Mirror: Book I - Mind

It was with upmost certainty that each and every question on a multiple choice exam consisted of a one in four chance of being answered correctly. Accordingly, the chances of failure outweighed that of success. Additionally, the chances that Miss Cheerilee’s class would impose a pop quiz upon any day of the school week were, once again, one in four.

Eighteen little colts and fillies were currently in the midst of such a chance, jotting down their answers to the best of their knowledge and ability. As she weaved around her students hunched down over their tests keeping her eyes peeled for bluffers, note-passers and, Celestia forbid, cheaters, Miss Cheerilee knew that the chances of such fraudulence was a near-solid one in four. Her averages had always shown that while seventy-five percent of her students excelled, the remainder seemed to have their own creative ways of thinking.

The grape-purple, pink maned teacher strode by the windows and gave one glance after another at the world outside. The birds sung merrily in the sunshine as the silver glinted grass basked in its warmth and beauty, the town of Ponyville only a mere hoof or two away, the world of Equestria waiting at the train station dotted in the far distance. She wondered for that moment what her students would make of the world, what the world would make of them, always telling herself that this is what she taught these young fillies and foals for. To fill the world with bright, unforgettable smiles.

A frown formed in the reflection upon the glass, her own, as she trained her sights on the reflection in the pane below. Behind her a cloudy gray unicorn filly carefully leafed from one page of her textbook to the next using a stick, reaching below her desk and straining her eyes in hopes of finding an answer. The textbook slid and drew itself up into her teacher’s hoof, a dejected glare upon the mare’s face. The filly hadn’t even the courage to look her in the eye. Her test paper was rested to the back of the textbook as Miss Cheerilee gripped a pencil between her teeth and began to write on her student’s paper, a share of glances from the other students motioning her way. The paper returned to the desk, and as she walked away with the text book, the student slumped in her desk and looked to see what was written.

「See me after class…」

Several minutes after the tests were turned in, little whispers and murmurs filled the classroom as the students eyed their instructor sketching symbols onto the chalkboard. With every passing graze upon the dusty black canvas the murmurs soon grew into giggles and the laughter into a cacophonous conversation. Miss Cheerilee finished her drawings, clacked the chalk to the tray, and turned to address the children.

“Settle down, my little ponies.” She projected. “It’s getting harder and harder to say that with every passing day, y’know? You’ve all grown quite a bit over these wonderful years.”

A curly-maned glasses filly shot her hoof to the ceiling. “Mith Theerilee, Mith Theerilee!”

“Well, most of you have.”

“Ith there going to be an end uvth the year clath party?”

“Yes, Twist, the end of the year celebration will take place at the Nightmare Night festival.” Cheerilee informed. “There will be plenty of candy and games to win prizes from, your parents and guardians are welcome to join in on the fun.”

“What about the haunted mansion?” An orange pegasus fluttered her wings. “Are we going to have one this year? I heard Rainbow Dash is going to be-”

“We still have a lot of funding to go before we reach our goal.” Cheerilee interrupted. “Don’t forget to spread awareness for our fundraiser, every bit counts.”

Within a second the giggles and the laughter returned as gossip and excitement over the amount of celebrations lining up at this time of the year was beheld with eagerness and anticipation. Like that of a makeshift gavel, Miss Cheerilee fixed the chalk in the frog of her hoof and tapped it against the tray, that tiny tip-tap noise almost never failing to catch the ears of her students. The whispers settled to an agreeable volume before she cleared her throat and proceeded with her lesson.

“I know you’re all eager to celebrate but let’s not allow these distractions to waver our focus for the future. As your teacher it is my duty to prepare you for the world which lies ahead, to inspire a calling to take up a worthy profession and practice stewardship towards everything and everypony around you. That calling has now come to you, my little ponies. You have all grown into wonderful, intelligent young mares and gentlecolts, but always keep in mind that no matter how old you may live to be, you never stop learning.” Cheerilee continued. “That is why today’s lesson goes over the four foundational ‘professions’ if you may call them, of Equestria. Now, I know I’m no artist, but can anypony tell me what these four symbols mean to represent?”

