Reaching For The Stars

by A Derpy King Boo

Chapters

Nothing Out of Place
It Began With A Letter
Next Stop: Friendship
Planting The Seeds
Conquering The Pie
A Bat Crazy Day
Trying Something New
Terrible Timing
Solace
The Road Less Traveled
A Little Problem

Nothing Out of Place

Author's Note

This story is a collaboration with one of my best friends, Ashy. :twilightsmile:

Buckle up guys! We're in for a long ride.

Nothing Out of Place

“Astral! Come on down, honey!”

Waking up, I stretched out my hooves, cracking them a bit. I looked over towards the clock and saw that it displayed 08:03 A.M. I yawned slightly again and then lifted myself out of bed.

“Just a minute, Mom!”

I walked towards the full-length mirror propped against the corner of my room, kicking a few astrology books out the way. I stared at the butter yellow unicorn that was in front of me for a few seconds, taking notice as to how exhausted she looked.

“That's the last time I stay up late reading on a school night.” I chuckled, knowing that it certainly wasn't going to be the last time.

Lighting up my horn, I grabbed my brush from across the room and brought it closer towards me, gently brushing out the knots that I had acquired in my few hours of sleep. Once I was satisfied, I put the brush down and lifted my signature dark purple beanie in my aura, placing it on top of my head.

Taking one last look at my appearance, I walked out of the room and down the stairs into the kitchen. Once I stepped into the kitchen, I turned to my mother, her pastel yellow mane tied into a messy bun, and smiled happily at her.

My mother is my best friend. Ever since my father left us, I decided to become closer to my mom. She never deserved to be left alone like that, so I took it upon myself to get closer to my mom and keep her company. Mom has always been by my side and pushed me towards pursuing my education and studies and I feel that if it weren't for her, I don't think I could have gotten stronger with my magic; I owe her a lot.

Forgive me for forgetting this, but my name is Astral Flare. I've been studying at the local academy for a few years now and mainly stay at home, studying and helping my mother with a few of her things. My mom is a lavender unicorn by the name of Aurora Flare. Her magic was starting to deteriorate slightly, but it's mostly from older age. I've read in a book once that magic starts becoming harder for unicorns like ourselves as we progress onward in our lives.

“I made you your favorite, sweetie.” Mom told me. “Blueberry pancakes and a cup of orange juice.”

I smiled more. “Thank you, Mom. It looks really good!” Using my magic, I cut off a piece of the pancakes and took a bite of it. “Scratch that, they're extremely good, Mom.”

“Thank you, sweetie.” Mom replied.

“You know just what to do to make things taste great.” I giggled, taking another bite out of the pancakes.

Mom sat down next to me at the table and started eating her pancakes as well. The table was located just to the opposite of the window, giving us a beautiful view of the town. We lived in Whineysota and there was some snow on the ground from yesterday's passing flurries. I loved the snow very much and always took comfort when I saw some.

I finished up my pancakes and helped Mom clean the dishes and the table before setting off for my classes for the day. I grabbed my books and placed them in my saddlebag, leaving the house with my snow boots on my hooves and my jacket on my back. Turning around, I smiled at Mom and waved goodbye.

“Don't stay out too late, Astral.” Mom told me.

“I won't, Mom.” I answered, giggling just a bit. “Love you!”

“Love you, too!” Mom responded.

Exiting the house, I walked through the snow and towards the schoolhouse. It was the largest building in the town and typically was one of the quietest places in the town, in terms of ponies that visit it per day. I spend a lot of time at the library in the school and focus on my studies there since my room back home can't really hold so many books. I usually take whichever books focus on my studies for the day. Today's focus were the astrological signs and constellations in the night sky.

The snow itself wasn't particularly deep – there was about two inches of snow on the ground presently – but it was enough to keep ponies on the inside today. Snow is such a fascination to me. I'd sometimes imagine what it would be like to be a little snowflake falling down gently from the sky and landing on the ground on top of other snowflakes that were as soft as you were.

As I got closer to the schoolhouse, I saw a few other ponies walking inside. I saw them talking and laughing with each other, but really paid no attention to that. Friendship was something that was very common in the town, but honestly, the only friend I'll ever need is my mother. She gets me and understands me so well, I don't think anypony else could ever come close to that kind of relationship. Besides, I've tried friendship before, but it's not for me. The only time I've given it a try, my so-called “friends” ended up abandoning me when they found somepony they thought was cooler. That kind of separation hurt me very much, almost the same as when Father left Mom and I, and I vowed that I'd never feel that kind of pain again.

Entering the school, I made my way towards the classroom and took my seat towards the back of the room. I placed my books by my side and waited for my teacher, Aroofa Minda, to arrive. She was a very knowledgeable pony that traveled all around Equestria, spending a lot of time in her hometown of Baltimare. After a couple of minutes of waiting, the school bell had rung and Aroofa came inside from the hallway. She placed a few things down on her desk and turned her attention to us all.

“Good morning, class.” She smiled. “Glad to see that a lot of you made it today, despite the snow on the ground. Today, we'll be learning mostly about the constellations and, if time permits, some of the astrological signs as well.”

I saw somepony raise their hoof in the air. “Ms. Minda, about how many stars are in the sky?”

“Well,” Aroofa replied, “there are an infinite amount of stars out in the universe, many of which are very far away from us. Stars, like us ponies, go through life cycles of their own as well. They are born through an explosion, age like us, change colors throughout their lives, and, when they get close to the end of their lifecycle, they either explode and form newer stars, or collapse on themselves and form a black hole in space. A lot of stars usually explode and form newer stars and usually never collapse within themselves. It does happen, yes, but it is very rare and nearly always too far away to affect Equestria and the world.”

I took down a lot of notes and focused on everything that Aroofa told us. My cutie mark was a rainbow colored moon and focusing on something that revolved around my special talent was amazing, it allowed me to show off when we were to be tested eventually. Aroofa smiled, then turned to me and called on me.

“Astral,” she said, “you're a pony that is fascinated with the stars and the night sky. Would you care to share with us some of your knowledge?”

I blushed, then shook my head nervously. “N-no, ma'am.”

“Are you sure?” Aroofa asked me. “I'm sure the knowledge you have will be more than suffice to the other ponies.”

I shook my head again. “N-no thank you.”

Aroofa nodded. “Okay then, Astral. No worries.”

I felt a little embarrassed and continued taking notes on the subject. I waited for the class to end, which allowed us to have a little free time before the afternoon classes began. It felt like an eternity, but when the bells rang again, I packed my things up quickly and made my way towards the library the school had inside.

Approaching the library, I saw one of the librarians, an orange pegasus, entering the room. Her name was Cathral Alog, but I usually call her Cat Alog, since she knows where everything is in the library. She knew me well since I came here a lot during the free period and usually smiled when I walked through the doors.

“Good morning, Astral.” Cat beamed. “I have the newest edition of Stars: What We Know right here for you.”

“Thank you, Cat.” I replied. I took control of the book with my magic and felt giddy. “Ooh, this is larger than the last edition!”

“Don't study too hard now,” Cat chuckled, “you hear?”

“Thanks again, Cat.” I told her, grabbing a few more books before taking a seat in the corner of the library and studying some more.

I studied everything about the unknowns of space for the period that we were allotted. Discovering new planets and moons and asteroids in this universe and in neighboring universes was fascinating. I loved learning about the cosmos and celestial bodies that were out there in space.

The book that Cat gave me revealed that there was a new planet that was discovered between this planet and Mares called Ceres and that there was a quasar that was discovered on the outermost part of the universe. The book had very important and historic information that really made the mind think about how small we really are in our lives when compared to how gigantic the universe and galaxies really are.

When I completed the book, I closed it up and set it to the side, grabbing another book with my magic. This book, entitled Supernovas, Red Giants, and Dwarfs, focused on stars in the different periods of their lives. The ponies that wrote the book focused on a supernova that was coded as SN1987A, a red giant that was named Alpha Taurus, and a white dwarf named Sirius P, with the “P” standing for “pony,” according to the authors. They focused on each of their differences and how far away they all were from us.

Reading up on the three stars, I giggled to myself a few times, seeing how some of the information was so specific that regular ponies would not be able to understand some of it. I continued reading, getting startled by the ringing bell. I looked over towards the clock on the wall and was astonished to see that it said “01:30 P.M.” already. Time flew by today. Putting all the books back in their respective places, I packed up everything and made my way back towards the classroom, ready for the short afternoon session before we could go back home.

The class continued discussing about certain constellations that were in the sky during the night, such as the “Plough,” the “Lodestar,” and “Poneareis.” Aroofa pointed out where each star was located in the sky and told us to study up on them, since there would be a test on the constellations in a couple of days, on Friday.

When the afternoon bell rang, I packed my things up and started heading on home for the day. I was excited to continue my studies about the galaxy, deciding to focus on the different types of nebulas there were out there.

Outside, some more snow started to fall from the sky, prompting me to rush home. It was not wise to be outside while it was snowing because up here, some flurries could turn into a blizzard in a very short amount of time. Once I reached home, I said hello to Mom, then made my way upstairs to continue my studying for the evening. I smiled, knowing that everything was perfect right now.

After a couple of hours with my muzzle buried in my book, I looked up and out of the window. I saw that the snow had started to pick up a bit. The wind outside was getting fiercer and stronger, blowing over snow drifts from the roofs to the paths and streets in the town. I raised my eyebrows as I witnessed the snow fall more rapidly now.

“Sweetie,” I heard Mom calling from downstairs, “can you come downstairs for a second, please?”

Reluctantly, I closed the books I was reading and exited my room, making my way downstairs. The only light was coming from the living room, where Mom just so happened to be. She was sitting on the couch and motioned for me to sit down next to her. I obliged to the request and took a seat next to her, smiling at her in the process.

“You know,” Mom began, “your school called earlier.”

That made me blush slightly. “Y-yeah?”

“The storm is supposed to have a lot of snow accumulation overnight.” She said. “The school called to let you know that you won't have school tomorrow.”

I sighed out of relief. “Thank Celestia, a snow day.”

Mom giggled softly. “You know, your studies are very important.”

“I know, Mom.” I responded.

“You know what else I think is important?” She asked me.

I tilted my head, slightly confused. “No, what?”

“Friendship.” Mom told me.

I scoffed. “You're my best friend, Mom. I don't need anypony else.”

I saw Mom rub the back of her neck with her hoof. “Well, yes, and while I appreciate you being there for me, just like I'll be there for you, what will you do when you get older and live on your own one day?”

I shrugged. “I don't know, but I know that that day probably won't ever come.”

Resting myself against Mom's side, I smiled as I watched the snow fall out from the window, ready to continue my studies in the morning.

I had no idea that everything was about to change.

It Began With A Letter

By the time I could go back to school, it was the day of the test. In the classroom, a few of the other ponies had distanced themselves from me, even though I knew the most about this particular subject. Aroofa passed out the test and told us that we had only forty minutes to finish it, but that the forty minutes would take us down to the afternoon free period.

I finished the test in about fifteen minutes and spent another five checking over my answers before giving it in to Aroofa. After completing the test, I grabbed my things and left the room, making my way towards the library. I focused more on the new cosmos that were recently discovered in the neighboring galaxies and tried mapping out their coordinates on a map that I brought with me.

“Excuse me, Astral,” somepony called out to me.

I looked up from the table and saw that it was Videe Anna, the principal of the school. I wondered what exactly she was doing here, so I gave my attention to her fully.

“Hello, Principal Videe,” I replied, “What brings you here to the library?”

“Well,” Videe continued, “your mother is here to pick you up early.”

I blinked a couple of times, but quickly packed up my things and rose from the table I was at. Videe escorted me to the front of the school and allowed me to enter the office first, where I saw Mom standing behind one of the desks. Mom smiled happily at me, then came over to me, hugging me slightly. Hugging her back, I exited the office with Mom, then out of the school.

As we were walking through the cleared path, I asked Mom why she picked me up from school early. It wasn’t like her to do such a thing, so I figured that something might be wrong.

“I have something exciting that I wanted you to see,” Mom explained, “and I couldn’t wait for you to come home to show you.”

“Something to show me?” I repeated.

Mom took out a small envelope and gave it to me. I took control of it with my magic and took out a small piece of paper from inside the envelope. It was folded up, so I opened it up and took a closer look to see that it was a letter.

“To whom it may concern,” I read, “we are delighted to inform you that you, Astral Flare, have been accepted into Princess Twilight’s School of Friendship in Ponyville. Classes start at the end of February and will run through the middle of June. We look forward to seeing you soon for your orientation. Yours truly, Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.”

Mom felt happy. “What do you think, Astral? Sounds pretty good, don’t you think?”

I was stunned. “But what about you?”

“What do you mean, sweetie?” Mom asked in response.

“I mean what about you.” I repeated. “Your magic is not like it used to be and I think you could use my help while I’m here.”

Mom rested a hoof on my back. “Astral, I’m perfectly fine. Nothing bad is going to happen to me. You read it yourself: magic deteriorates as a pony gets older. It just happens naturally.”

I gulped slightly. “But Mom, I think-”

“Please, Astral,” Mom interrupted, “go and make some friends. Show the Astral I know to other ponies for me. I want everypony to know the sweet, little Astral Flare that I know. I know that Princess Twilight will be happy to have a pony like you attending her school. For me?”

I was at a loss for words. I didn't understand why Mom was so determined to get me to make friends. I tried friendship multiple times and each time it blew up in my face. She should know since she spent many nights wiping my eyes and stroking my mane, assuring me that everything would be okay.

I gazed up at her, scanning her aqua blue eyes for any sign that maybe she was bluffing and she wanted me to forget about the school and friendship and just stay here with her. However, I saw no such sign. Instead, I saw eyes that were filled with hope and love as Mom gave me the warmest smile imaginable.

Giving a defeated sigh, I flattened my ears and looked down towards the ground. Every part of me knew how bad of an idea this was and how much I was going to fail and disappoint her. I desperately didn’t want to do this, but chose my mother’s happiness over my own desires.

“....Alright, I'll do it.” I mumbled quietly.

I could practically hear her smile spread across her face as I felt her wrap me up in her hooves.

“Oh sweetie, I just know you're going to have the time of your life and make all sorts of new friends!” She exclaimed, holding me tighter in her embrace.

I forced a smile, trying my best to play the part of an excited mare with a bright future of friendship ahead of me for my mother's sake. Inside, however, I was an emotional wreck. Thoughts of failure began to flood my mind as well as thoughts of all the times I opened myself to others, only to have them turn their backs on me because I wasn't enough.

I spent so many years feeling like I was unwanted by everypony. The only light in my life was Mom since she made it a mission to make me feel anything but unwanted, even though she too had her own personal demons to deal with after my father left us both when I was just a filly.

So how could I up and do the same? More importantly, why was she pushing me to leave her so much?

After a few moments, I felt her pull away from me. I lifted my head up to look towards her, noticing tears falling from her eyes, making me feel just a bit worse. She smiled through her tears, however, as she whispered something that nearly broke my heart.

"You've made an old mare proud," she told me.

I didn't want to admit it, but deep down, I kind of wish that I hadn't. I smiled in response to her and nodded slowly.

