Let It Glow

by Lisa Ann Scott

  “Fine. Show me later. Right now, I want to go faster,” the girl announced.

  “Okay,” Electra said, trotting across the field. She relaxed a little as the breeze whipped through her mane.

  Electra ran faster, wondering if she’d ever get used to the feeling of someone on top of her. Just as she managed to get running at full speed, the girl started screaming.

  “You’re going too fast! I’m scared! Stop!” the girl hollered.

  This time, Electra knew to slow down before stopping so the girl wouldn’t fly off.

  But the girl was in tears as she climbed down. “I’m sorry, but I think I need a pony who’s not so wild.”

  Electra blinked a few times. Wild? “I’m not wild …”

  Every pony and child was staring at her. Again. Then they started whispering.

  “I’m not going to ride that pony.”

  “I’m too scared!”

  “She goes too fast!”

  Electra’s ears drooped. How had she messed up riding lessons twice? She was supposed to be the best in the class at this, not the worst. She wasn’t supposed to be the pony no one wanted to ride.

  “Children, you have some free time if you’d like to explore the school grounds,” said their instructor.

  “Let’s go climb the apple trees!” shouted one of the girls.

  “Come on, I’ll race you!” said another.

  Electra noticed that no one invited the redheaded girl who was reading. Electra walked over to her. “You should go with them. Our apples are delicious.”

  The girl looked up at her. “No one invited me. Besides, I’m not in the mood for apples.” She wheeled away from Electra toward the rose gardens lining the training field.

  Electra couldn’t believe it. None of the children liked her! Not even the kind girl in the chair—who couldn’t even be afraid of riding her, since she hadn’t been working with any of the ponies.

  “Ponies, that’s all for today,” said Professor Wallina. “If you’d like to return after classes to work on tricks and challenges, meet here at the training field.”

  Skydancer raced over to Electra. “Want to come back with us later?”

  “No, thanks,” she said quietly. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

  “Okay. Don’t let those children upset you,” Skydancer said. “Soon they’ll see how wonderful you are.”

  “I don’t know,” Electra said. “Maybe I just can’t do this.”

  “Don’t say that!” Daisy scolded. “Don’t give up. If anyone can do it, you can. You’re the best runner in our class. You’ll get the hang of it.”

  “Thanks.” Electra trudged toward her next class, each step seeming like her hooves were made of lead. She tried to light them up but felt absolutely nothing. Her heart sank. She couldn’t ride with the children, and now she was losing her Glitter Gift?

  Professor Wallina trotted up beside her. “Can we talk?”

  Electra nodded. “Sure.”

  “What seems to be the problem during riding class?” the professor asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m not used to having a child on my back. I don’t like how it feels. And they don’t like when I run fast.”

  “Well, you have to pass this class in order to move on to the next phase. Riding lessons continue when the children return to the academy in a few months.” Professor Wallina softened her voice. “You won’t be included in the selection ceremony until you pass riding lessons.”

  Electra gulped. She wasn’t sure she could even get a child to give her another chance and climb on for a ride. Maybe the children would never trust her.

  “What happens if none of the children pick me during the selection ceremony?”

  “Then you work at the academy,” Professor Wallina said kindly. “Ponies can also decide not to be included in the ceremony. That’s the choice I made.” The professor looked off across the fields. “I wasn’t picked in the first selection ceremony. I was so embarrassed. I wasn’t brave enough to join another selection ceremony and be rejected again.”

  “But you like being a teacher, right?” Electra asked.

  Professor Wallina smiled. “Of course. I’m very happy working at the academy with all you wonderful young ponies. It’s a privilege, and I truly believe I was meant to be a teacher. But being chosen as a royal pet is a great honor, too. You don’t want to miss that opportunity. There is such an incredible bond between a pony and their child. I’ve been told it’s one of the best things in life. You’ll find just the right child, I’m sure. Your one true match. If you really want it, you’ll find a way to pass riding.”

