Chapter 5
-- First Day --
“Comet, come on filly, what could possibly be taking you so long?” Trail Blazer said from the bottom of the staircase.
Comet was in her room, frantically moving around the room, a nervous look on her face. Books, scrolls, and sketchbooks littered the floor, looking like a tornado went through the room. She was so nervous about her first day, not knowing what to take. Should she take her sketchbooks, her spell books, pencils, crayons?
She eventually tripped and fell to the floor, blushing in embarrassment. She was a nervous wreck. How could see go to school like this? Her door then opened, revealing her father, looking concerned.
“Sweetheart, you alright there?” Trail asked, helping her to her hooves.
Comet sighed, “I’m so nervous daddy, what if I don’t fit in? What if I mess up?”
Trail smiled and wrapped a foreleg around her, pulling her into his chest. Feeling the familiar warmth and comfort, Comet rested her head on his chest.
“I know you’ll be a wonderful student. Twilight and the others were eager for you to come, and you made six friends in one night. I’d say that’s a good start kiddo,” Trail said, holding his filly.
Comet giggled and nuzzled into her father’s chest, “Thanks dad.”
Trail let her go and stood up, “Now come on, you take any longer and you’ll be late on your first day.”
Comet let out an “eep” and rushed into the bathroom, quickly fixing her mane and braid. After that, she quickly stuffed books and supplies in her saddlebags. She fumbled around with the straps, having a bit of trouble.
Trail chuckled and used his magic to help her secure the bags. Comet smiled up at him and followed him down the stairs and to the front door.
Standing at their front door, Trail looked down at Comet, who smiled up at him. “Come on kiddo, let’s get you to class. Wouldn’t want you to be tardy on your first day.”
Comet stood petrified in the entrance hall of the school. Ponies were walking around in every direction, all talking about class and other miscellaneous things. There was so much noise, it was like being in the big city. She didn’t know where to start.
“You gonna be ok sweetheart?” Trail said, having stayed behind until Comet felt comfortable with the school.
Comet gulped and chuckled nervously, “Yeah, I’ll be ok. It's just school, with a Princess, and national heroes.”
“Well don’t let that scare you too much, they can’t wait to see you in class,” a mare said, catching Comet’s attention.
“Starlight!” Comet said, turning to face the school counselor. Starlight smiled at the filly and looked up to Trail.
“Was she a little nervous this morning?” Starlight asked.
“Like you wouldn’t believe. Pacing around her room like I was gonna sending her off into the Galloping Gorge,” Trail said, earning a laugh from Starlight.
Comet glared up at her father, “No I wasn’t. I was just… having trouble finding my notepads is all.”
After the two adults were finished laughing at the filly’s embarrassment, Starlight stood next to her.
“Alright then Comet, it's nearly time for your first class. Did you bring the map that Twilight gave you?” Starlight said, looking to the filly.
Comet nodded and dug in her saddlebags, digging through the books and notepads, and pulling out the map with her magic. She unrolled it and took a look at it for the first time. Princess Twilight even marked her classrooms to help her on her first day.
“Very good, now I have to get to my office. If you ever need anything, don’t be shy, ok?” Starlight said, waving goodbye to the two ponies and walking away.
“Alright sweetheart, I’ll be by this afternoon to pick you up. Be good and mind your teachers, alright,” Trail said, hugging his filly one last time.
“I will, bye Daddy,” Comet said, nuzzling against him before he let go.
Trail turned and walked out of the school, leaving Comet in the main hallway of the school, ready to start the day. Comet took a deep breath and let it out slowly, a technique she learned to calm herself.
After she was calm, she took out her map and began to make her way to her first class, which according to her map was on the other side of the school. Looking at a clock that was in the hall, she had exactly fifteen minutes to get there.
Comet panicked and moved through the hall, making sure not to bump into anypony along the way. Not a great first impression if you knock somepony over on your first day. The halls weren’t too crowded, so Comet didn’t have too many problems. Except the one vase she almost tipped over, but lucky she learned to be quick with her telekinesis.
