Chapter 1
“Where is it? Where is it?”
Dinky Doo’s bedroom looked as though a tornado had blown through it in the last few minutes. Considering the filly had been using her magic to essentially tear the room apart as she searched for one of her most treasured possessions, this was no surprise.
“Dinky, are you almost ready?” called a mare from the next room over. “You don’t want to be late!”
“I’ll be there in a minute, mom!” the young unicorn called. “I just need to pack a few more things!”
Dinky stuffed a hoof under her dresser, and sighed with relief as she finally found what she was looking for: a rather worn copy of Simple Spells and Charms: A Handbook of Magic for the Beginning Unicorn.
Grinning, Dinky clutched the book to her chest for a moment. The secrets hidden in its pages had become like her best friends. This book was partially responsible for the drastic changes she’d recently experienced in her life.
Today however, Dinky was preparing for another change, one that would be far more significant than all the others. She was packing her bags and heading to the Ponyville train station, where she would depart for the most prestigious school of magic in all of Equestria: Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns.
Dinky tossed her magic manual into her suitcase, tucking it neatly next to mountains of other books, a few sketchpads, and an assortment of other odds and ends. She checked her room one final time to ensure she hadn’t forgotten anything. Once she was satisfied, she fastened the clasp on the suitcase, and proceeded to lift it (and all of her other luggage) with just a simple touch of magic.
Magic! Even though levitation had been one of the first skills Dinky had learned since beginning her magical studies, it still filled her with a sense of wonder to think that the objects floating in the air around her were only there because she was willing them to be. She supposed most unicorns weren’t affected by the same feeling, but then again, some unicorns were levitating objects before they were able to walk, while she had only learned her first spells barely a season earlier. She pulled open her bedroom door and trotted out to the living room, where her mother was waiting.
Dinky’s mother Ditzy Doo looked as cheery as ever, but Dinky suspected the mare was almost as nervous as she was. The filly admired her mother’s ability to put on a smile in the face of hardship or uncertainty. After all, Ditzy’s life always seemed to be a roller coaster of ups and downs; it was a wonder she managed to routinely keep her composure.
“There you are, Dinky,” Ditzy said once her daughter came into view. “Come on, the cart is waiting outside. You need to get to the train station on time or you’re going to be late getting to the Academy!”
“I know,” Dinky replied. “But I’m ready now. Is anypony coming along?”
The pegasus nodded. “Of course. Breeze is coming with us to the train station.”
Dinky smiled at the thought. Autumn Breeze was Ditzy’s coltfriend, a pegasus the mare had met after becoming employed at Ponyville’s own matchmaking company, Equestria Speedy Shipping Services. The stallion had been by Ditzy’s side throughout her turbulent first year of employment at the matchmaking service, and the two of them eventually started a relationship of their own. Breeze visited several times a week, and even in such a short time, Dinky had begun to see him as sort of a father figure, perhaps because her own father passed away before she was old enough to remember him.
“Oh, and I think Twilight Sparkle is coming along too, if she can spare the time,” Ditzy added. “Now let’s go!”
Dinky beamed. She’d been hoping to have one last talk with Twilight before she boarded the train to the academy. The librarian was, after all, her magic tutor, and it was only because of her generosity that Dinky was able to attend the academy at all.
The filly quickly followed her mother out into the fresh spring air, the suspended luggage following close behind. Ditzy had already started speaking with Twilight Sparkle, so Dinky turned instead to the cart they would be using to travel to the train station. Autumn Breeze stood next to it, staring up at the clear morning sky. He spotted Dinky and trotted over to her.
“Hey, need any help loading your stuff into the cart?” he asked.
Normally Dinky would have very much appreciated the help. But once again, her recently acquired magical skills were more than enough to get the job done. Dinky focused her magic, just as Twilight had taught her, and smiled as the bags sailed over Breeze’s head and landed neatly in the back of the cart.
“Nope! But thanks for asking, Mr. Breeze!”
Breeze chuckled. “No problem, kiddo.”
He looked over at Ditzy and Twilight. “Oh, looks like it’s time to go. Get in the cart. It shouldn’t take us too long to get to the station.”
Dinky nodded and hopped into the seat as Breeze and Ditzy walked to the front and attached the cart’s harnesses to their backs. There was a flash of purple light, and the seat next to Dinky was suddenly occupied by Twilight Sparkle. Dinky knew teleportation was effortless for the more experienced unicorn, but she still loved to witness it, since she hadn’t yet been able to perform it herself.
The cart began its journey into town. Twilight Sparkle turned to Dinky and smiled.
“So Dinky, are you excited? You’re about to go to the greatest academy of magic in all of Equestria!”
Dinky squeaked with delight. “Of course! It’s gonna be so much fun!” The filly’s smile shrank slightly. “But… you think I can do it, right Miss Twilight?”
