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"Okay Class," she cleared her throat," I noticed that on the last test our grades have dropped, next time I want you kids to study harder okay?"
"Yes Ms. Marks." the class spoke in uninterested monotone.
She grabbed the stack of papers from her desk, and gave a disappointed look as she handed each kid their test. As she approached my desk I tapped my fingers nervously, then quickly pulled my hands onto my lap trying to sit still and attentive. Most teachers thought good kids were the ones who sat still, and I wanted to impress Ms. Marks. She had only just started this semester, and was already my nicest teacher. Whenever I came into class she'd greet me with a big smile, and plan games for us to play. I wanted to be someone that a nice person like that could notice and admire. From years of people passing me by, I found there was one sure fire way to gain their admiration. Grades and academics.
As she handed me my test, I noticed a slight smirk," Keep up the good work miss…"
"Um…Marigold." I filled in.
I didn't like my name. It served as a reminder that while all the other kid's without cutie marks went by family names, I'd likely never known mine.
"Right." she said awkwardly," I'll remember that next time."
She placed down my test. I lifted it up and stared at all the check marks.
"What?! How'd you get an A?" Treasure leaned toward me in disbelief, her white wavy hair falling over her shoulder messily.
She was almost as shocked as I was.
Citrus, who was assigned to the seat on the other side of Treasure, gave me a sweet expression," Wow! Good job!"
"Thanks." I responded almost immediately.
My chest filled with pride ,and I hardly listened to my best friends as they talked about their C+ and D-. This is something that would surely put my rank up in class.
Ms. Marks spoke to the class again," Okay today we're-"
She was interrupted by a sharp knock on the classroom's smooth brown door.
"Come in." she called out, her voice echoing against the classroom's curious silence.
"Hello, Ms. Pen Marks I'm just here for my choir girls if that's alright with you." it was our choir teacher Ms. Whistle Note.
She was a stern woman who although often kind, was strict on rules. If she was calling us out of class it must've been important.
"Oh go ahead, it's no trouble at all." Ms. Marks waved her hand for us to go.
I followed Citrus, Treasure, and a few other girls out of the classroom. Outside the rest of our choir was waiting for us.
"Do you think she'll announce the songs for the end of year concert ?"Citrus asked us compulsively twirling her neatly cut medium length green and orange hair.
The end of the school year. I hated those words. They always meant the same thing. Soon enough it would just be me running around the halls, the walls echoing around me as boredom ate away at my brain for the entire summer. I longed for the days when I wouldn't have to spend my summers with only the company of the cook staff and teachers who lived there year round.
Treasure smiled," I have no idea, but any excuse to cut class is music to my ears-"
"Quiet in the hall girls!"
I watched as she stumbled at the top of the stairs struggling not to fall down them, in a hilarious display of clumsiness. She sighed a sigh of total relief, until she caught my gaze.
I gave her a swift expression that read," Yes. I saw that."
Then, she shot me a look that said," You better not be laughing!"
She was one of the only people in the school I got along with, her and Citrus. They were my best friends, and some of my only friends. Spending half of my life around adults, I didn't get along with many my age, and my parents paying for my schooling then abandoning me was something other kids thought was abnormal. But these friends never cared.
I'd met them in the first grade. They were playing on the swing, and one of the older kids starting yelling at them for no reason. In retaliation, I pulled back the swing as far as I could and pegged her right in the stomach. That was the first day I realized I was smart, and the only time that ever bought me any friends.
It wasn't long before we got to the bottom of the stairs, and we crossed the creaking wooden floorboards to the well carved choir room entrance. One by one, we sat in the chairs that neatly lined the back of the classroom and our teacher began to speak," Students. I'm sure you're full of anticipation to hear why I've brought you hear."
No one spoke
"And I hope that you know that I would not interrupt your studies unless I deemed it to be for a very very very important reason. Understood?"
She scanned the classroom, and when she looked away from me I rolled my eyes. I didn't think I would be able to focus my attention on her for the next 80 years of my life.
"Alright." she took a deep breath," We get the opportunity to sing at this years Summer Sun Celebration! Invited personally by our very own Princess Celestia!"
"Wait really?!" Treasure stood up.
Citrus waved her hands in excitement," I can't wait!"
