Another day, another successful delivery. Which meant it was time to treat herself to her daily reward. She licked her lips as she stared at the muffin, holding it up into her view. One golden eye wandered off to look at nothing in particular, a habit she couldn't control.

Bubbly Delight prided herself in being the best mailpony in Ponyville. But she was also extremely humble about this achievement, because she couldn't speak about it anyway. Poor Bubbly Delight was born as a mute. No one knew why, she just was. This, coupled with her lazy eye, led to that insufferable nickname she despised. Being a Pegasus meant she could be above all that, literally. But she couldn't escape that name.

Fortunately, her shift ended late, which meant that most of Ponyville was asleep, and therefore, couldn't bother her with such hurtful names. She had the night to herself, one of the few Pegasi to stay up late, since she didn't get into the weather business like her brethren. Sure she helped every once in a while, like during Winter Wrap Up, but her calling was being a mailpony.

Strolling through town, taking her time, she admired all the objects in the store windows, waiting for the day when somepony would purchase them. Ponyville seemed like a different place at night. She noticed there was still a light on in Sugarcube Corner, but didn't pursue investigating. She had seen a very upset pink pony enter the place earlier today, and couldn't get that image out of her thoughts. She hated seeing others upset.

She stopped at her favorite spot in the park, where she could see the stars in the sky, and began to relish in the silence. No taunting, no name calling, just her and her thoughts.

"Bubbly."

The Pegasus looked around, wondering where the voice came from, and more importantly, who would use her real name?

Princess Luna appeared before her, leading to the Pegasus to bow formally.

"I have selected you, Bubbly Delight, to be one of my chosen. You're perseverance in the face of adversity shows me you have the will to take up the task."

Bubbly looked away, her face showing she was unsure.

"Do not worry. I know what it feels like to be judged by appearance. But unlike myself, you press on and don't let their words hurt you. Perhaps I could learn from you." Luna smiled.

Bubbly smiled back, and the princess disappeared.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Luna returned to her chambers, ready to locate the next pony. Finding them was easy, and recruiting them seemed even easier. But would they get along with each other once assembled? That was the biggest task for them to overcome.

All this teleporting around was beginning to sap her power. She hadn't utilized her abilities for so long, her body didn't know how to react to these experiences. It was a side effect of her suspended animation in the moon. Luna hoped that her sister would be more forgiving towards Twilight, as no pony deserved such a fate, no matter how dire the situation.

Fortunately for her, the next in line was right here in Canterlot. At a prestigious musical academy where the finest of court musicians were taught the intricate compositions of Sebastian Buck and Trot-aikovsky. This time, she would fly there on her own.

The campus of the academy was quiet, save for a few stray sounds of ponies practicing to get an edge. The regal building before Luna was unchanged since she first saw it over a thousand years ago. But she knew, much like herself and her sister, that though the outside was the same, its what's inside that changes.

She had no problem finding the dorm where her next chosen resided, and the guard pony let her through unquestioned.

"Octavia." Luna called, stirring the ashen brown pony from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at her visitor to see the princess before her.

"Princess." She knelt. "I trust you are here to evaluate our performances?"

Luna let out a slight chuckle. "No. I am here for more important business. I am recruiting ponies much like myself, in case something terrible I foresaw happens."

The earth pony with the treble clef cutie mark brushed her black mane from her eyes. "What will happen?"

"Nothing yet. But I want to make sure. My sister can only do so much. So I have chosen you. You share my desire to fit in, yet feel you need to dedicate your time to your work. You're a lot like the pony who saved me from my fate."

"You mean Twilight Sparkle? I've heard stories of her on campus, but, I don't think I could accomplish such a feat."

"If you put your heart into it, like you do for your music, you can accomplish anything."

Octavia nodded, a smile on her face. "I accept, princess." she knelt once again.

"Thank you, Octavia. I shall be in touch."

The earth pony smiled. Won't the others in her class be jealous!