"Anything for you, Mom…also you're not that old.” I replied with a smirk, also trying to change the subject.

“You're right, Mom,”She joked, adding her own smirk as well.

I rolled my eyes playfully and chuckled. “Last time I give you a compliment.”

She laughed softly, following it up with a gentle smile. “You know, after an emotional day, I think some ice cream from Icy’s sounds pretty good for dinner tonight, don't you?”

As a young mare about to graduate from the Academy, I knew it would take a lot more than a bowl of ice cream to fix the emotional strain I was feeling presently.

…But right now it was my medicine of choice.

Grinning like a little filly on Hearth's Warming, I nodded. “Only if we can get vanilla double chocolate chip with extra hay sprinkles.”

Chuckling as we began to walk onto the snowy sidewalk, she nodded. “Well, of course! What sane mare wouldn't want that?”

As we started to get closer to Icy Freezeria, I felt a little better as the thoughts from earlier were starting to become a distant memory. I had the reassurance and confidence of my mother, my best friend, with me and that's all I needed.

As long as I have her rooting for me then life wasn't so bad after all.

Once we entered into Icy’s, Mom bought both of us vanilla double chocolate chip ice cream with extra hay sprinkles. Like mother, like daughter, they say, since this was both of our favorite types of ice cream. Sitting down, we started to take a small bite out of the ice cream. I looked to Mom, whom was trying to hold back some laughter.

I cocked an eyebrow as I wondered what she was laughing at. “What’s so funny?”

She lightly tapped her muzzle and then motioned her head towards me. “Oh, nothing too serious, sweetie.”

Confused, I tapped the tip of my muzzle and felt some leftover ice cream on it. I laughed a bit with Mom as I wiped the rest off of my muzzle and continued eating the ice cream. Mom smiled as well, continuing with her ice cream as well.

“Still the funny little filly that you are,” Mom said, taking another bite out of her ice cream.

I rolled my eyes playfully once more as we continued eating our ice cream.

Once we got home, Mom insisted that I started packing and get ready for my trip to the School of Friendship. Slowly walking up the stairs, I got to my room, stopping just in front of the closed door and staring at it. I found that opening it up was much more difficult than it was this time around. Sighing slightly, I lifted my hoof up to the door knob slowly instead of choosing to open it up with my magic.

Come on, Astral, I told myself, you can do this. Just open up the door nice and slowly. You’ve done this a million times. Just turn the knob and open it up.

I slowed my breathing and turned the doorknob slowly, pushing forward the door and opening it up. Stepping inside my room, I slowly began to pack some things up inside a couple of saddlebags that I had. I made sure to take some astrology books, a backup beanie, some books regarding magic spells, and a framed picture of my mom and myself.

I placed the saddlebags on the chair at my desk and stared at them for a little while longer. I really was dreading the inevitable trip to the School of Friendship I had to make, but I also dreaded the fact that if I didn’t go through with this trip and at least give the school a shot, then I’d be letting my own mother down and honestly, I didn’t know which feeling felt worse.

I usually studied until I went to bed, but today, this was different. I didn’t feel like studying today after learning about what will come next for me. I guess Mom figured that something was troubling me, seeing how she came up to my room and knocked on my door softly, asking if she could come inside to talk to me.

Wiping a small tear from my eye, I nodded and responded. “Yes, Mom. You may come inside.”

I watched the door open up slowly, revealing Mom to me. She had the biggest smile on her face as she entered my room and sat down on the bed next to me. She looked ahead, like I was, and started to provide some small talk.

“I’m really proud of you for going through with this, Astral,” she began, “you know that?”

I wanted to respond back with something, but finding the right words to talk back to Mom was harder than I’d thought. Probably realizing this, Mom continued talking to me.

“After everything that’s happened to both of us in our lives,” she said, “I’m so happy to know that you’re giving friendship another chance. I know it hasn’t really panned out in the past, but I just have a feeling that this time is going to be very different, especially with Princess Twilight Sparkle overlooking the whole school.” She paused briefly to wipe away a tear. “I just wish that kind of place was around when I was younger. I know it could have made a huge impact on my life, just like you have.” She turned to me. “You know, you are absolutely the greatest friend...the greatest daughter a mother like me could have ever hoped for. I am extremely happy with how close we’ve gotten over the years. You made me so happy.”

“Then why are you pushing me away?” I asked softly, hoping that I hadn’t said this out loud.

“Because I want to see you really spread your wings in Equestria,” answered Mom. “I know you are a smart, intelligent, sweet, kind little pony and I know that, with the right guidance, you can really make Equestria a much better place.”

I turned to Mom slowly. “Do you really think so?”

She hugged me just like any mother would when it came to supporting their child. “I don’t think so, Astral, I know so. You are my special little pony and I think you have the capability of shining bright in the sky. I know that you can be the brightest star in the galaxy. Take it from me, since stars are higher than the Aurora Borealis.”

Her little joke got me to giggle quietly. I rolled my eyes playfully and nudged her slightly. “Of course you would say something like that, Mom. You always have to add a joke like that at the end of a heartfelt speech like that, you know?”

“How else are we supposed to get back here?” Mom laughed, coughing slightly.

“I don’t know, mother.” I replied, giggling louder.

We looked back at the saddlebags again and sighed in unison. Silence filled the room again as the sun started setting behind the house, casting a shadow on the bags and, eventually, on the ground until it disappeared completely, almost like it symbolized the end of one era and the start of the next.

“You best get to bed,” Mom told me finally. “You have a big day tomorrow.”

I nodded. “Okay, Mom.” I started thinking about the academy I was leaving behind. “What about the school, Mom?”

“Your old one,” Mom asked me, “or the new one?”

“The one I’m leaving behind,” I answered. “Why am I leaving them now?”

“I didn’t think you would mind, Astral,” Mom admitted. “You seemed unhappy with that school and the way things were going. Am I wrong?”

“Well,” I said, thinking about Cat in the process, “I would be leaving behind my teachers and the librarian without a trace. What about them?”

Mom scratched her chin lightly, then looked at me. “Tell you what…” She paused briefly. “I’ll write a letter to them and let them know what will happen and that you’ll be moving to a new school for a little while, how’s that sound?”

I smiled softly and nodded at Mom. “Thanks, Mom. I’d appreciate that very much.”

“Now get some rest,” Mom told me.

“Goodnight Mom,” I said, yawning a bit.

“Goodnight, Astral,” Mom responded, kissing my forehead lightly. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom,” I smiled.

Smiling, Mom turned to walk out my room, lightly closing the door behind her. Once I was sure she was gone, I allowed a sigh to escape my lips as I turned to look out of the window. The stars were shining beautifully against Princess Luna's night sky. Tonight would certainly be a great night to study the stars with my telescope, but I just didn't feel like it. Mom was right; I had a long day tomorrow.

Next Stop: Friendship

The next day, Mom walked with me to the train station. She looked super happy with this whole thing and told me again when I woke up how proud she was that I was going through with this whole ordeal. I smiled sheepishly, still pretty nervous that whether or not I was making the right decision.

“Nervous, sweetie?” Mom asked me quietly. She coughed a little bit, resting a hoof on my back.

I nodded slowly. “Just a little,” I admitted. “I don’t want to disappoint anypony, but I also don’t want to leave you behind. What if you need me?”

Mom shook her head. “I’ll be fine, Astral, trust me. I can take care of myself while you’re away. Besides, you’ll be back home for the summer soon.”

I smiled a bit, rolling my eyes slightly as well. “Summer isn’t for another six months, you know. What if you need me before then?”

Mom pushed me up the stairs as we approached the platform. “Stop your worrying already. I told you that I’ll be fine. I’m a grown mare, I can handle taking care of myself for a little while.”

We approached the counter and looked at the train schedule. I spotted “Ponyville” on the schedule after a few seconds of looking, noticing that the next train leaving for it was in six minutes. I was called next and bought one ticket for the train to Ponyville, paying the eleven bits to the conductor for the ticket. Taking control, I took the ticket from him and joined back up with my mom on the platform, waiting for the train to pull in.

Mom looked at me as I held the ticket out in front of her. She was noticeably happier than before, which made me feel just a little bit warmer on the inside. I always loved seeing Mom smile with me since it made me feel as if I was doing something right. Mom looked down towards the ticket, then began to pan her vision up towards me slowly. I blushed ever so slightly and rubbed the back of my neck softly.

“I can’t believe it’s almost time,” Mom sighed happily. She wiped a tear from her eye, reaching out to hug me.

I hugged Mom back and nodded a bit. “Me neither. I don’t know whether to be excited or nervous.”

Admittedly, I was very nervous about going through with this whole thing. Nervous about my new surroundings, leaving Mom behind, breaking out of my shell, and, well, basically everything. It’s amazing I got over my anxiety when I was younger because if I still suffered from it, I don’t think I would have made it this far.

From a distance, the train’s whistle could be heard. I shivered very slightly, hoping that Mom hadn’t seen that. Looking over in the direction the sound came from, I could faintly see a funnel and smoke coming from said funnel. Mom smiled some more, nudging me slightly.

“Almost here, Astral,” she observed, “I can’t believe it’s almost time.”

“Yeah, Mom,” I chuckled nervously, “neither can I.”

I sighed a bit, then glanced upward to make eye contact with Mom. I wanted to protest going once more, but at this point, I felt that there was no use in trying that now. Giving off a half-smile, I tried to make it seem like I was less nervous than I really was, but, being her daughter, Mom could read me like a book.

“It’ll be okay, Astral,” she responded, showing sympathy towards me, “I know how smart you are and I also know that you can do this. You’re an ambitious pony…I know you can do anything you set your mind to.”

I blushed the palest shade of pink that was possible. Deep down, I knew that Mom knew best - all parents do, really. I had already decided on giving the School of Friendship a chance, but still, it pained me to do such a thing. Friendship, in the past, has only caused heartache and heartbreak for me since everypony I met ended up abandoning me anyway. Every time I gave it a try, they would leave me because they thought that I wasn’t cool enough to hang out with them or because my studies were just too weird and “out there,” as a lot of them put it.

That is the reason why I’m invested so heavily into my studies. I know I’m not judged whilst doing such a thing because there’s nopony around to actually judge me. My studies are very important to me and, since I tend to focus on them throughout a large portion of my day, the studying for any particular day usually results in me being by myself. I feel better when I’m either spending time with my mother or when I’m studying and discovering new things about any neighboring galaxies.

The whistle blew a little bit louder this time as the train got closer to the platform. Mom rested her forehoof on my back and nuzzled me slightly. She always did that when I felt a little uncertain about myself and it made me feel better nearly every time she did it. It’s just such a nice feeling, honestly, and it’s something that she’s done to me ever since I was a little filly. Besides my mother’s company, that small gesture might be the one thing I’ll miss the most while I’m away.

I felt her pull herself away from my face and turned to her. She lifted her hoof from my back and used it to adjust my dark purple beanie, giggling when she thought it was finally perfect. I grinned in response and thanked her for fixing it for me.

“Anytime, sweetheart,” answered Mom, “you look cute now.”

I tittered a bit. “Thanks for the compliment.”

The train pulled into the station slowly and came to a stop in front of us. There were about three coaches between where we were and where the caboose was located and, as the door opened up, ponies began to walk on and off of the train. The conductor came off of the train too and looked at his pocket watch for quite some time. I exhaled some air slowly and took control of my bags, looking at Mom one more time. Hugging her tightly, I felt some tears escape my eyes. I hid my face in Mom’s neck as I tightened my hug, feeling Mom’s hooves wrap around my body and hugging me back.

“I’m going to miss you, Mom,” I whimpered, my voice being muffled by my mother’s body, “I love you so much.”

“I’m going to miss you too, sweetie,” Mom stated, “I love you too and I know that you’ll do well at your new school.”

I felt Mom begin to pull herself away from my body. I let go of her, then started to board the train. Wiping away some of my tears, I turned to Mom one final time and blew her a kiss. As a joke, Mom caught it with her hoof and put the kiss away in her “front pocket,” even though she didn’t have any pockets on her.

“I’ll make sure to write to you, Mom!” I shouted, waving goodbye to her.

Mom nodded and smiled brighter. “And I’ll be sure to respond to each and every one I receive!”

“Bye, Mom!”

“Goodbye, Astral!”

I boarded the train and made my way through the aisle, sitting down at one of the nearby, empty seats. I placed my bags under the seat and looked out the window, waving at Mom once more before I finally left her.

“All aboard!” The conductor shouted, blowing his whistle afterwards. He boarded the train within a few more seconds, closing the door behind him.

The train to Ponyville began to move out of the station slowly. The train’s whistle sounded off, echoing through the wide open land. I sighed once more and looked down towards my hooves.

Alright, Astral, I thought, we’re on our own now. You can do this; Mom told you so. Besides, you won’t be gone forever. It’ll only be for a few months until the summer arrives. Then, I can come home and spend more time with Mom. Yeah! I can do that!

Looking out of the window, I began to think about what would happen in the school. Ponyville was a very historic town because of six ponies that called it home, and those six ponies were all teachers within the School of Friendship. I had a feeling that they would grade us harshly because they know everything about the topic of friendship and that started to make me just a bit more nervous.

I tried to clear my mind about the uncertainties that were sheltering themselves inside the crevices of my mind by staring at the rolling hills that were well in the distance. The more we traveled, the less snow I began to see. I was unsure of how different Ponyville’s weather was from Whineysota and wondered if I would even see snow while I studied at the school. Eventually, the hills and mountains turned into steppe plains, pushing my attention away from them.

The conductor eventually came into the coach I was sitting in and was going from seat to seat checking the tickets each pony had. I pulled out my ticket as the conductor got closer and prepared myself to give it to him.

Without warning, the train jerked slightly and made me lose my concentration on the ticket, causing it to drop to the ground. The conductor, nearing my seat, saw this and slowed down just a bit to give me time to grab it once more. Looking on the floor, I saw that the ticket had fallen into a medium-sized slit that my bag was leaving, so I pulled out the bag with my magic, grabbed the ticket, and closed the bag back up, tightening the string around it so that the slit was no longer there.

“I see you’ve found your ticket,” the conductor noticed as he finally reached my seat. He reached out and asked to see it.

“Does this train go straight to Ponyville,” I asked, “or does it make a few stops in between?”

Taking control of the ticket, the conductor smiled. “It does go to Ponyville, but it makes some stops along the way. We have stops in Green Hay, Indianeighapolis, and Coltlumbus before we arrive in Ponyville.” He punched a hole in the ticket and gave it back to me with his magic. “Hopefully we don’t have any snow along the way, otherwise the journey will be even longer.”

That statement got my attention as my ears perched up just a bit more. “What do you mean? How long is the journey?”

“Well,” continued the conductor, “if everything goes right, then we should be in Ponyville by tomorrow evening.”

I thought of one more question before I let the conductor continue working and checking tickets, “How long will each stop be before we start once more?”

“They’ll be approximately thirty minute stops for recoaling,” the conductor advised, “so you can do some local shopping if you so choose to do so, as long as you still have your ticket if you leave.”

I nodded at the conductor, forcing a smile to show on my face. “Thank you, sir.”

“You’re quite welcome, miss,” the conductor reciprocated, moving on with his work.

