The train station was crowded, packed full to bursting with ponies, many of whom pushed and shoved to make their way through the crowd. It seemed that everypony who was anypony was here today at the train station. Overhead, pegasi circled, many of them news reporters, and their cameras were at the ready.

As the train came to halt, there was a collective murmur from the crowd. The circling pegasi swooped down and something almost resembling a cheer erupted from the gathered mob. When the train came to a complete stop, a palpable tension filled the air, and the gathered ponies waited.

The doors opened and the first ponies started to disembark. The crowd roared, but then the sound faded in a disappointed collective moan. The ponies getting off of the train were absorbed into the pressing crowd, swallowed whole by the monster mob.

From somewhere, a trumpet sounded, and when the clarion trumpet was heard, an excited cry came from the gathered masses. Pegasi guards began to clear a path to the train, nudging some ponies aside, and pushing others who refused to budge. More guards joined those already clearing the way, and soon, order was being established. Those exiting the train now had a means to do so and were free to walk away, though most ponies disembarking joined the excited throng of onlookers instead.

Once again a trumpet sounded, a brassy blast of sound that was somehow loud enough to drown out the roar of the crowd, and then a voice amplified by magic announced, “Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

On cue, Twilight Sparkle emerged, stepping through the door of a small building secured just for this occasion. She walked, head high, and waved at the crowd with one of her wings. She wore her diadem of office as the Princess of Friendship.

“Hello everypony!” Twilight struck a pose for a moment, beaming, and allowed the press to capture a few photos of her. The brave alicorn showed no signs of her inner terror or panic as she continued onwards.

A series of trumpeting blasts sounded out, causing the crowd to ‘oooh!’ and ‘aaah!’ The gathered ponies all turned to look as the door opened once more. A regal white figure stepped out, grinning, her eyes wide and gleaming with merriment.

“Princess Celestia of Equestria!”

There were gasps from the crowd as a few ponies realised what had just taken place. Princess Celestia had stepped outside before her announcer had called her out, committing something of a breach in protocol. The white alicorn was laughing as she lifted her wings to wave. She didn’t walk so much as she pranced, strutting down the walkway that the guards had cleared.

The passengers leaving the train were now gone, having been absorbed into the crowd or having gone into the train station to escape the crowd, save two. A timid looking pegasus stallion stood with his ears pinned back, looking around at the crowd. He was a light, cheerful shade of blue, his mane and his tail were a sunny shade of yellow. He smiled a nervous smile and then waved at the approaching alicorns.

Standing at the pegasus’ hooves was a young unicorn foal, livid colour, which is to say he was a dull shade of blue-grey, with white dapples upon his back, his neck, his face, and his legs. His mane and his tail were a striking shade of metallic silver. Perched upon his nose were a pair of glasses with egg-shaped lenses.

The colt showed no signs of being shy or afraid of the crowd; if anything, he seemed to revel in the fact that the mob that was watching his every move. He waved, lifting his hoof, and smiled while ponies snapped his picture.

Twilight Sparkle came to halt just a few feet away. She smiled down at the colt and then, after a little bow of her head, she said to the colt, “Welcome to Canterlot, Zenith Zephyr, chosen student of Princess Celestia!”

“Hello, Twilight Sparkle!” the colt’s voice was squeaky, almost the voice of a yearling.

“And there he is… my student.” Princess Celestia walked past Twilight Sparkle, glancing at the smaller alicorn as she passed, and then stopped in front of the small colt. She lowered her head, angling her shapely neck downwards, and stood almost snoot to snoot with the grinning colt that she had selected to be her personal student.

All around Princess Celestia, flashbulbs exploded, almost creating a strobe effect in the brilliant daylight. The circling pegasi overhead swooped down, getting as close as they dared, as everypony tried to capture the image of Princess Celestia standing nose to nose with her new student.

“Zenith, it is good to see you again. How have you been since we last met?” Princess Celestia asked.

They had met almost a month ago in the city of Tall Tale. Talent could be found in the most unlikely of places. Little Zenith had, quite by accident, caused a bit of fluctuation in the weather, which in turned caused a tornado to happen. The local weather pegasi put an end to the tornado before there was any sort of real damage, but it had given the small town quite a scare. The event had also left Zenith with his cutie mark, a rampaging tornado.

“I’ve done my best to behave,” Zenith replied, looking up at his new teacher with unabashed adoration. The colt was grinning from ear to ear.

Some feared that the colt was dangerous; Princess Celestia thought that was pish-posh. The little unicorn was far too gregarious, gentle, and good natured. What the colt needed was control, magical education, and an experienced teacher to help him harness his potentially destructive talent.

“Zenith, do you understand why you are here?” Princess Celestia asked. Her gentle face became somewhat more serious as she looked into the colt’s glass green eyes. She could see two reflections of her own face, one in each of the colt’s lenses.

“Yeah,” Zenith replied, nodding his head.

“Would you care to tell me? I would like to hear you say it.” Princess Celestia dropped her head down a little further, it was a trifle difficult to hear the unicorn foal over the roar of the crowd.

