The train rounded a bend, and Ponyville disappeared from view. Dinky set her book on the seat next to her and climbed up on her hind legs to stare out the window. She gazed up at the looming mountains ahead, and the silhouette of Canterlot near the top. It was a familiar sight, but today it held so much more meaning. Somewhere in that gleaming city was the finest magical academy in Equestria, and Dinky couldn’t help but feel humbled by the fact that she had been permitted to attend.
But it was a several hour ride to Canterlot. She knew there wouldn’t be much to look at outside the train, except for the acres of farmland surrounding Ponyville, for a while.
The fillies and colts aboard the train didn’t seem concerned about the long ride, though. Dinky looked around the other ponies on the benches that lined each side of the car. Most of them were older than her, and many appeared to be catching up with friends, organizing their new schoolbooks, or cantering down the aisle of the carriage in search of somepony or another. She was the only pony sitting alone.
There’s gotta be somepony who’s not already occupied, Dinky thought. Where are the other first-term students? Surely there must be somepony else who’s new.
The train jostled a bit as the tracks passed over a rough patch of ground, and the vibration caused Dinky’s beloved book to slide off the seat and land in the aisle with a thump. Dinky turned away from the window and automatically called forth her magic to retrieve it, but before she could, a cool, pale green aura surrounded it and lifted it off the floor.
Dinky looked up to see who had cast the spell and found herself facing a small, pale pink unicorn filly with a light green and white mane tied up into two small buns on either side of her head, and an intricately braided tail. The filly nudged the book forward a bit, as if coaxing Dinky to take it.
Dinky gratefully gripped the book with her own magic and returned it to its spot on the seat. “Thanks!” she said cheerfully, smiling at the filly in the aisle.
“You’re welcome,” the other filly said softly.
She looked as if she was about to say more, but seemed to think better of it and turned to go.
“Wait,” said Dinky. “Is this your first term at Celestia’s Academy?”
The pink filly nodded.
Dinky grinned. “Mine too! Would you like to sit with me? I haven’t gotten to know anypony yet, and I’d love to see what kinds of magic the other fillies around here know!”
The filly in the aisle smiled and opened her mouth to reply, but once again, she seemed to second-guess herself. After a moment, she closed it again and bit her lip nervously.
“I, um… I can’t. I’ve… gotta go.”
Rather abruptly, the other filly turned tail and trotted briskly down the aisle. She disappeared through the door to the next train car before Dinky could say anything else.
Dinky pouted. Well, that didn’t work, she thought glumly. What did I do wrong? She seemed nice enough, but then she just—
A loud sound interrupted Dinky’s thoughts. The conductor’s voice began to blare from the train’s speakers, delivering a message to all the cars.
“Welcome aboard, fillies and gentlecolts!” he called jovially. “For those of you who have been on the train for the last few stops, you’ve heard this message several times already, but for the rest of you who got on at Ponyville, we’d like to welcome you to the express line to Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns! You can feel free to move about the train throughout the duration of our journey. Our next stop will be Canterlot station, but it will take several hours to get there, so get comfortable. And please, enjoy the trip. Feel free to come to the front of the train and speak with me if you have any problems!”
The speakers crackled and then shut off, and the chatter of young ponies once again filled the air.
Dinky sighed. She looked around the train car once more for anypony that wasn’t already engrossed in some activity, but found none.
Well, I guess I’ll have a few hours to kill. Good thing I have my magic book.
The filly flipped the battered, old guide open to a random page and began to review the simple spells. But after less than thirty seconds, she was interrupted again.
“Hey, whatcha reading?”
Dinky looked up to find another filly peering at her curiously with big, cinnamon-colored eyes. The newcomer was about Dinky’s size, with a grey coat and a wavy sky blue mane and tail.
“Oh, it’s just a basic magic guide,” Dinky replied. “I figured I might as well review before classes start tomorrow.”
The other filly smiled. “Wow, studying already? You sound like my sister.”
She laughed before continuing. “Anyway, I’ve been hanging out in another car since I boarded a few towns back. I couldn’t take it anymore, though; there are a bunch of colts in there that have been laughing and yelling and carrying on for hours.”
The grey filly rolled her eyes, remembering the commotion. “I’m fine with a little excitement, but you’ve got to draw the line somewhere, right?” she asked.
Dinky giggled. “Believe me, I know how colts can be,” she said. “We had some pretty excitable ones at my old school.”
There was a brief pause.
“So…” the grey filly continued cautiously, shuffling a hoof awkwardly on the carpet, “…is it alright if I sit here with you instead? The rest of the train’s pretty full.”
Dinky’s eyes lit up. “Of course! I was looking for somepony to talk to anyway. It’s my first year, and I haven’t really met anypony yet.”
“It’s my first year too!” the other filly replied. “I don’t really know anypony either. I mean, my sister attended the Academy, but she graduated last year, as did all her friends, so I’m on my own.”
She extended a hoof. “My name’s Clarity, by the way. My family lives up in Whinnychester, which is kind of a long way from here.”
