//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Life of Lyra 
// by Damaged 
//------------------------------//




[[ A Joyce Perspective ]]




"No worries Lyra," I called.

Over the next few minutes the dormitory became quiet—very quiet. I realized that it was school time, but it didn't stop a sense of peace from descending around me. Nearly every day since I moved to Cowwarr had been filled with things, but all I had to do today—heck, this week—was apply at the medical school.

I took the time to relax and reflect on how strange my life had become. I'd spent over half my life so far in medical school, and I was about to embark on more. Was learning about medicine my lot in life? Then it occurred to me—I was a middle-aged woman in a young mare's body. Physically, I'd only just begun life.

The sound of a key fitting a lock had my ears twitching and turning only because it was so still and calm. Turning around, I poked my head out of our bathroom just in time to see a young mare opening the door. "Hello there."

The young mare stepping into our rooms froze. She looked at me in surprise, then started to carefully back out again.

"Wait! I'm Lyra's mother. She's the new student who moved in." Stepping into the main room (the bedroom), I beckoned the mare with a wing to come back in, which seemed to change her surprise into shock.

"I-I-I'm just going to go." Backing out, the mare with yellowy fur and two-tone (blue and fuchsia) hair closed the door again. The peace and quiet of the dorms was further shattered by a scream from just outside my door that trailed off down the hall.

Figuring it was best to let the mare run and cool off, I turned my attention to the papers Candela had given me. There was a school equivalency (that was an emergency, she'd told me, in case they didn't trust anything else), signed letters stating the types of medicine I'd studied before, and finally a personal note from her asserting that I had healing knowledge from another world and that the school would be crazy not to take me on. The latter was worded more carefully, of course, but it amounted to a dare.

A bag of bits was added to the collection of papers, and the whole lot was slipped into one side of my saddlebags. I was humming away, wrapped in my own little world when there was a knock at the door. "Come in!"

Candy Cane opened the door wearing an apologetic smile. Just behind her I could see the mare from earlier, who Candy turned to. "Ah! Here's the demon-monster you found, dear?" 

The mare behind her nodded. 

Turning back to look at me, Candy winked. "Well, whatever will we do now we're infested with bat ponies? I guess now that she moved in, we'll have to make her tea." 

"Sorry if I frightened the poor dear." I turned my head towards my sleeping perch and saw Tufts rousing from his nap. "A cup of tea would go down quite well. I don't suppose there might be a piece of fruit or two as well?"

"Fruit?" Tufts didn't screech, but he certainly looked awake. 

I shuffled over to the perch so he could drop down to my back, which he did. "It's alright if you don't, I'm sure we can find some somewhere."

"Nonsense. I wouldn't dream of sending somepony new to the city out to fend for themselves. Let's go make some tea and see what I can did up for breakfast." Candy Cane turned to the younger mare. "Sweetie, I'm sure the morning cleaning will wait until after breakfast."

The connection between the two was obvious, given that Candy had mentioned her daughter the previous day. "I don't want to impose, but a cup of tea would be wonderful." I turned my head to face Tufts and offered him a little kiss on the snout.

When I turned back to face Candy Cane, I could see a raised eyebrow asking a question without words. "Tufts and I are— Well, it's complicated, but he's stuck with me through wilder stuff than any other man I've known, and he gets on well with my kids." It might still be a little joke, but it felt like less of one every time I told it. The fact was I had grown used to having Tufts around, and was a good influence on Lyra and Robin.

I realized then that although I knew Candy Cane and her daughter, I hadn't heard mention of a stallion in their lives.

With mindless small talk we made our way to a nondescript door on the first floor. When Sweetie opened it, she revealed the door led to a full home built into the dormitory block. Filing inside I quickly appreciated how cozy a place it was. "This is a surprise. I didn't realize you lived in the dormitory itself."

"Well, I'll be honest, Joyce, smart our guests might be, but some of them wouldn't know what to do in an emergency. They might panic and go running through the halls shouting when they see a pony they don't know." Candy Cane shot her daughter a look that I knew too well.

"Sometimes a pony will sleep in, or forget something and come back for it, but it was your—" Sweetie cut her words short, her eyes locked in a straight line that led to my wings.

"Bat wings? It makes me a bat pony, and I don't hold it against you. Even Princess Celestia had never met a pony like me before." I shifted a little to the side so she could get a better look. "Would you like to see one a bit closer?"

