//------------------------------// // New Perspectives // Story: An Interesting Arrival // by Moongaze14 //------------------------------// New Perspectives Statice gritted his teeth as pain awoke him from unconsciousness. He was in some sort of hospital room, different from the ones from Canterlot. Having been in this situation many times in the past, Statice knew that the first thing he had to do was recover and then make a break for it. Although his Healing Spell allowed him to recover from injuries faster than the average pony, it was useless when he was out cold. He tried casting it to recover from the injuries he sustained from the fight with Rainbow Dash, grunting as the pain made it difficult to weave magic around his horn. “Don’t even bother. I disrupted your magic when I brought you to my home.” Statice’s ears stood up as he recognized the owner of the voice.  He turned his head around and noticed a grumpy Discord dressed as a doctor. Next to him, Rainbow Dash was unconscious in another bed and looking just as injured as Statice himself. What is she doing here? Didn’t she send me flying with her Sonic Rainboom? Was I the one who got her there? “What happened to Rainbow Dash?” Statice gestured with his head worryingly. For all his animosity with her, he didn’t mean to get her hurt. “You happened to her the same way she happened to you!” Discord pointed an accusing lion claw to Statice just as he pointed a similarly accusing eagle talon at Rainbow Dash. “What was that?” Statice asked with a confused frown, not all understanding Discord’s answer because of the way he phrased it. “Let’s just say that for once Rainbow Dash didn’t like winning once her Sonic Rainboom made her think she blew you to smithereens so I had to use my magic to make her sleep,” Discord placed his hands on his hips. “Oh  yeah,” Statice winced as he recalled being sent flying by  the Sonic Rainboom in spite of putting his best defensive spell. “I did lose that fight.” “You ARE a loser!” Discord poked Statice in the snout. “But it’s not for losing a fight. The reason you’re a loser is because you decided to pick that fight in the first place!” Now Statice was angry. “Shut up, Discord!” he snapped at him. “What do you even know about what happened?” “I saw the whole thing!” he glared at Statice. “For somepony who retired from a life of crime you certainly fight like a criminal. There were moments when I was about to intervene because you looked like you wanted to wipe her out.” “I wanted no such thing!” Statice cried out. “Making her fall out of the sky while holding an electromagnetic cloud that accelerates her fall faster than gravity does not count?” Discord asked sardonically. “And what can you say about that lightning ball you shot at her? You also looked ready to hurt her when she countered your spells had it not been for her blasting you with the Sonic Rainboom before you had the chance of making the first move.” Statice stood silent for a minute. Those were legitimate tactics to facing his enemies, attacks decided against those who were going to lock him away or hurt him for pleasure and profit. Rainbow Dash was none of that. She was a jerk at worst, but she gave as much misery to him as much she took from him. Regardless of whether she hated him or not, there could have been other ways to deal with their conflict. “Do tell, what could we have done better?” Statice spoke bitterly, trying to see any alternate routes to the course of action he took. “Have you tried talking it out like civilized ponies?” Discord suggested with a tone that was insulting the intelligence of the stallion and the unconscious mare. "Granted, I've never been in a fight before since I mostly relied on overwhelming power to settle my conflicts...but spending my time with Fluttershy and seeing her pacify her animals has taught me a thing or two about ending disputes the pacifistic way." Statice gave him an annoyed look. “Rarity already suggested it,” he remarked as he remembered the previous day. “We wouldn’t have gotten into this fight if we wouldn’t have thought that it wasn’t gonna work.” “Because Rainbow Dash hates you for reasons that go beyond your first meeting and any subsequent encounter you had with her, isn’t it?” Discord asked with a raised eyebrow. “How did you figure that out?” Statice asked in surprise. “Were you spying on me when I had that conversation?” “No,” Discord shook his head. “Fluttershy and Celestia had me sign an agreement over how not to use my powers after I was released and decided to give friendship a try. Apparently, checking into the arguments of other ponies is a big no-no to some ponies. Fortunately, Rarity found the challenge letter you gave Rainbow Dash and Twilight taught her the spell to summon me just in case she was incapable of helping out in a friendship problem, or should I say frenemy problem since Rainbow is a friend and you’re technically not a friend of hers…” “Guess frenemy is okay,” Statice rolled his eyes at the semantics. “I assume Rarity is mad with me and Rainbow Dash for getting into a fight behind her back.” “She is,” Discord nodded his head grimly. “And Celestia and Luna are probably mad as well. You may have forgotten, but