The Heir of Winter

Heir of Winter

Chapter 5

Cantering Through Canterlot

So ley lines are something of an obscurity when it comes to the pony folk around here, at least from what I can tell from the book I had been reading on the way to Canterlot City. They were considered the thread and needle of the magic world in a quite literal fashion. Unicorns quite often never really think about how they are such a fundamental part of how their spell craft is woven and more see it as a base of natural instinct. A talent, so to speak. As such it being thought of in such a way, and the rarity behind those that can physically see the threads of magic itself, there became a largely diverse amount of spells that the Unicorns of this world made.

Accuracy in spell craft is something nearly all Unicorns strive to master to its near utmost perfection. And while many will never see what they are actually doing, the spells of today are still quite a thing to behold if you were to truly see their interwoven threads. As an example, the common levitation spell that Unicorns use is often the first thing they will ever learn and is to be considered the most utilized spell out of any created. Aside maybe a stark few.

Basic instinct and tutelage in the ways of spell making is something Unicorns, as well as the other races in some cases, look to their elders, friends and family and fellow strangers even. This is also why many schools such as Canterlots School of the Gifted are often so sought after by everypony. Tutelage is often needed for many Unicorn fillies and colts to even be able to channel their magic through their horn, as they can not physically see what they are trying to do. And, as they grow older, their wisdom into magic grows with their skill set and growth into earning their very cutie mark. Which, more often than not, is usually tied to some form of the magic they learned growing up.

“Magic really is interesting..” I mumble to myself, reading through more and more of the book as time passes.

Cheerilee looks over from looking out the window of our cabin, ”Oh believe me, I’ve seen some real doozies of magic practice while teaching my class. One student in particular tends to get sap into the most unheard of places whenever they try their spells out on recess.” She sighs with a light smile while looking back out the window, ”On that note though. I think we’re just about to pull into Canterlot in the next few minutes from now.”

I close my book and put it down to look out the window with her. And sure enough I see a large white and gold castle looming in the distance with a massive city built directly under its mountain perch. I really had to wonder how their architects managed to keep its weight from buckling and falling over, because good grief was that castle huge! Of course, just as I was admiring the more fine details of the castle, my vision was abruptly interrupted by us going into a tunnel blocking my view. Just my luck.

I sigh and sit myself back down onto the seat, as I seem to have ended up standing on it to see out the window without realizing it. “Geeze, am I really that short?” I mentally asked myself while looking over to the other pony with me. It seemed I was a good head and a halfish shorter than she was.”Yes. Yes I am” I thought before asking a question to Cheerilee to try getting my mind off my short and more then likely adorable self, ”So. Do you think I actually have a chance? You know, with the test…?”

Cheerilee seemed to ponder for a while at my question and seemed about ready to answer it. But before she could even say a word as she was starting to open her mouth, the train started to slow down as we came to a stop at Canterlots train station as the voice of the conductor rang though, ”Now arriving at Canterlot Proper, please enjoy your stay and or visit to the capital of Equestria~! And to any fillies and colts on their way to Canterlots School of the Gifted, for the entrance exam, I wish you all good luck! And remember, there’s always next year should you fail the entrance exam~!”

“Way to spoil the mood there at the end Mr. Driver.” I thought while picking up my books and got up off the cabin seat. It seemed I was well on my way to knowing the answer to my question whether I liked the outcome of it or not.

The two of us made our way out of the train with quite a few other ponies that seemed to have the same destination in mind. Those ponies, being a large sum of fillies and colts all carrying saddle bags filled to the brim with books and writing utensils, walked with their parents or guardians.

The train station exit was packed full as we finally made it out from the train and into Canterlot itself. Large and ornate buildings of various sizes littered the stone cut streets before us as countless ponies walked about their day. Most seemed like high class citizens while others seemed to simply live here for their businesses just in a hope to make a better bang for their buck. Seemed to work well enough for them on the surface as I saw a restaurant in the far distance that seemed like a small-time coffee shop that had only just been built.

