PARS PRIMA: VOCATIO
“Yours is the final chapter of reality, child. Are you ready to let go?”
I
“Hey Imber. Imber! Wake up, Imber, wake up!”
Those were the words that woke me up that night. I had fallen asleep over my homework which, by the way, I never finished. I had never been good at Magical Math anyways. And those sweet words? They came from my pegasus brother’s snout.
“Stop shouting, you prick. I was resting from my duties in case you are blind or just plain stupid.” I told the cutiemarkless pony with the joy and excitement of being awoken from a pretty deserved sleep session.
“Yeah right.” He replied. “Hey the fireworks are about to start, you should come and watch with us, you know mom and dad would like that, right?”
Fireworks? Oh right, today was the annual celebration of our town’s foundation. Sea City was built west of White Tail Woods and, just in case you didn’t know, it was not a City but a miserable town. It had no tall buildings, no important places to visit and it contained only one restaurant. One! As for the name? Well I think it’s pretty obvious: “Sea City” rests next to the ocean.
“Fine, I’ll be right down, Nova. Just don’t get too excited before I’m there.” And now you know his name: Nova. Girl’s name, right? I have no idea why our parents decided to name him Nova. My name is, as you may have already noticed, Imber, and I am a female unicorn. Imber means “storm” in some strange dead language. At first I used to spell it “Ymber” but I think Imber looks better.
Just after Nova left I got up and left my disaster of a desk. It was placed next to my bed and between two small boxes where I kept some clothes and useless garbage from when I was a filly.
My brain needs a shower, I thought to myself while my eyes begged for further rest. I entered my bathroom with the walking grace of a turtle and immediately turned on the cold water. I really disliked my bathroom. It was dark, tiny and pretty lame in every sense, it didn’t even have a proper sink or drawers. After a bit of hesitation I quickly entered the shower and waited until my mind started clearing itself and my body felt relieved.
Mare, what had I been thinking? A couple of years ago I applied to Canterlot’s Royal Guard Academy. I wanted to become a royal guard, yeah, but I also wanted to use it as an excuse to leave Sea City. But who would’ve thought that becoming a royal guard would plunge you into the deadly waters of Magical Mathematics? Since I am a unicorn I have to know everything about magic and its purpose so that I can properly use it to defend our citizens. I read somewhere about some unicorns that can use their magic by instinct but that’s pretty much useless if you enter the Royal Guard Academy. Also, you don’t get to travel to Canterlot unless you first pass the “propaedeutic” course of basic skills and basic sciences for unicorns, and that course lasts 3 years. After that, you can go to the real Academy and choose your poison: you can either become a royal wizard or a special summoner.
“Magical Mathematics and Basic Summons are the last classes I need to pass before I get to move to Canterlot...what I wouldn’t give to be there already.“ I told myself in a useless attempt to boost my spirits. Canterlot was the capital of Equestria and the greatest city ever built. It was the technological, military, economic and political heart of our land. I had seen pictures of the city and it looked amazing: tall buildings with holographic illumination, cutting edge transportation services, green areas for everpony to enjoy...it seemed incredible. But what attracted me the most was the fact that it was a floating city, no longer attached to the mountain it once rested upon.
I left the shower, took a towel to dry my mane and returned to my bedroom. I sat in front of the only window I had waiting for the fireworks to start while I dried my mane. Night’s darkness had already settled and there was still no sign of fireworks in the sky. II still had time to go downstairs and join Nova. I left my towel on my bed and took a quick look into the mirror.
“I hate this mane.” I whispered. My mane always had this deep purple color while my coat was almost white. Horrible, I know. My brother had the same coat color but a red mane. I always felt kinda jealous. The only thing I really liked was my cutiemark: a blue lightning bolt emerging from a hollow circle. I got it when I first used my magic to cast lightning bolts, pretty cool stuff. The mirror showed the wall where I placed everything I cared for: pictures from my times at the propaedeutic, a map of Equestria, a picture of my parents, my bookshelf and a certificate awarded to me by the Mayor after I won the best young wizard competition years ago. My room was painted red, which looked pretty awesome when the sunlight entered through my window when the Sun was about to set. Behind my parents’ picture was a small safe where I kept some bits, my Royal Guard Academy papers in case I got transfered to Canterlot, my diary and a hunter’s knife that once belonged to my dad.
I ran downstairs and noticed Nova was sitting outside of our crystal door. Next to him our pet cat Gato sat patiently, waiting for the fireworks to being. After contemplating the scene for a seconds I joined them.