your boundaries only allowed you to stay in Canterlot at most. Leaving the city was going to get you in trouble. Even if I had not gone for you, those two would have tracked you down and gone after you. They put a special tracking spell on you to make sure your location will be poinpointed in any location of Equestria in case you left Canterlot without permission before you obtained your citizenship.” It’s official. I’m ruined. I may have to run away again. Ugh, why did I have to resort to violence again? Why didn’t I choose something different? “I should have chosen Arcanum Ball!” Statice groaned as he raised his head and covered his eyes with his hooves. “Yes,” Discord deadpanned. “It’s an equally aggressive solution to fighting, but with a lot less violence.” Win or loss, the game would have compelled Rainbow Dash’s competitive nature and love for sport. It would have put a stop to their grudge for the time being. In hindsight, it was the perfect solution to their previous predicament and instead he chose a fight that resulted in more trouble for either of them. Why do I always get the big picture when it’s too late for me? Why can’t I show some foresight when I’m about to make a decision that will affect me in the long run? And more importantly, why am I stuck here doing a pity party that involves endlessly repeating ‘why’ questions in my head?! As he was about to say something inspiring, he noticed Rainbow Dash was already awake from the corner of his eye and was looking at him in surprise.   “You’re okay.” She flew fast to his location. She was still injured and it wasn’t her top speed, but being a Wonderbolt Reserve easily made her a blur to Statice as she flew to his side. The only effect that her wounds had in her conditions was that she was in pain when she was flying, which still remained even when she was soaring in place. “Yeah,” Statice replied demurely. “I’m glad to see that you’re still capable of flying at top peak conditions despite the injuries you sustained in our fight.” “That’s nothing,” Rainbow Dash scoffed, or at least she tried to scoff, failing to maintain the usual bravado and confidence she usually displayed. It was hard to act like she usually did when she was feeling guilty and awkward after nearly blowing a fellow pony to kingdom come with her trademark move. “Well, this is awkward,” Discord grumbled. “What are you doing here, Discord?” Rainbow Dash asked with a confused frown. “I live here and you’re welcome for taking you here after your fight,” Discord huffed at the prismatic mare’s rudeness. “I don’t feel any better from my fight,” Rainbow Dash frowned, motioning to all of the bruises she sustained from her fight. “And Statice looks like he’s been trampled over by an Ursa.” “I didn’t bother to treat you two completely so that you two kids can remember that fighting is not good for your health,” Discord scolded both of them like a strict father reprimanded his children. “You may say that I…taught you a lesson.” As if on cue, another Discord popped in and did some sort of special effects sound with a pair of drumsticks. Statice and Rainbow Dash groaned at his pun and the visual gag. “Oh quit your whining!” Discord crossed his arms. “Rarity won’t be happy when you come back to Canterlot. She didn’t like your patched hole so she blasted it and found the challenge letter. As for Statice, let’s just say that Celestia and Luna had him magically tagged just in case he left Canterlot to do something inappropriate. Your fight is now in the books for Rarity and two very angry princesses.” Statice and Rainbow Dash shared surprised looks. Immediately, the former adapted a determined expression. “Let those three to me,” he told Rainbow Dash. “Celestia and Luna are the ones taking care of me. Besides, I promised Rarity that I’d behave. The least I can do is to take a little bit of responsibility.” Did that guy decided to sacrifice himself for me? No! I won’t let him do that! “Forget it!” Rainbow Dash poked the green unicorn in the chest. “I started this whole mess by bullying you. I chose to show up at the fight rather than ignore it. And I chose to end it by using a move that endangered you. I’m not letting you take this whole thing alone!” She is the Element of Loyalty to the end. “That doesn’t change the fact that I treated you more like an enemy that deserved to be eliminated,” Statice countered. “I used unnecessary force in that fight. I saw the worst in you because I reflected your most destructive attributes. I didn’t take into account your restraint and self-control and pushed you over the edge.” “So did I,” Rainbow Dash somberly nodded. “Which is why we must take responsibility of this together. I don’t like you. And I don’t consider you my friend after this or any time soon. But…I’d rather we don’t hate each other. It’s not normal we do this, especially when my friends are trying to mend bridges with you.” “Fair enough,” Statice sighed and looked at Discord. “Do your thing, pal.” A snap of the fingers was all it took to take them back to Canterlot to be met by two angry princesses and a very incensed fashionista. Tartarus had no fury like a mare scorned and in this occasion it was times three. “We have a very funny story to tell you three,” Statice started with the most polite expression he could muster. “Rainbow, being the winner of the two of us, why don’t you tell these three lovely mares what happened between the two of us?” Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened while Discord coughed into his lion paw to hide his giggles as all three mares focused their glares on her. Meanwhile, Rainbow gave her own evil glare to Statice. Correction, Tartarus hath no fury like four mares scorned. It had been hours of explanations and reprimanding before Rainbow Dash and Statice were let out of punishment. Although Rarity took Rainbow Dash and Statice with her to eat, it was mostly an awkward outing for the two of them as she was glacial cold to them for justified reasons. She was trying to get them to reconcile at worst and be friends with each other at best and yet they went behind her back to have a hoof-fight when she was sleeping. It’s gonna be a while before she and I are in good terms anymore. After some touring, both Rarity and Rainbow Dash were ready to return to Ponyville with Statice saying his goodbyes to them at the entrance of the castle since he was grounded for the rest of the day for fighting.  It wasn’t much of a punishment from Celestia and Luna given how he and Rainbow Dash took responsibility for their fight and genuinely regretted how it got out of hoof.  It also helped that their bruises and injuries were enough of a punishment already. “I guess this is it for the moment,” Statice awkwardly started, not even looking at both mares. “I think so,” Rainbow Dash replied while turning her head to the opposite side. “For crying out loud,” Rarity groaned. “Can you have the maturity of looking at each other in the eye? It was already bad enough spending half of my last day in Canterlot scolding you two and the other half in awkward silence.” “Maybe we should start over,” Statice looked at Rainbow Dash, finally ready to establish eye contact. “What do you mean?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “How about we try to keep it like civilized ponies like Rarity suggested,” he gestured at Rarity, who appreciated by posing. “Finally somepony respects my advice,” Rarity bounced her mane with her hoof vainly, earning an annoyed look from Rainbow Dash. “I guess we should have tried to do it her way,” Rainbow Dash frowned worriedly, pausing as she looked at him. “But I’m not sure if it would have worked out. For some strange reason, I really don’t like you. I think it would have delayed our fight.” Rainbow’s answer caused Rarity to look worried as well. Normally she’d react with scandal, especially since Rainbow Dash was saying that she would have fought Statice regardless of Rarity’s attempts to make peace or not. However, hearing the tone of voice she used, like it was hopeless, caused her to look at her prismatic friend with concern in her eyes. She sounds like it’s inevitable for her to be enemies with Statice. What is wrong with those two? “How about we compete?” Statice proposed with a confident smirk. “Maybe a sports match would be better than a one-on-one fight. It’s equally aggressive and yet has less chance of us getting hurt.” “Now we’re talking!” Rainbow Dash flew to him fast enough to bump her snout to his nose. “Maybe I can try to beat you at an Arcanum Ball rematch. Let’s see how good you are when your rules don’t restrict me to only protecting one zone.” I was starting to like her when she was apologetic. Then again, Rainbow Dash is not Rainbow Dash if she’s not obnoxious. And I’m not myself if I’m apologizing…it’s why I rarely say “sorry” to anypony. He was about to say something when he noticed an important detail.  “A little too close to my comfort, Rainbow Dash,” he told the prismatic mare with a blush on his face, causing her to yelp as she backed away while Rarity laughed. Why do rivals always stick their faces close to their enemies? It’s weird and it makes them look like they have a crush on each other. “You girls mind if I ask you a favor?” Statice looked at Rainbow Dash and Rarity once the latter was done laughing and the former stopped glowering at her.   “Are you sure about what you did, Statice?” “I’m sure, Discord,” Statice answered as he got out of his room. The weekend passed and he was ready to return to Magic Kindergarten. Of course, I’d be more than ready if you removed the ban of my Healing Spell so that I can heal my bruises. I don’t think anypony is gonna like it when I show up all beat up from my fight with Rainbow Dash. “It was a hassle with Rarity that turned into a double date and Rainbow Dash was an all-out brawl,” Discord recalled his previous encounters with the Elements of Harmony. “I am quite shocked that you had them tell the rest of their friends about your predicament.” “It’s better this way,” Statice sighed. “Miss Late Bloom accidentally revealed my status as a student of Magic Kindergarten twice. I’d rather have it be a public fact to end it quickly than have to endure the shameful torture of having the fact slowly revealed four or five more times minimum to the rest of the girls and Spike.” Discord sniggered at Statice’s train of thought. “You seem to have thought about it a lot,” he observed with piqued interest. “I was trained for this kind of situations,” Statice smiled confidently.  “Anyway, I don’t have to worry about it since I’m graduating very soon from this place. Secret or not, I’ll probably be studying in the School for Gifted Unicorns by the time I met any of the girls.” “You better hope Twilight doesn’t get in the way,” Discord winked at him. “After all, Twilight’s greatest fear is Magic Kindergarten and she does have some sort of hero complex.” Statice stopped smiling as he recalled at what lengths Twilight went over some sort of ridiculous test. This pretty much ended in a whole town being brainwashed into loving a doll. “I better finish Magic Kindergarten fast!” Statice declared as he rushed into the building as fast as he could. There's no way I'm having a neurotic Twilight as my tutor if that involves "saving" me from Magic Kindergarten. Nothing involving Twilight and Magic Kindergarten is ever a good idea...EVER He reached Magic Kindergarten in no time. Of course, in his zeal, he had forgotten that his fellow students were easily impressed foals and he was an adult still covered in bruises that were yet to heal. The next minutes consisted of him being bombarded with questions. May the starts place a curse on Discord! I’m not letting you use your Healing Spell so that you can learn the importance of not picking fights with ponies. Like he has any right to call me out about picking fights when he pretty much gets depowered or sealed because he picks on somepony who’s either stronger than him or has some magic tool to make him weaker. “That’s enough, kids!” Late Bloom came in with an admonishing tone before gasping as she looked at the damage Statice sustained. She placed a hoof on her mouth and looked away before arming herself with courage to ask a question. “What happened to you?” For some reason the question caught him by surprise. Late Bloom didn't sound like a teacher anymore. She sounded more like a mother that had caught her son being bullied. Taking a deep breath, Statice gave a confident smile as he gave the most convincing answer he could provide at the moment. “I was attacked by a thug,” Statice answered briefly. It wasn’t a lie technically. At her worst, Rainbow Dash could be classified as a thug when she was angry and she was not above intimidation. The attacking part was not an entire lie as he was verbally assault and mocked when his situation with Magic Kindergarten was discovered. “That’s horrible!” Late Bloom gasped. “Did you fight back?” Sweet Dreams asked with a raised hoof. Much to Statice’s surprise, he seemed a lot more active than any of their previous encounters. I guess he’s probably interested in hearing how I fought off the fake thug of my story. This kid looks smarter than the class he’s supposed to be. “I was never a victim,” Statice adopted a boastful tone, trying to make it sound heroic by employing a combination of roguish charm and trickster wit. “As a matter of fact, I had a Wonderbolt helping me out. I can’t tell you though because I don’t wanna burden the team with paparazzi.” From the way the kids were looking at him with wide eyes and how his words were followed with loud gasps and cheers, he succeeded with his lies. Then again, Rainbow Dash was a member of the Wonderbolt Reserves so he wasn’t lying about hanging out with a Wonderbolt. “What about the thug?” Sweet Dreams continued asking. “Didn’t you end up catching him?” Perceptive little brat…you’re a lot more clever than I thought. “He escaped once we beat him black and blue,” Statice replied, for the first time truly lying in his tale. “We had to leave the rest to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to give him a lesson.” The answer apparently satisfied the foals, who gathered around Statice and gave him a group hug, calling him a hero. A part of Statice felt great at having such nice words being thrown at him and yet the rest of him felt like garbage for lying to them like that to cover up his mistakes. Can’t believe I have to lie to foals so shamelessly. There was a time when I had to only say a few words and that was it. I learned how to deceive so as to not bend the truth like this. Once the foals had broken away from him, Statice was met with the concerned glance of Late Bloom. “May I see you after class, Statice?” she asked. “Sure,” Statice blinked. Although he was confused at how Late Bloom was not her usual cheery demeanor, he couldn’t blame her on account of presenting himself all harmed to her class. “It’s just an after-class appointment. It won’t be awkward.”   “This is awkward…” Statice was in some unknown restaurant in Canterlot with Late Bloom. The restaurant’s name was the Tasty Treat and it was quite unique in the fact that it was colorful and smelled extravagantly. She was smiling again, despite the concerned glances she was throwing at his body. Statice had been served by some mare named Saffron Masala. She was quite exotic in appearance, clothing, and even in voice with a good accent. A part of him was attracted to her, but he wisely chose to cover his face with the menu when he heard her call the owner her father. It was quite a shame since she was an orange unicorn mare with magenta eyes. She wore a golden crown below her curly maroon mane and an earring with diamonds. She wore some sort of khaki vest with some sort of red handkerchief and a red stringed band on her hind leg. He wasn’t sure what was the name of most the garnments. He did recognize her cutie mark as some purple flower with red stems coming out of the center. He wanted to find out more about this mare, perhaps even ask about her culture if it let him ask more about her, but he reconsidered when he looked at her grumpy father and remembered a lesson from one of his former teachers. “Listen up, Statice. Here’s one of my survival lessons. Never mess with anybody that handles your meals. You never know what they’re gonna put into them. Ugh, or they could be a fellow mercenary who’s put some sleeping power instead. You may wanna have to put your dukes, kid! I’m gonna pass up and it’s all up to you to take on those twenty goonies that are passing through that door!” “Wait, what? AAH!” The heat on Statice’s face persisted, although this time it was more out of seething rage at having an unfair situation thrown at him as a colt rather than being flustered by the presence of a pretty mare. He shook his head, deciding that remembering the past was going to ruin his appointment, and focused only in the menu, picking up a dish he hadn’t tried in a while. “I’ll try curry with rice,” Statice asked nicely. “An excellent choice,” Saffron took the menu without looking at Late Bloom. The act surprised Statice as she forgot to ask his teacher what she wanted and she didn’t look like the type of waitress who made a mistake. “Aren’t you gonna eat anything?” Statice asked in surprise. “I already ordered the special,” Late Bloom giggled. “You were too caught up in reading the menu that you didn’t notice.” “Oh,” Statice blushed in embarrassment. “Forget what I said then.” I need to train my observation skills again. I’m losing my touch. “I’m sorry,” she said. “What did you say?” Statice asked with a raised eyebrow. “The day Princess Celestia told me that you were going to be my student, she told me that you had a difficult life,” Late Bloom looked at Statice with tears in her eyes. “Out of respect for you, I didn’t pry into your past and I treated you with the same enthusiasm as any of my other foals.” “I kind of noticed that,” Statice winced as he remembered her overenthusiastic nature ruining his secret. “I never realized the real extent of your hardships until you came today covered in bruises after facing some low-life thug,” Late Bloom summoned some tissues from out of nowhere to wipe the tears from her eyes. I hope you’re proud of yourself. You made a bunch of kids happy, but you made your teacher cry. “Come on, teacher,” Statice put a hoof on her shoulder. “You don’t have to blame yourself for what happened to me. I chose that fight.” “Sorry,” she laughed bitterly. “It’s just that you remind me of myself when I was younger.” “What did you say?” Statice asked, visually shocked even as Saffron came back and served them their meals. As a display of courtesy, she spoon fed him to return him to his senses. “I used to study in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns,” Late Bloom reminisced as she closed her eyes and let her memories flood, unaware of the green unicorn frowning at her because, unlike her, he couldn’t see her memories. “I was told in Magic Kindergarten that I had what it took to be a student, but with each year I had more difficulty with each class.” Oh great, she got lost in her flashback. I can see her gesturing the characters and acting them out with her head. Is she humming a musical? I hate this place so much. “Eventually, I quit the School for Gifted Unicorns when I was unable to keep up with struggling with my studies any longer,” Late Bloom continued as she snapped out of her trance. “I thought of myself as a talentless loser until I helped the Royal Guard catch a thief that had knocked down my aging father to the ground while he was making his escape.” “You captured a thief?” Statice asked disbelievingly. Although he could believe that anypony could help the Royal Guard to catch a criminal given how out of practice they looked like, it seemed a little surprising that a teacher like Late Bloom was among those who could accomplish such feat. “I did,” she nodded her head. “After that, I returned to the school with help of one of my teachers and finished my education. I chose to become a teacher at Magic Kindergarten after that.” “Why would you want to teach Magic Kindergarten?” Statice asked, not understanding why the nadir of the educational system of Canterlot had to offer for her when she helped take down a notorious criminal. “Because Magic Kindergarten is where my magical career began,” Late Bloom smiled wistfully. “It was there where my teachers suggested that I be sent to the School for Gifted Unicorns. Furthermore, you can say that it’s a testing ground to determine which ponies are ready for the more grueling tests of the institution.” “That explains the potion experiments,” Statice recalled how the potions were a little too much in teaching young