A Guide to Magic

by bookplayer

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Apple Bloom, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Spike
Length: 9086

Apple Bloom and Spike find out that opportunity isn't always easy when Apple Bloom is offered the chance to be the first non-unicorn to take the entrance exam at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.

Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns is the center of magical research in Equestria. Since Apple Bloom developed a love of potion making and an interest in the theory behind magic, she recognizes what an honor it would be to study there. But that would also mean being the only non-unicorn student to ever attend, leaving her friends and family, and moving to a strange city... and that's if she can pass an entrance exam designed to select the most magically gifted unicorns.

Spike has never wanted more than to be Twilight's number one assistant. But when Twilight points out that there's a pony right in front of him who needs an experienced assistant even more than she does, it means considering a life where he's making the most of his talents... but one without Twilight by his side.

For both of them, facing hard decisions are just part of growing up.

Second place winner for the April Writeoff Association prompt "Great Expectations."

Published 2015-04-29 19:20:03 UTC
Last updated 2015-04-29 19:20:03 UTC

Chapter 1

Apple Bloom had noticed something was going on for the past week, so by the time Applejack told her they were going to the castle to talk to Twilight, Apple Bloom was more curious than surprised. Applejack didn’t seem angry, but she did seem nervous, and that put Apple Bloom on edge. Maybe somepony was sick. Maybe she was sick. Maybe everypony was sick and there was a plague and they were all gonna die.

She decided that wasn’t it as they got to the castle. If anypony was sick they’d be going to the doctor, not Twilight. Unless it was a magic disease. As they walked through the castle, Apple Bloom wondered about magic diseases. If she wasn’t dying, she’d have to look that up at the next Twilight Time.

Twilight was waiting for them in the library. She smiled at Apple Bloom and motioned to the pillows sitting on the ground.

“Hi, Apple Bloom! How are you today?”

“I’m good, I think.” Apple Bloom flopped down on a pillow. Then she raised an eyebrow. “I ain’t dyin’ of some magic disease, am I?”

Twilight looked confused as she and Applejack sat down on the other two pillows. “No… why would you think that?”

Apple Bloom shrugged, relaxing a little. “Y’all are actin’ weird. The grown-ups, I mean. Everypony’s talkin’ to each other and shuttin’ up real fast when I come by. You been talkin’ to my family and Miss Cheerilee. AJ and Granny and Mac been talkin’ to each other. Then AJ was lookin’ worried on our way here.”

“As far as I know, you’re perfectly healthy.” Twilight smiled. “There is something we need to talk to you about, but it’s actually something good!”

“Maybe,” Applejack corrected Twilight.

Twilight nodded. “Right, something that might be good, which is totally up to you.”

Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes. “Okay… this ain’t gettin’ less weird. What’s goin’ on?”

Twilight smiled again, even larger than before, and her magic floated a stack of papers from her desk. “Well, you’ve been doing really well at potion making, and the things you’ve learned from our conversations about magic theory are very impressive. I talked to Cheerilee, and she said that you’re really good at math and science, and she thinks you could be even better with a more advanced class. I’ve also talked to your family and to Princess Celestia, and, well, I’d like to offer you a really amazing opportunity.”

“Twilight.” Applejack gave her another look.

“Well it is amazing. That doesn’t mean good,” Twilight insisted.

“She’s gotta decide,” Applejack said.

Twilight nodded. “She also needs to know how important this is.”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Will y’all tell me already?”

Twilight’s smile returned. It was getting darn close to a grin this time. “Yes! I’m sorry. Princess Celestia would like to invite you to be the first non-unicorn to take the entrance exam, and possibly attend, Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot!”

Apple Bloom blinked. “But… I ain’t a unicorn.”

“Obviously you would be excused from the classes on spell casting, and you wouldn’t be able to graduate as a Mage of Casting," Twilight admitted. "But you could learn all about magic theory, potions, history, math, and science, and there are lots of other degrees you could decide on later. You could make advances in the study of magic, or find ways to improve technology, discover new potions, expand our understanding of the great mages of the past… it’s all so exciting! I wish I could do it all over again!”

“What Twilight’s sayin’ is true,” Applejack said, looking Apple Bloom in the eye. “But you also gotta remember, you’d be all the way out in Canterlot, away from your family and friends. And you’d be the only pony there who ain’t a unicorn.”

“There are a few professors who are non-unicorns, ones who excelled in other fields to the point where they obviously had something to teach the students,” Twilight pointed out. “But Applejack is right, there’s never been a non-unicorn student.”

“I… don’t think I wanna do that.” Apple Bloom glanced between them, shifting on her pillow. “I mean, learnin’ about magic is fun, but… wouldn’t everypony be laughin’ at me?”

“Well, lil’ sis, some ponies might. You’d be different and there’s no ways around it,” Applejack said, her face softening. “But… there’s more to think about there, too.”

Twilight nodded. “Princess Celestia and I have talked for a long time about having non-unicorns in the school. Not only earth ponies, but pegasi and griffins and zebras. But we always knew it would take a special pony to be first, somepony with the interest and talent to succeed academically and the right attitude to enjoy it and not get bitter or frustrated.”

Applejack smiled at Apple Bloom. “You’re a lucky filly ‘cause you’re as smart as you are, and you’re friends with Twilight, so she could see that you could be that pony. Somepony’s gotta be first. And that pony is gonna have to be brave and tough and smart enough to show everypony that an earth pony can learn just as much as a unicorn.”

“What’s a pony gotta be like to be the second earth pony at the School for Unicorns?” Apple Bloom asked.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Well, I reckon she’d have to find somepony to go first.”

“You don’t need to decide now,” Twilight said with a gentle smile. “You need to think about this, a lot, and talk to other ponies. None of us will be disappointed in you, whatever you decide.”