Sweetie walked toward me one step at a time until I spread my wing. There wasn't enough room to really stretch it—not without possibly breaking something—so I held my wing's "hand" so that I would still cup air despite it being cramped. "Oooh…" When her hoof gently touched my wing, I had to hold back a little giggle—they were a bit ticklish.

"Nothing too strange. It's just a different type of wing from normal. As you might have gathered: my name's Joyce, Joyce Robertson, but Joyce will be fine on its own." While I satisfied Sweetie's interest in my wings, Candy Cane started brewing tea.

"They're amazing! But whose sister are you? I assume you're somepony's sister, at least." Sweetie stopped touching my wing and now wore an actual smile. Joyce Robertson, bat pony envoy to Equestria. That's me.

"Actually, I'm Lyra Heartstrings' mother." As soon as I said it, shock and scandal became written all over Sweetie's face. "This is going to be a long one. Why don't I tell you over tea?"

I gave them the short version. Living in a magicless world, magic floods in, magic turns people into ponies, and come here to seek more medical training. And, of course I explained the age-changing bit. 

The tea was a strong, dark leaf, and Candy Cane seemed intent on adding so much sugar that Tufts wanted to try it. 

"… which led to me sitting here in Canterlot, at your table, sipping some delicious tea." Which is when I sipped the last of it from my cup. Both Candy and Sweetie used their hooves to hold their cups, but I couldn't get the hang of it—wings were the closest things to arms and hands I had.

"That's amazing! How old is Lyra?" Sweetie asked.

"Lyra was eighteen before she transformed. I was thirty-four. My youngest, Robin, is just about to turn ten. Mind you, she's advanced for her age. Candela—that's Robin and Lyra's teacher from back home—had her graduate two years at once, then started her toward the next year's work." Pride, plain and simple. My little filly was that smart, and I couldn't help but beam with delight every time I thought of it.

Sweetie was practically bouncing in her seat. "And now you need to go out and apply at the medical school?" I had the impression that she longed for adventure. Being tied up here, doing housework, was probably not helping.

"That's right. Princess Celestia even wants me to report on how my application goes next weekend, although I get the feeling that she's actually more curious about where I came from." I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't mind, of course. She is paying for my schooling, and Lyra's too." My belly gurgled—the tea only took the slightest edge off my hunger. 

"Oh right, something to nibble on." Candy Cane got up and walked to her pantry. She opened it and lifted out some apples. "Will a few of these do?"

Tufts' screech of excitement caused my ears to tuck down and me to wince. "Tufts! Manners, dear."

"But I haven't eaten in months! This could be the last food I get for weeks." His eyes glued to one of the apples, Tufts squeaked in surprise when Candy tossed it to him. Catching the fruit with a wing, he brought it to his mouth and immediately started eating.

I chuckled at the proceedings. "Well, now you made a friend for life. This is Tufts. The nicest flying fox I've ever met."

Chewing away, Tufts gave me a stink-eye, and when he finished a mouthful he added, "I'm also the most desirable. Admit it."

"Absolutely. I have never met a more erudite and neat flying fox. Of course, I've never met another flying fox who could talk, or looked quite like you look." Verbal sparring was always fun. It never ceased to amaze me how witty he could be. Dammit. Was I falling for him for real?

"Are there a lot of flying foxes where you come from?" Sweetie was apparently more taken with Tufts, now, than me.

I thought about how to reply to Sweetie's loaded question. "Sort of. In Batstralia there are a lot of flying foxes, but they are much smaller, and are bats. Tufts here is a one-of-a-kind. Also, don't let him know where you keep your fruit." 

"We can certainly see that." Candy Cane pointed to where Tufts was eating the apple core, and how he left nothing behind.

I tilted my head to the side. "Tufts, aren't you going to spit up the pulp?"

By way of answer he opened his mouth and showed it empty. "I leave no part of my pray undevoured!" To back up his claim, Tufts opened his wings and looked as big as he possibly could.

"Well, mighty hunter, we should probably be going. I'm sure Sweetie and Candy have work to do, and I certainly need to go and apply at the school," I said, and stretched as best I could in the confined area.

"Are you going to take Tufts with you?" Sweetie looked between Tufts and me. Just like him to have another young mare wrapped around his finger.

