Study Abroad (Chapter 1: The Element of Magic)

I just woke up, and I was talking to a

giant

white

horse. With a sun on its butt.

 

"What the.. "

"Your name is Derrick right, Derrick who signed up for the Study Abroad?"

"I mean, yeah, that's me but why are you a talking white horse? " I look around and see five technicolored horses looking back at me like I was crazy, "and why are there five colored horses staring at me?" My body ached all over.

 

"We're ponies, and sir, " I have a bad feeling about what Sunbutt was about to say. "[spoiler] are you aware that you are a pony? [/spoiler]" I raise a hand to my face, and all I get back is a violet hoof back. The dots began to connect. "Everypony else can leave to take the 9 am train to Ponyville. SomePony needs to get acquainted with their situation." Sunbutt kept emphasizing on the Pony part of every god damn word.

"Okay, I get it. Jeez. "

 

Everyone, sorry Everypony else left the room and left Sunbutt and I alone.

" I am Princess Celestia of Equestria and you were Derrick, correct? "

"Yes, could you explain what's going on? "

"So, you signed up for a study abroad program that I created to bring some humans to lean something from my lands. The catch..."

"Is that we become ponies, like the people of your lands. "

"... And in turn you will be mentored by a few select ponies that will teach you each individually. In turn, I only ask that you teach your mentor as they teach you."

"So this pony you've assigned me to, do they need an engineering degree? Because as I'm sure you've seen or at least read about me, and I'm not every good at that."

"The pony you've been assigned to is my personal student, Princess Twilight Sparkle, the element of magic "

" Wait, what? I'm going to be assigned to a princess? Element? Magic? What are you? Could you... "

Instantly a letter materializes out of nowhere, throwing me off my feet... hooves?

 

"Dear Princess Celestia" she begins reading aloud.  "Sorry to bother your busy schedule, but perhaps I was misinformed but you had said there would be six mentees and only five mentees are here at the Canterlot train station. Did something happen to the fifth mentee? Or did you decide that I wasn't responsible for a mentee? I would like to speak with you ASAP. THANK YOU."

"Um"

"Princess Twilight Sparkle "

 

HOW WAS EVERYONE ELSE COOL WITH THIS?

 

"So, should I?" I began to respond to her.

"Just wait... " Sunbutt replied.

"Um?"

"10 seconds"

"are you, seriously?"

"Nine"

"Please tell me she's "

"Eight"

"NOT"

"Seven "

"Crazy?"

"Six"

 

A bright flash enters the room. "Princess Celestia!" the bright light yells. "I have some really cool important, Oh, Hello there!"

"Hi" I say in a dull tone.

"I'm so sorry, I just got worried since you didn't, you know show up to to the station with the others and the train was about to leave and" A god damn nutcase this one.

"I recently was turned into a pony, sorry if I've had a little trouble adjusting to the situation. "

"Oh I'm so sorry, I'm just really excited about Princess Celestia's mentoring program that I helped think and select the participants and I was just so worried that I wouldn't be able to help somepony out"

"Just relax for one moment please, I came to pretty late and just figured out that I was a pony. Aren't we supposed to be getting to Ponyville? " By this point Sunbutt mysteriously disappeared. Damnit.

"Oh yeah! Well, see the train to Ponyville just left and the next one isn't for the next six hours and I don't want to leave Spike here in Canterlot...  Spike! OH MY GOODNESS! I totally forgot about Spike! Here Mentee! Come with me! "

I was supposed to trust this crazy horse? Ugh...

 

We ended up in this Café outside of the Castle with a small green dragon that Princess Twilight Sparkle called Spike. This was so wierd. I was still having trouble grasping everything. But at least walking on four hooves wasn't too difficult. Maybe this was some sort of magic whenever I became a pony. Shit, I never really got a good look at myself.

"Um Miss Princess Twilight Sparkle?" I began questioning her.

"Oh, no need for formalities, you can just call me Twilight. "

"Okay, Twilight, you see I never really got a look at myself yet, so..." All of a sudden a mirror seemed to materialize out of thin air.

"Does this help, mentee? "

 

Wow, I look different, I'm a purple horse with a horn out of my head and a purple and pinkish mane, not dissimilar to Twilight. A HORN? WHAT THE HELL?

"Um, Twilight what is this thing coming from my head?"

"Oh Mr. Mentee, you're a unicorn one of the three races of ponies? See,  there are earth ponies which are standard ponies whose magical strength comes from the ground and earth. There are pegasi who have wings and whose magic energy connects them to the air and skies. And lastly, there are the Unicorns, like you! Who have horns and can cast magic connected to the arcane magics!"

