Cyrus had never been very outgoing even before the passing of Sandy Hills, but afterward he spent most of the time sequestered in the library. The whole family as a whole had become distant, despite Molly's best efforts to bring them together. She even brought Cyrus to an unofficial outing for the foals of Saddlesore's regiment of grapplers, but it didn't seem to do much. Then again, as a mule, Molly probably didn't fit in much either. Cyrus continued to excel in school, and secretly studied the theory of magic on his own time. He could not say what drew him in about something that he knew he could not possess. But magic seemed to play such a large part in the world, even beyond Equestria, that it seemed foolish to ignore it. Besides, although he had seen few unicorns and relied mostly on drawings, Cyrus was entranced by the beauty of certain magic. Istanburro was a largely industrial city, serving as both a port for the capital, which lay further down the river, and for a connector to the vital and contested coal camps up north. It was utilitarian, and its inhabitants no-nonsense. Beauty was hard to come by here, except in the magical gems which had recently come from the Lawrence Desert, and were used as small power sources. Even beauty had to be useful.
Cyrus came home one day to be surprised by his father smiling. This happened so rare that his face now drooped prematurely from frowning.
" Hi mom, hi dad, how were you today?"
" Just wonderful dear, I sold all of our surplus herbs and several gallons today. You took the Canterlot Exchange Exam last week, right?"
" Yes, did it come back?"
" It did son, ( Saddlesore butted in, what an ass), and we have great news. You scored high enough to attend the exchange program, one of the few donkeys to do so"!
Cyrus was genuinely surprised. He usually did well on the exam that was handed out every year, but it was used more for comparing various schools in terms of achievement. Usually only the colts and fillies of officers and academics were chosen.
" I..I don't know what to say.."
"There's nothing to say, boy. This is wonderful! This could bring you a lot of prospects in life! Perhaps an assistant weapons engineer, or even in the army like me."
" He could be a merchant too, it doesnt have to be just the army Saddle"
" What, and join those uppity ne'er do wells in Kashan? I wouldn't have it."
" I can't believe it, I'm going to Equestria?"
" Maybe you'll even meet a nice jenny, huh? Go out dancing "
“ Don’t encourage that type of behavior now.
" Not if I'm studying."
" Good. I was trying to slip you up, but you know better."
A brief moment of humor and warmth passed through the small hut, and it seemed to warm the increasingly chilly autumn.
Within 2 weeks, Cyrus was packed and at the airship port departing for Equestria, with the fez on his head and his father’s old saddlebag, emblazoned with the army’s red star. It was filled mostly with school supplies, and a small allowance. Cyrus hugged his mother and shook hooves with his father before departing. A palatable excitement and apprehension filled the air as the other students, mostly colts, did the same. After a quick photo for the local paper, the pony staff escorted the students to the ship. They had to ascend a steep tower where the airship was docked, as it was too large to wedge between buildings. It was the first time many present had a view from the air, and it inspired a great deal of awe. The Royal River became a silver ribbon as the ship departed, leading to the great shining spires of the capital, Constanemara. Cyrus watched, as they approached the open ocean, the weapons being unloaded. Although Equestria and the Griffin countries were, for the most part, at peace, pirates from the city states were still a risk. The others seemed to pay little mind as they broke up into small groups. Some were talking, others were engaged in telepathy. No one paid him any mind, except for one blue filly that glanced briefly then turned away. It was a bit lonely, not being able to take part in their discussions, but Cyrus decided to assuage his loneliness with a trip to the sleeping quarters and a bit of light reading. Although most of the books he brought had to do with the sciences and classic literature as required by school, there was one personal book he managed to sneak in. The library had been ready to throw it out, but he fished it out of the recycling bin. It was a tattered old copy of On the Origin of Magical Species by the fabled mage Clover the Clever. It detailed a history of notable spells and their original casters, and also theories on how and why magic was present in ponies. What was remarkable, though, was how the author discussed the possibility of magic for all types of creatures. Unfortunately, she was not able to extensively research this supposition, because Equestria had just established itself, and though it had achieved peace between the pony tribes, they were not as welcoming of others. It didn’t help that there was tensions with the Diamond Dog tribes. The fighting had ceased, but the interest in non-equine magic had also vanished. Such a shame, who knew what useful spells and potions could be created by the combined efforts of another species. The surprisingly progressive philosophy of the book reminded Cyrus of a conversation he had with a zebra mare passing through town. She said that her tribe had a tradition of sending its scientists and artists all across the world to share their knowledge. Some had traveled as far as Equestria and the settlements in the East. He wished that view was more common, at least for the benefit of meeting creatures from faraway lands.
The journey across the ocean had been mostly uneventful, but one stormy day they had to stop at an island. According to an earth pony engineer who he happened by, it was because the airship was in danger of being struck by lightning, which might cause the whole thing to ablaze. On the morning of the fifth day of travel, the captain’s voice rang out across the intercom for the first time.
“Fillies and gentlecolts, I am pleased to announce that our journey together has come to a close. We will dock in Manehattan and then you will board a train for Canterlot to your destination. If you look out your windows now, you can see our Mare of Liberty greeting you. Welcome to Equestria, everypony.”
The crowd swelled toward the windows. The sight did not disappoint. The early morning mist hung over the city and harbour, draping it in a soft blanket, with the lights of the skyscrapers peeking out. From their vantage point they could see the tallest buildings rising above the mist A few rays of Celestia’s sun were melting holes in the fog, especially over the Mare of Liberty. Her polished copper gleamed in the light, and it was almost like a welcome from the princess herself. It created a shining mood in everyone on board, to watch from above as Manehattan came alive. Whatever may come, at that moment, they were on top of the world.