“Dawn! Dawn get down here! I need to make sure you’re ready for college!” Yelled Dawn’s overprotective mother up the stairs of their small house in the outskirts of Fillydelfia.

“Coming mum!” Dawn shouted back and pulled her saddlebags over her back, “Whats for breakfast?” Her new bags didn’t rub against her wings like her old school bags did, the ones her mother had picked out for her matched her grey coat perfectly.

Her dad replied in his characteristic sarcastic tone, “Food.” Ratchet wasn’t exactly one for making things easier.

Dawn jumped excitedly down the bottom three stairs and sauntered into the kitchen to show off to her parents how well the deep purple bags went with her coat. “What sorta food dad?” she asked as she sat down across from her newspaper reading father, pushing some of her black and purple mane out of her eyes. The kitchen was simple but homely, the large table in the center of the room taking up most of the space. The other kitchen worktops were around the outside of the room, the sink below the window where a few little potted plants had been neatly placed.

“The edible sort.” Ratchet yawned, lowering his coffee mug and stretching his lean, grey wings high above his sleepy head. “Quizzy how are you so energetic having not gotten home till at least twelve last night?”

Quizzical, (she went by Quizzy) Dawn’s mother snorted dismisively and began to dish out their breakfast, veggie bacon, eggs and toast, “A mixture of caffeine and experience darling.” Quizzy answered in her soft and silky voice before sitting down herself close to her beloved and beginning to crunch hungrily on some toast.

Dawn smiled at her parents awkward conversation before pouringb herself a glass of orange juice, stay into at the cream walls of the room before looking towards her mother. “Mum you do realize that we did these checks over the weekend about five times, I have everything I could possibly want or need for college… and more.”

Quizzy snorted again and took a long drink from her teacup. “I want to make sure you know which way to go too.” She said in a dismissive manner, trying to pass over the fact that she had probably spent about five hundred bits getting her daughter academically ready to go to college.

Ratchet spoke up after finishing a mouthful of his breakfast. “Excuse me Quizzy, but I have been with Dawn two times to get to Filly-College and she knows exactly where she’s going.” He looked at Quizzy in a hopeful manner, knowing he probably shouldn’t argue with her.

“Um yeah, mum I know how to get to college, I have been there like, five times for the induction stuff.” Dawn said pointedly, “Anyway, I’m meeting up with Legacy at her house and we’re walking in together.” Legacy was one of Dawn’s oldest friends, they’d known each other since preschool. Legacy was a real high school diva and being that Dawn wasn’t themost popular girl in the playground, having probably the most popular girl for a best friendisn’t far off.

“Fine then, but i’m walking you to Legacy’s house, I don’t want you wandering about on your own in case you do get lost.” Quizzy said, putting her hoof down and making Ratchet sigh quietly.

“I’m pretty sure you’re still overreacting Quizzy.” Ratchet said and put down his now empty coffee cup. “But if you are hell bent on walking Dawn to her best friend's house where she’s probably been about thirty or more times in the past year, I know there’s no stopping you.”

Hearing his snarky remark, Quizzy rounded on Ratchet and employed her technique that always got her hubby to shut up. She snuggled up beside him adorably and pulled his wing round her shoulders as if she were cold. This brought a bright blush to Ratchet’s cheeks that made him look like a red lightbulb with wings. It also made Dawn giggle at her father’s obvious discomfort at Quizzy’s sudden very close proximity.

“Fine I’ll stop complaining and let you do whatever you want dear.” Ratchet purred as he planted a soppy kiss on his wife’s nose. “Just don’t embarrass Dawny too much, and if you stay for tea, do bring some of Heirloom’s cookies back. I'd kill for her shortbread."

“Wouldn’t want you to miss out on that.” Quizzy purred back as she briefly hugged him with her own wing before clambering out from under his warm fuzz where Dawn had spend many an hour under watching scary films. “Anyway, let me unnecessarily faff about upstairs before coming back down wearing my scarf.” She joked before skipping upstairs.

