Mirror: Book I - Mind

The boy and his well acquainted unicorn companion walked side by side down the cobbled streets of Ponyville, the sun beaming brightly from above, shining grace and good fortune down into the village in the valley. Or so it was said, by many of the pony folk. Superstitions and folktales were a rarity among the ponies, given that many of their daily concerns included the ilk of fairies and tales of all kinds already. To put one’s trust in the supernatural was commonplace among the equine folk, and Starlight Glimmer was doing just that, and a little more, as she explained her findings to the boy.

“The process of the spell, for lack of a better term, is going to have an indefinite if not permanent effect on your psyche. We can return your body to the point of origin with little to no effort, but what it would do to your brain is a whole different story.” Starlight explained.

David was interested in the environment surrounding them.

“Starswirl’s method of transmutation spells and his theories following the study gave us a few passage ways into what we could do with your molecular structure, your brain included. The neurons, the cells themselves however, they’re all just so delicate. It’d be like trying to scoop mushy, ground-up leftovers without leaving a single morsel behind, because well, one’s brain is like mushy, ground-up leftovers. Are you following me, here?”

“Mhm.” David hummed back.

“Your entire nervous system would turn into goo if we decided to send you back. No joke, you’d just be a hollow, lifeless husk…filled with brain goo.”

“That sounds fantastic.” David replied.

Starlight deadpanned and sighed, muzzle to the earth. “My point is, you would literally have to train your mind to be like that of a unicorn, or at least a pony in general. The reason being is because there are no accounts in the history of transportation spells which attenuate to that of a human’s neuron system. Us unicorns? We were made for these kinds of spells. A human like you? Honestly, I’m surprised you made it here in one piece. And the distance it took too, no unicorn in history could ever-” Her speech cut short at the boy’s actions, and she stared at him with an estranged glare. “Um, why are you doing that?”

David paused, holding the stick he had picked up to his side. “Doing what?” He asked.

“Swinging that stick around like it’s some sort of wand.”

“A wand?” David stared at the stick. “Silly little pony, this is my sword. Oh, but I guess a species with hooves never really would’ve picked up on that.”

“I know what a sword is.” Starlight justified. “I just don’t understand, do humans use sticks as swords?”

“They could.” He pointed and jabbed.

“Do humans think a stick is a sword?”

“You sound like my history teacher, Glimmy, or someone else who was really boring for no good reason.” He gave his ‘sword’ a few more swings and held it up high in the air, a childish smile about his face. “If you never picked a stick off the ground and swung it around like a sword, then I don’t know what your childhood was about.”

Starlight gazed skyward as an inexplicable lens-flare caught upon the tip of his ‘sword’ and beamed across the plaza space. His smile was unwavering, like that of a child who had found the greatest pleasure the world could offer him, and that was the simple, content feeling of finding the good things that lay on the surface of life. So what if it was a stick? If it was a sword to him, then let it be a sword to him. The sight and the small experience forced Starlight’s mind back to her younger days, when she felt tens if not hundreds of times more innocent. Back in those days, there was always one pony by her side, a pony she sought as her equal, her friend, perhaps even more…

“Listen, David…” Starlight began.

“David!” A cheery voice hollered from afar.

“Silver Spanner!” The boy rushed forward.

“Silver Spanner?” Starlight looked up, confused.

The sight she beheld was forced upon her, to say the least. She could not look away for even a second as she witnessed a rusty-brown unicorn with a silver-white mane leap into the boy’s arms, joy and mirth written all over their faces. They spun and danced in circles as David held the mystery mare’s hooves and they twirled around while their laughter filled in the air all the while. A pink, frilly, flowery background with sparkles and lens-flares surrounded their vicinity, and musical strings hummed brilliantly out of nowhere.

“Where is that musical score coming from?” Starlight’s ear flickered. “Say, uh, did I just walk into one of those cheesy rom-coms or something?”

The turntable screeched to a stop. David and the new unicorn were frozen mid-spin, hovering and staring at Starlight from afar. They both dropped to the earth and the boy made a quick apology to his friend.

“I never even thought about introducing you.” David laughed. “Didn’t even cross my mind.”

“Oh, and what did?” Silver Spanner snickered. “Coma induced visions of talking ponies?”

They both laughed together heartily, and Starlight was left on the side lines giggling awkwardly to herself.