“I’m surprised you came.” He said with his uncoltly voice.
“I wanted to remember. Besides if I pass my classes this might be my last time watching these fireworks, you know.” I told him with an emotionless voice.
“At least you’re here now. Mom and dad would’ve liked to see us sitting here.” He replied.
I said nothing. Our parents had died years ago. Dad was a collectionist and a wizard unicorn and mom was a pegasus. They ventured into the Frozen North, beyond the Crystal Mountains and never came back. Those places have always been dangerous to almost everypony. They left us and I had to take care of Nova myself.
“Let’s go to the shore, we can see the fireworks better from there.” I offered to my brother. With a big smile on his silly face he agreed and, holding Gato with his right wing, we trotted to the shore of our hometown. Ponies used the shore to start the fireworks, so it was the perfect place to be. We crossed the street and turned left to access the main avenue which was surrounded by many other houses, a small library, a post office and the Mayor’s office. After 10 minutes, we reached the beach. Everypony had gathered around the little square built just above the shore where our governing pony, Mayor Banana, would start the show. Yes, her name was Banana. No, I have no idea as of why but everytime I heard somepony utter her name my body would suffer under the pressure of repressed laughter.
“Ladies and gentlecolts!” She started shouting toward the small group of citizens surrounding her, some of them wearing hats and other ridiculous Sea City-themed clothes. “Today we mark the 50 anniversary of our town’s foundation as well as the inauguration of our second restaurant!” Huh? Really? We had two restaurants now? Well that was something. I never liked Blossom’s House of Good Taste. It was located on the other side of town and they served nothing tasty. Their prices were far too high as well. Perhaps this new place would be better for me?
“Please feel free to enjoy the food the restaurant will offer tonight, for it will be completely free of charge! They will be serving different dishes all night long. Remember the firework show will last 3 hours so please, take time to enjoy this beautiful night with your family and friends!” The Mayor announced with an exaggeratedly joyful voice. Everypony took her word and trotted to the newly-opened restaurant. Surprisingly enough it had been built just a few hooves away from the square. Looking at it from the square area, it seemed like a little flame of delicious hope.
The show started. The first rays of light were blue and orange, the colors of our town flag. Then various explosions of pink light covered the sky; many figures of different colors illuminated our little land as ponies cheered and shouted. Nova’s eyes were wide open. He had always loved these kind of sights. I stood there next to him, remembering that one time when mom and dad came with me to this very shore to watch these very fireworks. That was the day before they left.
II
I left Nova and Gato and cantered to the new restaurant. Its name was “Garlic Saloon” and it smelled like garlic. Garlic bread, garlic-covered flowers, garlic-showered apples and something they called “Hayrlic” was everything they were serving at that time. I ignored their food offerings and went straight to the Saloon’s bar where I ordered some cider. The place was, to be honest, nice and comfortable. The lights were warm, the seats were big red cushions with the Garlic Saloon logo on them, the music wasn’t as horrible as that classical garbage Blossom always played and the bartender was a friendly face. The Saloon had many tables and the perfect view of the ocean, although it wasn’t that big for a “restaurant.” Many ponies were already enjoying the gifts the Saloon offered. One of them, a yellow colt, took the entire plate of Hayrlic for himself and escaped from the crime scene, but no one really cared as it was quickly replaced by another full plate of Hayrlic and Potarlics, which were nothing but garlic-showered potatoes. Other ponies were chatting and having drinks, rarely asking for food and always watching the ocean waiting for more fireworks to appear.
The bartender was Will, Blossom’s former right hoof and friend. He was fired after he was found drunk under Blossom’s table. Go figure. He had always treated me well, even though I never said a lot. He brought me my cider and left to handle other requests. I think I was the only one drinking something with alcohol in it.
After a while, I noticed somepony approaching me from behind. It was Keo, a friend from the propaedeutic. We became friends after he burned his own goggles by mistake during practice time. He was getting bullied by the rest of the group so I tried to defend him, I tried to be brave. They beat us both pretty bad but hey, at least they left us alone after that.
“Hey Rain, what’s shackin’?” Asked the grey-coated colt while he took a seat right next to me.
“Nothing, and I’ve told you endless times to stop calling me that.” I replied.
“But it’s your name!” He explained. ”Come on it’s not a nickname, at least not a really bad nickname! Hey, Professor Firesight is just outside watching the fireworks, you should go say hi.”
