Chapter two: New Land and New Faces.
The kids were loading their luggage into the train as they were getting ready to leave Canterlot, for who knows how long. Twilight’s bags, namely, consisted of books while Spike had some more sentimental luggage with him. Light was the odd one out with bringing toys with him, due to it being his original passion.
Both biological mothers were hugging their children before they left. “Please be safe.” They both begged.
“We will.” The kids assured their parents
Light’s siblings went to him. “we... We want you to have this.” They said, giving him a box. “To remember us.”
Light smiled as he hugged the box. “I’ll open it when I get there.” Light assured them.
Celestia walked over to Twilight and gave her a few books. “I thought I’d give you a few spellbooks, just to help you learn more while you are there.”
Twilight smiled as she hugged the books in her clawed hooves. “I’ll read them as soon as I can.”
Celestia nodded with a smile as she turned to her son, Spike. “Spike, can I trust you to keep an eye on these two and protect them?”
Spike nodded. “I will.” He told his mom.
“That’s my prince,” Celestia said as she hugged him. She then turned to her other two pupils, feeling like a mother letting her kids out into the unknown. She smiled at them as she gave them a nod. “I have faith in you three. Now go change the world.”
They all nodded before giving Celestial a group hug.
Celestia hugged them back, not caring about having a formal appearance at that moment.
“All aboard!” The conductor cried out, breaking the group hug as Celestia waved goodbye one last time.
The three students walked onto the train cart and started to look for three absent seats for them.
The group was getting some stares, especially Twilight, Spike, not so much.
Every time they walked next to an open seat, a pony would either place a bag that they had on their lap on to the open seat or stretch and spread their body to cover them.
The group finally found some open seats, in the smallest cart. But when they finally got seated, the few ponies that were in that cart got up and started walking away, moving to another carriage.
Twilight looked embarrassed, knowing that she was the main reason that they were being treated like this. Even with having the queen’s son and an alicorn next to her, she was still a freak. “I’m sorry if I’m making things awkward for you two,” Twilight said as she got out a book to hide her face.
“No, I’m sure that they just wanted to give the Prince a private cart,” Spike said as a joke.
“Yeah, Spike is a celebrity outside of the school.” Light pointed out.
“I was talking about you, Light,” Spike said with a grin.
“Oh... you.” Light said before turning to look at the moving land-scrape, wanting to see the familiar structures one last time before, going to his new unknown home.
Spike chuckled a little at the joke before looking at Twilight. “You know, I don’t think either of you learned how to fly yet. Maybe this could be your big shot to learn?”
“You didn’t?” Twilight asked Light while turning to him. “Didn’t... You mom or 3 Pegasus siblings?”
Light sighed as he turned to Twilight. “When I got these wings, Celestia came over and gave me a golden ticket to magic school. Wonderbolt training camp wasn’t on the criteria. I never had anybody teach me. That, and there are other reasons why I don’t fly. What’s your excuse?”
“Well... you see, I’m more into magical studies.” Twilight started. “And... my mom doesn’t have her pair; also no pegasus would want to teach me, because of…” She looked down at her claws.
“Oh… sorry.” Light said, regretting asking her about it as he tried to change the topic. “I can’t wait to get to this place. What do you think king Kirouac will be like?”
“I bet he has a throne room full of gems,” Spike said. “In his home that is as big as the holiday home in Filly Delphia.”
“I think he’s going to be twice the size of Celestia, with a big cape and scepter.” Light told the group.
Twilight blushed. “I just hope he is well-read.” She told her friends.
“And nice.” Light added.
“And let’s hope they have chocolate up there.” Spike finished with a grin.
“Oh, ya, I bet they have chocolate from different countries.” Light added.
“Oh, I’m looking forward to this. Hey Twi, did you find any books on MoonRacer?” Spike asked.
Twilight tilted her head. “Yes... somewhat,” She said with great uncertainty.
“What do you mean ‘Somewhat’?” Light asked curiously.
Twilight took out the only book she could find. “It’s mostly just legends and fairy tales about the place.” She admitted. “The stories use it as a backdrop of a heavenly place that the protagonist would want to go to and dreams of being there. Or where he starts before being exiled from there, cast out of heaven if you may say.”
“So, it’s the equivalent of Toyland?” Light asked with his hooves crossed.
“I guess,” Twilight said disappointedly. “Though I suppose a place like that, with some many different races living together, it would have a hard time staying... normal.”
“Well, if everybody is unique, wouldn’t that be normal? Who knows? We may be normal by their standards.” Spike said as he thought about this.
Twilight nodded to Spike's comment.
“Ya, and maybe even... Boring!” Light added, before laughing.
“Come on, Twi, tell us more.” Spike pleaded
Twilight looked back into her book. “This is strange!” She said to herself.
“What is? Me being boring?” Light asked curiously.
“In the oldest story, it talks about how it’s a peaceful place, where the harvest is plenty, but the further you go on, the more different and advanced it sounds. The last one claims that they have doors for ‘Teleportation,’” Twilight said, a bit baffled by all of this.
“Teleportation? The spell you’re working on?” Spike asked, somewhat intrigued by this.
Twilight shook her head a bit. “No... more like... It’s a normal door, but… let’s say that there was a door where I called home, and when I opened it, a door just like that one at your place opened as well, and I could just walk through it like it was a normal door, and be in your house.” She tried to explain. “Those doors would connect the two points.”
“That’s crazy! These are fairy tales, right?” Light asked in confusion.
“I thought so…” Twilight said. “But... MoonRacer is real, and... I’m real too.”
“Well, I guess we will learn what’s fact and what’s fiction when we get there,” Spike said as he leaned back in his seat.
Twilight nodded with a hint of sorrow. “It’s too bad that we’re supposedly the last stop before the train goes back to its station.” She said before taking out a book.
“Yeah, Celestia was rather strict about us making sure it’s the last stop,” Spike said as he was looking out the train. “I guess we are going to be on this train for a while.”
“Do you want to play some cards?” Light asked while taking out a deck of cards.
“Yeah, go fish may keep our attention for a while,” Spike said as they started playing, letting Twilight read silently.
Light nodded before dealing the cards between Spike and himself as they readied themselves for the trip.
The group has been waiting for the train for a couple of hours. All of the trains came from Canterlot, and each train must be switched out with another for maintenance reasons. As Light and Spike started to get bored, they felt the train slowing down.
“Last Stop!” The conductor yelled out. “All Off!”
The students could hear a conductor walking through the different carts, checking that there hadn’t been any unfortunate pony that had fallen asleep and missed their stop.
“We should get off.” Twilight suggested. “I don’t think he’ll ask us nicely to get off,” she said before getting on her clawed hooves and picking up her stuff. “Need any help?” she asked.
“Nope, I’ve got it,” Spike said as he was carrying the rest of their luggage on his back.
The students made their way to the exit and jumped off, making their way to a strange sign. It both appeared to be old, but yet, it doesn't seem to have mold nor rusted.
“Welcome to the Forgotten Forest,” Twilight read out loud.
The group could see a pony shaped cloaked figure lining on beside the sign. “Name? Please,” The stranger asked in a calm and welcoming voice but had something a bit off about it.
“Um… Twilight Sparkle, Light Heart, and Spike.” Twilight nervously said as she feared who this strange pony was.
The figure nodded, before lifting his head a bit, a faint green light glowing under his hood before taking it off.
The stranger appears to be a unicorn that was ¼ dragon. “Welcome, I’m Light Sparkle.” He told them. “I was sent by King Kirouac to welcome you and bring you to MoonRacer.”
“OH… Celestia did say that somepony would pick us up.” Spike said as he adjusted the pile of bags on his back.
“Please, follow me to my carriage.” He said before slowly starting to walk into the forest.
“Oh… okay…” Twilight said nervously, intrigued by this strange pony.
Right when they took a step into the forest, they could see the secret path, with the carriage waiting for them.
“So, Light Sparkle, that sounds like if Light Heart and Twilight Sparkle had a kid,” Spike said kiddingly.
The guide paused a bit. “Oh... well, it’s a strange coincidence!” He claimed.
“Yeah. There is this nurse called Red Heart that I heard about, and for a while, I thought we were relatives.” Light pointed out, blushing at the thought of having kids.
The guide relaxed. “Please walk in.” He said, opening the door to the small carriage.
As they walked in, they found the inside of this carriage bigger than what it appeared from the outside.
“What in Celestia is this?” Light asked in confusion.
“It must be an illusion,” Twilight said. “That or they have pocket dimensions,” she added, laughing at the thought of that.
“Pocket what now?” Light asked in confusion, looking at Spike for help.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Spike said with a shrug as he unloaded the bags from his back
When all the bags were placed down, the students were seated. Light Sparkle climbed into the top of the carriage and tapped his hoof on the carriage in a short Rhythm code. Like magic, the carriage started to move, slowly at first but gaining speed gradually, waiting that the students were ready to go faster.