Twilight smiled warmly. “Of course. I haven’t seen a pony with your talent in a long, long time. Just study hard and practice, and you’ll do just fine.”
Dinky felt herself blushing; it was humbling to know a unicorn as powerful as Twilight Sparkle had such faith in her.
“Thanks, Miss Twilight.”
Dinky sat in silence after that. She had a lot to reflect on, after all; the last few months had been a flurry of excitement and activity for her. The time seemed to go by in the blink of an eye, even though so much had happened. Dinky thought back to the autumn day when her life had gone in a new direction…
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Several Months earlier…
Dinky hummed quietly to herself as she did her homework. Miss Cheerilee had assigned an essay, which had unfortunately managed to eat up most of the filly’s free time on that particular Saturday.
She supposed it was just as well, though; yesterday had been arguably the most exciting day of her life, so an excuse to sit around and relax was, for once, welcome.
Dinky thought back to the unusual night before, when a twist of fate put her on a train to Canterlot to aid her mother’s company in an important assignment. She still wasn’t sure of all the details, but it had most certainly involved Princess Luna, a fancy party, and (apparently) lots of sabotage.
But to Dinky, all the hubbub of the previous evening was little more than a sideshow compared to one particular event.
Dinky had used magic for the first time that evening. Admittedly, it was entirely by accident, a subconscious act of defense to protect her mother from a particularly nasty unicorn named Cosmic Glow, but despite the circumstances, magic was magic; a spell cast by accident was still an achievement when one had never cast a spell before.
The filly closed her eyes and felt the gentle throb of magical energy pulsing at the base of her horn. Briefly, she considered trying to direct it at something, but she quickly thought better of it. She still knew absolutely nothing about focusing the natural energy to perform any task. Sure, she might manage to make something levitate; then again, she could just as easily set something on fire. Better to wait until a more experienced unicorn could guide her.
A characteristic thump echoed through the house, shaking the filly from her thoughts. Dinky recognized the sound; her mother had probably run into the door again. Poor Ditzy Doo ran into doors a lot because of her poor vision, but she knew her own house well enough that she usually didn’t run into her own door unless she was in quite a hurry.
Dinky’s suspicions was confirmed when her mom burst into the house a moment later, looking a bit winded but very excited.
“Hi, mom,” Dinky greeted. “Uh… how did things go with Princess Luna?”
Ditzy opened her mouth to reply, but after a moment seemed to think better of it, and closed it again. She tapped her hoof to her chin a few times.
“Gosh, where do I even start…?” the pegasus mumbled. “I hope you’re not too busy, Dinky. I’ve got a whole lot to tell you.”
Dinky listened as her mother recounted a complicated story of debts and letters, deals and contracts, and (perhaps it shouldn’t have been all that surprising!) a newly-formed romantic bond between the mare and her coworker, Autumn Breeze. Dinky sat patiently through the whole explanation, trying to process the wealth of information and understand what all these circumstances meant for her.
“So… we’re going to be seeing Mr. Breeze a lot more often, aren’t we?” she asked happily.
Ditzy giggled. “Well yeah, probably. But I have some even more important news, and it involves you.”
Dinky blinked. “Huh? What do I have to do with any of this?”
“While I was talking to Princess Luna, we got on the topic of magical education,” Ditzy replied with a grin, “and it looks like you’re going to be able to attend Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns!”
Dinky’s jaw dropped. “I… I got accepted?”
Ditzy’s smile faltered a bit. “Well, kinda. But it’s not quite as simple as we were hoping it would be. You can attend, starting next term, but there’s sort of a catch…”
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Dinky squinted in the morning sunlight as she stared up at the wide boughs of the tree housing the Ponyville Library.
“I dunno, mom,” she said hesitantly. “I don’t even know Miss Twilight very well. Are you sure she’s okay with helping a filly she doesn’t even know?”
“Dinky, I told you,” Ditzy insisted, “Princess Celestia herself said you could attend the Academy only if you learn all the required basic magic skills by the time the next term starts. She said Twilight Sparkle was more than happy to be your tutor.
Dinky nodded and lifted her hoof to knock, but the door swung open at the same moment, causing the filly to accidentally rap not on the wood, but on the forehead of a certain unsuspecting baby dragon.
“Oops,” Dinky squeaked as Spike reeled from the unexpected assault. “Sorry, Spike! It was an accident.”
“N-no problem,” Spike replied, rubbing his forehead. “Come on in, Twilight’s expecting you two.”
Spike led the two ponies into the familiar interior of the Ponyville Library. Dinky had been here many times before, of course; the library was her best resource for many school projects. Nothing looked much different than usual, except that a large pile of books had been removed from a one shelf and stacked on a corner table.
“So where’s Twilight?” Ditzy asked.
