The Dawn of Harmony

by pinkieandraritybest

Cutie Mark

"Lu-lu! Your sister's a liar!" Clover complained, walking over towards Luna along with Celestia and Amethyst. Luna raised her eyebrows, already suspecting what this was all about. Clover had been pestering Celestia for the past week for books and knowledge relating to Starswirl the Bearded, and Luna could tell that she was getting sick of it. Luna was a little sick of it herself, since now there were two ponies giving her unwanted knowledge about the famous unicorn instead of one, but it was a little easier for her to put up with since she was already used to it.

"She said that she didn't have 'The Unabridged Book of Starswirl Spells', but she did!" Clover explained. "It was under your bunk bed." Luna wasn't all that surprised to hear that. That book was Celestia's favorite, and she thought she had seen her walking around last night.

"Well, you have it now, so you can stop calling me a liar!" Celestia retorted.

"Excuse me if I was baffled that you actually lied to your best friend!"

"Girls!" Luna shouted. "Is this really worth--" She was cut short by Celestia and Clover's shrieks of delight. She looked at what they had reacted to, and saw a poster with the oh-so-common magical pony on the front. Her two friends ran over to the poster and started squealing some more. Luna sighed and walked over with Amethyst, preparing herself for yet another round of fangirling. As she approached the poster, she started reading it, and Celestia and Clover's obsessiveness finally made sense. It read "Starswirl the Bearded's School for Gifted Unicorns: Sign Up Now!" and had enrollment papers clipped to the bottom. Luna's friend and sister each in turn grabbed their own paper, and started filling out as much of it as they could.

"Says here that it's free, but we need a parent/guardian to fill out a lot of it," Clover said.

"That'd be Emerald Lily I guess," said Celestia. They both ran off to get her to sign, and Luna exchanged glances with Amethyst. They both had a feeling that this would lead to a long cycle of everything Starswirl related that would refuse to stop. The truth was, Luna did actually think Starswirl was impressive, and she did look up to him a little, but, like many ponies, he lived in the Upper North. Vanhoover, where they all lived, was one of the few cities in Ponyland without segregation between different pony races. Everywhere else, with the exception of the Crystal Empire, was full of separation and hatred among the tribes. The North was the worst, and since that was where Starswirl lived, he had similar feelings. Luna would love to learn more about him, if his studies weren't so focused on unicorns, and unicorns alone. Amethyst shared this feeling, being an earth pony, but Silver Onyx didn't really care either way, since she was always the one slacking off in class.

"Entrance exam?" Celestia said, returning with Clover to their table. "What's that?"

"Basically we have to pass a test to get in, since he only wants 'gifted' unicorns to join," Clover said, with a little sarcasm.

"Well that should be easy," Celestia retorted. "I'm pretty good at magic already."

"Don't get too cocky about it. It's supposed to be hard, and we are still fillies after all."

"Who asked you?! I could pass it with my hooves tied together! I bet you won't even understand a single question on that test!" Luna could feel a fight coming on.

"Okaaay," Luna said, pulling her sister away from Clover, "I think we should all get some rest. Big day tomorrow!"

"It's lunchtime," Amethyst corrected. Luna glared at her.

"Then an afternoon nap it is. Goodnight!" Luna dashed away, pulling Celestia along with her. Once they finally got back to their room, Luna plopped her on the floor roughly.

"What was that all about!" she scolded.

"Clover was being annoying, and stuck up! She thinks she's so good at magic, but I'm ten times the unicorn she is!" Celestia yelled. Realizing what she just said, she shrunk back. Luna looked at her worryingly and went to sit beside her.

"She was just trying to help you," Luna said calmly. "You realize that, right?"

"It's just..." Celestia said, "she's never been into many of the same things as me before, and now that she's studying magic so vigorously, her skill at it is much better. Even better than mine." She lowered her head in shame, but Luna lifted it back up with her hoof. She gave her sister a warm smile, and pulled her off the ground.

"Tia, you can't let your jealousy overcome you like that," Luna reminded her. "Envy is a dangerous thing, and it can tear you up along with your friendship. Your magic is amazing and powerful, and even if Clover is a little stronger at it, that doesn't mean you can't get better." She started walking towards the door, and Celestia followed her. When they reached the cafeteria, Celestia paused. Luna could see the fear she had confronting her fault.

"Why don't you go apologize?" Luna offered, trying to build up her sister's courage. It seemed to work, as she walked on back to their table. Luna followed her, and happily heard words of regret being exchanged.

"Sorry I lashed out at you like that, " Celestia said, "it was rude."