After saving the pottery from its certain doom, she turned to move once more, only to bump into another student. Both ponies stumbled a little, but not enough to hit the ground. Comet recovered and looked up to the one she bumped into.
He was a colt, looking just a little older than her. A dark gray coat with a white mane that looked like it was done by a professional. He wore a fancy shirt and jacket, which looked pressed and neat. The jacket had sapphire jewels embedded in the collar.
“How dare you! Why don’t you watch where you’re going!?” The colt said, looking rather upset, despite the contact being brief and not seeming to cause any harm.
Comet tried to smile back at him, “Sorry about that, it was an accident. I’m Comet Trail.” Comet extended a hoof to him, only to receive a huff as he stuck his nose in the air.
“I am Tourmaline Rhinestone, heir of the illustrious house of Rhinestone in Canterlot, and I do not shake hooves with commoners,” Tourmaline said with his nose still high in the air.
Oh great, a noble pony. Comet had never been to Canterlot but she had met plenty of big city ponies to know the type.
“I am very sorry Tourmaline for bumping into you, it was an accident. If you’ll please excuse me, I need to get to class,” Comet said, walking around the pony, trying not to make eye contact.
Another hump came from Tourmaline as Comet was still in earshot, “Princess Twilight must be lowering her standards to allow that ruffian into this school. And sweet Celestia, that braid is horrendous.”
Comet almost stopped right there, wanting nothing more than to turn around and give the arrogant brat a piece of her mind. But she held herself back, not wanting to cause a scene on her first day. She rounded the corner of the hall, taking another deep breath and simply continued onto the classroom.
After a bit of wandering, Comet finally found her first class, ponies of all shapes and colors sitting in the middle of the room, ready to start. Comet looked around for a place to sit, and then heard someone call out to her.
“Comet! Hey over here!” Ocelus shouted at her, waving her hoof in the air. Comet beamed and rushed over to sit with her and Silverstream, who was sitting next to Ocelus.
“You’re finally here, this is going to be so much fun!” Silverstream said, hovering in the air with excitement.
Comet felt so welcomed, she could barely believe she was here at last. Princess Twilight’s school of Friendship, the place she had been dreaming about for so long. Now she was here, and she would be the best student ever.
The door on the opposite side of the room exploded with confetti, followed by a pink pony who was all too familiar to Comet at this point. Pinkie Pie bounced to the front of the class, wearing saddlebags that looked filled to the limit.
“Hiya everyone, time for another day with Pinkie! But first we’ve got a new friend joining us today,” Pinkie said before moving like a pink lightning bolt over to where Comet was sitting. Comet eeped and quickly grew a blush on her face as Pinkie lifted her over her head and zoomed back to the front of the class, plopping Comet down right in front of everyone.
Comet was stunned, not sure what had happened. When she realized she was in front of the class and everyone was staring at her, her blush grew and she started to fidget with her braid.
“Sooo, introduce yourself silly filly,” Pinkie said, sitting right next to Comet, giving her a wide smile that was comforting in a strange sort of way.
“Um, hi my name is Comet Trail, and I just moved here to Ponyville with my dad. It’s really great to be here,” Comet said, trying to sound confident but still coming off a little nervous.
One of the colts asked, “Where are you from Comet?”
Comet stopped fidgeting with her braid and thought for a minute, “Well Daddy and I actually use to move around a lot. But I was born in the Smoky Mountain area.”
Ocelus perked up, “Oh, I’ve heard of that region. It’s in the northwest part of Equestria, not a lot of ponies live there cause of the rugged terrain.”
Comet beamed at her friend, “That’s right Ocelus. It is a bit rough, but Daddy knows the area better than anypony. There’s lots to explore.”
A bunch of ponies in the class started talking amongst themselves, saying how cool it must have been to be born out in that part of Equestria. Comet felt so excited that her classmates were so nice and friendly. This was the school of friendship after all.