“Inside joke, Silver, inside joke.” David shed a tear, and turned to the other unicorn. “Now where are those manners of mine? Starlight, this is Silver Spanner. Silver Spanner, Starlight.”

“Starlight Glimmer?” Silver hurried forward and took the mare’s hoof in hers. “You’re the sorceress unicorn who came to the village, right? I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Y-You have?” Starlight recoiled and immediately regretted the reflex. “I mean, ha-ha, wow! What have you heard?”

“Well, that you’re a unicorn, for one.” Silver shifted nervously. “And er…oh! That’s right, you can perform spells.”

“Right.” Starlight stared awkwardly. “I’m sure most unicorns can.”

“Oh, those are just lame party tricks, am I right?” Silver batted a hoof.

“Now now, let’s not neglect those fancy soldering skills of yours.” David laughed along.

Celestia above, what in the name of Tartarus did I walk into? Starlight thought to herself. It’s like they’re an old, married couple or something, and it doesn’t help that I don’t even know what they’re talking about. What, me? Jealous? Get out of here, consciousness, you’re not welcome here!

“Hey, Glimmy, you’re not monologuing again, are you?” David asked, and nudged an elbow in Silver’s side. “Honestly, unicorns seem to have a tendency to do that sort of thing.”

Starlight shook her head and snapped back to the conversation. “I’m sorry, did I miss a page or two of context here?” She asked them.

“Oh, duh!” David slapped a palm over his forehead. “I think she’s wanting to know how you and I met.”

“You explain it, you tell the story better than me.” Silver bashed.

“Alright, alright. Here goes.” David patted his palms to his thighs and began slowly.

“It was a dark, rainy night, filled with rain and darkness and…other gloomy stuff. A lonely pegasus mare was on her last job for the night, struggling to deliver a single package to her final destination. Little did she know the package was too heavy, and she came tumbling down to the earth in a fit of cries and feathers!”

“If it was too heavy to begin with then why did she even attempt to carry it by herself?” Starlight asked.

“Quiet now, it’ll all be explained in the end.” David reassured. “As I was saying, the package had tumbled down to the earth with her. Lo and behold, the final resting place of the mushy, dirty and broken box was resting on the door step of the house she had been assigned to carry it to. The clatter from outside was enough to bring somepony to the door, and for whatever instinctive reason the mail mare scurried behind the bushes nearby and hid out of sight. The door creaked open, an orange light pouring outside from within, and there caught in the illumination was the box. A single, kind, generous and heartfelt unicorn mare stood at the door, Silver Spanner! She stared at the box longingly before brushing the dirt off with her hoof. ‘My my, what a horribly misshapen box.’ She uttered. ‘I do hope that whatever’s inside hasn’t been damaged.’”

“That’s it? She isn’t even go to read the labeling or question why it’s here?” Starlight interrupted.

“We’re getting to that part.” David confirmed.

“You were like the final piece to my life, the part I was missing all along.” Silver patted David’s shoulder.

“You’re going to spoil the ending!” The boy warned.

“So let me guess, you were in the box?” Starlight mused.

“Not exactly.” A glint caught in the boy’s eye. “It was me, but with a twist!” He continued. “Silver Spanner carried the box inside, and the package rattled and shook upon the floor. As the unicorn stared in wonderment, she hovered a hesitant hoof towards the casing, and it burst open with confetti and sparkly things flying everywhere. Stars shone in Silver’s eyes, for a tiny human had just popped out of the box, a tiny version of me! The boy of wonders! The savior sent from the distant planet-”

“You do realize we found you in the Everfree forest, right?” Starlight interrupted, again.

David keeled over and released a fountain of blood from his jaw, quickly wiping the mess away with a simple swipe of his forearm. “Sheesh, Glim, you really know how to kill a mood.”

“It’s okay, David. It’s a great story, I always love to hear it.” Silver reassured him. “But really, it was a simple meeting. Him and I met the evening the two of you decided to give up looking for a friend, or so he tells me.”

“You mean to tell me the very minute he walked away, he found you?” Starlight looked on, astonished and disappointed.

“Well, we sort of found each other.” Silver giggled lightly. “I was carrying home a box full of parts and supplies I had pawned off of the doctor. Y’know, Doctor Whooves? Anyways, when I dropped a few bolts and screws he was so kind to use his dexterous little fingers to pick them up for me and drop them back into my box. He helped me carry them the rest of the way, and well, the rest is mechanics!”