"But Twilight, you have a horn and wings. What exactly does that make you? "

" Oh that's easy! " the little dragon pipes in, "she's an alicorn!"

"That's correct, Spike! " Twilight chimes back in, "Alicorns are harmonious expressions of each of the three races, that are reserved for royalty. Such as Princess Celestia and myself! By the way what can I call you Mr. Mentee?"

"Well back when I was a human, I was known as Derrick."

"Hmm...  What sort of interests did you have when you were a human? "

"Well I was still studying for engineering, but I really just was focusing on my studies" she really didn't need to know about my partying habits.

"hmm...  Not much to work with, maybe Purple Tinker? " For whatever reason that sounded absolutely terrible.

"How about I just go as Derrick for now?"

"Nope, not going to work Mr. Mentee, we're ponies not humans so we need you to blend in with everypony."

"Ugh, Fine. Well I kind of look like you and I'm supposed to be your mentee right? Why not something like Dusk because you're Twilight, and Shine instead of Sparkle?" Maybe I could just ixnay every name until she gives up.

"Excellent idea! So what looks appetizing Dusk? "

God damnit, what did I get myself into," Suprise me. "

 

Twilight ended up getting me a delicious fruit and vegetable salad. Perhaps it was being a pony or maybe it was the food, but this was the most delicious salad I have ever had in my life. She told me about how she was going to teach me about magic and friendship, honestly I was so hungry that I ignored her and ate my salad as fast as possible.

"Dusk, are you even listening to me?"

Oh yeah, that's me, "Um, magic of friendship, yeah."

"Dusk Shine, if we're going to make the most of this study abroad we're going to need to be on the same page! I need you too listen to me, as your mentor... "

" Twilight, " I tried to give her the most serious tone I could muster, " you and I will have a year, and a train ride to get me caught up about Horsetria. "

" It's Equestria! Dusk! We only have a year! Whatever...  Oh wait that's right! I need to take care of something! Spike entertain Dusk and make sure he makes the next train, okay? "

"But Twilight, I don't want to be in charge of him" Spike protested.

"Come on little guy, we're going to become friends too  right? " Screw this little shit if he's going to treat me like a child.

"Spike, just make sure he's at the station at 3 okay?" Twilight said trotting away.

 

Spike and I made our way downtown and he let me know about his life story. Hatched from a young age,  he's been Twilight's assistant henceforth. Young guy wasn't so bad, plus he could become really useful in dealing with Twilight, better get on his good side. We got along really well and all of a sudden we found ourselves at the train station.

"Hello Princess Twilight! " I blurted out loud, Spike chuckling behind me.

" Dusk Shine, I told you, Twilight is just fine. " lecturing me.

"You got it Princess" She shot daggers from her eyes. "Let's just board."

 

We got on the train and made our way to a private car. It was swanky, but for a princess who was trying to be humble, she's not trying too hard.

"Okay, Dusk, I'm going to be you mentor for the next year and I'm hoping that I can teach you how to do some Advanced Level Magic, as well as the magic of friendship. I'm sorry you're going to get a late start with your friends you came to Equestria with, but I'm sure by the end of the year you'll become the best of friends!"

"Advanced Magic? You expect me to learn 2 years of magic in one? "

" Oh no, Advanced Collegiate magic! We should be done with High School Magics by March!"

"So magic isn't complicated right? "

"Well do you find engineering complicated?"

"I mean kind of, I've been at it for four ish years. "

"Then yes?"

"Twilight? "

" You're crazy. "

"I believe in you"

"You're still crazy"

"We'll start tomorrow! "

" Twilight Sparkle? "

" Dusk Shine? "

" You're crazy. "

 

She let me know about all of her magical background and how she was Celestia's protégé and was the Element of Magic. She also told me about all of her friends who happened to be the other Elements of Harmony. She told me about all of her adventures and all the times he saved her land. She actually was pretty interesting, and if she was going to teach me how to do magic, maybe I could make it in this world. We finally pulled up into the train station, and it was dare I say it twilight. With the sun setting at our back we made our way to her home. A tree house. Not a house in the top of a tree, she to me the library she lived in was the tree, it was hollow. Of course miss if I'm not learning I'm dying lives in a god damn library. We opened up the door and I walked in, Twilight hit the lights on, and I saw a room jam packed with ponies.

"SUPRISE!"