A voice of somepony speaking into a microphone abruptly took me away from looking at the sights, ”All who are on their way to Canterlots School of the Gifted please come this way in an orderly fashion, The royal guards ponies will escort you on your way just in case you get lost!”

“Guess that’s us then.” I say to Cheerilee with a slight pitch to my voice, trying to make sure they heard me over everypony else. I had been staying rather close to her after we had left the train, out of fear of getting lost in the sea of ponies all trying to go the same direction. I really, REALLY, didn’t want to get lost today. There was enough on my plate as is.

Cheerilee did her best to keep me close to her as we followed the line of ponies in front of us. I could tell she didn’t seem to like crowds that much as she seemed to shrink a little just from the sheer amount of other ponies. But regardless of either of our troubles, the line of ponies slowly straightened out as the pony in front of the line directed us all to our destination.

I looked around the sights as we walked by them, reading signs and looking at the many different store fronts as they came and went on from my view. There were some pretty interesting places around for sure. Like this one Doughnut restaurant called ‘Pony Joes’ we passed by; The place seemed like it was pretty packed for someplace that only seemed to sell pastries. Another was a clothing store we passed by that I sadly couldn’t catch the name of, though from the looks of things they were in the middle of an outdoors wear eighty percent off sale for winter hats and scarves; quite the good deal if you asked me.

Though sadly for my explorative viewing of Canterlots many odds and ends, they slowly petered out into the distance as our group of ponies went past a gate and into what seemed to be the main Estate of Canterlot Castle itself. Just by seeing the place up close and personal now rather than just from the train, the marble walls and brick work for it was surely something you could only see in fantasy. Anyone in this world would call this place a masterpiece of grand design. Tall looming towers too short but well kept hedge bushes trimmed into the shapes of ponies, statues of various tastes and doors that seemed to go up forever. This place was definitely fit for a capital building.

Our group of ponies was met with a single guard standing watch in front of the massive door into the castle itself. They turned their head over to the pony who had been leading us all here and nodded as something was said to them before they patted their hoof twice on the door itself, it slowly opened in response as we were all led into the castle itself.

Inside the castle, well. I could only call it a masterful work of art. Ornate pottery filled with plants of varied types decorated the halls, yet seemed to be perfectly placed in a set order so as to not make them stick out like a sore thumb. Expertly crafted stained glass windows also greeted us, showing depictions of many different scenes that I could only assume were events of the long past. Though, sadly, none of us had the time to sit and stare at them for all that long as we were all shoveled into a waiting room down the hall and up a flight of stairs where we all were given chairs and pillows to sit and wait for our turns at the exam.

“So this is Canterlot huh? Certainly quite the well decorated place.” I remarked as I found my own place to sit with Cheerilee, next to a window so I could look outside. I was still admiring the scenery, a welcome distraction from an upcoming crossroad.

“Oh it certainly is!” Cheerilee exclaimed happily. "It is the capital after all~. Surely if you were Princess Celestia or Princess Luna you would want the place to look nice for visitors from other countries?” She said in a teacher like tone, it seems she finally got over being in a crowd now that she was back indoors. Either that or it’s because we’re inside a giant school building.

I nodded to her, agreeing entirely. This place was certainly worth traveling from wherever in the world you came from. ”No kidding, this place seems to have a little of everything.” I say, taking notice that I could make out Ponyville from our window outlook. Certainly a view to behold even this far away.

But, again, a voice from behind me took me out of my enjoyment of the great outdoors. “Alright everypony! The Exam is ready for you all. So please come single file to give your slip to the pony to my left.” The stallion who was speaking gestures to their left, ”Willow Tag here will take care of any formalities and set you all up with a number to be called with your name when it’s time for you to turn in the Exam room. Please do note that the Exam itself this time around requires being reset after each pony has taken it and that each pony has thirty minutes to do their best in showing their ability against it.” The stallion says before he himself walks off without even bothering to say their name.

