> Terra
>  by MuffinPonyPoser
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1.0: Arrival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




Arrival




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Terra lived in a tree in the middle of a forest. She had distant memories of her father making this home for her, but they were foggy at best. Her home had a firepit in the center for warming food, scroll shelves on the wall furthest from the door, cupboards for dinnerware she never used, and a staircase to the left of the front door in the far left corner of the house.
She had everything she would ever need in this forest. Food was easy to scrounge for. Protection from dragons and gryphons came from predators, and the house guarded her from predators. That and her ability to outthink them and overpower some of them. Even with all of that, though… she felt something missing. She felt it when she cooked her stews and soups, when she found a new plant in the forest, and when she listened to crickets chirp and owls hoot as she went to sleep. She knew exactly what she was missing, which was part of the reason she had made a schedule for her mornings. She made this when she realized she would have that time to herself.
First, she walked by a certain patch of wild flowers with cyan leaves and a purple stem. She would then continue past that until a bush of berries. By that time, she would have trotted near the edge of the forest, by grassy plains inhabited by trees and a few rabbits. Under the trunk of a certain tree in these plains, she found a mushroom that looked plain. There was a stream she would fill a cauldron of wood out of and mix in the ingredients. Carefully. Precisely. Just in case this would be the day somepony showed up.
The first week after she had thought of this, she had been ecstatic. If I showed up with food and waited long enough, maybe ponies might show up! She thought to herself. After a week, she had slowed her gallop to a fast trot. After a month, a slow one. Now, ten years after this filly’s dream, she gathered her materials and sat, watching not the horizon but the sky and clouds. She felt peaceful until movement caught the corner of her eyes.
Wolves? A badger? Maybe a bear? She thought to herself, the possibilities going out of hand. But as she looked around, all she saw were two dots on the horizon. One was a midnight blue, the other an off white. She did not know whether they were ponies or if they were gryphons from the north, so she continued stirring her soup, hoping for the former.
As the day wore on, the blobs took on shapes. The white blob grew feathery wings and had a pink mane and tail. The blue one grew a horn, with cyan hair that seemed to glisten in the sun. They moved at a slow pace, their fatigue shown clearly on their faces, but they continued forward all the same. After the sun went into the highest point in the sky, Terra felt lucky she had the shade of the tree I brewed under.  After a while, she could hear them arguing, though she couldn’t tell which voice was who’s.
“--I know that! But the stew smells so GOOD!”
“Just because you want to follow your stomach doesn’t mean we should put ourselves in danger!”
“Again, we already are doing just that! The searing heat and lack of food is--”
At this point, I could see that the white one was arguing against coming, and the blue one was arguing for it. The blue unicorn looked slightly smaller than the white pegasus, and both had dark rings around their eyes. But as the unicorn stopped talking, the two averted their eyes from each other and onto me. This did not make me feel any more comfortable.
“Hi, my name’s Terra.” I whispered quietly, slowly scooting, hiding herself using the tree.
“What was that?” The pegasus asked.
Instead of answering, I tapped the tree next to her. It infused with magic and grew very quickly. She shaped the wood into 3 medium sized bowls and slowly poured soup into the bowls, ignoring the shocked looks of her visitors. She then carried the bowls over to them, setting them down so that Terra could face the other two, but they had space.
I then said “I made some soup if you want it.” quite timidly.
The others tried the soup. The pegasus took a sip, then set down the bowl and sat quietly, with a wide eyed expression.
The unicorn on the other hand asked “How did you make a soup taste this good?!” and promptly guzzled the rest of her soup.
I let a genuine smile adorn my face, and said to them “I found the ingredients in the woods and had a bit of time to make a really good recipe. I used some berries and wild flowers I found in the forest, and some mushrooms from under this tree.”
I heard the pegasus whisper “So very good.” from my side as I told this to the unicorn.
In a much more comfortable tone, I said “Hi. My name’s Terra, and I live in this forest.”
“Do you live with anypony else?” The unicorn asked while prodding the pegasus.
“Just me. For about ten years.”
The others just looked at me in disbelief.
“Well then, lucky we passed by, huh?” The unicorn said with a triumphant smirk on her face.
The pegasus whispered something with wide eyes, and the unicorn furrowed her eyes and shook her head in disagreement.
“My name is Luna, and my sister is Celestia. We were wandering before we got here, and we just got out of the desert to the south of here.” the unicorn told me.
My mind chewed on that for a second. They caught this as Celestia said “We don’t come from there, we just passed through so we could get away from some ponies who wanted to harm us.”
“Why did they want to harm you?” I asked.
“For being born.” They replied in unison with deadpan faces.
I raised my eyebrow, and Luna decided to elaborate with “In our kingdom, inter tribal marriage and breeding isn’t allowed. So since our pegasus mom had kids with our unicorn dad, we were deemed a ‘danger to society’ and ‘social boundaries’ before we were even old enough to do anything.”
“That seems counter intuitive.” I said plainly. The other two hummed in agreement. “If you want you could stay here.” I told them, hiding a hint of desperation in my voice.
They looked at each other, and Celestia said “We have certain ponies hunting us. Are you sure? We wouldn’t want the one decent pony to die because of us.” in a serious tone.
I mulled it over. “While I would rather not die, I couldn’t send you off in good conscious. Stay however long you want. As long as you help with the food and teach me what you know, I have no problem.”
They smiled, and Celestia asked “Would you cook the soup every so often?”
I nodded, and I didn’t need to hear a response as they they looked at each other with wide eyes and licked their lips.
> 1.1: Students
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Students