Dawn continued giggling at her dad’s bright red face. “Mum just seems to be getting madder and madder every day.” She chortled into her hoof, “But I do hope she doesn’t take too long upstairs, I don’t want to make Legacy late waiting for me.”

Ratchet did his best to clear his blush by fanning himself with one of his powerful wings, sending a couple napkins dancing from the table into a forceful ballet around the room before coming to a jarring rest on the floor. “Tell me about it, she’s getting cuddly in bed again too, I'm pretty sure she broke my back last night” He said without noticing the slight blush it brought to his daughter’s cheeks.

About ten minutes and five slices of toast later, Quizzy bounded down the stairs like a loppy dog, her long black and white scarf trailing behind her. “Come on Dawny! Time for you to go go to college!” She announced and nuzzled a farewell to Ratchet.

Dawn did the same, nuzzling her dad before grabbing another slice of well buttered toast between her teeth and fastening her bags over her back, just next to where her cutiemark adorned her flanks. Hers was a dark purple cloud broken by a black starry path. “Bye dad!” she shouted from the door and received a cheery farewell from her well wishing father as he retreated into the workshop to continue his mechanical experimentation.

Dawn got her cutiemark when she was nine years old, when she found out that she was a member of an extremely rare group. she was, in fact, a dreamwalker. This meant she could enter the dreamscape completely at will. She can’t influence the dream world much, but she makes other uses for it's endless complexities. Most nights Dawn spends exploring the dreams of others and chatting to her friends through their mind’s eye. Dawn received her mind magic from her mother’s side of the family. Quizzy is what is formally known as an ‘Abstract’. This is a highly uncommon equine race that posses abilities which can be far stronger than those of normal ponyfolk. Dawn does not have the same magical prowess of her mother, due to her being half ‘Abstract’, half pegasus, a ‘Bokeh’. Despite Dawn being weaker magically than Quizzy, she still has abilities like reading others emotions and, of course, dreamwalking.

Twenty minutes of walking and chatting to each other about general goings on, the pair came to the long path up to the door of Legacy’s grand house. Dawn trotted up the tidy path to the porch and pressed the bell button on the door, the tone echoing through the many rooms in the stately home. Quickly, Dawn heard running hooves coming towards the door before it was flung open and she was pulled into a friendly embrace by her unicorn friend.

“Dawny!” Legacy squealed, squeezing dawn tight with her forelegs.

Dawn hugged her back, nuzzling her cheek, “Legacy! Can you let me breathe?” She wheezed, her lungs being crushed by the firm embrace from her surprisingly strong friend. Legacy quickly let Dawn go so she didn’t choke to death before cartoonishly yanking her inside.

Dawn was forcefully pulled upstairs by Legacy before she was tackled into another back breaking hug. Dawn squeaked before doing her best to hug her friend back even though she was being squished, crushed and in severe danger of having her eye removed by Legacy’s recklessly waving horn. “Ok Legacy! You’ve said hello!” Dawn panicked, having to push her friend’s horn away from her eye for a second time. The older unicorn pouted and stood up off her friend.

“Do I haaaave to stop hugging you?” Legacy complained, stroking a hoof down Dawn’s wing, “Your coat is so soft.” Dawn corrected her mane before sitting down in front of her friend, trying to hide her blush behind pretending to fix her feathers.

“Legacy, typically you don’t rub your face all over somepony just because you think their coat is particularly soft on that day.” Dawn said, trying to stop blushing like a mare on her honeymoon.

“Ugh fine!” Legacy huffed, starting to drag a brush through her tattered mane with her telekinesis. About ten minutes of gossip and mane brushing later Legacy declared herself fit

to begin the walk to college. Legacy and Dawn gave their final goodbyes to their parents and made a break for the door.

Along the way to college, the pair of ponies gossiped heartedly about what they think their old classmates will be like in college and compared their new saddlebags, even swapping them a couple of times to see how well they went with each other's coats.

After about ten minutes of walking and chatting together, they rounded through the gates to the college campus, all sorts of other ponies trotting past them to get to their first classes on time. The differences between the newer students and the seniors was obvious, the freshers were rushing between buildings either lost or believing themselves to be late. On the other hoof, the senior students were slowly sauntering to their classes like sloths.

