*Okay, for those of you who don't know, the barbie movie I stole this from was Princess And The Pauper. And the main plot point of that movie is the two leads looking exactly alike. However, Stephanie and (the recently edited) Christina DO NOT look exactly alike. So screw it. Extend that suspension of disbelief, and just assume that everyone in this world is very, very dumb. Including me, apparently, as I'm the narrator, I guess.*

Both of them were shocked, as Christina stood up to look the other girl in the eye. With both of their hoods drawn, it appeared to both of them as if they were looking into a mirror. They looked exactly alike, until they lowered their hoods, seeing Stephanie's brown hair, and Christina's short, black hair, setting them apart. 

"Whoa." Christina said, her mouth wide open.

"We could be sisters..." Stephanie said.

"What's your name?" They asked in unison. They giggled. "You first." Christina said.

"Please, call me Stephanie."

"Stephanie? You have the same name as the princess!" Christina said, grinning. Then it hit her. "Oh..." She gave her a small curtsy. "I'm Christina, your highness."

"Oh, that's not necessary. I'm not even supposed to be out here." Stephanie said, getting excited again.

"Not to be rude, but, aren't you supposed to be inside the castle?" Asked Christina.

Stephanie sighed. "I'm savoring a first, and last taste of freedom before getting married next week. To a total stranger."

Christina scoffed and rolled her eyes. "At least you're not an indentured servant."

"Indentured servant?"

"Do you know what I go through every morning? If I want to have a hot breakfast, then I have to pay Madam Carp. But with what money? The stuff that she steals from me? And if I somehow manage to get the money, I have to get the eggs myself, rather than just buying them at the market, and the barn's a mile away! It's cold and wet every morning, all for a cooked egg." She shrugged. "But in my head, I'm back in bed, all snuggled up and sleeping in."

Stephanie was in disbelief. She had never left the palace, so she rarley ever experienced anything bad. Not only that, but this was going on under her very nose. "Really?" She asked.

"Really."She shrugged again. "But it's alright, I'm used to it, you know?" Christina said with a smile.

Stephanie bit her lip. "Well..."

"Well? How does a princess's morning go?" Christina asked.

"If I want eggs, all I do is ring a bell, and the maid comes in, serving them on a silver tray, and she always brings cookies with her. And while I eat, she gives me a foot massage sometimes too. Although, honestly? I'd rather be in the library reading science books all day!" Stephanie squealed as she spun around the square.

"Science books?" Christina stepped back.

"I like science. What's wrong with that?" Stephanie asked. 

"Nothing, nothing, but... something tells me that you like it for something more than the science." Christina smirked. Stephanie shook it off. "You know, we're kind of alike. I mean, obviously, our faces, but in personality too."

"We are?"

"Yes... see, there's somewhere else we'd rather be. I want to get out of this town, and you want to spend all day with... um, your science books." In truth, Christina could see that Stephanie was in love with someone, someone who might have had something to do with science, or the library, but she didn't dare mention it. She didn't want to kill the moment. "You'd never think that we, a princess and a pauper, would be so alike, but now that we've met, we can see it!"

"Thank goodness I heard your voice then!" Stephanie said, grinning. "Are you a singer? You're fantastic!"

Christina rolled her eyes and sighed disgustedly. "Thanks, but I work at Madam Carp's penitentiary- I mean, dress emporium."

"I love Madam Carp's dresses! Oh, that must be why our capes are the same!" Stephanie said.

"Yep, I made them both! Oh, and that dress you're wearing? I made it too." Christina said smugly.

"You made this? The design looks so complicated!" Stephanie said, admiring the dress from a new angle.

Christina shrugged again, realizing that if she did it one more time, she would probably look overly smug, and sat down at the edge of the well. "It isn't really. I just chose a length of fabric, pinned the pattern down, do a little cutting, stitching, add a few embellishments, and BAM! You've got yourself a gown." 

"What about... my wedding gown? Did you help make that too?" Stephanie asked.

"Huh? Oh, no. Madam Carp sent for a much better seamstress from far away." Christina looked up. "By the way, you said you were marring a stranger. How are you feeling about that?"

"Nervous. But I'd never let my mother know. I wouldn't want to disappoint her." Stephanie said, looking down and to the side.

Remembering her promise to her late mother, the promise to pay off the debt, Christina sighed. "I completely understand."

Stephanie turned around, grinning, before running to Christina and pulling her up by the hands. Though she was shocked, she laughed along with Stephanie. "You're right! We are alike! We take responsibility, and carry through on what we need to do!" She and Christina, still holding hands, spun in a circle, giggling, until they fell to the ground, laughing.

"I never expected you to be so relatable, though. You're nothing like what I expected you to be!" Christina laughed.

"I'm not your typical royal." Stephanie said, giggling. "We're exactly alike, though!"

"Except for our hair." Christina pointed out. "Oh, and... you're wondering why it's so short, aren't you?"

"That did peak my interest. I don't see many short-haired women."

Christina laughed. "Most people don't. I accidentily burned it in the fireplace when I was working. One of the other seamstresses helped me cut it so that it looked more neat and tidy."

Then, Stephanie had a thought. "What about this birthmark?" She asked. She rolled down her sleeve a little to reveal a nearly crown-shaped birthmark on her shoulder. "It's conveniently shaped, but I like it."

Christina rolled down her sleeve. Her shoulder was bare, no birthmark in sight. "Guess not." She said.

Suddenly, something odd happened. Skip barked. Stephanie looked over to her cat. "Did you just bark?!" She shouted.

Christina looked over, and gasped. "Wolfie!" Skip jumped into her arms, licking her fingers. She giggled.

"What..." Stephanie was confused.

"Oh, is... is he yours?" Christina said, setting Skip down.

"I think so. I mean, my cat doesn't bark."

"Wait, where did you get him?" Asked Christina.

"My tutor found him on the street. He was injured. He was going to raise him himself, but he seemed to like me better."

"Ah, that explains it. Skip here used to be my cat before he ran away. For some reason, he never actually was able to meow around me. He just... barked. I never knew why. Guess he found his way to you. But uh, out of respect for you, I'll call him Skip too. Oh, and I'm sure he'll be better off in a castle than having to doge Madam Carp, so you can keep him."

Stephanie laughed. "Okay then." She looked at Skip. "You bark?"  Skip barked in response. "Okay."

That was when they heard footsteps. Stephanie, knowing it was Matthew, pulled up her hood to cover her hair. Then she had an idea. "Christina, pull up your hood!" She giggled. Christina smiled, despite her confusion, and obeyed. They were identical again. 

Matthew came around the corner, holding a sugar-frosted apple. "Sorry that took me so long, the line was- Ah!" He dropped the apple on the cobblestone when she saw them standing there, exactly alike. Confused, he looked between them both, finally noticing the bottom of Stephanie's dress to tell them apart. "It's... uncanny." He said, letting out a small, confused laugh.

But all three of them were caught off guard when Midas, Preminger's dog, pounced upon Skip, who had gotten away by the time he landed. Skip took off down the streets, Midas following close behind. "Skip!" Stephanie and Christina yelled in unison.

The day was definitely getting more interesting by the second.