"He should probably stay here." I tapped my chin with a wing-finger in thought. "I wonder if anypony would be able to check in on him—to see if he needs anythin—"

Sweetie jumped up from her seat so fast that she almost knocked the table over. "I'll do it!"

"Just make sure he doesn't get in the way of your work," Candy Cane said. "Speaking of which, we should get back to it. Are you going to be back for dinner?"

I nodded. "I should be, unless something drastic happens. I'll see you then?"

We said our goodbyes and I headed out into the city. I knew roughly what section of the city the medical school was in (it certainly wasn't as prominent as Princess Celestia's school), and made my way in that direction.

It was a lovely, bright summer's day. I trotted through the streets without drawing any attention—I was wary of opening my wings given Sweetie's response to them. Trotting along, I spotted two members of the Guard (dressed in similar armor to the ones at the castle).

"Excuse me," I said as I trotted up to them.

"Good morning, miss. Is there something we can help you with?" one of the stallions asked.

"There is! My name's Joyce, and I was looking for the medical school." As luck would have it (Murphy's in this case), I felt an itch at my neck and before I could stop myself I scratched it with my wing.

A measure of silence descended around me. Many ponies were trying to stare without actually being seen to stare. I cursed at my instinct and turned the best smile I could upon the two Guards.

One of the guardsponies—a pegasus—fluffed his own wings. "Mighty fine looking wings you have there, Joyce. That was you at the party last night? My name's Sure Fire."

"That was me!" Relief made me speak a little fast and loud, and I think I might have messed up a word or two. "We—my daughter and I—arrived in the city yesterday, and a friend wanted to throw us a Welcome to Canterlot party. Lyra—my daughter—thought I should make a big entrance."

"You should have seen her, Citron, she moves like lightning. Her wings are almost twice the size of a princess'." Sure Fire seemed more excited about my flying than helping me, but the conversation had the effect of showing normalcy to the rubberneckers. "I don't suppose you'd show me them?" he asked me.

I looked left and right quickly, ostensibly to make sure I wasn't about to clock anypony, but also to see the anticipation of the ponies still watching. Satisfied that I wasn't going to be lynched for being strange, I shook myself a little. "Ready?"

"This is going to be so awesome!" Sure was practically bouncing in place.

Starting with my left wing, I stretched the limb slowly and made sure that he could see how my fingers unfolded the membrane and stretched it out. I swapped to my right and repeated the motion, then pushed both wings out to full extension. My display was cut short by a high-pitched squeal—from Sure Fire.

"That's so amazing! Look at those wings, Citron! Have you ever seen something so cool?" It seems I had a fan in Sure Fire.

Citron (or the unicorn I assumed was Citron, based on Sure Fire's calling him that repeatedly) held a hoof up to his jaw and rubbed it in thought. "They're sort of like dragon wings, but dragon wings don't stretch as much and have scales on the back."

I turned to my left and tilted my right wing up. The left I offered to Sure Fire to inspect. "Please be careful with it, I'm rather attached to them."

Sure Fire bobbed his head and reached one hoof out to my wing. I tried not to twitch at the touch to the tender membrane, but Sure didn't seem to mind the small movements I did make. "They're so soft!"

Looking more interested now, Citron touched my wing too. Though he was a little less tender than Sure, it was far from uncomfortable. "Is your daughter a—"

"Bat pony," I said, supplying his filler.

"Is she a bat pony too?" Citron had a genuine smile on his face, but drew back from my wing before Sure Fire was even done exploring one of my fingers.

"She's a unicorn, and just started at Princess Celestia's school today." I folded my left wing down, but let Sure Fire keep inspecting the right.

"No kidding? Quite the family. Did you still need help with something, or did you just want to show your wings off to a bird-brained guard?" Citron nudged Sure gently.

"S-Sorry!" Sure Fire pulled his hoof back, but kept looking at my wing longingly. "They're really pretty with all the patterns in them."

I couldn't stop a blush. This was flirting. I was flirting. Snapping my right wing closed I tried to pull away—I could always ask somepony else for directions.

"Wait." Citron's voice, when he wanted to, held enough command in it that I actually froze in place. I'm sure he would have made a great head nurse. "What did you need help with? If you don't mind me asking."

Blinking away my surprise at how I'd frozen in place at his command, I actually stuttered, "Th-The medical s-school."

