An Earthling Earth Pony at Celestia's School of Magic: Year One

I shivered as snow fell. Ponies typically didn't feel temperature as strongly as humans, but we could still feel it if it got cold or hot enough. Why couldn't their train station be indoors? This was a big city, not a smaller town like Ponyville. I hadn't packed any warm clothes... or any clothes for that matter... when I left for Equestria. Every other pony waiting was dressed in sweaters and scarves. I felt like an idiot, standing in the snow and shivering.

A light and warmth suddenly appeared a short distance from me. I turned to look and saw Summer standing there, her hoof upturned with a flame on it.

"You looked a little cold," Summer said. She was unclothed as well. I suppose kirin didn't need anything to keep them warm.

"Thanks," I said, "but you don't need to do that. You're going to get a cramp holding your hoof like that. It's my fault for not packing for the weather."

Hannah walked over, a long scarf wrapped several times around her neck. "I didn't even have anything to bring. I had to knit this."

I raised an eyebrow. "You know how to knit?"

"Why the surprise?" she asked, sounding mildly offended. "Am I not girly enough to knit?"

"Who says knittin' is girly?" Bright asked. "Ah knitted mah scarf with mah ma. Took meh a long while to get it done. Turned out pretty good."

"Maybe I should learn to knit," I said, shivering again.

"Kinda hard with no horn," Hannah said.

"It can be done. Apples have knitted for generations," Bright said proudly.

Hannah gave him a dry look. "And the fact they pass down their knitted items indicates they prefer to avoid it when they can."

Bright seemed to consider this, then shook his head. "Never thought of that, but simply ain't true. Gotta repair and fix those clothes up. They're still work. Think that's why we keep 'em, because they need the love and care of generations. Seen Auntie Applebloom sittin' down fixin' up that shawl of hers. She said she had to spend a lot of time fixin' it up when she first got it. Had a lot of tears in it from cat claws—last owner was kinda a crazy cat pony before she passed."

Hannah laughed. "Crazy cat ladies come in all worlds, it seems."

Summer chuckled. "Don't I know it."

I smiled briefly but swiftly turned my head as I heard the blare of the train approaching.

"Train from the north incoming, outbound to Ponyville, Appleloosa, and southern territories!" the station master called out. "Please clear the area next to the tracks to allow for passengers to get off the train."

This was it. I was going to face my parents.

The train slowed down, brakes screeching. Steam spread from it like it was letting out a long breath in the cold. I stood back waiting for the doors to open.

"Turnip Francis Jones! Why are you standing out in the snow with not so much as a scarf?!"

My ears sagged. It seemed I didn't need to wait for them to get off the train to deal with my parents.

"Haha, d-definitely sounds like a mom," Hannah said, choking back a laugh.

"You are going to this weird magic school and they didn't teach you standing around in the snow stark naked can get you sick?! Are they this stupid, or do you have rocks in your head?!"

"She doesn't sound happy," Summer said worriedly.

"No, she sounds about right," I replied as I looked for which window she was yelling from. The steam from the train was making it hard to tell. Mom had some good eyes if she found me in all this.

"Your middle name is Francis?" Hannah suddenly snickered.

"Did that just register?" I asked, resigning myself that I would have to wait for the steam to clear. "Don't spread that around. It's worse than Turnip."

"Ya could always change your name. Ponies do it all the time," Bright suggested.

"Not until I've earned a better one," I replied. The steam was clear now, but whichever window Mom had been at must be now vacant. That meant she was on her way to give me an earful directly in my ear. "You guys mind getting right in front of me? I need a barrier."

"How brave of you," Hannah sarcastically said, but she did step in front of me.

I saw the shadow through the steam first. There was no mistaking that shadow. There were earth ponies, and then there was my mom. Few earth ponies could compare with her stature, and she was as strong as four other earth ponies put together. People said Wild Growth was the strongest earth pony on Earth, and in Equestria the names of Applejack and the Pie sisters were frequently brought up in those discussions. On an academic level, I understood those ponies were stronger. On a personal experience level, I knew no pony who compared with my mother. There was only one Wonder Root, the behemoth of the plains.

She stepped out of the fog of steam, and ponies scattered in her wake, staring. I didn't blame them; the only mares I knew that could compare to her height were alicorns. She could buck boulders and rip a bush out of the ground with a single yank like she was plucking a blade of grass. Her hoofsteps were hard and heavy, and I could feel the vibration as each landed.

Hannah's bravery faltered as my mother approached, and she fled to hide behind me. I didn't even have a sarcastic comment to give her. That was what any sensible pony would do.

