd like to get and what you choose to let them have. Doesn't always work out in their favor"
"I guess. And adding getting what you want to the equation-"
>"Can be just about impossible. They're all so oblivious like, they miss the most obvious shit"
"Yeah! Like on his birthday this year?"
>"Oh my god, the movie ticket thing? That was cringe as fuck"
"You think it would be obvious that if a pretty mare gives you two tickets to the movies with a cute little note about hoping to do stuff together in the future..."
>You wince at the memory, cheeks flushing warm
>"Nah, it totally went over his head. But I don't think any colts our age would get it - stuff that's wicked obvious to us they don't even pick up on"
"But if you spell things out too clearly for them you're either bossy or a slut"
>"Yeah, like if you just walked over to him and said 'You know if you asked me out I'd say yes'-"
"Oh my god, he'd probably freak the fuck out and run away and then the whole thing would be all over the school in seconds"
>"And everypony would look down on you for seeming desperate"
"And then I'd scare him away for good. God, I wish he had game"
>"No colt our age has game, Daisy. It hasn't even dawned on them that it's a thing they can have"
>You heave a sigh and lean onto the table, throwing another fruitless glance the guys' way
"Doesn't make him any less cute, though"
>Twinkle giggles behind her free hoof, looking up at you after having taken a good enough pic
>"He's also a very on-brand choice for you"
"What??"
>"Oh please - like you haven't thought about it?"
>Of course you have, but you'd never admit it to anyone
>Not even Twinkle
>You bite your lip while your friend continues
>"Come on! Tragic infamous father he never met? Famous mother now living with her equally famous marefriend? Totally not an asshole? Hot and totally instagrammable?"
"Twinkle!!" you squeal, stomping a hoof down dramatically, "The famous parents thing has nothing to do with why I like him!"
>"But it sure as hell doesn't hurt, right?"
>She knows you too well
>You know that having a coltfriend who is legacy famous certainly wouldn't be a bad thing for your brand
>Especially one as cute as he is
>He already follows you on social media, but he doesn't comment on anything - just the occasional like
>You just have to figure out how to get his attention in real life because he STILL hasn't looked over at you today
>A thought hits you suddenly
>Could it be because Glitter is out?
>Does he look over because Glitter is the one he likes?!
>Your stomach drops and you try to think back on what Glitter could have done to catch his eye instead of you
>The TikTok of her in your bridle was super hot
>And you know he saw it
>Shit.
>Did you fuck up your chances with him by making her look too good?
>Even though you want to bring it up to Twinkle, you bite your tongue and keep quiet; it's bad to get into the habit of talking about your besties behind their backs
>Unless you're saying something good about them of course
>But what if she's into him, too?
>She wouldn't dare
>She knows he's YOUR crush and girls always have to choose their friends over boys
>It's just girl code
>But if he's into her - like coltfriend level into her - then you'll just have to accept that he isn't into you and just have to be cool with it
>What the hell, who are you kidding?
>You couldn't be cool with it
>You'd just have to act like you were, and wait until they eventually broke up
>Then catch him on the rebound
>Because if Glitter would do you dirty like that you'd have to give her a taste of her own medicine
>Your phone dings, snapping you out of your thoughts - a new text!
>It's from Glitter
>It reads: omg guys, they took my dad away last night!!
>Followed by a bunch of crying emojis
>What the fuck?
>Your heart starts to beat faster and you look over at Twinkle whose phone received the same exact text as you
"Shit just got real"
>"What do we do? What CAN we do??"
>You pause and narrow your eyes, calculating how to best react to the situation for your image
"We've gotta be strong for her - eventually the news will get out, but we won't be the ones to break it. We can't let any details out. Have to protect Glitter at school if she does come in. I'll make a post about it in a few days, too."
>Twinkle's eyes are misty and she sniffles, rubbing a hoof at the tears forming to prevent them from causing messy mascara
>"Okay, okay. God this sucks."
"It does. But we can't let it shake us."