Pinkie Pie giggled, “Alright everyone, let’s get started with today's class. How to plan your very own surprise party!”
The class all cheered and Comet quickly sat next to Ocelus and Silverstream again. Introductions were over, and she was sure it would be smooth sailing from here.
The day went by faster than Comet expected, probably because she was having too much fun. Pinkie Pie had showed them so many things about parties that Comet didn’t really think about. The flavor of the cake, color of the balloons, and the amount of streamers that was necessary for making the smallest mess possible.
Soon it was time for lunch, and Ocelus and Silverstream took Comet to the rest of their friends in the cafeteria. Comet had picked up a daffodil sandwich from the food court, one of her favorites. Once they found the table, she saw Gallus and Sandbar were waiting for them.
“Hey Comet, how’s your first day treating you?” Sandbar said, giving Comet a friendly smile.
“It’s been so much fun! Professor Pinkie knows so much about parties I thought my head was gonna explode,” Comet said, bouncing in her seat.
Gallus laughed, “Yeah she can be worse than Headmare Twilight when she wants to be.”
All five of them shared a laugh before hearing the approaching steps of their two other friends approaching. Smoulder and Yona came up to the table looking exhausted.
“Yona is so hungry. Professor Dash not know when to quit,” Yona said, slumping in her seat at the table.
“You can say that again. I’m all for a good work out, but boy she can be tough. Made me fly five extra laps for trying to cheat on my wing ups. My wings are gonna be sore for days,” Smoulder said, looking back at her wings with a cringe.
Comet looked a little worried for her new friends, Rainbow Dash seemed like a pretty athletic pony, but she had no idea what to expect from her class, until now. Comet was kinda thankful she didn’t have a class with Professor Dash until tomorrow.
“Yeah Professor Dash seemed pretty psyched this morning. Not sure why, but I guess me and Sandbar will find out after lunch,” Gallus said, taking a bite out of his food.
He saw Comet looking at his chicken leg, “Sorry if this is kinda gross to you Comet.”
Comet blinked, “Oh no, not at all. It’s just been a while since I’ve seen anyone eat meat. It doesn’t bother me all that much anymore.”
Gallus and the others were shocked, Gallus especially.
“Wait, you seriously don’t find this disgusting?” Gallus said, raising an eyebrow.
“Well it’s not like I’m gonna start eating meat anytime soon. But I grew up around a griffon for a while, so I’ve seen a lot worse,” Comet said, taking a bite out of her sandwich.
Now Gallus was really interested, “You grew up around a griffon? Not many griffons like hanging around ponies. I can name like two back in Griffonstone.” Gallus thought of Griffonstone while he took a sip of his water.
Comet smiled brightly, “Sure did. My Auntie Tala is the toughest griffon I’ve ever met. She never let anybody hurt me or Daddy.”
Gallus did a spit take, not sure if he heard her right. He turned to his new friend, “Wait, Tala, as in Sky Claw Tala, the famous Griffon explorer!”
Comet beamed, “Yep, that’s her. She and Daddy used to explore together but she had to go on an expedition alone and she hasn’t been back for a while.”
Comet’s ears drooped a little, the memories of her aunt flooding in. But she quickly shook those thoughts out of her head.
“But I know she’s ok, nothing can beat my Auntie Tala,” Comet said, brightening back up.
Gallus’ jaw was on the table, never in a million years did he think Sky Claw was close to ponies. He had never met her, but the stories of her adventures were told all over Griffonstone.
“Hey Gallus, keep your mouth like that and you’ll get a fly in it,” Sandbar said, causing everyone at the table to break into a laugh. Gallus quickly recovered and glared at Sandbar, but soon chuckled and joined the laughter.
Silverstream joined in on the conversation, “You call her Auntie Tala, why’s that?”
Comet turned to the hippogriff, “Oh she’s not my aunt by blood. But she helped raise me, so I’ve always called her Auntie.”
