private Slice of School (1x1 with Reality Check)

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

@Reality Check 

Skylight Scintillate looked around nervously. It was the first day of school and this School of Friendship had a lot of students. There were so many different species walking around and it was just crowded enough to make Skylight a bit uncomfortable, but he could feel the excitement in the air. Skylight thought that the feeling inside of him was a mix of excitement and nervousness. He wandered over to an area that was slightly less crowded so he could see the staff up at the front. He also noticed a mint colored unicorn standing nearby.

"Uh, hi?" Skylight said. He wasn't the best at introductions. "I didn't know that there are going to be so many different species here."

[Reality Check 627]

Reality Check was looking around the School of Friendship. Since it was his first day, he wanted to familiarize himself with his surroundings. While it is a bit uncomfortable for him, being around a huge crowd of different creatures, it's something that he knew he had to adapt and get used to if he wants to get along just fine. Wanting to take a closer look, he walked through the crowd until he was close enough to see the staff members clearly. He was listening to what they have to say when the sky blue unicorn next to him began talking to him.

He didn't know what to think about him at first, but decided it'd be rude to not respond to him. "Yeah, I knew this school also accepts creatures other than ponies, but definitely not this many species."

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

"Yeah, there certainly are a lot of species here. Hey look, I think those are the leaders of the of the other species here. I heard they brought their nieces and pephews here. " Skylight said, not really sure how to continue. "Well then, I suppose we should head over and get our class assignments and then get a tour of this school?" He asked retorically, pointing to Starlight. 

Now that the new teachers have finished speaking, Skylight could see them milling around with the crowd, starting conversations with some of the students there. Skylight got an idea. "Or maybe we could try talking to the teachers and see what they are like..." Skylight suggested, not really sure what to do first.

[Reality Check 627]

Reality glanced at the other leaders present in to building, he didn't think much of them as he already saw that they were there when he first arrived. "Probably for the best." Reality retorted "I was thinking about getting to know my way around the school beforehand."

Once the teachers finished their speech, Reality watched as the students scattered to different places, some engaging in conversations while others performers their own tasks. After hearing the suggestion of talking to the teachers, he just simply shrugged. "I think we should just get our assignments, we're not in a rush to ask them so maybe we can ask them in a later time."

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

“Eh, that makes sense,” Skylight said with a shrug. He made his way through the crowd and got his schedule from Starlight Glimmer and started looking it over. There were the usual classes such as Equestrian, Math, Science, History, and Magic for unicorns, but the schedule also includes a class in friendship. Skylight wondered how they would teach friendship, but given that it was a school of friendship, it did make sense that they would teach it here. Skylight recognized most of the teachers as those of the mane six, though he wondered what their teaching styles would be like. 

“Hey Reality, which classes do you have when? And the schedule says that we have spaces that we can sign up for classes that we are interested in. What classes are you going to sign up for?” Skylight said as he turned around to face Reality. Skylight showed Reality his schedule so they could compare.

[Reality Check 627]

Soon enough, he went and got his schedule from Starlight. Looking at the schedule, Reality quickly noticed the classes that he's familiar with, such as math and science, as well as classes for certain species such as magic and flight. He also noticed that there were classes that taught friendship, which he found a little odd since Reality always thought that friendship was something that ponies learn through experience. Even so, he was intrigued nonetheless. By that and the fact that the friendship classes are taught by the mane 6, who he didn't know about their teaching methods.

"Maths, Science, Magic... looks pretty similar to regular subjects in other schools." Reality said as he scanned over the schedule. "I'm thinking about taking something art-related, making artwork is a hobby I had even before I came to this school." He then compared the schedule he had with Skylight's. Just from looking at them, they have identical classes and class order. "Huh, looks like both of us have the same classes, for the most part at least."

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

Skylight looked over at Reality's schedule, than back at his schedule, comparing the two. "Oh yeah, you're right; we do have the same classes. That's an interesting coincidence. Well, except for the ones that we get to choose. Let's see, there is art... culinary art..., music... theater... sports..." Skylight said, listing the classes.