  “Thanks,” Electra said. “You really are a great teacher.”

  “What a kind thing to say, Electra. And I have no doubt you can do anything you set your mind to.”

  Electra nodded, but she wasn’t sure she believed her.

  After classes, while the other ponies were riding with the students during their free time, Electra wandered over to the gardens. No one would notice her there. She just wanted to be alone. She understood what Professor Wallina meant when she said she didn’t want to be rejected again. Her spirit was crushed knowing the children didn’t want to ride her.

  Electra lay among the rosebushes, keeping careful watch on the bees buzzing about. A butterfly landed on her nose, tickling her. She sighed. It was peaceful and beautiful here, but that couldn’t chase away her bad thoughts.

  Even if she could pass riding lessons, would any of the children want to select her? Glitter Ponies who weren’t picked after four selection ceremonies stayed to work at the school. Maybe that would happen to her.

  The gardens might be a nice place to work, she thought. Her horn glowed softly at the thought. At least that’s not totally gone.

  “I like your horn,” said a voice nearby.

  Electra was startled. She thought she was alone, but then she noticed the girl in the chair. “I didn’t see you there,” Electra said, standing up.

  “I’m good at hiding.” The girl smiled, then wheeled her chair toward Electra.

  “Can you go fast in your chair?” Electra asked.

  The girl rolled her eyes. “No. But it gets me where I need to go. There are lots of things I can do with it.”

  “Why aren’t you riding a pony?” Electra asked. “Seems like that would be even better than a wheelchair. You could go faster, at least.”

  The girl was quiet for a moment. “I can’t sit up on my own. Someone would have to walk alongside me, holding me, and that’s no fun at all. I’m never going to ride a Glitter Pony.”

  “But what will you do with your pony after the selection ceremony?”

  “I don’t know.” She looked away from Electra. “It doesn’t matter.”

  Electra felt a pain in her heart listening to the sadness in the girl’s voice. “What’s your name?”

  “Princess Alana. What’s yours?”

  “I’m Electra.”

  “That’s pretty. Why aren’t you riding with the children?” Alana asked.

  Electra kicked at a pebble. “You saw what happened with Prince Dmitri and then Princess Antonia. I guess I’m not very good at it. They don’t want to ride me.” A bee that had been buzzing around the rosebushes darted toward the princess. Electra swished her tail to shoo it away.

  “Hey!” Alana cried, batting away her tail.

  “I’m sorry! I was trying to keep a bee from you.” Electra hung her head. She just didn’t know the right way to behave around children.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize. That was very kind. I shouldn’t have gotten so upset. I thought you were being mean.”

  Electra shook her head. “I would never do that. I should leave you alone. I’m just not comfortable around children, I guess.” That had never occurred to her. She could ace all of her classes at the academy, but there was no guarantee she could learn how to be at ease with children.

  “Please don’t go! I’m not comfortable around children, either,” Alana said with a laugh. “Som
etimes, people look at me funny because I can’t walk. But I like you being here with me.” She wheeled herself back to her original spot and picked up a palette of paints off a small table.

  Electra noticed that the girl also had an easel with a colorful canvas propped on it. “Did you paint that?”

  “Yes. I love painting. It’s something I can do all by myself.” It was a picture of the roses in the garden.

  “It’s lovely. You’re quite talented.”

  “Thank you. I’m very good at painting things I can look at. I wish I could be a painter instead of a princess. I’d rather just travel the world by myself and paint all the beautiful things I see.” Alana had a dreamy look in her eyes.

  “There’s an amazing river nearby with seaponies! I bet you could paint that,” Electra said.

  “Seaponies!” Alana’s smile fell. “It’s probably too far for me in this chair.”

  Electra frowned. Daisy had found a path to the river for the ponies, but it was a long walk through the woods. There had to be another way to get Alana to the river, but how?

