//------------------------------//
// Friends and Foes 
// Story: To Have Wings 
// by googolplex 
//------------------------------//

 I found an open seat next to a blue unicorn with glasses. He had shining orange eyes and a pale, sandy colored mane. He simply looked out his window into the distance oblivious to the world around him. I sat down across from him, then I saw his cutie mark. It was the outlines of a box, with a figure 8 on its side intricately woven around and through the box. It was perplexing to look at. 
“Where I live, staring is considered rude,” he said, not even turning his eyes. I panicked and quickly changed my focus to the ground. 
“Sorry,” I replied.
“Don’t be,” he said, still not moving. “We’re not where I live.” I could not really tell if he was joking with me or not. His face was expressionless. Finally I noticed that his eyes were moving at a strange pace: right, up, down, right, up, down. It was so quick it was hard to notice that his eyes were moving at times. 
A few awkward, quiet minutes passed until we entered a tunnel. He blinked a couple of times and finally turned his head towards me. His mane was on the other side, so I never noticed how long it was before. It came down just below his shoulder as he sat up. 
“Sorry about the odd talk earlier,” he said with a smile. “I was counting so I couldn’t take my eyes off them.”
“Off what?” I asked curiously. 
“The trees,” he replied. “Since the last time I took the trip there are only four more trees.” 
I looked in awe for a moment. Then I thought to myself,  who counts trees?  I mean there really is no reason to count them, but as if he could read my mind he answered me. 
“It’s to keep my mind busy,” he said. “I happen to have quite an active mind so unless I keep it busy, I can go a little crazy.” He gestured with his hoof, circling it around his ear. “I’m Azure Sky, by the way. What’s your name?” He asked tilting his head to his left. 
“I’m Cloudy,” I answered. He laughed. “What’s so funny?” I asked angrily. 
“Nothing at all,” he said with a chuckle. “I just happen to think we would be a pretty good tag team.” I gave him my confused face as a retort. “Cloudy-Sky? Isn’t that funny?” He continued to laugh while I stared blankly. His smile faded to a frown. “I guess not then?” He slouched back down. He appeared to be thinking of what to say next. “What year will you be?”
“This is my first year,” I answered. 
“I see,” he sat up straight again, apparently finding interest in my answer. “I’m a first year as well,” he paused for a moment after he replied, and I allowed him to collect his thoughts, “however, I was moved up a year early due to my previous school’s credentials, so while technically my first year, I am actually a second year.”
“Oh,” I said sort of slouching down trying to make myself small. I thought I was smart, but compared to Azure, my intelligence felt more comparable to a foal. 
“Are you all right?” He asked, concerned while watching me scrunch into the fetal position. I just nodded. “Anyway, what classes will you be attending?”
“Engineering classes,” I answered quietly.
“Fantastic! I will be in a few of those myself! Any others?” I nodded, but I had no intention of telling him which. He, however, kept prying. “Well which others?”
“Biology and flight mechanics,” I said getting it over with. Though I knew what was coming.
“Flight mechanics?” He asked with a confused look. I figured he would be curious about that class. “What’s an earth pony doing wondering into flight school? Are you planning on making your own set of wings?” Then his face somehow got even brighter, “You already have haven’t you? That’s how you got in!” I hesitantly nodded. If I haven’t mentioned yet, this guy is a little scary to me at the moment simply because how excited he is. “That is amazing!” He shouted. 
“I guess,” I quietly replied. 
“Do you have your designs with you? Can I see them? Does it resemble pegasus wings or more like bird wings? How do they work?” Azure hit me with a barrage of questions. I think I figured out his cutie mark’s meaning. All his questions started to blur together, and I think he realized it himself after he stopped himself and took a breath. “Sorry, I got a little carried away there. You don’t have to show me your design.” To my relief at least. 
“What are you going for?” I asked. 
“Secondary Magical Studies,” he answered with a smile. “I was in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns before I was transferred here. Princess Celestia thought it would be best if I continued my studies with Princess Twilight.”
“Why?” I asked curiously. “Sure Princess Twilight was a gifted unicorn herself, but Princess Celestia raises the sun! How can Princess Twilight top that?” 
