Twilight, Say Cheese!

by Daisy Sunshine

  Twilight left the stables before her parents. She was sure she would start to cry if she watched them walk away, and thought it was best to head straight for class after they said their good-byes.

  She turned once more to wave to her parents on the way out. Their smiles and waving golden horns gave her a little confidence as she headed over to class. She tried to ignore the dancing pixies in her stomach as she walked back across the daisy-dotted knolls toward the sign for the Friendly Fields.

  “Hey! Wait up!” a voice called from behind her. Twilight stopped and turned to see a mint-green colt trotting up to her. Large glasses were balanced on his nose, and his silver mane flew wildly behind him.

  Twilight’s chest started pounding. Had she done something wrong already?

  “Hi! Are you a first year too? Are you in Ms. Sherbet’s class? What’s your name? My name is Shamrock!” All the words came tumbling out of his mouth as he bounced up next to her. In his excitement his glasses had gone askew, and his mane lay wildly around his shoulders.

  Twilight smiled. There was something about his goofiness and excitement that reminded her of her parents’ enthusiasm.

  “I’m Twilight,” she said. “I’m in Ms. Sherbet’s class, and I’m on my way there now.” The words rushed out of her so quickly that she surprised herself a little.

  “Great! I can’t wait for classes to start,” he said. “I’ve been studying all summer!” He started bouncing again. “All the usual subjects of course: math, science, the history of the five kingdoms. I’ve been trying to learn Gnomish, but I’m afraid I said the wrong thing to the guitar player at the party. I thought I was just saying ‘good job,’ but I don’t think I did it right.…”

  Twilight didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t studied at all!

  “Glimmer-foot!” Shamrock grumbled, and shook his head. “I’ve done it again. My dads are always telling me I have to take a breath and remember to ask other unicorns questions, not just blurt out everything I’m thinking. I’m sorry.” He paused and did indeed take one deep breath, and let it out slowly. “What did you do this summer?” he asked a little more calmly.

  Twilight was at a loss for words. How could she tell him that her stack of schoolbooks would make her nervous every time she looked at them, and she’d ended up covering them with a blanket? All she managed was a shrug and a frown in response.

  “You know, most unicorns don’t study over the summer,” Shamrock went on. “They actually say in the handbook that the summer is a time for regrouping and doing what you love. I just love studying! Did you do what you love?”

  Twilight smiled. She had definitely done what she loved over the summer. “I like to read and paint. And I did lots of that.”

  “You know how to paint?!” Shamrock exclaimed. “Could you teach me?”

  Twilight thought about it. “I’ve never taught anyone before. But I could try.”

  Shamrock and Twilight followed a winding dirt path through the Wondering Woods. They could see small animals darting through the brush, and could see the bright blue sky through the trees. When they looked back, they spotted the cluster of weather vanes and the top of the Crystal Library peeking over the forest. Shamrock kept the conversation going the whole way, commenting on the school grounds and all that he’d learned about it over the summer. He didn’t ask many questions, which was fine by Twilight. She was still so nervous that it felt like her tongue was a Popsicle—completely frozen.

  It wasn’t long before they were passing through the large wooden gates of the Friendly Fields. And it was easy to find Professor Sherbet and her flower wreath.

  Twilight’s stomach dropped when she noticed all the students gathered around the professor. They were too many of them!

  It seemed like Shamrock was nervous too. He stopped short and looked as if he’d been scared by a ghost.

  “Oh no! We’re late!” he squeaked. “The professor is already speaking! Rule number five in the Unicorn University Handbook clearly says that students must always be on time for class. You have until the third bell rings. But I didn’t hear any bell. Did you? Oh no! Do you think we’re going to get expelled?”

  Twilight’s eyes widened, and she gulped. Expelled?

  4 The Name Game

  Come! Come! You’re just in time!” Professor Sherbet called from the group of unicorns.

  Twilight breathed a sigh of relief and looked over to Shamrock. “Guess we’re not going to be expelled just yet,” she said as they walked over.