I glanced back out the window and began thinking about the journey once more. I felt happy to know that it would be just a bit more time before I got to Ponyville and, honestly, knowing that we would have some time in each of the stops for ourselves, I started thinking about possibly getting some gifts for Mom as well. She hardly ever traveled outside of Whineysota ever since my father left us both, so I figured that bringing some of the charms from other towns to her would make her happy.

Yawning a bit, I began to doze off slightly, enjoying the soft hum that the train was providing as it barreled down the tracks. I closed my eyes and rested myself against the side of the coach, yawning once more in the process.

“Now arriving in Green Hay. Our stop here will be for thirty-three minutes to allow for recoaling. If you wish to shop around, we recommend staying close by. Remember to have your tickets with you for reentry.”

I stretched out my hooves and twisted my back a bit, cracking it slightly. I sighed contently, then rose from my seat, placing my bags over my back in the process. Walking off of the train, I looked beyond the entryway to the split platform and saw a large marketplace nearby.

I made sure to heed the advice of the conductor operating the train and planned to be back within thirty minutes. I decided to get one thing for Mom in the marketplace, then see if I could contact her to check up on her. Carefully walking down the stairs off of the platform, I glanced around the marketplace to see what I should get for Mom.

“Mugs here,” one shopkeeper shouted, “get your authentic and collectible Green Hay mugs here!”

I giggled softly, wondering how a mug could be authentic before moving along in the market. Looking around, I tried looking for something that would catch my eye and surprise Mom. I turned a corner and started walking down more collapsible tables that had a bunch of Green Hay memorabilia.

“Hey there, little filly,” somepony called out to me. I looked in their direction, making him continue talking, “you look like you’re looking for something bold and brash.”

I shook my head and continued walking, “No thanks, sir.”

“You won’t know what you’re missing!”

I rolled my eyes playfully and looked around some more. Turning yet another corner to reveal even more collapsible tables, I saw a beautiful looking fabergé egg. Approaching the table slowly, the pony running it saw me idolize it and talked to me about it.

“I see you have a very fine set of eyes if you’re fascinated by that egg,” she said.

I smiled in response. “What kind of material is this made out of?”

“This particular egg is made out of jade,” the pony answered, “it’s usually retailed at about a few hundred thousand bits, but for you, I’ll sell it for six thousand bits.”

I blushed and backed away slowly. “I don’t have that kind of money, unfortunately.”

The pony scratched her chin softly, then pulled out a small necklace that had a sapphire encrusted in the center of a small heart. She showed it to me and talked about this piece of jewelry now.

“You look like a pony who appreciates sapphires over her other sisters, Emerald and Ruby,” she told me, chuckling at the sound of his own joke.

I engaged him with a bit of my own laughter, giving her just a bit more of my attention. In retrospect, her joke was unique since I’ve never heard it before. I approached the table and the pony once more and responded happily to her.

“Yes, I do,” I smiled.

“Well,” continued the shopkeep, “this sapphire encrusted, heart-shaped necklace just screams ‘I love you’ to the one that you love most! It’s a wonderful gift for that special somepony in your life.”

That sealed the deal for me. “How much for it?”

“This little thing,” she beamed, “is only thirty bits.”

“Can I get it wrapped?” I inquired.

The pony nodded in response. “For no extra charge, too.”

“I’ll take it,” I declared, taking out thirty bits from my bag and giving them to the shopkeeper.

With the necklace placed inside a cute, little box, the pony gave it to me and took the bits, securing them in her cash register behind her. I secured the box in one of my bags and thanked the pony once more.

“Thank you for your business,” she answered in a delightful manner, “I hope to see you again real soon.”

“Likewise,” I replied, deciding to go back to the platform now.

I made my way back towards the station’s entrance, hoping to find a clock to see just how much time I had left before the train left. There was no clock on the side of the platform that I was on presently, though I did see that the train was still there. Going inside the station building, I noticed a clock on the far wall that said it was 04:38 P.M., meaning that there was about twenty minutes left for the current stop. I smiled, not only because there was still time left in the stop, but because I saw a phone below the clock as well. Smiling like a schoolfilly, I approached the phone and put in a couple of bits, calling Mom back home, hoping she was there to pick up. The phone rang for a couple of times before I heard a click on the other end and Mom’s voice.

“Hello?” She said.

“Hi, Mom!” I beamed. “It’s Astral!”

“Astral!” Mom replied enthusiastically. “How are you doing? Where are you at right now?”

“I’m doin’ fine, Mom,” I answered, “and I’m in Green Hay right now.”

“Wow,” Mom remarked, “the train made a good distance. How many stops are there on the trip to Ponyville?”

“Only three,” I informed, “this one being one of them. The stops are to get more coal for the train.”

“It is a pretty far distance,” Mom insisted, “so it only makes sense. How long do you have at this stop?”

“About another fifteen minutes,” I told her, “I miss you so much.”

“Already?” Mom joked. “You haven’t even been gone a day yet!”

I laughed playfully. “Nice to know you feel the same way, Mom.”

“You know I’m only kidding, Astral,” she giggled, coughing slightly, “besides, you know I miss you. It’s quiet here without you.”

“Well,” I thought, “I could come home and make a difference, if that’s what you-”

“Nope.” Mom responded, interrupting me in her usual joking manner. “I know you can do this, Astral. For the umpteenth time, you’re a special pony and can succeed.”

“Thanks again for believing so much in me, Mom,” I acknowledged, “it really means a lot to me.”

“Think nothing of it, sweetie.”

Just then, an announcement was made over the public address system, “Attention, everypony. The train leaving for Ponyville will be leaving the station in approximately five minutes. Once again, the train leaving Green Hay for Ponyville will be leaving the station in approximately five minutes. Thank you.”

Mom chuckled lightly, “I guess it’s time to go then, huh?”

“Yeah,” I smirked, “so you get to enjoy your peace and quiet again.”

“Oh Celestia, bless me,” Mom laughed.

I rolled my eyes playfully, “I’ll talk to you soon again, Mom. I love you!”

“Love you too, Astral,” Mom replied, “talk to you soon.”

I hung up the phone, then proceeded to go back to the train, passing by a large amount of ponies and creatures along the way. Entering the train, I found the same seat from before and sat down at it once more, placing my bags underneath the seat. I looked out of the nearby window and saw a peculiar looking pony. They were a sky blue pony with a multicolored mane and beautiful wings. I wondered what drew my attention to her, then remembered that I needed to take my ticket out once more.

“All aboard!” The conductor alerted. Within a few seconds, he shut the door behind him and the train began to move once more with the destination being Indianeighpolis.

Planting The Seeds

The train ride was once again soothing. The hum of the train rolling down the tracks was one that provided much serenity for me; it really cleared my mind. The conductor was going from coach to coach to see if any of the passengers wanted anything. I had bought a bottle of water from them earlier and still had some with me, so when they came back around this time, I was all set.

Presently, we were leaving the Coltlumbus station. According to the conductors, it was the last scheduled stop before we were to reach Ponyville in the evening. I glanced at the gift I got Mom in Coltlumbus proudly, knowing very much that she would really enjoy this gift. I got her a small book that made me laugh upon reading the title: Mom! Maaaaa! Mom! Mom! Mom! MOM!!! Inside the book, all the pages had sentences that praised moms everywhere, followed by “I love you.” My favorite page was the last one, which stated: “Finally, mom, I want you to know that I love you so much, have I mentioned that? Oh, and that I’m clearly your favorite pony of all time. That too. LOVE YOU, MOM! Da end.”

In Indianeighpolis, I bought Mom some coffee cups with our names on them. I thought they looked cute and, despite the fact that I never drink coffee, I thought I could get a good use out of the Astral glass.

I pulled out one of my astronomy books and began reading it once more. The book - appropriately titled Exploring the Night Sky: The Equinox Astronomy Guide for Experts by L.N. Stellar - discussed the vast depth of Princess Luna’s night sky and all the stars that she shows us, including a number of stars that cannot be seen through the normal pony eye.

The book began by talking about the Ponima Centaur, which was a star that was located near Princess Celestia’s sun. It was interesting because the star was considered to be a flare star since it has a brightness that varies significantly. The book showed a picture of the star on the adjacent page and made me smile, since the light it gave off seemed to form a rainbow around it while also forming a giant X through it as well. I know the rainbow part was almost impossible, especially since nearly all color, when looking in outer space, gets absorbed because of the darkness that space really is known for. The telescope that was used to take the picture of the Ponima Centaur was really good and took a clean and crisp photo, which, again, made that rainbow illusion.

I continued to read some more of Ponima Centaur, then took out a quill, marking the page for later so that I could attempt to either locate it in the sky or on a map for myself. I flipped the page and was about to continue reading when somepony called out to me. I looked up and had noticed that it was the same pony I had spotted earlier on the Green Hay platform. She smiled at me and started talking more to me.

“My name is Summer Lily,” she said softly. She pointed to my beanie, “I really like the flower that you have on your beanie.”

I blinked, then took off my beanie to see that there was a flower laying on top of it. I took it off, then placed my beanie back on top of my head, thanking Summer for letting me know that it was there.

Summer seemed displeased with something. “I thought that daisy looked cute on top of your beanie though.”

I shook my head, “I’m not really a flower kind of pony. I don’t think they’re my kind of thing.”

Summer took notice of that. “What is your kind of thing then, if you don’t mind me asking.”

I lifted my book up for her to see. “I’m more of a starry kind of pony. I’d like to-”

“Oh, what kind of star is that one?” Summer asked, interrupting me.

I looked at the page and noticed that it was Vega, which was a rare, albeit bright star in Princess Luna’s night sky. I studied a lot about Vega and some of the other bright stars, so I actually knew more than what the book was letting on to know.

Smiling, I answered Summer’s question. “That star is called Vega.”

Summer took a seat next to me and stared deeply at the picture of Vega on the adjacent page. She wanted to know more about it and politely asked me if I knew anything else.

I nodded, “Vega is considered to be the fifth brightest star in Princess Luna’s sky, but it’s supposed to be a unique kind of star.”

“What makes it so unique from other stars?” Summer wondered.

I pointed towards the shape of Vega, specifically towards its equator. “This star rotates at such incredible speeds that it has a sort of bulge here at its center.”

Summer got closer to the picture and tried seeing the bulge, but had a hard time noticing it. I didn’t blame her since noticing something that unusual was hard, especially since stars typically are spherical. I pointed at the other end and showed Summer what I meant.

“Vega is spinning so fast that it looks like an egg here,” I continued, “and it’s particularly interesting since it has the potential to rip itself apart because of how fast it moves.”

“Rip itself apart?” Summer repeated.

“Yup,” I answered, “because it’s spinning somewhere between eighty-five and ninety percent of its maximum possible rotational speed. If a star reaches one hundred percent rotational speed, the spin would overwhelm the star’s gravity and rip it apart.”

“Fascinating…” Summer admitted. “What other kind of unique stars are there?”

I flipped through some of the pages, trying to find another star that matched Summer’s question. I don’t know why, but as I was flipping through the pages, the urge to study had died down and the urge to show off my knowledge began to rise more. Towards the end of the book, I saw one star that looked pretty unique. I showed it to Summer and allowed her to make out the name of it.

“HV 2112?” She thought. “What kind of name is that?”

I giggled softly, “That’s its scientific name. I like to call this star ‘The Cannibal Star,’ for specific reasons.”

“And what might those reasons be?” Summer asked politely.

I pointed at two different locations on the picture of HV 2112, letting Summer see what I meant. “These are two different stars. One of them is inside the other one.”

Summer raised both her eyebrows and appeared to be amazed by that statement. She turned to me with a quizzical look on her face. “How is that even possible?”

“Well,” I said, “the outer star is a giant star and this little one inside the outer one is a neutron star. Because of this, elements such as hydrogen and oxygen are manufactured in a slightly different way there than they are here. This is an amalgamation that has ponies here wondering what really constitutes as a real star now, since a red giant and a neutron star are completely independent of each other and, really, have no business with each other.”

“Interesting,” Summer replied, looking back up towards me, “you know a lot about stars. Are you an astronomer pony?”

I nodded, “I study astronomy a lot since it is just super fascinating to me, though I do open myself up to some astrology every now and then.”

“Like myself and flowers,” Summer smiled, pointing to a flower she had hanging in her mane, “bet you can’t tell me what kind of flower this is.”

I looked at the flower extensively and tried guessing what kind it was, but couldn’t seem to come up with anything besides “daisy” and “rose.” The flower in her mane didn’t appear to be either since it was completely different from the daisy I had stuck on me and since the flower itself was not red.

Summer giggled softly, “Give up?”

“Yes,” I meekly answered, “what kind of flower is that?”

Summer took it out of her mane and showed it to me. “It’s a ghost orchid flower. It’s a really rare kind of orchid and aren’t really found in places like this.”

“Why’s that?” I wondered.

“The orchid is something that thrives in marshlands and areas like that,” Summer stated, “so it can’t really grow in conditions where it’s cold half of the year.”

That got my attention. Since it needed to be in warm places, why was the one she was holding still living? I asked Summer that question, which made her smile some more as she placed the flower gently back in her mane.

“My mane is warm enough where it can support this orchid,” she told me, pulling my hoof to touch her mane.

Her mane was soft to touch and very warm, as she stated. I was very surprised by this and wondered how that was possible, but didn’t entertain the idea.

“This orchid was given to me by somepony close to me,” Summer continued, “and I wish they were still here to witness what I’m doing with my life right now.”

“What happened,” I wondered, “if you don’t mind me asking, that is?”

Summer shook her head slowly, “I don’t mind. Honestly, it’s better that I do tell this to somepony, otherwise if I keep it bottled up for too long, it won’t be good for my lifestyle. My grandma gave me this orchid when I got my cutie mark.” She pointed to her mark, which was a set of flowers. “She said that this was her favorite in her garden that she worked so hard to take care of. About a year goes by and she grew sick and spent all of her time inside that garden. I haven’t seen her since then.”

“Oh,” I said, blushing slightly, “I’m sure she’s still working hard on her garden and wants it to be as beautiful as possible.” I wasn’t particularly sure if that was a good thing to say or not.

Summer looked up at me and smiled once more. “That’s what I keep thinking, honestly.”

I sighed quietly, feeling relieved that my response didn’t cause a scene or anything.

“Where are you headed to?” Summer asked me curiously.

“I’m headed to Ponyville,” I replied.

Summer beamed happily. “I am too! What are you doing there?”

I blinked a few times, but decided to stretch the truth slightly. I wasn’t too comfortable just yet in admitting I was going to the School of Friendship.

“I hear it’s a good town to visit if you’re looking to start over and new,” I answered, scratching the back of my neck slightly.

“I’ve heard that too,” Summer responded, “it is a town that really has grown a lot over the last few years.”

“Have you been there before?” I wondered.

Summer nodded, “Yeah! It’s a wonderful town that has lovely flowers that grow near the forest. I try to go at least twice a year to see the flowers bloom. It is a magnificent sight to see. You should visit them sometime.”

I smiled softly, “Maybe one day.”

The public address system sounded off shortly thereafter. “Attention passengers, we are now beginning our approach to Ponyville. We will be in the station and finish the journey in about fifteen minutes. Crewponies, please prepare the train for the standard braking procedure.”