“Ah, she’s just getting ready,” Spike said. “You know how she can be; give her an opportunity to do a favor for the princess and she goes a little… overboard…”
At that moment, there was a bright purple flash, and Twilight herself materialized in the center of the room, carrying at least thirty books in her magic’s grip. With nothing more than a slight turn of her head, each of the suspended tomes obediently moved to the corner table, where they added themselves to the already alarmingly large pile.
“There,” Twilight said with an air of self-satisfaction. “That’s all the books from Canterlot Library about beginner magic that I didn’t already have.”
She scrutinized the precarious pile of books and bit her lip.
“Do you think that’s enough, Spike?”
Spike groaned. “Even if it’s not, maybe you should look for the rest later, considering your guests are here.”
For the first time, Twilight became aware of the other ponies standing in the library. She flattened her ears against her head and smiled sheepishly.
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry!” the unicorn apologized. “I’ve never had a tutoring job before, and I just wanted to make sure I was adequately prepared to provide a full rundown of basic magic skills, but that’s no excuse for lateness, is it?”
“Oh, it’s fine,” Ditzy said. “We’ve only been here for a few moments. Is it alright if I leave Dinky with you? I need to be at work soon.”
“Of course,” Twilight answered. “I’ve made sure everything is perfectly prepared to provide a safe and low-stress environment for practicing magic. Even if a spell goes wrong, my preemptive enchantments should make sure there’s no harm done.”
Ditzy smiled. “Well, I don’t know anything about enchantments, but everypony says you’re the most magical unicorn in town, so I know I can trust you to take good care of Dinky.”
The mare bent down and gave her filly a hug. “Now you try your best and do whatever Twilight asks you, ok?”
“I will.”
With a final smile, Ditzy rose and fluttered out of the library, shutting the door behind her.
“Okay!” said Twilight cheerily after the mare had left. “I guess we should get started. According to Princess Celestia’s instructions, you need to be proficient in a certain group of fundamental magical fields by the time the spring term starts. That only gives us a few months, so you’ll need to practice a lot.”
“I understand that,” Dinky said, “but this opportunity is way too amazing to pass up! I’ll practice as hard as I can; I just need you to teach me.”
Twilight nodded. “Well, it’s a lot to learn in a short time, but it’s certainly not impossible. And speaking as a graduate, I can assure you Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns is well worth the effort!”
Twilight’s horn lit up, and a book floated off the top of the mountainous pile, and opened itself in front of her.
“Right, now, uh… where to start?”
Twilight glanced at the book for a moment, and then levitated half a dozen more into the air around her, flipping through them all simultaneously.
"Now let’s see, maybe it’s most appropriate to start with a history lesson? I could go all the way back to the pre-classical era, but the fundamentals have morphed so significantly since then that it might be better to start with a more recent period. Oh, but maybe we shouldn’t get into anything historical until we’ve looked at the practical, but if that’s the case, where do we begin? Levitation is simple enough, but there are so many subsets to it if you go into multiple object manipulation or self-levitation, that maybe we should save that until we’re prepared to explore the whole field! In that case, maybe a different starting topic would be better, but that’s an unorthodox organizational choice and I don’t want to present the material in the wrong order or I might hinder the learning progress with my confusing lesson plan! But I can’t determine where to start without some sort of aptitude benchmark, can I?! That means I’ll have to—”
“Miss Twilight!” Dinky said loudly, interrupting Twilight’s growing panic. “Can I make a suggestion?”
Twilight froze and turned toward the filly. “Um… sure,” she answered.
Dinky glanced at the surrounding mountain of books. “I respect the fact that you want to give me the best magical education possible, but… maybe it’ll be easier if we just start wherever you started when you were a filly.”
Twilight grinned sheepishly. “Oh yeah,” she mumbled. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
The unicorn set down the rest of the books, retaining only one in her magic’s aura. “Alright, for the first lesson we’ll look at the most basic practical magical action,” she continued. “We need to make sure you understand how to tap into your own magical energy. We can’t work on using your magic to accomplish any specific task until you can do that. Trust me, it’ll become completely second-nature after just a little practice.”
There was a short pause.
“Well… go ahead!” Twilight urged.
“Wha… now?” Dinky asked. “But… aren’t you going to instruct me?”
Twilight cocked her head. “Do you even need instruction? Princess Celestia told me you already used magic once or twice.”
“But that was an emergency!” Dinky insisted. “I wasn’t even trying to use magic that day. It just happened.”
“This isn’t as different from that as you think,” Twilight replied. “Magic kind of does just… happen. It’s not something you do, it’s more of an addition to the way you think. Once you become good at spellcasting, simple magic just happens automatically.”
Dinky shifted her weight, but said nothing.
“Just give it a try,” Twilight said gently. “I know you can feel the magical energy. It’s always there, and it only takes a tiny amount of willpower to bring it to the surface. All you need to do is ask it to do what you want it to. Don’t worry about what happens after that.”