  Shamrock nodded seriously. “I’m excited to be here, but I’m afraid that I’m going to do something wrong. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, to come here and learn.”

  Twilight didn’t know what to say. She would have liked to stay home forever.

  “Welcome, Shamrock and Twilight!” Ms. Sherbet cheered as they reached the group, and everyone turned to look at them. Twilight felt her stomach pixies start dancing again. She did not like having all those eyes on her. “Okay. Everyone gather together,” Ms. Sherbet continued. “We’re going to play a little game to get to know each other.”

  The class backed up to form a large circle, everyone’s horns pointing in. Twilight found a place between Shamrock and a sky-blue unicorn, who was talking with a rose-colored student next to her. Everyone was chatting excitedly with their neighbors.

  But Twilight was not excited. She didn’t mind playing games at home. In fact, she was the undefeated champion of Pictionary in her house. But today she would have much preferred to stay quiet and listen to everyone else talk.

  “This is the way it works,” Professor Sherbet went on. “Everyone introduce yourself and tell us something you love that starts with the first letter of your name. For example, my name is Professor Sherbet, and I love the seashells I find down on the shore.”

  The rose-colored filly raised her sparkling horn and jumped a little. “Oh, Professor! How are we supposed to choose just one? Do you think I could choose maybe three… or four?”

  Professor Sherbet neighed merrily. “The point of the game is to help you learn each other’s names. I think adding too many facts would confuse things. But I like your enthusiasm, Comet!”

  Twilight was impressed. Comet must have an amazing imagination! Twilight wondered if Comet was an artist.

  But Twilight was happy that the professor had stuck to the original plan. She was having enough trouble deciding on one thing she wanted to share, not to mention three or four! Twilight liked a lot of stuff that began with T, but what did she truly love? What thing would best describe her to her classmates?

  Twilight liked the way trees swayed together on a windy day.

  She liked when her mom would bring her a bowl of rose tea before bed.

  She liked the taste of rain on hot summer days.

  But which of these was the right thing to say?

  Twilight was so lost in thought that she didn’t realize it was her turn to speak. Shamrock gave her a little nudge.

  “Oh, um—hi!” she squeaked. “My name is Twilight, and I love how ocean waves turn a special shade of teal when they hit the sand. The color looks just like the glass bottles that line the big window in my kitchen. I like the way colors can do that. Even when you’re far away, you can still find the colors of home.”

  Professor Sherbet smiled at her.

  The filly with a sky-blue coat and a braided royal-blue mane spoke up next. “My name is Sapphire, and I love salty seaweed!” she called out.

  “My name is Comet, and I love candy!” the rose-colored unicorn said next.

  As they went around the circle, Twilight felt herself shrink back. Everyone else is choosing something simple, and I went on about teal waves, she worried. She imagined a giant sign that said ODDBALL hanging over her head.

  “Wonderful job, everyone!” Professor Sherbet told them after the last student had gone.

  “It was lovely getting to know you all a little better. Perhaps it can serve as some inspiration for your class photo!”

&nbs
p; The class started talking loudly about the class picture. It seemed like everyone but Twilight was looking forward to it.

  Twilight felt as if a cloud were passing over, blocking out the sunshine. Her hooves shimmered out of sight. Oh no! No, not now, she thought. She squinted and tried to will the invisibility away.

  “Okay. Time for the campus tour. Everyone, follow me!” The professor started galloping away, and the class quickly followed.

  Twilight felt the chilly invisibility washing over her. She had totally disappeared!

  “But wait!” Shamrock stopped and stretched his neck this way and that. “Where has Twilight gone?” He walked away a little to look into the woods behind him. “Twilight!” he called.

  “Shamrock, shhh,” Twilight whispered, trying to get him to quiet down. She did not want the rest of the group to come back and not see her like this.

  Luckily, it wasn’t long at all before the sunshine feeling rushed over her and she fully appeared again.