“You go say hi, I am not in the mood.” I said before emptying my glass of cider.
“Aw you’re such a horrible pony, Rain. How’re you holding up? Having any problems with math?” He asked while he signaled Will for another couple of cider glasses.
“None of your business, Keonix. I can handle it on my own.” I replied, kind of annoyed at his honest question. Firesight was the one in charge of Magical Mathematics and he didn’t like me. Not because I had done something wrong or because I was a bad student. No, it was because I was a girl. Female ponies rarely were rarely seen in the Royal Guard and Firesight believe it was for a reason. Firesight always believed females were weak.
“Come on, Rainy, I’m trying to be nice here!” He poked my nose while part of his orange mane covered his left eye. “Just because you’re the only gal wanting to be a guard here in Sea City doesn’t mean one can’t lend you a hoof!” He replied happily with that smile of his. He was right, I could use some help but, given it was Firesight’s class, I felt compelled to show I was more than capable of doing everything by myself.
“Look, I understand your intentions, but I don’t need any help, alright?” I yelled, trying not to sound too rude. He gazed upon his glass of cider and nodded heavily.
“Not that I’m not grateful or anything. So...where’s your girl?” I asked. He immediately smiled again, a sort of light emanating from his face.
“Silent Song? Oh she...” I interrupted him to utter something I needed to say with all of my soul.
“You have another marefriend or why is it that you need to repeat her name?” I smirked.
“Uh? No! I could never do that to Silent Song!” After his initial reaction he started laughing, understanding his error when building his phrase. He stood up and looked at me. “She’s outside, and I should probably go back to her now, don’t want her to worry about me!” He winked.
“You do that. I’ll be here for another while.” I told him while turning to face my own replenished glass of cider.
“Alright, see ya around Rain. Don’t forget we have a Summoning examination tomorrow.” He said as he left.
Of course we did, and I had completely forgotten about the test. Let me tell you, besides being terrible at Math, I am a horrible summoner. One day I summoned a treet. A TREE. It was something I still feel ashamed of.
Maybe next time I’ll summon a rock, I thought to myself as I used the Saloon’s many wall mirrors to look at Keo who had already reached the beach. There he was with Silent Song. That pretty pink earth pony with a blonde mane and some music symbol for a cutiemark. She was a singer and she sang beautifully. They nuzzled before facing the ocean and leaving my field of view.
I stayed in that bar for almost an hour. I kept looking at my glass of cider, thinking about the day of my departure. What would Nova feel? I mean, I still had a lot of time to spend with him but that day would eventually come and I still didn’t know if I’d be able to find the right words to tell him.
My line of thought was interrupted as Silent Song appeared to my left.
“Excuse me, miss Imber?”
Miss Imber didn’t sound like me at all.
“Yeah? What do you need, Silo?” I replied without taking my sight away from my glass, my head resting on my forelegs.
“Keo says they need you outside. Something about your professor.” She told me with that beautiful voice she possessed.
“Firesight? Tell your coltfriend to stop bothering me with that. If he wants to lick Firesight’s hooves its his problem, not mine.” I said raising my eyebrows.
“No it’s not that. I know Keo can be quite persistent but this is something else, he seems quite worried and nervous. In fact, he wouldn’t tell me what this is all about.” The pretty pony said with worry of her own.
I knew something wasn’t right. Keonix wasn’t one of the reserved ponies who said only what they needed to. No, he would tell everypony everything because he liked talking a lot. I left some bits on the counter, stood up, nodded quickly to Silent Song and trotted to the beach. I could see Keo and Firesight talking on the square where the Mayor had been before. I went on their direction but not after catching another glimpse of the purple fireworks. They formed figures of flowers and stars, shining all over Sea City like small moons.
I caught up with Keo and the professor in no time and I immediately asked the natural question.
“What’s this all about, Keonix?” I asked my unicorn friend.
“Miss Imber, you and your friend have passed the propaedeutic course and all of its tests. You are to be deployed to Canterlot Hub as soon as possible and that means 15 minutes.
“What?!” I asked in shock. How could that be? I still had to pass Magical Mathematics and summon something that wasn’t an inanimate object.
“But that can’t be, professor. We’re not done with the course yet. Our summoning exam is tomorrow and...” he stopped my monologue.
“That” he said “is not important. These orders come from Cantelot Hub itself and we must do as they say. Prepare your belongings and bring your Academic papers, we will meet in front of the train station in exactly 15 minutes.”