Apple Bloom bit her lip. The idea of getting to learn about potions and magic sounded amazing, but everything else about it sounded like the worst thing ever. “Can Sweetie Belle go with me? She’s learnin’ magic.”

Twilight frowned. “She can try out if she wants, but… I don’t think she’d get in. She’s not interested in magic the way you are, and she doesn’t think the same way you do. I don’t think she’d like it there as much as you would.”

Apple Bloom’s ears drooped. “If I don’t go, can I still learn stuff with you?”

“Absolutely.” Twilight gave a firm nod. “Cheerilee and Zecora and I will teach you everything we can. But Zecora and I have lots of other ponies to help, and Cheerilee has lots of foals to teach. At the school, everypony there would be learning the same things you are, and all the teachers would be there just to help you succeed.”

Apple Bloom nodded and swallowed. Twilight looked serious, but her eyes were shining with hope. Applejack looked almost the same, but behind her eyes Apple Bloom could see the worry. “Will y’all really be just as proud of me if I don’t go?"

“Of course,” Twilight said quickly, but something behind her eyes changed.

Applejack hesitated, then said, “Sugarcube, if you think about this hard, we’ll be proud of you whatever you decide. The only wrong answer is jumpin’ to one without thinkin’ what you’re gettin’ into, or what you’re missin’ out on. But makin’ this decision the right way is a real grown-up thing, and if you do that, I’ll be proud to have a smart pony like you for my sister.”

Applejack’s expression didn’t change. Apple Bloom knew that was the truth, and it made her relax a little. She just had to be grown-up about this. She couldn’t decide things like a scared little foal, hiding under the bed as soon as somepony said ‘boo.’ They were giving her a real, adult decision to make like an adult. She put on her best mature expression that she practiced in the mirror and nodded.

“Okay then. I will consider your proposal. Do ya’ have any literature I can use to research the facts?”

Applejack raised her eyebrows and smirked, and Twilight just grinned. “I do. Here are some brochures, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me.”

The wagon behind Apple Bloom rattled on the shiny floors of the school, shaking the glasswear and ingredients inside. The wheels were probably loose from years of use over dirt roads and grassy paths. Why didn’t she think to tighten them? She was going to look like a small town farmpony, and she couldn’t, she just couldn’t let the judges think that. Ponies who weren’t even born yet were counting on her to make the best impression anypony ever made here. Not to mention that was the only way she was going to get to see that amazing potions lab in the brochures.

“Don’t worry,” Spike said, patting her back. “I made sure everything is packed so it won’t break.”

Apple Bloom tried to smile back. “Thanks.”

“Just take a deep breath, Apple Bloom. You’ll be just fine,” Twilight assured her.

Applejack nodded. “You just gotta focus and do your best, sugarcube. That’s all a pony can do.”

Apple Bloom tried, she really did. She took a breath. She focused on the potions she’d studied, going over each one carefully in the order she’d decided to memorize them. Nopony knew what the entrance exam would be this year, even Twilight, and she wouldn’t have told Apple Bloom if she did. Twilight and Princess Celestia had agreed that what Apple Bloom could do with potions was about the same as what a talented unicorn her age could do with magic, so the only concession on the test was that she could bring her supplies and make a potion from memory.

Twilight said the test wasn’t even about what a pony could do, some years they gave the foals things that would be unsolvable for a foal of their level just to see how they handled it. Magical power was important, but so was knowledge, resourcefulness, and ‘the ability to present an appropriate academic demeanor.’ Apple Bloom knew she didn’t have magic, and she never would, so she’d have to really blow them away with the last ones.

The wheel on her wagon squeaked loudly behind her, breaking her concentration. She cringed and wondered why she ever thought this was a good idea.

Spike was at the kitchen table and just about to dig into a bowl of juicy amethyst when Twilight stuck her head into the kitchen.

“Hey, Spike, do you have a minute to talk?”

Spike popped a gem into his mouth and chomped it with a loud crunch. “Sure. What’s up, Twilight?”

Twilight floated the bowl away from Spike and smiled. “It’s kind of important. You can finish those in a little bit.”

“What’s attacking Equestria this time?” Spike asked, rolling his eyes.

She laughed, sitting down across from him at the table. “Nothing. It’s not that important. It’s just, I know how you feel about being my assistant, and I know you get worried that I don’t need you anymore. You know nothing could be further from the truth. You’re an amazing assistant.”

“I’m liking this so far…” Spike leaned back in his chair. “Keep going.”

“I want you to know that what I’m about to ask you is a question, not an order. It’s your decision, all the way, and I won’t be disappointed, whatever you decide,” Twilight’s face had subtly fallen to a more serious expression.

Spike glanced at her nervously, frowning. “I like this part less. Can we go back to how great I am?”

“It is about how great you are, actually.” Twilight looked him in the eye. “Spike, have you ever considered that you could really help other ponies with your talent as an assistant?”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Uh, that’s what I do with my talent. I help you. And sometimes Rarity.”

Twilight nodded. “And we both appreciate it. But there are ponies out there who might need your help even more. I just talked to Apple Bloom about going to Princess Celestia’s School. She’s thinking about it, but everypony is a little worried. She’s never lived away from home before, and she’d be the only earth pony at the school, on top of having more to study than she’s had in her life… it could be really hard.”

“I’ll say.” Spike raised his eyebrows. “I mean, you were from Canterlot, and it was your dream to go there, and you still needed me to—” His eyebrows fell and his eyes narrowed as the pieces fell into place. “Wait a minute.”

“If you ever wanted a chance to use what you’re best at to really help somepony who needs it, I think this would be a good time,” Twilight suggested gently. “You know your way around the city, and there’s nopony more useful than you for helping with studying. And you’d be somepony she knows and trusts, a friend in a scary place.”