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T
I woke up in a furnished castle on the morning of a celebration. Even as I struggled to open my eyes, I could still smell the baked goods. Especially the cake. As I sat up, I took the time to remember the last 20 years. How my life changed when Celestia and Luna, my adopted family, showed up during my daily rounds. I remembered making peace with their bounty hunter. I remembered the refugees who had the same conditions my sisters did. Putting up more houses in the forest until we became too much of a presence. I remembered Celestia’s bravery and quick thinking, setting up our city and keeping it protected. Luna making sure that everyone was having a good time and advancing in science and math. I sat and remembered all of that and more until the cheering outside began to peak.

I walked over to the window and hung the curtains to look outside. And what a sight it was. Streamers of every hue adorned the walls of the buildings. Pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies all gathered near the makeshift castle grown out of the original tree I made my home in. They entered the castle and cheered. I hoped Celestia and Luna were already awake, because otherwise they would have had a colossal headache.

I exited my room, halting as I came to my sisters’ rooms. Their doors were ajar and there was a wake of destruction leading from them. As I followed it, I already knew where it would lead. It lead to the kitchens, where Luna was feasting on a three layer cake (the whole thing, mind you) and Celestia a five layer cake (same thing). I sighed, making a cool face as I wholley walked into the room. A few things happened simultaneously. First, Celestia and Luna stopped gouging themselves on cake. Then, they looked to each other. Then they took their cakes, Luna in her telekinesis and Celestia on her back, and bolted out of the room. I sighed in relief, then broke out into a fit of giggles.

I took a ten layered cake and walked slowly (not because it was heavy, but because I wanted to savor this moment) to the throne room.

As I walked, ponies around me asked if I wanted help. I politely declined.

As if I would allow others to steal from my crowning achievement.

I finally made it into the throne room, where Celestia and Luna were just about to finish their cakes (one floating, the other fitting almost wholly in Celestia’s mouth), They looked at me, then my cake, then at each other, then back at me. They had mortified expressions as they furiously shook their heads, beckoning me to stop this madness.

Of course I didn’t.

I took a look at the cake. It was nine layers, and each was about one and a half larger than the last. As the top layer was the size of four hoofs, It was pretty big. I shrugged.

I took my first three bites. Chocolate coating, red velvet cake, and vanilla icing graced my senses. I took another three. I could see Celestia and Luna begin to rush behind their thrones. I took the last three in one giant gulp, perfectly fitting all of it into my mouth.

Then I burped.

