The Odyssey
he smell of chalk dust and old books filled the theory classroom, as always, but the air of nervous tension was a new experience. The normally chatty students all sat at silent attention under the stern gaze of Missus Primrose. A few of the other students around me quietly pored over their notes, making me realize just how little I had prepared for this test. Never mind the applied magic test, would I even be able to pass this one?
The hand on the clock at the back of the room ticked over – facing forwards, I couldn't see it, but in this tense silence, it was the loudest sound in the room.
Missus Primrose must have been waiting for that little tick, because as soon as it passed, she stood up, levitating a stack of papers. “Good afternoon, class. Is everypony present and ready for the final theory exam?”
Everypony had been here and ready for at least five minutes now, but apparently starting early wasn't Missus Primrose's style. The classroom simply remained quiet.
“Good.” The magical glow around her horn flared, and the floating test sheets all separated, one thin stack flying over to each student's desk. “You are not to begin until I instruct you to do so, and at that time you will be given precisely one and one half hour to complete your test.” She scowled at the class over the rims of her glasses, and I felt her gaze boring into me in particular. “Any appearance of copying from a classmate's paper, any talking between students, any leaving the room will constitute a failure, and you will be required to retake the entire course. Is that clear?”
A halfhearted chorus of “Yes ma'am” came in return.
“Good.” She turned and paced back to her desk at the front of the room. “If you have any questions regarding the test, you may ask for my assistance by raising your hoof. On no occasion shall you request assistance verbally.” She paused, looking up at the clock in the back. “You may begin... now.”
Instantly, the room filled with the fluttering sound of dozens of young unicorns flipping over the first page of dozens of identical test packages.
I opened my own and began working, penciling in answers to the scratchy sound of dozens of other students doing the same. To my relief, I found that the questions weren't that hard, and I knew most of them... enough to pass the test anyway... probably. I winced as I came up to an especially tricky question about field interactions. Shrugging, I put down 'unaligned'. I might still get lucky, right?
A motion ahead to my left distracted me for a moment. It was River, leaning back and making faces at me.
I shook my head in disdain and turned back to my test, only to have my attention snagged by something else on my right.
Ruby Shine stuck his tongue out at me before moving on to obscenely exaggerated kissing motions. He broke out into a large grin when he saw the scowl on my face.
Stifling the urge to growl, I buried myself in the test, using the archetype identifications and spell symbology to isolate myself from the pain and betrayal of those memories. I was a different filly now – I had changed and grown since that happened. So why did it still hurt so much?
“Pencils down, everypony. Your time is up.”
Begrudgingly, I dropped my pencil to the desk as soon as I heard Missus Primrose's announcement.
I sighed as I stacked my test papers up, looking wistfully at those last three test questions I couldn't find time for. A few moans coming from around the classroom told me I wasn't the only one with some of the test left undone.
“Now, please, ensure that your name is on your papers and pass them forward.” As the shuffling papers made their way to the front, Missus Primrose continued, “After you are dismissed, you will have two hours until the dinner bell. During this time, you will return to your rooms. It is recommended that you use this time to review what you have learned and rest in preparation for the magic skill test tomorrow.”
River took the opportunity to turn around and make faces again, pinning her ears back and crossing her eyes at me.
The mailmare back home had eyes like that, and I actually really liked her, so to see River using them to taunt me struck a nerve. That was just too much. I scowled back at her, sticking my tongue out. It wasn't much, but it was all I could do at the moment to get back at–
“Scootaloo Songwing!” Hearing my name in Missus Primrose's terse voice froze me instantly. “Why are you disrupting my class?”
“I, uh...” Curse River Star for goading me into stooping to her level! “Well...”
“You will desist immediately, or I will be forced to take disciplinary action. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes ma'am,” I hurriedly replied, sitting straight up in my seat and doing my best impression of a perfect student.
“Now then,” Missus Primrose said, still glowering at me, “as I was trying to say, I wish you all good fortune in your future lives once you graduate from our school. Now, if there are no further questions...” She slowly panned her gaze across the room. “You may be dismissed.”
The quiet, rigidly disciplined classroom exploded into a cacophony of rambunctious unicorns. After sitting still for so long, everypony craved a little activity, myself included.