"Directions?" Sure Fire asked, bumping Citron back. "We can show you there, if you'd like?" When he looked at Citron, Sure puffed his chest out a little. "Helping ponies is literally our job, and the school is within our beat."

Citron looked at me and rolled his eyes. "Of course we can help the pretty mare find her school, Sure, but you have to explain to the captain why we weren't waiting at the corner for him."

"Done!" Sure Fire stepped forward and dipped his head to me. "If I may be so bold as to escort you to your school?" 

It was a silly, formal gesture, but one I could appreciate and follow along with. "Of course gentlecolt." Language still felt strange, but Candela had insisted that colt/filly (the names for young ponies) were often substituted into odd places where stallion/mare should be. The rules of syntax and grammar were similar to English, but only in the sense that they were inconsistent and often unruly. I dipped all four legs in what I hoped passed for a curtsy.

I couldn't avoid prancing. With a stallion on each side of me I felt even more literally like a young mare again. Small talk was to be had, and we talked about the weather (which Sure Fire promised was going to be fine and sunny for the next week), their work, and my history. Princess Celestia hadn't said I should keep my past to myself, so I figured why not share it?

With an abrupt halt, both stallions brought me up short facing a large building. The architecture was more blocky and squat than the rest of Canterlot's buildings, and emblazoned on a sign out the front was Canterlot School of Medicine.

"And here you are." Sure Fire gestured toward the building with a hoof, looking proud as can be. "Now, about my fee…"

"Oh no. Joyce, run!" Citron rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Before I could react, Sure Fire lifted my left forehoof up and brought it to his lips. "All the payment I need," he said, and kissed my hoof.

It was the corniest thing that had ever happened to me (and considering my daughter, that was a tall order), but it made my heart beat faster. "Th-Thank you."

"Alas, Joyce, now you've let him kiss your hoof you'll never be rid of him." Citron's horn blazed to life with a cream-yellow fire, and the same colored fire appeared around Sure Fire. "Come on, bird-brain." 

I laughed as Sure Fire was hauled away by his partner.

Turning away from the spectacle, I looked again at the school. "This shouldn't be another eight years, but if it is I'm going to survive it," I said to no one, then walked inside.

The front doors opened to a large intersection of hallways, but nestled to one side was a reception area. I walked up to the counter and waited for the mare behind it to make eye contact with me. "Hi. I'm Joyce Robertson. Princess Celestia should have sent you a—"

"Oh! Hello Joyce. We did get a letter from the princess first thing this morning. Don't worry, we have you signed up and you'll be good to go when the next semester starts." With that the mare gave me a big smile and then looked back down at her papers she was filling out.

It was both better and worse than I'd imagined. "Excuse me? Hello?" When the mare lifted her head again, apparently surprised to see me still standing there, I continued, "I wasn't after a full enrollment. I'm already a qualified doctor, but all my certification is—is abroad. I needed to get certified here, and take any courses to make up differences in what knowledge I am missing."

"Fluffy Clouds," a female voice called from behind me and to my left. "What seems to be the problem with…?"

"Joyce," I said, supplying my name to the mare who walked up beside me.

"Joyce. My name's Rough Stitch. What seems to be the problem?" Rough asked. Her voice and demeanor was sympathetic, and I was sure things were about to be remedied.

Thinking I might have to spend another eight years at school and being told I had to, without any checking, were two completely different things.

Before I could say a word, Fluffy Clouds (who was apparently the receptionist) cut in. "Princess Celestia sent us a request to fit Joyce Robertson into our course. I approved her application and told her she can start with the new school year. There isn't a problem."

Rough Stitch gave Fluffy the brightest smile she possessed. "Well, what was she signing up for? Medical practitioner? Nurse?" When Fluffy could only frown at her own confusion, Rough continued. "I'm not doing anything, so I'll take care of this minor problem."

I dared to get my hopes up—something wasn't adding up here. I followed Rough Stitch as she walked away from the reception counter, and the moment we were around a corner and into a hallway she let out a long sigh.

"That mare…" Rough Stitch brought a hoof up to her forehead. She was an earth pony, with an almost pure white coat and bright red mane and tail. On her flank was a needle with thread wrapped around it loosely. "You'll have to forgive that. I'm in the process of finding somepony more useful, but as you can imagine receptionist is not everypony's calling. What are you here for, Joyce?"

