Chapter 1: An uneventful walk
The sun shone through the window, signaling a new morning. Nova Star blinked her eyes limply and lifted her head off the pillow, yawning as she rose. Her senses awoke at once at the aroma that leaked into her room. 'Smells like daddy's cooking today.' Nova thought with a smile, sliding out of bed and to her dresser. She picked up a brush with her hoof and began to brush her shaggy, navy blue mane as best she could, making sure her lighter blue and purple streaks were straight.
She put the brush down a few minutes later, satisfied with her work, and slid a bracelet on her arm for good measure. Ready to go, she trotted out of her room to get breakfast. Her orange hooves echoed as she walked, bouncing off the walls of the great castle. Nova began picking up speed, as she always did in long corridors.
She flapped her tiny wings to gain more speed, then with a great leap, she jumped onto the railing of a staircase, sliding down to the bottom floor. She burst into the dining room just as breakfast was being served.
As Flash Sentry placed the last plate on the table, he opened his mouth to call Nova to the table. "NOVA! BREAK-" he was interrupted by a small giggle next to him. He turned to see his small daughter already seated. "Nova 300, dad 0. Are you sure your not a unicorn that can teleport?" Flash teased with a laugh, tickling a giggling filly gently.
"If she were a unicorn, I doubt she would be getting flying lessons on Fridays." another voice answered, as Twilight Sparkle walked into the room. Flash hugged Twilight close and gave his wife a kiss, making Nova pretend to gag and stuff her face with chocolate pancakes before anypony noticed.
Twilight laughed and sat down next to her daughter, putting two pancakes of her own on her plate with her magic. Throughout the meal, Nova was given school tips from her mother. "...and make sure to write down assignments somewhere as they're assigned so you won't forget, and be sure to take notes." Twilight listed, pausing to take a sip of apple juice.
Nova swallowed a mouthful of pancake and wrote those things down on a nearby notepad, making a list as she did. She may have inherited her father's speed and agility, but she also inherited her mother's OCD tendencies, like making a checklist for everything.
Flash wiped syrup off his mouth with a napkin and got up. "Well Nova, I better fly you down below. You can't be late on the first day." he said kindly. Nova took one last bite of breakfast and got up, nodding her head in agreement. As she slid off her chair, she felt something be put around her neck. She looked down to see a blue star necklace that matched her bracelet.
She turned to her mother and smiled, giving her a final squeeze. "Good Luck." Twilight whispered. "Thanks." Nova whispered back, before running to join her father.
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Apple Tree couldn't believe he was running so late. On the first day! His mom had been nagging at him for over 15 minutes before he could leave. He knew she meant well, but he wasn't a 5 year old colt in kindergarten anymore.
'I just hope I can find Cinnamon Spice before I get there. Or even Sky Spark or Rain Flash.' he thought to himself, searching the area around him for any sign of these ponies. He was near the center of town about now. Only 1 block to go until he got to the school building.
Apple Tree began to speed his walk to a trot, hoping to get there a bit quicker. He looked around him even more, hoping to spot his friends or cousin. He didn't even notice the orange pegasus galloping close by until she tripped and fell into him.
"Ow..." Apple Tree moaned, rubbing his aching head. "Oh gosh! I'm SOOOO sorry! I didn't see you there! I was just moving so quickly... then I tripped...then we fell but you already know that...I'm just REALLY sorry!" the pegasus murmured, helping Apple Tree to his hooves.
"Um, it's okay. No harm done." he said softly, looking at the filly shyly. The pegasus sighed in relief. "That's good news. Say, are you on your way to the school?" she asked curiously. Apple Tree hesitated. His mom had warned him about talking to strangers, but for some reason, he felt comfortable with this strange filly, as if all his fears had gone away.
"Um, yeah. My first year."he replied shyly, poking at the ground with his hooves. "Mine too! Maybe we can walk the rest of the way together! More the merrier I like to say." she said excitedly. Apple Tree's orangy red wings folded down nervously onto his tangerine body. He hadn't walked anywhere with anypony other than his parents, cousin, or friends before, but if they were heading the same way...
He blew his orange hair out of his green eyes and gave a small smile, his freckles becoming more prominent. "Um, sure. Sounds fun." he answered. "Great! My name's Nova Star." the filly said, lifting her hoof for a hoof bump.
Apple Tree hesitated, but soon pressed his hoof against her's gently. "Nice to meet you. I'm Apple Tree."