I hopped up from my seat, grabbing the bag of carrots from underneath it. Thankfully, nopony had questioned the slight smell wafting up from it yet.
A sharp impact from my left almost made me drop the bag. I looked up to see an unapologetic sneer from River.
“Hurry up, slowpoke, you've got work to do.” She walked off, flicking her tail into my face. “Don't be late, or you'll regret it.”
I sighed and shook my head, but it didn't bother me as much as it used to. This was all nearly over, after all. “Yeah, whatever,” I called back as she left the room. I doubted that she could have heard me over the chatter of the emptying classroom, though.
I followed along with the flow of students down the hall, up the stairs, and to the door of my room. I hesitated there, bag of carrots still clutched in my mouth – I could already hear River yelling at Whisper, even through the closed door. I stood there a moment, entertaining a quick fantasy of not going in there at all, but I soon swallowed that faint hope. Where else would I go, after all?
With a halfhearted shrug, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Whisper noticed me first, looking up from her spot on the floor to give me a wan smile before going back to scrubbing the floorboards with a little yellow sponge.
“Why did you just stop? Did I say you could stop?” River apparently hadn't noticed me coming in. She leaned down close to Whisper, right down into the submissive little filly's ear. “Well?”
Whisper didn't make even the slightest sound in answer, but she did glance up at me again.
This time, River caught it. She followed Whisper's eyes right up to me. “Oh, there you are! And where have you been, Chicken? I thought I told you not to be late!”
“I'm not late.” It was true; the bell announcing that everypony had to be in their rooms wouldn't ring for a few more minutes.
“If I get here before you,” she spat, stalking towards me, “then you're late.”
“What? Since when?”
“Since I said so!” River pushed her face right up into mine, leaving me to fight a strong urge to back away. “Where have you been?”
I decided to mess with her a little, just to see how gullible she was. “I've been here the whole time.”
“Just how stupid do you think I am?” she growled into my face. “I need this place spotless for the exit inspection, and you're playing stupid games with me?”
I should have known that wouldn't work. “River, you can–”
“I told you that you'd regret it, and you will!” She wormed her way around me, dropping a frigid whisper into my ear, “I think I'll give you a nice little surprise during your magic test – one you'll never forget.”
This time, I did recoil away. “What's that supposed to mean?”
A cold smile spread across her face, never reaching her eyes. “You'll see.”
Shaking off River's threat, I picked up my paper bag and tossed it onto my bed. I needed some time to relax and recover. Although they were duller than before, the aches I earned through my overload still plagued me. With a grimace, I opened the bag and tossed the first few carrot pieces into my mouth. The sickeningly sweet and bitter crunch washed over me. Why did it have to be carrots that were good for recovering from burnout? Why couldn't it be something I liked?
“And just what do you think you're doing now?” As much as I wanted to ignore her, River's outburst from right behind me sent a shiver up between my wings.
Enough was enough. “River, I'm almost done here, and I already know you're going to do everything you can to me. I'm not putting up with your demands anymore. Shout all you want.”
The lack of any answering outburst was actually disturbing. After a moment of silence, River just shrugged her shoulders. “Oh well, I guess the Worm will just have to do it all by herself, since you're too lazy to help her.” She stepped away from me, returning to the blue filly on the floor. “Faster, Worm! It needs to be spotless by morning!”
“But I–”
“And no more of your excuses! You don't need time to study – nopony cares if you pass or not.”
Whisper looked up at me sitting on my bed. The way her lips twitched and her eyes opened wide told me all about her despair, but a tiny glimmer in those eyes hinted at just one last little scrap of hope, entirely focused on me.
Even though I would be giving in to a bully, and even though I knew River was using Whisper to manipulate me, I couldn't bring myself to let that last little grain of hope die. With a sigh, I gave in. “Okay, I'll help her, but I'm doing it for her, River, not for you!”
It would have been impossible for River's expression to be any more smug. “Good. That's what I thought.” Another wet sponge flew towards me in River's violet magical glow. “Now get to work!”
I just barely managed to catch the soapy missile before it splatted into my face. Begrudgingly, I rose out of bed and made my way over to Whisper, ignoring the ongoing complaints from my aching limbs.
