“Hey, miss Daffodil, the school is this way!” The small yellow filly running along the road in front of me, Apple Bloom I weakly recalled her being named , shouted and waved her hoof in the air so I’d see her among the big piles of snow that was starting to gather around us, being a result of the persistent, snowy weather they’d been having since I came here.
“Coming” I replied, trying to catch up and still enjoy the beautiful snowy landscape. One thing I had noticed since i came to this part of Equestria was that, while everypony back home told me it was a place for weak ponies that couldn't endure the true forces of nature, the very same trait also gave it a beautiful, detailed and perfected look. Back home nothing could be perfected, as it was soon to be ruffed up once more by weather and wind. “Though it’d help if you’d stop running”
After commenting on her brisk pace, I saw her slowing down considerably before finally coming to a halt about five hundred meters along the road, her fragile, thin coated body shaking as she proceeded to do some jumping jacks in the snow, trying to regain the warmth her body lost when it stopped moving. She really looked like she was freezing an awful lot, even though I couldn't quite grasp the concept of her body reacting in such a way to a soft, warm weather like this. Maybe my family was right, and everyone here was just weak and failing compared to us in the North.
“s-sorry, it's just so c-cold .” She stuttered, the low temperature and lack of motion already making her limbs freeze and become slightly numbed, the whole process increasing in speed and effect as the snow being flung around in the bitter air was sticking to her coat in larger and larger quantities, the hat and scarf she was wearing as protection not doing much to actually protect her. “H-how can you not be freezing in weather like this?”
Upon hearing the all too familiar question, I sigh, rolling my eyes and frowning ever so slightly. I hated that ponies that didn’t come from place as far North as my home always had to question my toleration for cold weather. “Because it's barely minus ten degrees and twenty centimeters of snow! Where I come from, this’d barely qualify as Autumn!” I snapped defensively taking a deep breath or crisp winter air to stop myself from adding “What did you think you little baby brat?”, something which i knew would have been unimaginably rude and intrusive, especially so since we happened to be the same age and my physical advantage was only because of the different set of genes stacked inside me, a lottery where you had no choice but to accept the collection your given, even more so accepting the traits that came with them and use them to piece together a ‘you’ that you could, hopefully, be proud of.
To this statement, Apple Bloom nodded softly and quickly continued trotting ahead. It was clear she had noticed my growing annoyance over the persistent questioning I had had to endure from her and her family and friends, all of which just HAD to ask about my thick coat that made me sweat when indoors and feel perfectly comfortable outside while everypony else slowly turned to ice… and the worst part was that it sometimes felt like it never ended, either !
‘Are you sure you don't need a scarf?’ Apple Bloom’s sister had asked, ‘Maybe some leg warmers?” Her Granny had suggested after her sister finished talking bout scarfs, her question amplified by Apple Bloom’s brother nodding and letting out an ‘Eeyup’ in agreeance. The whole situation had become very awkward wanting to quickly try and brushed them off in the politest way I knew, meanwhile still making sure they managed to grasp the concept of that my coat was about five or ten times as thick as theirs, my body used to lower temperatures normally, and that the weather therefor also wouldn't affect me in the slightest.
“Aaand, we’re HERE!” AB exclaimed, smiling proudly as we reached the top of a big hill, a rather small looking house with a church bell hanging in a tower built on top of the roof towering above us as a mighty giant when we ventured inside, making company with at least twenty other students, all dressed up in thick clothing and eager to get inside.
Not really very many foals… though still, could all of them possibly fit in such a small school house? Doesn't really appear very likely unless it’s bigger on the inside...I silently thought, thinking back to my own school back home, and how all the teaching was divided across classrooms in no less than four different buildings, a necessarily as over one thousand foals attended the school, some coming from nearby and some from miles away.
While I had noticed the town in itself being so much bigger and full of life compared to my sleepy hometown in the ‘Frozen North’, as they liked to call our small corner of Equestria here, the school, that I supposed only taught students who actually lived in the city and did not ship in students from other locations, was much smaller and calmer.
In the hallway inside the school, I was lead up to a short, thin mare that was barely one head higher than me (I had come to understand the mares AND stallions in Equestria was much smaller and thinner than us russ) that AB before running off told me would be my teacher. It didn't take long for her to introduce herself, apparently already familiar with my name since before.
“Hi Daffodil! My name is Cheerilee, and I'm going to be your teacher while you're staying here in Ponyville, but I may inform you that I am also the headmaster of this school here” She smiled “I understand everything might look quite different where you come from, so feel free to ask questions if you wish!”