“I’m not sure how to feel about that saying.” Starlight looked worried. “But, wow, it was really that simple, huh?”

“You were right, Starlight.” David smiled at her. “I guess the universe does have its ways from time to time.”

Starlight was left to stare at the estranged couple wondering just where exactly their relationship had stood. Obviously something of similar interest had brought these two together, something she plainly admitted to herself that she wasn’t too interested in delving into, and the fact that David had managed to acquire a friend all on his own was all the reassurance the unicorn needed in this moment here and now. She supposed for a moment that this strange alien, this young boy, perhaps he wasn’t as incompetent as she had first deemed him to be. It was either that, or the fact that somepony in this town had a very kind, open and generous heart after all.

“Say, are we still on for the pub, tonight?” Silver asked the boy.

“You bet.” He high-fived her hoof. “Though I’ve got to admit, I’m still underage.”

“Relax, you’re an alien for Fleighming’s sake.” Silver waved a hoof.

“Well, it seems like you two have really hit it off.” Starlight chuckled on the sidelines.

“Do you wanna come too, Glimmy?” David asked her.

“No, that’s okay, I’ll just be at the castle if you need me.” She began to walk away.

“Oh, alright?” David scratched his head. “Feel free to come by if you change your mind!” He shouted after her.

Starlight hollered another small giggle over her shoulder and resumed her gait, walking back into the far northern region of the plaza and around Town Hall, hanging her head low and giving a crestfallen sigh. The boy and his newly made friend took their walk in the opposite direction, only for a presence to overcome them soon after. Silver strained her sights and held a hoof above her eyes to shield the sun as a mass of wings descended upon them.

“Who’s that?” Silver wondered.

“Oh no, it’s that bat pony guard again!” David made to break. “I gotta get out of here!”

“Calm down, it’s just the mail mare.” Silver reassured. “The one who delivered you to my home, remember?”

“Huh?” David twisted back around and stared at the pegasus making her descent.

She was not wearing her usual mail mare uniform just as she would be on almost any afternoon of the week. The gray pegasus mother performed an oddly graceful descent and stared upon the boy with a stoic, fixed gaze. Her wall eye was aligned almost perfectly, making her sights appear normal for that one rare moment. The boy stood still as Derpy approached him and looked up with a longing, knowing expression.

“So…” She began. “You’re the one who saved my little girl’s life?”

“Depends on which little girl we’re talking about.” David hesitated.

Derpy got to her hind hooves and wrapped her wings around the boy’s waist. She held him tightly and held the embrace for a long pause. “I can’t imagine how I should begin to thank you. I’ll forever be in your debt.” She told him.

“You and your daughter don’t owe me a thing.” David reassured, returning the hug. “I was just doing the first thing that came to my mind, honest.”

Silver Spanner stared up at David with sparkles in her eyes, her gaze trading between the boy and the pegasus. As the two broke away from their hug, Derpy gestured the boy in the direction of the school house, Silver following closely behind.

“So, are you off today?” He asked Derpy.

“What’s that?”

“Your uniform, I noticed you aren’t wearing it.”

“Ah, about that.” Derpy rubbed a hoof to the back of her head. “It’s kind of a long story, but it’s all in the past now.”

“Are you gonna be alright?” He asked with concern.

“Oh, absolutely. I’ve got a few plans lined up for the future here. Don’t you worry, this mare is finally going places! No more getting bossed around by other ponies who think they can tell me what to do and how to do it.”

“Isn’t that what having a job is all about?”

“Once you climb up enough in the work force you’ll see that you don’t just work for others anymore, you’ll start working together.”

“I suppose they’d want you to think that.” David mused. “Say, where are you taking me again?” He questioned, scanning his surroundings.

“Oh, that’s right, we’re here.” Derpy announced. “Welcome to the Ponyville schoolhouse.”

Damn, a trap. He thought. I knew it!

The dirt path ahead of them curved and led up to the steps leading into the bright red and white building that was Miss Cheerilee’s schoolhouse. The teacher in question stood behind the white fence in the playground area where another mare standing with her, an old, frail look about her, was discussing something in their midst. Derpy obliged the boy forward where he promptly shook his head no and began to back away. The wall-eyed pegasus grimaced and shoved her head to his rump, pushing him forward and to the fence where he nearly flipped and fell over to the other side, catching himself with his fingers to the edge. Miss Cheerilee and the elderly mare beyond ceased their chattering and looked to their side, eyeing the boy with mixtures of curiosity and wariness. He produced his best smile to the two, and at that Granny Smith grinned and stepped forward to greet the young lad.