Dinky shrugged. “Well, you know best, Miss Twilight…”
The filly closed her eyes and felt the usual pulse of energy just inside her skull. It wasn’t an unfamiliar sensation by any means, but she’d always taken care not to let it grow and travel away from the place where it was generated, for fear of what might happen if it got out of control.
But now Twilight was standing by to help if anything went wrong. It was now or never.
Expand, Dinky thought. Just come forth, out of my head and into the room.
The tingling sensation that followed was, in a word, curious. Dinky half expected her magic to explode forth the instant she allowed it to flow from her mind, much like it had during her encounter with Cosmic Glow a few days before. Instead, it crept slowly and obediently forward, extending the sensation of energy out of her skull and up her horn. Cautiously, Dinky opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Twilight beaming at her.
“There, that’s not so hard, it is?” Twilight asked, giggling a little.
“Is it working?” Dinky asked, trying to angle her eyes high enough to stare up at her own horn.
“It’s working,” the older unicorn assured her. “Maybe you want to see for yourself, though.”
She turned to Spike, who was casually dusting a bookshelf. “Spike, could you fetch the mirror from upstairs, please?”
Spike nodded and darted up the steps, returning a few seconds later with a mirror about as tall as he was. Dinky gazed at her reflection, thrilled to see that her horn was surrounded by an aura of yellow light.
“I’ll just leave this here,” Spike said, propping the mirror carefully against one of the shelves. “And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head upstairs. I’d rather not be here when Dinky blows something up.”
“Spike!” Twilight scolded. “I told you, Dinky’s not going to blow anything up!”
“She will if she’s anything like you were when you were a filly…” Spike mumbled as he disappeared up the stairs.
Dinky frowned and quickly willed her magic to stop. The light around her horn flickered and died almost instantly.
Twilight smiled comfortingly. “Don’t listen to Spike. Magic’s not as dangerous as he makes it sound.”
“I just don’t want to put anypony in danger,” Dinky admitted. “I probably would feel more comfortable with magic if I’d learned the basics years ago like most other fillies, before I understood the consequences. I really, really want to learn, but how can I be sure I won’t hurt anypony while I’m practicing?”
Twilight blushed a bit. “Well, you have a point. After all, I suppose I did cause my share of explosions in my fillyhood years, but that was when I was actually trying to perform powerful spells that require a lot of energy. You’re not going to make anything explode if you’re only trying to levitate something or use any other simple technique you might be using during these next few months.”
Dinky did not look convinced.
“Just practice with me a little more, you’ll see,” Twilight insisted.
She smiled encouragingly, and Dinky couldn’t help but smile back. She’d need to learn basic magic eventually, even if she wasn’t planning on attending the Academy, and there was no better unicorn to teach those basics than Twilight Sparkle.
“Alright, Miss Twilight,” Dinky said, relighting her horn, “what should I try first?”
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The next few hours passed in the blink of an eye. Under Twilight’s instruction, Dinky began to learn to focus her mind on accomplishing simple tasks simply by willing them to occur. By the end of the lesson she was able to use her magic to lift single objects into the air with relative ease.
“I think I’ve got the hang of it now, Miss Twilight.”
“Yes, I think you do. Now, next we’ll start working on—”
There was a knock at the door, interrupting the unicorn’s lesson. Twilight glanced at her clock.
“Oh, look, the lesson’s over! That must be your mom.”
“Already?” Dinky asked, shocked that so much time had passed so quickly. “But… but we barely even got started!”
Twilight opened the door and allowed Ditzy into the library. The pegasus grinned at Dinky.
“Well?” she asked. “How did it go? Did you learn anything?”
“Dinky’s doing wonderfully,” Twilight said. “Dinky, go ahead and show your mom what you learned.”
“Um… ok,” Dinky said absentmindedly as she hurriedly searched for something to levitate. She spied her saddlebags lying in the corner; they were the perfect target. Energy sprung into the filly’s horn as she focused all her concentration on the bags.
Lift. Lift off the floor, and come over to me.
Dinky watched with satisfaction as the saddlebags shuddered in place, and then slowly rose into the air. They floated along until they were directly over her before dropping suddenly, with the strap connecting them landing neatly across her back.
Ditzy clapped her front hooves together. “Dinky, that was wonderful! You’ll have this magic stuff mastered in no time!”
“She probably will,” Twilight agreed. “As long as she practices, that is.”
Ditzy turned and trotted out, and Dinky moved to follow.
“Hold on a moment, Dinky,” Twilight called. “Between now and our next lesson, I’d like you to try to manage to levitate two different objects at once,” she instructed. “It’s possible for unicorns to levitate dozens of objects simultaneously once the right level of focus is achieved.”
“Oh,” Dinky replied. “Well I, uh…”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You’re not still nervous about practicing when I’m not around, are you?” she asked.
“A little,” Dinky confessed.
