Kitzu had high hopes for a fresh start as she was escorted to school by Luna. Her mane was combed in front for the first time since starting, her sunglasses on, and Pudding had braided her mane in the back. She’d be in time for the start of the afternoon session, and if she’d thought it was difficult to get up at noon before, she now found it was easy compared to her first days at the academy. She was also staying with Luna, which to her was like the next best thing to being at home. Her recovery had taken a couple of days, which had all but finished off the week. Still, though, Kitzu wanted to get back to school before she fell too far behind. Though truth be told she was actually ahead of where her class was supposed to start. As for what had happened, it was explained to her as a mix-up. Celestia had tried apologizing as well, but it was difficult for Kitzu to get past her phobia of her.
“Now don’t hesitate to ask for help, and the palace guards will be there for you if you need them. Also, Pudding will pick you up after school.” Luna gave Kitzu a kiss on top of her head. In the short time they’d had Kitzu with them, she’d really grown on every pony. Giving her back was going to be tough, but it wouldn't be like they’d never see her again. Assuming time played out more or less the same.
“And don’t give your instructors a hard time, and make friends. - Lots of new friends.”
“Yes, mother,” Kitzu replied looking up at Luna with a smile. There was a hint of annoyance, even sarcasm, but truth be told, Kitzu kind of liked the attention she’d been getting from Luna and the staff.
“Books?”
“In my saddlebags. - Maybe I should go to class.” Kitzu gave Luna a quick hug, and then trotted up the path that led to the school building. Luna watched until Kitzu had gone inside, turned, and went back up to the palace. The exchange not going unnoticed.
Kitzu went upstairs taking her glasses off as she went. Once on the right floor, she went to where her classroom was, went in, found her chair, deposited her saddlebags under the chair, got out the book and notebook she’d need along with a writing implement, and sat down. She was quite proud of herself in that she’d used magic to levitate everything thanks to Prince Reynard teaching her how to focus her magic on her horn. He’d seemed quite impressed she’d figured it out so quickly. The room grew strangely silent with the instructor entering a few moments later. The instructor went up to the front of the room, turned, and began to take a quick count of who was there. He stopped at Kitzu.
“Miss Nightfoal?” his inquiry sounding more like he wasn’t too sure who she was.
“Yes, sir?” Kitzu asked while watching his every move. Her acknowledgment of her identity generated some whispers from the other students.
“You’ve combed your mane. I mean, welcome back. - Had you not been feeling well?”
“I got pretty sick, but I’m alright now.” Kitzu offered with a smile.
“We’d heard you’d left?” asked one of the girls.
“Just the dorms,” Kitzu admitted. “This is about as early in the day as I can manage. I take after Princess Luna in that regard, and no, I’m not part bat pony. - When the dorm manager and others insisted on getting me up at oh six hundred along with every pony else, it did a number on my system. - Mom moved me in with her. - I gather she told off a few ponies too, to include Aunt Celestia.”
“You, um, have an aunt Celestia?” a filly in the class asked.
“Ya...” Kitzu offered, realizing she’d just dug herself a hole. On the other hand, ponies were going to find out sooner or later. There’d be the gossip, there’s always gossip, and sooner or later there’d be some kind of public explanation regarding who she was.
“Saw her coming into the school right after lunch.” A colt offered. “Saw her with Princess Luna. Princess Luna kissed her on top of the head, and Kitzu hugged her.” The colt’s tone was borderline taunting.
“Muma is my mother – I mean Princess Luna is my mother.” Luna may not have been Kitzu’s biological mother, but it was still a mother-daughter relationship. The idea that she might be mocked because of a public display of familial affection rankled her. Kitzu looked the colt in the eye and explained she got her sleeping habits from Princess Luna, which wasn’t entirely untrue. Granted while she’d inherited her sleeping habits from her father, Twilight was also known to burn the midnight oil herself.
“Now that you’ve got your mane tamed, it’s kind of obvious that you are an alicorn.” A filly stated. “You don’t look like Princess Luna, and will there be any kind of announcement?”
“I get most of my looks from my father, but I really can’t say anything right now.”
“Why’s that?” the filly asked.
“Because he finally got around to asking mom to marry him,” Kitzu replied feeling rather sheepish about her reply. After all, there was no way she could tell any of these ponies the truth. No matter what it cost her.
“I think we all get the message.” Their instructor offered. “Nor would it be the first time such an occurrence happened where a prince couldn't keep his sword in its scabbard.” His words were met with a moment's shock followed by uproarious laughter. “All right, all right, let's quiet down.” He requested firmly. “I’ve no doubt Princess Kitzu will get the same quiet introduction as Princess Mi Amore. - Now, let's get started.”