“I’m Dinky, from Ponyville,” Dinky said, shaking Clarity’s hoof as she sat down next to her. “You have no idea how worried I was that no one was going to want to talk to me! A filly came by earlier, but she ran off when I tried to start a conversation.”
Clarity shrugged. “I wouldn’t be too surprised about that,” she said. “Going to the Academy is a big change for everypony. It’s only natural that some ponies would be nervous. My sister told me all about the Academy and I’m still nervous to visit for the first time.”
“You think you’re nervous?” Dinky asked. “We’re both new this year, but at least you have some idea what to expect when we get there. I’m the only uni… well, only living unicorn in my family. I’d never even heard of Celestia’s Academy until a few months ago.”
Clarity frowned. “Ooh, that must be tough,” she admitted. “How’d you learn to do magic without any unicorns in your family?”
“I had a tutor who was able to give me accelerated training,” Dinky explained. “I probably don’t know as much as you, but I think I’ve got the basics down at least.”
“That’s good,” Clarity replied. “Do you have a talent for any specific type of magic?”
Clarity answered her own question by glancing at Dinky’s flank.
“Oh, never mind. You’re a blank-flank,” she said.
Dinky blushed a bit. “Well, yeah…” she mumbled before trailing off.
Clarity picked up on the change in her mood immediately. “Oh, I didn’t mean that as a bad thing!” she said hastily. “It’s just, in my town, all the foals my age have their marks already, so I was worried I was going to be the only one at the academy…”
Clarity shifted in her seat so Dinky could see her flank, which was also bare.
Dinky sighed, relieved. “For a moment there, I was worried you were going to start making fun of me,” she admitted.
Clarity nodded solemnly. “Your town has foals that like to bully everypony about that too, huh?”
“I think most towns do,” Dinky said. “But since we’re both blank flanks, we can back each other up at the academy until we get them! That is… if you wanna hang out together once we get there.”
She extended a hoof. “What do you say? Friends?”
Clarity smiled and returned the hoof-bump. “Definitely!”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The train rumbled on toward the base of the mountain while the two fillies happily passed the time inside. Dinky and Clarity hit it off almost immediately, sharing stories about their lives and how they had come to be enrolled in the academy. Dinky recounted the convoluted tale of how the princesses had intervened with her rejection from the Academy and allowed her to attend after intensive private tutoring. Clarity listened with rapt attention.
“So… you wouldn’t be here at all if Princess Luna hadn’t owed your mom a favor?” Clarity asked, dumbfounded.
“I guess not,” Dinky admitted. “My tutor insists that I’m prepared for the academy, but I really don’t know any magic beyond what most average unicorns can do. That’s probably why I don’t have my Cutie Mark yet.”
“That makes sense,” Clarity replied. “You don’t know what you’re good at yet, so there’s no reason for you to be worried about not having your Cutie Mark.”
The filly pouted a bit. “I wish I could say the same about me,” she continued, “but I already have a notable talent. Yet for some reason, I still don’t have my Cutie Mark.”
“Really? What is it you’re good at?” Dinky asked her.
“It’s a pretty specific skill,” Clarity answered. “I have a real knack for detecting illusory magic.”
“Illusory magic?” Dinky parroted. “I don’t think I’ve learned any of that yet.”
“It’s a really diverse field of spellcasting,” Clarity explained. “Everypony in my family is a unicorn, so I’ve been exposed to at least a basic version of most types of magic at one time or another. My parents know how to create illusions, and my sister is really good at it, but none of them can ever fool me. It’s really unusual; I can almost always tell if something or somepony’s appearance is being altered by magic. Once, I even caught my sister trying to sneak up on me, even though she was using her magic to turn herself totally invisible!”
Dinky laughed. “That’s quite a skill. Maybe you have another talent that’s even more awesome, though.”
Clarity grinned slyly. “Or maybe I have my Cutie Mark… and it’s just invisible! That would make sense, right?”
“But shouldn’t you be able to see it if that’s your talent?” Dinky asked.
“Good point.”
Both fillies couldn’t help but giggle at that notion.
“Don’t worry about it,” Dinky said reassuringly. “Maybe there’s more to it, and you just haven’t yet reached your full potential. A couple days of magic education at the academy will fix that!”
“It probably will,” Clarity agreed. “Even living with a family of unicorns, I can only learn a fraction of the magic we’re going to learn at school.”
“What’s life like in a unicorn family?” Dinky asked. “Do you guys use magic for everything?”
“Kinda,” Clarity said, shrugging. “It’s just easier and more efficient to carry stuff around with magic than to try to lift it with a hoof or your mouth. You haven’t been using magic as long as I have, but I’m sure you’ve at least figured that much out.”
“Yeah,” Dinky said with a chuckle. “I never realized how useful it could be until I tried it out.”
“And it gets even better the more you learn!” Clarity said excitedly. “I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait until I know how to teleport! And enchantments and transformation spells seem really cool, too! Sometimes I’m really jealous of all the magic my sister can do.”