I looked at a nearby clock and was baffled. Wow, the journey seemed to fly by this time around.

Summer rose herself from the seat and smiled once more at me. “Well, I do hope I see you around in Ponyville. It was a pleasure meeting you!”

“Likewise,” I politely replied, watching Summer walk out of the coach and into the next one.

I turned towards the window and looked out of it, watching as the train got closer to the platform. The closer we got to Ponyville, the more nervous I began to get.

Time for new beginnings, I suppose, I thought, collecting my breath slowly.

Conquering The Pie

“Now arriving in Ponyville. Reminder to passengers to please take any belongings that they have. Once more, we are now arriving in Ponyville. Thank you for choosing the Friendship Express as your premier choice of travel throughout Equestria. We hope to see you again soon.”

The train arrived at the Ponyville train station and came to a slow and easy stop. Picking up my bags and placing them on my back, I started walking off of the train, minding the gap between the coach and the platform, taking in the new surroundings around me. I saw the station exit and proceeded through it promptly.

“Wow,” I said aloud, “it’s so vibrant and colorful.”

Everywhere I looked, bright colors could be seen. This was much different than what I was used to back home in Whineysota. I looked to the left and saw a sign close to the station and read it to myself.

“Welcome to Ponyville,” the sign said, “the unofficial Color Capital of Equestria.”

Yeah, I thought, I can see why they would say that about themselves.

I looked around some more and noticed on the right side of town a large crystal castle towering over the other buildings around it. Next to it was a large building that appeared to have been recently built. I wondered where the school was and decided to check the acceptance letter for any details as to how to get to the school once ponies had entered the town.

“Hmm,” I mumbled, “let’s see…delighted to inform, yada yada, accepted, yada yada, Ponyville, okay, uh huh, classes start, yes, look forward to orientation, Princess Twilight.” I flipped the letter, trying to locate directions to the school, but the other side was blank. Flipping the letter back over, I sighed slightly. “Great...no directions. How am I supposed to get there if I don’t know where it is?”

It seemed to me that I had no choice but to ask for directions on how to get to the school. I felt a bit embarrassed that I was forced to do such a thing, but wandering around in a place I’m not familiar with at all was probably a more dangerous option.

Walking along the main path of the town, I noticed a bunch of ponies and shops all around me. They each wore smiles and happy faces on themselves, which uplifted my mood a bit and made me forget about my nervousness momentarily. I continued walking down the main path until I saw a shop that had a sign with an image of a cupcake on it. Biting my lip, I approached the shop as I was a bit hungry.

I opened the door to the shop, making a little bell chime softly. I looked around the shop and saw that it was just as colorful on the inside as the rest of the town was on the outside. There was a pony behind the counter that spotted me and beamed delightfully. She was a bright pink pony with a mane that was a shade darker and appeared to be a bit unkept.

“Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner!” She spoke. She looked at me for an extended time before continuing. “Oooh, are you a new pony? I haven’t seen you around town before and I like to get to know everypony! Ask anypony...they’ll say that I was their first friend when they came to Ponyville.”

I nodded bashfully, “I, uhh, yes. I am new to town.”

She sprang up from behind the counter and tackled me with a hug. Her hug was a really strong one and caught me off guard. I coughed a bit, trying to gather myself from the sudden motions.

“My name’s Pinkie Pie,” she told me, “and I just love making new friends!”

“I, urgh, can see,” I answered, grunting a bit in an attempt to gather my breath.

Pinkie Pie pulled herself away from me and booped my muzzle softly. “What’s your name, stranger?”

I scrunched my muzzle a bit, rubbing it softly. I looked back towards Pinkie Pie and answered her. “My name is Astral Flare. I’m here to-”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “I can guess this! I know this! Let me guess, please!”

I blinked a few times, confused slightly. “Uhh, okay, I guess?”

Pinkie Pie rose her hoof towards me and began guessing. “You’re here because you’re hungry, aren’t you?”

I giggled softly, “Well, that and something else.”

“You’re here for the School of Friendship,” Pinkie Pie claimed, “because Twilight accepted you and you want to learn about that stuff, riiiiight?”

I cocked an eyebrow. “How’d you know?”

She pointed at me. “I can see the letter in your bag, silly!”

I looked back at the bag and saw that the letter was visible from it. I placed it further into the bag and closed it up, nodding at Pinkie Pie in the process.

“Yeah,” I said feebly, “that’s the other reason why I’m here. I actually don’t know where the school is since the letter doesn’t have a set of directions on it.”

“Oh, Twilight does that on purpose,” Pinkie Pie replied, “she says that the first lesson always starts when you get into town, unless you’re already living in the town, then your first lesson is always in the school. Come to think of it, the first lesson is always the application process...or is it when you hear about it? Oh, I know! It’s when you want to go to school! No wait, it’s when you talk to other ponies! Or, orrr it could be when you’re born! No, it’s when your parents-”

“I don’t mean to be rude or anything,” I butted in, trying not to sound mean, “but do you know where the school is located, Pinkie Pie? Apparently there’s an orientation I’m supposed to have there.”

Pinkie Pie stopped and looked at a nearby clock, gasping greatly. “Oh my gosh! I’m late for the orientation!”

I tilted my head a bit, “You’re attending the school too?”

“Oh, I don’t go there,” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

I was confused again, “Then how are you late for it?”

Pinkie Pie stood behind me and started pushing me out of the shop. “I teach there, silly!”

“Wait,” I replied, regaining my balance on the ground with my hooves, “you’re a teacher there?”

“I’m Professor Pie!” Pinkie Pie smiled, continuing to push me. “But, I let the creatures I teach call me Pinkie. Professor Pie sounds like a really, really, really smart pie that sounds good to eat, and I don’t want anycreature eating me!”

“Anycreature?” I repeated, shuffling my hooves so that I wouldn’t fall face first into the ground.

“Yes indeedy dandy!” Pinkie Pie beamed. “Ponies aren’t the only creatures that go to the School of Friendship. Now come on, Astral! We’re gonna be super duper late if we don’t get to the school soon.”

“Is that where you’re pushing me?” I asked.

“Yup!” Pinkie Pie answered, giggling in the process.

Up ahead, I saw the same building from earlier, the one that was next to the castle. There was a large waterfall and fountain surrounding it and everything looked beautiful on the outside. Pinkie Pie pushed me over a small bridge and inside the structure, where other ponies stood, along with a few other creatures.

“Sorry, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie yelled, disrupting the orientation in the process. “I kinda lost the time.”

The pony in the center of the group, a taller, lavender colored pony, looked towards us and smiled softly. “It’s okay, Pinkie. I was just about to start the orientation.” She noticed me being pushed by Pinkie Pie. “Ah, you must be Astral Flare.”

I blushed slightly and nodded in response.

“She sure is, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie answered as well for me.

“I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle,” she continued, “like I was telling these creatures, I am the headmare to the School of Friendship. You may address me as Headmare Twilight, or just Twilight when school isn’t in session. If you would follow me, I’ll start giving you a tour of the school.” She turned to Pinkie Pie. “You’re free to join us, Pinkie, if you’d like.”

“Nah!” Pinkie Pie giggled, bouncing off elsewhere.

Twilight rolled her eyes playfully, then gazed at us. “In that case, you will all have the opportunity to meet Pinkie Pie when classes start again. Until then, I’ll be the pony you get to know most.”

Leading us down the main hallway, Twilight began her tour of the school, showing us everything we needed to know about our new place of learning.

“The main hallway is basically where you’ll spend your time moving between classes,” Twilight began, “and I know some of you are already saying to yourselves, ‘why is she beginning with the hallway’ and I answer that by saying the hallway is also part of the school, even if creatures tend to forget about that.”

She led us up a flight of stairs and turned the corner, showing us one section of the school. Twilight gave us all a small piece of information as we passed each classroom.

“Each of these classrooms are designed to suit the professor best,” she told us, “at this school, you’ll be learning first hoof about the building blocks to a successful friendship.”

“What are the basic blocks to friendship?” Somepony asked.

Turning to face us, Twilight giggled softly. She sighed just a bit, answering the question that was asked.

“Well,” she said, “since you’re all going to be attending here soon, I might as well give you a small lesson. I’ll list the basic blocks to friendship, but you’ll have to attend your classes if you wish to learn more about them.” She stepped around the group of us and began pointing out specific doors as she listed the blocks. “The basic blocks are honesty, loyalty, laughter, generosity, kindness, and magic. These blocks will help you form the perfect and strongest types of friendships in each of your lives.”

I thought about the blocks for a long time, wondering how each of them related to a successful friendship.

“...and if you ever need any assistance whatsoever, whether it’s for a problem you have during your studies here or if you just need somepony to talk to, I’d like to introduce you all to the school’s guidance counselor, Starlight Glimmer.”

Twilight smiled, pointing out Starlight Glimmer to us. She was a peculiar looking heliotrope colored unicorn with a moderately purple mane. She also had two highlights in her mane that were a lighter purple color and an aquamarine color as well. Starlight Glimmer smiled and waved at all of us, introducing herself in the process.

“Thank you, Twilight,” she cheerfully spoke, “like Twilight said, I am the guidance counselor here in the school. You may come into my office at any point for some sympathy cocoa, protection pillows, and security blankets if you ever need to talk to anypony about a problem you may be experiencing.”

“In addition,” Twilight added, “Starlight here is in charge with creating your schedules. With help from myself, we have your schedules for each of you, ready to be picked up. Once you’ve collected your schedules, you may proceed to your dorm rooms, for those who come from different areas, or you may frolic and explore what Ponyville has to offer. Classes start first thing tomorrow morning, so I expect all of you to be here bright and early, ready to learn.”

The other ponies and creatures approached Starlight Glimmer in a single-file line, giving their names and receiving a small piece of paper that was their schedule before leaving the school for the day. I looked around the school before stepping on the line and felt my hooves shaking a bit. I gave a lengthy sigh, trying to calm myself down a bit.

It’s okay, Astral, I thought, you can do this. It’s not too bad, you know. There are other ponies here doing what you’re doing, so it’s not impossible.

I felt somepony place a hoof on my back, making me jump slightly. I turned around and saw that the hoof belonged to Twilight. She blushed slightly and lifted her hoof from my back.

“I’m sorry about that,” she told me, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“N-no, it’s fine, Princess,” I replied, feeling a bit nervous talking to somepony of royalty, “I wasn’t expecting that, hehe.”

Twilight smiled in response, “It reminds me of what Princess Cadance taught me when I was young: whenever you feel anxious or overwhelmed about something, just take a step back and take a deep breath. It usually makes me feel better.”

I nodded, “Same here.”

“I’m going to take a guess that you’re Astral Flare,” Twilight guessed, “am I right?”

“How did you know?” I wondered.

Twilight motioned her head back in the direction of where Starlight Glimmer was. Following her lead, I saw that there were only a couple of creatures left on the line and myself. I looked back to Twilight and blushed slightly.

“Lucky guess,” Twilight chuckled quietly, “but you’re the pony whose mother wrote to me for an application. I can tell you personally that friendship is so much more than what you’ve experienced in your life.”

“How do you know?” I responded instinctively.

“Well,” continued Twilight, looking back towards Starlight Glimmer, “I may know a pony or two who were originally reluctant and skeptical about friendship before.” When the other creatures collected their schedules, Twilight spoke up once more. “Starlight, could you come here please?”

Starlight Glimmer rose from her desk and approached Twilight and myself. She smiled at us both and asked Twilight what she needed.

“Would you mind telling Astral something about yourself?” Twilight politely asked.

Starlight Glimmer nodded and looked towards me. “What would you like to know, Astral?”

I gulped a bit, blushing slightly once more. “Princess Twilight tells me that you were reluctant to give friendship a chance before. I-I’m kind of feeling the same way after my experiences.” I paused slightly. “I was wondering what your experiences were, Starlight Glimmer.”

Starlight Glimmer locked eye contact with me, resting a hoof softly on my chest. “When I met Twilight, she beat me and took everything that I had worked for away from me. She offered me a chance to learn, but I sought out revenge and changed things in the past. After seeing what would happen in the present and almost destroying Equestria in the process, Twilight once again offered to teach me the ways of friendship, leading me down a path that has reunited me with my oldest friend, made new friends, and led me here to be a guidance counselor.

“I know things might seem difficult and you might feel that you’re working so hard to move so little,” continued Starlight Glimmer, “but I can tell you from personal experience that things can get better if you give friendship another chance. Twilight is a wonderful teacher and a skillful pony because if anypony can help save a friendship, it’s her. If it weren’t for her seeing something inside of me, I don’t think any of us would be here right now. I owe Twilight plenty for helping to make my life better.”

I looked back towards Twilight, stunned by Starlight Glimmer’s story. I had no idea that friendship was that powerful and, honestly, only knew it for the worst things imaginable. I began to think about Mom back home and thought that she would probably tell me to give it a try, despite my hesitation. At this point, I knew Mom was right in sending me here because, from what I’ve heard from Starlight Glimmer, I feel that I am in the right place to give friendship another chance, especially if she was able to find solace and comfort in it now.

A Bat Crazy Day

That night, I arrived at my dorm room. It was on the second floor in the dormitories and towards the back end of it. I opened up the door and saw a large room that was identical on both sides. There were two bunk bed-hybrids - the bed was on top and a desk was on the bottom - and a closet on either side as well. A lamp was in the middle of the room and, after turning it on, brightened up the room better than I had expected.

I placed my bags on the desk and started to unpack my things, placing a few things where I thought they would fit best - my beanies in the closet, a few books shelved on the desk, and the picture of Mom and myself next to the bed. I turned around and wondered why the room was mirrored in such a way, but didn’t decide to utilize it. Instead, I levitated myself onto the bed and rested a bit as well.

Opening my bag once more, I pulled out my schedule and brought it closer towards me. I looked at my schedule closely and noticed that my first class for tomorrow was Generosity with Professor Rarity. I glanced quickly towards the other classes in the schedule and put it back in my bags, turning towards the window and gazing out of it. I almost fell asleep from exhaustion but was kept awake when I heard a knock on the door.

I blinked a few times, wondering if I imagined the knocking. When the knock came again, I carefully pulled myself down from the bed and proceeded towards the door, opening it up slowly. When the door was opened completely, I noticed a peculiar looking pony in front of me. She had a manestyle that was wild, resembling like the cosmos and Princess Luna’s night sky. It was dark purple and tied up in two bouncy pigtails, also having stars strewn about throughout it. Her coat was a cerulean color and her hooves also had the same kind of stars on them like her mane did. She had very large wings that were a hint brighter than her mane, showing the same couple of stars in them as well. Bouncing up and down cheerfully in front of me, the pony began to squee happily.

“Umm,” I blurted uncontrollably, realizing this and adjusting myself a bit, “h-hi there. May I help you?”

“Oh my gosh, yes you may!” She beamed playfully. “I didn’t think I was getting a roommate with such a cool mane color and beanie!”

I was caught off guard slightly, “R-roommate?”

“Duh, silly!” She responded. She hugged me tightly. “I’m Eclipsa! What’s your name?”