The kids were all curious as they were in this strange vehicle. “This isn’t some normal carriage. There were no ponies besides Light Sparkle out there.” Spike realized.
“This must be some new form of magic!?” Twilight said
“That or there are invisible ponies polling this Carriage,” Spike suggested. “And the only way to see them is to have faced death.” He said jokingly.
Light gave Spike a cold look as he shook his head. “You need to lay off of the comic books.”
Spike tried to calm his laughter down. “Oh... Look!” He said, pointing outside.
They could see the moss-covered forest slowly transitioning to a lush prairie the further they went through it. They could see that they were going straight to a Mighty Castle that spanned out for miles. The design was so unique to them. The walls looked fortified like the ancient yack design but also had an equestrian color pattern to it. The towers that stuck out of the giant palace spiraled upwards like it was a griffon design.
Light Sparkle waved to the earth-pony looking guard with cloven hooves that were standing on top of the wall, just over the ever-open gates.
“Who goes there?” The pony asked, catching the kid’s attention.
“It is I, the one who brings those who are lost. The one that shows the way to those who are looking for it.” Light Sparkle said in a dramatic voice.
The guard nodded. “Who are you bringing?” He asked.
“They are the students that Kirouac has been waiting for. Bearri!” Light Sparkle told him.
“Then bring them in.” The guard said as he waved for him to bring the cart in.
Light Sparkle nodded before tapping the cart ones more, getting it to go through without any issues.
The students could see many different creatures, from the ponies to a pair of yaks and Kirin.
“Whoa… Kirin? They were legend to be the first offspring of Dragons and ponies from thousands of years ago.” Twilight said in shock. “I thought they were instinct!”
“Well, there they are,” Spike said in awe of the city.
The carriage made its way to a large building before stopping. “We’re here!” Light Sparkle said before jumping off and opening the door for them.
The kids all looked around in shock and awe as they stepped out of the cart. They could see the beautiful blend of cultures and ponies there.
“Wow… this is amazing!” Twilight said in awe as she was hugging her books in excitement.
“Yeah, this is…” Spike was cut off as a pink blur tackled him and started licking his face.
The two-winged unicorns jumped back as they saw the sizeable pink dog. “Wow, what do you feed your pets here?” Light asked in amazement.
“Pet!” The Pink thing said, lifting her head. “Where?” She asked while looking around, her head seeming to pop everywhere.
Twilight’s eyes widened as she whispered to Light. “I don’t think that’s a dog… well… maybe a pony/diamond dog hybrid?”
The pinkie thing turned to Twilight, before running to her, her back hooves and front paws blowing up dust. “Hey, I’mPinkiePie,” She said while shaking Twilight’s claw vigorously. “ButYouCanCallMePinkieForShort, EvenThoughI’mNotShort.” she blabbered on.
“Oh… hi,” Twilight said as she was trying to keep us with what she was saying.
“You must be new here because I never saw you before, and If you are new here, you must not know any creatures, which mush mean that you are lonely...” Pinkie went on before sniffing Twilight. “OH! Canterlot, I hope you’re not one of those nasty ponies who don’t want to talk to earth-ponies.” She said, seemingly not noticing Twilight’s claw and other dragon body parts.
“Actually, we are the freaks who ended up getting scholarships from Celestia. We got transferred after an… an incident with the normal ponies.” Light explained, shivering as he thought about his outburst.
“Oh, no...” Pinkie said with a frown. “Were they a bunch of big meanie magic student pants?” She asked them.
“I guess it’s one way to describe them… how did you know they were unicorns?” Spike asked curiously.
“Aaa DUH! That’s easy! You’re from Canterlot! If I told you that the main guy was Magesto, then that will be crazy.” Pinkie said with a giggle before gasping. “Wait! What am I thinking? I have to get started right away! I’ll see you later!!!” Pinkie Pie said as she ran off into the city.
Light turned to Twilight. “Umm... did you get that?” He asked.
“Yeah… how did she know about…” Before she could finish, she heard their guide speak up.
“Word of advice. Don’t question it. That’s Pinkie being Pinkie.” He explained.
Spike nodded. “So... is this the school or the known place we will be sleeping at?” He asked.
“Both!” The guide told him. “To keep things easier for you three. All of you are going to be sleeping in some of the extra rooms at the school tonight. Furthermore, each of you has been assigned a guide who will try to show you how things work around here and help you with your confidant.” He suggested.
“The sections also have selected student leaders to help out with the group projects, help new people settle in, and handle basic needs.” An earth pony with dark shades and a pin covered hat said as he walked towards them. “My name is FlashTruth, and I’ll be your dorm leader.”
The earth-pony slimed to look normal as he approached the new students, he did seem to do a double tack when he saw Twilight. “Did... did Kirouac have a daughter that I didn’t know of?” He asked while looking at the purple dragon half breed.
“N… no… I never met him.” Twilight admitted.
“Well... Kirouac has a blue coat, that is similar to your purple one.” Flash pointed out.
“Oh, well, my mom was a unicorn, and my dad was a dragon. My name is Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight said as she shook his hoof.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Flash said before turning to the guy. “And I was told that we would be welcoming the princess’s son!?” He asked while walking to them. “Do you understand that we are a country of equality.” He told Light. “We’re not going to treat you any differently, nor give you any special treatment just because your mother is a ruler.”
“I’m used to being an outcast, so I don’t mind. Also, you’re talking to the wrong pony.” Spike said as he tapped Flash’s shoulder.
Flash looked back and forth between the two ponies before Light started talking. “Yeah, my dad is an ex-unicorn security officer, and my mom is a teacher. There isn’t a royal drop of blood in my body.” Light explained.
“Oh...” Flash said, feeling sheepish, “I’m... I’m so sorry.” He apologized, feeling bad about himself.
“It’s alright. I never could pull off a spoiled brat routine, so I mainly help these two out.” Spike said as he patted Flash on the back. “I am Spike, and the autistic kid is Light Heart.”
“Autistic!” Flash perked up. “You have Asperger!?” He asked with a big smile on his face.
“Yep… is there a reason why you are so happy about that?” Light asked nervously.
“I have it too!” Flash said with glee.
Light’s eyes brightened when he said it. “Really? That’s amazing! Now I don’t have to feel like I’m the only guy who has it.”
“Key world on GUY!” Flash said while holding hooves with Light Heart and then dancing around in joy.
Twilight and Spike giggled at the sight of Light being led around. “Wow, I thought there would be other autistic ponies here, but what makes Light so special? Besides the horn and wings.” Spike asked.
“Oh... there are others,” Flash said, breaking from the dance. “My cousin has it, the little zebra & buffalo that I foal-sit sometimes also has it, and so does my other friend's sister’s child and lover had it as well.” He explained.
“So… Light is special because?” Twilight asked, expecting him to bring up Light’s alicorn status.
“They are all females,” Flash explained. “Which... There’s nothing wrong with, but... It would be fun to have a guy around sometimes.”
“Sure, you have the black sheep prince and me.” Light said as he grabbed Spike. “He’s not autistic, but he’s a good friend. Without him and Twilight, I would have flunked Celestia’s school a lot sooner.”
“You got transferred here, not expelled.” Twilight tried to remind him before turning to Flash. “We were Celestia’s pupils, so we had mixed receptions.”
“I can understand,” Flash said. “Should I show you around?” He asked them.
“That’d be great!” Twilight said as she tossed her books to Spike, who was already working on stacking the numerous bags on his back.
Flash nodded. “Let’s first stop at the dorm-rooms.” He said before starting to walk with them.
“So, are there any other ponies… like me here?” Light asked as he gestured to his horn and wings.
Flash nodded, not knowing that even though Light wasn’t a prince nor any form of royalty, he was still an alicorn and not a pegacorn. “We have a farmer named Farmer.” He said before leaning to Light. ‘obviously, it's not his birth name.’ He explained. “And also, one of the pizza sisters, a scientist trying to unlock everyone's potential, and one that from two earth-pony parents.” He listed off.
“Really? Now I feel a lot better with being a teddy bear alicorn.” Light happily said as he started getting excited. “I guess it’s not as big of a deal that some ponies make it out to be.”
Flash stopped in place, having to take a moment to process that. “A... Alicorn!?” He asked.
“Yep, with a teddy bear cutie mark.” Light said, not noticing Flash’s reaction.
“I... I was talking about Pegacorns,” Flash explained.
Light instantly stopped as he turned to Flash, giving a nervous smile. “Um… equality… right?”
“Haha...” Flash giggled, trying to think about this. “Y... you are telling me that it’s true that someponies get chosen by the heavenly light of the great gods to be blessed with the power of all three races.”
Light looked scared as he gulped. “Well… I didn’t see any gods, but I did see a bright light, and some other things that are a little fuzzy to me.” Light admitted.
“Um... h... How?” Flash asked, mostly to himself.
