Luster Dawn carefully kicked open the wooden door as she levitated a cardboard box filled with books. Her boarding room at the School of Friendship had pale blue walls speckled with star patterns, tall, arched windows, and a single bed on either side. She placed her box at the foot of a bed...
“Helloooooo!” a high-pitched, sing-songy voice exclaimed. Startled, Luster Dawn dropped her box, scattering the books all over the floor. She looked across to see a grey kirin with a dark turquoise mane, a red horn that curved backwards, and wide, purple eyes filled with enthusiasm that soon turned to shock. “Oh - I’m so sorry!” the kirin gasped.
“It’s fine. Really,” said Luster Dawn, picking up multiple books at a time with her golden magical aura, sorting them alphabetically before putting them back in the box.
“I can help!” exclaimed the kirin quickly. She lifted up a book with her blue, sparkling magic and haphazardly shoved it back into the box.
“Not like that!” exclaimed Luster Dawn, quickly reorganising the book.
“Why do you need all those books, anyway?” asked the kirin.
“They’re important for studying!” exclaimed Luster Dawn, lifting up a book. “This one’s The History of Trade Deals Between Equestria and Griffonstone.”
“Bor-ing!” exclaimed the kirin, pretending to yawn. “That’s not what we learn at Friendship School!”
“So what do you learn about here?” asked Luster Dawn.
“Friendship!” exclaimed the kirin, excitedly bouncing up and down.
“You could be a little more specific...”
“We learn stuff such as kindness, honesty, loyalty, generosity, laughter, and destiny!”
“Destiny?” Luster Dawn asked incredulously.
“Yeah! We learn about things such as finding our purpose in life - hey, what does your cutie mark mean?” She said all of this in one breath, and Luster Dawn was starting to feel annoyed.
“I think it represents my talent for light magic,” she replied.
“Ooh! Could you show me? Pleeease?” the kirin pleaded.
“Will do.” Luster Dawn closed her eyes and concentrated all of her magic into her horn. The room became filled with a soft, golden glow, and became as comfortably warm as a relaxing shower.
“Wow!” gasped the kirin. “What’s your name?” she asked as the light and warmth faded away.
“My name is Luster Dawn, and I was sent here from Canterlot by the Princess,” she said. The kirin giggled nervously.
“Really?” The kirin excitedly bounced up and down again. “My name is Winter Breeze. Pleased to meet you! Can I call you Dawnie?”
“Just Luster is fine. Why do you ask?”
“Everyone gets a nickname at the School of Friendship!”
“So what’s yours?”
“It’s a little... uh... embarrassing...” Winter Breeze grinned sheepishly. “Anyway, once we’ve finished, mind if I show you around and introduce you to my friends?”
“Really? I’d rather get to know them one at a time. Would you mind telling me more about yourself?”
Winter Breeze sat down. “Well... my first day here was... awkward, to say the least...”
Winter Breeze gleefully bounded into the entrance hall of the School of Friendship. There were all sorts of creatures from all over the world here! There were griffons and hippogriffs and yaks - and PONIES! There were so many PONIES! Which one should she talk to first? She’d been desperate to meet ponies ever since the older kirin told her about the ones that save them - Applejack and Fluttershy, their names were?
“Wait for me!” yelled Autumn Blaze, her chaperone.
Two adult ponies caught Winter Breeze’s attention - a yellow one and an orange one. There was a white one, too, but she wasn’t as interesting.
“Oh my gosh, I’ve heard so much about you!” Winter Breeze gasped, galloping up to them.
“Uh... who are you?” asked the yellow one.
“You’re my hero, Fluttershy!” Winter Breeze hugged the yellow pony tightly.
The yellow pony looked startled and confused. “I’m not Fluttershy!”
“Oh! Then are you Applejack?”
“Oh! You're one of those dumb ponies my sister was talking about!” exclaimed the yellow pony. “Applejack is my big sister. My name’s Apple Bloom!”
“Dumb?” exclaimed Winter Breeze as her hooves warmed up. “I’m not dumb!”
“What have I told you about your temper?” chided Autumn Blaze as she walked up to them. “I think she meant ‘dumb’ as in not talking. Y’know, as in, unable to speak,” she said, and Winter Breeze calmed down.
“You must be Autumn Blaze!” exclaimed the yellow pony. Autumn Blaze nodded in response. “And this is...”
“Winter Breeze!”
“Well then, the name’s Apple Bloom. Pleased to meet you!” Apple Bloom gestured at the orange and white ponies, who waved. “This is Scootaloo, and this is Sweetie Belle. Together, we teach destiny.”