I coughed slightly and rubbed my neck once she finally pulled herself away. “I-I’m Astral Flare,” I shook my head slightly again, “I’m sorry, did you say you were my roommate?”

“Yes I did, Astral!” Eclipsa chimed. I saw her look up at my horn and squee again. “You’re a unicorn! Can you do like super duper awesome magic stuff?”

I blinked a few more times, caught off guard by the sheer amount of energy this pony had. “Uhh, y-yes, I can.” I finally noticed her larger-than-normal wings again and brought that up with her. “You’re a Pegasus pony?”

Eclipsa looked at her wings, then giggled slightly, “Nope.”

Looking both ways in the hall, I invited Eclipsa inside and shut the door behind her. I turned towards her once more and watched as she bounced up and down once more. Since I didn’t receive a proper answer from my previous question, I asked Eclipsa what kind of pony she was.

“I’m a bat pony!” She exclaimed, pointing to a few spikes she had on the tips of her ears. “Are you a nocturnal pony?”

I nodded, pointing towards my cutie mark, “Yeah, I love Princess Luna’s night sky. What about you?”

Eclipsa lifted one of her wings up and revealed her cutie mark to me. It was a full moon with a bubble wand and from the wand were two bubbles as well. She smiled more at me, letting me know she was nocturnal as well.

I nodded once more and thought a little bit more about something. Typically, when it came to bats, they were nocturnal and preferred to roam about in dark places and the night when they were outside. If Eclipsa was a bat pony, wouldn’t that mean they would be better in a school where classes were given during the evening? That made the most logical sense to me.

“You’re thinking about something,” Eclipsa smirked, tapping the front of my right hoof playfully, “what is it? I can tell it’s about me. It is about me, right?”

“Well,” I began, “kind of.”

“How much kind of are we talking about?”

“Aren’t bat ponies usually ponies that mainly roam around during the night?” I asked. “Like, I’m pretty certain the classes at this school are only given during the day. How will you be able to go to these classes?” I waited for an answer, but then realized how insulting my question sounded. Before Eclipsa answered back, I blushed and added something more. “I didn’t mean to make that sound so condescending.”

Eclipsa shook her head, “Think nothing of it, I understand what you mean: what bat pony moves freely during the day, right?”

“Something like that,” I admitted.

“Well,” continued Eclipsa, “I’m not like the average bat pony you meet.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a bat pony other than yourself, honestly,” I responded.

“Nonetheless,” Eclipsa smiled, “I’ve grown up around normal ponies that do their tasks and everything during the day, unlike all the other bat ponies, so I’ve just gotten used to being up and about during the day.”

That sounded a bit odd to me. I tilted my head very slightly, confused a bit. “So does that mean you’re an adopted pony?”

Eclipsa tried hard to maintain her smile, but I watched as it slowly began to vanish from her face. She started to fold her ears slightly and looked down slightly as well. I felt bad, unsure of what I might have said or what may have happened to cause this sudden change of emotion. Deciding that this may have been too touchy of a subject for Eclipsa, I decided to change the topic, for her sake.

“What’s your first class for tomorrow?” I wondered, showing her my schedule.

The next day, I went to the classroom. At my old academy, I would usually sit in the back of the room while I attended to my studies. Today, however, I decided to sit in a desk closer to the front of the room, a la Mom’s advice and Starlight Glimmer’s story yesterday.

As I sat at the desk, waiting for the class to begin, I noticed a lot of different creatures and ponies coming into the room and taking seats elsewhere. As the bell rang loudly, I turned my attention towards the front of the room and prepared myself to learn. One final pony came through the door and shut it behind her. She was a white unicorn with a moderately indigo colored mane, which was kept beautifully. She turned and faced the class and began talking to us all.

“Good morning, class,” she began. Her voice made it sound like she came from a rich family. “My name is Professor Rarity and welcome to the Generosity class in the School of Friendship.” She briefly looked around the class and smiled. “I can see a bunch of brand new faces in the class, and that is fabulous to see. Allow us to begin by going around the room and introducing one another. Many of you are new to the class, so let’s proceed with introductions.” She pointed to somepony on the opposite end of the room. “Would you like to begin?”

I turned around and saw a blue colored Earth pony against the wall. They looked shy, but spoke up nonetheless.

“I, uhh,” he paused for a moment, eyeing Rarity for the time being.

Noticing that the pony was having a hard time, Rarity spoke up and encouraged him.

“It’s okay,” she smiled, “we’re not going to judge somepony we haven’t met yet, darling. This is why we’re all here - to help build our friendships and make them better as well.”

The pony gulped and nodded slowly, “My name is Doppel. I was raised in a faraway place and have never really experienced living on my own yet.”

“Well, Doppel,” Rarity continued, “what’s one thing that you love to do, no matter what?”

“I, uhh,” he paused briefly again before continuing, “I usually like to create art in…unconventional ways.”

“Oh?” Rarity responded. “Is that so?”

Doppel nodded, “Y-yes ma’am.”

“Would you like to show us some, darling?”

Doppel looked down slightly, blushing in the process, “Oh, I-I don’t like showing it off…I’m afraid of the negative backlash that it may get…”

“No problem, Doppel,” insisted Rarity, “I think you will gain a lot of confidence when you take Professor Dash’s Loyalty class.”

“M-maybe,” he meekly replied.

Rarity smiled some more, then moved on to the next pony. I turned back around in my seat and began to get a little anxious, and not for the right reasons. I was afraid of being the only pony to speak in the class, even if it were to just introduce myself.

I tried to remain calm and pay attention as the others were introducing themselves, but I found that as introductions got to the next pony, the more anxious I began to get. I began to feel lost inside my own thoughts, only to be snapped out of it when Rarity tapped on my desk.

“Well?” She whispered.

I blinked a couple of times, “Well what?”

Rarity giggled briefly, “It’s your turn to introduce yourself, darling.”

I was befuddled, looking at the other classmates again. That was certainly fast, I thought, how long was I distracted for? I started to speak up, but it was blatantly clear that I was nervous right now. “Good m-morning, everypony,” I spoke, “I, uhh, my name is Astral Flare, a-and I come from Whiney, uhh, Whineysota.”

“What’s something you like to do in your free time, Astral Flare?” Rarity asked me.

I felt slightly better as I chuckled quietly to myself, “Please, Professor Rarity, you can call me Astral. In my free time, I, uhh, I like to study Princess Luna’s night sky.”

“That’s fascinating, Astral,” Rarity admitted, looking back towards everypony else. “Well, everycreature, the first thing that we know is that all of us are clearly different from one another. However, that does not necessarily mean that a friendship cannot be formed. A friendship can be formed from any little action and, with enough TLC, can blossom and materialize into something fabulous!”

She talks about it as if it were a flower, I thought. That’s when I began to think about Summer from our time on the train and her fascination with flowers. I wonder if she is somewhere in town…

The second class was Magic of Friendship with Headmare Twilight. I got into the class and sat down close to the front of the room once more, thinking about what Twilight’s method of introductions would go like.

As soon as the bell rang, Twilight used her magic to close the door, beginning to teach and lead the class. She smiled happily at us all, then proceeded promptly.

“Welcome, everycreature, to the Magic of Friendship!” Twilight beamed. She smiled and showed her teeth to us in the process, excited to start teaching. She briefly eyed me and winked before continuing with introductions, “I usually don’t do this kind of thing, but today, I’ve decided to pair each of you off with another creature and get to know them that way. My philosophy is that a group project would be the best way to get to know your partner, so instead of the normal introduction methods, let’s experiment a bit.”

Twilight then began pairing us off in pairs, going around the room and selecting two creatures seemingly at random each time. I watched as creatures were paired off over and over again. I saw Twilight approach me and smile once more in the process.

“Good morning, Headmare Twilight,” I said, “I see I’m next in line to be paired off, right?”

“You would be correct, Astral,” Twilight nodded, “now, I think your partner will be…” Twilight paused as she looked at the remaining creatures. She picked one for me to get to know and turned back to me, “Your partner is going to be this unicorn right here.”

I looked behind Twilight and saw a unicorn stand up and make their way towards me. He looked like a very smart pony with his mocha colored coat and chocolate colored mane. He had on a pair of glasses and a green scarf around his neck. What threw me off was that his facial expressions made it seem like he didn’t really feel like being here. I noticed that and tried my best to look beyond it.

“Enjoy, you two,” Twilight smiled, leaving to form one of the last remaining pairs in the class.

The pony sat down in front of me and cocked an eyebrow at me, seeming displeased again. He sighed, then spoke up first, “I’m Cobalt Shine. I like books and anything regarding books.”

I smiled softly, “That’s pretty neat. I’m Astral Flare and spend a lot of time studying about Princess Luna’s night sky. Naturally, that means I spend a lot of time reading books.” I showed Cobalt a couple of my astronomy books that I was carrying around.

“They’re a decent selection,” Cobalt admitted, “but the night sky is such a dull topic. There’s nothing more fascinating than history because, if we don’t record it, we will just end up repeating it.”

“Is that so?” I asked. “Well, the night sky is something that does have its own importance. The moon, for example, helps moderate the oceans of the world. Did you know that?”

Cobalt scoffed, “Of course I did. I’m not slow or anything. I bet you wouldn’t know the difference between a nova and a supernova, kid.”

I cocked an eyebrow, slightly annoyed by Cobalt’s comments, “Don’t call me ‘kid,’ Cobalt. I know what I’m talking about when it comes to the galaxy.” I pointed towards my cutie mark.

“And I know what I’m talking about when it comes to knowledge and retaining it.” He pointed towards his cutie mark in the process, a stocked-up bookshelf.

I felt insulted by that remark. I folded my ears and looked down, blushing slightly. Normally, I would get up and leave, but I couldn’t do that this time around, especially since this semester just started and I’m brand new to the school. I rolled my eyes and closed them tightly.

Cobalt is a shade of blue, I thought, and that doesn’t make any sense. I sighed slightly, You can’t even get colors right, so what makes you think you’re smarter than me? You just met me, after all.

When I finally opened my eyes back up, I looked up and saw that Cobalt was frozen. I widened my eyes and folded my ears a bit more in the process, feeling just a little bit bad. I looked back towards Cobalt and began to feel awful.

“I, uhh, I’m sorry about that,” I admitted.

Cobalt then glanced up towards me, “It’s fine. I don’t know you, so it isn’t fair to judge you yet. Somepony once said that when we generalize and judge somepony quickly without taking time to get to know them, we have chosen a shortcut, and that only results in a lack of wisdom.”

I smiled, thinking back to a different quote said by somepony else in one of the few nonfiction books I’ve read. I nodded at Cobalt, then shared the quote.

“When I read Destruction of the Opposition,” I began, “one page in particular stood out to me the most, and I think you know which one when I say it.” I started reciting the quote. “When they judge you, yawn. When they misunderstand you, smile. When they underestimate you, laugh. When they condemn you, ignore. When they envy you, rejoice. When they oppose you, prevail.”

Cobalt smiled and nodded once more, recognizing the quote. He apologized again as we continued our rocky introductions.

Trying Something New

Later that day, I found myself having lunch outside of the school in the courtyard, enjoying some of the air that was blowing around town presently. I had made myself a hay and daffodile sandwich and was enjoying that, spotting Eclipsa in the distance. I waved to her and watched as she bounced happily over towards me.

“Hey, Astral!” She beamed. “How are you?”

“I’m fine, Eclipsa,” I answered, blushing slightly, “how has your day gone so far?”

“It’s been amazing!” Eclipsa said, waving to somepony behind us. “I have somepony I’d like you to meet!”

“Oh?” I muttered.

Eclipsa nodded. “I think you’ll like her, I really, really, really do!”

Eclipsa kept waving at the pony to join us. I turned around and tried looking for them as well, but couldn’t really tell who Eclipsa was waving at. Eventually, Eclipsa groaned and excused herself momentarily, going towards the pony she was trying to bring over to us. I spun back around and continued to eat my sandwich, savoring the taste very much.

The weather was beautiful today and warm as well. I figured that Ponyville would be similar in weather to Whineysota, but so far was proven wrong. Taking another bite of the sandwich, I sighed contently, feeling much better after the events that happened this morning between myself and Cobalt.

“Surprise!” Eclipsa giggled, popping up in front of me.

Surprised by the sudden sound, I coughed on my bite a bit, swallowing it before it became something more. I saw Eclipsa in front of me with another creature. They looked like a pony, but they had these weird horn things coming from the top of their head. She appeared to be bored, similar to Cobalt from earlier.

“Astral,” Eclipsa began, “I’d like for you to meet one of my friends from Professor Dash’s Loyalty class, Willow. Willow, this is Astral Flare, my roommate.”

“Hey there, Willow,” I politely said.

Willow glared back at me, her eyes beginning to glow. Eclipsa noticed this and patted Willow on her back, trying to calm her down.

“Now, now, Willow,” she chuckled, “there’s a time and place for that, and that’s almost never! You know it’s impolite to change form in the middle of a conversation.”

“Change form?” I repeated, looking back towards Willow. “I don’t think I understand. How could you change form?”

Willow cocked an eyebrow and sighed, “I’m guessing you’ve never met a kirin before, haven’t you?”

“Kee-ren?” I questioned, unsure if I was pronouncing it right.

“Close enough,” Willow stated, rolling her eyes slightly. They began to dim as she glanced towards Eclipsa again, “You wanna tell her?”

“You can, silly!” Eclipsa responded, nudging Willow in the process.

“Fine,” Willow acknowledged, turning back to me, “kirin are notorious for their short tempers. Make us mad and we turn into a nirik, which are really strong creatures driven by anger mostly.”

“So I’m guessing that we shouldn’t make you mad then,” I noticed.

“You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry,” Willow insisted, flashing her eyes briefly again.

“Nope!” Eclipsa laughed, bouncing playfully once more.

“Astral!” Somepony shouted.

I turned around and noticed Summer Lily coming closer. I felt happy to know that she was also attending this semester as well, inviting her to come over. I let Willow and Eclipsa know that Summer was a pony I had met on my way to Ponyville, smiling as she approached us.

“I didn’t know you were coming here too,” Summer smiled, “why didn’t you tell me while we were on the train?”

“I thought you would have judged me otherwise,” I admitted, “I didn’t want to feel that kind of judgement.”

“I think friendship is really the reason we’re all here,” Summer replied. She looked between Eclipsa and WIllow and then back to me, “Who are your friends?”

“Oh,” I chuckled, “where are my manners? Summer, this is Eclipsa, my roommate, and Willow, a kirin I just met and Eclipsa’s friend!” I glanced back towards Eclipsa and Willow, “This is Summer Lily.”

“A pleasure to meet you two,” Summer stated.

“Awesome!” Eclipsa beamed again, hugging Summer tightly. “I absolutely love your manestyle! I love that cute, little flower too! What is that?”

“It’s an orchid,” Summer explained, “my grandmother gave that to me.”

“Pretty!” Eclipsa complimented.

Willow rolled her eyes a bit again, glancing at Eclipsa in the process before looking elsewhere. I asked Summer what classes she had in the afternoon and we began to compare schedules.

I smiled happily, “Awesome, looks like we have Honesty with Professor Applejack together after this.”

Eclipsa beamed delightfully, “Really? You two have that class next as well?”