Two fillies raised their hooves, and Cheerilee narrowly avoided Twist as she chose the pony in the back. “Yes, Diamond Tiara?”

The pony in question dutifully postured herself and projected so the rest of the class might hear. “The sun represents Princess Celestia, the moon represents Princess Luna, the heart represents Princess Cadance, and the star represents Princess Twilight.”

“Spot on.” Cheerilee nodded to the pony. “And what, class, are the primary duties of our four Princesses? If you know the answer to at least one of them don’t be afraid to raise your hoof, and don’t fret to take a guess either.”

The raised hooves dotted the classroom here and there, and Cheerilee chose them accordingly.

“Princess Celestia is responsible for raising the Sun every morning.”

“And Princess Luna raises the Moon to bring about the night.”

“Princess Cadance caters to the love we share in Equestria.”

“And Princess Twilight showed that mean old Tirek how a real pony fights!”

The cluster of younglings cheered and high-hoofed one another, their teacher wincing with slight consideration. “I would invest a little more thought into that last one,” she said, “but can anypony tell me what all four of these royal duties have in common with one another?”

Twist’s hoof went skyward, and Cheerilee scanned the room to see that no other pony was willing to take a shot. An internal sigh sufficed for the teacher as she chose the pony at the front of the class.

“They’re all royal figures!” Twist answered confidently.

“That is correct, but not quite what I had in mind.” Cheerilee admitted.

Twist slumped backwards with a blank expression. For a while then the room laid in silence, and she asked once again if anypony might know the answer, or at least something similar to what she might be thinking. In truth there wasn’t one exact answer to this riddle, and a riddle of sorts it was, as Cheerilee sought to see how interesting her students could get with their answers. It seemed they were all insistent upon giving correct answers only, too afraid to get creative, all except for a little gray hoof at the cheater’s desk…

Cheerilee looked in the little unicorn’s direction and nodded.

“Um, well…” The unicorn began. “This is just an idea, but, maybe they’re supposed to work together? Like they’re meant to be in balance with one another. One would not exist without the other.”

For only a moment, Cheerilee’s expression went stoic with quieted awe, surprised in the little filly’s answer. She smiled the brightest she had that day and nodded towards the unicorn. A second later, an objection filled the air.

“That doesn’t even make any sense, you just threw some sentences together.”

The whispers and murmurs floating about spelt disapproval for the little unicorn as they slowly grew into complaints and grunts of confusion. Cheerilee drew the chalk back up in her hoof and tapped at the tray again, ordering her students to settle down.

“Now now, everypony, she has a fair point.” Cheerilee educated her pupils. “The four regals do in fact work in accordance with one another to maintain balance in the diarchy system first established between the royal sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Each and every providence gains their influence from not one, but each of the four royals and their responsibilities towards the ponies of Equestria. In turn, the ponies abide to the decrees of the diarchy. So as it turns out, not only do the Princesses work to maintain balance in the kingdom, but the citizens have a big part to play as well.”

Diamond Tiara’s hoof returned to the air, and Cheerilee called to her. “If Equestria had existed even before the coronations of Princess Cadance and Princess Twilight, then what are their purposes?”

“That’s a good question, Miss Tiara. The simple answer to that would be ‘harmonization.’” Cheerilee explained. “Princess Cadance resides in the north while Princess Twilight maintains the mid and southern regions of Equestria, and the royal sisters Celestia and Luna extend their power from the capitol. Harmony within the kingdom is easier to maintain with an overseer to each region.”

Another filly, this one a white unicorn, raised her hoof. “Does that mean some parts of Equestria are less harmonized than others?” She asked.