Cheerilee passes me the slip she had been carrying for me on the way here as I wait in line to give my slip to Willow Tag. Many ponies in front of me seemed either younger or slightly older than I was and not all of them even had a cutie mark yet. This put my mind at more of an ease, I figured that if ponies that didn’t have their cutie mark yet could pass then I surely had a better chance at the very least.

A nervous sounding voice from behind me brought me out of my thoughts, “Ah… So what do you think the exam is?” A light tan colored unicorn filly with a well combed down strawberry mane and ponytail about my height asks, looking rather disheartened at the upcoming slip pony.

“I don’t know. Something like a puzzle maybe? It would explain why it needs to be reset every time.” I whisper to her, not wanting to annoy any of the ponies in front of me.

This seemed to bring the filly back to a better mood as she whispers back, ”Good thing I like puzzles. My older sister brings them home from work a lot so I don’t get bored from school work.”

I smile back at her, recalling my own sister from back on Earth. ”Seems like a good sister to me.” I say, though also slightly depressing myself from having to recall that I wasn’t exactly on Earth anymore.

“Yeah, she’s nice. Makes me a happy filly to know she’s around when I need her. She’s actually why I’m trying to get into this school too. Says I have a talent for getting out of tricky situations, not that I have my cutie mark yet to say that myself. But I’m working hard on it!” She exclaims with a warm smile while looking at her own blank flank. “Anyways~! My name’s Locket Spring. What’s yours?”

Incidentally, right when she asked me that question it was my turn to pass my slip. “Wispy Spirits.” I say at the same time I gave my slip to the pony giving us all number slips in return. I was given the number twelve in return as I was told to wait my turn in the room we were already in. Naturally Locket was given number thirteen and so on and so forth for the other ponies behind us that had been waiting their own turns.

I went back to sit with Cheerilee as Locket elected to sit and wait with us as well.

“So, are you her mom?” Locket asks looking over to Cheerilee, who suddenly blushes and shakes her head no at her question.

“No no no no… just a friend really. Helping her get her hooves off the ground, so to speak.” Cheerilee stammers out, obviously taken back by the sudden question she was asked.

“Oh~! Okay~!” Locket says happily, very much so in a better mood she had been while back in line.

For a fairly good while we three sat by the window and did small talk about our lives, though I had to keep a fair bit of mine in check since I wasn’t originally from Equestria.

Lockets’ sister turned out to be a toy maker for an up and coming store out in someplace called Maresdale, while her parents did work out someplace else she didn’t know about because no matter how much she asked about them her sister wouldn’t tell her. I had a sad feeling that I knew the reason why and I wasn’t about to tell her either, even more so when she said she hadn’t seen them since she was a foal. Chances were that her parents had long since passed on. Poor kid, she’s going to find out someday and be heartbroken for sure.

Cheerilee on the other hand was a single mare living her own life in Ponyville after moving out of her parents house in some place called Colton Landing. And while she did have thoughts about getting married someday, be it to a lucky stallion or mare, she had yet to find anypony of true interest to her. Of which she ended up explaining to us both that it was okay to like mares if we wanted, though of course didn’t explain why it was okay. More than likely because we were kids in her eyes. Good on her to try her best to keep our innocence intact; though it’s not like I had mine for a long time now.

I myself didn’t tell them all that much aside from that I had a good few problems with my family and that I had gone out on my own to find my own way in life. And while not entirely true it seemed to be real sounding enough to them both to leave the subject alone. No point in telling them I had somehow got transported here from another world or I was just dreaming them all up as figments of my imagination; though I was leaning more towards being somehow transported here as time went on. Honestly I may as well just go with that now. It seems the most likely option at this point.

Time went on as the fillies and colts before us went to and from the Examination room, either with looks of joy or disappointment on their faces. We could only assume a few of the eleven before us had passed as we counted up to our own numbers. I personally counted only half of them had managed to pass, so the test itself had to be at least manageable for kids of my ‘age’ group.