“How do you teach destiny?” asked Winter Breeze in disbelief.
“Back when we were fillies, we learned that it was our destiny to help other ponies find out what their destinies were!” exclaimed Apple Bloom. “Now, we’re here to help you!”
“Ooh! Can you tell me what MY destiny is?” Winter Breeze asked excitedly, leaning towards Apple Bloom’s face.
“Uh... I ain’t a fortune teller,” replied Apple Bloom nervously. “It doesn’t work like that. We can help you, but your destiny is something you'll have to figure out for yourself.”
“Oh! What do you think my destiny is?” Winter Breeze asked.
“Well, I’d have to get t’know you first,” replied Apple Bloom.
Winter Breeze sighed. “That’s a shame.”
“Anyway,” said Apple Bloom, addressing both Breeze and Autumn. “What brings you here?”
“Ever since the kirin were cured... of their silence years ago,” Autumn Blaze explained, slightly uncomfortable, “we’ve been rebuilding our society, branching out, visiting other places, y’know? Winter Breeze here is the first kirin to have been born in years, and after I learned about this school at Twilight’s coronation - oh, the food was my favourite part, by the way - I just LOVE zap apples!”
“Why, thank you,” said Apple Bloom modestly. “They’re my family’s speciality!”
“Where was I? Oh yes,” Autumn continued. “So I told the other kirin about this school, and we thought it would be a good idea to send Breeze here. Once she was old enough, of course.”
“Is she your daughter?” asked Apple Bloom.
“No, of course not,” Autumn chuckled. “Her mother is actually-”
“Don’t embarrass me!” Winter Breeze snapped, her eyes glowing with white-hot fire.
Apple Bloom’s eyes widened in shock. “Is this supposed to happen?” she gasped.
“Don’t worry - I can handle this! I think...” exclaimed Autumn Blaze hurriedly. Autumn grabbed Winter Breeze with her light blue magic aura and dragged her into a corner, but that just made Breeze even angrier. Apple Bloom gasped and recoiled in fear as cyan and magenta flames surrounded Breeze’s body, singing the carpet, and she lunged towards Autumn.
“Should I get some water?” asked Apple Bloom desperately. At this point, Winter Breeze had caught the attention of everyone in the room.
“Nirik fire doesn't work like that!” exclaimed Autumn. “Time out. TIME OUT!” she growled at Breeze, desperately containing her anger as she struggled to hold her in place as her magic flickering in and out.
Breeze’s blank eyes frowned in an expression of concern before she hesitantly returned to normal. “What was that for?” she exclaimed.
“You’re coming here to represent our entire species!” Autumn reprimanded. “Is this really the first impression you want to give all these creatures? What would your mother say if she saw you here?”
Winter Breeze sighed. “It’s just that... I don’t want to be treated differently.”
“I’m sure they won’t,” said Autumn Blaze, “especially considering who the former headmare is...”
“Fine...” Winter Breeze sighed. She turned to Apple Bloom and reluctantly told her about her mother. “But promise to keep it a secret from the other students. Please?”
“So... are you okay with telling me what your nickname is now?” asked Luster Dawn.
“I’d... rather not,” Winter Breeze said.
“Sorry. Did I sound rude?”
“No... it’s just that I’d rather get to know you first.”
The duo continued putting away Luster’s books. Once they were done, there was a knocking on the door.
“Come in!” exclaimed Winter Breeze. A black griffon wearing a dark purple scarf flew in.
“What’s been taking you so long, Prin-” the griffon began, but she interrupted herself when she noticed Luster. Her eyes widened in shock, and so did Winter Breeze’s.
“Gwen!” Winter Breeze snapped.
After several seconds, Luster broke the awkward silence. “Your nickname is Princess?”
Winter Breeze blushed. “It’s just that... my mother... she’s the leader of the kirin, okay?” she spat out quickly.
“Is that all?” asked Luster incredulously.
“It’s just that...” Winter Breeze sighed. “I thought I’d have a harder time making friends if everyone thought I was special...”
“Winter, I’m friends with a princess,” said Luster. “It’s okay if I call you Winter, right?” Winter nodded. “Anyway, she always insisted that I shouldn’t call her ‘majesty’, because she was my teacher first, and the princess second. So you’re kind of like that. You’re a princess second, and my friend first.”
“You really think so?” asked Winter.
“Yes,” Luster replied, nodding. Making friends was easier than I thought.