Author's Note

I don't know if this is one of my best, I'm trying out a new paragraph form for long bits said by a single pony, tell me what you think of it at the bottom, and whether or not this was a good chapter, I'm a bit confused at this point on the story...so that's it, Bye!

Chapter IX

"Okay, so I have one last question...what is with the weird names?" I ask, drawing a few confused looks my way. "What? I mean, Twilight Sparkle? Pinkie Pie? Why am I the only one who thinks those names are odd? They are all describing words, and or things, all mashed together into a name! How is that not strange?!" I exclaim, drawing an amused, discrete laugh from Celestia, and a few giggles from the rest of the group.

"Foals, a few months after they are born, tend to be named after their noticeable traits and personality. These names often end up hinting at their cutie marks, or, sometimes, represent said cutie mark entirely. This often isn't true when a family passes on a certain part of the name, such as the Apples, though as of late, they tend to have apple based cutie marks." Celestia explains, to which cause a smile to grow on Applejack's face.

"The last Apple I remember to not have an apple themed mark was Villard Apple, who sketched things such as the sawmills we use, as well as the early trebuchet. Sadly, nopony saw his sketches for what they where, pieces of pure genius, and scolded him for them, and eventually, he was disowned by the Apple family. I never did hear of him again after that incident, I wonder what became of him. He was a very good friend of mine after all..." Celestia states, as she slowly falls into deep thought.

"Well...that's weird...but strangely neat at the same time...oh, do I have a cutie mark?! I can't really check with my clothes on... just give me a second!" I say, as I jump behind a bush on the side of the path, causing the group to stop.

"Why do you wear clothes anyway? Its not like we need them, and they look pretty lame too!" Rainbow Dash criticizes, as she floats lazily in the air.

"Well...you know how ponies have a coat, or fur, or whatever you call it, Humans don't, so we have to wear clothes to cover our more...private parts, and to keep warm...and I'll have you know, this was pretty decent looking before I came here!" I shout, casting a silent levitation charm on my clothes before jumping out from behind the bush. "What the blazes does this mean!?" I shout, pointing to the strange mark on rump. Everyone just stares before a minute, before Luna, of all people, quickly approaches me and starts to closely examine it.

"We believe your mark is very strange, the four-point star, in our time, usually represented unity, and in this case, the use of certain things, or traits, based on the color scheme, while the stars outside of the quad-star could be what is unified, but, we do not understand the color-scheme of any of the stars themselves, which is usually the main identification key used for these forms of Cutie Marks, so it could mean the unity of anything!" Luna hypothesizes, while contemplating my 'Cutie Mark'.

"I think I know what the main star represents...see, at my school there were...houses, sort of like separate dorms, in each house you live with a group of people, go to class with them, and eat with them during the school year, while the other houses where full of other people doing the same as you...the thing is, each house favors certain traits." I say, going into my fabled 'Professor' mode.

"There were four houses, Gryffindor, which was the home of the brave and noble, Slytherin, the lair of the cunning and ambitious. Then, there was Hufflepuff, the den of the loyal and just, and finally, there was the nest of Ravenclaw, where the witty and intelligent tend to gather." I lecture. going through a couple of motions, which grabs the full attention of everyone, even the Princesses.

"Now, this is relevant because each house use certain colors in their crests, a fierce red and gold, to a calming green and silver. A welcoming black and yellow, or a lovely blue and bronze. At the beginning of a student's first year, they are sorted into a house by a hat, the Sorting Hat, which sorts the student by looking at their personality, their dreams, and priorities. If they are cunning, they go to Slytherin, loyal, to Hufflepuff, and so on." I explain.

"In the year 1991, there was a boy, a famous boy, who was given a choice. The Sorting Hat gave him a choice between these four houses. You see, this boy was loyal, and witty...he was brave, yet cunning, and these four traits allowed to go whichever way he wanted to, he could've been a Slytherin, but the boys in the house were cruel, so he decided against that house. He could have chosen to be a Ravenclaw, but the feel of that house was full of isolation, something he feared greatly, so, he decided to not join the 'Claws. There was also the choice of being a Hufflepuff, but those in that house were often scorned and mocked, so he swayed to the only house he believed he would be best in, Gryffindor...he would often look back at the decision, and wonder...he would wonder if he had made the right choice, if choosing Gryffindor was the right decision..." I end morosely, thinking back to my first night of Hogwarts.

"Harry, who was this boy?" Twilight asks, breaking my reverie.

"...Nobody important" I say, a bit coldly. "Come on, it looks like the forest is getting thinner, must be close to this 'Ponyville' now." I say, speeding a bit ahead of the group, away from all of their knowing looks.