“Once again, this is where the responsibility and stewardship of the ponies of Equestria come into play. You see, our nation’s harmony does not emanate from the monarchs alone. Simply call back to the tale of Hearth’s Warming Eve and remember that the coming together of the three pony races is what fueled the so called ‘fire of friendship’ in our hearts. The Princesses, all of which are Alicorns, represent the three races in one and in turn bring the ponies together who in return maintain the land, sea, sky, and magic within our kingdom.”

“Will there be more Princesses in the future?” An eager unicorn colt raised his hoof.

“The birth of Princess Cadance’s child may give light to such possibilities, but ultimately that is left up to the decision of the diarchy.” She explained. “I would like you all to keep these four symbols in mind for our next activity.”

As the lesson came to a close, Miss Cheerilee instructed her students to produce pencils and papers to begin jotting down ideas and rough drafts for what was meant to be the final project of the year and their endeavor in the schoolhouse as a whole. Many different powers and influences were constantly swarming around the center of the lives of each and everypony present, whether it be the nuances of daily life, a career, a hobby, some manner of a pass time. Influences of all kinds filled their lives, and so Cheerilee instructed her students to deliver four of the most important influences which structured their current lives, whether it be a place, a thing, a pony, anything. They were then to draw out a symbol depicting whatever they have chosen and provide a descriptive paragraph to tell what the symbol meant to them and how it affected their daily lives.

The little gray unicorn sat at her desk rubbing the eraser to her forehead as she thought long and hard. What in her life could possibly be interesting enough to write a paragraph about, let alone interesting enough to influence her life in any way in the first place. It was only when she lifted her gaze back up to the board and looked upon the four symbols drawn.

The sun, the moon, the heart, and the star. She recalled the answer she had given to her teacher, trying to explain that in some sort of way these four powers were balanced with each other, they worked together.

It was simple then, that she realized in her life she had her mother, her sister, the only pony she considered to be a father figure, and herself. Four ponies whom influenced her life, herself being the greatest and most obvious even if she wasn’t quite sure what about herself compelled her to act, speak, read and write the way she did. The symbol she drew, in turn, was simple and made sense in correlation with the concept of working together. She gave the symbol she had drawn to her paper a subtle nod of satisfaction.

The bell hanging in its housing fixed atop the schoolhouse gave its metallic ring four times over, signaling the end of the day for the school fillies and colts, and in response the students attending packed their things together as quickly as they always had and threw themselves to the outside world with shouts of freedom and screams of thrill. The remaining ponies trotting out the door were quieter than the others, and amongst the silence the gray little unicorn attempted to veil herself. Alas, the teacher caught on quick and rose up with a stern voice, if only to catch the cheater’s attention.

“Dinky?” Miss Cheerilee called.

Dinky’s ears drooped as she turned and left the rest of her classmates to the outdoors. She lingered in the doorway and stared up at her teacher, where she sat from her desk looking back at the young one with an awaiting gaze. She gestured her hoof to the stool before her, and with a heavy silence Dinky dragged herself over and sat down with her head hung low, only to raise slightly when her instructor spoke.

“Do you know why I called you here?” Cheerilee began.

Dinky delivered something between a half shrug and a shake of her head.

The mare raised and propped the textbook on her desk for the filly to see. “Your mother paid good money for this, don’t you realize that?” She said. “What do you suppose would happen if I were to take this away from you?”

“I don’t know.” Dinky shrugged again.

“And what of your mother? I know she works hard for you and your sister both.” Cheerilee ventured. “How do you suppose she would react if she were to learn you’re abusing the resources hoofed over to you?”

“I didn’t know we were going to have a quiz today.” Dinky mumbled.

“That is why you make time for yourself to study the material, so that you might develop good learning skills.” Cheerilee explained. “I’m afraid to tell you that a student who isn’t willing to learn is one who may not succeed.”