"Hey that's okay," Clover reassured her. "In fact, I was just thinking that maybe we could train for the exam together! Work out a schedule and everything!" As glad as Luna was that they had made up, that last comment, and Celestia's eager nod, gave her a bad feeling.

*-----~-----*

The next month was made up of the same routine. Celestia and Clover would get up at dawn and do magical exercises loud enough to wake their roommates. They would then eat a huge breakfast in the cafeteria, and immediately go back upstairs to triple-check their homework. In class, they would listen and take notes intently, and review them at every passing period. Instead of chatting with their friends during lunch, they would get a start on their homework, and practice different spells. After school, they'd quickly finish their homework, practice some more, and eat a healthy dinner. At dusk, they'd check their homework, and go to sleep, instead of staying up with Luna, Onyx, and Amethyst. Then the day would start over at dawn. Being the one who stayed up the longest, hardly ever sleepy at night, Luna kept dozing off in class from having only a few hours' rest. The ordeal made her grow exponentially grumpier, and she's was almost at her wit's end when, finally, the exam day arrived.

"Good luck Tia!" Luna said to her as she and Clover were preparing to leave. A small group of fillies had already gathered by the main doors of the orphanage, and Emerald Lily was rounding up the rest. As she approached their little group, Luna, Onyx, and Amethyst quickly hugged their friends and let them go. They all watched as the group of unicorn fillies and Emerald Lily went out the door and to the bus that was going to take them to the Upper North. Once the group was out of sight, most of the fillies went back to eating breakfast. The three friends were about to join them, when they realized there weren't any tables open.

"Well, that's odd," Onyx said. "What happened to the other two tables?" All the remaining fillies were crowded around a single table in the middle of the room, with a few standing for lack of chairs. The three girls were surprised, but decided just to eat in their room instead.

"It's weird to think that two of our friends could be going off to a high-class private school soon," Amethyst reflected. Onyx and Luna nodded in agreement.

"Hopefully they'll visit often," Luna said. "It'd be weird to live so long without my sister and one of my best friends."

"Of course, they still might not get in."

"Onyx, what a thing to say!" Amethyst scolded. "Celestia and Clover are both very talented unicorns, and they have more passion than anyone else I know."

"Plus, all those sleepless nights would be for nothing if that happened," Luna added, making Onyx giggle a little. They began to eat their daisy sandwiches and grape juice in silence, though Luna did notice that her food wasn't as good as it usually was. Probably the chef just switched to a different brand.

The rest of the day passed slowly, and without much happening. The friends' classes were much quieter, and it was strange not being bombarded with magic facts every three seconds, even if it had annoyed them so much earlier. They didn't have much to talk about during lunch and dinner, and instead ate in silence. Just as dinner was about to be over, they heard the front doors to the orphanage open. Luna was filled with excitement as she rushed towards the doors, followed closely by Amethyst and Onyx. They watched as Emerald Lily lead the stream of fillies in, and once Celestia stepped over the threshold, the three toppled her over with their hugs.

"Wow, didn't expect you girls would miss me so much after only a day apart," Celestia said. Luna looked at her curiously. Her sister was smiling, but Luna could tell that it was forced. Then Luna realized that something was missing. She looked around the hall, but there was no sign of Clover. She got up and ran out into the street, searching for her friend.

"Clover!?" Luna called. "Tia, where's Clover?" Amethyst and Silver Onyx looked at her with worry on their faces, and Celestia sighed.

"She got in."

The three fillies stood there, just staring at her for a minute, then burst into cheers. Luna felt so proud of her friend, and could hardly believe she had gotten in to such a prestigious school. She grabbed Celestia by the hooves an danced around with her. It wasn't until they had spun around five times did she realize that her sister wasn't into it. She stopped spinning and looked her straight in the eye.

"Alright, spill. I want the whole story, and don't leave anything out!" Celestia sighed once more, then sat them all down to listen.

"Well, we had a pretty normal bus ride, with the two of us practicing our magic and quizzing each other. The ride itself was really long, since the Upper North is so far away. Once we had finally arrived at the school, it was quite a sight, practically a castle! There were huge towers and beautiful designs on the polished stone. The floors were marble, and the exam room itself even had decorations and posters meant to de-stressify us. When we took a lunch break, the food was delicious, coming straight from the finest farmers around. Then the exams began. We got to choose when we went, so long as there was a constant flow of us, so Clover and I decided to go last, since we considered it good luck, and for dramatic affect. I was before her, and when I was called in, I realized why so many ponies had been leaving with downhearted looks: the test was to transform a simple rock into a huge cactus! I tried all I could to do it, and cast every spell I knew, even the ones that made no sense! But it was no use. I gave up after a few minutes, and walked out of the room, after they had told me that I failed, of course.