“Well, lookie who we have here.” Granny looked the boy up and down. “Word around town is a filly napper was wandering around Saddle Lake the other day. But don’t you go gettin’ your stomach in a knot, I know the whole story beginnin’ to end.”

“You do?” David asked timidly.

“My eyes must have something in them.” Cheerilee stepped forward. “I’m sorry, Granny Smith, but is this the…person you have been referring to?”

“Sure as rain, he is!” Granny confirmed. “He’s tall enough, ain’t he? Why, I bet my last good leg he could reach all the way up to Canterlot with those lanky, pink limbs o’ his and have a reach around at Celestia’s flank if he wanted to!” The scraggly, old mare gave her hind leg a good slap and cackled like a dying timber wolf into the open air, taking a moment to breath before settling down. “That was just a-just a lil’ joke there…”

The school teacher took her time eyeing the boy from head to toe, taking a step or two back in the opposite direction. She swept a glance back to her school children and then back to the boy on the other side of the fence, pupils dancing up and down as though she were expecting him to clear the fence any moment now. He in fact could, and would do so for a show of impression.

“Erm…Granny Smith here tells me you had a run in with her family the other night?” Cheerilee asked him. “She stated that she’s willing to vouch for you for your presentation here at the school house.”

“Wait, what?” He stared at her blankly.

“The children here are interested in what you have to say, which is no surprise.” She nodded and cleared her throat. “I just need confirmation that whatever it is you’re going to exhibit to my students is appropriate for their viewing.”

“Wait…what?” He drawled again.

The boy sat with his back to the blackboard and the students at his front, several bug-eyed wonders of astonishment and curiosity filling their gazes. It almost seemed as though they were all too awe-struck, perhaps even frightened to say anything, the dreadful thought lingering in the boy’s head that one of them might burst out into screams and thus cause a chain reaction like tiny little explosions at a birthday party. Maybe if they all screamed hard and loud enough they’d burst into confetti. David realized he was getting ahead of himself and focused his attention back to the class, giving a wary eye to the teacher at the door as she ushered in her children from recess time and instructed them to take their respective seats. Granny, Derpy and Silver stood by the windows awaiting for David’s supposed presentation to which he had absolutely no fore-planning for. His finger raised behind Miss Cheerilee’s back and he tapped her shoulder. The mare flinched like a shiver running up her spine, and she turned with bug-eyes of her own.

“Please don’t burst into confetti.” He blurted.

“Excuse me?” She recoiled.

“I mean-” He started again. “Miss Cheerilee, is it? I appreciate this opportunity you’re giving me here-”

“It’s not just me, mind you.” She corrected. “As I stated before, the children are interested in what you have to say.”

“But that’s the thing.” He warned, twiddling his thumbs. “I don’t know what to say.”

“A lot of ponies-er um, people? Nowadays, they don’t realize that the most reliant conversation starter is to simply state their name. Um, you do have a name, mister…?”

“Call me David.” He held out a hand.

“Just don’t forget to tell the children that.” Cheerilee rested her hoof to his palm. “Believe me, they’re all very excited to see you today. After all, you come from an entirely different planet, correct? I’m certain you could think of the most boring topic to behold your kind and you wouldn’t get a single snore out of the classroom.”

“You’re taking this alien thing pretty well, compared to most others.” David admitted, squinting curiously at the mare.

Shoot, he’s a lot more intelligent than I gave him credit for. Cheerilee thought to herself. His mind wanders around every detail, he has that keen look in his eye. I better get things moving before he finds anything else out.

“You are correct, I do tend to give others many chances over to correct themselves.” She told him. “I teach children for a living, the real challenge is seeing whether or not my work has paid off. So, Mister David, if you’re willing to seize this opportunity then we’re going to need you to be confident in your ability to talk about yourself. Can you do that for our class?”

He felt himself hesitate, the words had hit him without warning. Then, the boy quickly nodded as from instinct. “Yes.” He assured. “I’ll do my best.”