  Electra and Alana watched through the rosebushes as the children and ponies continued riding. After a while, the children dismounted and headed toward the rainbow stairs to return home for the night.

  “Time for me to go.” Alana gathered her painting supplies onto her lap.

  “Are you coming back tomorrow?” Electra asked.

  “I have to,” she said.

  “Want to meet here after classes?”

  Alana smiled. “I’d like that.”

  As Alana headed for the rainbow, Electra tore off through the fields, enjoying the wind whipping through her mane. She felt like she could run for hours—all by herself. It was so much more fun without a child on her back.

  Princess Alana probably hasn’t ever felt such a thrill, she thought sadly. Her chair certainly couldn’t move that fast.

  Then Electra was struck by the most wonderful idea. I know exactly how she could feel this thrill!

  Electra ran straight to the stables to get permission for her plan.

  “That’s a wonderful idea!” Mulligan said. “Not sure if it’ll count as riding, but I’ll help you get set up. You sure are a smart one.”

  Electra felt proud and relieved she might have found a solution.

  “I’ll bring Alana here tomorrow after my classes are done,” Electra said.

  The next day, Electra was the last pony picked during riding class.

  “Go slow!” the girl warned. “No running. I don’t want to fall off.”

  “I will go very slowly,” Electra said. “Don’t worry.”

  Electra was walking painfully slowly across the field. She could do this. She just had to try harder.

  “I’m slipping!” the girl cried.

  “Hang on to the saddle,” Electra told her.

  “Stop walking!” the girl cried.

  Electra stopped, but the girl still slid off the saddle and tumbled onto the ground in tears.

  Electra hung her head, embarrassed that everyone was staring at her—yet again. Maybe she really couldn’t ride with a child on her back. Maybe something was wrong with her. The thought made her very sad. But at least she had her surprise for Alana to look forward to. She could only hope Alana was willing to give it a try.

  Finally the rest of her classes were over. As the other ponies headed for the training fields for more riding, Electra charged over to the gardens.

  Alana was sketching a butterfly. “Hi, Electra!” she said with a smile.

  “How would you like to gallop around the track at the exhibition field?”

  Alana’s voice hardened. “I told you, I don’t want to.”

  “You don’t have to ride on a horse. You can always find a way when there’s something you really want. Come with me and I’ll explain.”

  Alana followed Electra to the riding stables.

  Mulligan stood outside next to the glorious golden chariot used during ceremonial events at the school like Homecoming.

  “You’re going to ride in that!” Electra said. “And I’ll pull you.”

  “We can lock your chair in,” Mulligan said.

  Electra pranced nervously in place. “Want to try? I can run really fast. It’ll be fun!”

  Alana bit her bottom lip. “Not too fast.”

  “I’ll go as slow or as fast as you want,” Electra said.

  Alana wheeled her chair up a ramp into the chariot while Electra was strapped into the harness. The gear was bulky, but she was excited to pull Alana around the track. Electra looked behind her. “Ready?”

  “Ready!” Alana said, wide-eyed. “But remember, not too fast!”

  Electra clip-clopped over to the track and started slowly circling the field.

  “Woo-hoo!” Alana shouted. “I love this!”

  Electra smiled and started trotting.

  “Faster!”

  Electra looked back at the girl. “Are you sure?”

  She laughed and raised her arms into the air. “Yes!”

  Electra ran faster, thrilled to hear Alana hollering in delight. Surely, this would help her pass riding lessons. Mulligan had been right. There was always a way to work things out.

  After Alana left to return home, Electra ran to the headmistress’s office to find out if she could pull a chariot for her riding exam.

  Headmistress Valincia listened intently to Electra’s tale of pulling Alana in the chariot, but then she frowned. “While that sounds incredibly wonderful and fun, it doesn’t count as riding. I’m sorry. As a Glitter Pony, you must to learn to ride with a child on your back.”

  The happiness that had filled Electra’s heart disappeared. She was so sure the chariot was the answer to all her problems. Now what? She left the headmistress’s office feeling hopeless.