Later during the first break. “Wow Kitzu, let you get your sleep and you turn into a genius.” the girls offered, approaching her.
“Alina, wasn’t it?” Kitzu asked. “I get some really intense homeschooling too. - I was kind of out of it for my first couple days though, wasn’t I.”
“That would be something of an understatement,” Alina replied. Kitzu couldn't resist smiling back. She quickly shut her mouth as several of the fillies take a step back.
“Oh come on. Not like she’s growling at us again.” Alina scolded. She hadn’t moved and looked a bit disgusted at her friends.
“I didn’t… did I?” Kitzu said sounding mortified.
“Afraid so.” Alina offered. “Forgive me, but you remind me of my pet dog.”
“Fox.” Kitzu offered, hanging her head down. “I’m so sorry I did that.”
“So, um, what’s it like being a princess?” asked one of the other fillies.
“You live in a big house?” Kitzu asked.
“Yes.”
“Servants?”
“Yes.”
“What about guards everywhere, and you can’t really go anywhere because of tourists, tour groups, and government officials?”
“And you probably have to show an ID everywhere you go,” Alina added.
“I don’t actually have an ID yet. Be nice if I did. As it is I can’t come and go without an escort because most of the guards don’t know me yet. - I don’t even count as a princess right now.”
“Wow. - Amber, Amber Calista. - We can all come and go pretty much whenever we want. - Except right now.”
“Time to get back to class.” Alina offered. “And don’t worry about the fangs. Might take some getting accustomed to, but there isn’t a pony in this class who hasn’t been around some interesting individuals. - Come on, we’d better get sat down before the next instructor gets here.”
A few moments later the next instructor, an old mare, walked into the class and announced a pop quiz. The quiz was handed out, and the students all set to do the test. Kitzu found the test wasn’t too difficult, save one question that she needed to think about for a moment. When she was done, she turned the test over, sat the pencil down, and waited. She was the first to finish. The instructor walked back, and picked up Kitzu’s test, and looked it over. She looked around and started picking up the test of others as they finished looking the tests over as she went.
“Mrs Inkwell?” Alina asked.
“Don’t worry, you got them right.” Mrs Inkwell replied. “The majority of you missed at least one, and it should have been a gimme. - Stargazer, how many Royal Alicorns are there?”
“Six.” replied the colt confidently.
“Wrong!” Mrs Inkwell scolded.
“Wrong?”
“Wrong.” Mrs Inkwell repeated giving him a stern look. “OK fine, name them.”
“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Mi Amore, Princess Twilight, Princess Flurry Heart, and Princess Kitzu.” He replied confidently.
“Um, I don’t think I count.” Kitzu offered. Several of the fillies stifled their laughter.
“But your Princess Luna’s daughter, and an alicorn?”
“As far as the general public is concerned I don’t exist. I’m in the same paddock as Princess Cadence was when Princess Celestia first took her in. - I might be the daughter of a princess, but I’ve yet to be officially recognized as such.”
“Oh.” He replied sounding defeated.
“May I ask why the test so soon into the quarter?” Amber inquired.
“Afraid your homeroom teacher has chosen to look for some other career opportunity, and I’ll be your new homeroom teacher. - No, not the Gentlecolt from after lunch, Miss Kitzu. - You were so out of it in the mornings I imagine you don’t even remember them.”
“That was rather sudden.” Stargazer commented dryly. “Didn’t want to teach a bunch of blank flanks?”
“Blank flanks?” Kitzu said looking around. Until that moment the fact that not one of the students in that class had a cutie mark had registered.
“You hadn’t noticed? - Everyone is here because they got high marks in school. Not because of a cutie mark.” Mrs Inkwell said with a smile. “I like you already. Even if you did get preferential treatment to get in.”
“Wow, you don’t hold back one bit,” Kitzu said shocked.
“Well to your credit you got all the questions right. - Who’s your tutor?”
“Princess Twilight Sparkle. - And yes, she did tell me to expect anything.” Kitzu offered, smiling with her mouth closed.
“Hmmm...” Mrs Inkwell said closing in on Kitzu taking a close look at her. “Wonder if the Sparkles are related to the Nightfoals.”
“Mmm, there is said to be a connection a few generations back, or so I’m to understand.” Kitzu offered, getting nervous. Had Mrs Inkwell guessed who’s foal she really was? Mrs Inkwell’s eyes widened seeing the panic in Kitzu’s eyes. At that moment Kitzu resembled a cat about to go crazy. Mrs Inkwell smiled and backed off.