“You said your sister already graduated, right?” Dinky asked. “What’s she like?”
“She’s ok,” said Clarity unenthusiastically. “She and I are… pretty different.”
Dinky raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Don’t get me wrong, she’s a sweet pony, and she’s amazing at magic,” Clarity said, “but her personality can be a little… boring, I guess.”
The grey filly sighed. “All she ever really does is study. I know she’s gonna be great in whatever career she winds up in now that she’s through school, but…”
Clarity trailed off, searching for the right way to explain.
“I guess I’m looking for more than just knowledge while I’m at the Academy,” she finished finally. “I mean, this place is a school, sure, but it’s also home to the greatest collection of magical experts in all of Equestria! In a place like that, I can’t just spend my time making sure I ace all my classes; I want to learn the stuff they have to teach, but I also want a chance to explore the world of magic on my own terms. We’ll be surrounded by the best resources available anywhere to guide us, after all. And I intend to use them to figure out what kinds of magic work best for me, and how I can use it to, you know, broaden my view of the world, I guess.”
Dinky nodded. “So you’re saying that while your sister is content to do everything by the book, you’re looking for more… adventure?”
“Yeah!” Clarity replied. “I don’t want to just learn the skills; I want to use them as a stepping stone to discover more! And if I never do anything but sit around and study, I’ll be missing out on all those magical adventures that I know are waiting for me. I mean, it’s not like excitement just bursts through the door or anyth—”
At precisely that moment, the door to the next train car burst open loudly, and raucous laughter echoed from within, catching the attention of everypony in the car.
Two ponies stepped into the doorway and into the aisle. They were both colts, and Dinky supposed they had to be some of the upperclassmen, since they looked to be at least three or four years older than she was. The colts appeared to be twins; they both had about the same build, the same messy mane style, and the same slate-blue eyes. The only difference was that one colt had a dull red coat and orange mane, while the other had a grey coat and white mane.
“Who’re they?” Dinky asked quietly. Clarity just shrugged.
The whole car remained quiet as the two newcomers surveyed the ponies in the seats.
“Looks like mostly runts in this car, Scorch,” said the grey colt, chuckling. “They’re a lot of first and second-term students. Guess that means we should give them our little ‘introduction’.”
The reddish unicorn grinned. “They’re just a bunch of foals, Frosty,” he replied. “We don’t wanna scare ‘em too bad. We just gotta make sure they’re very clear on who they’re dealing with.”
The two older colts took a few steps forward until they stood near the center of the car, only a few rows away from where Clarity and Dinky sat. Everypony else watched them, with expressions ranging from curious to angry to fearful.
“Alright, little foals, listen up!” the red unicorn said loudly. “I’m Scorch, and this is my brother Frosty. But those of you who aren’t first-term students probably know us as the FrostFire Twins.”
Dinky peered over the top of her seat back and examined Scorch and Frosty’s Cutie Marks, which, rather appropriately, were a campfire and a snowflake, respectively.
“Now, we’ll lay this out in black and white for all you newbies,” Frosty continued condescendingly. “Scorch and I are both experts in combat magic. We’re easily the most powerful unicorns at this school now that we’re in the highest class, and we’re not gonna take any backtalk from anypony.”
Scorch laughed in agreement. “Unless somepony’s stupid enough to think they can beat us in a duel, that is.”
To demonstrate, Scorch’s horn lit up, and a sizeable ball of fire formed on the end of it, radiating its warmth around the train compartment. Most of the foals shrank back into their seats to get away from the searing heat. Scorch just snickered and let the ball of flame fizzle out.
The two unicorns surveyed the carful of sufficiently frightened students. “Good, looks like everypony knows their place,” Frosty remarked. “I guess we won’t have any trouble. Now let’s go have a little chat with the next car about—”
“Hey, Frosty! Don’t forget about me!”
For a moment, Dinky wasn’t sure where the new voice had come from. She peered into the shadows of the two intimidating unicorns and realized another colt was standing there, although he was much smaller than the others.
Frosty turned around and peered down at the little pony behind him. “Oh, yeah. Sorry, bro, I keep forgetting there’re three of us now.”
Scorch and Frosty stepped aside and let their younger brother pass so he could stand in full view of the ponies in the train car. His wild mane and short, messy tail looked a lot like those of his brothers, and his blue-grey eyes matched theirs as well, but his coat was brown and his mane was a lighter tan. His Cutie Mark was a small iron cage.
“Take note, everypony,” Scorch called. “Frosty and I are gonna be graduatin’ after this year, but our little bro Scuffle is gonna be carrying on in our place. The kid may be in his first term, but he knows more than enough battle magic for his age, so I wouldn’t recommend messin’ with him, either.”
Scuffle grinned arrogantly. “You guys don’t need to be bothered with keeping the first-term foals in line this year,” he said. “I’ll be able to handle these sorry little squirts myself.”