Her head seemed to sink even lower, her chin at her chest as she felt her teacher’s mortifying stare embed itself into her skull. So this was it, then? Dinky would not succeed and all of these years in the schoolhouse will have been for nothing, and it wasn’t as if she had any real plans set out for the future in mind. There was still one thing she was waiting on, but it had never showed itself. As the silence ensued, her ears perked to her teacher taking on a more soothing and easing tone.

“Dinky, sweetie.” Cheerilee cooed. “Look at me, dear.”

And finally the filly looked up.

“Earlier today you said something very remarkable. It may not have moved your fellow students but it moved me. I recognized the intuition behind your thought process, you just think differently from other ponies. That’s all.” Cheerilee continued. “You’re an intelligent young mare and I know it. If you just put your mind towards the problems in front of you then I can assure you, one day, you’re going to accomplish some amazing things in your life.”

Her eyes glistened and a lump formed in the young one’s throat. Dinky blinked rapidly and pushed her head back down so that her teacher might not see, but Cheerilee understood how the filly felt. She allowed her student the short time to recover before speaking up once again.

“Do you suppose there might be something that’s holding you back?” Cheerilee prodded. “Perhaps something at home has been bothering you?”

Dinky shook her head.

“If there’s something that’s upsetting or disturbing you then don’t be afraid to speak up. You know that you can talk to me, right?” Cheerilee smiled.

“I have piano lessons.” Dinky said. “But, that’s not the problem. I have them soon, I mean.”

“As in later today?”

Dinky nodded a yes.

“I see. Well then, I won’t keep you from them.” Cheerilee hoofed the textbook back down towards the filly. “I am going to return this to you on the condition that you study it responsibly so that you may retake the test. I am giving you a second chance, Dinky.”

“Okay.” The young unicorn could only think to respond, not quite happy she was getting both a hunk-load more weight added to her bag and a reschedule for a test that had caused her so much dismay in the first place. She fixed the book into her satchel and swung it around and onto her back, scooching her way off the stool and steadily trotting for the door.

“Now, run along, and don’t forget what I told you.” Cheerilee called to her student, watching the gray little dot that was the unicorn disappear into the midst of Ponyville. The aging mare gave a long, disheveled sigh as her eyes scanned across the classroom and landed on the moon symbol she had drawn upon the board for the day’s lesson.

And the night shall reign at the end of every day
Upon a cloud veiled in dreams we will sail away
Moonlight guide thee and reveal the way
Oh, Moonlight Princess, guide us from dismay

Dinky missed one note of the song, she then missed another and sped up to compensate for her mistakes. Her instructor told her to slow down, to which she obeyed, only to be told to speed up again soon after. Keeping in rhythm was important, otherwise the weight and impact of the song was difficult to interpret, and thus the muscle memory and sensibility to the ear could not be recognized correctly. No matter how accurately she attempted to play each and every song, no matter how light or rough she pressed the keys, Dinky always knew that her instructor could sense even the slightest of mistakes she made, but of course the posh, gray earth pony never said anything to her, and she didn’t have to.

It was that flicker in Miss Melody’s ear that delivered the tell tale sign that something was off key, out of tune, almost like a hoof out of place or a painting on a wall slightly askew. That tiny, little, uncompensated detail that drove an otherwise perfectionist type of pony absolutely bonkers. Bonkers, of course, was a word Miss Melody would never use, as was the case with many other carefree and nonchalant words, and so the demeanor had forced Dinky to reconsider her vocabulary when in the midst of these piano lessons. She might as well have fainted or vomited at the mere mention of any swear words.

The little unicorn could tell that despite the difficulties that came with it, Melody was always more than happy to teach somepony in the glorified art that was the piano. She had at first upon meeting Dinky recommended to the young filly that she use her horn to press the keys instead of her hooves. It was the first time Melody had to stifle laughter at one of her students, as Dinky attempted to physically press her horn down onto the keys, slowly hitting one note after the other with robotic like movement. That small skit did however teach Melody that although a unicorn, this young filly was not quite accustomed to utilizing her horn quite yet like most unicorns her age are, already lifting and floating objects around with the use of the simple levitation spell. There had already been several unicorn students of hers in the past, all of whom had used their horns and understandably were able to learn one song after another within a single evening. Most earth ponies had taken their time climbing to such a level, but as always practice makes perfect. As for Dinky, Melody would never quite admit that she was the slowest student yet she had to work with.