Firesight turned around and left as Keo and I remained in the same place, frozen and speechless. It took us some time to recover from the news and to start talking again.
“Why do you think they’re doing this, Rain?” He asked as his eyes looked into mine.
“I have no idea, but this is what we signed for and we have to comply. You better go say your goodbyes to your folks and to Silo.” I suggested.
“You’re right, Rain.” He replied. “I’ll meet you by the train station then, don’t be late!” And then he disappeared in the distance, running to tell his parents about these “wonderful” news.
I ran home, magically opened our crystal door, went upstairs and right into my room. I quickly removed my parents’ picture and opened my safe with a small key I always kept hidden within my mane. I took my saddlebags from beneath the bed and filled them with everything I had stored. Without hesitation I closed my safe and trotted toward my door. Just as I was about to leave the room I noticed the picture of my parents that kept my safe hidden from the rest of the world, the small frame now resting on the floor. I took it with my mouth and placed it in my right saddlebag before exiting my room. How long will it take me to come back here? Will this house still look the same when I return? I thought while going down the stairs and trotting to the exit. No time had passed after I closed the main crystal door when I remembered I hadn’t told Nova anything. I had no time, but he deserved to know.
“What do I do now?!" my mind screamed.
I decided to gallop as fast as I could to the beach to find my younger brother. Once I got back to the celebration area it took me a few minutes to find Nova within the sea of happy ponies and their ridiculous attires. He was sitting next to the entrance to Garlic Saloon. I suppose he was waiting for me to come out of it or something. His head was covered by Gato’s hairball of a body.
“Nova, I have to tell you something.” I said while sitting in front of him.
“What is it, sis? Are we going to eat something now? Because I’m starving, and so is Gato, right?” Said my little pegasus brother.
“Meow!” Replied our feline friend as if he was trying to say yes.
“No, Nova. It is something else. Listen, you remember I told you I would eventually leave, right? You remember I told you you’d need to take care of yourself and Gato while I’m away?” I asked him as my voice began to crack.
“Yeah? Why?” He answered.
“Because that moment is now. I have to leave you now. Professor Firesight told me we have to leave tonight because Canterlot said so. You know I have to obey...don’t you?”
His smile faded away. Gato jumped to the floor of sand and looked at me. Nova simply nodded and said nothing else.
“Hey, Nova...this isn’t goodbye. I will return, you know. You’ll have me around again but, meanwhile, you’re free. That doesn’t sound half bad now does it?”
His eyes began to glow due to the tears building on their surface.
“Nova...” My voice kept breaking. “Colt up, Nova. This ain’t a game. I have to leave and you have to stay, and yes we will be far from each other but you’re not losing your sister. You’ll always have me and if anything bad happens to you I’ll come right away.” I used my right hoof to lift up his chin so that I could face him, my voice firm once more.
“And if you ever need me you’ll know where to find me. You don’t have to feel sad, brother. Just...smile. Please.”
Nova’s eyes left a few tears out but then his face recovered its natural joy as he smiled to me once more. I poked his nose and got up from the sand. I turned around and prepared to leave.
“Take care, Nova. I’ll come back, I promise. And Gato, take care of him for me as well, alright?” I said while I directed my face to the moon.
“Meow!” Replied Gato. I knew he had said ‘yes ma’am’ or something like that.
“Hey Imber!” My brother shouted. “When you come back...I’ll be preparing to be a guard too! I want to be strong and brave like you. You’ll be proud of me. Dad and mom will be proud of me.”
His words pierced my heart. I knew I wasn’t brave, but I couldn’t tell him that. I couldn’t break that new willforce he had acquired. I had to protect him, no matter if it meant I had to lie.
“Yeah right.” I said “Keep dreaming, kid.” I gave him a familiar wink and left, hoping he’d be safe during my absence.
****
I arrived at the station just in time for our departure. This was the only high-tech spot we had. The station was equipped with holographic displays that showed arrival and departure times, weather planifications for other towns and cities and the current local time. The station also had a modern design making it look like a small spaceship with bright lights and white, metallic walls. All trains were MagLev models that could reach tremendous speeds when fully operational. They were sleek and big, complementing the spaceship look of the station. Firesight was already inside the Royal Canterlot Guard service train and Keo was busy telling Silent Song something cheesy. I shook my head in disbelief and slowly entered the train. It was empty, nopony else but us were travelling that night.