“There,” River cooed sweetly, “isn't that better?” She swaggered up to my bed and tossed my bag of carrots onto the floor, scattering pieces everywhere. “Oh–” she winked at me “–and do be sure to get it all cleaned up properly. They'll fail us all if it's too messy.”
I just sighed and glanced at Whisper.
Still scrubbing away at the floor, Whisper looked back at me. A forlorn smile brushed across her face for a moment, leading me to realize just how much what I did meant to her, and in that moment, I knew that despite everything, we still had each other. It might not have been much, but it meant a lot.
“Get up!”
I felt myself flying through the air, as I often did in my dreams. Flying dreams usually didn't turn into falling dreams, though, and what was with the–
With a dry, all-too-real thud, I slammed into the hard floorboards of my room. I found myself lying face down on the floor, blankets still wrapped around me, and both of my right legs sore from the impact.
Shaking my head clear, I spun around and looked to see what happened just in time to spot the violet glow fade from River Star's horn. I whipped off my blankets and shouted at her, “Hey! What was that for?”
River's horn lit up again, and with a quiet, high-pitched squeal, Whisper came flying out of her bunk, too. Her wail cut off sharply as she hit the floor.
“You two are going to need extra time to get my clothes ready for today. It's the big final exam, after all.”
I glanced to our little window, spotting the glow from the moon still high in the sky. “But it's way too early. We won't need to wake up for hours.”
“I know.” It was too dark to see her face clearly, but I could hear the smugness in her voice. “Like I said, you're going to need extra time.” She rolled over in her bed, facing away from us. “And don't make a racket while you're doing it. I need to make sure I'm well rested.”
I groaned. Between staying up late to clean last night and getting up early today, I'd only managed to get a couple hours of sleep at most. “You're not the only one who needs sleep,” I complained.
River shot upright in her bed. “You are so going to get it during the magic test! I've had it with your back talking. Get to work or I'll have to punish you right now!” Her horn began to glow, and even though my magic had improved lately, I still knew I couldn't win a fight.
With a smoldering glare that River might or might not have seen in the dark, I turned and headed for the shelves.
River gave a satisfied-sounding “Hmph” and laid back down in bed, again facing away from us.
I just had to keep reminding myself that I wouldn't have to see her ever again after today and that it all would be over soon. That way, I might have a chance of making it through without snapping completely.
I stood on the rough cobbles of the courtyard as stoically as I could, ignoring both my still-present aches and River's occasional whispered barbs. What I couldn't ignore, though, was the hollow pit in my chest – the nervous twinge brought on by the little voice inside of me that relentlessly told me how I was about to fail miserably in front of everypony. I knew I wasn't fully recovered from my overexertion. What was I thinking, trying to take a magic test now? I fought to keep myself steady standing in line, and I fought to keep myself breathing. It was all I could manage, just to do that.
A whistle shrieked out over the courtyard, and all the babbling from the alphabetically lined-up students stopped. The Headmaster lowered his whistle, stepping out into the bright courtyard. “My young fillies and colts,” he pronounced as he walked, his voice carrying easily in the sudden, still silence, “today is the day you have been training for since you arrived. Today is the day your skills will be put to the test.” Arriving at the desk in the center of the courtyard, he took his seat between the two teachers. “But don't worry. I'm certain that every unicorn here”– I could swear he gave me in particular a dirty look –“is capable of showing their talents and potential to the whole school and earning the right to a continuing education in the ways of magic.
“The test itself is quite simple, as Miss Honeydown will now demonstrate.” He gestured toward the exercise teacher, and she rose up with a bow. “First, you will proceed to the levitation table. On the table are three wooden cubes. You will be expected to magically levitate at least two of these cubes simultaneously.” He nodded toward Miss Honeydown. “If you would, please.”
Without the slightest sign of effort, she held all three cubes off of the table for a moment.
“Thank you, Miss Honeydown,” the Headmaster said softly, before continuing in his grand address voice, “The second portion of your test will also be a test of a basic magical skill. You will demonstrate your ability to perform a light spell. A passing score will be given if your light is discernible in full daylight.”
