Disclaimer: I don't own My Little Ponies or anything related to it. That belongs to Hasbro or whoever it is that owns it.
The school office came into view and the blonde-haired girl let Twilight go as she knocked on the door. Hearing a voice inside telling them to pass, she held the door open and Twilight stepped inside.
It was a small office, with a few chairs in one corner of the room and a desk resting on the other. On one side of the desk stood a tall stack of papers that had been placed over a tray, the word IN embedded on it. A woman sat behind the desk, peering down through her spectacles and slowly typing into a computer. She looked as though she were in her late thirties to Twilight, and yet her hair seemed to have lost all color, reflecting a bright silver hue and seeming completely gray. She must have had bright auburn hair at one time, Twilight reasoned; upon closer inspection she could make out a few red-colored strands mixed within, as well.
The woman turned to the door, saw Twilight standing there, and gestured for her to come in.
“Can I help you?”
The blonde-haired girl stepped into the office and moved next to Twilight. She smiled at the woman and said, “Here she is, Miss Mare. The principal sent me to get Twilight Sparkle, and I brought her back as soon as I found her.”
Seeing the blonde-haired girl, the woman hesitated before offering her a smile. “Thank you for your help, dear. Why don’t you go off to class before you arrive late? And remember to stay out of trouble. No more cutting in line just because you want to buy muffins, okay?”
“Okay, Miss Mare!” The blonde-haired girl turned to Twilight, reached down, and clasped both of her hands, shaking her enthusiastically. “See you later, Twilight!” she shouted, leaving the room and slamming the door behind her.
Twilight rubbed her aching arms as she turned to the woman behind the desk. Seeming to read her thoughts, the woman said, “She might be overenthusiastic, but she means well, and she’s a very sweet girl. She’s always willing to help whenever she can.”
“Right,” Twilight said, brushing herself off. Looking down on the desk she saw a small plaque with a name written on it. Reading it, she frowned.
“It says Marie.”
“Pardon, dear,” the woman said. “I didn’t quite catch that.”
“Your name,” Twilight said, pointing to the plaque. “It’s Marie, but that’s not what she called you.”
“Oh, yes,” the woman replied with a laugh. “She started mispronouncing my name one day and it seemed to stick with her, so I don’t really say anything. Now,” she added, standing up and moving towards the opposite door, “why don’t you make yourself comfortable while I let Celestina know you’re here?”
“Celestina?” Twilight asked, blinking in surprise.
“She’s the school principal. Miss Celestina has been in charge of running the school since its foundation. Her sister was also a part of the school administration for the longest time, but she’s no longer with us.”
For one brief moment, the woman’s good-natured expression became somber, but it quickly changed as she laughed once more. Motioning for Twilight to sit down, she said, “I’ll let you know once she’s ready for you.”
Twilight sat on one of the empty chairs as the woman moved to the next room. Now alone, her mind began to recall the events of that morning. She had been introduced to more people than she had expected before classes had even begun, and she didn’t know what to make of all of them. From Lyra and Bon Bon, with their bickering couple behavior, to the pink-haired girl’s giddiness, Dash’s indifferent attitude, and the blonde-haired girl’s overwhelming enthusiasm, all of the girls she had met seemed rather peculiar in their own way. It made her wonder if the entire school was full of students like that, or if it had just been a coincidence and she had attracted all of the odd students on her first morning.
Thinking it over only reminded her of how much embarrassment she had been subjected to in such a short amount of time. Pushing the thoughts away, she began to wonder what she was doing in the principal’s office in the first place. Had she really done something that was against the rules? She had originally thought that the pink-colored stripe running down her hair would have been unacceptable and was sure to get her in trouble, but after meeting all of the girls, she rationalized that it would be more than permitted within the school regulations.
What, then, had she done to warrant the principal wanting a word with her?
The door across from her opened, startling Twilight out of her trail of thought. Marie had returned and was beckoning her with a wave of a hand. Almost instantly Twilight stood, accidentally kicking the chair in the process and knocking it over. Blushing furiously, she knelt down and picked it up, then walked up to the secretary, who had a small smile on her face and was holding back laughter for the young girl’s sake. Not daring to meet her eyes, Twilight quickly walked by her, stepping into the other office and coming face to face with Celestina.