“Your guess is as good as mine. At least Cadence saved some village with love or something like that. I’ve been trying to figure out being an alicorn ever since I got the wings.” Light explained before bumping into another pony. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you there…” Light froze as he saw a slightly furry pony in front of her. At first, he thought she was a buffalo, but she didn’t seem big enough, and her hooves were more substantial and more spread apart. She also wore a Stetson on her head.
“Well, I never thought I’d see an alicorn asking for forgiveness. Now ah've seen everything.” The pony said as she helped Light up. “Ain’t no problem partner. I just heard yall talking, and I thought I’d say hi. The name’s Applejack.”
“Umm... well... I’m Light Heart.” He said to Applejack. “I’m... I’m new here.” He told her while looking at her, trying to figure out if she was a yak or something else.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m guessing that I’m quite a sight to new ponies here.” She said as Twilight and Spike walked over to her.
Light Heart blushed, thinking that Applejack was thinking that he was finding her attractive.
“Well, as you can see, I am as well.” Twilight pointed out while showing off her dragon body.
“Well, I’ll be! I hadn’t seen a pony like you since Kirouac. Of course, his wings had some feathers on them. Might I get yall’s names?” Applejack asked the group with a tip of her hat.
“I’m Spike, and this guy is Light Heart, and she’s Twilight Sparkle.” He said, introducing his friends.
“And you know who I am,” Flash said, finally calming down.
“Well, it’s always nice to meet some new ponies. Here…” Applejack reached into her saddlebag and pulled out some bags. “Have some sweet apple fritters. Family recipe. It’s so good; your tongue will be dancing for days.”
“And it’s nice to meet... Umm... a….?” Spike couldn’t deduce what she was.
“Half buffalo, half earth pony.” Applejack explained with a chuckle. “Ponies keep thinking that I’m half yak.”
“I don’t know how they could make that mistake,” Flash said, having grown up surrounded by both Yaks and Buffalo.
“I can see it,” Spike admitted before getting slapped by Twilight.
“It’s alright. I always like welcoming a new face.” Applejack said with a smile.
“So... you were born here?” Twilight asked.
“Nope. My granny moved my siblings and me shortly after…” Applejack paused before taking off her hat. “Um… after we got ran outta town.”
“Oh...” Twilight winced. “I... I’m sorry, I... I didn’t know.”
“Ah, it’s alright. Life happens, and I get to live here now.” Applejack said before shaking their hooves. “It’s nice meeting you all. I’ll see you around.”
Twilight nodded before looking down. “Ya...” She said.
“It’s alright,” Flash assured Twilight as he went back to lead them towards the school building. “Nopony knows about her parents, but we don’t bother to ask. I think it’s best to avoid the topic.”
Twilight nodded. “So... do you have a library?” She asked, trying to change her thoughts.
“Of course. We have all kinds of books ranging from magic to history.” Flash explained with a chuckle. “Of course, we have another room for magic practice.”
“Oh...” Twilight perked up.
“Ya... it’s a magical dome of safety.” Flash started to explain. “You can try anything! Any spell or fire tricks, and when you walk out of it, all side effects get undone.”
Twilight squealed in excitement at the thought of it.
“Yes, no need to worry about if you are going to lose one of your claws from your experiment,” Flash said.
Light and Spike chuckled as they looked at Twilight’s excitement. “Great! Now the main problem will be to get her out of the library and training room.” Spike said with a chuckle.
“How about the chance to meet Kirouac?” Flash suggested.
Twilight’s wings fluttered at the thought. “Yes! I want to meet the pony who looks like me!!!”
“Well, he is a bit busy now, maybe tomorrow,” Flash said before stopping in front of the bedrooms. “Guys, your sleeping quarters.” He said before opening the doors.
Twilight was surprised to see a unicorn in her room. This pony looked rather regal and admittedly gorgeous. Twilight could think of a few ponies who would kill for that white coat or her sparkly purple mane.
The pony looked surprised, too, before checking her papers. “Oh, hello, Darling! Are you Twilight Sparkle?”
“I am,” Twilight said before walking in, finding it strange that she would be paired up with a regular unicorn. It wouldn’t be that this unicorn needed a lesson in understanding half breeds, would it?
“Well, I am Rarity, and we will be rooming together with a couple of other ponies, and may I say that I love your mane?” Rarity asked as she walked up to Twilight.
“Well…. I love everything about you…” Spike softly said as he started to become entranced by this pony’s beauty.
Rarity blushed nervously. “Well, thank you.” She told him. “And you are...?,” she asked him.
“Spike…” The young-earth pony managed to say as Light tried to snap him out of it.
“Dude! At least blink!” Light said as he waved his hoof in front of the young pony.
“Oh... wow, I didn’t know we were having another pegacorn.” Rarity said with surprise.
“Oh no, what we have here is an earth pony loverboy prince and an alicorn,” Flash explained to the unicorn.
Rarity’s eyes widen. “A... Alicorn!?” She said, feeling very interested.
“What alicorn?” Spike asked before getting slapped by Light.
“Keep it up, princy! You’re drooling on the floor!” Light exclaimed as he started shaking Spike.
“Princy?” Rarity asked. “Wouldn't it be you who is...”
“Nope. Celestia adopted Spike. I lived in Ponyville before I got my “upgrade” or “Blessing” or whatever you want to call me becoming an alicorn.” Light explained.
Rarity tried to think about it. “Wait... so…?”
“Don’t worry. Spike is the prince. Light is just a teddy bear alicorn.” Twilight tried to explain. “We were Celestia’s pupils…”
Rarity gasped when she heard that. “Canterlot? Darling! I have always dreamed of visiting Canterlot. With all of those high-class ponies and beautiful dress designers that base out of there, it’s like a dream come true!”
“Or a nightmare, depending on who you ask.” Light said quietly.
Rarity’s focus changed to Twilight as she started talking to the hybrid. “Darling! You must tell me everything about your time in Canterlot, along with allowing me to use you for a model for some of my projects!” Rarity said as she got out some fabrics. “It’s so hard to find willing models for my dresses.”
“Really? Why would anypony not want to model for you?” Spike asked as he was still staring at Rarity.
“Well, I am a dressmaker, so boys don’t tend to make good models. Then there are my assigned roommates.” Rarity said with a sigh as she started taking Twilight’s measurements.
“Oh... who is going to be our roommates?” Twilight asked excitedly.
“Well, one of them is a weightlifter of sorts. She’s strong, and rather… uncouth.” Rarity started to explain. “And the other one isn’t much better…”
Before Rarity could elaborate, the window suddenly burst open as a pony dashed into the room, sending the others reeling back. This pony had a beak and a lion’s tail, but she also had a rainbow-colored mane and hooves. Twilight could only guess that this was a mix of a griffon and one of the pony races.
The pony started looking at the group before chuckling to herself. “You three should have seen the looks on your faces when I came in here.” She said as she was trying to hold back her laughter.
Rarity sighed in frustration as she glared at the flyer. “Seriously Rainbow Dash? There are such things as doors!”
“Doors smoorsh!” Rainbow said. “What’s the point of having this if I can’t use them?” she announced, flaring her wings up. “You should try it sometimes.” She told Rarity before looking at the new students. “Ah! Good!” She said before flying to be with them, ignoring Spike. “Two new flying students, Nice!” she said, pumping her griffon claw in the air.
The two-winged ponies backed up a little. “Um… we may not be good flyers… but…” Light started to stutter before Rarity gave a soft sigh.
“You don’t need to be afraid of her. Even with her tomboyish nature, she is a loyal friend and will stick up for you, as long as you don’t treat her like some pet.” Rarity explained.
“Pet!?” R.D. said. “Do I look like a canary?” She asked them.
“No, silly!” The head of Pinkie Pie popped up. “I’m a pet!” She said before scratching her ear with her back leg. “What was I doing... Oh, Ya!” She said before going back down and disappearing.
“W… where did she come from?!?” Twilight asked in shock.
“Don’t question it.” Dash and Rarity said simultaneously.
“As for what I was saying, it was a mere illustration meant not to abuse your relationship with her.” Rarity finished explaining.
“Don’t worry; I’ll cherish any pon… any creature that is kind enough to give me the time of day,” Twilight said, remembering her first day at Celestia’s school. She asked a stallion where the school and class were, and he backed away in fear and disgust.
“See? They are alright.” Dash said as she gave Twilight a noogie. “Although judging by the books, they may be eggheads, but I can work that out of them.”
“Actually, Twilight is the brains, Spike is the brawn, and I tell the jokes.” Light explained as he pointed at his friends.
“Oh... brawn!” Rainbow said, finally seeming to acknowledge the existence of Spike. “So... how strong are you?” She asked before placing her arm on one of the tables in the room.
“It depends on how much magic I use,” Spike said as he pointed to the bags on his back. “I may look the most normal, but I am far from it.”