Spike felt himself tense, and his eyes darted around the room. His stomach felt strange, and he wanted to swallow the whole bowl of gems at once to make it feel right. But Twilight was looking at him, waiting for him to say something.

“I— I don’t know. What will you do? You need me here.”

She smiled. “You know that I do. But I’m a grown-up pony, and I have the girls and Owlowiscious and my magic. Apple Bloom needs an assistant like you way more than I do right now. If you wanted to go with her, I’d get by as best I could, and I’d be happy because I’d know that you were helping a friend who needs you even more than I do.”

Spike thought about it and shook his head slowly. “Wow, Apple Bloom doesn’t even have magic. How’s she gonna get books down in the library and stuff?”

“If you don’t go she can always ask the librarians for help, or find a stepladder.” Twilight pointed out. “She’s a smart little filly. This is as much about you as it is her.”

“I get why Apple Bloom needs an assistant, but if you still need me, why not find somepony else for her? Why is this about me?” Spike asked.

“You’re growing up. You’re one my best friends and my very best assistant, but... sometimes a pony, or a dragon, likes to stand on his own,” Twilight said. “If you ever wanted to prove to yourself how important you could be to somepony and not just take my word on it, this would give you a chance.”

“I trust you!” Spike said quickly. “And I totally know I’m important. I have a statue.”

Twilight nodded. “It’s an amazing thing to help save a kingdom, and you’re very important. But sometimes it’s nice to know in your day-to-day life that you’re really contributing something to the world, just by using your talents and skills.”

“I’m… saving my talents and skills. For something really important. You know, I don’t wanna unleash them on Equestria all at once,” Spike smirked, then glanced to make sure Twilight was buying it.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t only be helping a good friend, you know. You’d be doing something important at Princess Celestia’s, helping to make sure the first non-unicorn student succeeds and thrives. That could go down in history.”

Spike shrugged. “It’s important, sure, but is it really—”

“Spike, if you don’t want to go, just say so.” Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile. “I’m not going to be disappointed.”

“I… don’t want to go,” Spike said cautiously.

“Okay.” Twilight floated the bowl of amethysts back over to Spike. “If you change your mind, just let me know.”

As Twilight left, Spike looked down at the gemstones. He wasn’t really hungry anymore. Something felt wrong, even though clearly everything was perfect. He was going to stay here, where Twilight and Rarity needed him, and everypony was cool with that. He wondered if he might be getting sick. Dragons didn’t get pony diseases, but they could probably catch magic diseases.

He left his lunch on the table and went to go look that up.

Spike tried to let himself relax as they walked through the halls of the School for Gifted Unicorns. It helped that everything about it felt familiar, right down to the nearly shaking pony walking next to him, wound so tight she might burst into tears or kick her wagon of supplies against the wall. But what helped more was years of training. It was his job to be calm.

“Spike, did I bring the poison joke extract? I thought about it, but I don’t remember puttin’ it in, and what if they ask me to shrink somethin’ real small?”

Spike smiled. “You asked me twice already, and it’s still in there.”

Apple Bloom nodded, but just a few seconds later she said, “What about the—”

“Zap apple seeds are there too. Rainbow Dash got you enough rainbow to paint the room, Zecora brought you half the Everfree Forest, and Fluttershy made sure you have hair of every animal under the sun. And I labeled it all myself.” His smile grew to a grin, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Twilight smiling at them.

“Thanks, Spike.” Apple Bloom gave a quick smile and leaned against him.

He gave her a friendly nudge. “No problem. The smartest ponies are always a mess over stuff like this.”

“Hey!” Twilight said behind him.

“Well, I sure am a mess right now. I reckon you’re about all that’s holdin’ me together.” Apple Bloom gave him another quick smile.

“That’s why I’m here.” Spike said, puffing up a little.

The truth was that under it all, he was more nervous than he’d ever let on. He knew Apple Bloom was smart, and he knew that she was as prepared as a pony had ever been for a test. They’d gone over dozens of possibilities, and she had a plan for all of them and the materials to get it done. But he also knew everything that was riding on this, the things she’d let herself dream for the future, the place in history she would secure if she passed, and the chance for him to be part of that. He hadn’t known how much he wanted that, he’d never even thought that he could do this again, but now he found himself mentally triple checking the checklist to make sure he’d done everything he could.

Everything else was on Apple Bloom’s little shoulders, and he knew that the best thing he could do for both of them was to try to help her forget that. Not that it ever worked, but he could try.

Chapter 2

“Oh come on, Applejack will never let you leave Ponyville!” Scootaloo said, rolling her eyes.

“AJ wants me to think about it,” Apple Bloom said, frowning at the brochure laid on the table. She’d looked at it all last night, practically memorized it and studied all of the pictures, and she was no closer to coming to a decision, so she’d gathered her friends in the clubhouse to help her.

Scoots shook her head. “Okay, well first we need to deal with whoever brainwashed Applejack.”

“No, I think I understand,” Sweetie Belle said. She looked at Apple Bloom. “This is a big thing, isn’t it?”

“Real big,” Apple Bloom agreed. “I’d be the first pony to ever go there who wasn’t a unicorn. And it’s been around about 600 years, accordin’ to the brochure.”

Scoots looked at the brochure, then pointed at a picture. “Those ponies look too happy. You can’t go to some school with creepy, happy unicorns.”

Sweetie frowned. “Hey, I’m happy!”

“But you’re not creepy happy,” Scoots explained. “Like, look at this. They’re doing homework happy. Nopony does homework happy.”

“Isn’t this where Twilight went to school? I bet she did homework happy,” Sweetie shot back.