There was a moment where the woman sitting behind the desk feigned ignorance of Twilight’s presence, her eyes trailing over the documents on the table as she continued to write over them. Then she lowered her pen and raised her gaze, and Twilight felt everything around her come to a sudden halt. Her eyes remained frozen on the woman before her, who seemed even younger than the secretary outside, but radiated an air of grace and maturity well beyond her apparent years. Two amethyst-colored eyes caught Twilight’s gaze as the woman smiled, the light shinning in through the window illuminating her features and refracting through her hair, giving the impression that it was many colors at once.
“You must be Twilight Sparkle,” Celestina said. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you. My name is Celestina, and I’ll be your new principal here in Equestrian High.”
Twilight remained silent, her mouth hanging slightly open as she gaped at the woman before her.
“Twilight,” Celestina mused, tapping her chin with a finger. “That is a very interesting name. You must tell me how you came up with it on your very first day.”
At her words, Twilight snapped back to attention. The awe she had felt upon first seeing Celestina suddenly disappeared and anger came rising to the surface as she clenched her hands and furrowed her brow.
“I didn’t come up with it!” she screamed. “That’s my real name! Why does everyone keep asking me that stupid question?”
The words were followed by a deep silence. Celestina merely stared at Twilight in surprise, and it was not until Twilight had taken a few calming breaths that she realized she had just shouted at her new principal. Now Celestina was gazing at her with a slight frown on her face, and Twilight felt her heart stop as a growing numbness began to spread through her.
“That was…I didn’t…I mean, I’m sorry…”
But the more she struggled, the more pronounced the frown on Celestina’s face became. No longer able to find words to aid her, Twilight lowered her gaze and fell silent.
You really did it, Twilight, she thought. Way to go. This is going to get you expelled for sure.
Seconds ticked by as she waited for Celestina to respond, sure that her days in Equestrian High had quickly come to an end before they could even begin.
The sound of someone stifling their laughter caught her by surprise, and Twilight dared to lift her eyes and look at the woman sitting behind the desk. Sure enough, her new principal was trying to suppress her laughter and failing, and it began to ring in the office around them as Twilight held her breath.
“Goodness,” Celestina said, wiping a tear from her eye, “I didn’t think you would get that upset from a simple joke.”
Her laughter continued, and Twilight felt her cheeks grow warm. Still, she let her body lurch forward, feeling as though all of her energy had been drained as she stood rooted on the spot. Celestina was laughing. That meant that she wasn’t upset, right? A part of her registered the change in mood, but an even bigger part began to wonder if it was normal for a school principal to play pranks on their students.
“I’m sorry,” Twilight said, mustering up as much dignity as she could. “I didn’t mean to shout. I’ve just been hearing those words all morning.”
Celestina nodded, her laughter dying away with a few last chuckles as she composed herself. “Yes, I quite understand. Here in Equestrian High we encourage our students to find a name that they feel comfortable for others to recognize them with. It began as a kind of joke among students, but over the years it’s become a school tradition, and we’ve allowed it up to now because it instills freedom of choice in our students. I regret to say that you will probably continue to be on the receiving end of such questions, at least until you manage to create another name for yourself.”
Twilight nodded. It all suddenly began to make sense to her.
“Would it be alright if I just keep my real name?”
“Well, you would be the first student in Equestrian High to do so, but it’s your choice,” Celestina said. “However, most students will still believe that to be your new name. Twilight Sparkle isn’t the most common name around here. Now,” Celestina continued, reaching for a folder that lay over her desk and opening it, “if you would, please have a seat.”
Twilight obeyed, taking one of the chairs in front of the desk and holding her breath as she turned to Celestina.
“Relax,” Celestina said, noticing how tense Twilight was. “You’re not here because you’re in trouble.”
“I’m not?” Twilight asked, surprised.
“Of course not. As a mater of fact, I’ve actually been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time.” Letting her gaze drop to the folder in front of her, Celestina's eyes darted through the document. "You have an excellent grade point average, high even among our standards, and your aptitude tests were on par with some of the best students that have graduated in the last few years. You’re just the sort of student that we’re looking for here in Equestrian High."
The praise would have normally caused Twilight to glow. Instead, she frowned.
“I don’t understand. If that’s true, then why didn’t I receive any message from the school back when I first filled out my application?”