Later on, we got reports of earthquakes in uncharted regions and dragons cowering in fear of this belch, but for now, the three of us need not know of that.

The first thing I noticed was that Celestia and Luna were in an off-blue shield. I started laughing so hard, I thought that was it for me. I laughed for a good thirty minutes before the chancellor rushed into the room, glaring.
It seemed he did not appreciate my antics.

“For the love of all that is respectable! You are going to cause another war! Stop this needless--” He started.
Keyword: started.
Meaning: he did not get to finish.

I grew the tree around me. When my sisters saw what I was doing, they looked at me wide-eyed and jumped to me. We all fell to the floor below without the chancellor knowing. We ran. We may not have blended in with the crowd, but they were at least used to our antics. Luna went to a drinking contest, Celestia to a sparring match between two guards, and I sat there. In that same spot.

That wasn’t all I was doing, but it was close enough.

I grew moss around me and hardened it. I left holes to breath and see, but they were one way. I stood there and listened to guards shuffling around trying to find Celestia and Luna.

I just watched in contempt.

Until they caught them and had them help look for me.

Celestia knew where I was, but couldn’t get me to budge. Luna caught on next. It was her I was scared of. She used telekinesis to tickle me. In the stone, there was no way to break out of it.
I released the moss and sighed in defeat.

“Fun while it lasted, I guess.” I mumbled. From there, we each headed to our usual stations.

Celestia went to the Court sessions, where she made laws and judged those criminals whose cases had escalated. As there were not many extreme cases, she did paperwork instead.

Luna went to the other court, where ponies came with issues that they wanted an outside opinion on.

I went to shops, commenting on their decor and products. They would write down my suggestions and decide later if they wanted to implement them.

This was the normal procedure for us. The festival was still going on, but we wouldn’t make a public appearance like that until the evening, where we would give long, boring speeches most just slept through.

The chancellor wrote them after all.

I sighed as another year went by, life as stagnant as ever. I was currently at a bakers shop, where they sold cakes, cupcakes, bread, muffins, and other confections. In the back I heard someone new. I came by around this time every year, so who might that be?

“I know this has nothing to do with my rounds, but who is the pony working the ovens?” I asked Pumpkin Bread.

“Oh! I’m surprised you don’t know him. He’s been here since around the time you were here last. He's our… Protege I guess you could call him.”

An idea sparked in my head. Something to hold onto later.

“Thank-you-for-the-idea-gotta-go-bye!!” I said as I rushed out of the door and to the castle.

Galloping, I made it into the castle as Luna was starting to head outside to the carnival.

“Terra? I thought you were supposed to be working, going to shops?” She said confused.

“I have an idea, but need to get Celestia for it. Can you meet me in my room?” I asked Luna. She nodded and started trotting for my room.

I then galloped to Celestia’s office, passing by the Chancellor and a lot of other important ponies. I turned a lot of heads, and the Chancellor straight up chased me, but I made my way to Celestia’s office.

As I entered, I locked the room. Celestia peeked from the stack of paperwork with an irritated expression.

“Would you be patient? I swear, it’s like… Oh! Terra! My bad. I thought you were--” She started.

“I thought of something. Get to my room and don’t let him catch you. Split up.” I told her.

She nodded, then moved to the door, which was silent. I bent the tree around me to fall a story. Celestia followed suit just as the door unlocked from the outside. We fell and ran to the nearest stairs. Celestia flew up the stairs and I galloped. Bending the tree as I went as fast as possible. I could hear the Chancellor running, screaming about ‘two times this day!’ or something like that.

I got to my room with Luna and Celestia both on my bed, waiting for me. I locked the door and Luna set up an anti-spell barrier around our room. I flicked one of the bedposts on my bed, and we descended into darkness. It was a cave, far beneath the earth, where the three of us could have peace.

“So what was this idea of yours?” Luna asked excitedly.

I explained what I had seen at the bakery.

“So… we each take on a protege, or is it the cake…” Celestia trailed off.

Luna giggled at this, and I bit back a couple of laughs as well.

“If we take on students, it might be a bit of work, but we can finally relax a little bit. Between the work all of us do, we hardly ever see each other anymore.” I said.