Clarity rolled her eyes. “Ugh, this is bad,” she whispered to Dinky. “We’re not even at the school yet and we already have bullies to worry about.”
Scuffle heard the filly’s mumbling in the near-silence of the car. He turned around and trotted over to the pair of seats where Dinky and Clarity were sitting.
“What was that?” he asked confrontationally, putting his front hooves up on the seat. “Do you have something to say to me?”
“I… uh…” Clarity trailed off as she and Dinky shrank back against the wall of the car.
Frosty laughed. “Look at ‘em, panicking like that,” he chortled. “’Atta boy, Scuffle, you show ‘em who’s boss.”
“Well?” Scuffle asked loudly. “What is it you want to say? Come on, spit it out!”
Scuffle’s smirk only grew larger as his prey failed to respond.
“Nothing, huh? That’s what I thought,” he said finally. “I’m a little smaller than Scorch and Frosty, but you’d still have to be pretty stupid to talk back to—”
Scuffle’s words caught in his throat as he was suddenly engulfed by an aura of brilliant purple magic, which yanked him off the fillies’ seat and back into the aisle. He landed with a thump, but quickly scrambled to his hooves and scurried over to stand by his brothers before turning to face his assailant.
Yet another pony emerged from the doorway leading to the next car. This time it was an older filly, likely the same age as the FrostFire Twins. She had a pinkish-purple coat, and a mane and tail in two darker shades of purple. Three gems composed her Cutie Mark. The older filly simply stood in the doorway, giving the three bullies an unamused glare.
Scorch rolled his eyes. “Oh look, Sparkler’s here to ruin the fun,” he said flatly.
“That’s right,” the young mare said, clearly not intimidated in the slightest by the bullies. “You three have caused enough trouble already today, and we haven’t even arrived at the Academy yet. Now, get back in the other car and leave the new students alone.”
“You can’t make us,” said Frosty defiantly.
“You know darn well I can,” Sparkler replied acidly. “Or did you forget about my new position this year?”
That seemed to shut the bullies up. Dinky wasn’t sure what Sparkler meant by ‘position’, but she was certainly relieved that they did.
“Fine, fine…” Frosty mumbled. “Come on, Scorch, I think these foals get the gist of what we were trying to say. We don’t need Sparki here ratting us out to the dean again.”
Without breaking their swagger, the twins made for the exit, with Scuffle following along in their shadow as usual.
“And you,” Sparkler snapped, grabbing the younger colt with magic and lifting him into the air before he could exit. “You’re shaping up to be just like your blockhead older brothers. I was hoping at least one colt in your family would have an ounce of decency, but I guess I was wrong about that.”
Scuffle replied by sticking out his tongue, eliciting a laugh from the twins waiting in the doorway. Sparkler snorted in disgust and dropped the colt, and then followed the three brothers out, slamming the train car door behind her.
A few seconds of silence ensued, and then conversation among the passengers gradually resumed. Dinky sighed and sank back into her seat.
“Well, now we know who to avoid at school,” Clarity observed, taking back her original position next to Dinky. “Now that I think about it, I think my sister has mentioned those twins once or twice, but she never really had a problem with them.”
“I think those two are more likely to bother with the older ponies,” Dinky said. “I’d be more worried about Scuffle, honestly.”
She shook her head. “But look at us, getting all worked up over a couple of bullies! We’re both better than that. The Academy’s a lot bigger than this train is; we can figure out where to hang out and who to hang out with if we want to avoid ponies like that.”
She pointed to the silhouette of Canterlot, only a little further up the mountainside. “Besides, we have more important things to think about. It looks like we’re almost there!”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Late afternoon sun reflected off the shimmering spires of the majestic buildings of the capitol city. Canterlot pedestrians paid no heed to the familiar sight of the train passing through one of the city’s wider thoroughfares.
Inside the train however, the mood was anything but humdrum. Many of the younger colts and fillies had never had the privilege to visit the royal city, and the grandeur was having an effect.
Dinky had been to Canterlot several times, since Ponyville was only a few hours away, so the novelty of the visit had worn off for her. The same could not be said for Clarity; the grey filly was standing on her hind legs, pressing her face against the window pane as she peered out at the towering white buildings and ornate decorations.
“Wow!” she cried for what had to be at least the eleventh time in as many minutes. “This place is even more amazing than I was expecting! I can’t imagine what it’s like to live here!”
“It is pretty cool compared to Ponyville,” Dinky admitted, looking up at the towers with their colorful, conical tops, often sporting flags or gold sculptures. “My magic tutor used to live here. She told me lots of neat stuff about this place. Did you know some of these buildings have been here since before Ponyville was even founded, but they still look brand new? There’s some kind of enchantment on the whole city to keep it looking beautiful all year round."
The fillies peered out the window at dozens of extravagant shops and fine restaurants; there was no doubt that center-city Canterlot was the pinnacle of Equestrian high-society.
“There’s the castle!” Clarity squealed. “Look at that place! It’s huge! I bet the Princesses are inside right now, getting ready for the opening ceremonies at the Academy tonight!”