"Hmm, art. It seems pretty interesting, I'll sign up for that. Let's see, I'm not really interested in the other classes. You know, I would think that having a cutie mark would tell me what I'm interested in, but this doesn't really tell me much. Somepony called Twinkle Theory told me that it's meant for a high-tech society with digital computers and smart phones," Skylight said with a shrug.

"Oh they have badminton as a sport!" Skylight exclaimed as he wrote that down on his schedule. "Do you know how play badminton?" Skylight asked Reality.

[Reality Check 627]

Looking at Skylight's cutie mark, he can see that it doesn't tell much about what his talent is either. But for whatever reason, Reality felt as if he was in the same boat. His cutie mark looks similar to a sketchbook and quill, but it looks far too different to be one. Though he did have a suspicion that it was related to his magic in some way. "I mean, I'm sorta on the same boat, my cutie mark looks like a sketchbook, but it doesn't tell me much other than I'm good at drawing. If anything, I'm not even sure what it's supposed to be."

"I know how to play badminton," Reality answered, "I've played a bit of it when I was younger back at my old school."

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

Skylight looked at Reality Check's cutie mark. Sure enough, it wasn't anything Skylight had seen before. "Oh, seems like we are in the same boat with the vague cutie marks and such. Like seriously, what does this even mean?" Skylight said, gesturing to his cutie mark. "I wonder if some of the teachers here might be able to interpret it," he joked.

"You know how to play badminton? Cool, we should both put that down a our sport in the schedule. The schedule does strongly encourage taking a sport," Skylight suggested.

"Oh, I think they are going to show us around the school now. Let's go," Skylight suggested to Reality as he followed the crowd.

[Reality Check 627]

Hearing Skylight's words, he started to consider asking them for some confirmation or possibilities as to what their marks could mean. "Maybe we should ask them about our cutie marks when we go ask the teacher. Who knows, maybe they know something about our marks or at least give us an insight as to what they could mean." Reality suggested

Looking at the schedule, he also see that it encourages them to pick a sport. There are a multitude of options, but Reality decides to go along with Skylight's suggestion. "Only a bit of it but sure, let's so that." Reality then looks up from the schedule and sees Skylight moving. "Right, coming."

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

"Do you know other sports? And what other interests do you have?" Skylight asked as he watched Reality fill out his schedule while they walked along. "Somehow, I got my cutie mark by putting in punch cards into a calculator and using an analog computer. However, I remember I didn't exactly find it the most interesting thing to do in the world. However, I do like drawing, writing, and badminton. I wonder why I didn't get a cutie mark in one of those talents..." Skylight rambled as while Starlight wasn't talking. However, it seemed like Starlight had quite a few places to show, because she started firing them off as they went by.

"While this school specializes in friendship, we offer many other subjects too. For example, art, culinary art, music, theater, and sports. Each of these has specific classrooms for that subject."

"Here are the classrooms. While they appear small (due to the small class sizes), they are very modern and comfortable in order to best facilitate student learning."

"This is the cafeteria. If you are going to be living in the dorms, you will come here for all three meals of the day. For those that are  going to be commuting here everyday, lunch will be served here, but a grab and go breakfast can also be provided. From what I heard, the students love the food here. The kitchens for culinary arts is also nearby."

"This is the library. The librarians here are very helpful for any research projects."

"Here is the sports center. We have a wide range of sports here."

"This is the amphitheater. We got a wide range of classes such as acting and costume design, in addition to music classes for all kinds of instruments and singers."

"Here are the state of the art science labs for science classes. We teach biology and chemistry here."

"Here are the art classrooms. The students are always doing fun projects here, and this place has ceramics too."

"This is my office. As your guidance counselor, if there's a welcome sign, than you are welcome to come in and talk about anything you want."