What was that all about?” Alina asked Kitzu the first chance she got. Kitzu differed the question till later. After school it was, aw come on, you looked like my cat when she’s about to go running through the house at breakneck speed.
“Well, you know how the elderly can get,” Kitzu replied in an undertone. “I was scared to death she was about to say something horribly inappropriate. - I just spent the last six months living in Twilight Sparkle’s Crystal castle. She and Luna have a really close relationship. Not that close.”
“Didn’t say a thing.” Stargazer offered with a smile. “What’s with the sunglasses?”
“Bright sunlight hurts my eyes.”
“Well well, if it’s not the blank flank contingent.” A group of older students teased.
“We’ll get our cutie marks soon enough.” Kitzu countered only to find herself ducking as a group of pegasi flew right over their heads. “Hey, watch where you are landing!”
“Oh look, the egg head is giving us orders.”
“I thought I told you lot not to come back?!” one of the older students all but shouted.
“Hey look, blank flanks!”
“Those are our blank flanks. No one’s allowed to harass them, but us!”
“Hey, one of the blank flanks has wings! - You spoiling for a fight blank?” Kitzu had spread her wings about as far as they could go.
“Ya, in fact, I bet I can beat you all in a race.” Kitzu boasted. They all laughed.
“Ya, ya, that so. Let's see you put your money where your mouth is. - We’ll even give you a head start.”
“To the clock tower and back?” Kitzu suggested.
“Alright, let's do it. Go, start flying little pony!”
Kitzu started flapping madly, and as she hoped would happen they all took off without waiting to see if she could even fly.
“Aren’t you even going after them?” an older class pony asked as Kitzu folded up her wings.
“Not happening. My flight feathers haven't even come in yet.” Kitzu replied holding back a grin. “I can’t fly.”
“Ah, there you are.” Miss Pudding called approaching. “Come on Princess, we need to get you some identification.”
“Coming,” Kitzu called trotting over to her.
“Who’s that?” an older pony asked the others.
“Oh, just the new alicorn in our class.” Amber teased.
⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜⚜
Pudding escorted Kitzu away from the school compound, and through a gate that opened into the government section of the palace. A short time later they turned and went through a restricted gate that entered into apartments and gardens reserved for the nobility of Equestria. The apartments and gardens were arranged on several terraced sections with each apartment having a public area in front and private gardens behind walls and pavilions. Miss Pudding admonished Kitzu to pay attention to which way they were going so that she wouldn't get lost in the future. Kitzu looked up towards the castle's keep which loomed above the residential section ignoring the curious glances of residents and groundskeepers.
“What about that way?” Kitzu asked as they passed an alley between apartments.
“That leads to the base of Luna’s tower. - I doubt you want to climb those stairs.”
“Now that you mention it, no, not really.” Kitzu offered having thought about it. She’d seen the stairs in the tower that went down to the base. “Does no one use the guard barracks at the base of the tower?”
“Not these days. - Come on, we need to get you an identification so you’ll be able to move about on your own.”
A short time later they arrived at the gate to the keep via a ramp that ran along the side of the mountain, followed by a short flight of stairs. To the left, there was a short expanse of wall and a guard tower of modest size. The guards only stopped them for a moment. From there they passed into a small room with a high ceiling, no windows, and another large door that had been set to the right of the entrance. Beyond this was a large yard with plants in large raised beds. Luna’s tower was at the far end jutting out from the main building, the circumference of which lapped out beyond the fortifications. From here they turned left to face the main building, which was a rather imposing structure. Further to the left could be seen The Celestial hall which jutted out at an odd angle, at the base of which was guard barracks. The pair continued to the entrance to the main building where two more guards waited. Beyond the doors lay the grand entry hall. Pudding and Kitzu entered and silently passed a tour group. To their right the old throne room that’d become known as the night court. To their left the grand doors that entered into the antechamber of Celestia’s day court, the Celestial Hall. At the far end of the grand entry hall an equally grand staircase. Pudding and Luna went around the staircase to a door to the right on the other side of the door waited two more guards and a much smaller hallway. They traveled down this hall, turned down a hall to the right, and continued till they’d come to the office they wanted.
“Ah, there she is.” Said the secretary in the office as they entered. “Now, let's see if we can’t fix you up with an identification so you can get out and explore without getting detained by the palace guards. - My name is Secretariat, I want you to be sure to come to me if you ever need anything.”