I looked up at the mare, uncertain. There was one question I’d like to aso more than anything, but it seemed extremely rude… however I also realised class would probably start soon, and tardiness and asking questions mid - lesson was likely to be punishable by the teacher, either by being banned from the current class and therefore reported to not having showed up, or by having to show your work on the board. I shivered at the last thought. I hated showing my material on the board.
With all of this in mind, I quickly decided to take my chance and ask my question now, rude or not, just to be on the safe side for later and not risk punishment for unnecessary questioning.
“well...uh...I was wondering, why is there so many Pegasus and Unicorns here? Aren't they supposed to be rare?”
The mare looked at me for a moment,before laughing a loud, hearty laugh and smiled, patting me on the head right in between my ears, causing me toalmost hiss at her and bare my teeth, which would have been horrible if I did of course...
“Oh my, were you taught that where you come from dear?” She asked, before continuing without giving me time to respond. “Well, anyhow, I can inform you Unicorns and pegasi are just as common as earth ponies. Now, let's get to class.”
I nodded, bending my knees and lowering my head out of respect, earning a hearty laugh from the teacher and the number of foals all around us that had noticed what I was doing, none of which I could explain. Weren’t you supposed to how respect to your teachers and principals here? They ruled over you, after all!
But looking around again, I couldn’t see anything resembling neither fear nor respect among the students, just happiness and and a an almost friendly attitude towards the teachers standing next their classroom door...it confused me. I mean, really, it’s nice to not having to be afraid of punishment or breaking rules, but at the same time it was confusing me and making me feel uncertain. How the hell were ponies supposed to be able to focus or work properly in such a easy going, loose environment?
Shaking my head, I just decided to enter my classroom and see what’ll happen, but still not expecting very much as I had now had my first taste of how they treated school in Equestria. I was not impressed.
“So, Daffodil, would you like to come forth and present yourself for the class? I’m sure they’re all very curious about who you are, and where you come from?” Miss Cheerilee asked, smiling at me, and the foal next to me pushing me out of my seat and motioning for the board up front. It had been forty minutes since class started, forty minutes of small but noisy class I was now currently a part of murmuring and pointing and laughing and whispering questions no one but me held the answers to, all until the teacher finally remembered I needed introduction.
I felt nervous as I approached the board, the feelings of tension and fright that was devouring my inside by some sick twist of fait giving me the confidence I need to continue on forward. The reason this negative feeling and gave me a positive reaction, confidence, was because it was familiar to me. Among all the things i had never seen or heard of before, i had one single familiar thing which I could hold onto. One thing I was used to.
I remember that I always felt this way before entering the stage when I was doing a play with my acting group back home, too. But truth to be told, it didn't matter if it was the space between the board and the teacher's desk, or a real scene rigged with stage lights and a big audience, the feeling was the feeling was there, and knowing that i had it with me now too brought me comfort as i quickly tried to work out how to do when introducing myself, especially since the delay of the introduction already had many foals looking at me curiously and speculating of what exactly I was supposed to be.
I decided to start by writing my name on the board.
Taking the chalk in my mouth I swiftly wrote my name with practiced ease, after a moment of hesitation also adding the words ‘Påsklilja Gnista’ beneath. I knew none of the foals would understand, but I planned on explain in a moment anyway.
“so, my name is Daffodil Spark. I’m going to be spending about two weeks here in your wonderful class”
Before I could continue explain why I looked so very different from the other foals, or what the two words beneath my name on the board met, some reached a hoof into the air, earning an approving nod from the teacher so she could ask her question.
“what's those weird letters beneath your name? And why are you so fat?!” The foal thrown out, and honestly, the second statement shocked me. Already on the train here ponies had questioned my unnatural body proportions, but none called me fat!
“Uh…” I started, uncertain and still somewhat shocked after being called fat, which I, in fact, was not. Not even close. I was normal sized and just ever so slightly taller than medium, compared to most Russ. “The letters beneath my name on the board, is my name in my native language. Påsklilja means Daffodil, Spark Gnista. Fallhofnir, where I come from, is so isolated from the rest of Equestria that we’ve built up our language and tradition… because none of you speak Equestrian Norse, do you?”
After I asked the question, i could see one foal after another slowly shaking their heads no, and even though I had been expecting this outcome already when I asked the question I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed, I had only been in this new land a few days but I was already missing speaking my own language and walking about ponies that wouldn't question me about everything.
“But why are you so fat? Don’t dodge the question!” Another foal, a small silver grey earth pony in the corner of the room, screamed at me.