Cheerilee smiled. She nodded and turned to the last of her students filing through the door and to their seats. Dinky timidly shuffled through the doorway and spotted her mother on the far end of the room, then looked to see David standing at the blackboard with wide eyes in her expression. The boy felt his spirits lifted at the sight of the young unicorn, and Dinky gave a cheerful yet nervous grin as she walked across the classroom to greet her mother. The two nuzzled each other, a warming embrace that made the boy’s heart quicken a pace or two. The murmurs floating around the crowd of children were quickly dispelled by Miss Cheerilee’s raised hoof, and the mare cleared her throat to speak.

“Everypony, can I have your attention please?” She began. “First and foremost I’d like to thank Granny Smith and Miss Hooves for their help in organizing the invitation we’ve set up for our very special guest today-”

A white hoof shot for the ceiling, waving around desperately.

Cheerilee sighed. “Yes, Twist?”

“Thorry, Mith Theerilee, I wath retherving a quethtion for the monkey.” She pointed at David.

“Oh?”

“What’th it like being a monkey alien?” The young filly asked without a second beat.

The boy stood there frozen. “I don’t know,” he decided to say. “What’s it like having two tongues?”

Twist’s expression went blank, and she quietly fiddled with her teeth. Cheerilee glanced the boy a death glare, and David simply shrugged. At least she wouldn’t be asking anymore questions now. Another student raised their hoof, and David pointed this time.

“Where’s your spaceship at?” The colt asked.

“In the back.” He mused.

“Do you have eyes on your butt?” Another asked.

“What the hell kind of question is that?”

“Is it true that if you fart, burp, sneeze and hiccup all at the same time, you’ll open a portal to the fourth dimension?”

Silence. David looked over at Cheerilee, shrugging indefinitely. There was a hint of pity in that confused squint of his, and so she stepped forward to divert the course. “Are there any questions that don’t concern the latest issue of Mad Maregazine?” She looked around. “Perhaps something a little more, erm, constructive?”

A bright pink hoofed raised from its seat, a focused gaze in the filly’s eyes. “So you say you’re from a different planet? Are there any similarities here that you would compare to your home?”

David blinked and took a moment to answer. “That’s…actually a good question. My memory is a little foggy, so bear with me.” He paced about slowly. “There are several things my world has which this does not, such as cars, television and phones, but one thing my world doesn’t have that Equestria does is magic.” He explained. “I’ve learned that ponies have used magic to build structures, grow food, control the weather and even create medicine for illnesses. You see, humans were never born with magic, they’ve had to rely on their abilities and the resources nature had given them. It took several generations for us to get where we’re at, and even so our technology grows exponentially, almost too much for us to handle at times.”

The class gave their collective “ooos” and “aahs.” It got a small chuckle out of David.

“Was that how you got here, then?” Scootaloo quickly raised her hoof.

“Wait to be called on, dear.” Cheerilee told her.

“She’s alright.” David reassured. “Go ahead, squirt.”

“Did your spaceship crash land because you couldn’t control it?” Scootaloo revised.

“If only I had a flashy entrance like that.” David chuckled. “I can reassure you however that my coming to this planet was in fact out of my control.”

A vanilla hoof raised from its seat, amber eyes staring confidently ahead. Apple Bloom.

“What’cha mean when you say your memory is ‘foggy’?” She wondered. “Did you lose your memories along the way here?”

“She’s a perceptive one.” David nodded to Cheerilee, and turned back to the children. “I’ve had contact with Princess Twilight and her student, Starlight Glimmer. I’m sure you know the ponies. They’ve helped me since my arrival here and we’ve determined that might be the case. Something to do with some sort of head trauma.”

“That sounds terrible…” Apple Bloom sulked.

“Did you barf?” Somepony asked.

“Several times.” David answered.

“Can you do it again?”

“…No.”

Once again the bright pink filly with her focused gaze raised her hoof. “So you say you can’t remember anything from before, but what about after?” She questioned. “What I mean to ask is, how did you get here?”

David briefly glanced down at the pencil and notepad readied before her hooves. “Are you looking for a comparison?” He asked.

“To what, exactly?” The filly titled her head.

“Let me ask you kids something, do any of you remember being born?” He looked around the room. “I certainly don’t, but it’s the best way I can describe it. If I knew what being born was like, I would probably describe it as such: There was this void, a dark, soundless nothing, and then all of a sudden poof! I was dropped onto the cold, stone floor with nothing to grasp onto but my own body, not knowing where I was or what I was supposed to do. In that short time of uncertainty, I simply existed.”