R.D. raised an eyebrow to that. “Magic?” She asked, looking at Spike's forehead for a horn, then at his neck and hooves for any unique gems.
Spike sighed as he raised a hoof over a vase and started generating water from his hoof. “As I said, I’m a bit of a freak. It’s also the same reason I don’t have a cutie mark, but…” Spike started to think about Applejack’s reaction when she talked about why she moved here. “... that’s personal.”
“Wow, cool! I wish I could do magic.” Flash said with a bit of sorrow.
“Well, Celestia was talking about how earth ponies can do magic. My magic just happens to be heightened, along with having a few tricks that I keep finding.” Spike explained while starting to set some of Twilight’s bags down.
Flash nodded. “Ya... so... We will be staying in the room across from you, Twilight.”
“Oh, okay,” Twilight said as she started unpacking.
“Well, at least now we have somebody who has the time to teach you and Light how to fly.” Spike pointed out as Light was trying to hush him.
“Let’s start with someone calmer and softer.” Light pleaded in a whisper to Spike.
“Yeah, so who are we rooming with?” Spike asked the earth pony.
“Well... You, Light Heart, ME!” Flash said, pointing to himself. “Oh, and also Puncher, SharkPuncher.”
“SharkPuncher? Is that his real name, or did he earn it?” Light asked, feeling intimidated by such a name.
“Either way, I want to meet this guy,” Spike said excitedly.
“I think you can,” Flash said before lining his ear to the door. “It sounds like he is in the room.” He told the group before opening the door.
The room was divided into four sections. On the far-left corner was a symmetrical, mostly orange bed and dresser, decorated with pins and photos showing pictures of other probable students. While on the far right, an asymmetrical mostly water blue bed and dresser, with gold medals and trophies strung about, and the drowns had shirts and bathing suits sticking out of it.
“I think we found a new jock. Clearly, this school values its physical education.” Spike said as he started to put the bags on the floor.
“Yeah, makes you think about yourself.” Light said in embarrassment. “I’ll take the bed on Flash’s side of the room.”
“Fine by me,” Spike said as he started unpacking.
SharkPuncher was at his desk, trying to finish his schoolwork. “Do any of you know how to multiply two numbers that are between 10 and 99?” He asked, not turning to look at them.
His wing could be seen twitching.
“Um… Light’s the math guy. I’m more of a spelling guy myself.” Spike explained.
“Mhm... then you could help me why the teacher finds this wrong.” Shark cleared his throat. “Me and my friend want two the poned.”
Spike sighed as he remembered all of the spelling lessons his mother gave. “It’s My friend and I, went is spelled w e n t, You should have used t o o, not t w o, and did you mean to spell pond?” Spike asked as he looked at the paper and motioned Light to walk over.
Shark pulled the piece of paper that had an F on it and showed it to them before going back to his remaining math work.
Spike looked at Shark’s work and cringed at sight. “Ouch. My mom would go nuts at a paper like this. Luckily, I have plenty of writing practice. I can help critique your work.”
“Why, is your mom the queen of the spelling bee championship?” Shark asked before laughing.
“Nope. She’s the princess of Equestria.” Spike said as he got out a notebook and started writing down some notes.
Shark paused at this revelation. “Oh... well, it’s nice to meet you.” He said, not knowing what to say. “So... Light!? Can you help me with this?” He asked, showing his math paper. (30*12=?, 41*25=?, and 18*16=?)
Light picked up a pencil as he started to help him. “Well, I find the best method is to break up the work.” He uses the pencil to rewrite the first question into 12*3, “So, what are three times two?”
“Six,”
“Exactly! And of course, three times one is three. So our answer is 36. Following so far?”
“Yes,”
“Okay, since the original question has a thirty instead of a three. What do we do to find our answer now?”
“We... add a zero to the other answer!?”
“Exactly! So our answer is?”
“360!”
“Good moving on. This next one needs a little more work to solve.”
Light cringed a little, but he nodded. “Okay, so what do we do?”
As the two continue to solve the problems, Flash looks rather impressed at the two ponies. “Looks like we have a study group now. You may be saving Shark’s grades from plummeting.”
“It’s just how we were taught when the three of us studied together. Don’t just give them the answer but help them find the pathway to solutions.” Spike said as he was still going over Shark’s homework.
Flash nodded with a smile. “That’s a good way to teach.”
Shark smiled as he looked at the two guys. “How can I pay you two back for helping me out?”
“Well, maybe helping Dash teaching Twilight and me how to fly can help?” Light offered.
Shark's smile faltered. “I... I wish I could do that.” He said with earnestness. “But…” He got up, showing off his other side to them.
Light gasped as he saw the scarred on the side of his body. “Oh… me and my dumb mouth…” Light muttered in regret as he didn’t know what to say.
Spike winced as he petted Shark’s back. “Hey, I feel for you, man. I know what it’s like to have your body messed up.”
Shark nodded. “Was born with a malformed wing.” He sided. “So, they decided to remove it.”
“Oh… I thought it was something else.” Light said with a soft sigh of relief.
Spike sighed as he rubbed his flank. “My thing messed up my ability to have a cutie mark. It just… messed me up genetically…”
Flash cleared his throat as he didn’t want this situation to get any more awkward. “Well, why don’t we take a break from studying and finish showing the new kids around?”
Shark nodded. “And maybe after that, I can show you the pool.” He offered, swimming being the only time he could feel like he could fly.
“Sure. I can tell you are an expert in the field.” Light said, happy to accept the change of topic.
Shark smiled, taking down the photo taking of him just after he got his cutie mark.
Spike was intrigued by the image of him standing in front of a water tank, holding a scared filly. “Interesting photo.” Spike mused.
“Ya... a little filly had fallen into the shark tank by accident.” Shark started the story, getting a gasp from the two new guys. “So, I jumped into the water, swam to her, and Punched the shark right into its face!” He said with glee.
Light’s eyes widened as he imagined the pony shooting out of the water, punching an actual shark. “Oh… Your name is literal in meaning…”
Shark nodded. “And because of my fin.” He said before lifting his wing.
“Wow. You are bad to the bone. Some guards don’t have the guts you have.” Spike said, amazed by this pony’s bravery.
Shark smiled at Spike’s complement. “I like you, kid! We’re going to be the best of friends.” He declared before getting up.
“Should we wait for Twilight?” Spike asked as they walked out of their room.
Before anybody could answer, Twilight crawled out of the room, wearing a frilly outfit. “Apparently, Rarity likes having a model,” Twilight said as she teleported the suit off of her.
“Twilight, you deserved to have something nice,” Spike told her.
“That was the twelfth outfit she had me try on.” Twilight explained as she caught her breath. “I didn’t even get a chance to unpack.”
“Well, then we should go before she decides to give you more dress,” Flash said before starting to walk off.
“It was more trying on and “Finding what looks well on me” than giving them to me. She stopped after the last dress after having some kind of idea.” Twilight explained.
“Maybe so, but I’m ready to bet that she’ll be leaving those dresses in the purple dresser that was left for you,” Flash told her.
“What was the ideal?” Light asked Twilight, with a hint of worry.
“I don’t know. She started drawing something in a sketchbook.” Twilight explained. “Maybe a new dress design?”
“Well, she’s always coming up with new designs.” Flash pointed out as they started walking through the rest of the school building.
Flash started, bypassing two large wooden doors, ignoring it altogether. He stopped in front of two doors with windows on them. “This is the eating area; you can either bring your food or select what you want what would be on the menu and available on each day.” He explained.
“You don’t have to pay for your food?” Twilight asked curiously.
Flash tilted his head. “Pay... I don’t understand. Do you mean with good behavior points!?” He asked with a hint of worry.
All three kids stopped as they looked at Flash. “Pay with money? Bits? Coins? Currency?” Spike started listing off, trying to figure out how the money system here works.
“Oh... we don’t have that here,” Flash said utterly nonchalantly.
“WHAT?” The three new students asked in shock.
“Ya... we just don’t use that,” Flash said, confused on why they were acting like that.
“You mean… no currency… no taxes… and no having to manage funds?” Twilight asked as her mind was trying to figure out how a system like that works.
“Ya...” Flash said. “When the country was founded, they were all like. We first need to make homes and plant some seeds to grow some food. And thanks to the knowledge of all of the different races. We managed to make an abundance of what we need, mostly.”
“So why didn’t they just sell and develop like other countries?” Light asked curiously.
“Well, when everything was settled on and they were about to... Make money for the nation, and they were all... Some of us are here because we were homeless with no money… Do we really need this? It’s just going to complicate and cause more trouble than it's worth.” Flash explained. “Plus... most of us are like... Us.” He said, hoping he didn’t say something wrong. “They just didn’t want to be part of anyone that was... Different and not normal. It’s only now that one of our rulers did any direct contact with another ruler.”
“So, how do you keep ponies from abusing the system?” Twilight asked as she saw several ways this could go wrong.