"As I left the room, I saw a window in it that looked out onto the courtyard. Hoping to see Clover's audition, I raced outside and

peeked in at the window just as she went in. At first, she seemed just as baffled as me. She tried many spells, mostly just doing the transfiguration ones over and over again. Then, she finally gave up and sat down in dismay. I think I heard her say something like, 'I'm sorry I wasted your time', when suddenly, a huge rainbow blast lit up the sky! It made a booming sound, and shown with all the colors anypony could ever imagine! Somehow, that rainbow set off something in Clover, and she went all freaky-like! Her eyes glowed, she levitated off the ground, and her horn surged with power. She turned the rock into such a huge cactus that it crashed through the ceiling, and turned all the judges into cactuses too! She seemed about to explode or something, when Starswirl himself arrived!

"He was just like his pictures, only better! He was powerful, well-bearded, and had a spectacular presence. He calmed all the raucous and brought Clover back to the ground. I don't know exactly what they said, but he said something about wanting her to train as his personal student, and she agreed, of course." Celestia paused to take a breath. "Now here's the crazy part! After she had recovered from her freak-out, and been offered the position, she got her cutie mark! It was a pink six-pointed star in front of a white star, and five other, smaller stars surrounding it. I'm not sure exactly what it meant, but probably something related to magic. Either way, she's an important and powerful pony now, the only one of us to pass the exam, living in Starswirl's castle, and I'm a loser, who has learned that she isn't cut out for huge magical feats." Celestia lowered her head and walked back into the cafeteria. Luna, Amethyst, and Silver Onyx quickly ran after her, hoping to lift her spirits.

"Tia, sister, you are the opposite of a loser!" Luna protested.

"You did your best, and that's really what matters," Silver Onyx added. "Besides, that school is way too strict about how powerful fillies have to be to join!"

"Also, you and Clover are equally powerful based on training," Amethyst said. "That god-like strength she displayed wasn't something she worked for, she was just born with it, no offense to her." Celestia smiled a little at this. She got up and joined them in going back to their room. Once they got there, the bunk beds were gone, and had been replaced by mattresses and blankets, for some reason. The four of them were so exhausted, they barely even noticed, and collapsed on their new beds. Luna lay down on the soft fabric, tucked herself in, and, for the first time in many years, was tired enough to get a good night's sleep.

*-----~-----*

The next day was bright and sunny, and Luna awoke to the chirping of birds. She smiled as she rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She was soon joined by Amethyst, Celestia, and Silver Onyx as they chatted about the hotness and the dryness of the day. The topic switched to Clover's new life as they were walking down the stairs, and Luna looked over to Celestia in hesitation, but her sister seemed fine with it.

"Well it must be nice to be in such a high ranking, probably able to mingle with the Unicorn elite!" Amethyst exclaimed.

"I just think it's cool that she'll probably have tons of servants to do everything for her," Onyx said.

"Not everything," Celestia reminded her, "that position calls for a ton of hard training and study. It could take a while for her to write to us."

"She'll find time though," Luna said. "She is our best--" She was cut short when they reached the cafeteria. Instead of its usual warm, good-smelling self, it was filled with construction ponies; moving things out and taking things down. The air smelled of asphalt, as the walls were being torn down, and the cold air outside gave the fillies chills as it rushed in. The pretty red color of the walls was turned a sad brown from the dirt, and the one table left standing was being carried out by two earth ponies. The girls all looked at the changed cafeteria in horror, scared to think what this might mean. Taking a second look at the sight, they saw Emerald Lily and her daughters standing in the middle of all the chaos, looks of grief and loss on their faces. A crowd of the other orphan fillies had formed around them, begging for answers. The four friends joined the throng, hoping for the same.

"Emmy, why are these scary ponies here?" asked one of the younger fillies.

"Yeah, why is everything being taken away?" a girl named Mazy said.

"Why is it so loud?"

"Where's the chef?"

"Why are they tearing down the walls?!"

"Girls!" Emerald Lily shouted. Once everypony had settled down, she began to explain.

"The ponies here are taking down the orphanage to put up new office buildings. Vanhoover doesn't have enough funding to keep this orphanage running, we're shutting down."

"Wait, does that mean...?" Luna said, fearfully.

"Yes. You have already been assigned new orphanages to live in. A stallion is here to bring you to them."

Author's Note:

Hope y'all like this one! Next one is coming soon!

Comments

[Dusty Chance]

It's a little off putting that Clover's experience was identical to Twilight Sparkle's...