The boy went on with his tale in the castle ruins deep within the Everfree forest. His discovery of the ancient library, the old paintings and the many rusted over suits of armor. Finally, the menacing threat of the great big timber wolves, practically the size of lions and tigers. The gnashing of their jaws and their oozing green gums was enough to make a filly or two recoil and shut their eyes in fright.

And then, clink, clank, clunk!

Princess Twilight Sparkle had come to his rescue! Together they battled the timber wolves to the death, the final depiction of David standing above a mound of wolves with a spear in one hand and the pack leader’s head in the other. As such, the boy had drawn a quick yet very detailed and artistic depiction on the black board, which elicited a triumphant roar of cheers and stomping hooves from the children and left Miss Cheerilee’s arsenal of chalk sticks at a discouragingly low level. She decided it was time to move on when David tugged down the collar of his shirt to show the children his “war scar.”

“One more question! Please?” Scootaloo frantically raised her hoof.

“Well, I suppose we do have some time to spare.” Cheerilee considered.

“What’s up, sport?” The boy asked her.

“If you had a cutie mark, what would it be?”

David blinked and glanced to Cheerilee with a wide gaze of amusement. The teacher chuckled calmly and shook her head lightly, talking from her desk in the corner. “I suppose I ought to explain, our class is currently working on an end of the semester project, a sort of finale to all the lessons we’ve learned and what might come in the future, which is the ideal theme. The project is meant for contemplating on future goals and brainstorming events and scenarios pertaining to their career paths.”

“Like a ‘where do you see yourself in five years?’ sort of thing?” The boy supposed.

“For the most part.” Cheerilee nodded. “I’m sure the students would love to show you their progress. But of course, Scootaloo’s question…”

“Ah, yes.” David turned back to Scootaloo. “I’ll admit, that’s got to be the best question I’ve heard yet.” He stroked his chin with a peculiar grin, his eyes dancing upon the ceiling in contemplation. “Well, let’s see…that’s an awfully tough decision to make. What would my cutie mark be?” His eyes wandered back down to the class and landed upon the face of the unicorn girl he had first met at Saddle lake. The memories of the water, the rescue, and their talk flooded his mind and instilled him with an unintended spell of silence for much longer than he felt comfortable for. He repositioned his thought process and after deciding upon his next trail of dialogue, gave a small, curt nod to Dinky before continuing. “You see, I think that’s pretty wishful thinking. No offense to your question, Scoots, it was very good, but if I’m thinking this correctly there’s only one right way to go about this. From what I understand, a cutie mark isn’t something you can just pick and choose, it is earned and sometimes even gifted to you. When the time is right, you won’t find your cutie mark, your cutie mark will find you.”

The slow, calm clopping of hooves together came as applause, giving the boy a hard time to hide his smile and blush warming up on his face. He thought for a small short moment, if only Twilight were here to see him…

“But yeah, I would probably have a cutie mark of a dragon or a sword piercing a heart.” The boy grinned. “Something cool like that.”

Once again, the “ooos” and “aahs” of the children filled the classroom.

“I have one, final question, if you’d be so kind.” It was the focused filly again. She almost batted her eyelashes.

The words dispelled his thought and the boy looked over. The curiosity and perceptive behavior of this little one was putting his mind in a strange place, like signaling red flags that he couldn’t quite call out but neither would he completely dismiss. The boy nodded in the filly’s direction. “Go ahead.” He said.

“Since we’re on the subject of cutie marks, it’s pretty safe to say that certain ‘habits’ aren’t exempt from that ilk. My question to you is, what sort of social values do you believe you possess and would attach to your person?”

“So, the kind of person I would like to be for others? Well, let’s think…I do remember a saying or something I wrote in a journal of mine a long time ago.” David told them. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a leader, and I know that doesn’t mean being tough all the time. To be patient with others and myself, to know what to do in any situation, that’s the kind of person I want to be.”

There was an odd spell of silence to this answer. It seemed as though time itself was frozen, nopony had said anything, nopony had moved or dared to even blink. After the hum of speechlessness washed over, Cheerilee rose from her desk and delivered the only appropriate closing she could think of.

“Well then, everypony, I hope you got all the answers you were looking for. Let’s all give a big round of applause for our honored guest.”

