The ponies of Class 794 awoke to an unholy noise in the form of bells. Loud brass bells being banged at a constant rate.
Red Chief groaned and rolled out of bed. Literally. There was a muffled thud and then a yelp.
Optimal got up without making a single noise, his cloak still on, and it didn't even look wrinkled.
Moonlit Petals jumped out of bed with a large grin, the blankets floated down back on her bed.
Def Stance snapped upwards, his eyes bloodshot and a hoof already in a salute.
Twilight 'Twinkle' was up way before the bells started ringing, reading a book.
"GET UP YA MAGGOTS!" Every door shook as a loud gruff voice stalked the halls. "IT'S TIME FOR ORIENTATION! QUEEN NIGHTMARE MOON DOES NOT CARE FOR SLACKERS!"
It didn't take long before everypony was out of their beds, dressed, combed, showered, and preened. The dormmates stood shoulder to shoulder in front of their respective doors. Each student wore the school uniform, showing their status as a first year. They wore green jackets with several pockets, it was sturdy and weathered. Second years wore blue ones, brighter and more well kept.
"Right. Now that you hauled your puny butts out here, it's time to get acquainted. My name is Major Guard, do well to remember that. My face will the first thing you see every morning and it will be the last thing you see every night. YOU GOT THAT?"
"YESSIR." Came the resounding response.
High above, hiding within the ceiling, the Spook glided amongst the rocks and pipes, giggling to himself. He enjoyed first days as much as he hated them. The first day was where the first years squirmed in place, but it was also where the first years started to get lost and cry. It has its pros and cons.
"GOOD! Now, let's git. Queen Nightmare Moon is waiting for us." And with that, Major Guard trotted off, prompting the rest of the class to scramble after him.
Red was stuck in the middle of the group and it was unpleasant to say the least. But from his position, he could still see the Major. He was a giant, a towering gray-blue stallion of pure muscle. Even his silver mane and tail seemed intimidating. He also seemed to walk with a bit of a swagger, like he was enjoying himself. Red wouldn't put it past him, but he wasn't his attention at the moment. His focus was on the hallway and where they were headed.
Since Red was new and since he wanted to succeed, knowing how to get around was crucial. Sooner or later he would need to explore and chart the pathways. As he looked on, the group passed several tunnels that went to libraries, ballrooms, sparring rooms, swimming pools, recreational rooms which was empty, many classrooms, and even a snake pit. That last one made Red shiver a little. He's never liked snakes.
His observations were interrupted by a somewhat loud voice. A beautiful mare, but certainly not his type, was talking with another mare. "So what did you think of you dormmate? Mine's terrible, he drools in his sleep."
The comments made him think of his own dormmate, Optimal. What a curious name for a pony and his whole mysterious vibe, it would drive him mad if he was a curious pony, thank goodness he wasn't. Despite that, he still was curious. Why did he sleep with his cloak on, why does he barely talk, what was he doing in the middle of the night? That last one was valid because when Red got up to go to the bathroom, Optimal was sitting up and staring into nothing. Red didn't dare to do anything to him. In fact, the only reason he knew his name was because of roll call earlier from Major Guard.
"We've made it." The Major announced and Red looked up from his musings. He cursed once he realized he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings. Now he has no idea how to get back!
While Red Chief was muttering to himself and cursing his inability, Moonlit Petals was hopping around near the front of the group, making remarks on every little detail. The ponies around her weren't all that amused. Her attention flicked from an empty bowling alley much to her disappointment to a grand and packed training hall to a transdimensional portal that went who knows where. Each sight filled her with such excitedness, it was a miracle she wasn't bouncing. Oh wait...she was.
"Yo, crazy mare! Could you keep it down? I'm trying to hear what the Major is trying to say." Moony paused with her antics and turned around to look at the speaker. The stallion was of huge shoulders and stocky build, he had a cocky grin and self-assured stance. But behind his eyes, Moony knew, he had no idea what he was doing and was a little frightened.
"Oop, sorry. Just excited." She giggled, but this time toned it down a bit.
"Oh...yeah." The stallion dropped some of his facade and rubbed a hoof behind his head. "Me too." He confessed with a little smile. "I'm Heartshot from the Shot clan."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Moonlight Petals, but everypony calls me Moony!" The two bumped hooves with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
"So, what do you think of the school so far? I'll admit..." Heartshot looked around a little before leaning in a bit. "I'm a bit scared. I've never done something like this."
"Aw, don't worry. None of us has either, it will be a new experience for all of us!" Moony smiled encouragingly.
"Heh, thanks. That's nice to hear."
"We've made it." Came the Major's announcement, sending the students into slight shock. Their destination turned out to be a pair of heavy doors which opened without a sound. Behind the doors was a large room shaped like an amphitheater. Major Guard then told the students to file in and take a seat.
Moony took off and bounced around looking for the most optimal seating. It didn't take long before she found one that just felt...right. She plopped down, satisfied with her choice. She was then pleasantly surprised to see Heartshot sit down next to her.
"Hey, I hope you don't mind me sitting here." He asked with a sheepish grin. Guess all that bravado disappeared. Moony merely smiled and nodded. "Thanks."
On the other side of the room, sitting near the wall, was a frustrated Deft Stance. His night was absolutely terrible due to sleeping in an unknown bed and not to mention, his dormmate was an absolute nuisance! That Moonlit or whatever she calls herself bounced around the room checking everything for a near 30 minutes. Then she kept on asking pointless questions for another half an hour. Deft was worn and tired.