Sighting and shaking my head, I once more picked up the chalk in my mouth and wrote and other word on the board, ‘Russ’.
“I am not fat. I got a different body build, because i only share 30% of my DNA with the rest of the ponies in this classroom. I am not an Equestrian horse, I’m a Russ.” I pointed at the word on the board for emphasis and out of the corner of my eye i could see the surprisingly shocked expression on the teacher's face. Surely she must have known I was not like them? “70% of our DNA comes from ponies of none-Equestrian heritage and thanks to them dominating in our DNA we’re given certain abilities and qualities, many of which manifest in our outer appearance and physical traits, such as size and height”
After explaining it all, I felt really proud of myself...that is, until one of those idiotic fillies decided to ruin it all.
“so your not fat?”
Before I could even begin to explain myself again, the teacher stepped in and stopped me from doing what I was going to do and, well, whatever she feared I'd do if she did not intervene. She most likely expected something drastic like bucking the filly in the face or something… Like I couldn’t easily buck her face if I wanted too! Southern Equestrian ponies like her wasn’t really that impressive in height, and being tall like I was, I wasn’t much shorter than her… but, I had already heard from Apple Bloom that she was dating her big brother, and he happened to be a stallion I could truly respect, his stature reminding me of the stallion's back home, even though they’d probably be able to beat him in five seconds flat… but, but if you're so far away from home you can't afford to be picky.
“Miss Spark, that's enough! Go sit down and i’ll have a talk with you and miss Doo after class” She said, her voice stern and angry and her smile completely washed out.
I felt the familiar sensation of fear and unease build up as I quickly hurried back to the my seat, sitting down and not saying a word for the rest of class, preferring to ask the small pink and purple filly beside me when I didn't understand what she was saying, which, granted, wasn't too often. Before I came here, I had been a straight A student in Equestrian language class, one of the many reasons I was actually acceptedinto the exchange program. But, like everypony else, I had my faults… like fairytales. Stupid, weird, Equestrian fairytales.
“Seriously uh Daffodil was it? You don't know what ‘chaperon’ mean? Or what a ‘Manticore’ is? Just like a moment ago you were making a fucking scientific explanation about your DNA down by the boar!” Berry Punch, the unicorn sitting next to me, highered an eyebrow and gave me a look that spoke of nothing but plain confusion, me answering with a simple shake of my head.
“I’m sorry I really don't “ I pleaded “Can you please tell me? Please? I don't want to have to ask the teacher”
Berry sight.
“Fine, chaperon is this thing you put on top of your clothes to protect them when you cook stuff or bake things. Manticore is a magical creature that's half scorpion, half lion.” She explained, smiling slightly as she saw my eyes going wide in amazement, more at the Manticore than the chaperon, but the aforementioned was still a good word to know.
“wow, had no idea a monster like that existed!” I laughed happily, the other filly laughing along, finding amusement in my lack of knowledge about the magical creatures of Equestria and not quieting down until the teacher found herself disturbed by the sound and ordered us to be quiet, but I didn’t mind. I had had my fun and gotten the opportunity to bond with one of my classmates, so I didn’t seen how anything could get better than right now.
That night, when I went to sleep in my borrowed bed
in the house of my borrowed, temporary, family I thought about everything i had seen, felt and learn during the past day.
Before I came here, I had really believed that just like everypony said back home, this place was just a place for weaker ponies, ponies who couldn’t survive living further North like we did. I hadn’t believed anything or anyone here was really worth something compared to me, and this whole trip was just to be able to prove my point - but that quickly changed. From the moment i stepped off the train station platform and first sat my hoof on their beautiful land, I realised how very wrong I was.
This part of Equestria was amazing, and so was all the ponies i met. Sure, I looked very different from ponies here, and was almost twice as big as all the other foals in my new class, but that didn’t matter. Appearances didn’t define a pony, and nor did it define a land. The high temperatures and soft weather didn’t sign these lands, nor did the ponies who lived there, the same way our harsh weather and low temperatures didn’t define out lands and our intimidating statues didn’t define our race.
Being os far away from home was scary, I felt that, and to make the worse, I had already been frightened before the trip, because i had listened to so many horrid tales of these Southern places from ponies at home...but despite all my fears and anxiety,, I was happy to be here, to be able to do something few ponies did in my home see and experience new and different things, things that would never come to exist at home. For the very, very first time, I had even got the chance to truly experience the Magic of Friendship and they way it goes beyond anything you might think will keep apart. It had taught me that friendship is blind, just as blind as love. And that, i told myself as I closed my eyes and fell asleep, was the best thing any place could ever offer.