“But we shouldn’t take just anyone on, right? If we chose random ponies just because it meant we got a break, wouldn’t that be unfair to our students?” Luna asked.

I nodded. “We should choose ponies who have a lot of potential, but also compliment our abilities. Ponies who we think could take our mantles after we pass.” I thought aloud.

“We could make a school where those with magical potential from every race can go to, then choose three from this school.” Luna suggested.

We all muttered in agreement and vowed to help make this a reality.

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The next couple of days days went by in a blur for me. I was visiting schools (for the project), and stayed working from just after sunrise until sunset. Celestia, Luna, and I all talked about the policies, the requirements, and the types of students each of us would take. Celestia wanted to base her student on potential of magic. She devised a plan to test the mana reserves on a pony. It wouldn’t kill them or harm them, but would push them as far as they could go. Luna would play chess with them. She wanted them to beat her at chess or cards, showing their mental prowess. I wanted someone brash. Someone who had flaws, who knew their flaws and wanted to work to be a better person. I wanted to gently nudge them onto a better path.

After that, we started talking about the requirements for the teachers.

Laying down on my bed, I asked Celestia and Luna “How will we weed out the teachers who would start the same tribalism that got you two kicked out?”

“If you were there, you would be able to do that.” Luna said nonchalantly.

I stared wide eyes at her. “What?”

“Celestia and I thought you should be the headmaster, as you not only have an eye for troublemakers but also for tribalists.” Luna told me. Celestia nodded in agreement.

“Just because you don’t have the confidence now doesn’t mean that you won’t be good at it.” Celestia told me.

“In that case, I have a plan to weed those types of ponies out.” I told them.

We discussed this for the rest of the evening, joking with each other.

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L

I woke up as soon as the sun came across the sky and dragged my hooves to the kitchen. After the stunt my sisters and I pulled just days ago, The Chancellor grounded us from cake for a week before and after the celebration every year. My sisters and I could have vetoed this, but we found out a little too late. I glanced at the calendar in the kitchen.
“Just one more day my cake. One more day and you shall be mine once again.” I muttered to myself, licking my lips. The chef saw me come in and gave me my eggs and pancakes. I took the plate to the throne room, and opened up the doors for court.

The first in, just like every day, was the infamous Blue Parade. The name sounded festive, but the entire castle knew otherwise. She was a tribalist socialite who thought herself superior to all others, even the three royals. She claimed she was the daughter of an alicorn, but I pointed out that I knew her from the kingdom of tribalists who could never agree on a name for their country.

How she made it as far as she had, I had no idea.

Today, it seemed, she came in to flaunt her ability to wreak havoc on my patience. I started eating while listening Blue ramble on about how she wanted me to step off of the throne and give her my throne.

As if I would allow what happened with the old land happen to this one as well. I thought to myself.

I continued plowing through my food, hoping that Blue would stop before I finished. I finished with the pancakes and the eggs, but was surprised to see a piece of cake appear on the plate. The guards saw this, but said nothing. One even zipped up his lips and winked. I smiled. Blue saw this.

“You haven’t been listening all this time have you you--” She trailed off once more while I at my cake, pretending to listen to her.

The timer for the meeting finally ran out.

“Ma'am, I’ll have to ask you to leave.” One of the guards told her.

“I will not leave when this mare has not listened to a word I have said my entire turn!” She shouted at the guards and I.

Bored and tired of this charade, I pulled a lever hidden in my throne. Blue had yet to learn of this, but there was a platform that would force anyone out that took too long or were rude to my sisters and I. As Blue did both, I sent her down the slide, where she landed in a pile of trash. I threw my plate with syrup filling it down after her, making sure the syrup would not spill.

My guards snorted. I shook my head ever so slightly. “What will it take to get her to shut her mouth?” I wondered aloud.

My guards chuckled at this before resuming their posts.

Then Terra ran into my room, panting.

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T

I ran as fast as I could to Luna, as she was my only defense against her.

I also silently cursed her for doing this again.

