Krein nudged me gently. “Come now, cheer up. You have friends to make, and magic to learn, eh?”

Today was my first day at magic school. To say I was excited would be a lie, but I was also nervous.

I smiled and nuzzled my cheek against my brother’s. “See you after school, big brother.”

Krein nuzzled me back. “I'll be here, little sister.” He shoved me forward with a claw. “Now go learn something!”

With a smile on my muzzle, I climbed up the stairs and entered through the grand doors into the school. My first real school, Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns.

I followed the halls to the wing of the school where I would be learning. “Ma... Mag... Magic... lev… level… one. Magic level one.” I sounded out the words above the door. This is where I needed to go.

I was thankful for my brother's lessons. He'd scratch words in the rocks and teach me the letters and words. I pushed the heavy door open enough to get myself through and entered an open area, with the blue skies over my head again.

The playground was in the middle of the area. Surrounding it were several doors that lead to other classrooms. Ms. Gingersnap was waiting by the swings reading some papers.

I ran up to her. “Hello Ms. Gingersnap!” I chirped.

“Oh, hello Kii. How was your weekend?” Gingersnap asked.

“It was fun! My brother and me went and got stuff to make our house feel more like home.” I looked around. “Where are the others?”

Gingersnap rolled the papers in her magic and I watched in awe as they disappeared in a flash of light. “They’ll be here shortly. Why don't we get you your books?” She started toward a door.

I followed eagerly, flapping my growing wings to help me move faster. I couldn’t fly quite yet, but I did manage to lift myself a few inches off the ground! We entered a small library of books. I’d never seen so many books in my life!

Gingersnap started levitating books off shelves. “Let’s see, Mathematics level one, Reading & Writing level one, and lastly Beginning History,” She levitated the trio of books next to her. “Now Kii, we have a number of Schools of Magic to study. Alteration, Illusion, Conjuration, Restoration, Destruction, Alchemy, and Enchantments. What school of magic would you like to start in?” Gingersnap asked.

I thought it over, Though I could use my claws to grab things, I figured moving things with my mind would be cool and helpful. “What school has the spell where you move things with your mind?”

“That is the School of Alteration. But we teach the telekinesis spell to all students so it's okay to pick another if you want,” Gingersnap explained.

I thought some more. “What’s res… restoration?” I asked. These new words were hard to say.

“Healing and protection spells,” Gingersnap stated matter-of-factly.

I hopped up. “I wanna learn that!”

“School of Restoration it is,” Gingersnap levitated one last book off the shelves, then glanced up. I heard it, too; the sound of lots of foals and fillies cheering and laughing and playing. “Now I'll find you a bag to carry these in since you don't already have one. Why don't you go join your classmates for pre-class recess? It sounds like more have arrived.”

I nodded and hurried out of the book room and back into the playground. A number of students had arrived while Gingersnap was getting me my books and were running around and playing. I looked around the playground. I didn't remember most of the ponies names but I did recognize a few ponies who were playing a game with a ball, tossing it back and forth to each other.

“Hey can I play?” I asked bounding up to a pony colt I remembered as Zephyr.

“Oh, um…” Zephyr looked to his friends, who were all giving him a strange look. “If we add another, the teams will be uneven, sorry.” Zephyr and the group hurried off to the other side of the jungle gym.

“Oh, okay,” I said softly as they left me behind.

I huffed to myself; I refused to give up in finding a friend. I looked around the playground again, looking for ponies that were on their own; maybe I’d have better luck one on one. I spotted a filly with a dark coat sitting over in a sand pit building something by herself. I hurriedly made my way over.

“Hello,” I announced, startling the filly. She jumped and looked around.

“Are you talking to me?” she asked, looking confused.

“Yup! I don't remember you from Friday. Are you new here too?” I asked, curiously looking the filly over.

She had a dark purple coat, with a navy blue and dark red streaked mane and tail. Her eyes were a bright yellow and resembled a feline. She had fangs, fluffy ears, and her horn was curved slightly upward.

“You don’t look like the other ponies here,” I observed, staring at the fangs.

“Because I'm not like them for the most part,” the filly said, shifting uncomfortably.

“What are you building?” I asked, refocusing my attention to the pile of sand in front of the filly.

She shrugged. “I'm not sure yet.”

I looked up at the filly and back at the sand. “My name is Kii. What's yours?”

“Hex.” She paused a moment. “My name is Hex. Would you like to help me build whatever I'm building?”

“Sure!” I chirped with glee, digging my claws into the sand.

From the corner of my eye I saw Ms. Gingersnap watching us with a smile. A few minutes later, the bell rang to signal the end to recess and the students began filing back into the schoolhouse to begin their classes. Hex and I found seats next to each other in the classroom

“Good morning, class!” Gingersnap chirped happily.

“Good morning, Miss Gingersnap,” the class recited back warmly. I repeated as well, a half second behind everypony else.

“We’ll begin today with our math lessons,” Gingersnap declared. “Everypony open up those books to chapter four! Hex, could you please help Kii with hers?”

“Yes, Ms. Gingersnap!” Hex said eagerly.