Inside I cheered, and my face must have shown a little of my relief because Rough Stitch smiled too. "I'm from—well—another world. I was a doctor there, and a veterinarian," I said, and noted Rough's eyebrows went up at the claims. "I know I look young, but a heap of magic did this to me. I want to learn pony medicine."

"This is a big story, and if it weren't for your cutie mark there I might call you out on it. Sadly, though, I'm not the only pony you're going to have to convince. I assume you want to sit some exams to prove to us what you know, and what we can teach you." Rough Stitch gestured to a room ahead that turned out to be an office. "And I won't lie, some of them are going to be a hard sell. They'll want to slot you in with the first-years."

I must have groaned, because Rough gave me a sympathetic look. "I did six years of medical college back home, along with a year of internship, then another one of residency, then two more as a registrar, as well as five years of veterinary college. I didn't go into a specialty in either field, but surely I don't have to go through all of that again?"

Rough Stitch sat down behind her desk (I assumed it was her desk, since it seemed to be her office). She looked slightly aghast. "This…" She stopped, and composed herself. "We don't train our students that long. Most graduate after five years, and we move them on to a hospital to learn further on the job. You have me curious what you spent all that time learning."

"Well…" I explained the process of gaining a medical degree and the areas of study I undertook. As I described my years spent supervised in a hospital, Rough started taking notes. When I got to the end, she was silent for a few moments. "And then I attended veterinary college."

"You mentioned that earlier. Five years, if in any way similar to what you just explained, would more than qualify you to treat animals here in Equestria." Rough Stitch let out a little laugh. "I can't help but feel you should be a teacher here."

That little comment hit me like a hammer. I'd felt my lot in life led me here, but was learning more what I should be aiming at rather than helping ponies push the bounds of their own medical training. I must have ruffled my wings a little in thought because Rough was, I noticed, practically staring at them. "Sorry. Did I distract you?"

"W-W-What kind of pony are you exactly?" Rough asked. "Wait, forget that. I'm being insensitive and intrusive. Princess Celestia said you're fine to join and I trust her."

"It's alright. I've been getting this a lot. I'm a bat pony." I stood up and shimmied to the side, then spread my left wing. "There was a strange burst of magic back home, and everyone got turned into ponies like this. Except one of my daughters: Lyra. She became a unicorn."

Rough Stitch looked surprised. "You have a daughter? What age is she?"

This was going to be a thing I'd be explaining for a few years, apparently. "The transformation also affected our age. Imagine a whole country—millions of people—all suddenly looking like they're sixteen. My daughter is eighteen, although she looks the same age as I do, and I have a younger filly at nine. Robin stayed behind to finish her schooling."

I watched Rough Stitch's face run the gamut of emotions from surprised, intrigued, and finally settling on delight. "Quite the tale. You can sit down again if you like. I promise I won't prod any further in that regard. I did notice you have a red cross cutie mark, that will help your struggle a lot, you know."

"My struggle?" I asked.

Rough sighed. "I'm the head of administration and the student body. I can gladly accept you to the school and even arrange things like accommodation if you need it, but I don't oversee the teaching itself. If the head of the faculty believes you need to attend school from the beginning, you will have to attend from the beginning.

"That said, I might have a plan. You will have to do makeup tests, but if this works we can get you shunted along."

"So what's the plan?" I asked.

"Well…"





"… would like to introduce you to Joyce Robertson. She is a visiting doctor from Earth,"—Rough Stitch looked at me for confirmation, and continued when I nodded—"and after a troubling time that saw some wild magic transform her, has come to us to offer her services teaching. She has given me a short list of her training, and I'm sure some of you will be quite interested to see what she can teach not only the students, but the faculty here."

I'd been expecting a faculty of stodgy old stallions set in their ways, unwilling to look out a window to see if it is raining, what I got was about a 70-30 split of mares to stallions, and most of them looked quite interested in the notes Rough Stitch passed around.

Rough had described the important players starting from the top.

Head of Faculty - Dr. Bright Meadow: a unicorn with lime-green mane and tail on a tan coat with orange eyes. She was a surgical specialist, and had been head of the faculty for several years.

Professor Dembones: an earth pony with a white mane and off-white coat. He looked pale as a ghost, but Rough had said nopony was better at setting broken limbs than he. He oversaw ethics and general first aid.