“No idea,” he said with a chuckle, then his face faded to a little more serious. “But you know, the decision was kind of sudden. I was told only a month before the new school year. I had no idea what for or even what I should do to prepare, but I’ve been around the princesses long enough to know to simply trust their intuition,” he said with a wink.
Intuition. The word brought back my memory of first meeting Princess Twilight.  Just call it an intuition. I still have no idea what that means, but maybe I am just over thinking it. 
“Wait,” I thought out loud. “You’re personally studying with Princess Twilight?” He nodded. “And you studied with Princess Celestia?” Again, he nodded. If I had not felt belittled before, I definitely do now. I may have personally met Princess Twilight, but personally studying with her? That is a whole other honor that I don’t have. 
On the bright side, he still has not noticed that I am a blank flank. I hope it stays that way for a little while longer, or forever. Yeah, forever sounds better. 
“Aha,” a voice to my left called out. “I told you I would find you.” I turned my head and saw a green pegasus standing in the walkway right next to our booth. She had a curly, cream colored mane with two green streaks, one lighter than her coat while the other was the same color. 
“Hello Evergreen,” Azure made a small grimace. She giggled.
“Miss me?” 
“Not really,” he quickly replied. 
“Aw come on,” she said with a whimper as she sat down next to him. “Aren’t you going to at least introduce me to your friend here?” 
“This is Cloudy,” he said with a huff. I nervously smiled and waved. She gave me an odd look, and I hoped it was from my awkwardness, not my flank.
“Is he your plus one?” Yep definitely my flank. Of course it was after I had just begun to feel a little more comfortable, and now I shrank back down into my seat.
“This is a school train, Evergreen. We don’t get plus ones.”
“But isn’t he a little young? I mean he still is a blank flank after all.” Great, she pointed it out to him. 
“Twilight Academy starts their recruits at the same age. So why would he be any different?” Azure’s answer surprised me. He didn’t even glance my way when Evergreen mentioned my blank flank. 
“But he’s a blank flank!” she said again, she seemed more surprised. 
“What difference does it make? He’s obviously shown a high level skill in some area in order to be here. Blank flank or no, he’s here for a purpose. It isn’t always our fault that we have trouble discovering who we are. Sometimes the ponies around us make us more concerned with what we are not, which makes it harder for us to find our place. Regardless, Princess Twilight alone has the final decision on who is allowed here. Who knows, maybe she has a way to help Cloudy.” 
Wow, I thought to myself. It was all I could even do to sit in awe of this unicorn who seemed to have it all figured out. 
“Okay, okay,” she finally came back, “you don’t have to get all deep and metaphoric on me.” She looked at me again. “I’m Evergreen,” again, I quietly waved. “I’m sorry about my rudeness. I’m sorta like Azure’s sister.”
“Yeah, except that you aren’t,” Azure interrupted with a huff. 
“Hey, be nice,” she shoved him. “Where are you from?” She asked me. 
“Canter-lot,” I said getting quieter as I spoke. It was clear she and Azure were on completely different levels than I was. Evergreen did a great job at making sure that I knew that, and I felt more feeble just being in there presence. 
“Cancer-hair?” she loudly asked. 
“No, Canterlot,” Azure interjected again. “We just came from there.”	
“Yeah, but not everypony here is a Canterlotian,” she quickly retorted. 
“Fair point,” he sighed. Then he looked at me. “It is okay to speak, you know. It’s not as if she’s a scary monster,” then his eyes narrowed, “though she can be at times,” he said under his breath. She heard him anyway and started to shove him harder. 
“I said be nice!” she shouted. She started beating on Azure and he took the beating while laughing.
“Lead by example!” he shouted, poking her back. “How about you be nice?”
Seeing the two fight like this reminded me a lot of me and my sister. I may not have been gone for long, but being here on the train with all these strangers made it feel like I had left so long ago. It put a smile on my face, and then I let out a small chuckle of my own. 
“Hey! What’s so funny, Mister!” Evergreen immediately stood directly in front of my face as she shouted. 