Twilight sighed. “Dinky, you won’t be able to learn everything from my lessons alone. Half of magic is experimentation, you know.”
Dinky nodded. “And I want to experiment with it,” she affirmed. “I just… I wish I had a guide or something, just in case I do mess something up, so I know how to fix it.”
Twilight gasped. “That’s it! I’ll be right back!”
Twilight vanished in a flash of light. There was a frantic sound of hooves on the upper floor of the library for a few moments, and then Twilight reappeared in another flash, carrying a plain and rather worn book in her magic’s aura.
“This,” she began, levitating the book in front of the filly, “is my own personal copy of Simple Spells and Charms: A Handbook of Magic for the Beginning Unicorn. I checked this out of the Canterlot Library so many times as a filly that eventually they just decided to let me keep it.”
Twilight smiled wistfully at the memories. “When I wasn’t being directly instructed, this book was my window into the world of magic,” she continued. “It’s simple and straightforward, but very thorough. I’m pretty sure you won’t be using any spells that aren’t covered in here until you go to the Academy, so if you need help while you’re by yourself, just look it up in here!”
Dinky took the book, gazing at it reverently. “You trust me enough to let me borrow your first book of magic?” she asked, not quite believing her teacher’s generosity.
“Borrow it?” Twilight laughed. “You get to keep it!”
Dinky was stunned. For a moment she stood, mouth agape, staring at the beaten cover of the old tome her teacher had presented to her. Then she reared up on her hind legs and embraced Twilight.
“Thank you so much, Miss Twilight! I promise I’ll practice every day!”
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Back in the Present Day…
Dinky picked up her book again. It was even more beaten now than it was when she received it months before. The cover was blotched with stains, the corners of the pages were bent, and hoofwritten notes were scrawled in the margins in many chapters.
She didn’t mind at all, though. The book just had a little character, and she’d certainly gotten almost as much use out of it as Twilight had years ago.
Twilight watched silently as Dinky flipped aimlessly through the pages. “Nervous?” she asked the filly finally.
Dinky nodded.
“That’s normal,” Twilight said. “I was nervous on my first day too. But once you jump in and make some friends, and attend some of your new classes, I think you’re gonna have a lot of fun.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Dinky said, “I wanted to ask you about what to expect. I’ve never seen the Academy. What’s it like?”
Twilight grinned. “Oh, I don’t want to spoil the surprise!” she mused. “I can tell you that the Academy is an amazing place, and the opening ceremonies, which will be held tonight, are something you’ll probably never forget. The ceremony is hosted by Princess Celestia herself, along with Princess Luna and the current dean of the Academy.”
Twilight sat back and stared at the sky, reminiscing. “My goodness, I wonder if Bright Spark is still the dean? She was when I was a filly, but that was years ago…”
The sound of a distant train whistle caught the attention of both unicorns. “Looks like we’re almost at the station,” Twilight said. “Do you need any final advice before you go?”
“I guess not,” Dinky admitted. “There’s nothing left to do now but see how it goes.”
Twilight nodded. “And remember,” she added, “be confident! You’re already as good at magic as many adult unicorns ever get, and you’re going to get much better very soon! You’re going to be surrounded by hundreds of other unicorns, and every day you’ll be exposed to magic you’ve never seen before, so don’t be afraid to explore both your environment and your own abilities.”
Dinky nodded. “Anything else?”
“Just the same thing Princess Celestia told me when I traveled to a new place,” Twilight said with a wink. “Don’t forget to make some friends!”
Dinky had already planned to do just that, since she’d no longer be able to spend time with her Ponyville friends during the school week. For a moment, Dinky thought back to a day in the not-so-distant past: her last day at her old school…
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A few days earlier…
Twist discreetly passed a note beneath her desk. Dinky waited until Miss Cheerilee was looking the other way, and then quickly grabbed the little piece of pink paper from her friend. She unfolded it and read the single sentence within.
Today’s the day, isn’t it?
Dinky glanced at her classmate and nodded. Twist chewed her lip nervously, but after a moment, turned back to face the front of the room.
“And that ends our arithmetic lesson,” Cheerilee announced. “Now, before we dismiss for recess, there’s something we all need to talk about.”
The foals in class, most of whom had already gotten halfway out of their chairs to head for the schoolyard, grudgingly sat back down.
“I have some news for everypony,” Cheerilee said, sounding a tad more subdued than usual. “I don’t want to call it bad news, but I think some of you might see it that way. But it has to be said.”
She smiled sadly. “I like to think our class is very close. When anything happens to somepony, it affects the rest of us as well. When somepony is added to the class, we all notice the difference, and the same happens when somepony leaves.”
“And one of those things is happenin’, isn’t it?” Applebloom asked.
Cheerilee nodded. “Yes, our little classroom community is about to change. A few of you might already know about it, but it’s time the rest of you find out. This is Dinky Doo’s last day at the Ponyville schoolhouse.”