"Finally, for those that are going to be staying here, here are your dorms. You can find your room by the sign above the door. Classes begin this afternoon," Starlight finished.

"Well, that certainly was a whirlwind of a tour. I'm not quite sure what to make of this place yet. I mean, it's very new and modern, but it usually takes me a bit to get used to new places. What do you think about this place?" Skylight asked Reality.

[Reality Check 627]

"Only a few sports but that's about it, I'm not particularly knowledgable at sports." Reality answered, "As for interests, aside from drawing, I do like to listen to music. It's something I like to do when I'm by myself." When Skylight brought up that his cutie mark came from, he immediately thought as to why was he given such a mark, since it was very different from how he got his own. "Maybe it has less to do with what you're interested in, but rather what you're talented at. I remember somepony saying cutie marks are about what a pony's special talent is, not about what they like to do."

When Starlight began introducing the classrooms, Reality gave one last look at the schedule before putting it away in his hat. There were plenty of rooms to keep track, but he made sure to mentally noted as many places as he can remember. "Honestly, I think I might have to get used to the place before saying what I think about this place. It's definitely nice and modern, but I think I'd have stay for a while to know what to think about here."

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

"Yeah I don't know that many sports either. Badminton is basically the only one... You like listening to music? Interesting, what kind of music?" Skylight asked Reality. The more they talked, the more it seemed they had in common, which seemed fitting for a school of friendship, Skylight thought to himself. When Reality brought up Skylight's cutie mark, Skylight nodded in agreement. "Yeah I know that it is possible that my talent doesn't exactly line up with what I'm interested in, but even then, it seems like I'm not exactly talented at... Whatever this is," Skylight said gesturing at his flank. "Well how did you get yours then?" He asked.

When the tour finished, Skylight didn't bother to look around the dorms for his room. His family already lived in Ponyville, so there was no reason to live in the dorms. Skylight noted that he was actually in quite a small minority of students that weren't staying in dorms. Skylight pondered what Reality had to say about the school of friendship. "Yeah that definitely makes sense. I mean, it seems nice, but there are some things that we would need to experience to decide. Well then, I suppose we should head to our first class now? Unless if you need to search for your dorm... Let's see, looks our first class is with Applejack," Skylight said. 

[Reality Check 627]

"Mostly pop music, like songs from Coloratura or Songbird Serenade," Reality replied. When Skylight asked him how he got his cutie mark, he thought of how he could explain it to him. "It's not really anything special, I just showed my parents a drawing I made as a kid and my cutie mark appeared. If anything, the only thing I know for sure about what it could mean is that I'm talented in making art." Once again, he thought about whether or not if it's related to his specialty in using a certain spell, but he decided to keep quiet about it for now.

"Nah, I don't think I'm gonna look in the dorms yet. I'm gonna be staying at by brother's place, so I don't really have to worry about it." Reality said, "We could head to class first, maybe look for our dorms once we're done for the day?"

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

"Oh, ok then. That makes sense," Skylight noted, glancing at Reality's cutie mark. 

"Oh, the dorms? My family lives in Ponyville so I'm not going to be staying there either. It seems like the majority of students here are going to be staying in the dorms," Skylight rambled, not really sure what to say, "I guess that makes sense given that most students don't live in Ponyville."

"Anyways, I think we should get going to class. " Skylight suggested as he lead the way to their first class. When they arrived, Applejack was already waiting in the classroom and there were a few other students waiting. Skylight sat in the second row from the front and motioned Reality to sit down next to him. Then, Skylight looked around, deciding to take this time to get used to the classroom space in general. He wondered if the other students in their class would have all the same classes as him. After a few minutes of waiting for the rest of the students to enter, Applejack went up to the front of the class.

"Alright, looks like everypony is here. Houdy everypony! My name's Applejack and I'm going to be one of your friendship teachers. As the element of honesty, I find it fitting to start off with the game two truths and a lie to get to know each other better. Let's see, Reality Check, how about you start?" 