Flash shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. “Maybe there are some spells, maybe there are some details that I’m not aware of, or everyone here would rather keep the peace then ruining what they have here.”
“Either that or it’s a work currency in a-way. One has to contribute to get a return?” Light suggested.
Flash thought about it. “That does make sense, would explain the candy and chocolate.”
“What do you mean?” Spike asked.
“Well, you have to be an adult to be able to... “buy” candy or chocolate. So, if you want to have some, you’ll have to ask someone to get it for you.
Light’s eyes widened when he heard that. “Really? When does that happen?”
“Well... when you graduate... we each have a special ceremony, called your proto-fusion ritual, where we have to bring five different adults to be your witnesses and to prove that you’re ready to become one.” Flash started to explain. “One for maturity, one for knowledge, one for… “mental,” one for health, and the last one for... to show that you are adding something to MoonRacer.”
Light gulped when he brought up the mental part. “I’ll never be considered an adult now.”
Flash petted Light’s back. “My cousin managed to do it, so did my other friend’s sister in law. You can do it!” He said while looking into Light’s eyes.
“Well… are we allowed to… I don’t even know what is considered work up here.” Light said as he was trying to think about what was going to happen to him here.
“You have until your graduation to find your place,” Flash told his new friend. “What are you good at? What are you passionate about?” He asked.
“Well… there was something… but… I doubt alicorns get to do stuff like it.” Light said in embarrassment before Twilight nudged him.
“He likes making toys. He always tries to find ways to keep making new ones.” Twilight explained for the bashful alicorn.
“Oh... Yes, yes, you can!” Flash said with a smile. “Why wouldn't you?”
“Well… most grown-ups in Canterlot say that it’s a waste of potential.” Light explained with a blush.
“A waste!” Flash said in shock. “That is one of the most important jobs ever!”
“R… really?” Light asked, surprised that Flash acted like it’s so important.
“Maybe you and Marerian can work together,” Flash suggested.
“R… really?” Light asked hopefully.
Flash nodded. “Yes, and don’t let anyone else tell you that your dream job is a waste or pointless; if you love doing it and it brings you and other joy, that it’s an important and valuable job!” He said triumphantly.
Light gave a hopeful smile as Twilight noticed a rabbit hopping through the school. “Um, is there a rule about pets?” Twilight asked curiously.
“Umm... as long as you can keep them in line and you’re always in control of them, and don’t let them out of your sight, you can, why? Did you want to get one? Oh... maybe a cat, or a dog... How about an owl!” He asked her.
“I saw one walking across the room,” Twilight said as she went to follow the little critter.
Flash turned to see the mischievous white bunny. “Oh... hello there angel, did you run away for the older Shy?” He asked the bunny.
“Older Shy?” Spike asked curiously. “Who are you talking about?”
A striped kirin timidly poked her head into the room.
“He is right here, Shy!” Flash told her.
“Oh, hello there,” Spike said with a wave. “How are you doing?”
Fluttershy blushed as she whispered softly. “Hi there… I’m fine.”
“What? I didn’t hear you.” Spike said as he tried to listen more closely.
Fluttershy blushed even more as she hid behind her mane. “I’m fine.”
“Um… Once more?” Twilight asked.
Fluttershy looked even more nervous as she managed to give a small squeak. “I’m fine.”
“She said that she’s fine,” Flash said, seems to be used to this. “Her name is Fluttershy, and she’s very good with animals.” He explained as he waved her over.
“Flutter?” Light asked, not understanding why she would have a name meant for flyers.
“I’m named after the butterflies that surrounded my crib when I was born.” She muttered out softly as she made her way to her bunny.
“And I’m guessing your reaction to them?” Spike questioned gently.
Flutter hid her face behind her mane before shaking her head. “Everything but them.” She said, finally speaking in a much more clear and understandable voice.
“Oh, okay. So… you are a unique race.” Twilight said as she examined Fluttershy. “Clearly part zebra due to the stripes and the uniqueness of the cutie mark, but… there seems to be something off about the scales.”
Flutter winced a bit from Twilight’s touch. “I’m... I’m a kirin.”
Twilight gasped in excitement. “A kirin? The legendary original offspring of dragons and ponies?”
Flutter nodded. “Yes,” She said in a whimper. “And.. you’re a dragon!?”
“Yeah! Dragon and unicorn.” Twilight said as she kept examining her body, noticing that she had no horn.
“Please..stop.” Flutter whimpered out, about to cry.
Light quickly saw that the pony was getting upset, so he quickly pulled Twilight away from her. “Alrighty, Twilight. I think you had enough study time. If you want to learn more, we can get a book in the library here.” Light said as he kept between Twilight and Fluttershy.
Flash went to Flutter to console her, and picked up Angel and placed him in her lap.
“Sorry. Twilight gets excited around new things of interest, and she heard about kirins.” Spike explained.
“I.. I can understand.” Flutter said. “I’m the same with any new animals I meet.” She admitted with a blush.
Light looked curious about how Flash was treating Flutter. “So, you two have known each other for a while?”
Flutter nodded. “We’re in the same class for animal study. My favorite.”
“Oh, well, we are new here, but we’ve been in school together since we were kids,” Spike explained.
“I hope we can see each other in Miss A-Dark-ble’s class or in another.” Flutter said before getting back up.
“That would be nice, and I am sorry for geeking out.” Twilight apologized.
“I forgive you.” Flutter said before placing Angel on her back. “But next time, please be mindful of others' personal space.” She asked her. “Especially if you’re going to be friends with Flash.”
“Okay, and we are sorry. We’re just new to the whole ‘friends’ thing.” Light admitted.
Flutter tilted her head to the side. “You are?” She asked, seeming to finally be out of her shell.
“Yeah, Canterlot has not been kind to us.” Light explained with a bit of embarrassment.
“Canterlot.” Flutter said, placing one of her hooves on her chest. “You don’t seem like Canterlot ponies.”
“Well, I’m adopted by the princess, Light lived in a small town until he got his wings, and Twilight’s a long story. Either way, we aren’t exactly normal ponies.” Spike told Flutter with a bit of fear about her reaction.
“Oh.. I.. I see.” Flutter said, not seeming to react to what they said about Light. “That reminds me, I need to go take care of the baby birds!”
“Oh, okay. We still need to see the rest of the school anyways. We’ll see you around.” Twilight said with a wave.
Flutter waved goodbye to them, her face still behind her mane.
“So, what classes do we have?” Twilight curiously asked as she turned to Flash.
“You will have Math, Ponish, History, Gym, Natural studies (which covers things like magic and flying), and Science.” He told them. “Optional classes are animal care, Music, Art, Fighting, foreign languages, and then there are a couple of other extra classes.”
“Oh, Magic is optional?” Light asked hopefully.
“That’s natural studies,” Flash said as he shook his head.
“Oh, okay.” Light said with a hint of disappointment.
“I’m sure you can ask to be placed in the pegasus study groups,” Flash said while petting Light’s back.
“I doubt Celestia would like it. I’m willing to bet that we’ll be doing both.” Twilight explained.
“You should get your schedule tomorrow just before the classes start.” Flash, let them know.
“Oh, okay. So, where to next?” Light asked Flash
“Follow me!!” Flash said before walking out of the cafeteria, and back into the hall.
The group all followed as Spike thought about a question to ask. “So, does Kirouac have any kids?”
“Umm... Define that.” Flash asked Light.
“That’s a no biologically and most likely a yes adoptively, right?” Spike asked, being used to this question.
Flash nodded. “Yes, he has two, a son & daughter, that he some time brings with him on his trips.”
“Oh, I don’t think I’ve met them,” Spike said as he realized that he hasn’t even met Kirouac before.
“Did you see a pony with eight legs, or another with one side on her face pink while the other is blue?”
All three of them stopped in place as they looked at Flash. “Say what now?” Spike asked in confusion.
“Come on; this is MoonRacer, do you really think it’s only half breeds that come here?” He asked them.
“Well, Spike and I are here, so no.” Light said while trying to imagine an eight-legged pony.
“Ya.. and before you ask, his name is Sleipnir, and his hooves are the same size as any other pony.” Flash clarified.
“Okay, still working on that mental image.” Light said as he rubbed his forehead.
“I’m sure we will meet him in class.” Flash stopping as he entered a large area with multiple doors. Each door was a different color and had a different shaped window & patterned on it.
“Um… is this high school or middle school?” Light asked curiously.
“Both why?” Flash asked, not understanding Light’s question.
“Oh, I was just curious about the windows.” Light admitted.
“Yeah, they are rather strange.” Twilight agreed.
“Well.. some of the students are color blind, so the shape helps them know which room to go to.” Flash started to explain. “ like.. the Ponish class is in the Red Triangle room.”
“Okay. I was just curious. So are these our classrooms?” Twilight asked.