Scoots rolled her eyes. “But Apple Bloom doesn’t!”

“She likes Twilight Time.”

“But that’s different.”

Apple Bloom broke in, “Twilight said I’d get to learn about the same stuff as I do with her, but more.”

“But you wouldn’t be in Ponyville.” Scoots waved her forehooves. “We’d literally never see you again!"

“You mean figuratively,” Sweetie corrected. “Literally means ‘really.’”

“But everypony uses it to mean 'not really,'” Scoots said.

Sweetie rolled her eyes. “Then everypony uses it wrong.”

“The meaning of words can change. Like how ‘cool’ used to mean ‘cold,’ and now it means ‘like Rainbow Dash.’”

“You guys, this ain’t helpin!” Apple Bloom frowned. “Applejack said everypony wants me to decide this like a grown-up.”

“And you should.” Sweetie nodded. “Getting to go to school in Canterlot is an important decision.”

“And so is leaving behind all of your friends and family and being the only earth pony there. It’d be like not having your cutie mark forever!” Scootaloo pointed out, her eyes wide.

“But, what if this is how she’s supposed to get her cutie mark?” Sweetie asked.

Scoots frowned. “How would that do her any good if she’s still totally different and not as good as everypony?"

Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes. “I can be as good as everypony! I mean, I can’t cast spells, but maybe I can be better than them at potions or math or knowin’ stuff!”

“Apple Bloom…” Scoots walked over and wrapped a foreleg around her. “What you’re talking about doing is like if I wanted to move to Cloudsdale and go to flight school… ponies are going to notice, and they’re not going to be nice about it.” Scoots looked into the distance and narrowed her eyes. “We’re both as good as everypony else, but… maybe Ponyville is the place to be that way, where there are all types of ponies and everypony knows us.”

“That… makes sense,” Apple Bloom said, looking down at her hooves. “Twilight said I could still learn stuff here.”

Scoots gave her a pat on the shoulder. “See? It’s the perfect place for you.”

“I reckon it is…” Apple Bloom nodded.

“That’s dumb,” Sweetie said, frowning. “You don’t even know it is! What if that school is the perfect place for you?”

Scoots mouth dropped open. “Sweetie Belle, do you want Apple Bloom to leave us forever?”

“No, but I want Apple Bloom to get her cutie mark.” She stomped a forehoof on the table. “Are we the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or the Cutie Mark Sit-Arounders?’

“That’s not even a word.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “You can’t just add ‘er’ to the end of something and make it something you are.”

Sweetie ignored Scoots and talked to Apple Bloom instead. “Crusading is like adventuring. And sometimes it might be scary, but you have to do scary things to find your special talent. Maybe Canterlot is the perfect place for you. Maybe that’s where your special talent is. This could be destiny, and you’re going to stay in Ponyville because you’re scared?”

“I… I dunno!” Apple Bloom buried her face in a forehoof. “I feel like whatever I do is gonna be wrong! This is the worst thing that ever happened to me.”

“What about that time you got, like, a million fake cutie marks?” Scoots suggested.

“Or the time you almost got eaten by a chimera?” Sweetie added.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “If I stay here I might never get my cutie mark, and I’ll never get to learn all that stuff, and some other earth pony’s gonna have to be the first one to go to that school someday. If I go, everypony’s gonna make fun of me, and I’m gonna have to be better than everypony just for them to see I’m good enough, and I’ll never get to see you guys or my family again!”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were silent, their eyes wide.

Apple Bloom sighed and the energy drained out of her. “How am I supposed to decide something like this?”

After a moment, Scootaloo spoke up, “It’s easy, you should stay home.”

“No, you should go!”

“Stay!”

“Go!”

“Stay!”

“Go!”

Apple Bloom sat down at the table and rested her face on the cool, smooth wood.

Apple Bloom came to a hallway where other foals and their parents were waiting outside the hall where the tests were taking place. There were about a dozen unicorn colts and fillies looking at flash cards, or being fussed over by their parents, or with their muzzles buried in books. Just about all of them wore expressions of dread and panic, so Apple Bloom felt right at home.

She parked her little cart against a wall, out of the way, and unhooked herself. Twilight and Applejack seemed to have attracted some attention and had fallen into conversation with a few grown-up ponies. So, Apple Bloom turned to look for Spike and smiled when he was right next to her.

“Can we go over the recipes one more time?”

“Yup! Lemme get the cards.” He turned to dig around in the cart.

A unicorn filly looked at them, her head cocked to the side. She looked at the cart, then back to Apple Bloom. “Are you here to bring the judges lunch?”

Apple Bloom felt the blood drain from her face. “I— I’m here to take the test.”

“By royal invitation,” Spike’s voice came from over her shoulder. She glanced back and he was holding her flash cards and glaring at the unicorn filly.

“You’re an earth pony,” the filly pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

Apple Bloom found the strength to fix the girl with a flat look. “You’re kiddin’.”

“So why do you want to go to Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns?” she asked.

“I can make potions, and Twilight’s been teachin’ me about the parts of magic, subthaumatic theory and resonance interactions… she said I could learn a bunch here.” Apple Bloom shrugged.

The filly raised her eyebrows. “That’s really advanced stuff.” Then she tossed her mane and turned away. “You’re weird.”

Apple Bloom turned to Spike, who was still glaring at the back of the girl’s head. She sighed. “Well that’s a nice way of talkin’ to a pony you might be goin’ to school with.”

“Just ignore her.” Spike said, loud enough for the girl to hear. “She probably won’t even get in. I’ve got your recipes, let’s go over them again.”