Several students turned in their seats, craning their necks to look at Dinky. She just smiled awkwardly at all the stares.
“She’s leaving?” Sweetie Belle asked. “But where’s she going?”
“Dinky has been accepted to Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot,” said Cheerilee proudly. “Unfortunately, this means she will no longer be able to attend her regular classes here in Ponyville.”
The teacher brightened. “But we should be happy for Dinky! She’s proven her magical and academic abilities, and she’ll learn much more at her new school than we’ll be able to teach her here. So farewell, Dinky, and we all wish you the best of luck!”
Several members of the class echoed the teacher’s last statement before the foals all departed for the schoolyard. Dinky and Twist were the last to leave the building.
“So this is it,” said Twist sullenly. “By Monday, you’ll already be in Canterlot.”
“Well, yes,” Dinky admitted. “But I’ll be home most weekends! It’s not like I’m going away forever or anything. And as soon as I get back, I’ll be sure to catch up with my best friend right away!”
Twist couldn’t help but smile. “Aw, I know,” she said. “You don’t need to worry about me, Dinky. I’ll get by without you during the week.”
The earth pony frowned. “What about you, though? You won’t know anybody once you get to Canterlot. Make sure you worry about yourself while you’re there, not about us here in Ponyville.”
“I will, but that doesn’t mean I won’t miss you and Pip,” Dinky replied.
The unicorn looked around the schoolyard. “Hey, where is Pipsqueak anyway? ”
“I saw his mom this morning on the way to school,” Twist admitted. “He’s got the Pony Pox, so he's out sick today.”
“What?!” Dinky moaned. “But I didn’t even get to properly tell him goodbye!”
When Pipsqueak first moved to Ponyville, Dinky had developed a crush on the colt, and for a while she'd been more than a little shy around him. Things had worked out eventually though, and now the two foals were almost inseparable, so naturally Pip's absence left Dinky upset.
Twist nodded empathetically. “Yeah, he knows you’re leaving, but I bet he’s upset that he wasn’t able to be here for your last day of school.”
“…Well, maybe I’ll see him tomorrow,” Dinky said hopefully. “Tomorrow’s Saturday, and I don’t leave until Sunday morning.”
Twist shrugged. “Maybe, but it usually takes a few days to get over the Pony Pox.”
Dinky sighed. “I know. But I can hope, right?”
Twist laughed. “No harm in being optimistic!”
Dinky tried her best to hide her disappointment as she and Twist ran off to enjoy their last recess together.
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Back in the present day…
The cart bounced a bit as the wheels moved from the dirt road of Ponyville to the smooth stones of the train station platform, shaking Dinky from her thoughts. Ditzy and Breeze brought the vehicle to a halt not far from one of the train cars.
“Well, we made it in time,” Ditzy said. “The train’s leaving in a few minutes.”
Dinky hopped out of the cart, carrying her beloved magic book in her aura. She’d been on the train to Canterlot a few times before, but today the train platform was much busier than usual. Colts and fillies from around the country had gathered to board from the surrounding towns; after all, Ponyville was the last stop on the train route to Canterlot.
This is it, Dinky. It’s finally time.
Dinky felt the presence of her mother and the others just behind her, and emotion overcame her. She whirled around and wrapped her forelegs around Ditzy in a big, tight hug. The filly felt her mother pat her gently on the back.
“Don’t worry, Dinky. I’ll see you this weekend, remember?”
“I know that,” Dinky replied, hugging her mother all the tighter. “I just… I can’t thank you enough, mommy, for giving me this chance. I promise I’ll do my best.”
“I know you will,” the pegasus responded, as her daughter broke their hug. “You’re a smart filly; you’re going to blow them all away up there.”
Dinky smiled at her mother’s confidence in her. She kissed Ditzy gently on the cheek, before turning to bid farewell to the others.
“I’ll see you soon too, Mr. Breeze,” she said, looking up at the big red pegasus. “Take good care of mommy while I’m gone, okay?”
Breeze chuckled and nodded in assent. Dinky turned at last to Twilight.
“Miss Twilight, thank you again,” she said sincerely, “and I’ll be sure to show you everything I’ve learned next time I see you.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Twilight replied. “And remember, you can always come and visit me if you want some extra practice.”
Dinky lifted her bags with magic and took a few tentative steps toward the train. She turned back to the three older ponies one final time.
“Thank you so much, all of you,” she managed, trying again not to let all the emotions overcome her.
“It’s nothing, Dinky,” Ditzy said. “Just remember to be safe and have a good time.”
Dinky nodded. There was no excuse to wait around any longer. She had said goodbye to everypony she had wanted to.
Well, everypony except for one. Sighing, Dinky turned toward the train car; it seemed the other pony she had hoped would be here for her sendoff wasn’t able to make it.
“Hey! Dinky! Wait!”