I nodded, “Yeah, you do too?”

Eclipsa showed me her schedule, “Duh! I’ll be in that class with you two, too! Hehe, two too...tutu. That’s funny!”

I rolled my eyes playfully, “Hilarious, Eclipsa.”

Just then, the warning bell rang. We all looked towards each other and knew that, with the bell sounding, there was only five minutes before the next classes were set to begin. I finished up my sandwich and walked with Summer and Eclipsa towards Honesty next, saying goodbye to Willow as she went elsewhere.

“Howdy, y’all! Ah’m Applejack, and Ah’ll be teachin’ this here class.”

I smiled as I sat in the middle of the room, next to Eclipsa and Summer. I felt happier knowing that there were close ponies sharing a class with me this time, close by my standards, given the time that had passed. I saw Doppel, from the Generosity class, sitting in front of me, and decided to attempt to form a friendship with him after class.

“Ah usually like comparin’ lots of stuff with my countryisms,” Applejack admitted, “but Ah don’t think y’all would wanna hear them right now. Instead, lemme get to know y’all, and what better way to do that than a hootenanny.”

A pony to the left raised their hoof, “What’s a ‘hootenanny,’ Professor Applejack?”

Applejack chuckled, “Please, Applejack’ll do jus’ fine, sugar cube. Feels weird havin’ y’all call me Professor. An’, to answ’r yer question, a hootenanny is simply a little party. Ah invited Pinkie Pie to help make things go smoothly, since she’s free durin’ this time period.” She walked over towards the door and opened it up, revealing Pinkie Pie to us.

“Hey there, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie giggled.

“Thanks again for helpin’, Pinkie,” Applejack smiled.

“No problem!” Pinkie Pie replied, shooting a cannon off in the room.

The cannon decorated the room in a flash with streamers, balloons, and a cake. I was stunned at how quickly the room scenery had changed, looking over towards Summer with an astonished look. She too held an expression of surprise as she gazed back towards me, wondering how the room changed so quickly with a small cannon.

“Alright, y’all,” Applejack continued, “enjoy yourselves. Ah’ll be goin’ ‘round the room shortly, gettin’ to know y’all jus’ a bit more.”

As the room began to get a little bit more livelier, Eclipsa, Summer, and myself all rose from our seats and gathered around. I motioned towards Doppel, who was still in his seat with a piece of paper, appearing to work on something else. Eclipsa noticed and raised an eyebrow.

“You wanna introduce ourselves to him?” Summer asked.

“I know what it feels like to be lonely like that,” I admitted, “and it’s not fun.”

“You’re right, Astral,” Eclipsa nodded, “let’s go over and say hi to him. I can give him a cupcake and brighten up his day! Maybe he’s just too shy and needs somepony to make the first move.”

I hesitated a bit, feeling something stop me from moving with Eclipsa and Summer. I knew that making friends was really what this school was about, but something inside of me told me that something was off about Doppel, as if there were more to him than what meets the eye. Eclipsa noticed my hesitation and rested one of her wings on my back.

“Everything okay, Astral?” She asked me.

I blinked a couple of times, finding solace with Eclipsa’s wing on my back. I blushed slightly, then nodded a bit, but did not provide an answer in response. Eclipsa noticed my silence and smiled.

“It’s gonna be okay,” she told me, “you have us by your side. We’ll be with you every step of the way.”

“No need to worry,” smiled Summer.

That made me feel a little bit better as I started moving towards Doppel now with Eclipsa and Summer. Eclipsa led Summer and myself to the three desks around Doppel and sat in them, facing him in the process. Doppel seemed surprised that there were others sitting around him, so he looked up and glanced between the three of us.

“Hey there!” Eclipsa started, giving Doppel a cupcake.

Doppel looked at it, then at Eclipsa, and took the cupcake, placing it on his desk. He nodded in response, which Eclipsa took as his way of saying thank you. Summer gave Doppel a flower and smiled politely at him.

“This is an alstroemeria,” Summer said, “it’s a flower that represents friendship.”

Doppel smiled a little bit and nodded again. I felt a bit better, knowing that this plan was beginning to work.

“It’s Doppel,” I spoke up, “right?”

He nodded, then scratched his chin. He opened his mouth up, and mouthed something to me, but I couldn’t quite make it out.

“What was that?” I asked.

Doppel blushed, then shook his head a bit. He looked into my eyes and nodded once more, “Sorry…I’m just a reserved, umm…pony…”

I understood what he meant by that, “I am too, trust me.”

Eclipsa cutely smiled, “I figured we could get to know you a little bit and stuff.”

I spotted his cutie mark, “What’s that?”

He looked back to it and blushed a bit, “It’s supposed to be sticks and stones. I-I’m good with art with them.”

“That’s neat!” Eclipsa admitted. “An artist is very cool.”

“Art is like flowers,” Summer added, “and they’re both very beautiful.”

Doppel smiled a little bit more, “Glad to know someone sees it that way.”

“You’re very dedicated to studying,” I noticed, “aren’t you, Doppel?”

He nodded slowly, “To be fair, studying new things helps keep my mind off of…stuff.”

Eclipsa tilted her head slightly, “What kind of-?”

“Howdy, y’all,” Applejack smiled.

We all turned our attention towards Applejack and responded happily to her, “Hello, Applejack.”

“How are y’all doin’?” She continued.

“We’re doing fine, Applejack,” Eclipsa giggled.

“Glad tah hear,” Applejack said, “how’re y’all enjoyin’ the School of Friendship?”

“It’s a wonderful school,” Summer answered, “it’s helped out so much so far, and it’s only the first day.”

“Yeah,” Applejack chuckled, “Twi sure knows how tah run a school.”

“I’m sure our studies are going to be incredible with all of you,” I insisted, “you all are such experts in the subject.”

“We sure been through lots as a group,” admitted Applejack, “in case y’all haven’t had her class yet, Twi’ll go over plenty of adventures we been on in her class.”

“Thank you, Applejack,” Doppel stated.

“Anytime, y’all,” she responded, “if y’all ever need anythin’ throughout the semester, mah door’s always open.”

“Thank you,” We all acknowledged, watching Applejack move on to the next group of students.

We continued talking over with Doppel until it was time to leave the class, smiling and enjoying ourselves with him.

That night, I was laying on my bed and studying the stars in Ponyville’s night sky. I felt happier doing what I liked doing for the first time in a while and was mapping out a bunch of constellations on a map in front of me. The light was off, with the only light coming from the aura on my horn. It was very quiet as well, but the quiet nature was disrupted when Eclipsa came back inside.

“Hey, Astral!” She beamed, “There’s a huge party going on in the courtyard to celebrate the first day of the semester! You wanna go and check it out?”

I looked back up at the sky and groaned a bit, “Not now, Eclipsa, I’m busy mapping out stars in the sky right now.”

“Oh, come on, Astral!” Eclipsa insisted, flying up to meet my eyes. “Those stars will be there forever, but this party will be gone come morning.”

I cocked an eyebrow a bit, “Technically, Eclipsa, stars don’t last forever. They have their own life cycles like we do.”

“Come on, Astral,” Eclipsa repeated, “I know it’s gonna be super duper fun! Professor Pinkie was the one who set it all up!”

I thought about the hootenanny that we had earlier in Applejack’s class, then looked over towards the picture of Mom and myself, remembering why I came to this school in the first place. Mom would want me to go, so, pushing away the map, I turned to Eclipsa and nodded at her.

“Okay, Eclipsa,” I told her, “I’ll check it out.” I thought the next part silently, For you and for Mom.

Eclipsa squeed impressively, “Awesome! I know you won’t regret this decision! Come on!”

Eclipsa grabbed me, then dragged me off of the bed to the party.

When we were in the courtyard, I saw a bunch of creatures around, enjoying themselves. I turned a little bit and noticed that Cobalt was approaching us slowly. Eclipsa smirked, then nudged me slightly.

“Is that somepony you have a crush on?” She teased.

“W-What?” I objected. “N-No!”

“Then why are you staring at him?” She giggled.

“I-It’s nothing,” I answered, blushing a bit.

Cobalt came over and smiled slightly, “Hey, Astral. Cool party, huh?”

I nodded slowly, “Mhmm…” I turned to Eclipsa and smirked, “Cobalt, allow me to introduce you to my roommate Eclipsa. She told me she likes you a bit.”

Eclipsa blushed slightly, as did Cobalt.

“She did?”

“W-Well,” Eclipsa stammered, “I do like your scarf. I-It looks cool.”

Cobalt’s blush disappeared almost immediately after that. “Oh, why thank you, Eclipsa. I think your wings look impressive.”

I smiled as the three of us conversed a little bit longer. I was actually happy that Eclipsa dragged me out of my room to this party and, honestly, I could see myself giving this a semester and seeing how things went down. It makes it better to know that I’m not being judged completely here, so…

It feels like a home away from home…

Terrible Timing

A couple of months had gone by since I’ve started attending Princess Twilight’s School of Friendship. I could not have imagine a while ago staying here for such an extended period of time and was actually proud of myself for doing so. I wrote Mom letters along the way and told her everything that had happened thus far, starting with making a lot of new friends. She was very proud of me for actually succeeding so far in my latest attempt at friendship and wished she could see me sometime.

I was super prepared for summer break to come around, even though it was still a few weeks away. Right now, Eclipsa and myself had Summer, WIllow, and Doppel in our room for a study session for Headmare Twilight’s test for tomorrow. Cobalt was supposed to join us eventually after he finished up with his project for Rarity’s class.

“The Elements of Harmony, Summer,” Eclipsa smirked, “go!”

“The Elements of Harmony are Equestria’s, umm,” she paused briefly to collect her thoughts and remember her notes, “they’re Equestria’s most powerful means of defense and there are…five of them?”

Eclipsa, playing along with Summer’s mistake, continued her questions, “And what are they?”

Summer thought about that for a while, “Umm…well, there’s Generosity…Laughter is one, right? Then there’s Honesty, Loyalty, and…the last one is Kindness…I think.”

“Close, Summer,” I nodded, “but there are six Elements and the last one is Magic. Remember, when in doubt, think about the names of the classes we have, they all are the answer: Professor Rarity’s Generosity, Professor Dash’s Loyalty, Pinkies’ Laughter, Honesty with Applejack, Fluttershy’s Kindness, and Headmare Twilight’s Magic of Friendship class. Just remember the ‘Magic’ part of that name.”

“Okay, Astral,” Summer said, “thanks for the advice.”

“Think nothing of it, Summer,” I replied.

“Your turn, Doppel,” Eclipsa continued, “my question to you is this: When this creature tried taking over Equestria, they nearly succeeded after stealing the magic from everypony. Who was that and, as a follow-up question, what happened to them?”

Doppel scratched his chin lightly, “I remember that happening. That was Lord Tirek and I believe he is locked in Tartarus now, right?”

Eclipsa nodded, “Yes he is. Trust me, flying away to protect myself would have worked out better had I saw him first. Who would’ve guessed that all that magic would have made him bigger?”

“I think magic works differently for each creature,” WIllow spoke, “perhaps the magic centaur’s feel empower them and make them grow in size, especially with the magic of a whole kingdom in his body.” She shrugged, then looked out the window, “That’s just my assumption.”

“Not a bad thought, Willow,” Eclipsa smiled, “and, honestly, it may make sense since he’s been the only centaur to show up here in a long, long, super duper loooong time!”

“Your turn, Astral,” Summer stated, “and I think this one will be a doozy.”

I gulped slightly, unsure of what kind of question I was about to be asked.

“Ooh,” Eclipsa idolized, “this ought to be gooooood!”

“Headmare Twilight explained to us a lot about the Tree of Harmony,” Summer said, “including when it was planted and by whom. Who planted the Tree of Harmony?”

I blushed a bit, thinking back to the lecture Twilight gave us on the Tree of Harmony. Her lecture was extensively detailed and went back to a time that predated Princess Celestia’s own knowledge. I tried my hardest to not look at my notes, pushing the notebook away from me.

“She, umm,” I slowed down a bit and gulped, “I believe, umm, she told us that…was it Star Swirl the Bearded that planted the tree?””

“And?” Summer pressed.

It hit me after a while. I knew that ponies who helped plant the Tree, but I couldn’t remember what they called themselves. I gazed at Summer and sighed, explaining myself.

“I know who did it,” I said, “but I can’t remember what they’re called. There were six of them and they were trapped, but I can’t remember their name.”

“The Pillars,” answered Cobalt, coming inside the room, “they’re the ones that resulted in the Pony of Shadow’s banishment to Limbo, as well as their own. They saved Equestria and planted the Tree of Harmony in an attempt to protect Equestria while they were gone.”

“Hey, Cobalt!” Eclipsa beamed.

“Hey, everyone,” he smiled, stopping his glance on me, “Astral? Headmare Twilight wanted me to tell you that she wants to see you in her office.”

I felt worried, “Me?”

Cobalt nodded, “She said it was urgent.”

I rose up slowly, then left my friends as I made my way towards Headmare Twilight’s office. I wondered what was so urgent that made Twilight want to see me and began to feel my hooves grow just a little bit weaker.

Am I in trouble? I thought. Did I do something wrong?

I walked down the stairs of the dormitories and promptly made my way towards the exit into the courtyard. Crossing the courtyard, I turned left down towards the main hallway where Twilight’s office was. I slowed down immensely and felt my hooves tremble a little more.

What if I’m being kicked out of the school? I feared. I don’t want to leave…not yet, at least…

I stopped at the door to Twilight’s office and felt as if my hooves weighed a ton. I couldn’t find the strength to knock on the door and looked down, worrying that something awful may be waiting for me on the other side of these tall doors. I saw a magenta colored aura encase the doors and open them up for me, making me look up.

I saw Twilight inside the room, along with Starlight. They both appeared to have dismayed looks on their faces as they invited me inside. I pressed forward, forcing myself to move, despite the fact that I couldn’t really move my hooves all that well. When I was all the way inside the room, Twilight closed the doors behind me and locked them to make sure that nopony else would interrupt us. I slowly approached her desk and sat on a chair that Twilight provided for me.

“Astral Flare,” Twilight began.

When I heard my full name, I folded my ears and looked down. I began to fear that something troubling was coming my way shortly. Starlight came over with a blanket and wrapped it around me, staying by my side as Twilight continued.

“Astral,” Twilight repeated, “I-” She paused for a while, sighing slightly. “I know that you’ve been writing letters back and forth to your mother while you’ve been enrolled at this school; the mailmare has certainly gotten a lot more work around this area since your arrival. Tell me, what was she like?”

I looked up, a little bit confused at Twilight’s tone and question. Nonetheless, I obliged to her question and conversed with her about Mom.

“She’s a strong pony,” I said, “and she’s been through a lot in her life. She’s the one who raised me after my father left us both and, really, is my first and my best friend. She’s given up so much to make sure that I was raised properly and taken care of, helping me confront and overcome my anxiety issues and my previous troubles with friendship. She means a lot to me because she was really the first pony to believe in me so much.”

Twilight nodded slowly while Starlight rubbed my back softly.

“I, umm…” Twilight sighed again. “I, uhh…oh dear, Celestia…”

“What’s wrong, Headmare Twilight?” I asked, wondering if she’s gone through something devastating recently.