Dawn and Legacy split up, saying their goodbyes till they should meet again. Legacy started strutting pointedly towards the fashion and textiles department.

Dawn, however, nervously began walking toward the department of magical studies, which as you could imagine, contained no other pegasi whatsoever. She would be an outsider to the rest of the students, and to the lecturers as well.

Dawn had aspirations that required her to join this difficult course, she wanted to become a member of Princess Luna’s Dreamguard. This means she must have an understanding of dream and mind manipulation magic and studying this degree will prove to the military quarter that she is able to use dream magic to a fine point. Having done her research, Dawn knew that holding such a qualification is crucial to join the prestigious garrison and be recognised in the halls of Canterlot castle.

She slowly pushed open the door to the nightmarishly large building with a deafeningly loud creak like a saw grinding across old wood and stepped in, shaking her wings. She drew eyes from the crowd of unicorn students and lowered her head, embarrassed to be the only non unicorn student in the building.

“Is she lost? Shouldn't she be in weather studies with rest of the pegasi?” Some of the other students sneered at her, not at all hiding their disdain for their bewinged peer.

“She’s just a pegasus, she’s too stupid to find her way to the weather studies class.” One of them spat, a taller unicorn stallion who quickly regretted his timing as they were spun forcibly round by their professor.

“Now that is not very polite, is it? That 'stupid pegasus' standing there is Moonlight Dawn and you!" He jabbed his hoof into the younger stallion's chest. "You should be looking up to the only student here who holds only A plus grades all round.” Teach told the group loudly, making dawn shiver with embarrassment of the professor yelling her top notch grades at her peers. Not to sniff at, the news of her grades being perfect did it’s job and shut the crowd up quickly. Now all eyes were on Dawn, not with disdain now, but now with slight awe and jealousy. Dawn could deal with disdain and dislike, but jealousy and awe were not what she had prepared herself for. So just as any pony would do, she made herself as small as possible, quietly creeping into the lecture theatre.

Ten minutes later, the theatre was full of chattering students, none of them sitting round Dawn, who had made a beeline for a corner seat as not to be bothered by any of her peers. The professor who had protected Dawn in the foyer made his way down to the lectern and began shouting out names.

“Ryko!” he shouted and received a dismissive answer from the other corner of the large auditoruim. “Lumen?” He received another answer, this time more enthusiastic, coming from the center of the room.

A couple names shouted later, Blue, Shire, Cobalt, Tiny. Dawn was called out and she replied with a shaky, “Y-Yes!” making half of her disapproving classmates turn round to stare terrifying daggers into her.

They all turned around as the teacher cleared his throat annoyed, then introduced himself as Crimson Spark and began to rant and rave about the syllabus and what the class will be learning. This rant went on for about half an hour before the lesson started properly, they were beginning on advanced mecha-arcanum structures, otherwise known as runes and arcane circles. Dawn knew from her previous studies that these structures were used all the time for containing magical fields and placing spells on things passing them. Nevermind her previous learning, she could barely keep up with the pace of her teacher’s flurry of information. She was used to making quick notes from her old history teacher. This time, Dawn was pretty sure her pen was smoking by the end of the lesson as she filed her newly made notes away.

She decided to wait for the majority of the class to exit the theatre before making her way out of her corner of the room. Not looking where she was going, Dawn was bumped into by one of the other students and in a cliched manner, she falls flat on her face, scattering her notes all over the ground. She is picked up by the student who knocked her over and her papers sorted themselves out into her saddlebags. “Sorry! I’m so sorry!” The student squeaked, making sure Dawn wasn’t hurt. “Oh, y-you’re Moonlight Dawn... aren’t you?” He asked, a tad awkwardly.

Dawn nodded in answer, fluttering her wings a little and bracing herself for the usual torrent of insults, or something similar. “I’m Cobalt.” He smiled at her and rubbed his horn awkwardly trying to avoid eye contact. “N-nice to meet you!” Dawn was surprised at his niceties and shakily smiled back.