I took several turns, Blue still right behind me with syrup in her mane, yelling about how I was unfit to rule if I was this much of a coward.

If it had been anyone else, they would already have been bucked straight through a wall. But even that would come back to bite me. I ran into the room where Luna was holding her court, and locked the door behind me. Luna laughed. I glared at her.

“Can’t you deal with her? Just once?” I demanded.

She shook her head and laughed some more.

Blue seemed to have been Tartarus bent on getting to us, as she used her horn to pull the tree apart.

“Get out of this room. Your turn ended already.” Luna said stone faced

I would have been surprised at her sudden change of mood if she hadn't beaten me at cards many times over.

“You weren’t listening to me, therefore the time spent must be redone. I also propose that Terra be removed for hindering your ability to rule. I’d even think she did it to undermine you, if not kick you out and kill you outright.” Blue argued.

I turned from Luna very, very slowly. Luna looked at me and shuddered, excusing herself. The guards just hightailed and ran away.

I turned to Blue Parade and she realized she had bucked up. Big time. She couldn’t move, but she wanted to get as far away from me as possible. I knew what was happening, but I couldn’t control the excess of magic flowing through me.

I looked at a mirror-door and my eyes glowed white, my fur turned black, and my hooves grew into talons.

I internally cast. Again. Out of anger.

I chuckled at Blue Parade’s remark of me and returned to my normal state. Brown hair, amber eyes, and hooves. Perfect.

Blue seemed to be a lot more impressionable.

“Get out before I publicly execute you for treason, fraud, and anything else I can think of. Return to try and get power for yourself, and you WILL regret it. Are we clear?” I asked in a cutthroat voice, adding a pleasant tone to the end.

Blue nodded and ran out of the castle.

I sighed. Another ordinary day, right?

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Six months later

I woke up early and went downstairs. Luna and Celestia greeted me with the papers I would need for the school and a list of teachers. I nodded, ate a quick breakfast, and ran over to the school that the three of us named School for the Gifted. It was built on the outskirts of the city to ensure the safety of the city, and the students and teachers were all waiting on the field.  I stepped onto a stage, where all of the ponies could see me.

“Greetings my little ponies. Oh and all the students!” I got chuckles out of this. “Welcome to the founding of the school. I hope all of you are ready to learn, and I know that you will all succeed. Let’s get classes set up for you all after we have your names, cutie marks, and affinity!” I shouted.

The teachers took this as their time. I was greeted by many of the students who wanted to show their tricks, from aerial to casting. One earth pony even tried to copy my ability to warp the plants and earth around me, though it was to no avail.

Once the cluster of ponies had sat down again, I addressed each year. “First year, I want all of you to focus on getting in touch with your magic.” As soon as I finished, a hoof went into the air. “Yes, mister…” I trailed off.

“Spike. I’m in the third year.”

“You have a question I presume.” I said in a calm, almost encouraging tone.

“Isn’t it only unicorns who have magic?” He asked

At this, the teachers and some of the older students answered with a loud “No.” The echoes of this went very far.

I smiled, though not out of jest or superiority, but from teaching. “That is a good question, Spike. Although Many unicorns and young ponies think otherwise, all beings have magic. Unicorns cast spells. Since their magic is flashy, it is regarded as the only kind. But pegasi use theirs to fly and move clouds. Earth ponies use theirs to… well… it’s kind of complicated to explain without prior knowledge. But still a very good question! Any others yet?” I asked excitedly.

Another hoof raised in the same group as Spike. “What would your name be?” I asked in the same excited tone from earlier.

“Sweet Dreams, though most call me Sweetie. Why did you decide to found this school?” She asked curiously.

I thought about an answer that wouldn’t get me in trouble. My sisters and I wanted to educate.” I replied.

“But we have other schools, right?”

“We wanted a place for those with raw power to learn, and help others control their special skills.” I said.

One more hoof came up. “Shining Star. I know this is rude, but why don’t you or your sisters have Cutie marks yet?” He asked.

I froze stiff, though caught myself. Teachers started to chastise Shining, but I held up a hoof.