The Summer Sun Celebration was a big deal. People from all over Equestria would be attending. It was the opportunity of a life time to perform there, especially for a lower class boarding school like ours. And for me, a ten year old who dreamed of applying to Celestia's school of magic as soon as I got my cutie mark. That's the school for talented people, the kind of place that if it enrolled me, could convince my parents to come back from me. Then I could be like the other kids.
All the girls wailed and cheered, and for once our noise level was not corrected.
The day passed in a blur of sounds and shapes I didn't care to pay attention to. My mind was fixed upon the upcoming performance, and suddenly I was getting ready for bed.
I studied myself in the mirror, would I stand out in a swarm of other girls? I had a warm brown almost copper colored skin, and lose curly bright red and orange hair, common long pointy ears, and soft purple eyes, and the mark on my forehead that meant I was a unicorn. The majority of Canterlot had it too. I didn't think there was anything rather extraordinary about that or the rest of my appearance. Yes, I'd been told I was pretty before, but was I really prettier than any of the other girls. On top of that was another worry, my magic ability.
Though I was better than most of my peers, it wouldn't be all that impressive by Celestia's standards. And I was continuously haunted by an embarrassing memory of the time I innocently tried to make my choir binder hold itself. It was in the air for about half a second before I lost focus, and it smacked Treasure smack dab on her forehead. It left a bump. A big bump. She made me do all her chores for a month just to prove how sorry I was. I never tried that spell again.
I shook my head quickly brushing my teeth, and heading briskly to bed, trying to forget the memory. My room was quiet. The other student room's must've been bustling with noise right then. Full of giggles and night time stories, not mine. It was empty. There was room for another bed, but if there had been one, it was removed long before I arrived. I'd been told my parents paid for the private sweet. Also, in advance for all of my meals, clothing, and practically everything that allowed me to be raised here. It often puzzled me why, if they had so much money, they wouldn't be able to care for me. Did they know how much I longed for them? To spend Hearts Warming Eve together in front of a fire with family? Or people not to look at me and wonder what must've been wrong with me to have been left behind? I had to prove that the answer was nothing. I was exceptional. I was exceptional.
I looked out my window and into the stars.
Princess Celestia please notice me. I would give anything to go to your school. Let me be special, please.
The stars twinkled, offering no reply. They weren't going to. At least, not until the morning of the Summer Sun Celebration.
Ring, ring, ring, the bell on my nightstand chimed. It was attached to every room and once the rope was tugged it was time for every one to wake up. My eyes squinted in the dark, as obviously the sun had not yet risen. I lit a candle in my room to slip into my neat magenta and blue uniform. I entered the hallway to a row of lanterns that were lit much earlier than usual. With excitement I started running to the choir room, only walking passionately whenever I saw staff. All the other students were gathering to the auditorium on a lecture on "how to behave themselves on field trips", while we got to warm up.
"Treasure wake up!" I shook her side to side.
She slouched and complained," It's too early to sing!"
I couldn't understand how she could be tired at all, how could any one sleep with such excitement?
After that, we hurried to meet up with the rest of the school, and we walked together to the train station. There was more people waiting for the train than I had ever seen. There were even groups of Terans (humanoid version of earth ponies) and Pegasi ,all standing under the purple and blue sky ,and lit by the station's bright yellow lanterns. None of those people knew who I was or wanted to, but one day my name would be written in history books.
"Okay girls our train is here." the teachers yelled.
The conductor waved at us as we got in," Have fun singing today girls!"
Everyone else in the choir were biting their nails and squirming in their seats.
"I'm going to be sick, I don't want to sing on stage." one girl quavered with fear.
I found my foot was tapping on the floor, but not because I was scared. Excitement overruled any inch of anxiety that was crawling inside me. It felt like I was putting on a new pair of shoes, that I wanted everybody to see.
Looking outside, it seemed the sun had already risen. I put my hand on the window and leaned towards it. The whole world was dark, except the bright city lights that from my view, were like starlight. The outskirts of town were completely barren when compared to their grandeur.
Screeeeeeeeeeachhhhhhhhh, the breaks cried out. I bounced a little falling softly into the plush train seat. Every girl suddenly got up, rushing to the the doors. Stepping off the train, I had to squint my eyes while they adjusted to the blinding bright colors of restaurants and businesses that were crowded by all the people visiting.