“Sit wherever you like, Miss Imber. Professor Albert and Commander Typhoon will be joining us soon.” So this train was destined to carry us and the personnel of the Academy representation. Albert was the one who taught us about Summons and Typhoon was the mare in charge of the entire academic station. She must’ve been the one who had received the message from Canterlot.
Keo entered the train after a few minutes and sat next to me. Our seats were big and cozy, albeit they looked like mere rectangles with cushions on them.
“Excited, mare?” He asked.
“Not really, I’m just curious about this whole thing. We never passed the final tests and yet here we are, about to move to Canterlot. Did you bring your stuff, Keonix?” I asked the grey coated unicorn who seemed pretty nervous as his mouth was shaking a bit.
“Yeah, everything. I gave Silent Song all of my bits, tho. Just in case she needs them or...”
We stopped talking as soon as Albert and Typhoon entered the car where we found our very comfortable seats.
“Miss Imber, mister Keonix, it is good to see you.” Said the old, white unicorn known as Albert.
“So these are the new recruits? Good. I am Commander Typhoon and I am in charge of this operation.” She had already introduced herself when we first signed up for the course, but naturally she had forgotten about us. “You listen to every word I say and follow every order I give and your trip to Canterlot will be a good one, understand?”
We nodded energetically.
“Good. I’ll be on the front car, Professor Firesight. We will be leaving in 2 minutes.” She said before disappearing behind the small automatic door behind her.
The light purple pegasus closed the door behind her and, just as she said, it took the train no more than 2 minutes to start moving. The access doors closed slowly before an electrical “beep” sound announced our departure. At first the motion was slow and strange but after a few moments the train began gaining speed. I looked through the window and saw as our small town faded away from my sight. The train accelerated and began turning right. As we entered the White Tail Woods I noticed one last firework in the shape of a rose. I knew my brother was watching it as well. At least we were able to do one last thing together before I lost sight of our beautiful firework-filled sky.
III
Most of our trip to Canterlot was boring and very uninformative. It took us two whole days to get to the city.
After we left Sea City our train travelled through the White Tail Woods. I had never seen so many trees in one place at once, it was almost scary. Keo began stories about how ponies say that the White Tail Woods house many dangerous creatures as well as the spirits of many ponies who once ventured into the frightening mass of trees. I shrugged off his words and looked through the window once more. Tree. Another tree. Yet another tree. Tree. Tree. Rock. Tree. After a while I noticed a small light on the distance just as the train began to turn left. It was a small shack with a lampost shining over it. Professor Albert approached our seats and told us more about White Tail Woods.
“This place” he said “once served as a training ground for young unicorns due to the magical properties it possesses. When a Unicorn casts a spell while within the woods, that spell’s power is increased dramatically without taking toll on the caster. Alas, Canterlot issued an order saying that no more practice session should be conducted in here because of the distance between the woods and the capital city. There are still a few ponies who live in here, taking care of the train tracks or searching for treasures within the collection of trees.”
“But how?” Keo asked. “This place is full of vile creatures!”
“Oh no, child. This place has almost no wild life in it. The only forest with no magical control that contains such creatures is the Everfree Forest.” Albert said while his legs shook after the train’s vibration.
“What is this Everfree Forest, Professor?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
“The Everfree is a place where no creatures are influenced by the magical properties of Equestria. They live freely and do their own magic without restrictions. Clouds move by themselves, they rain whenever they feel like raining and plants grow without control. Equestria’s most dangerous fauna inhabits the Everfree, which is why it is not a recommended place to visit. In the southernmost part of the Everfree one can find the great ruins of an old palace. Before Canterlot served as the capital of Equestria, that palace shared power with Canterlot tower, but now it is nothing but a pile of worthless rocks and destroyed furniture.” Explained the old unicorn.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me young ones, it is late and this old timer needs some sleep. I shall see you tomorrow during breakfast.”
Great. It was late and I wasn’t even tired, I was nervous and confused. At least we had been entertained by Albert’s story about that Everfree Forest.
Keo had fallen asleep not long after Albert left, while I remained awake looking through my window. I noticed some lights on the horizon lost within the conglomerate of trees. I wondered about those lights: were those houses? If so, why would anypony want to live out there? Perhaps their lives were better than ours even though they were surrounded by trees and rocks. As my mind drifted off I fell asleep with my head resting on the glass of my window and under the gentle illumination of that night’s Moon.