He nodded again, and Miss Honeydown immediately shot a bolt of light from her horn, making the courtyard even brighter. She slowly toned it down, though, until it could barely be seen in the bright sunlight. She held the faint glow for a few moments before extinguishing it entirely.
“Thank you. The final portion of the test will be a display of your particular special talent. If you require any materials or assistance for this demonstration, please inform me first.”
As he spoke, Miss Honeydown walked up to the desk and whispered something to him.
“Because Miss Honeydown's special talent is creating a magical containment shield, she asked that I demonstrate her shield's effectiveness by attempting to pass magic through it.” He rose up from his chair, preparing what I now recognized as a standard magic-casting stance. “Miss Honeydown, you may begin.”
Her horn glowed brightly, and soon, a barely discernible bubble encapsulated both her and the Headmaster.
After a moment, the Headmaster's horn developed an answering glow, and he shot a bright yellow bolt of lightning toward the empty schoolhouse. The lightning didn't get far before splashing against an invisible barrier and rippling around the bubble Miss Honeydown created.
As the last ripples of magical energy around the barrier dissipated, Miss Honeydown dropped her spell and returned to her seat at the desk.
“I am able to provide a magically equivalent simulacrum of any object of force you need for your demonstration, so don't worry about not having the proper materials available to work with. That is my special talent.” The headmaster returned to his own seat before continuing, “After you complete your test, you will present yourself in front of this desk to receive your grade. Good luck, everypony.” He stopped for a moment, leaving the courtyard unnaturally quiet as he shuffled a few papers around on the desk in front of him. Looking up again, he called out, “Abiding Light, you will be the first student of the day for testing. Please come forward and begin your test.”
Hesitantly, the white-maned colt at the head of the line stepped up to the table with the wooden blocks.
As the brightly colored unicorn worked his way through the stages of the magic test, I tried to calm my breathing and focus on what mattered. All I had to do was those three simple tasks, then I could graduate from this awful place and get back to where I belonged, with my friends. I wished I had some friends to rely on here – oh, what I wouldn't give to have my fellow crusaders at my back – but even Whisper couldn't be here with me, since the line was arranged alphabetically. Unfortunately, that did mean that River would be right next to me the whole time.
“Just you wait, Chicken. I've got a special surprise ready for your turn,” River whispered so close to my ear I could feel the slight breath of it against my fur. “I can't wait to watch you crash and burn in front of everypony.”
I tried to block her out of my mind as well as I could. I tried focusing on the colt in the middle of the courtyard going through his talent demonstration – he used his special talent to hold a magical light steady despite all the Headmaster's attempts to snuff it out... just like River was sure to try and snuff out my spells. I groaned. There was just no way to keep my mind off it. I could imagine my friends there cheering me on – my fellow crusaders Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom; I could even imagine Rainbow Dash herself there cheering for me... but what if my magical exhaustion kept me from even doing the simplest spells? What would Rainbow think then?
I shook my head violently. Why couldn't I keep my mind off of it? Why did I have to keep going over and over the ways I might fail? As more and more students passed through the tests, my worries just wrapped around me tighter and tighter. There was no way I could–
“The next student will be Night Whisper. Please step forward and begin your test.”
I looked up in surprise, hearing that my only friend here was about to go. I had grown so used to thinking of her as 'Whisper', I had forgotten that her full name of 'Night Whisper' meant that she'd be going before me.
Head low and ears pinned back, Whisper approached the levitation test table. For once, I couldn't blame her for being shy or nervous. I could only imagine what it would feel like to have everypony watching you, expecting you to perform. I dreaded my own turn in the spotlight.
Once she arrived at the table, Whisper's horn lit, and two of the blocks lifted effortlessly. I was sure Whisper could have done all three... What was holding her back?
Cringing at all the ponies watching her, Whisper stepped forward and prepared to take the light-making test. I had total confidence in her, even if she didn't look very confident in herself. Though she ducked away from the judges and seemed to be doing her best to hide it, the light from her horn shone brightly, more than bright enough to pass the test.
As she let the light from her horn fade, she cringed even more, as if ashamed of her success. Making her little blue form look as small as she could, she haltingly made her way up to the judge's table.