As the song came to a close, Dinky’s head hung low just as it had before, the little unicorn knowing full well that she had once again made too many mistakes to go unnoticed and without lecturing. The pony waited on the older mare’s nagging and beckoning to improve herself, the same old words and the same old lessons running from the earth pony’s lips. She sat still facing the keys, not daring an eye over at her instructor as she tensed and waited for the spillage, but it never came. It made Dinky feel uneasy, incomplete, like thunder rolling all around but the lighting would never strike, yet the dread remained. Was Miss Melody finally preparing to get rid of her? She wondered.

“That was good, little one.” Melody said. “You’ve done well.”

I’ve done well? The words echoed back in Dinky’s mind. No, that’s wrong, I’ve done anything but well! And thus the frustration seethed deep within and all over again. Already she had been wrangled into retaking a test she never even anticipated in the first place, and now it seemed that other ponies’ expectations of her were beginning to plot against her.

“I don’t understand.” Dinky denied. “I don’t think I’ve been playing up to your standards.” She attempted that level accent and what she believed to be a careful choice of words, just as Miss Melody seemed to always prefer.

“Do not get me wrong, I was referring to your persistence.” The mare responded. “You’ve played every song and learnt every lesson to the very end, no matter the mistakes made along the way. There are very few ponies who can exemplify such tenacity.”

The little unicorn still wasn’t sure if she was understanding the mare correctly, and not because of the small doses of posh vocabulary, but it seemed as though her instructor were attempting to sugar-coat over the rough edges of the whole ordeal. Throwing in a petty compliment here and there, desperately trying to find some leeway, Dinky had heard it all before and not from Miss Melody alone. The piano teacher then seemed ready to close the lessons for the day, and yet a small question was hanging off the tip of the little unicorn’s tongue, or rather one that was clinging to her chest and refusing to be let free. The tightness increased as the mare wrapped around where Dinky sat and referred to a small calendar hanging upon the wall.

“I’ll be off on a business trip next week, so you won’t have to bother arriving here until the following Tuesday.” Melody informed.

It’s official. Dinky thought. She’s getting rid of me. And so the little one wasn’t quite sure whether to be relieved or distressed, knowing it’d be another heft of news to deliver to her mother sooner or later. If this were the case after all, then Dinky decided to muster up the courage to ask her the question she had held for long enough.

“Miss Melody?” Dinky mumbled softly.

“Yes, dear?” She approached. “Speak up now, you know I can’t hear you when you hang your head like that.”

“Sorry.” She instinctively looked up and projected. “I suppose I was wondering, do you know when a pony usually gets their cutie mark?”

“Their cutie mark?” Melody pondered, a hoof to her lip. “I would imagine that one may appear for when a pony has discovered what their true calling entails.”

“I meant age.” Dinky corrected. “How old do you think a pony can live to be without getting their cutie mark?”

“Oh, I’ve heard of a few special cases before. Some ponies today are well into their senior-hood and still haven’t gotten their cutie mark. “

“You mean I’m going to be an old mare without a cutie mark?” Dinky worried.

“I never said that, I simply meant-” Melody paused, looked upon the young pony’s blank rump, and sighed. “Trust me, little one, I know exactly how you feel. I spent great lengths of my adolescence believing a mark of my own would never appear upon my flank. Fate had it, however, that I was meant to pursue this world with a destiny in hoof after all.”

“What’s the story behind your cutie mark?” Dinky inquired.