“Nothing,” I said still grinning. “It’s just you two remind me of home. I kind of needed it so thanks.” Evergreen backed up a little with a surprised look on her face, then the surprise faded to a smile. 
“Well good mister shy guy,”
“Cloudy,” Azure corrected her. 
“Cloudy,” she repeated. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said holding out a hoof.
“Nice to meet you,” I answered with a bump. She then sat back down next to Azure.  “So how’d you guys meet, anyway?” I asked. Apparently I asked the wrong question since Azure had a grim look on his face. “What happened?”
“Oh he turned me into a tree,” Evergreen answered. “It was awesome!” 
“It was nothing of the sort,” he shouted. “All you need to know was that we were in class together before I went to Celestia’s school.”
“Come on, you might as well tell him,” Evergreen said trying to coerce Azure. 
“No,” he firmly stated, “and I had better not ever hear you speak of it either. Got it?” He looked nearly livid. Whatever it was that really happened must have been particularly terrifying for him. 
“Oh look,” called another voice. His words were menacing to say the least. “I thought I heard the gargle of a monster.” He was a yellow unicorn with a brown mane. He was standing caddy-cornered to the booth so I did not see his cutie mark, but I saw his piercing red eyes cocked in this way that could not be found not offensive. Whoever he is I do not even want to know his name.
“Another ‘friend’ of yours?” I asked with a little sarcasm.
“Quiet blank flank,” he said taking a step inside our booth. “You’ll be sent home as soon as we arrive in Ponyville. How did you make it on this train anyway. This is for scholars, and whether or not I like to admit it, even the monster over there has some level of intelligence. Obviously Headmaster Thinker does not however for letting him even come to this school.”
“Monster? Who,”
“Why, the blue demon over there,” he answered my question as he pointed to Azure, who seemed quiet, but unmoved. “Like a good boy, he’s being quiet. Now roll over and play dead will you?”
“He’s not a dog, Steel,” Evergreen snapped. “Why don’t you go buy your friends in the next car? Heard there are tons of grubby money pigs like yourself two cars over. Hopefully you can take that stench you have with you.”
“Oh, did you hear something?” he turned to me asking his stupid rhetorical question in a calm, monotonous tone. “I thought I might have heard a bug or something around my head. Filthy things need to be squashed, don’t they?”
“How dare-“ I started, but he interrupted.
“I’d watch my tone if I were you, blank flank,” his beady eyes and his demeaning face were stretching my nerves. “You’re lucky I have even recognized your presence. Be grateful. If it were not for your status, I might not even see you.”
I was infuriated, mere seconds away from giving this guy a pounding he so desperately needed. Apparently Evergreen saw and violently shook her head towards me. So, instead I took a breath and asked a question. “So, you know me?”
“Of course I do. I know most everypony in Canterlot. Your dad is quite famous around Equestria. Pity, he had you for a son rather than a pegasus to follow in his steps.” The more I heard him, the more I was ready to hurt him. “Then again there is your sister the prodigy. At the Wonderbolts Academy they call her Thunderbolt, don’t they? How quaint.” My face was turning red from the anger I was feeling. 
“Don’t start a fight, Cloudy. They’ll kick you out immediately,” Evergreen’s words reached me only after I had realized I was standing over the unicorn. His smug smile made me want to puke. I had realized my heart rate and my breathing had severely increased. I took a deep breath. 
“Tsk. Tsk. I nearly had you going there, didn’t I?” He started to laugh. “Well if I can’t provoke you out of the school, then I will have to return another time. Ta-ta!” He left the car. 
The other ponies in the other booths looked at me with strange faces as I huffed and puffed my anger out. They probably noticed my blank flank by now, but I cared very little for that for the moment. My emotions kept increasing and making me furious, but eventually I plopped back down, feeling angry and defeated. 
I knew my father probably felt at least a little pity on me if not shame for me even being born. He got to me. I swore I would never let anypony do that to me again. I felt so defeated, and day one has not even ended yet. I wanted to go home already. 
“Your dad,” Azure quietly spoke. “What’s his name?”