“Number twelve, Wispy Spirits. Your turn is up. Please make your way into the testing chamber.” Willow Tag says, poking her head out of the room next to ours as a colt covered in soot from head to hoof came out with an amused smirk on their face.

“What in the world did that kid do to end up like that?” I wondered to myself as I bid Locket and Cheerilee a temporary farewell. I walked myself past the colt who was now dusting themselves off and over to Willow. ”Ready when you all are I guess.” I tell her, looking into the room beyond. The mare nods and gestures to walk into the room.

As I walk into the room, I take note of all the damage the room had suffered in the last few hours. Scorch marks, piles of ash and stains of water littered both the ceiling of the room as well as the floor itself. “Good grief. What in the world happened here?” I couldn’t help but remark aloud, even stray lines of used magic thread seemed to billow in the air as I looked around.

“Oh the usual.” A mare's voice said. I looked over to see five ponies all sitting behind a table, four unicorns, two male and two female and one tall lady Alicorn were sitting and reading over their papers about the last potential student. Though the Alicorn in question wasn’t who I expected to see. Rather than Celestia herself watching over the possible students joining into the school she herself had made, it was a dark blue/purple mare with an equally dark blue mane that seemed to hold countless stars and constellations within its flowing form. Quite pretty to look at if I would say so myself. And I definitely would.

Come to think, wasn’t this Princess Luna? Strange, I didn’t think she had an interest in her sister's school, what was she doing here? Curiously, I asked, "Princess Luna? I didn’t think you would be one of the judges.”

The lunar princess nods, putting her own papers down with a sigh of what seems like near annoyance, "Yes, it would seem that in my sister's infinite wisdom she has asked me to look over this year's exam. Albeit not something I would normally do, dear sister felt it would be good for me to oversee the younglings, as I am not usually active in the mornings to be around my own fellow pony. As such. I am here to both oversee this test as well as to help in making them more suitable for skilled children.” She says before looking over her shoulder, levitating what looks to be a rather skillfully built box onto a table that I had only just noticed had been placed in front of me.

“So. Just what am I supposed to be doing exactly?” I ask, not paying much mind to the box just yet.

“You are to use any means at your disposal to open this box without breaking it open forcefully. Within the constraints of the time limit of course. Though, as a reminder to all potential students. It is not required that the box actually be opened to be accepted as a student at this school.” One of the stallion examiners chimes in. ”And as you can plainly see from your surroundings, things may not be entirely as you expect.” He adds, gesturing at the many damages the room has suffered already.

“Also,” One of the mares starts, ”As a friendly notion of competition. No ponies before you have actually gotten the box open. So if you are the first to open this container, that has been custom designed by our very own Princess of The Night, then you are guaranteed a position in the school, regardless of actual talent.” She states plainly with a small hint of pride, it was apparent that she highly approved of this year's test. “Regardless. Your timer will start as soon as you choose to begin your attempt to open it.” They add while levitating what looked to be a sand timer.

I nod to them, now actually taking the time to look the box over as I sat myself in front of the table. The box itself for sure was custom built as it had many different odds and ends added to it. Gemstones of various types oriented in different positions made themselves apparent as I moved the box around with my hooves. Surely, it seemed I was right, this was meant as some form of puzzle.

I elected to pick the entire thing up with my levitation line to get a better look at the underside, only to suddenly and plainly see the countless patterns of magic lines inlaid across the entire box itself. “Okay then? Now we’re getting somewhere.” I thought to myself as I started looking closely at the patterns themselves. These patterns seemed to have vibrantly different colors to each of them, some fiery red while others seemed more like a grassy green. And yet even more colors made themselves known the more and more I stared at the many different gemstones.