Professor Horse: another unicorn bearing dark brown mane and tail with a light brown coat. She had piercing green eyes and if there was a magic cure for what ails you, or if what ailed you was magic, she knew all about it. Obviously, she was in charge of anything relating to magic and medicine, which was about a third of pony medicine.

The rest, Rough Stitch had said, wouldn't oppose my training at an accelerated pace at all. I tried not to focus on them, spreading a smile around the group before nodding to Rough. "Princess Celestia herself sent me here to see if we could help each other."

"You have performed surgeries? What procedures have you undertaken?" Bright Meadow asked.

And there was the problem—I had no idea what the pony words were for technical things within my field. Putting on the best smile I could, I cleared my throat. "You'll forgive my lack, but I've only learned Equish within the last year, and I haven't any of your words for medical procedures." And then I started describing the fairly common procedures I'd learned.

My residency had included a short stint in emergency, so while I had experience with a wider range of operations, I stuck to the ones I could repeat on a human, and salted the list with my veterinary experience. Being a GP, I wasn't versed in actual operations, but as I described the things I was qualified for I noticed Bright Meadow raise an eyebrow. "If I'd known I'd be coming to lend knowledge to such a prestigious school, I'd have brought some medical texts with me. Sadly, they are all in another language."

"Several of those procedures I'd be interested in discussing, but at a later date of course. It says here you attended your own land's medical college for six years, a little short for somepony trained to this extent." Dr. Bright Meadow was asking for clarification, obviously, but I had to deliver it just right.

"Correct. I attended college for six years, then spent another four in a hospital," I said, delivering the news as neatly as I could. Every eyebrow in the room shot up—Rough Stitch had been most clear that ten years to become a regular doctor was unheard of in Equestria. "Where I come from, we take medical training every bit as seriously as you do."

"Refreshing to hear. But your training is not Equestrian training." The comment came out of right field. Specifically, to my right—Professor Horse. (A common doctor name, Rough had explained before the meeting. Go figure.)

I put on my best smile and, as Rough had instructed when this topic was broached, ruffled my wings. Every eye that had been on me was now locked on my wings. They weren't paying their full attention to what I was saying anymore. "Of course, and understandable. You have many amazing techniques I'd love to study, as I'm sure I have several for you to investigate." I spared a nod toward Bright Meadow, though she didn't seem to notice it for all she kept looking at my folded wings.

There was an unspoken question pregnant in the room: what do my wings look like?

"Yes, yes. Of course," Professor Dembones said, speaking for the first time. "I don't suppose you could just lift your wing a little? That is fascinating—"

"Ahem." Bright Meadow was trying to pull not only her own, but the attention of everypony in the room back to the task at hoof. "Dr. Stitch has put forward a plan of testing, but I think it would be sufficient if you just attended our school. What better way to identify what learning we can both benefit from than to experience the best medical training in Equestria first-hoof?"

Rough Stitch had said the others would be more neutral, but it surprised me when a little grumbling came from one pony at Bright Meadow's idea.

"Five years is a long time to shelve a potential boon to pony medicine and an asset we could make better use of." The mare had light pink fur and a soft yellow mane and tail. She was an earth pony, and looked like she was prepared to argue with Bright Meadow with force if necessary. "She wouldn't be able to be admitted to regular classes until next semester anyway. Why not give her some tests and see if we have a trove of information or nothing but already trodden ground?"

It was insult and praise both, but I couldn't let it blind me—this pony was pushing the very plan Rough had come up with, and was doing it from within. I kept my big snout closed.

"Anything that detracts from our teaching obligations is completely out of the question," Bright Meadow said. "How would you propose we build these examinations and administer them?"

"Students. We have the students perform a written assessment of their previous study and ask them to submit a dissertation on what they believe to be the most important thing they've learned. We make this, as everything, a teaching method," Yellow-and-Pink said. "Until then we can simply provide,"—they took a moment to read the heading of the document they had at their hooves—"Joyce here the first semester examinations. They are theory with no practice."

I hadn't contemplated kissing a mare before, and Yellow-and-Pink was still a little detached from Joyce-as-a-pony, but I honestly could have at least hugged her. 