Silverstream beamed, “That’s so cool. Boy I wish I had an aunt that sounded that cool.”
Her eyes widened after saying that, “Not that Auntie Novo isn’t cool, she is Queen of Mount Aris.”
Comet’s eyes widened this time, “Woah, your aunt is Queen Novo!?”
Silverstream beamed, “Yep, sure is.”
Comet and Silverstream giggled at how their conversation had taken a different direction than expected, and the rest of the group joined afterwards.
The group started to quiet down as they finished their lunch, but as they were making small talk, Comet recognized a student as he passed by their table.
It was Tourmaline again, walking with his nose held high and a tray of finer cuisine on his plate. Comet didn’t see any of that stuff at the food court, making her wonder where he got it.
Comet turned to Sandbar, “Hey Sandbar, who’s that fancy colt?”
Sandbar turned to where she had been looking and frowned, “Oh him, that’s Tourmaline Rhinestone. He’s from Canterlot, part of this big important noble family or something.”
“I heard his father owns nearly half the gem mines in Equestria. The Rhinestone’s are one of the richest families in Canterlot,” Ocelus said, joining in on the conversation.
“Honestly, he’s a spoiled brat who thinks he’s better than all of us. He doesn’t even try to make friends, saying that we’re all beneath him,” Smoulder said, looking annoyed.
Comet looked confused, “But this is The School of Friendship, why come here if you’re not going to try and make friends?”
“Honestly I think his dad sent him here because of Princess Twilight. Having a son in a school run by royalty sounds like a social status thing to me,” Gallus said, shrugging while munching on his chicken leg.
Comet looked even more confused, “If that was the case, why not send him to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns? Makes more sense to send him to a school in Canterlot rather than send him all the way here to Ponyville.”
Yona looked to Comet, “Why new pony friend ask about mean rich pony anyway?
Comet frowned, “I accidently bumped into him on the way to class, and when I tried to be friendly and apologize, he was rude to me.”
Comet began to fidget with her braid, “He even made fun of my mane.”
Silverstream gasped, “He did not.”
She put a comforting wing around her new friend, “Don’t listen to that jerk. I think your mane is super pretty.”
Comet blushed, “You really think so?”
Silverstream hugged her tightly, “Totally, it looks super cute. The colors, your braid. Do you style it yourself?”
Comet looked embarrassed, “Well I do now, but when I was growing up, my Auntie helped me.”
Gallus raised an eyebrow, “Wait, Tala styled your mane? I didn’t think she would be into that.”
Comet snapped her head to him, “Oh no no no, not that aunt. I meant my Auntie Zala helped me.”
All of her friends looked at her with a confused expression, making her blush.
“Sorry about the confusion. I actually had two aunts growing up, Auntie Tala and Auntie Zala,” Comet said, setting the facts straight.
“Oh cool. So what’s your other aunt like?” Ocelus asked with curiosity.
Comet was about to answer when the bell rang for lunch to end. All of them groaned and put their trays away. Moving out into the hallway, they stopped to talk once more.
“Well you’ll have to tell us another time Comet. Though I bet this other aunt of yours isn’t nearly as cool as Sky Claw Tala,” Gallus said, jumping into the air in a dramatic pose.
“Yona wants to know more about them too. Tala griffon sounds tough like yak,” Yona said, standing next to Gallus.
“Ok, I’ll tell you all about them next time. I got to get to Headmare Twilight’s magic study class,” Comet said, digging out her map.
Ocelus beamed at her, “That’s my next class too! Come on, I’ll show you the way.”
Comet and her squealed in excitement and ran off down the hall together. The rest of the group looked on at the two with different expressions. Yona and Silverstream smiled and ran off together for their class. Sandbar leaving on his own shortly afterward.
This left Smoulder and Gallus with shocked looks on their faces, watching as the two giggling fillies were just out of sight, yet they could still hear their excitement.
“Oh great, now there’s two of them,” Smoulder and Gallus both said in unison before looking to each other. They shrugged and left together for their own class.