“I want to be honest with you, but I don’t want certain ‘nobles’ catching wind of it. If you can come by my office after class sometime this week, I’ll explain it to you.” I said, putting on a fake smile. “No more questions?” I asked. No hooves came up. “Okay. Now then…”

I explained certain rules and regulations to the fillies and colts, making sure nobody entered my office. After all, I stored certain paperwork in the middle of the school that nobody should see.

I told Celestia and Luna about those strange foals at dinner.
> 1.2: Life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2: Testing


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T

I woke up before sunrise, cool air filtering into my room from an open window from a balcony. I groggily got up, rubbing my eyes with hooves that felt like lead, and trotted over to the balcony. I saw Everfree city sleeping. Besides key members of society, such as guards and police, The streets were empty.

I made no attempt to muffle my hoof steps until I brushed my teeth and flossed. By then, I was awake enough to realize why I had woken up. 

It was the first day of classes.

From that moment, I knew Celestia and Luna would want their sleep, as they had to stay up most of the night fixing small problems before school started today. Problems such as an anonymous complaint that we already work too much, advising us to give the position to them.

I snuck out of my room and towards the kitchen. As I trotted, I looked around the hallways, seeing Luna’s and my own paintings and pictures of the past. I allowed myself to reminisce of a time long ago, before any pony had come, when we adventured far and wide, from the desert to the ice lands. We faced dragons and goblins and diamond dogs. Even now we faced them, though in the battlefield of politics instead of hoof to hoof fights.

Periodically, I passed by guards, who were surprised to see me up so early. They nodded and some asked if I was alright, but none stayed for long as they had their patrols to go to. It took a while of wandering, but I found my way to the kitchen with some detours now and then (the chancellor was looking for me).

“Ey! The night owl, she comes to join us, boys!” The main chef shouted loud enough for his staff to hear him. They all looked up from their stations. “What will it be today?” He continued.

I shrugged off the implications of his words and focused on my order. My stomach growled. “I’d like four pancakes please.” I said, finishing right before a growl. “With four or five slices of buttered toast.” I continued with a blush. My stomach growled again. “ And a SINGLE slice of cake.” I finished. My stomach did not growl this time.

The chef heartily laughed, and started preparing my order.

“I can have all that to go, right?” I asked him.

The chef nodded and said “I can do that. It will be done in a bit, so you can come back in about thirty minutes.”

I thanked him and left the kitchens, heading towards the dining room. As I was in no rush, I trotted slowly, passing by more paintings. Though they were not of the past, they were still sentimental, as they were paintings of the night sky during clear nights. All of them were drawn by Luna, and though the stars were not oriented the way she painted, her drawings looked better than the reality. I continued walking

I passed by guards and the chancellor on my way. The guards nodded at me and I smiled and nodded back. The chancellor, without the red and gold robes I knew him for, nodded. But when he thought my head was turned, he scowled. I shook my head and continued towards the kitchen.

Once I got there, I saw the chef and the breakfast prepared for me. It wasn’t much on my scale, but enough to go through the morning and wake me up. I ate a stack of four pancakes with syrup and some buttered toast before turning to Chef Cake and thanking him.

I left the kitchen and took a few turns to a hallway with a high ceiling and many smaller paths outward, kind of like the rings of a tree. Looking at the intricate patterns on the main hallway I saw a door morphing, twisting into new patterns as different ponies drew near. Some touched the bark and watched the patterns on the door roll in on itself like the waves in an ocean. The pictures distorted and flowers became vines, which in turn shaped into clouds and mountains. Once it settled down, the final picture was a meadow.

I heard the ponies at the door shift to look at me. They had smiles on their faces and a welcoming demeanor.

“Princess Terra! What a lovely surprise!” The one on the left, a pony with a red coat and an orange mane. “Don’t you normally wake up much after sunrise?” He asked in a voice that sounded young. His voice and body looked familiar, though I couldn’t place a name on him.

What I wouldn’t do for them. I thought to myself, sighing. “I don’t, usually. But I decided to wake up early to go to the school today. I am the principal after all.” I replied.