“The Princesses are going to be at the ceremony?” Dinky asked, slightly surprised.
Clarity rolled her eyes. “It’s called Celestia’s Academy,” she pointed out, fighting back a chuckle. “Who did you think was going to be there for the start of term?”
“I guess I just hadn’t thought about it,” Dinky admitted.
Suddenly, the wheels began to screech and the train started to slow down.
“Canterlot Station!” the conductor announced through the loudspeaker.
“We’re here!” Dinky said gleefully. “Come on, Clarity. Let’s go!”
“Go where?” Clarity asked, still standing and staring out the window.
The question threw Dinky for a loop. “We’re at the station. We have to get off now to go to the Academy…” she said, looking at her new friend with concern.
Clarity raised an eyebrow. “Um… you do know that the Academy has its own private station, right?” she asked slowly. “We’re only stopping at this station to pick up the students that live here.”
“But isn’t the Academy in Canterlot?” Dinky asked.
“Well… kind of,” Clarity said. “My sister says it’s sort of removed from the main city, but it’s closer to Canterlot than anywhere else. I guess your tutor didn’t tell you that, huh?”
“I think she was more focused on teaching me all the magic I needed to know,” Dinky said. “She wanted some of the stuff about the Academy to be a surprise.”
“I guess this is one of those surprises then,” Clarity laughed, “because the Academy is still a ways away from here, I think.”
The fillies waited, staring out the window at the colts and fillies gathering their belongings and boarding the train. After a brief waiting period, the whistle blew and the train shuddered back into motion. Within a few minutes, Canterlot’s dramatic buildings were replaced by somewhat more humble dwellings around the outskirts of the capitol.
“Welcome aboard, everypony!” blared the conductor’s cheery voice over the speakers. “We now have all our students aboard, and our final stop today will be at Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns! We’ll be arriving around sunset tonight, a little less than an hour from now.”
He chuckled before continuing. “And for those of you who have never been to the Academy before, keep in mind that there’s no reason to panic if the train happens to do anything… unusual during the remainder of our trip.”
“Unusual?” Dinky repeated, looking questioningly at Clarity.
“Don’t ask me,” the grey filly replied. “I’ve never even been on this train before, let alone been to the Academy.”
Clarity stood back up on her seat to peer out the window, evidently not yet content to stop taking in the sights of Canterlot. Dinky, who was less interested, simply sat daydreaming about the upcoming events.
I wonder if I’ll get to meet the princesses in person? I’d have to thank them both for bending the rules a little to allow me to study there. Oh, and I have to tell Princess Luna that Pipaqueak says hi…
“Um… Dinky?” Clarity said suddenly, snapping Dinky out of her thoughts. “You might wanna look at this…”
“Look at what?”
Clarity pointed out the window, swishing her tail nervously. “Is this what the conductor meant by ‘unusual’?”
Dinky stood up on her hind legs and looked outside. For a moment, she didn’t see the problem; everything outside the train seemed pretty normal. When she glanced toward the horizon, however, the source of Clarity’s concern became clear.
At the end of the promontory upon which Canterlot was perched was a sheer cliff, over the edge of which was the near-vertical mountainside stretching a thousand pony-lengths or more to the peak’s base. The train tracks ran right up to the edge of the deadly drop before stopping abruptly, and the train was barreling right toward the precipice, only seconds from careening off.
“W-what?” Dinky gasped. “We’re going to go right over the edge! We’ll be smashed to bits!”
Other students in the car seemed to be noticing the impending disaster as well, and began to panic. A few older students, however, watched the startled foals with casual amusement.
“The conductor said everything will be fine,” Clarity said, but her tone of voice contradicted her words. “I sure hope he knew what he was talking about!”
There was no time left to act; the two fillies hopped back down to their seats and braced themselves as the train chugged right off the cliff. Dinky noted with immediate relief that there was no sensation of falling to one’s grim demise, and cautiously stood back up to see what had happened.
For a few moments, she was quite confused; the train continued to chug merrily along despite the fact that there was no longer any track (or ground, for that matter) beneath its wheels. She looked more closely and realized what was happening; smooth bars of yellow light supported the wheels instead.
Clarity’s head poked curiously up so she could investigate as well. She stared down into the deep gorge below, which threatened to swallow up the train if the light beneath its wheels were to falter.
“Magic tracks?” she asked, awestruck. “That… that is so cool!”
Dinky, who was quite aware of the potential for a long drop into a deadly, rocky canyon below, decided ‘cool’ was not the first word she would have chosen. Then again, Clarity had said that she wanted to seek out adventure, so it was natural she'd be excited by this sort of thing.
Clarity noticed Dinky’s less-than thrilled look. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “We’re not gonna fall. The tracks are probably made of the same kind of spell used for forming barriers and stuff. Perfectly solid.”
While that was true, it didn’t make the sensation of being suspended thousands of feet above the ground any less uncomfortable. Dinky slid back into her seat and tried very hard to pretend the train was still moving along solid ground, leaving her new friend to continue marveling as the train made its way around the mountainside.