Flash nodded. “Yes, in your schedule, it will be color-coded to what the color of the door of the room is, and have a little symbol of the shape next to the name of the class.”
“Wow, that makes scheduling everything a lot easier. All I have to do is schedule everything outside of school.” Twilight said excitedly.
Flash nodded before walking toward two mostly clear doors, covered with some translucent glass stickers.
“So, what class is this?” Spike asked him as he looked at the door.
“Oh, that’s the door to go outside to the playground,” Flash explained.
“Oh.. okay,” Spike said in embarrassment.
Flash smiled an understanding smile before opening the doors and walking outside.
The group could see multiple play-structures, swings, and many other fun things
“Wow! It already looks better than the one at Canterlot. They didn’t really invest in it that one.” Spike exclaimed.
“Oh.,” Flash said, feeling a bit sad for them. “What did you have?” He asks
“A small grass area where we could study. Celestia could never pass a budget for the school playground.” Spike explained.
Flash looked shocked. “Isn’t Canterlot one of, or even the richest city in Equestria?”
“And Celestia’s school is one of the top schools out there. Some numbskull parents and school officials ended up thinking that it would be a distraction from our studies.” Light said as he was already playing on a swing.
“That’s ridiculous,” Flash said while joining them on the swing. “All work and no play, makes students not only dull and causes stress and makes it hard to study.”
“Well, I didn’t mind it, but Light and Spike came up with some rather devious tricks during recess time,” Twilight admitted.
“Oh.. like what?” Flash asked while getting into a good swing.
“We had this substitute teacher named Neighsay, who was a jerk, and we ended up getting him to hit himself with his own rulebook,” Spike explained with a giggle.
“Umm... How?” Flash asked, stopping swinging his legs.
“It was a hardcover book with a thick fabric sleeve. So during recess, we started filling the book with paper clips slowly over time, so he got used to the weight. Because of the sleeve, Neighsay never notices. After a couple of months, I realized we couldn’t fill it anymore without it being noticeable, so we took them all out. Thus, getting him to hit himself.” Spike explained with a grin.
“Oh.. you... You bad boys!” Flash said, feeling a bit bad for Neighsay.
“With the names, he called Twilight? Of course, we did it.” Light said bluntly. “One time, I rewired all of the clocks to run backward. We were bored, and had free time.”
“Did you get younger?” Flash asked them. “And.. wait, what did he call Twilight?”
“You don’t want to know. Right now, we want the MoonRacer experience.” Spike explained before turning to Flash. “So, what’s next?”
“Oh..” Flash stopped his swinging before jumping off. “I could show you the baseball, basketball, and other sports courts. If you want.”
“Sure, although Twi won’t be spending much time there,” Spike said teasingly.
“I don’t know, hasn’t she read any teen love story?” Flash asked. “A bookish girl falls in love with a jock after watching him play some sports,” Flash said a bit jokingly.
Spike sighed as he leaned over to Flash. “Those two don’t know a lot about dating.”
“Light, you never?” Flash asked him.
“Nope.” Light admitted with a blush.
“Well, I’m sure that you’ll find someone that will love you for who you are and how you are,” Flash told him with a reassuring tone.
“The same day, Twilight finds her true love.” Light muttered softly.
“Oh.. you two could double date!” Flash said excitedly.
“Let’s focus on learning about the school for now.” Twilight suggested as they followed Flash around the school.
Flash showed them around the sports fields, showing some that you couldn’t find in Equestria. They all stop at a cooling area, situated in the center of the yard, between the different sports fields. There were water fountains, vending machines with cold spot drinks, and also ice-dispenser with a box of clear plastic bags, and two rectangular medium size boxes, one filled with reusable glasses with the word fresh on it, while the other said used.
“Wow. Quite the snack bar you have here.” Spike said, looking impressed.
Flash nodded proudly. “But that’s not all.” He said before going to the end of the table and taking the lid off of the waterproof box that was on it. “we got grown-up bars and energy bars.” He told his group to show some off.
“Wow! You think about your athletes.” Spike said, not noticing that the others weren’t too interested.
Flash nodded. “We all think of our other.” He told Spike. “We.. pay it forward.”
“I think we had better keep the tour going.” Twilight suggested.
Flash nodded, seeing that his two-winged friends were a bit bored. “Just two more stops and then we can go back to our rooms.” He told the group.
“Okay, then. After that, I may have a chance to unpack.” Twilight said with a soft sigh.
Flash nodded before making his way back to the inside of the school. “Ok, I’m sure you’re going to like this,” Flash told Light before he turned the corner to a hall that had the wall covered in Hoof -Paintings.
“W… what is this?” Light curiously asked as he looked around the room.
Flash smiled before walking through an entrance with no door, just soft beads. “The playroom!” He said, showing off the room full of toys, foam couches, and other fun things.
Light’s eyes widened as he looked at the toys. “Wow! It’s clear that this was meant for kids, but… this is… inspiring.” Light said as he analyzed the toys.
Flash nodded with a smile. “I loved it when I was young.” He said before blushing. “Still do.” He admitted.
“I can see why.” Light said as he smiled at the light-hearted room.
There was a table with drawers and little containers full of lego lisses, and perfectly sorted, with the top made of one solid lego board to stick the pieces on. And on each leg there as a strange little tool hanging off of it.
“Wow. It’s amazing to see a teenaged pony look like a kid in a candy store, and we’ve seen Light in a candy store.” Twilight said with a giggle.
“Mhm.. we should have to say goodbye to that,” Spike said while showing Twilight a wooden toy that was covered with a fireproof coating.
“Well, I guess we should head out now.” Light said as he turned back to the others.
Flash nodded before putting the toy he was playing with down. “Don’t forget to put the toys back and also clean up after yourself.”
“Of course…” Light paused as he looked at a stuffed animal with a bit of stuffing sticking out. “For Celestia’s sake, I can’t leave this poor thing like this.” Light said as he impulsively summoned a needle and thread. “Give me a minute to fix this.” Light said as he started working on the toy.
Spike rolled his eyes before turning to Flash. “He’s going to take a minute. Let’s go ahead and let him catch up.”
“Oh.,” Flash said. “You know your way back?” He asked Light, who was already invested in his work.
“Third floor, white hallway.” Light said as he was invested in fixing the toy.
Flash nodded. “Oh.. umm.. Let’s... Let’s go!” He said while making his way out of the room.
As they walked down the hall, Twilight took a deep breath. “This is a rather nice school, and It’s nice to not feel weird over my body.”
Flash nodded. “I’m sure you’ll make many friends.” He told her while passing the cafeteria, and then the two large wooden doors they had parted before.
Spike looked rather curious about there being a double door like this when most classes had a single door. “Hey Flash, what is this room?”
“Oh.. this, this is where we are going to find Twilight every time she’s on her break,” Flash said, holding back his laughter.
“W.. wait… you don’t mean…” Twilight mumbled before running through the door and finding herself in a large library with countless books lining the aisles. Twilight’s eyes widened as she started to squeal in excitement.
“What.. you don’t have libraries in Canterlot?” He asked with a smirk.
“We do, but tell me how much information do you have here compared to Canterlot,” Spike asked as he was watching Twilight sitting in excitement like a pot simmering.
“Well.. the ones found in Equestria, the ones in Yakyakistan, all four zabra nations, the collection of all the buffalo tribes, and many more,” Flash said in a calm and nonchalant voice
“And we just had Equestrian books. You just opened an entire world to her.” Spike explained to Flash before picking up Twilight. “Come on, Twi, let’s do this later.
“But, I want them!” Twilight said while stretching her arms out. “There, my precious!”
“I’m sure there is a limit on how many you can borrow at a time, and you need a breaking in period and a library card. Now let’s go to our rooms and unpack.” Spike said as he was carrying her out of the library.
Flash kept quiet on the truth of the matter. That you get your library-card with your schedule, and that you can 10+ books out at a time. Thow, should they be warned about the timer.
“Come on! Let’s go.” Spike said as they walked out of the library.
“Ya, maybe now you can finely unpack.” Flash pointed out.
“B...bbb… Boooooks!!!” Twilight whined as Light saw her struggling.
“Library, right?” Light asked as he ran over to help.
“Oh.. Light, your back!? How was fixing the toy?” Flash asked him.
“It was some simple stitchwork. I do want to make sure that the other toys are okay, but I don’t have a lot of supplies.” Light explained bashfully.
“If you want, I can bring you to the store to get some!” Flash suggested.
“Tomorrow. If Twilight has to wait, so can he.” Spike said as Twilight was beginning to give up her struggle.
“Of course,” Flash said, holding back his laughter.
As the group managed to get Twilight to the hall where they were staying, they noticed that the door to Twilight’s room was cracked open. “Um, is that normal?” Spike asked out of curiosity.
“Well, she does have three room-mates... So…” Flash said.
“Well…” Twilight sighed as she had finally calmed down. “I guess I’d better get unpacked.”