“Are you sure it’s no trouble? I know how busy you and your sisters can be.” He asked.

A simple question. Well, a decisively complex one, but the implications ran deep.

“Are you the one who decided to petition to become the principal on account of my inherent ‘laziness’?” I asked coolly.

The stallion came close enough to be within earshot of me, and responded in a soft whisper: “Why of course. After all, you are my target.”

My eyes widened in alarm, though nothing happened.

“Wow, you’re easy to tease, even after all of this time. Eh dirtface?” He responded.

With that one word, I remembered who he was. He was the assassin-turned-friend. The third friend I made. I smiled internally, and said “Dirtface. The most unoriginal name by the most unoriginal assassin.” I said, then muttered “I should have figured, Quick Shot...”

Quick was an assassin, though after he admitted to being forced into the role by his leaders he became a close friend. When we first settled down and built our nation, he was appointed the head of the Royal Guard. He was fast in combat, but his cutie mark told his skill in traps and long term strategy.

I walked past him, though he decided to follow me.

“Don’t have anything better to do?” I asked, rolling my eyes.

“Nope. Just bothering you.” He replied as we walked past the bakery.

I sighed and ignored most of what he said until we got to the outer ring of the city.

“You know, these ponies generally do better than the nobility's kids…” He said.

I nodded as we passed Spike, waving and leaving.

I would have been able to talk with Spike’s parents, but decided not to on account of Quick Shot.

“You know them?” He asked as we took an indirect route to the school, cutting through crowds once in a while.

“Their son, Spike, and some others were topics of interest.” I said to him.

He chuckled and we came into the clearing of grass and bushes that came up to the school. It was inside a tree that had natural resistance against extreme heat and cold. It was originally going to be a bunker, but we thought of using it as a school instead.

Once we got to the door leading in, Quick said his farewells and left to his paperwork.

The door was into the school was much smaller than the door to the castle. The hallways were a bit wider, but that was so the lockers and classes could all fit into the rings of the tree. I walked across the wooden floor to my office in the center of the first floor. I passed by grinning fillies and colts on my way.

There were cliques of ponies sorted sometimes by age or neighborhood. Most had ponies with similar interests, such as the gamers, athletes, and the studious. Although I didn’t like to admit it, there were also the bullies. Though there were few, they had a lot of power due to the rumor mills they started, even though it was the first day of school. I could tell this was true by the circle of students watching a fight between a unicorn and a thestral against another unicorn and an earth pony. 

There were the obvious instigators, the pair with the earth pony, and the other team was defending. I recognized the unicorn and pegasus on the defending team; the unicorn, who I found out was Rare Gem, was sitting next to Shining Star yesterday, the thestral was Sweet Dreams.

The earth pony ran towards the unicorn, jumping off of their team mate. Rare Gem caught the earth pony with her magic and used the second she had to change his momentum to throw him back to the unicorn aggressor. The earth pony stopped and skidded before hitting his partner, and the unicorn started casting a spell. 

At this point, a pegasus teacher came out of the classroom to see what the commotion was. Seeing the fight that broke out, she tensed and got ready to split it up. I put a hoof up in front of her and shook my head.

“I want to see where this is going. I won’t let any pony get seriously injured, but I need to see how those two react.

The unicorn cast an electric spell at Sweetie. Before the bolt could reach Sweetie, however, Gem caught it in her magic, cast a spell I couldn’t make out, and threw the electric combo at the earth pony. The colt tried his best to dodge it, but it was able to hit his torso, and the spells activated. The earth pony was shocked and feinted, probably through a sleep spell.

At this point the unicorn saw he was at a major disadvantage and took a step back to play on defense. Seeing the victors, I lowered my hoof to allow the teacher to go, then walked through the crowd myself. The teacher had picked up the unicorn colt and started for the health room while I stopped the rest of the participants. I came muzzle to muzzle with Sweetie and Rare. They saw me and lowered their heads. All around us, students started leaving, realizing that there was a certain tension in the air.