He followed the Major diligently, ignoring his fatigue. He paid attention to where he was and who he was with, keeping his eyes open. He sat down and waited patiently, pinching himself occasionally. He was better than this, Nightmare dammit. His Matriarch did this one night too and he passed the test with flying colors, why he even went a full three days without sleep, why was he having a hard time with this!
Through his grumblings, he nearly missed the first half of the speech. He also definitely did not notice the random stallion who sat next to him.
"Welcome to Queen Nightmare Moon's Academy of Heroes or QNMAH for short." The speaker was a new pony, a mare. She was very pretty, a nice cerise coat that clashed well with her maroon mane and tail. Her violet eyes held a lot of emotion and seemed to bore deep within Deft's soul. After staring at her for a while, he quickly shook himself out to hear her say, "...ime to go meet your teachers and class leaders. Knights will go with Sir Lance. Loremasters with Professor Sunburst. Alchemists goes with Wick Flame. Bards will be directed to Señor Queso. Skirmishers will be going with me, Madame Scarlet Flame. Wizards will be headed by Queen Nightmare Moon herself. Priests will be at an entirely different campus, run by Head Priest Radiance. And finally, the hardest job out there, the Merchant. This program is run by Watcher. If you have any question, you can ask Major Guard. Dismissed."
Deft Stance came from a family of Knights, so the only logical step was to go to where Sir Lance was standing. The stallion was large and regal in every sense of the word. He had a blinding white coat, a rarity in a world like this, and a smoky gray mane and tail. His face was covered in a Knight helmet, but his cutie mark was visible, depicting a lance.
It took a while before everypony could make it to the Knight section. From the 70+ students who enrolled into Class 749, about 14 of them decided to become Knights. Deft Stance glanced around, taking note of each and every one, determined to become the best Knight this school will ever know.
Near the front of the room, Twilight 'Twinkle' was making her way to Queen Nightmare Moon, wanting to become a full fledged Wizard despite already completing the course three times now. But before she could officially join the group, the Queen gave her a single look and then another one behind her. Although disappointed, Twilight knew what her Queen wanted. She couldn't disobey her regent so she turned around and marched to the Skirmisher group.
She's never tried this course nor did she ever feel the need to understand who or what a Skirmisher was. She supposed that this year was her chance. Twilight's strength lied in her ability to cast spells and think quickly on the spot, not maneuverability, but if the Queen wanted her to learn than with Nightmare as her witness, she would excel at this.
Madame Scarlet Flame was a mare to look at, even Twilight had to admit that, and she was straight as the night was long. The entire time she had this blasé attitude complete with a lazy grin, but what the secret agent noticed was her eyes. Madame's eyes were constantly flicking from right to left, taking in everything. That made Twilight trust her that much more, perhaps her Queen was onto something here.
When everypony was finally done with their choosings, the Skirmisher group ended up with 14, the same amount as the Knights, Twilight noticed. However, whereas the Knights were stocky, the Skirmishers more had the athletic, agile body type. Herself included.
Optimal had been in the back the entire time, looking on from his perch as it were. He knew from the very beginning which class he was going to choose and thus wasn't paying much attention to what the Madame was saying. When all was said and done, the cloaked stallion made his way to Queen Nightmare Moon without sparing another pony a glance. From the corner of his eye and cloak, he noticed the Queen stiffen slightly. That made him smile a little that lasted barely a second.
"So, Heartshot, whatchya thinking?" Moony hovered behind the indecisive stallion, a small smirk playing on her lips.
"I don't knooooow." The poor colt was glancing at every group, filling up by the second, and groaning every time a pony took their spot. It was amusing and pitying at the same time.
"Well, what do you like?" Guess it was time for Moony to play 'friend.'
"Well, I really like reading, I'm good at shooting, I'm decent with an instrument, and I'm great at memorizing stuff, and..."
"Ohhhh...I see now." Moony interrupted with a thoughtful hmmm. "You said your clan is the Shot clan, right? Why not become a Skirmisher."
"That's what my momma wants me to do, but I don't think I'll be good at it." He fretted, still glancing fearfully between all the options.
"You never know until you try!" Moony said cheerfully before adding, "well, I wish you all the luck the moon can give, I have to choose too, you know. Byeeeeee."
Heartshot glanced at her fearfully before looking like he had come to a decision. He took a step towards the Skirmishers, then one in her direction, then two that way, a small hesitation, then fully committing himself to becoming a Skirmisher. Moony grinned, good for him. Now for her.
She decided long ago that she would become a Merchant. Merchants seem like fun and they get to meet all different kinds of ponies, her kind of job. So with a wide smile and a bounce in her step, she made her way to Watcher, a gray and weathered stallion, but he had that certain look to him. Moony liked him already.
Red Chief stood in the middle, unsure where to go. He saw many ponies make their decisions without much thought, then he saw ponies who looked like him, confused and hesitant. Red knew of the many classes and their downsides and upsides, but none of them were definitive enough to allow him to eliminate any of them. It was frustrating!
He decided on a tried and true method, one carried on throughout the many years by the Apple clan. Spin around with your eyes closed and stop. He did that exactly, making sure to spin around three times, as that was his lucky number, before finally coming to a stop. His eyes open to see himself staring at the Alchemists. He shrugged, deciding there was no reason not to, he stood beside them.
Wick Flame, leader, looked very professional with his nicely cleaned suit and tie and groomed mane and tail. He even smelled of moon lotuses. But his face told an entirely different story. The way his eyes glimmered showed his amusement in all of this and the way his lips kept twitching made Red think that he was so close to losing it, but barely keeping it together. Perhaps he'll like this after all.