The sun was getting low in the sky when Apple Bloom made her way home from the clubhouse. As she walked through the orchard, she tried to imagine not walking through the orchard; walking home across the hooficured lawns of the School for Gifted Unicorns to a dinner not made by Granny. It was hard to imagine, a life like that didn’t seem real, it seemed like she’d be a character in a story or a movie. She tried to decide if it was a good story or a bad one, but it could be either. She started to suspect that grown-ups must make decisions like this by flipping a coin, because nothing she did got her any closer to knowing what she should do.

She heard the scraping of heavy bushels being loaded onto a cart and trotted over a few rows to see Applejack cleaning up her work for the night. Apple Bloom leaned against a tree.

“You’re really okay with me goin’ to Canterlot by myself?” she said.

Applejack didn’t look away from her work, bumping another bushel on the cart. “If that’s what you wanna do.”

“Just last year you wouldn’t let me stay here for a day,” Apple Bloom pointed out.

Applejack nodded as she trotted over to the next bushel. “I ain’t sayin’ it won’t be hard. It took me a bit to get used to the idea.”

“So why’re you okay with it now?” Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head.

“‘Cause I thought about everythin’.” Applejack finally looked over at her. “I listened to Twilight and Granny and Mac. And I thought about how I’d worry about you every darn day. And I thought about how someday you’ll be a grown-up pony, and you might not wanna stay here anyhow, and how I’ll worry about you when that day comes.” She bent down and loaded another bushel onto her back, turning back to the cart. “It wasn’t an easy thing to think about, but in the end I knew that givin’ you the chance to decide was what was best for you.”

“Thanks.” Apple Bloom tried to keep the sarcasm from her voice.

“You havin’ trouble?” Applejack raised an eyebrow at her.

“This is awful. Scootaloo thinks I oughta stay here, and Sweetie Belle thinks I oughta go, and there’s bad things and good things either way!” Apple Bloom sighed. “What would you do?”

Applejack thought for a moment. “When I was your age, I went off to Manehattan by myself. Of course, I also came right back home.” She glanced over at Apple Bloom. “Which, I oughta remind you, you can always do. Nopony will think less of you.”

“Except if the very first earth pony to go to Princess Celestia’s drops out, how’s that gonna look?” Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow.

Applejack paused. “I reckon now I oughta tell you you gotta make this decision for yourself and not worry about other ponies…” She smiled sadly. “But Apples ain’t real good at that. When we let other ponies down, we let ourselves down. And you’re an Apple right off the tree, lil’ sis.”

Apple Bloom looked down at where the roots of the tree snaked through the green grass. “Can’t you just tell me what to do?”

“I can’t, sugarcube. I wish I could, but I can’t,” Applejack said.

They were quiet for a few moments as Applejack went back to work and Apple Bloom felt the rough bark of the three scratching her coat.

Finally Applejack finished and hooked herself into the cart. “So, you really like this magic stuff?”

“Yeah, it’s neat.” Apple Bloom nodded, walking with Applejack as they made their way back to the barn. “There’s magic all over the place, with different kinds of resonance. So, like, earth pony magic is one kinda thaum, and pegasus magic is another kind, and the magic in plants is the same kind as earth pony magic, and the kind in clouds is the same kind as pegasi have. Then there’s some stuff that’s not about types of ponies, like rainbow’s a different kinda magic all together, and it’s really unstable. It’s sometimes the same as pegasus magic and sometime it ain’t, which is why a sonic rainboom’s so hard to do…. you ain’t listenin’.”

“Oh, I’m listenin’.” Applejack scrunched up her face. “I just get kinda lost when you’re talkin’ about thems—”

“Thaums.”

Applejack nodded. “Yeah, that stuff.”

Apple Bloom sighed. It took forever to make Applejack or Big Mac understand stuff like this. “I can explain it better.”

“I know ya’ can, sugarcube.” Applejack looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. “But, do you really wanna?”

“I…” Apple Bloom frowned.

Applejack leaned over and gave her a nuzzle. “Why don’t you think about that and get washed up for supper?”

“Okay.” Apple Bloom left Applejack, occasionally glancing back as she walked towards the house.

“A shrinking potion,” Spike read.

Apple Bloom looked at the ceiling. “Simmer the poison joke extract. Add two zap apple seeds. Mix with four ounces of water and bring the water to a boil, stirrin’ it with a stalk of wheat.”

“Yup! Corroding oil.”

She took a breath. Was it pepper oil, or lemon oil? It must be pepper, pepper burned more. “Soak rust scrapin’s in pepper oil for five minutes, then strain the oil through ground obsidian— Spike, do I have the ground obsidian?”

Spike nodded. “A whole bottle.”

“Okay,” Apple Bloom breathed a sigh of relief. “Strain it through obsidian and make sure ya’ don’t drop it, cause that’ll leave a mark on the floor.”

Spike chuckled. “Yeah, better not bang up the room too much. The judges might not like it.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes went wide. “Spike, what if somethin’ explodes?”

He shrugged. “The rooms all have fire extinguishers.”

“Well, at least I won’t burn down the school when I fail.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.

Spike walked over next to her. “You’re not going to fail.”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “The test is gonna be somethin’ I don’t know a potion for. I know it.”

“Okay.” Spike set down the flash cards and folded his arms. “So what do you do then?”

“Give up and go home?” Apple Bloom asked hopefully.

Spike frowned. “I thought you wanted to get into Princess Celestia’s School.”

“I do!” Apple Bloom insisted.

Spike raised an eyebrow.

Apple Bloom looked at him and swallowed a lump in her throat. Then she nodded. “I look at what it is, and I look at what I got, and I… figure somethin’ out. If it don’t work, they’ll see that I tried everythin’ I could think.”

“Yup.” Spike grinned. “You could also pray for a sonic rainboom. I hear that works too.”

“Heya, Spike.”