“So what am I looking at exactly? I should be wondering more about what it is I need to do to get this box opened. But these gems are actually pretty interesting” I thought to myself while staring down the lines. Not all of them seemed to be connected to each other, in fact, the more I thought about the colors themselves I started to wonder if they could be more elementally tied. As some seemed to have a more active feel to them over others. Mainly the red lines connected to, funny enough, a large red ruby that seemed to feel slightly warm when I moved a hoof over it.

At the very least I felt like I was on the right track about the gems being elementally tied in with magic. “So the lines connecting to each other must be some form of enchantment. That would explain why there’s so much damage to the room itself, they must activate if you do something wrong.” I think to myself while looking over a green emerald. This one seemed to have an earthy texture when I rubbed it, as if I was pushing on dirt.

“Well that cinches it then. These gems are tied to their respective elements color wise. But what do they have to do with getting this box open?” I felt a smirk come onto my lips as I felt like I was getting close to figuring this whole thing out. “Since all of these gems have these threads connected to them, those threads themselves must be the magic that causes the enchantment to function. So what happens if I cancel them out with each other I wonder?” I mused to myself, as I began to try moving the connecting lines themselves into each other in a means to fuse the enchantments and cancel the elements out.

I started with the yellow and purple gemstones on the top of the box, as they seemed to go together naturally as the forms of Light and Darkness. Connecting the two different enchantments together was actually surprisingly easy, though when I brought the two lines together the lights inside the gems slowly dimmed out and simply faded away entirely the inlayed fabric of magic following suit.

“Alright. Good start, now onto the rest.” I smiled to myself as I joined the enchantments of the green emerald and billowing white stone with each other. The result seemed to be the same. As what I thought to be the stones for Earth and Air fizzled out just the same as the first two.

Next was the blue and red stones. Both went dim just the same as before as I was now left with two final stones. One being what looked to be a pearl and the other was a jet black onyx stone. Yet, while I started to bring the two enchantments together like I had the others, these two simply refused to move no matter how much I tried.

“Well this is perplexing.” I noted to myself, ”Lets see here. If the other gemstones were all tied to the elements then what exactly are these tied to?” I thought. I already knew the others just by experience. So maybe these two had something else to them that made them more important? I put the box down for a moment to eye the examiners for a moment, mainly Luna herself for any possible clues. It seemed she had a raised eyebrow that was giving me a questionable look, as if looking at me particularly in study.

I thought to myself for the next few minutes, feeling I still had a bit of time left on the hourglass. Of which I did check just to make sure; I still had a good ten minutes left at the very least. “What other kinds of things could these be? I know the last ones were elements. So… maybe these ones are more aspects of something? Like life and death maybe? That would certainly explain their unwillingness to move. They’re more like constants rather than temporary things that fade with time. Though I already know life fades easily enough. Maybe backtracking is in order.”

I looked back to the blue and red gemstones with an odd feeling in the back of my mind. Maybe there was more to this puzzle than it first meets a trained eye? In fact. Looking closely at the inactive gems, I saw that the original enchantments were inscribed into the stones themselves rather than being magically inlaid onto them. Meaning while the overlaid enchantments were gone they still were actually active.

“Interesting! So there was a secondary usage for these after all!” I found myself smiling happily once again before spotting a problem. The blue gemstone was water based and not what I figured it to actually need to have. “If the Pearl signifies Life, then the Fire Ruby should be connected to it. As fire is part of the heat that drives one to live. The sapphire is the problem, since this onyx signifies Death itself. And with death being a cold and empty thing. I don’t have anything to do with it.” I mentally berated myself before having a sudden thought. “Wait…. Can’t I just use that Ice line I have? Surely that should work right?”

I facehoofed myself before bringing the Ice filled line of magic I had found in that dream of mine out into the open. It seemed to cause frost buildup on the table as I brought it closer to the box itself as I did my best to combine the four different gemstones together magically. “The Fires of Life and the Chill of Death.” I mutter to myself as the four lines combine into one on the box itself.