I think living in a place where magic is used for just about everything is gonna take some getting used to…
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Right around the time that the sun dropped low enough in the sky to touch the horizon, the train suddenly bounced, and then began to rumble rhythmically once again, indicating the wheels had finally returned to tracks made of steel and wood. The magical causeway had carried its passengers to a small, rocky outcrop on a mountain neighboring the one that held Canterlot. The ledge was wide, but unremarkable.
“Attention, passengers!” called the conductor. “Please prepare to disembark! We will be arriving at the Academy within a few minutes.”
Dinky stared out the window, but there was no sign of any building that could be the Academy, or for that matter, any civilization at all. After a moment, the train turned sharply to the left and carried the students into a tunnel in the mountainside.
Darkness engulfed the whole train. A few students lit their horns, casting long shadows down the aisles as the car was filled with soft light of various colors.
Somewhere in the heart of the mountain, the train began to slow. A few minutes later, it pulled up to a subterranean train platform, dimly lit by a few torches. The rough cave walls were bare, save for a single banner bearing the royal seal of Canterlot hanging above the platform. Steam hissed from beneath the cars, and the whistle blew one final time, its sound magnified immensely by the echo off the cave walls.
“We’re… here?” Dinky asked hesitantly.
“I think so,” Clarity replied. “I wasn’t expecting us to wind up underground, though. Let’s just follow the other students and see what happens.”
Clarity hopped off the seat and started down the aisle. Dinky grabbed her book of magic and followed her friend.
Ponies exiting the cars further toward the front of the train were already trotting up a walkway that slanted steadily upwards from the platform. A small spot of light glimmered at the top; probably the exit to the dark cavern, Dinky supposed.
“Just follow the ramp, girls,” said the conductor, noticing Dinky and Clarity staring around the station uncertainly. “Your luggage has already been teleported to the dormitory lounge, so there’s no need to worry about it until after the opening ceremony.”
Clarity grinned. “That’s convenient! Come on, Dinky, let’s go!”
The grey filly turned and trotted briskly toward the ramp, and Dinky followed along behind.
The cave was quite plain; other than regularly-placed torches, there was nothing of interest to look at, so Dinky focused on the light radiating down from the cave mouth. Clarity appeared to be practically bursting with anticipation, and Dinky soon found herself panting as she jogged past some of the slower-moving students to keep up with her eager companion.
A few minutes later, both fillies burst onto the balcony at the top of the ramp. Dinky’s mouth dropped open as she took in her first view of Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns.
The rays of the setting sun illuminated a wide, roughly rectangular valley carved out of the side of the mountain. The balcony on which the fillies stood was high up on one of the shorter sides of the rectangle. From there, a long, winding ramp zigzagged down the steep walls to the valley floor, and after that, proceeded toward the center of the valley, where an enormous, gleaming white castle stood.
While not as tall as the castle in Canterlot, this one was certainly wider; the sprawling complex covered a huge portion of the valley. Towers and turrets of various heights and widths, all bedecked in the purple and gold banners common in the capitol, rose above the rest of the main structure. At least a dozen more structures, mostly either long, low buildings or free-standing towers were built into the left and right sides of the valley, with winding paths from the main castle leading to each.
The grounds were beautiful; hedges cut delicately into the shapes of unicorns and alicorns lined many of the pathways, and sprawling, flowery fields dotted with occasional large, shady trees surrounded the castle on all sides. In one corner of the valley, there was even a small forest.
On the right wall of the valley, a tall waterfall spilled over the edge from some concealed mountain spring near the mountaintop. If formed a small pool of clear water at the base from which a river ran, snaking around the side of the castle.
At the far side of the valley, exactly opposite where Dinky and Clarity stood, there was a cliff instead of a steep rock wall. Since the valley was cut out of the mountainside, this side remained open, allowing for an astonishing view of the largely-uninhabited forests and low mountains of northeastern Equestria. The river that ran by the Academy eventually tumbled off the cliff, forming a pool hundreds of feet below, before winding away and disappearing into a forest on the horizon. It was quite clear from its secluded location that the train was the only way onto (or off of) the Academy’s premises.
Even by Equestrian standards, this valley was a beautiful place, yet most of the older students paid the view little heed as they reached the balcony. Instead, they simply turned and began the long hike down the ramp. It looked as though there was over a mile of pathway, crossing repeatedly back and forth as it made its way down the mountainside to the valley floor.
“I… I…” Dinky stuttered, “I don’t know exactly what I was expecting the Academy to look like, but I certainly didn’t think it’d be like this.”
“No wonder sis always speaks so highly of this place,” Clarity added, sounding quite awed. “It’s downright gorgeous.”
“I guess we should get going,” Dinky said. “Looks like it’s a long walk down to the castle.”