Bright Meadow kept quiet, as did Dr. Dembones and Dr. Horse. Taking this as tacit approval, Rough Stitch gave a simple nod. "I think that covers both aspects. Welcome—"

"Of course,"—Dr. Horse cut in over Rough, apparently deciding that a little theater was in order—"should Miss Joyce fail to pass even a third of our first semester examinations, I would put forward that she learn as we all have, from the beginning."

A mumbled sound of assent circled the group indicating that I had a genuine challenge ahead of me.

"Excuse me?" I asked. All eyes in the room seemed drawn to me again—for a few moments I was positively mundane to these ponies. Now I had everypony's attention again. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could I ask for a week before attempting those examinations? I've only been in Canterlot for a day, and—"

"That will be fine. We can put that on hold for a week while we have the students start their special project." Rough Sketch waved a hoof in dismissal. "Now, onto internal matters. We have…" 

I tuned out. The midday faculty meeting had worked, even with a hiccup in the form of three faculty members who were against me. But I had a chance to do this, and all I had to do was pass a third of the first semester examinations to do it. If Professor Horse had anything to say on them, however, I would automatically be failing 1/3 of it: I had no idea of magic medicine.

It was almost 1:00 P.M. (according to the wall clock) by the time the meeting was over. Everypony filed out of the room except Rough Stitch and Yellow-and-Pink. Rough waited for the door to close before holding her hoof up to Yellow-and-Pink.

Their hooves made a loud clop as they met in the air. "Sorry, Joyce, I couldn't give away Written being in on the ruse. Oh! Introductions! Dr. Joyce Robertson, this is Dr. Written Lore. Written is in charge of first year studies."

I'd been played, in a way, but it was the kind of played that got me what I wanted. I lifted my hoof for Written and she returned it with another solid clop. "You were in on all this, and Rough didn't tell me so I wouldn't ruin the moment and look at you before your idea."

"Got it in one. I had no idea going into it why she wanted me to do it, but the moment I read your papers I knew I couldn't let this mare down. Ten years studying medicine? Then five more of veterinary school? I couldn't put you through first year. It's all rote learning that anypony half-competent could pick up in a week with even the most rudimentary training would ace," Written Lore said.

"We were going to give you a week anyway, but if you don't think you're up to snuff, we can give you two. You have the library here, as well as the Canterlot Central Library to use." Rough Stitch had a smile that told me exactly what she enjoyed doing: teaching. "You were recommended by Princess Celestia, weren't you?"

"Y-Yeah." I wasn't sure how much to reveal. Everypony seemed to have such respect for the princess, and it seemed strange that I was going to be having tea with her every week.

Rough Stitch nodded, almost as if she knew what Princess Celestia had planned for our weekends. "Then you should ask her for a library pass. The Canterlot Royal Library is the greatest trove of knowledge in Equestria, and though librarians can request books from there to be transferred out for general hire, it would be much faster if you had access to it." 

Now I just had to work out how to bring that up with the princess. I got a list of things to research, said my goodbyes, and headed out into the mid-afternoon warmth. Just outside the doors of the school I caught a ray of sunshine from between two buildings.

I must have zoned out. I know I spread my wings a little to soak up the heat, but it wasn't until I spread them wide that I heard a gasp. My eyes snapped open and I realized there were ponies all around staring at me. Identifying a few of them as pegasi, I couldn't help just running with the moment. "Do you ever get that feeling you just need to fly?"

All three pegasi on the street nodded to me—one even smiled.

Folding my back legs a little, I stretched my wings as wide as I could. "That's me right now." I pushed into a leap and flapped my wings as hard as I could.

My whole life I'd been bound to the ground. It was part of the human condition, and few had been able to claim they had flown without some kind of engine. Gliders were a cool concept, but I doubt they held anything on this.

Gravity surrendered and let me go, and I shot into the air with a wordless cheer of excitement. Flapping my wings hard shoved me higher still until I could look down upon the whole city. The castle at my left was still taller, but when I evened out and looked around I was higher than every other building.

To the north—ahead of me—actual airships were docking at what seemed to be special platforms designed just for them, and all around there was pegasi flying—doing what came naturally to them. It came naturally to me too, now.

A pegasus I'd just seen on the street—before my takeoff—hovered up beside me. "You're right. Sometimes you've just gotta fly!" He, of course, was the pegasus who'd smiled. He was all sleek lines, with light blue fur and a darker, gray-blue mane. His cutie mark was a lightning bolt slicing through wispy smoke, or clouds.