****
Next morning we woke up early thanks to the bright sunlight entering through every window. We were called to the next car where Firesight had improvised a small dining room. We had Eggplant for breakfast and a second chance to talk to Professor Albert. He told us about his youth and how he wanted to be the best summoner in all of Equestria. He eventually reached such title, but after many years of fame he decided to instead become a teacher and show others how to unleash their full potential as summoners. He laughed after I told him I hadn’t been born to become a summoner. He said that every unicorn has a potential summoner within, but some lack the will to see the truth. I pondered his words for a moment and then returned to listening to his monologue. He said that once we reached Canterlot he would be in charge of teaching us some more advanced summoning techniques, and that although it would take some time for us to assimilate such techniques, they would eventually come in handy. Firesight didn’t say a word during our breakfast-chat session, instead staring at us as we spoke.
The rest of the day was uneventful. We spent our time on our car doing nothing productive. After having eggplant once again for dinner I opened my diary and began reading my own entries. Mare, I surely was a dumb filly. My first entry was about school and how I hated not being the best hoofball player. Other entries dealt with my teachers, friends and some colts I liked. After a while I reached the entries that had something to do with my brother. Some of them talked about how I really liked having him around but the majority were nothing but complaints about his behaviour and his young age. I felt bad for a moment. I should’ve apologized for treating him the way I did all those many years. I called him names and pushed him around when I was angry or sad and he would just stand there and tolerate my emotional swings every single time I had them. I always felt responsible for his wellbeing and after a while I started becoming his second mother, although I knew I still was his sister. That day, sitting in that train car, I realized my mistakes and promised myself that once I returned to Sea City I would apologize and give him the sister he deserved.
That night my body asked for some rest earlier than the night before. The next day would be a very big one for us.
****
That morning we were awoken by Firesight. He said he needed us in the first car right away. We got up from our seats and cantered numbly through the train until we reached the frontal section of our private transport. We found Typhoon waiting for us.
“Rise and shine, newfoals. We are about to enter Ponyville and from there, Canterlot. Are you ready for your new life?”
“Yes ma’am.” Keo and I said at the same time with empty stomachs and an enormous wish to sleep once again.
“Sure. Now listen up, once we reach Canterlot you will be taken into the RCG HQ where the main Academy building is housed. There, you will be asked for your papers and belongings, don’t worry they will be with you once again after the whole access procedure is completed. And here’s where things get interesting. Truth be told I have no idea why Canterlot’s been calling every student and recruit from every Academy station from all over Equestria, but I do know that things might not be looking good if they’re willing to ignore their own testing protocols. It doesn’t matter if you passed your tests or not, once you cross the Canterlot borders you’re in. Just do what you’re told and you’ll be safe, are we clear?”
“Yes ma’am!” We replied.
“Good. Go back to your car and await further instructions. Move!”
We nodded and silently returned to our beloved “home” made of cushions and small tables. The train exited the tunnel it had been travelling through for a few minutes.
There it was: Ponyville. It was colorful and big, unlike Sea City, although it didn’t have a lot of tall buildings. We crossed the town and passed right through its Train Station. We weren’t picking other “recruits” or so it seemed. It didn’t take long for the train to leave Ponyville and cross a big river. It was my first time looking at a water body that wasn’t the ocean. To our left, we finally saw Canterlot, the greatest city in all of Equestria. We were being witnesses to its glory and soon we would be living there among many other ponies with different cultures. If I thought Ponyville was big, Canterlot seemed gigantic from the distance, standing on an enormous and bright platform featuring waterfalls and landing bays. The city itself was hard to understand due to the sunlight reflecting on it. Our view was interrupted as the train entered another tunnel and began accelerating again.
Professors Albert and Firesight entered our car.
“Children, we are almost there. Please take your belongings and prepare yourselves.” Albert said while Firesight inspected our physical condition.
“You will have to endure many other tests but, if this is what you’re meant to do, you shall succeed.” Firesight told us with an air of irony.
I didn’t buy a word, of course.
Finally Commander Typhoon appeared from behind Albert.
“Alright, we are here. Once you leave this train you will not see me or Professor Firesight again, you will only meet with Professor Albert as he might’ve already told you. Also, once you cross this train’s door you will be escorted to HQ immediately by members of the Royal Guard. Remember, do what you’re told and you’ll be a Canterlot citizen in no time. It wasn’t a pleasure, kids.”
With those final words the train emerged from the tunnel and approached Canterlot. The sight was much more incredible than before as we were now able to understand the shape of the city and its skyscrapers. We had finally reached our destination, still not knowing what was going on, something that would change unexpectedly soon.