  No children lined up to ride Electra during lessons the next day. So she munched on tiny daisies growing in the field, hoping no one could see the tears filling her eyes.

  “What are you going to do?” Skydancer asked her at the end of class. “You have to learn to ride.”

  “I don’t know,” Electra said. “The children are all scared of me.”

  “Please cheer up.” Daisy levitated an apple from the orchard and presented it to Electra, but she was too sad to eat it. She set it aside for Alana.

  Electra stood on the side of the field watching the other horses easily trot back and forth with the royal children. They laughed and whooped in delight as they rode, which only made Electra feel worse.

  After classes let out for the day, Electra found Alana in the garden. “I have a present for you.” She levitated the apple onto her lap.

  “How wonderful! You have such strong magic.”

  “Thanks,” Electra said quietly.

  “Look what I painted.” Alana held up a portrait of Electra.

  “Wow! That looks just like me. What an incredible job!”

  Alana blushed. “You can keep it.”

  “I’ll hang it up in my stall.”

  Alana sighed. “I’m sick of painting flowers. I can’t stop thinking about the seaponies. Do you think we could take the chariot to see them?”

  “We could try! Gather your supplies and I’ll ask Daisy to come with us. She knows how to get the seaponies to rise to the surface.”

  Electra galloped to the training field. A child was climbing off Daisy’s back.

  “You’re the best pony ever!” the little girl said.

  Daisy bobbed her head shyly. “Thanks.”

  Would any child ever say that about me? Electra wondered. She trotted over to Daisy. “Can you come visit the seaponies with me? My friend Alana wants to see them, but I’m not sure I can get them to rise to the surface.”

  “Sure! I love visiting Marina.”

  Daisy and Electra galloped back to the rose garden.

  “Princess Alana, I’d like you to meet my friend Daisy.”

  “So nice to meet you!” Alana said. “Your coat is the same color as
the roses on one of the bushes. It’s so pretty.”

  Dark pink circles appeared on Daisy’s cheeks as she softly said, “Thank you.”

  “Daisy, show her your Glitter Gift!” Electra said.

  Daisy stomped her hooves and disappeared.

  Alana gasped then clapped.

  Daisy reappeared and took a bow.

  “Daisy would be a great pony to choose in the selection ceremony,” Electra said. “She’s so kind and nice. And all the children love riding her.”

  Daisy smiled. “How come I haven’t seen you riding with the other children, Alana?”

  “Because I can’t do it. And I’d rather paint anyway,” Alana said.

  “But don’t you want a pony someday?” Daisy asked.

  Alana shrugged. “I don’t really care about getting a pony.”

  “Every royal child needs a Glitter Pony,” Daisy said.

  “Why get a pony if I can’t ride it?” Alana asked.

  “But how will you know if you never try?” Electra asked.

  Alana said nothing.

  “Well, let’s head to the stable and get the chariot hooked up,” Electra said.

  “What fun!” Daisy said.

  Once Alana was secured in the chariot, they headed toward the spot in the woods that led to the river without leaving campus.

  “I can’t wait to see a seapony!” Alana said.

  “They’re so cute,” Daisy said. “And very nice, too.”

  They galloped up to the trail in the woods that led to the river. Electra tried to pull the chariot into the woods, but it was too big. It wouldn’t fit between the trees. “I’m sorry, Alana. This isn’t going to work. If only there were a way for you to ride on my back.”

  Alana sniffed. “It’s fine. Really. I’ll just draw more flowers. I like flowers.”

  They slowly went back to the barn. Alana didn’t say a word the whole ride home.

  “See you at dinner!” Daisy said, galloping off.

  Electra and Alana returned to the gardens.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Electra said quietly, disappointed she hadn’t been able to help Alana.

  “Electra, I have a favor to ask.”

  “Sure, anything.”

  Alana paused for a moment. “Can I try to ride you tomorrow?”