foals, something that he thought should only be reserved to older students given how potions could be abused by minors if not used cautiously. “And the extra hard coloring books to test levitation control,” Late Bloom added with a wink, surprising the green unicorn. “And if you pay enough attention to the students, you notice which ones are ready for the next level. Sweet Dreams and Sunlight Sunray are kind of going with you at the School of Gifted Unicorns, perhaps in a few weeks after you based on their progress. “Is that so?” Statice asked with a raised eyebrow. “Sunlight Sunray is very passionate and hardworking so she’s obviously going to make it to the school, Late Bloom explained. “As for Sweet Dreams, I can see that he’s a prodigy that’s smarter and way ahead of the school’s material, hence why he’s napping a lot of his time in class.”  “We’re getting distracted from the subject at hoof,” Statice turned his head away from her. “I’d like to discuss about the possibility of skipping grades.” “You may,” Late Bloom nodded her head.  “I’ve noticed you completed the potions workbook. And you seem to know all of the spells that a foal in Magic Kindergarten should know. All you have to do is take the test and that’s it.” “Thank you, Miss Late Bloom,” Statice took a spoonful of curry and rice, enjoying the flavor of spices. It was a good dish. “It’s kind of a shame that I got to behave like a true teacher to you when you’re about to leave,” Late Bloom sighed as she looked at her plate, still steaming but getting colder with each second. “Better late than never,” Statice reassured her as he levitated a spoonful of food to her and brought it to her mouth. The gesture brought tears to her eyes because of the gesture. Such a nice kid…no stallion he is. “By the way, may I ask how were you injured, Statice?” Late Bloom asked with a concerned tone of voice, giving him a scolding stare that told him she didn’t believe the story he gave earlier. “I’m sure what you told the children back there was not entirely true based on the tone you used. It’s the same storyteller tone of voice I used when I tell them their nap story.” You sneaky vixen…no, I might as well tell her the truth. She earned it. “Somepony picked a fight with me after the party,” Statice bluntly answered, hoping that’d be enough for her to let the topic go. “Why would they do that?” she asked with a horrified expression. “I’m not sure,” Statice replied with an exasperated tone as he took a spoonful of rice with curry, mainly because she kept pressing on. “Maybe it’s because they were jerks or something else.” “Was it because of me?” she turned her head away from him, only maintaining visual contact with one eye. “What makes you say that?” Statice reluctantly continued the conversation, knowing that she was edging closer to the truth. “I made a scene when I gave you the grade, Statice,” Late Bloom lamented angrily as she stared down at her plate. “I wouldn’t be surprised if everypony heard. I wouldn’t be shocked if somepony teased you about it. And I wouldn’t blame you if you got mad and retaliated with physical violence as much as I disapproved of it.” Statice grimaced at her deductive skills and at how she looked like she was ready to cry with each word she was speaking. Teacher, detective, and crying mare…Late Bloom was a bad combination on his plate. “You had nothing to do with what happened to me,” Statice comforted Late Bloom as he put a hoof on her shoulder. “I didn’t,” she sniffled. “No,” he shook his head. “My opponent and I had bad blood between each other for a long time. The fight was destined to happen at some point or another. We just happened to find each other back at the party.” “Really?” she asked hopefully. “Really,” he smiled comfortingly. “Now, what do you think if we finish our dinner and go back home? It’s been a long day.” “That sounds lovely,” Late Bloom replied, finally feeling good about herself. Even though Statice was smiling with the same expression, inside he was feeling like the biggest scum there was in Equestria.   I never thought getting into a fight was going to disappoint or worry so many ponies that cared about me. His mind wandered around Rarity, who was looking forward to spending time with him and Rainbow Dash and was then disappointed to find out they had been fighting. He remembered how Discord had changed from goofy friend to the equivalent of a disappointed father when he lectured both of him and Rainbow Dash on how savagely they had fought each other. Then there was the scolding he received from Celestia and Luna, who both reprimanded him for taking such a huge step backwards on his rehabilitation by resorting to violence when he could have easily told them that Rainbow Dash was taunting him over his predicament. They told him that they were going to let him leave Canterlot as long as Discord was supervising and any Element Bearer had him as an escort due to how well Rarity and Fluttershy had spoken about him, but he was going to lose that reward because he was still resorting to violence to solve his problems. Now he remembered his class, all of those foals worried about him. He was forced to lie to them and act like a hero when he and