Spike was on his way back to the castle, a paper bundle under his arm with quills for Twilight. He hadn’t really been avoiding Apple Bloom, he didn’t usually see her enough to avoid her, but as soon as he heard her voice he cringed.

“Hi Apple Bloom!” he said over his shoulder. “Um… how’s it going?”

She trotted up next to him. “I wanted to ask ya’ some questions, if you got a minute.”

“What kind of questions?” he asked, glancing around and speeding his pace, hoping he could get back to the castle before he had to answer too many.

“About Canterlot,” Apple Bloom said, keeping up easily. “Like, what kinda place is it, and are the ponies there friendly?"

“Canterlot is awesome.”

“It is?” Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at him.

Spike nodded and slowed down. “Yeah. Think of it like Ponyville, except instead of one Sugarcube Corner, there are ten. And instead of market stalls, there are shops for everything, like toys and comic books. And there are movie theaters and plays and concerts. It’s a really cool place.”

“And the ponies there?” she asked.

“They’re friendly.” He smiled. “They even tried to make friends with Twilight, but… she wasn’t very good at it then. But you’re great at making friends, I know you won’t have any trouble.”

Apple Bloom just frowned. “Even if I’m the only earth pony, and I don’t know nopony, and I talk different, and I don’t have a cutie mark?”

The smile fell from Spike’s face. “I guess it might be harder, in that case…”

Apple Bloom sighed. “I kinda figured. The brochure looks so neat, ya’ know? All these pictures of colts and fillies laughin’ together and makin’ potions and learnin’ stuff, and they all look real happy. And it talks about the new buildin’s for magical engineering and the professors who seem to know everythin’ about everythin’. But all the foals in those pictures are unicorns, and I feel like… that ain’t how it’d go for me, ya’ know?”

“I get it.” Spike nodded, then looked at her. She looked really worried, and he reached out and patted her shoulder. “And, I mean, that’s not really how it goes for anypony. I’ve been in those classrooms, nopony was ever that happy. They were always worried about a test, or sleepy because they stayed up all night playing games or studying. But there were cool times, too…”

She looked at him with hope peeking through her frown.

He went on, “I don’t think it would be like in those pictures. And it might be harder for you than for other ponies. But I do think there are ponies there who’ll be your friends, and I think you’d get to have some of those cool times, if you relaxed and let yourself without worrying.”

She smiled and snorted. “Sometimes I think all I ever do is worry.”

Spike grinned. “I’ve known ponies like that. They just need friends to snap them out of it.”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow, still smiling. “So I’ve gotta not worry to make friends, and friends will help me not worry? That don’t sound real useful.”

He nodded. “I guess it would be pretty hard for you, at first. But it would get better.”

“It’s just more to think about.” She sighed and shook her head. “There’s so much to think about, ya’ know? I made a list last night. There’s twenty different things I gotta keep in my mind all at once while I figure this out!”

“It’s a big decision. Bigger than anything I ever had to decide.” Spike looked up. They were approaching the castle. He’d been looking forward to lunch, but it didn’t seem that appetizing all of a sudden.

Apple Bloom glanced at the castle, then smiled at him. “Well, I appreciate your tellin’ me about Canterlot.”

“Yeah. No problem. I wish I could help… more.”

She trotted away, and he went inside, wishing that ponies would stop making him feel like this right before meals.

At regular intervals the hallway went quiet as the door opened, and a professor Spike vaguely recognized stuck his head out and called a name.

Finally the gray unicorn stallion called out, “Apple Bloom.”

Between the look on her face and the pale color, Spike was pretty impressed that she didn’t faint. But she also didn’t move until he gave her a nudge towards her cart. She fixed it around herself, fumbling with the latch, and then took a deep, shaky breath.

“We’re all gonna be right there, sugarcube,” Applejack said, running a hoof over her sister’s mane.

“And everything you need is in the cart. And you got every single recipe right,” Spike pointed out.

Apple Bloom nodded and walked into the lecture hall, followed by Spike, Twilight, and Applejack.

Inside were rows of seats going up like a theater, with the empty space of a stage at the bottom. Up towards the top sat three unicorns: the gray stallion Spike vaguely recognized, a younger looking brown mare who must be new, and a blue mare named Candlebright, who he knew pretty well as the Dean of Students; he’d delivered a lot of messages from Twilight to her in their time here. The stage level was empty, except for a large chest.

The three judges watched Apple Bloom with raised eyebrows as she pulled her cart over, unhooked herself, and stood next to the chest. Then they looked over at the ponies there to support her and started whispering.

After a few moments they nodded.

“Apple Bloom?” Dean Candlebright said.

“Yes, ma’am. Um, Princess Celestia said I could use my potion makin’ equipment for the test?” She nodded to the cart.

“We have that in our notes.” Dean Candlebright nodded. “Please try to open that chest without damaging it and retrieve the crystal inside.”

Spike bit his lip as Apple Bloom stared at the chest, then shot him the most pitiful look he’d ever seen in his life. He understood and swallowed a lump in his throat. They both knew that nothing Apple Bloom had studied that would open a locked chest without messing it up.

Chapter 3

Spike wasn’t feeling much better that evening when he found Twilight in the library. “Want me to make you dinner? I’m not hungry.”

She looked up and blinked, then rolled her eyes. “Spike, I told you five times you do not have stomach chill. I don’t think dragons can get stomach chill. You breathe fire.”

“I know,” Spike sighed. “It’s not that. I just… talked to Apple Bloom today.”

“About her decision?” Twilight cocked her head and set down her book.

“Yeah, she wanted to know about Canterlot. So I told her…” Spike frowned. “Twilight, I know you need me here, but could we maybe get somepony else to be Apple Bloom's assistant? She really seems like she’s going to need help.”