In doing this, the box began to glow brightly as the other enchantments I had once thought to have been inactive reactivated all at once as the container began to violently glow and hover off the table. All the lines of magic on the box began to converge into one massive swirl of magical power, causing me to instinctively duck under the table. The sound of swirling air grew louder in the room as magical power moved violently of its own volition. And, just as suddenly as it happened, it all fell quiet as a small metallic tink came from something falling onto the table.

I slowly poked my head back over the table to see that a small metal key with the symbol of the moon had fallen onto the table next to where the box now rested, smoldering slightly as a keyhole appeared on the side facing me. Not knowing what else to do after the sudden show of magic force that came from the box, I carefully levitated the key into the keyhole and turned.

The box slowly made a creaking sound as the top portion opened up as a pendant with the same moon symbol on the key slowly levitated out and plopped right onto my head.

I slowly got myself back into a sitting position as I looked over the onlooking examiners. Everly last one of them was giving me a blank stare except for Luna herself, who seemed to be smiling from ear to ear.

“Well then,” She started, taking a moment to look down at her papers for what I could only assume was my attendance slip, ”You have most certainly passed my test Wispy Spirits. Though I must ask. How is it that you seemed to know exactly what you needed to do?” Luna seemed to give me a smirk at her own question, nearly seeming like she somehow knew what I was about to say.

“Well.” I started, looking over to her with my own smirk. “Being able to see the fabric of magic helped me realize that the gemstones held elementally based enchantments placed on them. After figuring that out it was basic cancelation of the different types of magic all I had to do was push them together to fizzle them out.” I state, recalling the past events with utmost clarity. “The Pearl and Onyx stones were the tricky part as they weren’t elements themselves. But rather Aspects that were too different from each other to directly connect. So, I improvised and used two of the prier stones as well as one of my own Ice magic lines to connect them indirectly. And the rest is as they say, history.” I finish with a nod and a smile. Feeling like I had done a good job.

Luna's smile only grew wider as I told her how I opened up the box, and as I finished she slowly stood herself up and said, “Verily! It has been a long time since I last saw somepony see magic in the same way as I! It is plain to see why my sister wanted me to oversee her schools’ exams this fine year!” She happily exclaimed as she walked around the table and stood directly next to me. “Young one, you have surely earned your way into Celestia's school of the Gifted. Though, for my sister Celestia's sake, there is a question she wanted me to ask to the pony that found a way to solve my puzzle of enchantments.” She says, now sitting herself down next to me while showing the other examiners off into the room next door.

“A question Celestia wanted you to ask?” I asked her, wondering just what they had wanted her to ask.

“Yes.” Luna says, before looking back to the door behind her to make sure the examiners were out of earshot. “It is the wish of my sister that I find a student for myself just as she had many years ago before I returned from my banishment to the moon. Her own student being the current Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna says with a warm smile on her face before she also says, “I have never taken somepony under my wing in tutelage, so this will be something new for me to learn just as it would be for you, should you accept my offer.”

I found my mouth sitting slightly agape at what she had just offered me. I wasn’t expecting such an added catch to getting her box open. “I was only trying to get into Celestia's school for a place to live and learn! But this?!” I thought in a jumbled mess of words. Surprised wasn’t a large enough word for how I felt about her question. “I- I - I mean. There’s no reason for me to say no.” I stammer out while looking back at her smiling face.

Luna herself seemed to only grow more joyous at my acceptance of tutelage as she spun around and suddenly announced down the hall in an astoundingly loud voice, “I! Princess Luna of the Night! Herein accept the one known as Wispy Spirits as my apprentice!” Luna's voice booms throughout the castle halls, echoing out in every direction at once.

“Well. I guess I’m her apprentice now. Also. Damn that was loud!” I think to myself while covering my ears. It seemed my life in Equestria was only just beginning as the both of us walked out into the hall where Cheerilee and Locket were waiting.

Oh boy this was going to be fun to explain.