“This is so hard…” Twilight admitted.

“What is?” I wondered, looking to Starlight and seeing a worried look on her as well. “What’s going on?”

“Astral,” Starlight said, “umm, there’s…there’s something that you need to know.”

“That I need to know?” I repeated.

Starlight nodded, “Yeah,” she looked to Twilight and sighed as well, “and it seems that Twilight can’t get through without choking up like that…”

“No, Starlight,” Twilight responded, “it’s fine…I have to do this…I want to be the one to do this, as Headmare of this school.”

“What’s wrong?” I said again.

“Astral,” Twilight began, “y-your mother…”

“What about her?” I thought. “Did something happen to my mom?” I looked to Starlight. “Well?”

“She’s gone, Astral,” Twilight muttered ruefully.

I blinked a few times and folded my ears again. “Wh-What? That’s impossible…how could…?”

“Doctors from Whineysota contacted us to tell you that she passed from health complications, Astral,” Twilight continued, “I…I’m so sorry…”

I shook my head, tears starting to form in my eyes, “N-No…this can’t be! She can’t be gone! Th-there must be some kind of mistake! She can’t be gone…she just can’t…she’s all I have…”

Starlight hugged me tightly as I denied allegations that Mom had died, but I just couldn’t have it. I sobbed on the chair and raised my front hooves to my eyes, trying to wipe away the tears that were escaping my eyes. Twilight rose from her chair and came over to hug me as well while I cried my heart out on the chair in the middle.

“S-She c-can’t-t b-be…” I sobbed. “S-She just c-can’t… “

“I’m so sorry, Astral,” Twilight repeated.

I cried as the realization finally began to sink in slightly.

Mom was gone…

Twilight and Starlight both spent a few tense minutes doing their best to console me. As much as it was appreciated, their words fell on deaf ears. Inside my heart and soul were on fire. I just couldn’t believe that Mom was gone, not like this. I had just gotten a letter from her yesterday and she told me that everything was fine, so how does she go from fine to gone in a little less than twenty-four hours? This was all just so much to take in right now.

Probably knowing how much I wanted to be alone, Twilight rose and stood in front of her desk, looking me in the eyes.

“I understand if you want to be alone right now or even if you want to go home and see her one last time,” she told me, “I would do something similar if I were in your horseshoes.” She tried her best to give me a small smile, but it quickly faltered due to the severity of the situation. “Your classes and tests will be excused for the next week…I just want you to know if you ever need anything or somepony to talk to, Starlight and I will be here for you anytime you need. The same goes for the others as well.”

Starlight gave a small nod and rubbed my back once more before slowly pulling her hoof away and standing beside Twilight.

Quickly taking my tear-soaked glance down towards the ground, I slowly rose from the chair and onto shaky hooves.

“Th-Thanks…” I muttered quietly as I made my way towards the door and out into the hallway.

I walked slowly back to my room and inside, tears falling from my face. I didn’t acknowledge any of my friends as I lifted myself onto my bed and began to cry face-first into my pillow.

“What’s wrong, Astral?” Summer asked.

“What happened?” Cobalt added.

I sniffled a bit, trying to pull myself together slightly. “P-Please, just leave…I need to be alone right now.”

“But why?” Eclipsa wondered. “We’re your friends…we can help you out if you just-”

“LEAVE NOW!” I screamed, as I began to feel a strong, raw energy build up in my horn. I never felt that much power before in my life; it had teleported the others outside the room.

I cried more as I planted my face back into my pillow, destroyed by the news.

I’m going to miss you, Mom, I thought, if only…if only I had put my hoof down and been with you…none of this would have happened…

I sobbed and mourned to the point where I had no more tears. I was really going to miss her…

Solace

I refused to leave the safety of my bed for the next few days. I was looking out the window through a telescope and mapping more stars on the paper in front of me. The paper has been filling up quickly and made me think about possibly getting another sheet to continue working. I heard the door open up slowly and sighed out of frustration, my concentration having been disrupted.

“Astral?” Eclipsa whispered to me.

“What is it?” I responded, trying to find where I was on the paper again.

“Come on down here please,” she said, “we need to talk.”

“Can’t,” I answered, “too busy mapping out stars.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes it is, Eclipsa,” I replied, “now would you please leave me alone?”

“How are you mapping stars right now?” Eclipsa wondered. “It’s currently daylight outside.”

“And?”

Eclipsa sighed, “Look, Astral,” she flew up to my bed, “you can talk to me about anything…as your friend, I’m here for you.”

I rolled my eyes, “I doubt you could have ever felt what I’m feeling right now. This kind of hurt, this kind of pain, it’s unbearable.”

Eclipsa frowned, “You don’t think I could understand that feeling?”

“No,” I stated, “you can’t. You’re too happy all the time to know just how this feels.”

“In that case,” continued Eclipsa, turning my head and forcing me to make eye contact with her, “allow me to tell you a story. Maybe then, you can understand why I’m so happy all of the time.”

“Eclipsa,” I protested, “not now. I’m too busy.”

“Screw your maps right now!” Eclipsa shouted.

I gasped a little bit, folding my ears and looking down towards my maps. I began to tear up a little bit and used my hoof to wipe it away. I heard Eclipsa choke up slightly and looked back towards her. She looked away and rubbed the back of her neck softly.

“S-Sorry,” she admitted, “it’s just…this isn’t like you. We may have only known each other for a short while, but I know you enough to know when you’re not acting like yourself.”

I shook my head, “If I could have just put my hoof down more, none of this would have happened…”

“Let me tell you a story, Astral,” Eclipsa sighed, “then you can tell me that I don’t know what this feeling feels like.”

She sat at the edge of my bed with her hooves dangling off the side, looking down in the process. Reluctantly, I looked towards her and prepared myself to listen to what Eclipsa had to say. I thought that maybe saying something first to her would have helped pave the way, but I couldn’t think of anything to say, letting her have the whole floor.

“How do you think we managed to get here, Astral?” Eclipsa asked me, still staring at the ground. “We all didn’t have the best of friendships if we’re here.”

I squeaked a little bit, knowing that Eclipsa was right. We were all there for a reason, whether they were small or large. I looked down as Eclipsa continued with her story.

“My friendships back home were…” She paused slightly before picking back up, “well, let’s just say that they weren’t as desirable as the ones I’ve made here at this school. The ponies around me when I was younger didn’t mean well and, well…”

“Well what?”

Eclipsa looked directly at me, “They teased me because I was different.”

I cocked an eyebrow, “Why would they do that? You could still pass as a regular pony.”

Eclipsa chuckled sarcastically, “Yeah, try telling that to ponies that roam around during the daylight. I may look like a regular pony, but when they found out about my differences and my bat-like behavior, it didn’t take long for them to determine that I was a bat pony. Do you know what it’s like to be teased for being different?”

“Well,” I said, “I think I-”

“I’m not talking about bad ponies being bad for the sake of putting you down,” interrupted Eclipsa, “I’m talking about ponies being racist for the kind of pony that I am. I can almost guarantee that you have never felt that kind of pain before. When we met, you had no idea what I was and that was beautiful to experience. If the ponies I met while I grew up were like you, then there would be no need for me to even be here at this school, and that’s something I wish I could have experienced, but you know what? Ending it all because of what others think shows that they’re stronger than you, but pressing onward to prove a point to them is even stronger.”

I felt a tear form in my eye and wiped it away, “I-I’m sorry to hear that, Eclipsa…I had no idea.”

Eclipsa shook her head, “It’s okay, Astral.” I saw her wipe her eyes and look to the door, “You can come in!”

“Huh?” I blurted out.

The door opened up and revealed the others to me. Summer, Doppel, Cobalt, and Willow all stepped foot into the room and shut the door behind them. I glanced down at all of them, then looked away bashfully, feeling myself blush and tear up a bit.

“Astral?” Summer whispered.

I shook my head, “I can’t do this…”

“It’s okay, Astral,” Doppel insisted.

“Yeah,” Cobalt added, “you know that we’re here for you.”

“All of us,” Willow sympathized.

Eclipsa looked towards me and nodded slowly, “See, Astral? Good friends offer their condolences but real friends,” she pointed down to the others and smiled a little bit, “real friends sympathize with you.”

“Eclipsa’s right, Astral,” Summer stated, “we’re here to help you with…”

“With whatever it is that’s making you feel this down,” finished Cobalt.

“I-If you don’t mind me asking,” Doppel muttered, “wh-what happened the other day with you and Headmare Twilight?”

I looked away, glancing out of the window. I tried to find the strength to explain what happened in Headmare Twilight’s office the other day and the news I’d received, but I just couldn’t seem to muster up the courage to say anything on the subject. Eclipsa noticed this and started to rub my back slowly. I jumped slightly as a result of the unexpected touch, but somehow felt relieved that she did this. Mom used to do something similar to me when I felt anxious or depressed, especially after my failed first attempts at friendship back home. I looked back towards her and blushed slightly, nodding at her as my way of saying thank you. I looked down towards the others and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I looked for the right words to explain what had happened.

“Well,” I began, “when Headmare Twilight called me into her office,” I gulped a bit, choking slightly on my next few words, “I, uhh…she asked about my mother and how close I was to her.”

“How come?” Willow asked.

“B-Because, umm,” I started to tear up again, rubbing my eyes with my hooves, “well, doctors contacted Headmare Twilight to let her know that something…something has happened back home.”

“What happened?” Doppel wondered.

I bit my lip slightly, “My, my mother, umm, s-she passed…she’s gone.”

More tears had fallen from my eyes as I wiped them away. Eclipsa rubbed my back some more and wrapped one of her wings around my body as a friendly gesture. The others all had shocked expressions on their faces and each offered their condolences as I was going through this troubling time.

“Th-thank you,” I nodded, wiping more tears away, “all of you…I’m truly lucky to have friends as good as all of you.”

“Come here, Astral,” Summer suggested, flapping her wings a bit and holding her hooves out in front of her.

With Eclipsa’s help, I climbed down off of my bed and was soon in the center of a group hug from everyone in the room. I broke down a little bit more as I hugged everyone back, feeling warm and happier with everycreature there.

I know Mom would have been proud with the friends that I’ve made here.

A few days later, I finally left the comfort of my room to study in the library. Since today was Saturday, no classes were being held today, which meant that the library was slightly emptier than it usually was.

Expecting to see nopony, I heard somepony approach me. I looked up and saw that it was Headmare Twilight in front of me. She had her ears folded and looked as if the news she gave me was still bothering her.

“It’s glad to see you finally out of your room,” she told me, sitting next to me.

“Same, honestly,” I admitted, “I started to feel cramped up in my room.”

“Did your friends help out?” Twilight asked, “I know they were worried about you. They all came to my office together for some advice, but I couldn’t give it to them.”

“They did?” I whispered, surprised in all honesty.

Twilight nodded, “This is something that we honestly can’t prepare anypony for. Losing a loved one is something that’s rough. It’s unprepared most of the time and, well, let me have Applejack explain that.”

“Applejack?” I repeated, seeing her approach us. She removed her hat and sat down in front of both Twilight and myself.

“Y’see, sugar cube,” she started, “Ah hav’n’t seen mah par’nts in quite a long time. They’ve both been gone…shoot, for as long as Ah can remember.”

Twilight nodded, “Applejack’s younger sister, Applebloom, has wondered herself about where their parents were.”

“What do you tell her?” I wondered. “She’s only just a little filly.”

“We hav’n’t told her what happened,” Applejack explained, “but Ah believe she’s old enough to figure it out. They died shortly after Applebloom was born. Granny Smith, Big Mac, and myself decided it was best if we di’n’t ruin her fillyhood with news like that.”

“She does have a right to know,” I protested, “whether she knew them or not.”

“Yer right,” Applejack continued, “she does. But it has to come when we know she’s ready to handle somethin’ like that. Learnin’ that your parents are gone isn’t like paintin’ a barn or buckin’ apples from a tree. Sometimes, it needs the right kind of moment to talk about it. We know how much Applebloom is growin’ up, but one day, she will find out what happened, whether we tell her or not. Our hope is for us to tell her one day, but that’s up to her to let us do that.”

I nodded and took in what Applejack said. It was glad to know that somepony else here at the school had experienced something similar to what I was currently going through and made me feel a bit more at peace. I looked up again, and saw Applejack stand up.

“Loss ain’t easy,” she continued, putting her hat on again, “but then again, nothin’ in our lives are easy. It’s what we make of it after the fact.”

I smiled softly, “Thank you, Applejack…it means a lot to me to know how much you’ve helped out in my struggling time.”

Later that day, I found a book that intrigued me. I pulled it off of the shelf and looked at the title, wondering what it meant.

“Manus Incompertus quod Anon,” I stumbled saying, “what does that mean…?”

I opened up the book and saw a bunch of pictures about different places scattered throughout the realm beyond Equestria. One place that caught my eye was called “Necromaneteion of Eponius,” and really seemed weird. I tried reading the page myself, but found that the language it was written in was too tough to figure out.

I studied the pictures deeply and tried making out the words, but couldn’t really piece them together. One word, however, jumped out at me and made me want to visit this place: Vivifica. I knew that this was a variance of something to do with life, so I wanted to do something with this place. I also desired to take the book to Twilight to see what she knew about this, but decided against it because, were it real, I wanted to visit this place alone.

I looked at an extended map of the world beyond Equestria and tried to locate something close to where this place was located. I kept looking back and forth between the book and the map, eventually pinpointing where this place should be located.

“High up north and in the mountains,” I sighed, looking back to the picture, “anything for my mother.”

The Road Less Traveled

That night, I packed some things in preparation for a journey. I was lucky that Eclipsa was not in the room right now and really wondered what I would have to do if she was here. I didn’t want to argue with her on anything in regards to my decision right now.

I grabbed a few essentials that would help in my journey - some food, water, and a few other things. I really prepared for a very long trip to the northernmost reaches of Equestria and hoped that whatever I would find up there could help out with this situation.

I glanced back towards the bed and thought about the friends that I made that I would be leaving behind. I was sure to miss them, but I couldn’t ask them to risk their lives for me. They just met me, after all, and it’s not like they wouldn’t be able to replace me with another pony. I sighed once more, then left the room and carefully guided my way out of the school. If Headmare Twilight or anypony found out that I was trying to sneak out of the school, this whole operation could be compromised.

I exited the school and looked back to it one last time. I nodded, making a promise to return and keep Mom proud with my progress. Turning back, I determined which way was north and began leaving Ponyville in that direction.

It’s sure to be a long journey, I thought, but I’ll do anything for Mom.

I left through Ponyville’s northern entrance way shortly after starting my journey and found myself on a path that appeared to head in the general direction Canterlot was in. I noticed a branch in the path and saw a sign at the center of it, going over to read it.

“Canterlot, to the right,” it read, “Unicorn Range, to the left.”

I thought about my options that were in front of me and decided to come up with something that was logical. Canterlot was located high in the mountains on one of the sides while the other path went down through plains and a field. I smirked slightly, deciding to travel down the path on the left, bypassing Canterlot all together and towards Unicorn Range.