Twilight raised her eyebrows. “What makes you say that?”

Spike shrugged. “She worries a lot. Even if she decides to go, well… it’s like when you worry. You’re just not as good at stuff, and that’s when you need me the most.”

“You’re right. I guess I could look for another assistant for her, but that pony would still be a stranger.” Twilight sighed.

“Yeah…” Spike nodded and sat down next to Twilight. “Why does this make me feel so bad? Everypony else is worried about Apple Bloom, but, I mean, I don’t even feel like eating because of it.”

“I have an idea about that…” Twilight looked at him. “If a pony asked ‘who is Spike?’ what do you think other ponies would say?”

Spike smiled. “Twilight Sparkle’s number one assistant.”

Twilight raised her eyebrows. “What if I wasn’t around? Then who would you be?”

Spikes face fell. He started to feel tense, and he looked around the room nervously, fiddling with his claws. He noticed books he should straighten, and a ball of dust under the desk he really should be--

“Spike,” she said softly. “This is important. Who would you be?”

Spike swallowed and made himself look at her. “Some… dragon? Who likes comic books, and food?”

“I think you’re wrong.” Twilight gave him a nuzzle. “And I think you were wrong about your first answer. You’re not just my number one assistant, you’re a personal assistant. If you were a pony, I think that would be your special talent. You don’t need me for that, in fact a lot of the time you don’t even get to do the best job that you can here. But then you see Apple Bloom, and you see someplace you really could do your best.” She smiled at him. “It’s like when I see a magic puzzle, or when Rainbow Dash hears about a race. It calls to you.”

Spike blinked. “You think that I have a real special talent? Like, a cutie mark?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes. I don’t think dragons usually have them, but I think you’re a special dragon.” Then her smile turned wistful. “But, one thing everypony knows about special talents is that you’re always happiest when you follow them.”

“Yeah…” Spike frowned and looked up at Twilight. She was smiling, she wasn’t sending him away. But she was all he’d ever known for his whole life, and now…

She cuddled him close. “That’s why I think you should go, Spike. I thought about it when I was talking to Applejack, before we told Apple Bloom. She had a really hard time with the idea. She loves Apple Bloom, and she cares about her, and that won’t ever change. But she wants Apple Bloom to have the best life she can, even if it means she has to be out there and not at home with her. And I realized, I feel the same way about you.”

Spike hugged Twilight and closed his eyes. “I… care about you too.”

“I love you, Spike. You’re my family.” She smiled. “But… I don’t think it’s really fair to call you a baby dragon anymore.”

“Thanks, Twilight.” Spike said, smiling back. He felt… hungry. And a little excited, he really wanted to talk to Apple Bloom. But he was mostly hungry. “So does that mean I can have ice cream for dinner?”

Twilight raised her eyebrow.

“In a totally grown-up way.”

Twilight shook her head.

Spike crossed his arms. “You know, in Canterlot there’ll be nopony to stop me from eating ice cream for dinner…”

Spike glanced at Twilight. She was just standing there, smiling her encouragement towards Apple Bloom. But that wasn’t going to be enough.

This wasn’t fair. He looked up at the judges, and wondered if somepony planned this. He knew that Princess Celestia would never let something like that happen. But somepony might have slipped it by if they wanted to make sure Apple Bloom didn’t get in. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that the tests weren’t always supposed to be fair; Twilight’s test had been to hatch his egg, and nopony expected a foal to be able to do it. Twilight had done it, with the help of a sonic rainboom, but other foals got in that year just based on how they had tried.

He felt like he was that egg again, but this time he was watching from the outside, hoping there was some way for Apple Bloom to hatch it so he could be her assistant, and they could prove to anypony who even thought about keeping her out that she could be one of the best students they’d ever seen.

But she couldn’t do it, and this time it was his fault. He’d failed her. Apple Bloom didn’t have raw power like Twilight, she needed to be prepared, and it was his job to make sure she was. Twilight said it was his special talent. Some special talent, if he was that bad at it. He’d do anything if it would make it right. He’d fight a dragon… well, another, much bigger dragon. He’d jump out on that stage and tell everypony how great she was, and tell them this wasn’t fair, if he thought that would help. But it would just mess things up more.

She just had to do something, anything. She had to show them she wouldn’t give up. She had to, for both of them.

The sun was setting and Apple Bloom was sitting on a hill overlooking Sweet Apple Acres, thinking. She’d thought so much in the past week she thought her brain was going to dissolve. That would make things easier, at least. It occurred to her that maybe that was why grown-ups drank hard cider, and it didn’t seem fair that she had to make a grown-up decision before she was even allowed to have any.

As she was thinking, she heard somepony huffing and puffing up the hill. She glanced over and saw Spike coming towards her.

“Heya,” she said.

“Hey… I’ve been looking… all over… for you. This… is a big… farm.” He finally made it to where she was sitting and plopped down.

She smiled as he caught his breath. “You get used to it. You oughta get out and exercise more.”

He scrunched up his face. “That would cut into my food and comics time.”

Apple Bloom giggled. “Well, I reckon that’s another thing about a farm. Food is all over the place. Want an apple?”

“Nah. I just wanted to talk to you.” Spike took a deep breath. “I wanted to ask if you want me to go to Canterlot with you as your assistant. Like I was for Twilight when she was in school.”

Apple Bloom’s mouth fell open. “You’d do that for me?”

Spike took a deep breath, then he grinned. "Yeah. And I’ll show you all around Canterlot, and I’ll help you study, and you’ll always have a friend, right there. And we can come back to Ponyville whenever we have time.”

“But... why?”

Spike shrugged. “I like helping ponies. And you need my help, so… it’s what I want to do. Why do you want to study magic?”