  Twilight blushed. “I’m, um, right here,” she told Shamrock.

  He quickly turned to see her, tilting his head in surprise. “What happened?”

  Twilight’s shoulders slumped. “I fade out sometimes. I’m trying to get it under control.”

  “I don’t have a magical ability yet. I wish I had one,” Shamrock admitted, scuffing his front hoof on the ground.

  Twilight searched for the right words but couldn’t think of what to say. Not all unicorns had special abilities. Her mom didn’t have one, but her dad had a special way with plants. He just knew what they needed. He always said that he could speak their language. But her mom was amazing with plants too, just in a different way. Usually unicorn abilities appeared before your first year of school, but sometimes they developed later. Twilight could see that Shamrock felt left out, but her ability caused her nothing but trouble. She would rather not have one at all.

  After an awkward moment Shamrock tossed his head toward the rest of their class. “Hey, we’d better catch up with the group or we really will get expelled!”

  Twilight looked after him as he trotted away. It was the first time another student had seen her ability, and she wished it had gone better. She wished she knew what she was supposed to say and do. Staying quiet was definitely not working here.

  Twilight wanted to turn in the other direction and head back home, but then she thought about her parents and how excited they were for her to start school. She took a deep breath and stood a little taller, before galloping after Shamrock to join the rest of the group.

  5 The Crystal Library

  Twilight and Shamrock caught up with the group at the Science Stables.

  “This is where we’ll use our bubbling cauldrons to make healing tonics and potions,” Ms. Sherbet was saying. “And in the garden behind this stable, we’ll learn all about the plants of Sunshine Springs. But we have much to do today, so we’d better get going!”

  Professor Sherbet dashed off again, her class trotting behind her. Twilight thought they looked like a rainbow, the herd of different-colored coats moving together.

  They passed by the Gemstone Caves and the Sparkling Quarry, where the older students would have classes. Twilight’s eyes went wide when they made it to the Avocado Arena, a large flat field filled with unicorn students tossing balls and disks of different shapes and sizes between them. To her left was a big sparkling pond where unicorns splashed around. Shouts and laughter carried across the field. Twilight was amazed as she looked around. She had never been much of an athlete and knew only one or two of the games. Does the rest of the class know how to play all these sports? she worried.

  “We call it the Avocado Arena because of the color of the grass,” Professor Sherbet explained. “As you can see, it’s the color of an avocado! The grass that our groundskeeper, Mr. Sorrel, uses is extra bouncy, for all the activities we’ll do here. You’ll all play hoofball, of course, but there are a ton of other games we’ll play here as well.”

  Some of the class whooped in response. Twilight did not feel excited about the idea of hoofball, but she decided to worry about that another day.

  “And now for our last stop on the tour. The library!” Ms. Sherbet announced. The class followed her back through the Friendly Fields, through the Wondering Woods, and across the Looping Lawn. They were out of breath when they finally arrived in front of the glimmering rainbow staircase of the Crystal Library.

  It was wonderful to see the library up close. Twilight had never seen anything so large and magical. The class came to a stop before a giant, winding staircase that led up to the castle-like building. When she looked up, Twilight could spot four glittering towers on each corner. Windows of every shape were cut into the sides, and a large garden grew all around the walls. Unlike the other buildings on campus, the library wasn’t made of wood. Instead it was made up of what looked like large rainbow blocks.

  “I heard that this is the biggest library in the whole world!” one filly said.

  “Well, that’s not true. Everyone knows that the biggest library is in Soaring Spires,” Sapphire told them. “This might be the biggest library in Sunshine Springs, though.”

  The other filly just shrugged.

  Twilight was extra timid around Sapphire. Like Shamrock, Sapphire seemed to know a ton about the school already. Way more than the rest of the class. On top of that, Sapphire didn’t seem like she was afraid of anything. Twilight felt like her total opposite.

  A hush came over the class as they walked up to the library. Even though they stepped carefully, you could still hear their steps clatter on the rainbow-colored stairs.