“Quite glad you asked, I was only a filly your age and I…I…” Melody paused abruptly and ungracefully, peering down to her rump and looking upon the purple printed treble clef symbol forever embedded onto her withers. She clicked her tongue as though ready to speak again, but the thought left her. Again and again she tried to remember, but simply couldn’t. “My word, has it been that long? I’m sorry, little one, but I simply cannot remember. Hmph, how odd.”

“That’s okay, Miss Melody.” Dinky sighed and faced the piano keys. “At least you have your mark, even if you don’t remember how. Honestly, that would be enough for me.”

There was a spell of silence which surrounded the two as Melody stood idly and pondered over the little one’s words and the calm demeanor mixed in. They were obviously tell tale signs of a youngling’s phases of self-doubt and occasional depression. Natural as it was, Melody knew it could very well grow into a serious matter, but why was she dealing with this and not her mother? Of course, she was this young one’s teacher, a role model and an example of what a proper mare should-Oh for Luna’s sake, why did she have to deal with this?

“Getting your cutie mark is not nearly as important as what your cutie mark might represent.” Melody attempted. “As the saying goes, the two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you discover why.”

“I hope that day will come sooner than later.” Dinky sulked.

“It will, little one, only time will tell.” Melody responded.

The little unicorn walked home that evening brainstorming all of the different ways she was going to apologize to her mother, in the sense that she was thinking ahead of time. Sooner or later Miss Cheerilee was bound to inform her mother of the incident at school, and it was only a matter of walking in to her living room one evening only for her mother to call out to her before she could retreat up to her room. The chances that her elder sister, Amethyst, would be informed of it first were slim, otherwise they might be able to keep the secret between each other. It was what sisters were for, after all. Though they bickered from time to time, the trust and familial ties never died, as Amethyst had sworn to be the best big sister a younger could have the day she was accepted into their little family.

Dinky passed the threshold of her home and quietly crept up to the kitchen entrance, hugging the wall and poking out an ear to listen. She could hear dinner being prepared, albeit haphazardly, and the filly dared not to creep past the open doorway lest her mother see her. The inclination that she had eyes on the back of her head was still molded into her mind, and Dinky wondered for a moment if those eyes on the back of her mother’s head would still have that wall eye she has now.

A moment later and another pony lumbered through the front door, letting her saddle bag drop to the floor as she barely seemed to notice her younger sister playing secret agent in the hallway. Her eyes held bags, her mane was disheveled and her stomach grumbled. Amethyst found the first opportune cushion of the house and threw her form into the plush surface, sinking beneath the soft fabric with a sigh that could settle the entire house. Derpy in the kitchen took notice and carefully turned off the stove and put her spoon to rest before making for the living room, and the little unicorn took her chance to get out of sight. She darted up the stairs and lent an ear to listen to the conversation downstairs, bits and pieces coming in and out of hearing range.

“…I’m a detective now…no it’s not a murder mystery…he’s staying…I told you, he’s not my boyfriend!”

Only muffled voices could be heard as the door closed and Dinky secluded herself to her possessions and belongings, half of which weren’t even hers, and the other half of dreams and pretending what she might be one day. As for now, there were many things other fillies and foals had which Dinky could not, simply due to the fact that her mother made her pay working at the post office, only enough to keep the house afloat from paycheck to paycheck. That, and change was quite difficult to find lying around Ponyville, let alone her own house. The lost and found pile was like a treasure trove to the young unicorn, and every once in a while she’d find a gem among the common rocks. Most everything she “borrowed” from the pile was kept beneath her bed and in her closet, lest her mother discover yet another secret she wished to keep hushed.

There was one item, however, which she kept beneath her bed that belonged to no pony, not even herself. It did belong to somepony, actually, but that stallion had left long ago. Dinky shoved her leg beneath the bed and cupped a hoof around a small box and slid it out into the open. She stared at the small wooden box for a moment before undoing the tiny golden latch and revealing a small, folded paper within. Scanning over the note with her golden, gleaming eyes, she began the ritual just as she always did and read over the first words in her head.

「Dear Daddy…」