“Silver Shot,” I answered quietly. 
“Your dad is a Wonderbolt?” He responded with a surprised tone. I replied with a nod.
“Not just a Wonderbolt, he’s the Wonderbolt!” Evergreen was excitedly bouncing. “He’s the best since General Rainbowdash. Usually he’s best known for his peaceful solutions to most of the conflicts he’s put into, but that definitely does not mean he can’t fight. He once went hoof to claw with the griffon triad. He’s actually tied for record holding with Rainbowdash in the Wonderbolts’ Extrordinaire Competition. He’s-“ she stopped for a second. I quit listening myself for a while, but apparently she noticed my disheartened appearance. “Sorry, I got a little carried away,” she said with a quieter voice. “Your dad is pretty awesome though.”
“I know,” I answered. 	
“I’m sure it isn’t all bad. I’m willing to bet he’s proud that you’re here,” Azure tried to reassure me. 
“He is.” Again, I quietly answered and I never rose my head. “But you know,” I started, “maybe that unicorn is ri-“ suddenly I felt myself lift from the ground.
“Don’t you ever allow me the displeasure of hearing those words come from your muzzle. If I have to put a spell to where I read your thoughts to make sure you’re not even thinking that, I will,” I saw Azure’s displeased expression staring through my soul. “If I refuse to let him win, I will definitely never allow somepony he’s never actually met to feel burdened by his words. Now, repeat after me: I Cloudy,”
“I Cloudy,” I shakily repeated. 
“Hereby choose never to let Steel’s words get to me.”
“Hereby choose never to let Steel’s words get to me,” again my repeat was shaky, but he let me down after that. “But-“
“No,” he shouted. His eyes actually began to glow. I was not exactly terrified before, but the glowing eyes made me jump back and I nearly let my bladder go. They soon went back to normal and he put a smile back on his face as he pulled some candy from his saddlebag that was underneath his seat. “Now, would you two like to share some chocolate with me?”
“Duh,” Evergreen answered with a silly voice as she grabbed a few pieces with her hooves. 
“Cloudy?” he held out his hooves rather than use his magic. I think it was just to avoid further intimidation. 
“Why?” I asked giving him a confused look.
“Well I have a lot of it since my mom likes to make sweets and I figured I could share some.”
“Sorry,” it was not the answer I wanted. “Why be so nice?” Though I was using the term ‘nice’ loosely. 
“Why not?” he answered. “I have only just met you. What’s the point of being mean?” He had a point. I never really thought about it in that manner. There really is no point to being rude to someone you have never met, let alone be mean.
“I guess you’re right,” I said after giving it some thought. I took some of the candy he was still holding out for me. “Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he said with a smile. 
The rest of the train ride seemed to pass by so quickly. We were there before we knew it. The sun was about ready to begin its final stretch towards the horizon as we departed from the train. I began to look for my luggage, but nopony’s luggage was being removed from the train. 
“Come on Cloudy,” Evergreen said, pulling my leg. “We’re gonna be late to orientation.”
“But my luggage!” I shouted, trying to get her to let go of me. 
“It’s already in your room!” She shouted back at me. I gave her a puzzled look, but she paid no mind to it. “Now come on!”
As we walked, my mind still wandered back to my luggage, trying to figure out what I missed. Honestly, it was probably something I missed in one of the information sessions we attended. I never exactly paid attention to what they were saying. 
Because of my wondering mind, I happened to miss where we were until we made it to the school. The school was a large semi-circled building and the outside was comprised of this smooth, mildly transparent blue crystal with black marble pillars holding up the large entryway. The marble also held as the trim for the building itself. I could not tell how many levels the building had, but it had to be at least 200 feet high. All in all though, the building was a beautiful structure. 
“Hey, goo-goo eyes,” Evergreen chuckled as she waved her hoof in front of my eyes, “you’re drooling.” 
“Sorry, I just got overwhelmed,” I said as I finally shook myself out of my awe struck statue-like appearance. 
“Hey you two, if we’re going to sit together, you might want to hurry up,” Azure called out to us. We followed him inside, and that would officially begin our new school year.