“You-you were nice to me?” She questioned him, almost sure he was going to double cross her. Instead he looked confused and maybe a little hurt. “Sorry, I was expecting you to just make fun of me for not being a unicorn.” Dawn apologised, looking sheepish like a little filly after a scolding.

“W-well… unlike some, I try my best to get on with everypony.” He responded, adjusting his glasses awkwardly. “Especially a cute pegasus mare I just met.” He blushed a little, asking himself over and over again why he just said that to her now tomato red face.

“W-well it was nice meeting you Cobalt!” Dawn panicked as she ducked her head beneath her wing, trying badly, to make it look like she was looking in her bag for something before dashing away, leaving the frustrated stallion alone in the lecture theatre.

“Well… Shit, that’s another pretty mare i’ve successfully ruined my chances with.” Cobalt muttered to nopony in particular, mentally kicking himself for letting another adorable mare slip away because he was too forward. “Good sodding job there Cobalt.”

Cobalt started walking back to the student’s union, trying his best not to look like a recently denied stallion (and failing miserably) checking his blue coat and mane weren’t dirty in the shop windows because that might have offered some explanation to why he had been rejected again. But no, his coat was as spotless as it was when he had left home, Cobalt always made it a point every night to scrub himself down thoroughly so he knew for certain that he was completely sanitary for the day ahead of him.

Cobalt kicked himself mentally again before he strode back into the union building, walking to an unoccupied table near to the corner of Star-Bucks coffee and sat down, slinging his bags across the empty chair. He shyly walked over to the counter and ordered a large frappuccino to drown his sorrows in. Five minutes of the young barista faffing about with the coffee machine and he was presented with a cup of caffeinated, chocolaty goodness which he gently floated back to his table. As he walked away, a parade of bits made their way out of his saddlebag and counted themselves out on the barista’s counter, finally rolling into a neat stack as his magical aurora faded from a brilliant green to nothing.

The beverage didn’t last anywhere near as long as he hoped and he drained the last couple drops from the pristine white cup and set it down, dissatisfied with the largeness of his “large” coffee. He got up to give the cup back to the baristas, it followed him, encased in a magical glow. Cobalt gently set the cup down and thanked the pony serving who quickly scooped the cup up and deposited it into the sink behind her. He received a quick and dismissive thank you before the serveuse moved onto her next customer.

Moving back to his table in the corner, he brought out his laptop computer and hit the spacebar a few times impatiently trying to get it to wake up faster. As the screen lit up, it showed an image that made him smile, him in a selfie with his favorite musician. DJ-Pon3 had been his favorite since he stumbled across the djing unicorn in a Canterlot music shop and she silently signed a CD cover, tossed the twenty bits to the pony at the counter and pressed it into his hoof with a snarky, confident smile. He had gone home that instant and listened to her music all afternoon, downloading a couple of her digital albums too.

By far her best album had been Wake Up and See the World, the one she had given to him without as much as a second thought. He had fallen in love with one of the songs on the label, as far as he had seen the only song without dubstep drumming his ears constantly. The name of the song was, “If I Was To Be” and it was, in Cobalt’s head the best she had produced.

Thinking of this, Cobalt settled down happily into a world of his own, tapped in his password, then clicked his headphones into the jack in his computer and selected random on his playlists. Listening to the intro to one of the more hippy songs Cobalt had downloaded, he opened up a piece of work he hadn’t finished in class and got typing, frantically trying to get the piece finished. He’d need it all done to impress his high expectant parents.

Author's Note

Just to say a great big thank you to my co-writer and editor Ratchet for stopping me from publishing this till it was readable, and considering my last fic was a complete flop that I decided to give up on before it was too late, I am hoping that this one is a little better!

As an aside, if you are expecting some massive backstory about abstracts and Quizzy's life was like before moving to Equestria. That's gonna be in a different story that will include her brother! Yay for Ukedideka! Anyway, that isn't for now.

As another aside, I know the meeting between Dawn and cobalt was a massive cliche "Brad" moment, but can I just inform you in a totally non-spoilery way that Cobalt is not at all a "Brad" character, he is a socially awkward nerd who is a massive goofball, aka, the opposite of "Brad."