Then again, she could be wrong.
Dinky turned around again just in time to see a brown and white colt shove his way through the last of the crowd blocking his path.
“Pipsqueak!” she squealed. “I didn’t think you were going to make it!”
“I ran all the way here,” Pipsqueak admitted, gasping for breath. “Since you’re not gonna be at school anymore, I just had to come and say goodbye.”
Pip’s Pony Pox were gone, but it was obvious the colt hadn’t regained his full strength in the wake of his illness. He looked just about ready to pass out, yet here he was, beaming and wishing his friend well. Dinky found herself wondering if it was even possible that she’d find friends at the Academy as loyal as the ones she had here.
“You’re the sweetest, Pip,” Dinky said, pulling the colt into a hug. “I’ll see you next weekend, okay?”
Pipsqueak nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah. Now, have a good time! And if you see Princess Luna, say hi to her for me!”
Dinky grinned. “I’ll do that. So long, Pip.”
Pipsqueak stepped back. Dinky passed her bags to the attendant to take to the storage car, and then, clutching her magic book tightly, she climbed aboard the train car.
Dinky had been on the train to Canterlot before, but she’d never seen it this full; colts and fillies from all over Equestria were milling about the cabin. After walking down the aisle past a few occupied rows, she found an empty seat near the back of the train car and sat down.
“Looks like it’s just you and me now,” she mumbled to her magic book. Not surprisingly, it did not reply.
You know you’re nervous when you start talking to books.
Dinky flipped absentmindedly through the pages of the beaten book, more to keep herself occupied than anything else. But when she came to the inside of the back cover, she noticed something odd; while the outside of the cover was smooth, the inside was rippled slightly.
Dinky tried to smooth the bumps with her hoof, and to her surprise, they turned out not to be part of the cover at all, but part of a slightly rumpled final page that had been stuck to the back cover by some bit of residue or another from its days in the library. Intrigued, Dinky flipped the new page over and read the short message printed on the back.
Afterword:
And this, my young unicorn, brings us to the end of these simple lessons. For some, this is enough; if you’ve mastered every spell in this book, you’ll be completely capable of putting your magic to good use for the rest of your life.
But don’t feel limited by these words. Do not allow the material in the confines of these pages to become the limits of your magical experience if you desire to achieve more.
This is the end of the book, but it’s only the beginning of a bigger journey. All that these few pages have done is shown you the path to follow, and allow you to take those first few halting steps. But how far you follow that path beyond here is up to you.
There is no final destination on this journey. It is an ongoing study conducted by the whole unicorn race, and each individual can delve as deeply into its mysteries as they so desire. Your magic is limited only by the strength of your mind and the passion in your heart. And the adventure that lies ahead could be beyond your wildest expectations...
That is, if, and only if, you’re willing to take that next step along the path.
Dinky reached the bottom of the page. She sat for a moment, thinking about what she had just read. She poked her head out the train window, where Ditzy, Breeze, Twilight, and Pipsqueak still stood, smiling up at her from the platform.
“Good luck, Dinky!” Ditzy called one final time. “We’re all rooting for you!”
As Dinky waved goodbye to her friends and family, she realized just how appropriate her spell book’s final passage really was. In some ways, this was an ending; today, her life was going to change. She would meet new ponies, learn new magic, and gain new experiences, but that would not make her life here any less important. Ponyville, much like her little book of magic, was a foundation: simple, comfortable, and predictable, as well as perhaps the most important part of her life. But everyone she loved and everything she learned here was only a beginning. There were many new adventures ahead, and now, simply by being on this train, she was taking the book’s advice and daring to move forward.
The wheels hissed and squeaked as the train sprang to life, chugging out of the station and carrying the filly away from both the train platform and the simple life she knew.
Dinky had taken that next step, just as the book had said, and it was the first step on what would become the greatest adventure of her life.
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Oh my gosh...
I have a feeling this is going to be amazing.
Oh yes, this is going to be amazing, I can already tell!
And so begins Dinky's adventures at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. We shall await the next chapters with bated breath.
Yes...
It's here.
IT'S HERE!!!
EDIT: Wait. Someone disliked this already?!
So much win!
Loved the book passage
It's finally here!
And here we go! Looking forward to the ride.
YAY! It's here!
Now, let's jump in and see what trouble Dinky can get herself into.
Edit:
Nice beginning to this new tale
YAAAAAAAAYYYYYY! It's here!
And now, something that has been on my mind since the blog with the title
I anxiously await the next part.
Time to read!
... I have never heard those two words outside of the Swedish language and quite frankly they sound absolutely ridiculous in English.
Therefor you must be swedish
Yay Dinky~!
Also
and handwritten notes
4.bp.blogspot.com/-EXlWKHYr0mU/T1UeWoqp2PI/AAAAAAAACmg/izgyJ0-wpx8/s1600/atryl+-+Lyra+hands.png
OH HELL YES!