Mom reached me and stared down at me as if wondering if she made a mistake giving birth to me and whether she should shove me back in her womb to incubate longer as if I was half-finished. I could probably still fit in there with her size.

"Why are you continuing to stand there in the freezing cold, you dog-brained idiot?!" she snarled. "We didn't come here to witness you getting pneumonia!"

"Hello, Mom. Did you have a pleasant trip?" I asked neutrally.

Dad stuck his head out from behind Mom's flank, not brave enough to stand between his wife and her prey. For a stallion his size, it would be comical if he tried.

"We had a wonderful trip, son," Dad greeted me. "Your mother's right. If you don't have any warm clothing, it might be best if we moved this reunion inside. You could get sick."

I noted that while Dad was wearing a heavy sweater, hat, and scarf, Mom was wearing nothing at all, just like me.

"Wow, your ma is as big as mah pa," Bright said, looking up at my mom. "Never seen a pony as big as Pa. She might actually be bigger."

Mom glared down at Bright. "And I see you are associating with riffraff that don't have any manners as well."

"Never good to talk about a mare's size," Hannah said in a harsh whisper to Bright. Summer just stared in horror at the sight of my mom.

"He is right, Mom. You are big," I said, continuing in a neutral tone. "You might want to tone down the aggression. Equestria expects a yearly monster attack, and they haven't gotten one yet. They might think you're the yearly monster."

Mom stared down at me, assessing. "Mouthy as ever. I see that hasn't changed. This school could have taught you some manners. I don't know where you get it. You must get it from your father."

Dad peeked out from behind her again. "I'm sure he does, dear. I take all the blame. We might want to get inside soon. You know your knees don't do well in the cold."

She continued to look me over. "And have you lost weight? What are they feeding you here? You're a growing colt. They can't expect you to grow if they starve you. How will you ever get to be a big strong stallion like your father if you don't eat right?"

I glanced at Dad, who was still mostly obscured by a single one of her legs. I was still growing, and I came up to at least his chin. I must have grown some if I came up that high on him.

"I'm sure Turnip can recommend a restaurant to us so we can get some food and get out of this cold," Dad suggested.

"Can I introduce my friends to you first?" I asked neutrally. "I don't want to be rude."

She glanced at Bright again. She then turned her gaze to Hannah, who was still taking shelter behind me. Her gaze then turned to Summer, who was still gaping at me. Her gaze lingered on Summer, taking in every alien feature of this completely foreign tribe of pony.

"That one is your friend as well? What is she?" Mom asked suspiciously.

"That's Summer Blaze; she's a kirin. They're related to both unicorns and dragons. They catch on fire when they get mad," I explained, still neutral.

Summer quickly bowed her head. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

Mom snorted. "Pleasure to meet you, sweetie. At least one of my ungrateful son's friends has some manners."

"The filly behind me is Hannah Moonbow. She's from Earth as well, and the colt next to me is Bright Pear of the Apple family—if you've heard of them," I continued, always neutral.

She gave Hannah a passing glance and then looked at Bright again. "I've heard of the Apples. Aren't they supposed to be an earth pony family?"

"Mostly earth ponies," Bright corrected. "Pleased ta meet ya, ma'am. Turnip's been lookin' forward ta your visit."

If he meant dreading this moment coming, he was right. I had felt the impending dread.

"Nice to meet you," Hannah said. Mom raised an eyebrow at her. "Nice to meet you, ma'am!" Hannah hastily amended.

"Good to meet you, foals," Mom replied. "I'm Wonder Root, and this handsome stallion is my husband, Green Sprig, the best farmer in Kansas."

"You flatter me, dear. It's a pleasure to meet you all," Dad said, still mostly obscured by Mom's leg. "Dear, we really should continue this indoors. We don't want Turnip catching a cold. The kirin filly looks like she is furless in a few areas. She might be feeling the cold as well. We don't want her getting sick just because she was showing solidarity with our son, do we?"

Mom grunted. "I suppose her loyalty is commendable, but you did hear she's part dragon and can catch on fire, right? I don't think the cold is bothering her that much, and her mane at least makes a natural scarf. Quite pretty, really. Is this why you ran off, you little devil? To get in the company of exotic fillies? I don't mind that reason too much. I was wondering when you would start noticing colts and fillies were different. Seemed like you were taking your time figuring that out. It had me concerned."

I didn't give her a facial response to that, but I wanted to. Yes, I already knew there was a difference between fillies and colts. Who didn't know that?