Dinky turned away from the edge of the balcony, and began to trot toward the ramp leading down the slope. She’d only gone a few steps when she tripped on a stone, causing her to stagger sideways and crash into an unfortunate filly who happened to be emerging from the subterranean tunnel at that moment. Both fillies collapsed in a heap on the stones.
Clarity ran over to them. “Smooth, Dinky,” she snickered. “Are you two okay?”
“I’m fine, I think,” Dinky said, getting to her hooves. She turned to the other filly still sprawled on the ground. “I’m so sorry!” she apologized. “Did I hurt you?”
“I’m… alright,” the other filly said slowly, standing up as well. Dinky looked her over as she got to her hooves; her accidental victim had a light pink coat, with a green and white mane and pale green eyes.
“Hey, wait!” Dinky said, recognizing the other filly instantly. “You’re the filly I met right after I got on the train. Why’d you run off earlier?”
The pink filly froze up. Her eyes darted around, as if searching for some way to escape.
“I just… had somewhere to be,” she said weakly.
Dinky blinked. “Well, would you like to walk down to the Academy with Clarity and me? We’d love some more company.”
The pink filly seemed to deflate a little bit. “Gee, I’d sure like to,” she mumbled. “But I walk awfully slow. I don’t want to hold you two up.”
“We’re not in a hurry,” Clarity chimed in. “The opening ceremony won’t start until later this evening. If we get to the castle right away, we’ll just have to wait around inside anyway.”
The pink filly blinked, and flattened her ears against her head nervously. “Oh, well… um…”
It was becoming apparent that the nervous pony was trying to think of excuses. “Please, I… I think I just need some quiet and fresh air for a few moments,” she said finally. “The train ride was a little, um… stressful.”
Dinky took the hint. She shrugged, and turned back to Clarity as the pink filly walked ahead by herself.
“I guess she just doesn’t like us,” Dinky concluded. “If she wants to be left alone, let’s leave her alone.”
Clarity rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I don’t know,” she said slowly. “That’s not the sort of feeling I’m getting from her. I don’t think she dislikes us; I think she’s kind of scared of us.”
“Why would she be?” Dinky asked. “We’re not bullies like those colts on the train! I’ve been trying to be as friendly as I can.”
“I don’t know, but ponies can be shy for lots of reasons,” said Clarity. “But let me talk to her one more time before we give up.”
Clarity turned and trotted quickly along the path to catch up to the pink filly that had gone on ahead. Dinky galloped along behind.
Clarity caught up as the nervous pony she’d been tailing rounded the first bend in the path. The shy filly stopped when she saw Clarity approaching her.
“Hey, before you go, can’t you at least tell us your name?” she asked. “Maybe we can hang out another time.”
The pink filly lowered her head a bit, avoiding eye contact.
“I’m… Honeydew.”
“Hi, Honeydew! I’m Clarity!” Clarity replied, holding out a hoof in greeting. Honeydew shook it curtly before turning to go.
“Anyway,” Clarity continued, not willing to give up so quickly, “My friend Dinky and I couldn’t help but notice you seemed a little nervous. Is something wrong? Maybe we can help.”
Honeydew bit her lip. “Well… I was hoping I was subtle enough that you wouldn’t notice that. Guess it didn’t work, huh?”
The other filly grinned. “Not quite,” she admitted.
Honeydew frowned, and turned away again silently.
“Now wait a second!” Clarity called. “It’s ok to be nervous! All three of us are first-term students this year; Dinky and I are kind of nervous too! But staying by yourself all the time is only going to make things worse.”
Honeydew stopped and turned around, giving Clarity a puzzled look.
“Thanks for your concern,” she said, “but I don’t think you two can really help.”
“Oh?” Clarity asked. “Sorry for being pushy, but… why not?”
Honeydew stood still for a moment, then squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head close to the ground.
“I’m… I’m really nervous around unicorns, okay?!” she yelled suddenly.
That was certainly not the answer the fillies were expecting. Honeydew shivered, her eyes still clenched tightly shut, as if expecting to be laughed at.
“You’re nervous around unicorns?” Dinky asked, stepping forward. “But… you are a unicorn.”
“I know,” Honeydew moaned, sounding thoroughly resigned. “If I tell you why, will you please leave me alone?”
“Okay,” Clarity agreed. “Come on, just walk with us for a little while and we can talk about it.”
The three fillies began to trot slowly down the path. Honeydew acted as if she had just been sentenced, and was being led away by her captors. Morosely, she recounted her story to the other two fillies.
“I’m just not used to being around unicorns much,” she explained. “See, I’m the only unicorn in my family. Not just my immediate family; there isn’t a single unicorn anywhere in our recorded ancestry. My parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are all earth ponies, and so are all the ponies that live nearby. Unicorns are a rare sight in the farming town where I live, and the use of magic… well, it’s almost a taboo subject.”
“Then how in Equestria did you wind up here?” Dinky asked.