There was no way I could hear what Whisper said to the Headmaster, but I could see his slow nod in return. As she hurriedly retreated to the talent-testing circle, he began casting some kind of spell. A thin beam of white light shot out from his horn, over Whisper's place in the circle, and over the line of students waiting for their own tests.
Whisper's own horn began to glow, and the air above her distorted strangely. As the Headmaster's beam of light passed through the distorted area, it changed its angle and split into a brilliant, ever-widening rainbow.
My jaw dropped at the display, and some of the lined-up students even stomped their hooves in applause.
Whisper wasn't done yet, though. Another distorted patch of air formed in the rainbow's path, reflecting it back into the sky and spreading it out even more, until it filled half the sky.
The applause from the assembled students grew, and I even spotted Missus Primrose joining in before Whisper canceled out her spell and allowed the Headmaster's light to return to a simple beam.
The Headmaster's nod indicating a passing grade came as a surprise to nopony. Despite his approval and the crowd's applause, though, Whisper still cringed low, blushing furiously as she tried to get back to her place in the line with as little notice as possible.
I joined in the applause wholeheartedly, hoping to boost her spirits, but of course, she still crept back to the line as if she was a scolded puppy. Unsurprisingly, River's hooves stood silent the entire time.
As soon as Whisper made it back to the line, the Headmaster cleared his throat loudly, and his stern glare put a sudden stop to the outburst of enthusiasm. “North Wind, please come forward and begin your test,” he called out, letting his disapproval at the outburst of applause drip from his voice.
A pale blue filly with a flowing mane trotted out from the line, looking far more confident than anypony had a right to be in her situation.
As she worked her way through the steps of the test, my thoughts wandered to my own imminent test. I hadn't been able to do any magic since I overworked myself teleporting. I hadn't tried much, of course, but only because I knew that trying to use magic before I recovered would only worsen my condition. Unfortunately, though, that meant I would have no idea whether I'd pass or fail until I went out there and tried. Even if I was ready to test my magic, I wouldn't dare break the no-magic-without-permission rule right in front of all my teachers.
I shivered, despite the warm sun baking the courtyard around me. If I failed, would Twilight and Cheerilee make me come back and go through it all again, or would they just give up on me and write me off as a perpetual disappointment? How could I face them when I came home as a failure? I briefly imagined trying to talk to Rainbow Dash after coming home in disgrace like that, but I shoved the thought away before it could kick me in the gut even more. That was something I never wanted to contemplate. I hoped I'd never have to.
I wished for a moment that I'd never done that stupid teleport all the way across the school. I should have known better. But what was the alternative? If I had been caught breaking the rules again, I would have been kicked out for sure – I'd be right back in the same place, stuck trying to explain my failure to my role model and everypony I cared about. It was–
“That will do for now, everypony.” The surprise of hearing the Headmaster say anything other than calling up yet another student cut straight through my thoughts. “Please remain in your places while lunch is served. Testing will resume in exactly one hour.”
A quick glance around the courtyard confirmed it. I spotted Cookie emerging from the dark doorway of the school building, pushing a huge cart in front of him. He worked his way down the line of students, doling something out to each one. I couldn't tell what it was, but it must have been some kind of food. Though eating was the last thing on my mind just a moment ago, my stomach now found the thought of it very agreeable.
Before long, Cookie's cart stopped in front of me, and with a wink, he tossed me one of the paper-wrapped packages he'd been giving everypony else. “Jus' trus' yaself, lil' filly, an' ya gonna do jus' fine,” he whispered, before walking on.
Even though I trusted Sugar Cookie, his confidence in me felt hollow somehow. I just couldn't believe in myself that easily; I knew I was going to fail this test completely.
I tore into my package, finding a green apple, a little bottle of grape juice, and a daisy sandwich inside.
Before I could dig into the meal, though, River's whispered voice cut right through me. “Are you and that chef an item or something?” She favored me with a twisted sneer.
“What? No!” I glared at her for suggesting such a thing.
“Oh, you're right.” River giggled quietly and coldly. “He's a chef at a prestigious magic school, and you're just a miserable little pegasus who failed in her pathetic dream to become a unicorn. He's much too good for you!”