"I guess we don't need to hire that exotic dancer after all," Dad said, sounding relieved. I had no idea Mom had considered that, but it didn't even shock me. Glad I wouldn't be dealing with that. It would have made me very uncomfortable, but Dad would have had a heart attack.

Summer blushed. I hoped my mom did not get the wrong idea from that. I also hoped Summer did better than this through the rest of today. Mom was not your average mare, and she did not always have average solutions to problems. Summer might end up blushing a lot.

"I'm sorry, but I don't actually know a good restaurant. I don't have money, so I don't ever do any shopping or go eating out," I explained.

Mom looked me over. "You have been subsisting on cafeteria food? No wonder you look so scrawny. Oh well. We have money—not sure how much money. What is five hundred bits worth?"

"Um... it's worth five hundred bits," Bright said. Real helpful, Bright. I honestly didn't know if that was a lot of money or not. I knew from general observation that prices on most food ranged anywhere from a bit for something small to twenty bits for something really large and involved, and the price of most goods usually fell within that range.

"Five hundred bits is like a common week's wages," Hannah explained. Trust Hannah to know that.

"Should be good enough to feed two adults and four foals then," Mom reasoned. "Lead the way to the nearest restaurant so we can see what counts as food in this place." She glared at me. "I'm giving you that instruction, you lazy, good for nothing! Lead the way and show some hospitality to your parents!"

My dad stuck his head out and looked around. "Let me see... if this is a week's wages, and judging by the price of food on the train... six ponies... adjust for capital likely having highest prices... Dear, I think we should skip any desserts or appetizers."

"But Turnip is all skin and bones!" she protested.

"We have to manage our finances, dear. We could ask for a private meal without his friends, if you prefer," Dad suggested.

"No, I want to get a good read of them," she objected.

"Then we keep our spending in line," Dad asserted.

She sighed. "As you wish. You control the checkbook."

I had to smile a little. I had already told her that I never ate out, but she still expected me to at least know where to find a restaurant. Mom might be critical of me... all the time... but she expected me to be observant. That never changed. I don't know how many times I had been yelled at growing up for failing to notice some small detail. I suppose I should be grateful to her for that. She taught me to pay attention.

"Stop grinning like an idiot, colt," Mom growled. "You are still in so much trouble for forging our signatures and running off that you should be on the ground begging for our forgiveness, but here you are, standing in front of me, arrogant and mouthy as ever. The one good thing I can say about you, you little runt, is that you've always had some nerve. Get that from your father, too. I'm glad you did. A good stallion has to have a backbone, even if it does make me want to throttle you."

I wondered how my mom would react to me running in fear of trees. It was best not to let that detail slip. She'd give me more than an earful for such an embarrassing display as breaking down in terror at a forest.

"Glad to see you, Mom," I finally said. "I missed you."

She stared at me, unblinking, then took a step forward. All my friends took a step back, but I stood my ground. She gave a long snort and then she moved like a viper.

"My mouthy little colt! Do you have any idea how much I missed you?!" Mom cried as she grabbed me into a hug. I struggled to breathe as she continued to crush me up against her barrel with her powerful forelegs. "Every day, I've been wondering if you are alright. I've been wondering what I did wrong. I've been wondering if you are safe and whether I would ever see you again!"

"Dear, Turnip needs the function of his lungs. You know how strong you are," Dad warned as I was starting to turn blue. He didn't sound quite right, kind of muffled.

"You should join us in our hug!" Mom cried. She then relaxed her grip on me a little as she looked around. "Um, where are you?"

"Underneath you, dear. You're sitting on me," Dad answered.

She stood up, still holding me like a stuffed toy, and turned around. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I'd live. I wasn't so sure about our son in your death grip. You know how you get when you get emotional," Dad replied.

Mom grabbed him into the hug, and he and I were mere inches from each other's face.

"Hi, Dad. Sorry about this," I said.

"Please tell me you are passing all your classes," Dad said in a firm tone as Mom snuggled us both.

"Yeah. I'm passing everything," I assured him.

He nodded. "That's good. And, Turnip, I'm content to just sit back and let your mother give you a piece of her mind about all this business, but if you ever try to pull something like forging our signatures and running away again, it will be me you answer to, not your mother. Do I make myself clear?"

I gulped and shivered, although the warmth of my mom's embrace was keeping me toasty.

"Perfectly clear, sir. So…. does this mean I can stay?” I asked nervously.

He stared me in the eyes and his eyes betrayed nothing. “We shall see.”