It was very late at this point and I was beginning to wonder if I should call it a night and wait until morning before continuing on. There was just one little problem: I had no idea where exactly I was or how safe it was around this area.

Better to be moving than a sitting duck right now, I concluded, you can always rest in the morning, Astral. Wait until you can see before doing something like that.

I nodded, then looked up towards the stars as I continued to walk along the path, wondering about a lot of different things. I wondered when I would get to this destination, what would happen when I did get there, how dangerous all of this was, if I was doing the right thing, and about how this could get me in so much trouble back at the school. Regardless, if there was a slim chance that I could help Mom, I was willing to do whatever it takes to make things right with my family. I shuffled my bags a bit, continuing on down the path.

The sun started to rise and bring in a new day after a few more hours of walking. I yawned a little bit, but pressed onward for my sake. I took in the surrounding scenery and found solace in them. A bunch of trees with some new leaves growing in on the branches, some small critters waking up and scavenging the area for some food, and a crisp, morning breeze that really tickled the spine in a way that felt really good.

I looked down and saw a squirrel come out from the comfort of its home and look for some nuts. I grabbed one from one of the higher branches and offered it to the squirrel, smiling at it as it sniffed my hoof.

“There, there, little one,” I smiled, “it’s okay. I got that for you.”

It sniffed my hoof a little bit more as I watched it carefully take the nut from it and run back towards its home. I giggled quietly to myself, then continued walking down the path for a little bit until I heard my stomach growl at me. I raised a hoof to my stomach and rubbed it softly, trying to calm it down, but that only made it growl at me some more, as if it were demanding food.

I rolled my eyes playfully and rested up on the side of the path for the time being. Taking my bags off from my back, I reached inside one and pulled out some fruit from inside. I took a bite out of a golden delicious apple and savored the taste, looking down and patting my stomach again.

“Happy?” I joked as I swallowed the bite I took.

I took out a few more bites of the apple, looking around the area once more. I glanced up towards the sky and saw that there were overcast clouds up ahead. I wondered if it was just an overcast or if there was some rain that was going to be associated with it.

“We shall wait and see, I guess,” I said, taking another bite out of the apple.

I watched as the clouds moved towards me, picking up speed slowly.

A couple of hours more had passed while I was walking down the path. Unicorn Range was a beautiful place that had a bunch of large rolling hills throughout the landscape. I looked up and saw the clouds that were present had now gotten darker. I looked towards the hills and saw the wind leave its mark along the grass. Thunder could be heard up ahead and so I decided to search for some shelter in case there were to be rain sometime shortly.

Spotting a small opening in a nearby cave, I started to approach it slowly so that I could shelter myself and keep myself somewhat dry. I felt a couple of drops of rain fall from the sky and proceeded to pick up my pace towards the cave. I didn’t like it too much when my mane or my beanie got wet, so I tried my best to get to the cave before a potential downfall occurred.

The thunder boomed again, following closely to some lightning that pierced some of the clouds a bit. I ran towards the cave entrance and felt that I should defend myself from in there rather than take a slow approach from the outside. Another drop fell from the sky and landed on my hoof as I moved quickly out of the stormy area.

As I entered into the cave, I lit my horn up and brightened it up significantly. The cave was empty and relatively small, as the back end of the cave could be seen from the area I lit up. I took my bags off and rested them along the side of the rock formation, taking a seat myself on one of the higher placed rocks after making sure that it was clean. I looked out of the cave entrance and saw that it started to rain a little bit more steadily. I rolled my eyes a bit, then pulled out the map again, planning on what I should do following the conclusion of the storm.

“Depending on how long this storm could last,” I said out loud, hearing my voice echo in this small cave, “I could make my way towards either Galloping Gorge or the area underneath Cloudsdale next…”

I then looked towards my bags and began wondering of a different idea. Eventually, I was going to run out of supplies at some point and felt that it would be best if I recuperated at whatever town was along the path. Technically, the next town would be Cloudsdale, but the problem with me trying to restock myself there is that I can’t reach Cloudsdale since it’s up in the sky and only Pegasus ponies could walk on clouds, as far as I knew.

“Can’t get more things there,” I determined, looking around the map to a different place.

I spotted a town over towards the west of Galloping Gorge and wondered exactly how far it was from here. There was a small opening in between a couple of hills of Unicorn Range that led straight towards a town called Vanhoover.

I scratched under my chin lightly, “I could stock up there in Vanhoover and…” I paused as I looked closer to the map, “Are those…are those train tracks?” I followed the markings along the map and smiled, “They go straight through Galloping Gorge and up to where I need to go! This is great! This will definitely make my trip a lot less risky and much shorter.”

I then followed the markings and noticed that they ended at the top of the map. I began wondering how far the tracks actually went for since, based off of the map of what was beyond Equestria, the destination was beyond the Frozen North, and, with a name like “Frozen North,” I could only imagine just how cold it was. I started thinking some more and decided to go on a detour towards Vanhoover, hoping that I could find and purchase a heavy snow coat there. The coat I had was suitable for Whineysota, but I was willing to bet that the Frozen North was nothing like Whineysota’s weather.

I yawned slightly, watching the rain fall outside the cave. Thunder roared very loudly again and wind blew into the cave. I hugged my bags, warming myself up a bit, as I sat on the rock and watched the rain coming down. The rain came down at a sharp angle and was hitting the ground so hard, it bounced back up and came down again. I took out a banana this time and took off the peel, taking a part of the banana off and snacking on it.

I giggled quietly to myself, “After this storm blows over, I’ll split this cave. What do you think, Mr. Peel?”

Not receiving an answer back from the inanimate banana peel, I rolled my eyes playfully, taking off another portion of the banana and eating that as well. I waited patiently for the rain to blow over, staying dry in the cave in the meantime.

I’ll be able to resume this journey soon, I thought, hoping deep down that I would be able to see Mom again.

I thought about the last time I saw Mom and started to shake a little bit. I really did think that this was my fault and, had I really put my hoof down more adamantly, none of this would have happened. I sighed a little bit, then took off yet another part of the banana and ate it.

If only I could’ve been there when she needed me most of all, I wondered, then I could’ve helped her overcome or nurse her back to normal. How could this happen to me? Why now? Why couldn’t it happen to my father?

Secretly, I’d hoped something would happen to him, but nothing too drastic. He didn’t need to desert my mother and myself the way he did. I yawned a bit, then ate the final portion of the banana peacefully. I licked my lips a bit, savoring the taste of the banana and gazed once more out of the cave, trying to take my mind off of Mom.

Easier said than done, Astral…

A Little Problem

“Welcome to Vanhoover,” I read, “home of the world famous Ball of Ice.”

After arriving in Vanhoover, I smiled soundly, thinking that I could finally get some real rest before taking on the mammoth task of enduring the Frozen North. I walked around the center of the town and looked for a market first to pick up more food for my journey. I figured that once I restocked on food supplies, then I could begin to look for a heavier coat and, if I had enough bits leftover, a cover for my horn. It’s dangerous to leave your horn open to the bitter cold weather and, if left unchecked after a while, it could damage a unicorn like myself.

I looked around and found an indoor market and found myself smiling brightly. This was such a relief to see since I was nearing the end of the original food I had packed back at the school. I looked into my bags and, astonishingly, I could see the bottoms of it, and that wasn’t the case when I originally left.

I walked inside the market and began to grab some new supplies to fill up my bags with. I lifted a basket with my magic and made sure not to overfill it with things. I began putting in some new fruit in the basket and thought to myself that I should probably add a thermal that could keep any drinks I had in a liquid state and not a block of ice. I looked around some of the other aisles and found a thermal mug that appeared to be very space friendly. I smiled once more, then put the mug in the basket before going after some canned food.

Can’t rely on only fruit for this journey, Astral, I told myself.

I continued to grab some essential needs until I felt better about my situation. Going into this whole journey without a map that could properly define any sense of time was rough; it felt like traveling blind, if I’m being perfectly honest.

I finished up relatively quickly and made sure I had more than enough bits to purchase a new coat for me. I approached the front counter and placed the basket down, taking everything out with my magic before putting the basket back where I originally got it from. The shoppony smiled happily at me as she began to check out all of the goods I’d been planning on buying. As she was checking them and ringing my order up, she spoke to me politely.

“Big haul today, eh?” She asked me. She had a noticeable Caneighdian accent.

I nodded in response, “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Planning on taking a trip on the train?” She continued.

That got my attention, “So there is a train here. Do you know just how far north the trains go?”

“The trains go pretty far into the Frozen North,” she replied, “but it’s not known just how far into them they go. So sorry about that.”

I shook my head and waved a hoof around, “It’s fine. I gather that not many ponies go up there often.”

“Just those that like to ski,” the shoppony responded, “other than them, there’s no reason to go deep into the Frozen North.”

“No?”

She shook her head as she was nearing the end of the order, “Nope, it’s just way too cold up there, eh, too cold for us ponies here anyway.”

I nodded slowly, “Would you happen to know where I could buy a heavier coat? I have to go up into the Frozen North to find somepony.”

“Oh?” The shoppony spoke. “Why not report it to the mounties?”

“Mounties?” I repeated, unsure of who they were.

The shoppony nodded again, “The mounties? They’re police force of Vanhoover. If you report somepony missing to them, they should help you look for them quickly.”

I blushed a bit, “Thanks, but I need to find them on my own. I can’t risk the lives of anypony else for that pony. I need to be the one to do it myself.”

“If you wish to go by yourself,” she continued, “they must be very important to you, eh?”

“She was,” I nodded, “the most important pony in my life.”

“Hopefully you’ll be able to find her up there then,” smiled the shoppony.

She finished ringing up my order and handed me the supplies with her magic. I thanked her for helping me and placed everything in my bags neatly before leaving to find a shop that sold heavy coats. Prior to exiting the building, the shoppony called to me once more.

“If you need that coat,” she said, “there’s a shop next to the train station that sells them.”

“Thank you, so much!” I beamed, happy to know that I wouldn’t have to travel far to purchase a new, warm coat. Deep down, I dreaded going further up north. I was used to the cold, but this seemed like it was going to be colder than Whineysota.

I left the shop and walked around, trying to locate the train station and going from there. The sun was beginning to fade behind some clouds again, which made me increase my pace around Vanhoover.

Once I found the train station, I was able to find the store that sold the jackets and coats that appeared to be warm and fuzzy. I entered the store and looked around, seeing a lot of coats, overcoats, and jackets lined along the walls. I walked slowly around the store, trying to find the heavier coats, when a pony came up to me, smiling politely.

“I like your beanie,” they said.

I turned around, stunned and a bit surprised. I looked up at the pony who complimented my beanie and smiled softly, hiding behind my mane slightly.

“Oh,” I replied, “th-thank you.”

“Lemme guess,” he continued, “you’re looking for a coat, aren’t ya?”

“Y-Yeah,” I answered, “I need one that can be warm enough to brave the bitterness of the Frozen North. Do you have one?”

He cocked an eyebrow, leading me to a heavy coat, “This one right here,” he paused briefly, “I’m sorry, did you say you were braving the Frozen North?”

I nodded, looking at the coat, “Yes, I need to find somepony up there.”

“Not to judge or anything,” he said, “but you don’t seem like the type of pony that enjoys skiing all that much. Who could you possibly find up there in the Frozen North?”

“Somepony close to me,” I answered, looking to him, “how much for this coat?”

“This particular coat is forty-five bits,” he stated, “but…I’ll give it to you, since you’re so determined to travel up into the Frozen North.”

Surprised, I froze up a bit, “A-are you sure?”

He nodded, “I’m sure. Anypony willing to risk their lives just to find someone up in those mountains needs all the help they can get.”

“But what about you?” I protested. “I don’t want you to get in trouble for not paying for-”

“Eh, fuggedaboutit,” he interrupted, “I own the place, so it’s on me.”

I blushed slightly, taking the coat and putting it on over the one I had on presently, “Th-thank you, sir.”

“You’re very welcome, ma’am,” he reciprocated, “and good luck with finding that pony. They must mean a lot to you for you to be doing what you’re doing.”

“Thank you,” I finished, exiting the store at once.

As I walked back out of the store, I looked up towards the sky and saw snow falling at a pretty consistent pace. Before I knew it, the ground had been covered with the snow. I walked up the stairs of the station next to the store and entered the station house, trying to find the ticket booth to purchase a ticket to the Frozen North. I saw the schedule for the trains for this platform and tried locating a train that would go straight towards the Frozen North, but the only one that was next, in terms of time, was about five hours from now.

I guess the Frozen North isn’t a popular destination for trains, I thought to myself.

I sighed, then went up to the ticket counter. I didn’t like the fact that I had to wait so long for a train to get there, but I’m still certain that taking the train there would get me further into the Frozen North than if I traveled on hoof myself. I approached the counter and asked for a ticket to the Frozen North, receiving some shocked looks in response.

“You’re going up there by yourself?” The ticketpony asked me.

“Y-yeah,” I answered, “I have to find somepony up there.”

“Tell the mounties about it,” she replied, “they train for those kinds of situations.”

I shook my head, “This one is different and I have to do this myself. Please…I need this ticket.”

“If you insist,” she responded, pushing a couple of buttons and getting a total, “that’s twelve bits.”

I took out the twelve bits and handed them over to the ticketpony, whom gave me the ticket afterwards. I thanked her for the ticket, then took a seat next to the window, watching the snow come down as I began waiting for the train.

I wonder why a lot of these ponies are surprised by me going into the Frozen North, I wondered, watching a few snowflakes make their way under the awning of the platform.

When the train finally pulled into the station, there was plenty of snow on the ground. The train itself had a snowplow on the front of the engine and continued to chug along the tracks at a safe pace. I grabbed my things and made my way towards the front coach. I looked to my right and saw, from inside one of the other coaches, what appeared to be a pony with a puffy manestyle, similar to Eclipsa’s. I began to panic a bit, rushing onto the train quickly, hoping that I imagined what I saw and that it wasn’t really true.

I peeked out of the window of the coach and glanced between the ponies that were on the platform, moving into the station house or onto the train. I didn’t see anypony from the school and sighed out of relief, chalking up the image of Eclipsa as just a figment of my imagination.

The doors to the train had shut and, before I knew it, the train began to move slowly. The public address system on the train beeped quietly before the conductor started speaking.

“Attention everypony,” he spoke, “thank you for choosing the Friendship Express as your mode of transportation. Tonight’s journey into the Frozen North will be a little bit longer due to the snow that has accumulated on the ground in front of the tracks, but we will arrive at your destination safe and sound. Train speed is going to be lighter than normal as the train plows the snow in front of it, but prepare yourselves for a slightly bumpy ride for when larger snow drifts come into play.

“As the ticket ponies move from one coach to another, please show your tickets to them in a cooperative manner. If there are any questions in regards to the journey, please do not hesitate to ask any of the friendly employees on board the train.”

I reached down towards my bag underneath the seat and took out the ticket. Shutting the bag, I saw a pair of blue colored hooves in front of me. They had stars on them which made me gulp. Looking up, I saw that the hooves belonged to Eclipsa.

“H-Heyyy there, E-Eclipsa…” I feebly spoke.

Eclipsa cocked an eyebrow as the train’s whistle sounded off, echoing throughout the land beyond.