“I’m here to be your personal student.” Zenith blinked as he stared upwards. “I’m here to learn how to control my magic.” The foal took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then, looking more than a little mischievous, he gave Princess Celestia a wink. “I’m also going to marry you someday, because you’re pretty.”

Having had his say, the colt stretched out his neck, extended his lips, and planted a wet, clumsy, slobbery smacker of a kiss upon the white alicorn’s cheek. His lips lingered there and the colt closed his eyes, enjoying the moment, and hearing the sounds of many cameras as they captured this moment for posterity.

Surprised, shocked, and almost laughing, Princess Celestia lifted her head, all too aware that every photographer present had just captured that moment on film. Aside from being gregarious, gentle, and good natured, Zenith was also confident, perhaps to a fault. Behind her, she could hear Twilight Sparkle chortling. She would have to pay Twilight back for this later.

“Oh my… Zenith, I’m flattered that you think that I am pretty, but you mustn’t kiss your teacher.” Twilight was still sniggering and Celestia felt a faint warmth in her cheeks. Yes, Twilight would have to be dealt with later. Her ears perked forwards as she looked down at the colt. Reaching out a wing, she tousled his mane. Her gaze lifted and she looked at the nervous pegasus. He didn’t look well. A few more minutes in this crowd and she was certain that he would be beyond saving. “Nadir Zephyr, would you like to retreat to some place a bit more private?”

The nervous pegasus nodded, his head bobbing up and down. “Yes Ma’am, I’d like that, I’ve never been fond of crowds or big to-dos.”

“Well then, come with me and we shall retire to some place a bit more comfortable.” Princess Celestia turned about just as Twilight Sparkle was struggling to stop smirking. Celestia raised one eyebrow and looked Twilight in the eye. “Do you find something funny, Twilight Sparkle?”

Now snickering, Twilight snorted a few times as she struggled to swallow her laughter. She found that she could not speak, every time she opened her mouth to reply, more hearty laughter spilled out, so she pressed her lips together and shook her head as her sides heaved from trying to contain herself.

Taking a few steps forwards, Princess Celestia stopped and placed her mouth next to Twilight’s ear. She inhaled, sucking in the air she needed to tell Twilight off, and, as she started to speak, Celestia’s lip curled into a smirk.

“I seem to recall another little foal that once had a crush upon their teacher.” As Celestia spoke, her lips brushed up against the edges of Twilight’s ear, which caused Twilight to let out a little squeal punctuated by a snort.

Grinning, Princess Celestia raised her head and then walked away, leaving behind a flustered, tomato-cheeked Twilight Sparkle, who sputtered and stammered as she struggled to find something to say.

Prancing, following after his departing teacher, Zenith Zephyr smiled at the crowd.

Nadir Zephyr's wings fidgeted at his sides as he looked down at his colt. “I wish that your mother was here to see you now… she would be so proud.” The pegasus stallion smiled even though he felt a brief moment of pain as he experienced the memory of loss. “You’re so much like her… so confident.”

“He certainly has confidence… enough to spare,” Princess Celestia said from where she was standing, watching the exchange between father and son. Raising one eyebrow, one ear flickering, she looked down at the colt.

“Son, I want you to listen to your teachers, all of them. I want you to work hard. I want you to make me proud. More than anything, I want you to remember, you are a Zephyr. Even if you don’t have wings like the rest of us.” Nadir’s face became stern for a moment as he looked down at his son. He drew in deep breath and his eyes narrowed somewhat. “It pains me that I cannot give you what you need. If you were a little pegasus, I could teach you how to fly. I could teach you how to thread the needle, I could teach you loop de loops, I could teach you how to skim over water and make it look like you are dancing over the waves. But I can’t teach you magic. I can’t give you what you need. I’m sorry.”

“Dad, it’s okay.” Zenith, looking up at his father, stretched out his neck and nosed the pegasus stallion. “I’m gonna miss you… but I’ve got a princess to look after. I’ll make Clan Zephyr proud, I promise.” The colt’s face became serious and for a moment, he looked very much like his father. “It’s gonna be hard work protecting a princess.”

It took serious effort for Celestia remain straight faced. She was glad that Twilight Sparkle wasn’t here, but was off dealing with the press, giving them the official scoop on Zenith.

“Our clan has always done right by the princesses, going as far back as our entire recorded history.” Nadir’s face softened into a proud smile. He lifted his foreleg, wrapped it around his son’s neck, and pulled the colt closer. “I’m going to miss you.”

Zenith allowed himself to be hugged for a moment, and then began to squirm away from his father. He looked up at his dad, wide eyed, glanced at Princess Celestia, and then resumed staring up at his parent. He whispered to his father, “Not in front of the princess.”

The pegasus blinked. He tilted his head, looked at Princess Celestia, and then back down at his colt. “Right, sorry, about that. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

Amused, Princess Celestia allowed herself a broad, beaming smile. “Come with me… let us go have lunch together. I bet that the two of you are famished.”

Author's Note

This has been sitting around for almost six months. I cleaned it up a bit and decided to post it. I don't know if there will be much interest, but if there is, I might update it once a week or so. Maybe.

If you like it, let me know. If you don't like it, tell me why. Help me out here, leave a comment so I can improve my craft. Thanks!