The class began our math lessons on addition and subtraction. I opened up my own book and stared at the exercises. Hex showed me the basics and we both got a portion of math done in an hour.

Next up was reading and writing lectures on speed reading and sentence correction. Hex would time me as I read, then add the words read in the allotted time, I wasn't very good at it. Then we would work on our sentence corrections, reading a sentence and identifying the incorrectly spelled word. I struggled a lot with this, but Hex patiently guided me through each problem.

About halfway through to lunch, Gingersnap made her way over to check on us. “How are you doing Kii? Is Hex helping you out?” she asked.

“I'm doing well, I think. Hex is an awesome help.” I twirled my tail happily.

“Can I have a look at what you have so far?” Gingersnap asked. I slid my notebook over, and Gingersnap levitated it up to see.

“Hmm,” Gingersnap murmured, studying my notebook. “Your mathematics are coming along well, and your reading and writing are both excellent, considering.” She thought for a moment, then looked at me. “How much did you learn before coming here?”

“Well, my brother is in no way the best at teaching, but he did the best he could with what we had.” I paused before continuing. “He taught me to read, and he taught me some math, but he said there was a lot more to it that he didn't know. And since I'm the only magic dragon in existence, as Krein says, I've never had a magic tutor.”

“Well, after today's last class, I'd like to help you determine where you really should be at in your books. Okay?” Gingersnap asked. I nodded eagerly. Gingersnap smiled and turned to Hex. “Good work, Hex,” she praised.

Hex smiled and puffed her chest out proudly. “Thank you, Ms. Gingersnap.”

“She's a very hooves off, kind of teacher.” I observed as Gingersnap turned to another group of students.

“Oh, all the teachers are like that. As long as we're doing our work and turn in something for each subject by the end of the day, they leave you alone. They’ll give help if you ask for it, or if they see you struggling,” Hex told me as we continued our studies. “Miss Gingersnap once told me that the idea is to allow the students to develop at their own paces.”

“Okay, well, what's next?” I asked in a hushed voice.

Hex thought. “Well, we could try and get you caught up in your Restoration book? You could read it aloud and I can help you understand it.”

“I like that idea. Okay.” I pulled the restoration textbook out from under the others. ‘Introduction to Restoration’ was plastered on the front along with a flaming heart. I began to read aloud, sounding out the words that were difficult.

“Welcome to the nov.. novice level spells of the School of Res... restor… restoration. Let's start off with learning about Wa… wards. Wards are protection spells that are pri… primarily used for def… defending against hos… hostile magic.”

I pondered that a moment. “What do they mean by ‘hostile magic?’”

“Say some dragon wants to hurt you, Wards will help you stand against said dragon,” Hex explained. “I even took the time to learn the basic one,” she added with a note of pride.

“Oh, okay.” I looked back down at the book in front of me.

“Restoration is all about the heart. All Restoration spells are generated by emo… emotional energy; the stronger the emotion, the stronger your spells. Nothing strengthens the heart more than love. So when casting any spell from the school of Restoration, think of what you love.”

I looked up at Hex for a comment on the passage. “All the schools of magic are tied to an emotion,” Hex shrugged. “I don't know why.”

I continued reading. “‘Noit… noitcetorp’ is the word needed to suc… successfully conjure a ward. How the ward forms is ultimately up to the caster.”

“‘Noitcetorp?’” I struggled to pronounce the word. “Doesn't sound like much,” I commented, putting the book down again. “And what do they mean, how it forms is up to me?”

“I said the same thing when I first started. Let's ask if you can give it a go.” Hex raised her hoof.

Gingersnap came over after finishing up with another student. “Yes?”

“Kii wants to try casting a ward,” Hex informed Gingersnap.

“Really?” Gingersnap seemed to think a moment. “Hex, how far have you gotten in your Destruction textbook?”

“I think I'm ready to try casting the fire spell,” Hex said, flipping open the pages of her Destruction School Textbook.

Gingersnap nodded. “Crimson?” she called across the classroom.

Crimson Charge, the other teacher of the class, came over to where they were. “Is something the matter?” he asked.

“These two would like to try out some spells. Do you think you could take them outside and assist?” Gingersnap explained.

“Did you finish all of your other work?” Crimson asked, peering over the table at the two students.

Hex and me gave them our notebooks. Crimson and Gingersnap looked them over. “I see you did,” Crimson confirmed. “Follow me outside, little ones.”

Hex and me hopped down from our seats and followed Crimson outside. We passed the playground and reached a large field of scorched, sand-covered ground with a few burnt trees, surrounded by a concrete wall that was covered with burn marks. The place reminded me of my homeland.

“Now Kii, since you're new, I'll explain the rules of practicing magic,” Crimson stated, a serious expression on his muzzle. “Practicing magic on school grounds is a privilege. We can revoke this at anytime. Practicing without adult supervision or in the hallways is not allowed, and using magic to hurt another pony is grounds for dismissal. Is that clear?”

“Crystal clear, Mr. Charge,” I said nodding.