[Reality Check 627]

Nodding in agreement, he went inside the classroom. As soon as Reality entered the classroom, he can see his teacher, Applejack, already in and waiting for students to arrive. After Skylight guided him to a table on the second row and sat down, Reality took the time to look around the classroom and see what the interior is like. So far, he can see that the style isn't any different to what he saw outside the classroom, it was still new and modern-like in it's interior.

Feeling slightly bored, Reality looked towards the windows outside, seeing the view of Ponyville outside. He's a few desks away from it, but he's able to see somewhat clearly from his position. From there, he began thinking deeply in his mind. Even though he did get a quick look around Ponyville when he arrived by train, Reality is still new to leaving his hometown and arriving at someplace he's never been to before. He was initially excited to reunite with his brother again, but he can't help but miss his old home and his parents back in Canterlot.

His thoughts were quickly broken when he heard the other students coming in. Soon enough, the class started and he heard Applejack asking him to start. He then said the first three things that came to his mind. "Um... I have a talent in drawing, I was born in Ponyville, and I've had this hat since I was a foal." Reality said as he place a hoof on his hat as he said his last truth.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

There was some murmuring among the other classmates as they tried to figure out which one was the lie. When Reality mentioned his talent in drawing, the ponies glanced at his cutie mark, but like Skylight, they seemed to have trouble interpreting it too. They also glanced at his hat to try and figure out how old it looked. The class was pretty evenly split between all three of them.

"Let me guess: You weren't born in Ponyville?" Skylight asked.

"Alright, Reality, which one is it? Oh, and don't forget to introduce yourself before saying your two truths and a lie," Applejack explained.

After Reality Check revealed his answer, Skylight would go. "Alright, I'm kind of terrible at coming up with these on the spot, but I like writing and drawing even though it's not my cutie mark, my family is from Canterlot, and umm, I want to be able to preform magical spells like Twilight Sparkle," Skylight said, blushing slightly.

[Reality Check 627]

Once Applejack told him to reveal his answer and introduce himself along the way, he took a deep breath before beginning to speak. "Ok, my name is Reality Check. And as which is the lie, it's the second one. I'm not born in Ponyville, I'm actually born in Canterlot. In fact, yesterday was my first day here in this town, when I moved to my brother's place. I do have a talent and hobby for drawing, I figured it was what my cutie mark meant when I got it. And as for my hat, it was a present from my dad he gave me when I was young and I've kept it since."

After Reality finished speaking, Applejack nodded. "Ok, thanks for introducing yourself, Reality." She said before looking around for who to go next. "Now, Skylight Scintillate, could you go next?"

As soon as Skylight gave his two truths and one lie, some ponies did giggle a little at his last answer. But even so, every pony also had a bit of a time telling which is the lie. Some of them did look at his cutie mark, though they can't tell what it means, so they disregarded it for the time being. Some also assumed that the third one is a truth based on how Skylight said it. By the end, they were all split fairly evenly about their answers. "Is it... the second one?" Reality asked Skylight.

"Alright, now Skylight, which one is the lie? And be sure to introduce yourself first, just like Reality did." Applejack explained to Skylight.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

"Oh yeah, I'm Skylight Scintillate and the lie was the second one. I have family living in Canterlot but they aren't from there. I actually like writing and drawing and learning magic. I'm actually kind of excited to see what the classes in these subjects are like here. And for my cutie mark, well I'm still not exactly sure what it means, but I'm hoping that somepony at this school might be able to explain it to me," Skylight explained.

After Skylight finished his explanation, the rest of the class said their two truths and a lie. Most of them weren't that obvious and some of them were kind of funny. By the time everypony finished, there was just enough time for Applejack to introduce a bit about herself before class ended. "Alright everypony, as you might know by now, I'm Applejack, the element of honesty, and I'm an apple farmer, but I will also be one of your teachers for friendship. Oh will you look at that, class is over. Your next class should be with Ms. Dash on the third floor," Applejack said as the students trickled out of her classroom.