“Yes, that was a mistake on our part,” Celestina said, giving Twilight a sad smile. “We had been going through a…difficult situation at the time.” Her voice suddenly choked and her eyes trailed to the side, the bright amethyst color within dulling over as her features became somber. Twilight, who had seen a similar reaction on Marie, believed that she knew the cause for the sudden change, but before she could ask about it Celestina seemed to come to, turning to her and smiling once more. “Your application was lost within a flood of mail the school received that week, and we didn’t get the chance to see it until just a few days ago when we made the necessary arrangements to bring you here. Of course, if you would rather return to your old school, I’d understand.”
“No!” Twilight said at once, her small outburst causing Celestina to draw back. Composing herself once more, she shook her head. “No, that won’t be necessary. I would like to remain here in Equestrian High.”
“I’m glad to hear that. We only accept the very best students here in Equestrian High, and I believe a student of your caliber is exceptionally rare. I am expecting great things from you, Twilight.”
This time Twilight allowed herself to relish in the praise. “Thank you, Miss Celestina. I’ll do the best that I can.”
Celestina smiled. “I know you will. And please, call me Celestina. I’d rather the students were as comfortable around me as possible.”
She stood, and Twilight, realizing that their meeting was over, did the same. Celestina reached across the desk and offered her hand, and Twilight, beginning to redden, slowly grasped it. She did not know why, but she felt strangely drawn to Celestina. It was not infatuation; Twilight had never felt such things for anyone before, and she wouldn’t even know it if she was bitten by the love bug. No, it was the familiarity of standing before Celestina, desiring nothing but the woman’s praise and doing all she could to earn it, that seemed to overwhelm her. It was as though she had lived this moment before, perhaps in another time, and had just been reintroduced to an important aspect of her life.
It was a crazy thought, Twilight knew, and she brushed it aside as Celestina’s ability to reach out to her students and command their admiration. There was something awe-inspiring about her - from the way she seemed to carry herself to the comforting look in her eyes - that made Twilight feel at ease. She felt as though she could trust Celestina with anything, and a desire to prove herself began to grow deep within Twilight, if only to be able to again relish in the smile Celestina was now giving her.
“Well then, Twilight Sparkle, it is my pleasure to officially welcome you to Equestrian High. Now, hurry off to class, and the best of luck to you.”
“Thank you, Celestina,” Twilight said. She moved towards the door and reached for its knob when she suddenly stopped, remembering the saddened look that had crossed Celestina's features. Turning back to her new principal, she said, “Marie told me about your sister. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Celestina blinked twice, her features reflecting confusion. “My loss?”
“She told me that your sister was no longer with you," Twilight explained, pausing slightly before continuing. "I can’t even begin to imagine how hard it-“
“Oh my,” Celestina said, raising a hand to her cheek. Her lips parted into a smile as she began to laugh once more. Twilight fell silent at once, surprised at this sudden change. Needless to say, this was not the reaction she had been expecting.
Okay, she thought in bewilderment, I guess that’s one way of mourning for loved ones.
“I am very sorry, Twilight,” Celestina said between chuckles. “I know how horrible this must look, but you misunderstood. My sister is not dead, bless her soul. She left the school after desiring to alter the established curriculum. We didn’t see eye to eye on the subject, so she decided to leave rather than cause a larger conflict. Many parents weren’t happy when they found out, but the whole situation has cooled down considerably these last few weeks.”
“Oh,” was all Twilight could manage to articulate. Needless to say, she had made a fool of herself once more. Reaching behind her, she tried to grab the doorknob but it seemed to fumble in place, refusing to open the door and let her escape her current humiliation.
“I thank you for your concern, though” Celestina said, her tone still jovial. “I’ll be sure to tell my sister you send her your best wishes the next time we speak.”
Feeling her face redden once more, Twilight continued to fumble with the knob, relieved when it finally turned and she heard the faint click of the door unlocking. “I’ll just go,” she said, smiling tensely as she opened the door. “First day of class, don’t want to be late.”
Not waiting for a response, she turned around. Walking past Marie, she stepped out of the office and into the now empty hall the blonde-haired girl had dragged her through just minutes before. Now finally alone, she closed her eyes and groaned. How many embarrassing moments did that make now? She thought it was five, but she had already lost count. It didn’t help when she remembered that first period had only just begun, meaning that the whole day still lay ahead of her. How many more times was she going to make a fool out of herself before the day came to an end?
Continuing down the hall, all she could do was hope that her luck began to change soon.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read this story and/or favorited it. Never did I believe that this story would have an audience, even a small one, but the amount of people who seem to have taken an interest in it leaves me astounded. I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next one!