"Are you Whistle Note?" a woman with dark hair and glasses came to our director.
"Yes that's me."
"Good you've arrived." she pushed her glasses up and made a check on her check board," I'm Raven inkwell Celestia's assistant."
They shook hands.
"Follow me."
We departed from the rest of the school, weaving through flocks of travelers, until we reached an opening next to a giant stage. A man adorned in golden armor let us through to an off limits area, cut off from the swarming droves of visitors. He didn't make eye contact with any of us as we passed.
The backstage was packed with crew who moved around like all of Equestria would catch fire, then slowly crumble into black dust if they didn't do their jobs perfectly. It was hard not to feel that same jittery energy passing through your blood, and stabbing your heart. Just looking at my friends I could tell the same emotions were lingering in them.
"We're going to do great." I grabbed Treasure and Citrus's shoulder pulling them into a huddle," And we're not afraid. Got it?"
Citrus glanced to the side in a high pitched tone," Um yeah, let's say that."
Treasure gave me two ambiguous thumbs up.
Ms. Inkwell soon came up to our choir, speaking faster then any of us could reasonably process," You'll be on in five minutes. Celestia's school is going to open for you, then you will be announced. You will walk onto the stage. Then your choir director will take it from there. Got it?"
We nodded like we comprehended anything she had just said, and headed to our place just off stage.
Our choir sat in silence watching Celestia's students ring out into musical precession. Dozens and dozens of instruments were there, but somehow they came together in an unrivaled harmony. They were perfectly organized. I realized then, we would never be better than them.
As their conductor waved them into the end of the song, Princess Celestia made her entrance from stage right. She had truly pale skin and waist length tight pink, green, and blue curls. Those were things I'd already known about her, but I'd never seen her this close. Not where you could see the wrinkles of her face from hundreds of smiles. Though she didn't have the creased face of an old woman. Instead she carried a youthful air, along with the almost glowing aura she brought with her. Another thing photos couldn't quite capture.
"Give around of applause for my talented students." she smiled a diplomatic smile befitting of a queen.
The crowd erupted into joyous cheering.
"This year I would like to welcome onto stage for the first time, The Crystal Preparatory Boarding School for Girl's." she waved us up onto stage.
We shuffled into our places. I was close enough to the audience that I could see the front's scattered face. Celestia made a speech. They adored her.
"Maybe," I thought," They'll be to busy looking at her to look at me."
I wasn't sure why that popped into my mind, nor what it was supposed to make me feel. That's when I heard the backing music begin to play. Everyone stiffened. I stiffened.
I wasn't particularly cold, but I could've sworn I was. The way my arms and legs were trembling had to be shivering. And my breathing was shallow.
The backing for our song started, and as the other girls began my mouth was not only shaking, but struggled for something. The words. They were gone.
"Oh Princess Celestia who rules over our land" They sung.
The other girls started to look at me as I stumbled," Let-let um…. us um -or hand in hand?"
There, Celestia's began to glow, prepping to raise the sun in victory. I hated how graceful she was compared to me.
I thought of the stars once more and muttered to myself," Please let me be noticed, the way she is."
The others kept performing," For throughout all chaos-"
I focused on the sky as she did, copying the way she moved.
"Let order prevail!"
Suddenly it was mine.
"Up." I whispered.
The star spun above us, and the girls stopped singing. I felt my feet lift off the ground, and my sight filled with light. I could feel the sun spinning and spinning above me, my focus shifted again. Then it dropped behind the mountain overlooking us.
Everyone stared at me in cold silence, but I felt a shock of heat on my shoulder blades. I froze with the audience, I had my cutie mark.
Before I knew, she was in front of me. Celestia.
"As the sun rises and glows," she lifted the sun into the sky," Let you now be known as Sunset Shimmer!"
The applauding, whistling, hollering that proceeded, barely registered as she turned to me fully," You are a remarkable child."
"Thank you!" I shouted in her face.
She flinched then grinned, "I will have it arranged immediately for you to be brought to the castle. You have a lot of studying and preparation ahead of you."
"For what?" I questioned quietly.
She laughed calmly," For my school of course."
The expression on her face was enigmatic," It's not going to be easy, not for someone so young."