As we walked through the Empire, I did my best to ignore Skyla's constant barrage of questions to mommy and daddy. Something about the word 'kindergarten' seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't put my hoof on why.
A few Crystal Guards in shiny blue armor flew in and gently parted a crowd in front of a colorful building. Even from the distance we were at, I could see and hear the cameras at work in the crowd.
Mommy leaned down to Skyla and me. "Just smile and wave a bit, girls."
Skyla lifted a wing to wave at the cameras. I raised a forehoof to wave, only to promptly trip and fall onto the crystalline ground with my lower jaw taking the brunt while my rear went up into the air. It sounded like everypony gasped or groaned when I landed.
Daddy was immediately in front of me, and he was very worried. "Are you okay, Inova? Do you need to see the doctor?"
"No," I said before getting my rear hooves back on the ground and standing again. "I'm fine."
"Let me check." His horn glowed and I felt the skin on my face tingle a bit. "Well, you seem alright. Just wave with one of your wings next time, alright?"
"My wings?" I looked back and there they were on my body. "Oh."
"It's okay. Let's just get you to class, alright?"
"Okay." My jaw still stung, but I was a strong filly and I would not cry over it.
We went through a short hallway with some doors on one side and some big windows on the other, letting the ponies outside see us without getting to us. I stopped at the threshold to the classroom we went to. Colts and fillies were running around everywhere and playing with each other. Skyla was quick to run in and join a group of them, but I didn't want to go any further.
"It's okay, Inova," mommy said as she put one of her wings on my back. "You'll make some friends of your own before you know it."
Daddy put a hoof under my chin and gently got me to look at him. "I know it's loud, but I know you'll be able to handle it. We'll be back before you know it."
I looked back into the classroom. "Is there somepony that can quiet the noise?"
"Not the way I can. Ms. Vine is a great teacher, and she'll be looking out for everypony here, including you."
"Now go and have some fun." Mommy pushed me forward into the room, my recently polished and smoothed hooves doing nothing to stop her. "Bye, Inova! Bye, Skyla!"
I watched as they left, then looked around the room. Skyla didn't even notice mommy and daddy leave. There was a play kitchen in one area, a few small tables in another, some artsy stuff in another area, some short slides were against a wall, there were a few doors, and in the middle was a big circular fenced in space, except for one section. I wanted to go to the fenced in space, but it was in the middle, which meant the loudness would be everywhere.
The door opened and some ponies that weren't mommy or daddy came in with a colt of their own. I moved to the side so I wouldn't be in their way as the colt went to the slides and they left.
A mare with light green fur, a purple mane and tail, no horn, and no wings came in without a foal. "Okay everypony, it's time for class!" Her voice was clear and crisp, and despite being right next to her as she shouted, it wasn't that bad. "Come meet me in the corral!"
Some of the foals stopped what they were doing and went to the fenced in space while others kept playing. I slowly made my way there while the mare went around to herd those that weren't going to the corral. Skyla was there, but I couldn't sit with her because of the foals surrounding her, so I picked a spot just inside the corral entrance and glanced at the entrance to the classroom. I also noticed some big mirrors up high on the wall, and I turned to look at them. "What are those doing here?"
On the other side of the one way glass overlooking the room, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor watched their fillies. Other parents were there to watch their foals as well, a statement that could be taken a couple different ways.
Cadence looked to her left and saw a yellow pegasus stallion next to her that she recognized as being part of the press. The Crystalline Chronicle, if she remembered right. Immediately, she knew that he was going to be writing articles on her fillies and their school life. As much as she didn't like the idea of there being no privacy in Inova and Skyla's education, it was the cost of their status.
She chose to talk to him. "Excuse me."
He turned to see her, and everypony that was listening in. "Oh, hello, Your Majesty. Can I help you with something?"
"Am I right in my presumption that you're going to be writing articles about my daughters? Please state your name and answer honestly."
He felt a bit nervous immediately. "Well, yes. I'm Lucky Spotter, and it's partly by coincidence that I'm here. I have a filly of my own in this class as well."
"Just a bit of luck, then. I would appreciate it if you kept any articles on my fillies to no more than once every one or two weeks."
"I can respect that wish. But what would happen if I were to publish something daily?"
"Nothing will come from the castle or myself, but it may become something ponies glance at and pass over if you publish that often."
Shining joined in the conversation. "So you're basically getting paid to watch your daughter here, right?"
"Effectively, yes."
"Cadence and I won't be able to be here as much as we'd like since we have royal duties, so if you could report any odd or troubling behavior to us before publishing it, we'd appreciate it."
"And if I don't?"
"Then you'll miss out on some rewards that I haven't thought of yet."
Lucky turned his attention to the foals in the classroom. "I'll give it two weeks before I publish anything, and I appreciate the access."
"He didn't promise that." Cadence lightly smacked the back of her husband's head with a wing.
"Of course. Sorry for the presumption."
Two weeks later
After putting the foals to bed, Shining showed Cadence the day's paper. "He's alright so far."
"It's just the first article from him." Cadence accepted the paper and read the article.
Alicorns In Kindergarten
The young Princesses Inova and Skyla have recently completed their second week of kindergarten, and already, differences between the two are readily apparent, and these differences are about as subtle as the coat colors of Princesses Celestia and Luna.
Princess Skyla has shown great ease interacting with other foals, and doesn't seem to care that she's usually the only alicorn in a group. Unicorn, pegasus, earth pony, she has made friends with all three. She runs and plays with her friends whenever she can, whether indoors or outdoors. The only trouble she seems to cause is going after her classmates' food during snack and lunch times. Credit must be given to the teacher, Ms. Grape Vine, for her ability to discipline Skyla when she does start going after other foals' food. In the two weeks so far, Princess Skyla has shown a minor reduction in that behavior.
Princess Inova, on the other hoof, has shown herself to be rather antisocial, preferring to be by herself as often as possible, not talking with other foals very much, and even refusing to join games when asked by her classmates. When given a choice on what to do indoors, she routinely goes for the building blocks and takes them next to the door that leads to the playground. Her focus appears to stay on the blocks and what she's building above all else, but her ears are almost always in motion. Multiple times, in the moments before a classmate started crying over something, she would abandon her blocks and go outside, where she simply sits and waits until things are quieter again. There have also been times where other foals, while running around, accidentally knocked down what she was building. Instead of getting upset over it, as other foals have, she started rebuilding. Inova causes the least amount of trouble in class, but Ms. Grape Vine says that her lack of social interaction is worrisome.
The next article on these royal fillies will come out in two weeks, unless something big happens.
Cadence set the newspaper down. "I'm glad Skyla's getting disciplined for her appetite."
"We have been rather lenient on that," Shining added. "It's time to stop her before she eats everything."
"And we will. As for Inova. . ."
"We might just have to give her time." He took a moment to introspect. "Maybe we need to use what we learned with Twilight to help her."
Cadence was quick to summon a notepad, and the two began a romantic evening of brainstorming ideas for Inova and stuff for Skyla.