Yeah I looked at his ass—who wouldn't?

In answer, I just laughed and angled my wings into a twirling dive. I didn't need to look to know he was practically by my side—the currents of the air over my wings told me there was something else flying just beside me. We rocketed over the low roofs of Canterlot with the speed of our dive, and I came up into a loop laughing again. It was good to be alive and just show how that made me feel.

Arcing upward, we both dropped speed and eventually came to a hover. I felt like I'd just gone for a run, but to look at the stallion he was barely even worked up. The pony side of me—the young mare—was practically purring at him, while the doctor in me wanted to examine his wings and check his BMI and muscle tone. And now both those parts wanted to examine his muscle tone—down girl!

"Do you want to 'just need to fly' again tomorrow? Maybe somewhere a little more ground-based and that serves food?" he asked.

It had been nearly ten years since I'd actually been asked on a date. That damn mare inside me was now flying in circles and giggling like a loon. "That'd be nice, but I've already got someone." 

My mind caught up with the words leaving my mouth a bit later than the stallion apparently did. "That's a shame. I guess I'll see you around?"

"Y-Yeah," I said. Before we could exchange names, however, he was off.

The way he flew was amazing. More efficiency than either Cadance or I'd shown (even with my expansive wings). He flew like an athlete.

"What the hell, Joyce? Your first date in almost a third of your life and you turn it down to—" I sighed. I know what my hangup was, and it was both stupid and more right than a potential date felt like.

I turned my hovering flaps into a glide, and slowly made my way back to the dormitory. Landing just outside, I was almost immediately assaulted by a red and black missile. "Tufts!"

The joy that welled up in my heart shouldn't have surprised me. I'd been through the toughest year of my life (medical school was nothing compared to raising two kids through some kind of magic apocalypse), and Tufts had been a constant throughout it. I turned my head and nuzzled him.

Screeching excitedly, Tufts made himself comfortable on my back with his head reached around my neck, so he could nuzzle my cheek in return. "Where have you been all day?"

"I told you before I left. I went to medical school to organize my training in pony medicine." I walked toward the dormitory, my head full of confusion arising from my personal situation. Thankfully my mouth seemed on autopilot.

"Well, I had to spend all day with Sweetie. She's a nice mare, but she's not you, Joyce." Tufts' words surprised me—jolted me from my confusion. There was genuine longing in his words that brought a silly smile to my lips.

"We need to talk," I said on my way to our rooms.

"I would dread those words, were I any other bat with any other mare." Tufts took to nuzzling around in my mane.

Entering our rooms, I closed the door behind me. "What's between us, really?"

"Skin. Some fur," he said.

"Ha, ha." My tone held no humor, but only barely. Dammit but I liked his sense of humor. "I mean us. What do you feel for me?"

Tufts jumped off my back and with a single flap of his wings was on Lyra's bed. "You ask me what I feel for you?" Lifting a paw to his brow, Tufts flopped to his side in artistic hurt. "My little mango, I left everything behind: the forest, the world… All so I could be with you. Apart from you, Joyce, there is nothing that would have taken me from my duties there."

There was a lot of information in his words, but very little of it contained answers. With a kick and a jump I swung my tail up and securely inverted myself from my perch. "Almost nothing you said was a reason, Tufts. Why are you here?"

I swear he smiled wider than even the bunyip back home. "Because I love you." 

Tufts became a little indistinct on the bed, and it took me a moment to realize it was because I was crying. I sniffed and squeezed my eyes closed, but the tears rolled on. "Damn you." I felt one of his wings wrap around my back, though I hadn't heard him move.

"I told you: you mean as much to me as two mangoes, Joyce Robertson. Did you really need to hear those three words to understand this?" His voice was so soft, so unlike the screechy little creature he'd first been.

"Y-Yes."

"Then I will say them again. Joyce, I love you."

I wished he were bigger, large enough to snuggle against and bury my face in his fur, but I'd gone and fallen for someone under half my size. I stretched the wing opposite him and wrapped it around the both of us. 

"Well?" Tufts asked.

I'd been drifting off thanks to being upside down. "'Well' what?"

"Usually, when a bat says he loves his darling, she says something in reply." 

I held my breath, trying to ignore all the little voices telling me to do or say one thing or another. Settling the noise in my head, I said the words I'd practically sworn I'd not say again. "I love you too."