Rainbow Dash acted no different than two school delinquents. Then there was Late Bloom, she was a little bit responsible for the fight as she pretty much caused Rainbow Dash to know about him studying at Magic Kindergarten. While she figured out the truth on her own and felt guilty over her role in causing the fight, Statice lied to protect her. However, he wasn’t feeling ashamed about lying so that she could avoid the heartbreak of getting her student hurt. He was ashamed of getting himself hurt by having fought in the first place. I wish I could take it all back. I wish I could just forget all about it. I just can’t. Rainbow Dash hates me. I just can’t live in peace around a pony that hates me. I need to be on guard. Even with her promising to be better I just can’t forget about it. If only I could forget…forget…delete. Outside of the castle, at the courtyard, a green unicorn stood still to look at the moon. His eyes were devoid of emotion as his horn lighted with magic. The Archive opened in not one screen or two screens, but many different screens that surrounded him, each showing different memories. Some screens showed the party with the Wonderbolts on which Rainbow Dash insulted him. Others showed his talk with Rarity on which she discussed with him about Rainbow Dash and revealed her primal hatred for him that caused him to act extra hard on the fight. Finally, the fight itself which showed Statice and Rainbow Dash doing the best they could to hurt each other as much as possible. A final screen showed in front of Statice, which displayed a list of spells in front of him. The list was divided in two. One list was made for the spells he learned from books and other ponies, such as Digitalis and few other unicorns that tried to teach him magic but were unable to do it because they were not fully trained in the art. The second list contained all of Statice’s unique spells that he created over the years. Among them, there was one that was only labeled with several question marks. For some reason, that spell was blinking repeatedly. “Ghostly Memory Spell,” Statice intoned emptily as his eyes turned green with magic. All of the question marks in the list disappeared as the name of the spell finally was written in the list. The magic around Statice’s horn captured all of the memories shown on the screen, collecting them into a green glass sphere of energy, which then kept getting bigger as more memories kept showing. This time around the memories showed Statice getting scolded over his fight by Rarity, Celestia, Luna, and Discord. Then it showed memories of him having to lie to the foals of his class and then to Late Bloom to protect him of the truth behind his injuries. The final memory to enter into the magical sphere was of Statice unconsciously using the spell on himself. Once all of the memories were absorbed, Statice raised the sphere above his head and slammed it to the ground, releasing the memories as some sort of ghostly vapor that was scattered into the wind. The only screen that remained was the list of spells that promptly switched the name of the Ghostly Memory Spell back to question marks as soon as the spell was finished. Afterwards, the screen was absorbed into Statice’s horn and the green unicorn was left standing into the courtyard. “What the heck am I doing here?” Statice asked himself as he stared around the place, not remembering why he was there. “And why does my breath smells like curry when I haven’t had dinner yet?” Try to remember, Statice. What’s the most recent thing that happened? He closed his eyes and tried to think, but he only got a headache instead. “Ow, my head,” he rubbed his skull and noticed that his body was alright. I could have sworn that I remembered something different with my body. What the heck happened at that Wonderbolt party anyway? “Is that you, Statice?” Statice turned around to see Princess Luna calling. She looked a little bit sterner than usual, although he couldn’t figure out why. “Yes, it’s me,” he lifted a hoof in greeting, albeit tiredly. “I had a tiring day. I can’t remember much about what I did today, but I can’t promise you that I’m graduating soon from Magic Kindergarten.” “I’m surprised you talk so freely to me after what you did a few moments earlier,” Luna glared at him. “What did I do?” Statice frowned. Luna was about to respond, but then paused. What did he do indeed? It was something important. Something that made me, Celestia, and even Discord mad! OH, I was about to call him out on it, but then I forgot about it! “Never mind what you did!” Luna huffed with a raised head. “Despite your early transgressions, Celestia made dinner for you as a celebration for your upcoming graduation.” “A dinner personally made by Princess Celestia herself sounds like a dream come true for any stallion in Equestria,” Statice smirked despite the headache that was still persisting inside his skull. “Before you go,” Luna stopped him with a raised hoof. “Can you make me a promise, Statice?” “Sure,” Statice looked at the blue alicorn. “What would you like me to do?” “I’d like to have another dream session with you,” Luna lowered her head to look at Statice in the eye. “What do you say?”