As Twilight opened the door to her room, they were instantly thrown back as an explosion of confetti went off in front of their faces.
Flash fell back onto his back, while Light rolled into a ball.
“What is..” Twilight tried to say before she was pulled in by a pink paw.
“It’s a Welcome-to-MoonRacer-Party!!!” Pinkie said as she dragged Spike and Light in. “I invited the whole hall in. You know your roommates and the boys' roommates, but here are the rest of them!”
“Oh.. jes..” Twilight said while looking around the bedroom.
She recognized most of the mares in the room from the ponies that had already met. She guessed that the larger mare was Bubbly Biceps, and then there was the sibling that Flash talked about, Kirouac’s adopted daughter. Twilight quickly understood what a half and half face look like as she was looking at the mare. Then there were the boys.
There was a pony who was clearly, by the holds in his legs, a dark purple Halfling with a Darker green shirt, a sky blue earth-pony that was wearing some aperrates on his back and wrapped around his legs, a green coat with a jean vest and skirt on, and a pony with eight legs.
Applejack noticed Twilight and decided to walk over to her. “Well, hey, howdy! I didn’t know you’d be in the same hall as us. I hope that Pinkie didn’t scare you too much.”
“Oh, we’re fine,” Twilight said before noticing Light curled up on the floor. “Mostly.”
Applejack sighed as she turned to Pinkie. “Pinkie, how many times have I told you that you don’t lead with the cannon. You’re going to give the poor kid a heart attack.”
“Oops! Sorry!” Pinkie said as she tried to help the alicorn.
As Pinkie was busy with Light, Applejack led Twilight through the room. “You have to forgive her for her antics. Her heart is in the right place, but she gets very excited when it comes to parties.”
“Oh, it’s okay. Light just has a problem with loud noises. He’ll be okay in a minute.” Twilight assured her before being walked up to the other girls.
Dash grinned as she nudged the muscular earth pony next to her. “Hey Bubbly, that’s the mare that I was telling you about. She’s a bit of an egghead, but she looks like a nice pony.”
Bubbly nodded as she looked at Twilight. “I see, well, I guess she’ll be a good roommate, but let’s hold off on any pranks for a while, just so they can get settled in.”
Dash agreed begrudgingly. “Awe… alright, but after the first month I’m breaking her in.”
“Fair enough, but make sure that we don’t have another peanut butter incident,” Bubbly warned her.
Applejack chuckled as she talked to Twilight. “Don’t worry about them. Those two are always pushing each other to the limit. Just compliment them, and don’t challenge them. You'll live.”
“Oh, okay. I did get to meet Dash earlier, and Rarity. Bubbly was the last roommate that I hadn’t met.” Twilight explained.
“Oh her, what you need to know, is that she used to be the number one top athlete at the school, before being dethroned by Dash and me!” Applejack started to explain. “I take it that you are already familiar with FlashTruth.”
Twilight nodded.
“Yeah, he’s dating Bubbly right now.” A.J. added with a giggle. “She has fun picking him up and carrying him around.”
“Thanks for the information,” Twilight said.
“So, From the way you’re looking at the others, I’m guessing that you met Fluttershy?” Applejack asked.
Twilight nodded. “Yeah, and I may have gotten a little excited seeing a half kirin.”
“Yeah, she was actually born here. Apparently, she has the natural ability to understand animals, and she takes that to heart. She’s the sweetest little thing that you will ever meet. I don’t think I've ever seen her go into her Nirik form before.” Applejack explained with a giggle.
“A… Nirik?” Twilight asked. She had never heard of such a form before.
“Yeah. When Kirins lose their temper, their scales and fur go black and their mane and tail light on fire. There are a few reasons why fireproofing is such a big deal around here.” Applejack explained.
“Oh.. and here I thought it was only because of the half-dragon king.” Twilight
Applejack laugh. “That and the other citizens that can wield fire. And it’s also a good ideal in general.”
“Good thinking, although she seems rather shy.” Twilight pointed out.
“Yeah, that’s Flutter for you.” Applejack said as she looked over at Helsa. “Now that’s one of Kirouac’s kids, but don’t bother calling her a princess or anything like that. Be polite and don’t make a big deal out of her face, and you’ll be fine. Oh.. and just a heads up, she has ice powers, so if you need a cold drink, she’s your mare. But don’t bother her too much.”
“Now for the boys. As you know, Flash is the hall leader, but it could have gone to Kirouac’s kids. However, the kids decided that they should know how one follows a leader before becoming one, so Flash was voted in. I hope you understand why we pick ponies who have been here for a while to be hall leaders.” Applejack cautiously said as she looked at Celestia’s pupils.
Twilight gave Applejack a nod as she looked at Flash, helping Light calm down. “It’s alright. We tend to joke that none of us would be likely leaders.” Twilight explained with a blush.
“Oh, I would have expected Celestia’s pupils to be begging to be put in charge. I guess I should apologize for my assumptions.” The eight-legged pony said with a smile as he walked up to Twilight. “It’s an honor to meet Celestia’s chosen students.” He said as he extended one of his front hooves to her. “The name is Sleipnir.”
“Oh, I’m Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said with a small blush as she shook his hoof.
“Howdy Sleipnir. I was just telling the new students about you and the rest of the boys.” A.J. said.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Twilight said, wondering if she should give him a curtsy, but before she could even start, Sleipnir stopped her.
“Please, no curtsy.” He said. “Well.. not unless I’m in royal attire, and my father has his crown on.
Applejack nodded. “That's how it goes around here.”
“Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.” She said as she looked a little embarrassed.
“Oh.. you have heard?” Sleipnir asked.
“I heard that you and Helsa were the King’s kids, but to not make a big deal over it.” Twilight explained.
Sleipnir nodded. “That is true, and my father is the same, until the time you should see him with his crown on top of his head.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll try to remember that.” Twilight said with a nod. “So, I heard that you and your sister decided against having Flash’s position?”
Sleipnir nodded. “Before you can be a good ruler, you first have to follow. Know how it is to be the one that obase the orders.” He said poetically. “To truly appreciate what you have, you must first live without what you take for granted, be at the mercy of others. And then when you come out of this life experience, hold no grudge with the ones that made your life more challenging & difficult.”
“Wow, you truly have the making of a real prince in you,” Twilight said with a small blush.
“I’m sure that it’s in us all,” Sleipnir said. “Surely, Celestia would have bestowed her knowledge upon you 3.”
“Well, she does talk to us a lot about her duties as a princess, but none of us considers ourselves royalty.” Twilight explained as she gestured to Light and Spike.
“Do you believe that my father, Kirouac, did when he was your age?” Sleipnir asked them. “He is the child of a school teacher, and a lumberjack, no grandiose title to his name until he made his own. Helped by each and everyone in his life, from his mother that helped him learn & know, right down to the child who let him borrow a pencil.”
“Wow! I didn’t know that.” Twilight admitted. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
“He is planning to give a speech at school tomorrow.” Sleipnir let her know. “I’m sure I could manage to let you see him before or after.”
“That would be amazing,” Twilight said before turning to the other boys. “So, who are your other roommates?”
“Oh.. how silly of me to have forgotten them,” Sleipnir said before pointing to the dark purple halfling. “This is Shifting-Surprise, he now goes by Loyal-Dark, his earth-pony mother got pregnant from a drunk one night stand with a supposed discussed changeling. She only discovered that the unknown stallion that he had been with was a changeling when Surprise was born. She had decided to keep him, raise him as a normal pony, but life wouldn’t allow it. No school wanted to have him, so his mom had to homeschool him. He had lived the entire first half of his life in poverty, so... He ran from home and found his place here.” He smiled a bit. “And had never looked back ever since.”
“Oh… he has a nice mane. Reminds me of Rarity a little.” Twilight mused.
“Oh.,” Sleipnri replied nervously. “W.. what a coincidence.”
“You’re right. Rarity is a unicorn, so I doubt they are related in any way.” Twilight said as she brushed it off. “So, what about the others?”
“Well.. the green one with the skirt is named Speed!” Sleipnir said rapidly. “He’s.. he’s the most unique of us all.” He admitted.
“Because of a skirt? I have heard of a few cultures where stallions wear kilts and stuff like that.” Twilight said as she looked at what was obviously a skirt on a boy.
“Um.. noo not that,” Sleipnir said. “Hey, Speed!” He called out. “Can you please fix the banner over there.” He said, pointing out to the ceiling.
The earth-pony wearing the skirt looked up at where Sleipnir was pointing.
“Um, don’t you think you should let a pony with wings handle it?” Twilight asked, wondering how she expected Speed to be able to adjust the banner. “Unless... Can he climb walls?”
Speed took a deep breath before his back started to glow, and a pair of wings appeared. He opened them up and flew up to the banner to fix it.