  “I read in the handbook that artisans from all over the world chiseled thousands of crystals into stackable bricks to create the whole building. It’s the hardest substance known to any creature, and it should stand for hundreds of thousands of years,” Shamrock whispered to the group.

  Twilight gasped at the spectacular doors. Each crystal reflected the light into tiny rainbows. Despite the students’ muddy hooves, the stairs remained perfectly clean as the class made their way up to the intricately carved doors.

  “The bricks have been enchanted to repel dirt,” Shamrock said quietly. “It’s another way to ensure that the building—and the books inside it—stays safe.”

  The sight when they walked through the large, dazzling doors took Twilight’s breath away. She could hear the other students gasp around her. Rows and rows of books circled around the building, all of them hanging by gleaming brass, golden, and silver circles. Balconies full of even more books lined the walls above their heads. Twilight could see that some unicorns were peering down from above to the floors below. The middle of the large first-floor room was filled with long rows of tables. Each table was made of shining brass and dark-colored wood. Already there were large stacks of books laid out in front of students.

  For the first time that day, Twilight could picture what her life would be like here at school. She imagined coming here on a quiet afternoon and browsing through all these books. Maybe she could find a cozy corner by a window. She felt light, like she was finally at home.

  The class gathered around Professor Sherbet. She had led them to the very middle of the room, where they could see everything. They all stayed perfectly quiet, even though no one had asked them to.

  But the silence was soon disrupted by the clatter of hooves on crystal. Twilight looked up to see a huge, shaggy teal unicorn with a thick raincloud-gray mane trotting toward them.

  “Welcome to the library, new students!” the unicorn boomed. He grinned widely as his greeting echoed across the room. It made the whole class smile. Twilight was instantly comfortable around him, somehow. He made the place feel even more welcoming.

  “Hello, Professor Jazz!” Professor Sherbet said. “Meet our newest class. Class, this is the librarian, Professor Jazz!”

  “Hello, Professor Jazz!” the class said in unison.

  “Hello! Hello! And welcome to my library,” he boomed
again.

  Twilight could tell how excited he was to meet them. He bounced a little on his hooves and beamed at each student. His enthusiasm was contagious. Soon everyone was giggling and wiggling as they looked around the room.

  “We have every book you could want, and if we don’t, just tell me and I’ll get it for you. It’s my goal to be the largest library in the world!” he said.

  “Told ya,” Sapphire whispered.

  “But first let’s do a little introduction.” Professor Jazz swung his humongous head and gestured with his horn around the room. “All our books are arranged alphabetically by author and separated by subject. When you take out a book, be sure to tell me, and I can write it down. We like to keep track of our books here at Unicorn U.”

  Twilight nodded seriously. She felt so very lucky to be in this space, among all these stories. She would always treat the library with respect.

  “Now, who has a book they would like to read?” Professor Jazz asked.

  Sapphire’s horn went right into the air. “I would like to learn how to weave the strongest nets,” she said when he called on her. “My family lives by the ocean, and we like to harvest seaweed, of course. I love seaweed, but I hate fixing the ropes. Is there a book about unbreakable nets?”

  “Wonderful! Wonderful!” Professor Jazz neighed happily. “This is just what the library is for. Well done, Sapphire!”

  Professor Jazz’s reaction made everyone start wiggling again. Horns shot up into the air. All the students were eager to offer their questions too. Twilight even found herself wanting to ask him something. Maybe there’s a book about escaping the class picture, she thought.

  Professor Sherbet neighed in her merry way. “Let’s start with this question. You’ll have plenty of time to come back,” she told them.

  “Now, let me think.” Professor Jazz tapped his left hoof a few times on the sparkling floor. “First we’ll have to find you the strongest rope, which I believe is the Spider Fairy’s thread. Though, we will have to confirm.… Hmm. Let’s get the complete guide to fairy thread to be sure. Then we’ll need a weaving book as well. Follow me! Follow me!”