“I am not going to fail!” I growled back at her. “And I never wanted to do this,” I added to myself, too quietly for her to hear.
“Not going to fail, huh?” River laughed harshly. “We'll just see about that. I still owe you some punishment, remember?”
I bit into my sandwich, much less enthusiastic about it now. What comfort could just a sandwich be when my certain failure loomed right in front of me? If my magic overload didn't get me, River's 'punishment' would. I didn't know what she had planned, but knowing her like I did now, I knew it would be nasty. I sighed. Even without that, the Headmaster would fail me just out of spite, I was sure.
Resigned to my fate now, I took another bite of the sandwich. What else could I do?
“Rainy Day, please come forward and begin your test.”
The grey-maned filly in line just on the other side of River stepped away from the line, and my blood froze. My turn was approaching fast, much sooner than I would have liked. I watched the little grey filly go through the test, and with each section she completed, my trepidation grew. What was I doing here, anyway? What was I going to do when my turn came up?
As soon as the grey filly finished with her display of an umbrella-like rain control spell, the next milestone of my inevitable fate echoed out across the courtyard, “River Star, please come forward and begin your test.”
“Just watch and see how it's done before you fail, Chicken.” River swatted my face with her slick tail as she trotted toward the levitation test table.
She wasted no time in taking on the test. Her horn lit up with the bright violet glow that matched her coat so perfectly, and all three wooden blocks on the table shot up into the air. I should have known she'd be a showoff. She set the blocks down without even looking at the judges for confirmation and went straight into her light-spell test.
The light pouring out from River's horn grew so bright I couldn't even look at it. For all her faults, I had to admit, River had plenty of raw magical power.
As the light faded and I blinked the dazzlement out of my eyes, I spotted River, already on her way to test her special talent. “I don't need any accommodations,” she called out, loud enough for everypony in the courtyard to hear.
Even as far away as I stood, I was sure I could see a grin on the Headmaster's face as he waved his daughter on.
River's horn began to glow once more, and an unnatural hush swept across the courtyard. Suddenly, it seemed like everypony and everything in the courtyard was listening intently, right down to the very stones everypony stood on. River's flowing blue dress and her matching silky mane waved in a breeze only she could feel, and she began to sing.
The first notes of her song sliced through the expectant tension in the courtyard, delivering exactly what each and every pony there inexplicably thirsted for. The enchanting music washed across the courtyard, her melody evoking all of her yearning to impress the stallion at the judges' table. Despite the plaintive, wistful theme behind the music, it was still undeniably catchy.
Many of the ponies around me tapped a hoof to the beat or swayed back and forth with the melody. As disgusted with River as I was, I even caught myself humming along with the chorus.
Her song flowed on, bringing out dozens of smiles on the high notes and nearly bringing tears to the audience on the lows. Steadily throughout it built into a crescendo. Nopony in the courtyard seemed unmoved.
As River's performance wound down, total silence filled the courtyard for a few brief moments. The silence finally broke with the sound of a single little filly somewhere in the audience stomping in applause.
The applause and even cheering spread like a wildfire through the crowd, engulfing everypony. Eventually, even the Headmaster joined in, and though I never thought I'd see it, River actually cried. She stood there, staring at the Headmaster with tears in her eyes and a huge smile on her face, mouthing words too quietly for me to hear.
By the time River began slowly walking back to the line, waving at all her new fans as she went, I was the only pony in the courtyard not applauding her. It wasn't because I didn't enjoy the song; I had to admit, the quality of River's singing blew me away. It wasn't even because of my personal issues with the filly; I'd like to think I was a good enough sport to congratulate her for her performance even if I hated her. What kept me from applauding River's performance was the paralyzing realization of what must come next.
“Just try matching that,” River teased as she stepped back into her place next to me in the line.
I didn't respond. I couldn't. With my chest as tight as it was, I could scarcely breathe, much less talk. Any moment now it would be my turn to take the test, and I knew I wasn't ready for it. I'd be forced to go out and fail right in front of everypony. And then–
“Scootaloo Songwing...” The last lingering bits of applause dropped off as the words I had been dreading finally echoed across the courtyard. “ ...please come forward and begin your test.”