"Huh, well that was something. What did you think of it?" Skylight asked Reality.

[Reality Check 627]

Once class ended, students began pouring out and heading to their next class, Reality and Skylight included. As they went out, Reality heard Skylight talk to him. "Honestly, it's not bad. We got to know a bit about our class and some facts about them. Though, I'm still wondering about how they are going to teach friendship, since it doesn't look like something we normally learn in a classroom." Reality answered as they were both walking to the 3rd floor.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

"Yeah I'm not really sure either. I mean, the classes are fine, but I'm just as confused about this as you are. However, I heard Ms. Sparkle knows what's she's doing, so I trust her," Skylight explained as they made their way up to the third floor. Skylight was also slightly weirded out by the fact that all their other classmates were walking with them. He wasn't sure if he should be surprised that none of the other classmates had tried to reach out and form connections with them yet, but maybe that was the point of the friendship classes.

"Well then, here we are," Skylight said as he opened the door to Ms. Dash's classroom. It looked like a gym with an obstacle course set up inside. Also, Pinkie Pie was there for some reason. 

[Reality Check 627]

Once they were inside the classroom, they saw the obstacle course like set up inside the classroom, along with two of their teachers. The first thing that Reality thought was surprising was the obstacle-course-like interior, mostly due to the fact that all of it was indoors. The second is that there are two teachers for this class, since Applejack only mentioned that this is Rainbow Dash's classroom, leaving him curious about what this class is gonna be about.

Reality scanned the surrounding obstacle course as he went to take his seat on the bleachers, waiting for the other students and the teachers say when class starts.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

"Hmm, looks like some students are taking a while to get here..." Rainbow Dash grumbled and she hovered in the air, glancing at the students trickling in.

"Gasp, Skylight and Reality, you're here. I'm Pinkie Pie and I know that you don't have me until later, but I couldn't help but to overhear what you said earlier. You two poor souls got cutie marks in things that don't exist yet. Don't worry, talk to the Cutie Mark Crusaders after school and they will help you figure it all out! My class is the last class of the day. Stay behind and I'll help you find them," Pinkie Pie exclaimed before darting out the door.

"Well that was random..." Rainbow Dash and Skylight Scintillate said simultaneously.

"Ok, I guess we should go visit these staff members after school then..." Skylight said, turning to Reality. Skylight wasn't exactly sure what to make of what just happened.

"Alright, looks like everypony is here now. The goal today is simple. Form pairs and the first pair to finish wins. 3 2 1 Go!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. The classmates shot off.

"I guess we are a pair now," Skylight said to Reality as they headed into the obstacle course.

[Reality Check 627]

Reality didn't say anything when Pinkie told them to stay after school. He just tilted his head to the side as she left while the other two emoted about her words. "Eh sure, if it helps a bit with our cutie marks. Can't say for sure about how she knew about our cutie mark problem or whether these Cutie Mark Crusaders are able to help though." Reality shrugs as class started.

Once Rainbow Dash paired up the two together, the other classmates began running for the obstacle course. "Yep, sure looks like it." Reality said as they began running towards the obstacle course

[Skylight Scintillate 1,849]

As Skylight entered the obstacle course, he understood how it had to do with loyalty. The first obstacle they encountered was a wall too tall for a single pony to climb over. Many of the pairs tried several different ideas on how to climb it over individually but none of the could manage to reach the top.

”Oh I get it, this obstacle course can only be completed in pairs. Lift me up on top of the wall, then I’ll reach down and pull you up,” Skylight whispered to Reality Check.

Once Skylight was able to get on top of the wall, he turned around and lifted Reality Check up by grabbing his hoof. 

“Wow, grabbing another pony this way is harder than it looks,” Skylight noted as he dusted himself off before continuing. The other ponies seemed to have caught on and they started climbing the wall not that far behind Skylight and Reality.