My god
Well, it's a promising enough start. I like how Twilight sort of blanked out on the obvious there.She does that a lot in the show so.........
So.... Before reading, Dinky get shipped or what?
This should be awesome!
I'm so happy that a looked at the featured bar today!
I love it!!
I have a feeling this is going to be good! 
yes. YES. TAKE MY YES! TAKE IT!
New story from PRB? With Dinky? Continuation of a favorite fic?
INSTAFAVE.
Yes! Yes! YES! "Shipping and Handling" is one of my all time favorites, and I hated when it ended. I saw this in the featured box and all but fell out of my seat. I cannot wait to see what you do with this and I'm sure it's going to be fantastic.
I have no intention of ever reading this.
But that cover picture is the coolest I've seen.
My initial reaction:
A quick reread: Oh, it says "away"
Forgot a space...
2197321
Fixed it!
I really loved the excerpt from the book and had expected for that to be the end of the chapter. I feel like that would have the perfect ending for this intro chapter.
I really feel that this story will be as great(if not better) than S&H. I eagerly await moar!
Ah yeah I'm glad to see this has arrived. Please make more soon.
And we're off on the train to hogwarts.
Instant favourite. Let's get this show on the road.
Order of Operations: Fave, then read.
I'm waaay too excited to be using this font
Kind of a slow beginning to be honest, but given the nature of the story, to be expected. Can't wait to see what Dinky(Harry Potter) encounters.
Wow. Shipping and Handling was one of my favorite stories ever and this is easily my favorite incarnation of Dinky and Autumn Breeze is the only Pony I could actually believe in shipping Ditzy with, except for the Doctor of course. Looking forward to another grand adventure.
and here we go again
2197688
Yeah I know the beginning was slow. After all, nothing new actually happened when you think about it; the chapter ended at the very same moment that chapter 13 of Shipping and Handling ends. It just discussed things the first book didn't, like Dinky's tutoring.
Hopefully once they get to the academy I'll be able to make this more interesting.
Be aware, while this premise simply by nature is kind of Harry Potter-esque, I'm gonna do my best not to directly parody any plot points that it used. Dinky will be at a magical academy, yes, but other than that I hope for the content of the adventure to be as original as possible. Wish me luck on that...
YESSSSSSSSSSSS! Sequel! Time to see what PRB has in store for me this time. :D *gleefully dives back into S&Hverse*
All of my faves.
Take them.
i48.tinypic.com/xpvpt2.png
Yes!
Yes!
YES!
Yes, Finally!
I've been waiting forever for this.
2197736
So no Sorting hat or house of evil children?
2198226
Nope, no sign of either in the upcoming chapters! (There will be an opening ceremony/feast though. Some things are just general enough that they need to be used
)
2198309
I can see it now.
2196868
I cannot answer for the author's Swedishness (though I am Swedish), but yes, the phrase "hocus pocus" exists in English and is in no way a specifically Swedish phrase. There is, for instance, the movie Hocus Pocus from 1993 which is most certainly American. Here's more from Wikipedia, because why should you trust me: Hocus Pocus on wikipedia; Hocus Pocus on wiktionary - the origin of the word is similar in Swedish
Otherwise: hejsan på dej! Vi kan ju alltid hoppas författaren är svensk i alla fall!
Yes! An awesome start to a promising story.
Love what you've got up to now, keep it up!
2198797 "hejsan på dig"?
ok nu är jag bara mistänksam om du verkligen är svenst eller inte eftersom ingen (som jag känner i alla fall) säger "hejsan på dig" i sverige.
för helvete mäniska, prata normalt.
oh, och tack för infon
2198959
Och klaga inte på att andra människor inte pratar "normalt" bara för att de inte pratar som du.
Däremot får du gärna klaga på att jag är en jävla besserwisser, för det var lite ofint av mig att hoppa in och klaga på vad du skrev; författaren kan väl skriva själv, får man anta. Ursäkta!
Jag säger i alla fall "hejsan på dig", eventuellt till och med "hejsan på dejsan" till andra människor, men jag är en gammal gubbstrutt jämfört med de flesta bronies (42, senast jag kollade - det är väl ungefär som Carrot Cake eller så...).
And now we return to the usual English of the comments; sorry, I'm just trying to prove my nationality here.
Hahaha, to answer the various people discussing it, I'm not Swedish.
In America, Hocus Pocus is sometimes used as just a generic magical phrase, much like "Abracadabra".
Aha! Yes, I've been waiting a while for this one!
2199038 you are now officially the coolest 42 year old swedish brony in the world. im 18 myself and must now beat myself up for offending an elder.
but seriously, you are badass and sorry for the comment. you can greet others in whatever way you see fit
I have soooooo been waiting on this story! If it's anything like Shipping and Handling this is gonna be epic!