Twilight was speechless as she saw this impossible feat right in front of her. “I… Is he… did he…”
Sleipnir paused her for a second. “That’s not all.” He told her before turning back to him. “Speed, can you please show our new student the new magic spell that you had learned.” He asked him nicely. “The one with the little mini tornado.”
Speed nodded before taking one more deep breath before his head started to glow, and his wings were replaced by a horn on his head.
Twilight gasped as she saw him use the horn to make a small wind vortex in front of her. “B… b… but… I…”
“You’re guess is as good as mine,” Sleipnir admitted.
“But… wouldn't he need changeling abilities to do that?” Twilight asked.
“He doesn't have that. Or.. if he does, it’s only limited to the three pony races.” Slipnir explained.
“Wow… this is some kind of ner form of genetic adaptation… It’s incredible.” Twilight said as she thought about all of the possibilities of being able to control your own genetic code.
Sleipnir nodded. “I know, could you just imagine if all of the citizens could all just... sprout wings? Instead of being limited to just having... A ⅓ of us with wings, weather Management and Cloud clean-up would go so fast.”
“Yeah… and I could just pick between being a dragon and a unicorn.” Twilight said as she rubbed her smooth wings
“But.. there’s a catch.” Speed said while walking toward them. “I can’t do magic when I’m not a unicorn, and I can’t fly when I’m not a pegasus.” He admitted. “There are things that I can’t do just because I have to be one race, not both.”
“But, you can be what you want, and can change when you want.” Twilight pointed out.
“And I bet that there are some spells or type of magic that you can do, just because it requires both your unicorn horn and your dragon... Body.” Speed told her.
“Yeah, but I could… look normal.” Twilight said as she looked ashamed at her body.
“Darling, Normal is just a matter of perspective. Your body has a unique beauty that any pony here can appreciate.” Rarity tried to assure her as she walked over to the group.
Speed raised an eyebrow to that. “You’re one to talk.” He said a bit accusingly.
“Speed, I’m trying to comfort her.” Rarity whispered harshly.
“And you should practice what you preach.” Speed told her.
“Do you want to wear a full dress? Your body is good for modeling.” Rarity threatened before Applejack separated them.
“Alright, you two. Don’t make me get the lasso again.” Applejack said as she was standing her ground between them.
Speed backed away before turning back to Twilight. “Remember, appreciate and take advantage of what you have. Good can only come forth if we do our best with whatever our unique gifts are.”
Twilight absentmindedly nodded, curious about what Rarity and Speed were arguing about. “So, who is the last guy?”
“Oh.. ya.” Sleipnir cleared his throat. “The blue pegasus is named CloudBusters.”
Twilight looked and saw what looked like a pegasus. “Wow, I guess he must be a flyer like Dash…” Twilight froze as she saw that there was something off about his wings,
“Um.. more... More like Bio-Bionic.” Sleipnir admitted before noticing that Twilight was looking at his “wings.” “Oh.. ya, this is what is known and called, a wingless-pegasus.”
“W… what?” Twilight asked, looked confused as she realized that the joints on the wings seemed metallic.
“That means that he is a pegasus that was born without his wings.”
Shark nodded.
“Oh… I hadn’t heard about that, but wouldn’t that be an earth pony?” Twilight asked.
“Earth ponies can’t walk on clouds.” Sleipnir pointed out.
“Ah… so… what are the wings on his side?” Twilight asked curiously.
“Well.. long story short, those wings are mechanical, and Buster can control them by moving his hooves and legs.” Sleipnir tried to explain.
“Really? That sounds like something Light would try to build, and then fail a few dozen times on.” Twilight said as her interest peaked.
“It seems like he wouldn’T have to,” Buster said while looking at Light. “Is your mother the pegasus, or was that your father?”
“My mom was a pegasus, and my father was a unicorn, but the wings were a later addition.” Light explained as Pinkie Pie handed him a cupcake with the word “Sorry” written on it.
Buster looked at Light in his eyes. “What do you mean?” He asked.
“I’m an alicorn, and don’t ask me how it works.” Light admitted, looking somewhat embarrassed.
“Oh.,” Buster said with a hint of anger and jealousy. “So, you got a brand new pair of wings, and I am stuck with mine?”
“Um… I don’t really use mine.” Light said nervously. “If I could give them away, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
Buster smirked. “Is that so?”
“It’s okay,” Spike said as he came over to help Light. “He’s got a good heart and doesn’t try to flaunt his alicornisim around. That, and he doesn’t know how to fly.”
“You know you could just lie and tell them that you’re just a pegacorn,” Buster told him. “You got the parents for that, right?”
“You could also say that you're just an earth-pony, but you don’t.” Speed pointed out.
“Ya, but then they’ll ask why I can walk on clouds, and that both my parents are pegasus.” Buster pointed out.
“I… I was taught to not be ashamed of my wings, and be willing to admit that I am a real alicorn. I just… don’t feel right lying about it.” Light explained as he started feeling like the black sheep.
Rarity looked off to the side.
Buster turned around and went to his room.
“Awe, come on, guys! The party hasn’t ended yet.” Pinkie pleaded with the others.
Light lowered his head as he rubbed his wings. “I can always admit that I’m an alicorn, but I never do feel proud about it.”
Twilight and Speed want to Light and hugged him on every side. Flutter went to sit close to Light.
Pinkie gulped at the others, having a more somber feeling, so she walked over to the new kids and tried to smile for them. “Well, you all seem pretty smart, and I’m willing to bet that we can have a lot of fun together. Tomorrow will be the best first day of school ever!”
Twilight nodded. “Ya.. probably.” She said before getting up and walking to her room.
Pinkie Pie sighed as she realized that the others were getting worn out. “Okay, I guess we can call it quits early, but I will make a better party next time.”
“I know you will,” Flash told pinkie before petting her head. He turned to everyone else. “Night.”
Spike and Light nodded as they followed Flash out of the room. Pinkie gave Twilight a hug before bouncing out of the room with her roommates.
Dash yawned as she cleared off the confetti that was on her bed. “Don’t worry. You’re going to love this place.”
Twilight nodded before getting in her new bed, finding it softer than the one she was used to. “I just hope that things will be better with the other students than with Buster.”
“Don’t mind him,” Dash said. “He’s just jealous of what others can do.” She said more boastfully than she should.
“You get used to him,” Bubbly assured her.
“So.. you’re dad is the dragon,” Dash asked.
“Yeah, and my brother’s traits didn’t show physically,” Twilight added. “He’s even dating my babysitter, and she doesn’t mind either.”
“Oh.. another dragon?” Dash asked, finding the ideal exciting.
“No…” Twilight paused as she thought against admitting that he was dating a princess. “Just a pony.”
“Oh.. which one?” Dash asked, slumping down in her bed.
“I don’t want to squeal about it, but I can tell you that my brother is a guard,” Twilight told the others. “He and Light’s older brother are good friends.”
“Cool, but I meant which race is the princess that was stolen by the dragon brother?” Dash asked. “Earth-pony, unicorn, or pegasus?”
Twilight felt a little nervous as she tried to figure out how to cover it up, but then she remembered Cadence talking about when she was a normal pony. “Well, she’s a born pegasus. She was adopted at a young age, and we get along very well.”
Dash nodded. “So.. what was the reaction of your baby-sitter and Light when they saw you for the first time?”
“Oh, my babysitter was very kind and understanding, and actually met my brother that way. Light looked just as nervous as I was when we met, but we both got along since we are both outcasts.” Twilight explained before giggling. “I actually remember Light asking if I was a dragon alicorn.”
Dash laughed. “Ha, ponies ask the same when they see Kirouac. Maybe he did, but we just didn’t notice.” She said before getting up to look at Twilight. “But.. you are missing something.”
“Really? What?” Twilight asked curiously.
“Feather,” Dash said with no context.
“What?” Twilight asked in confusion.
“Your wings have no feathers; they are all smooth,” Dash said.
“Oh?” Twilight said as she rubbed her wings. “Kirouac has feathers?”
Dash nodded. “Ya.. his mom is a unicorn... But also half pegasus… so.. 2 little tuffs of 3 feathers are on her back, where wings should be.”
“Wow! That’s amazing.” Twilight said as she thought about the odds of having a condition like that.
Before Dash continued, they heard Rarity yelling. “Will you two just be QUIET!” She said the silhouette of a scary face was the only thing they could see.
Twilight yelp as she ducked under her blanket while Dash merely rolled her eyes. “Yep. Don’t want to scare the new girl. We need to be civil.” Dash mockingly said as she laid back on her bed.
“Forgive Rarity. She gets cranky at night.” Bubbly said as she started to doze off.
Twilight could only nod. Already she had met several new ponies, but she had to wonder what her first impression gave off. Some of the ponies were warm and welcoming, and some of them felt like she had gotten the cold shoulder from them. It felt scary to her, having to stick her neck out to new ponies that she didn’t know about. Celestia wanted her to make friends, but Twilight was wondering if she was actually doing that.