Crimson Charge’s expression immediately switched from serious to excited, grinning from ear to ear. “Excellent! Now what are the spells that you are wanting to attempt?”

“Ward!” I shouted, waving a claw a high as I could.

“An excellent place to start!” Crimson said. “Hex, what is it you want to try?”

“Fire shot,” Hex said cooly.

“Interesting. Well, let’s see if we can get Kii to make a ward and then, Hex, you can attempt your spell. That sound good?” Crimson suggested.

“Yeah!” Hex and I cheered.

“Okay, Kii. Step forward,” Crimson said. I did as instructed. “Plant your hind legs down in case of a magical backlash. Keep your back straight and breathe deeply.” I did as followed, digging my hind claws into the hot sand, stiffening my back as much as I could, and breathing heavily through my nostrils.

Crimson chuckled. “Relax a bit, Kii. If you’re tense, it’ll be harder to use magic.”

I let out a long breath that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding and allowed my back to relax.

“Very good,” Crimson nodded after a minute of correcting my posture. “Now, since this is a restoration spell, think about something that you love. It can be a moment, a thing, a friend or family member if need be.”

I didn’t need to think too hard about what I loved. I thought of the earliest memory I had of my brother and me. It was in the Dragonlands’ winter months. We had found a cave to wait out a lightning storm. Krein used his body heat to keep me warm, and shielded from the wind. The smile he had while I played beneath his wings stuck in my memory.

I opened my mouth to tell Crimson Charge the memory but he stopped me. “We don't need to hear,” he said. “Do you have it?” I closed my mouth and nodded. “Good! Now, merely concentrate, and speak the word.”

I was silent for a moment, breathing. “Noitcecorp!” I shouted and flared my wings out. A puff of purple smoke pushed me back a little.

As I shook my head to clear the smoke away Crimson Charge stepped up to me. “You did everything right, except for the word spoken. You said ‘Noitcecorp’ when you were supposed to say ‘Noitcetorp’. You hear the difference?” he asked. I nodded. “Good, now try again,” he said.

I was silent for a moment while I did the list of instructions Charge gave me before. Breathing evenly, I thought about my brother, then my entire vision turned purple and white. “Noitcetorp!” I shouted and flared my wings out again.

A transparent wall of purple flames appeared in front of me and hovered just above the sand. So this is what it feels like to actually use magic.

“Yes! Excellent work Kii!” Crimson cheered, jumping up and down.

I dropped the spell and breathed heavily, my knees shaking. “I didn’t realize that magic could be so tiring,” I panted.

Crimson nodded in agreement. “This is why we wait for you to finish your other school work first. We consider this Physical Education; using magic requires physical effort. The more you use a spell, the easier it is on your mind and body. And the more spells you learn, the easier it gets to learn others.”

Hex bounded up to me. “That looked so cool! Especially that thing you did with your eyes!” she chirped.

“Thanks, it just kinda happens,” I admitted, slowly catching my breath.

“Okay, now Hex. You want to give that fire spell a whirl?” Crimson prompted.

“Sure do!” Hex said. She settled herself into the proper position, facing a wall with a lot of scorch marks on it. Hex breathed deeply and stared at the wall. Her horn began to glow. “Suitangi,” Hex spoke firmly and a small orange fireball flew from the tip of her horn to the wall and struck it with a loud hissing sound. The flames splashed all over the wall like water and then disappeared, leaving behind fresh burns.

“Well done, you!” Crimson cheered.

Hex stood up straight and wobbled a little bit before correcting herself. I instinctively hurried up to her to try to help her stand. “I'm okay. I promise,” she said, looking a bit dazed.

“Excellent, both of you. You can stay out here, I'll be back in a moment.” Crimson said turning back toward the classroom. “When I come back, Kii i'm gonna teach you the Telekinesis spell we all use. But remember,” he added, turning back briefly. “No using magic without me out here to watch you!”

“Yes, Mr. Charge,” Hex and I nodded.

Crimson went back into the classroom, leaving us alone. I sat down next to Hex.

“So what do we do after lunch?” I asked.

Hex shrugged. “We just either go do more book work, or we practice casting spells.”

“How many do you know?” I inquired.

Hex thought a moment. “Well, in destruction, I just know the fireball spell. In illusion I can muffle noise.”

“Oh. That’s cool.” We fell silent. I twiddled my claws and watched the clouds passing by.

“Hey Kii?” Hex said.

I looked at her. “Yeah?”

“What kind of dragons are there?” Hex asked tilting her head.

“Oh, lots!” I chirped. “There are Ice Dragons, and Frost Dragons and Shadow Dragons…”

I started talking about all the different kinds of dragons and how they were different from each other. Hex’s eyes grew brighter and brighter as I talked, and she started firing off questions with increasing happiness.

I was starting to think that the two of us were going to be very good friends.

Author's Notes:

A special thanks to PonyJosiah13 for editing this chapter for me.

I hope everyone enjoys this piece of work. I've been writing it for a while now and I'm excited to share it with you. I hope you like it. It's also the first story I've uploaded this year! YAY!

V.2