Seconds after the little ponies stomped and clopped their hooves together, several of them started to form lines and small groups surrounding the boy as if filing up to receive an autograph from a celebrity or some other famous character, and perhaps that is exactly what some of them had intended to do. Derpy and Granny Smith closed their distance and gave the boy nudges on the arms and knowing looks, each one spelling ‘I told you so.’ Seemingly, everything turned out all right in their little endeavor to the school house after all. Moments later, after the boy had given a series of admirable and perplexed looks at the many school projects the children were presenting unto him, Dinky approached with her project, pulling the piece from her saddle bag.

“What’cha got there, kiddo?” David quested. “Another boat?”

The boy supposed he might’ve spoken too soon as her mother gave a tightened expression, but Dinky was still all the more happy to show him. “A scarf.” The little unicorn answered. “Mom helped me make it.”

“She worked on it all night long, almost didn’t wake up for school this morning.” Her mother informed.

“It’s a very special piece.” Dinky told him. “I even thought you might like to have it, but only after Miss Cheerilee grades it.”

“It sounds like you’ve put your heart into this project.” David grinned widely and expectantly. “Well, let’s see it!”

Without a second more of hesitation, the unicorn pulled the scarf forward and presented it to the boy. Immediately, David’s smile faded.

“I call it the ‘family of four’.” Dinky elaborated. “The four points reach out and come back to meet in the center, like a real family should. And, it’s the four members of our family, myself, mom, my sister, and Doc. Doc isn’t actually a part of my family, and well neither is Amy technically, but I still consider them as such.”

The boy blinked once and twice. Four points? What was that supposed to mean? The boy’s mind began to race for a moment. The very idea that this was just a coincidence, that somehow this little unicorn from a completely different planet was able to replicate an ancient symbol from Earth with no prior knowledge whatsoever…

The human hadn’t realized how long he had been within his realm of inner contemplation. He appeared as though he were brain-dead, a deer struck in headlights, unmoving and staring with uncertainty at the item before him.

“Y-You don’t like it?” Dinky asked after a while.

“What the hay are you doing?” Said a young colt. “Can’t you see he obviously doesn’t like it?”

“Yeah, you’re scaring the monkey!” Another cried.

“That’s not the case at all.” David protested. “Dinky, I love the scarf, I really do. It’s just…”

C’mon, think of something to say. The boy thought rapidly. If you tell them what you really think then they’re going to start asking questions. What is this supposed to be, then? Some sort of trick of my mind?

“It’s okay, I understand if you don’t like it after all.” Dinky quickly hid the scarf away.

“Oh, honey…” Her mother held out a hoof.

The little unicorn shied away from her mother’s embrace and faced the crowd of disdainful stares. She had known this wouldn’t have gone the way she had hoped form the very beginning, and she resented herself for not following her instincts. The little girl sighed and turned to the boy briefly. “I’ll just get rid of it like I should have in the first place.” And without a second beat, the unicorn brushed her way out of the crowd and darted for the exit.

“Dinky, wait!” Derpy raced after her daughter, staring out the door in wonder of where the little one might’ve run off to.

At that point the attention seemed to divert from the boy as the students gave their murmurs and comments on the behavior of the unicorn. The class cheater they called her, the class thief, the class crybaby. There were no better words David could think to place Dinky in the position he believed her to be sitting other than “this kid just had it plain rough.” He began to struggle on his memories of his own school days back on Earth, staring out upon the crowd of little pony heads hopping around here and there, and from the sight of it something occurred to him in that small moment. The pink pony, blue curls, white bow and red eyes, was nowhere to be seen.

“I see you’re still in one piece.” Cheerilee approached the boy calmly.

“Now I’m really concerned on where exactly you stand with your students.” He commented.

“What exactly do you mean?” The teacher raised a brow.

“Nothing by it, never mind.” He waved a hand, then reconsidered. “Though, it sort of pains me to see Dinky get so worked up like that. I wish there was more I could do.”

“I noticed you appeared to be a good friend of hers. You were the one who saved her at the lake, correct?” Cheerilee furthered. “It wouldn’t be too much to ask you to look after her outside of school, would it?”

“Of course not.” David replied.

“Well then, I’m glad.” The mare smiled back.

“Just uh, one thing.” The boy raised a finger. “That filly with the blue curls, she was asking very perceptive questions for her age. Not to say there’s anything wrong with that, but she just struck a strange chord.” David pondered. “What was her name?”

“Cozy Glow.” Cheerilee answered.