“It’s complicated,” Honeydew mumbled. “The first time I used magic was years ago, and it was totally by accident. It was harvest time, and my father was out collecting fruit to take to the market. We grow lots of fruit at our farm, but the soil’s not deep and rich enough for trees, so it’s mostly just berries and melons. I was just a little filly at the time, carrying the basket for my father as he plucked the strawberries off of one of our bigger bushes.”
She frowned. “It was warm that day, and I was tired and hungry, and one of the strawberries near the top of the bush looked so big and tasty that I just wanted to eat it right then and there. And suddenly… it was floating over to me! I was young at the time, and I didn’t know any better, so I started plucking more strawberries off the bush right away. But the bush shook so much that I disturbed a nest of bees living there. My father and I just barely made it inside, and all the strawberries we had collected were left behind, and by the time it was safe for father to go back for them, they had all spoiled in the sun. My parents were embarrassed to have a unicorn daughter in the first place, and my using magic became the last straw…”
Honeydew leaned forward and pointed to a noticeable nick on the hard outer surface near the base of her horn. “Father decided to address the problem directly… with his hacksaw. If my aunt hadn’t been visiting that day and leapt in to stop him… well, that definitely would have been the last time I ever used magic…”
Dinky and Clarity stared at the gash in Honeydew’s horn, aghast. Dinky opened her mouth to say something, but Honeydew was on a roll now and continued with her story.
“My aunt thought removing my horn was much too cruel of a way to deal with the problem, and my parents rarely argue with her. She insisted that there was a reason I was born with magical ability and that they had no right to take it from me. She offered to help me find a tutor to control my magical abilities. My parents weren’t happy about it, but they agreed, simply so I would learn how to keep it under control and never use it in their presence again. And I was just fine with that, until…”
Honeydew sniffled for a moment, and the other fillies noticed there were a few tears forming in her eyes. Her distraught expression was soon replaced with a resolute one, though, and she continued.
“I started learning about magic,” she said. “And I… I absolutely loved it! My tutor, the only other unicorn I’d ever met, noticed my potential immediately. She taught me how to prevent myself from using it around my parents, but she also began teaching me to put my abilities to use! I soon found that, perhaps because of my earth pony bloodline, I always felt really in tune with the natural world around me, and using magic, I found ways to deepen that connection. That’s how I got my Cutie Mark, too.”
Simultaneously, Dinky and Clarity looked at Honeydew’s flanks, and noticed for the first time the image of a green leaf with a gold star overlaying it.
“Then, without my permission, my tutor decided to send my application to Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns,” Honeydew said. “I was accepted before I was even told. So I was left with a bit of an ultimatum: ignore the opportunity, or go and betray my parents’ wishes.”
She sighed. “You should have seen the look they gave me as I was leaving this morning. My father hates unicorns, and I… I’m ashamed that I enjoy being one…”
All at once, Honeydew lost her shaky composure, and she sobbed. “I just don’t know who I am anymore!” she cried. “I love magic! I admit it! But I feel dirty even being here with other magic users! I’ve been afraid to talk to anypony at all since I left!”
The pink filly looked as if she was about to collapse. Dinky leaned on her for support, and Clarity draped a hoof over her shoulder.
“Honeydew I… I don’t know what to say,” Clarity said. “Nopony should have to make a decision like that. No matter which path you choose, a part of you feels like it just isn’t the right one…”
Honeydew sniffled but did not reply.
“But Honeydew, you are a unicorn,” Dinky said softly. “Magic is a part of who you are; there’s nothing shameful about that. I know your parents don’t like it, but everypony has to choose their own path eventually. Tell me, if you had stayed and behaved like an earth pony at the farm for the rest of your life, would you have been happy?”
Honeydew shook her head.
“Well, there you go,” Clarity chimed in. “Being here is important to you, I can tell! And when you go home, you don’t have to use the magic you’ve learned. If your parents don’t accept their daughter for who she is… well, they’re not giving you a chance to be happy now, are they?”
“I guess not,” Honeydew said. “I’m… I’m not an earth pony, after all. For whatever reason, I was born a unicorn, and I guess it wouldn’t be right to let that go to waste. Besides, I’m already here, so there’s not really a point in worrying about my parents until the next time I go home…”
The three fillies reached the bottom of the path. Before them stood the majestic gateway into Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns.
“Well, you’ve more than explained your concern,” Clarity admitted. “Like you asked, we’ll leave you alone now. See you around.”
Honeydew nodded, and Clarity and Dinky slowly turned to enter the building.
“Wait.”
Clarity grinned, and winked at Dinky before turning back around. “Yes?”
“Do you think I could stay with you two until after the opening ceremony is over?” Honeydew asked timidly. “I don’t really know anything about what’s going to happen tonight, so maybe I should stick with you girls for now…”
Both fillies nodded enthusiastically. “Of course!” Dinky said. “The more the merrier! Right, Clarity?”
“Absolutely,” Clarity responded. “Come on, the ceremony is starting soon!”
For the first time since getting off the train, Honeydew actually smiled, albeit faintly, and together the three fillies stepped across the threshold into the grand foyer of their new school.