“It’s fun. And… it’s important. It holds the whole world together, and there’s so much nopony even knows ‘bout it. And Princess Celestia’s School is where ponies are actually puttin’ it together. I could be part of that someday. I could find new potions, or write new spells, or unlock the resonance access for earth pony magic so we could direct it and use it on purpose…” She smiled. “Look at me, talkin’ big when I don’t even know if I wanna go.”

“Are you sure you don’t know?” Spike smiled and raised an eyebrow.

Apple Bloom looked at the farmhouse with a nervous smile. “Ya’ know, Applejack said I was a lucky pony. I reckon she’s right. I got a great family, amazin’ friends who all care about me, I got a chance to do something fun that nopony’s ever done before, and be in a neat city, and have somepony there I know I can depend on. Other ponies ain’t gonna have that. They might get some of it, but I got it all. I guess that means… I oughta give it a shot.”

She looked over at Spike. “That sounds like some grown-up thinkin’, right?”

Spike nodded. “More grown-up than a lot of grown-up ponies I know.”

“Good.” Apple Bloom smiled for real. It felt like the first time in days. “I’ll tell my family this evenin’ and go talk to Twilight tomorrow.”

Spike smiled back. “Great. So, I guess now you’ve just gotta study for the entrance exam.”

The smile slowly melted from Apple Bloom’s face as her stomach started to twist. She sat frozen like that for a few long minutes.

“Apple Bloom?” Spike asked, his brows furrowed in worry.

Apple Bloom just flopped back in the grass and groaned. “Now I gotta worry about that exam!”

Apple Bloom closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then she opened them and studied the chest. It was covered in leather, with brass fittings on the corners, brass hinges on the back, and big padlock on the front. She could make a corroding potion, that might open the lock, but it would probably hurt the chest in the process. She could easily buck the darn lock off the chest, but that would definitely hurt the chest.

Everything she could think of would hurt the chest. This just wasn’t something a pony could do with a potion. If she was a unicorn, maybe she could use some kind of magical lock picking, but… she wasn’t a unicorn.

Which was the problem when it came down to it. She was crazy, thinking she belonged here. She looked over at Applejack and Twilight and Spike again. All three were trying to smile, to help her feel better, but it just made her feel worse. They knew she couldn’t do this, why was everypony pretending she could? What good did that do anypony? She was wasting the judges time, and everypony would probably just laugh about how an earth pony tried to pass the entrance exam at Princess Celestia’s and couldn’t think of a thing to do for it.

She looked at her useless wagon and thought about bucking that. It wouldn’t open the chest, but the glass and potion ingredients would make a really satisfying crash. But that would be mean, somepony would have to clean it up, and Spike spent all that time packing it for her.

She shook her head and walked over to the wagon. She took out the list of ingredients and objects Spike had packed. Maybe she’d accidentally put a set of lockpicks on the list. Not that they would help much, her experiences as part of Cutie Mark Crusaders: Locksmiths would attest to that. But she wouldn’t be standing there like an idiot.

The list was full of the things she’d need to make potions. Different plants and scrapings and oils, bottles and fittings, a burner for heating things, and the tools to put them all together. There was no potion that could help her now, but as her eyes scanned the list they landed on something… she shouldn’t have needed it, but Spike probably added it just in case the fittings on the stands that held the bottles came loose. She wished she knew about it earlier, she would have fixed that darn wagon.

She looked over at him, he was biting his lip and his claws were in fists, he didn’t even try to smile at her.

So she grinned at him instead. She dropped the list and quickly trotted around the chest, nodded to herself, and started pulling out ingredients to make a potion.

It only took Apple Bloom a few minutes to put together her equipment and mix up the potion, and then it was just a matter of letting it set. While she waited, she went back to her cart and found the screwdriver.

She calmly trotted over to the chest and unscrewed the hinges on the back, being careful not to scratch the brass or leather. She opened it just wide enough for her hoof to fit inside so that she didn’t bend the latch on the front. She felt around until she found the gemstone and slid it up the side and out of the box. Then she carefully screwed the hinges back on and set the gem on top of the chest.

The judges were just staring at her, and she felt herself blush.

“I… uh… didn’t know a potion that would open the box. But I got the gem out anyways.”

The judges were quiet, but she saw them look towards the potion she was making.

“Oh, yeah. It didn’t feel fair to do a magic test with a screwdriver. So, I made ya’ a plant growin’ potion too, for your gardens or houseplants or what have ya’. It’s a real good one, just don’t use more than three drops at a time unless you got a whole lotta ponies to feed.”

The judges raised their eyebrows. Then the blue mare smiled and said, “Thank you, Apple Bloom. You’ll be receiving the results in a few days.”

Apple Bloom nodded and put on her mature, serious face. “Thank ya’ kindly, folks.” Then she packed up her things, hitched up her wagon, and trotted towards the door.

Soon as they got outside, Applejack grinned and hugged her tight. “Apple Bloom, I am so proud of ya’! I dunno if ya’ passed the test, but that kinda thinkin’ is a darn useful thing anywhere.”

“I know I didn’t know a spell that would pick a lock when I took my test, but I knew one that would undo screws. You did exactly what I would have done.” Twilight grinned and wrapped her wings around the sisters.

“I guess you could say you were really… thinking outside the box! Huh? Get it?” Spike waggled his eyebrows.

“Spike! That’s awful.” Apple Bloom said, giggling.

Spike grinned. “Well, I guess you’re gonna have to get used to it.”

Apple Bloom walked over and nuzzled him. “Ya’ know, I’m lookin’ forward to it.”

Author's Note

Thanks to Merc The Jerk, First_Down, and the members of the Writeoff Association for their input and suggestions!

Update 5/2/15: Yes, I am planning a sequel!