“I will see you in my office after first period.” I ordered. It took all my strength not to smile or congratulate them, but my efforts would pay off later.

The two of them nodded and left, the unicorn antagonist backing away slowly, as if I were a predator. I laughed to myself and said “I will see you now.”

We started for my office. Though it was close by, it took us a while to get there as I made a slow pace.

The unicorn colt looked as if he was restraining himself from running, though I could have been wrong. We walked down the colorful hallways, colored in by the tree itself, and the colors were vibrant. There was every shade of red, blue, and brown, but they swirled together, making an abstract portrait. As we stepped up to my office, the only room with a white door, I found that the colt was panicking quite a bit. He didn’t let me see it, of course, but I watched him when he thought I wasn’t looking. 

We entered my room. Even though I tried to get it clean the day before, it was to no avail. It still looked like a disaster had come into my room. Papers were all over the floor, my desk had random things on it, and my bookshelves had food in them instead of books.

“What is your name?” I asked.

He hesitated, but gave me the answer of “Matrix, ma’am.”

“What occurred before I arrived?” I asked in an indifferent voice.

“The other two were poking fun at our group when--” He started

“Don’t lie to me. I can tell you are lying. Just tell me the truth.” I commanded, sensing his magic.

A little known fact about passive magic is that, when trained, you can sense an untrained creature’s magic. If you have finer senses, like I do, sensing the intentions of ponies, zebras, and griffons is child’s play.

He looked shocked at first, but complied. He lied about a couple of minor things, but he and his friends were pushing students’ patience and Sweetie and Rare pushed back. Matrix and his friend taunted them further, though with no response. They left to do the same with Spike and his group of friends as they had no entertainment. Sweetie then rushed the earth pony while Gem smothered the unicorn’s magic with a blanket of her own. The two fought for maybe 5 minutes, and the rest I saw.

Matrix finished, and I thought for a while. He looked uncomfortable, but I decided to go easy(ish) on them. “I am putting you on a sort of probation. Just you. Your friend, by the sound of it was the leader. He will get the brunt of the punishment. You will instead do a little bit of community work. For the next week, you will stay after school for an amount of time I will determine later. You are dismissed.” I told him.

He nodded and left the already dimly lit room. After he shut the door behind him, the room lit up with harmless mushrooms that light up when I push my magic at them. The corners of the ceiling were littered with these, and my office confused janitors and unicorn scholars alike.

I kind of knew why they were there, but didn’t want certain… secrets to be revealed to the press. The only reason I told Spike’s parents about my ability was because I knew they wouldn’t tell many others.

The first period ended as I was finishing some paperwork for a grade three trip to the forests near us when I heard a knocking at the door. Looking around my office, I saw that much of the floor was clean and there was at least a path going to my desk.

The pony outside my door knocked once more. I yelled “Come in!”. Sweet Dreams and Rare Gem came in through my door. Sweetie looked a bit nervous, and Rare Gem looked defensive.

I channeled my magic to grow stumps for chairs. The two visitors in my room widened their eyes.

“How did you do that?” Rare Gem inquired. She seemed calm, though her eyes were filled with the light of a scholar. She was curious.

Sweet Dreams, on the other hand, widened her eyes for a different reason. Yes, she might have been surprised at my ability, but she was a smart mare who could put two and two together. She was a pegasus, so she knew about passive magic. She probably just didn’t know how I was channeling.

“Sweetie, do you know of the innate magic of each tribe?” I asked, eyes showing amusement.

“I know that pegasi use theirs to fly and earth ponies usually use their magic passively to grow and strengthen those around them… but I’ve never heard of earth ponies with this extent of skill with magic.” She said, unsure.

Rare Gem looked between us, and then asked “You called us here due to the fight?”

I nodded. “I heard one side of the story, and I want yours. Why did you initiate the hoof-fight? I heard that Rare was on the edge, but Sweetie was the instigator. I heard that the fight only began as they walked off talking about harassing other students. But, I have no idea what went through your minds when you decided to fight. Explain.”

After talking for a bit, I found that Rare Gem was only angry because Shining Star, her brother, had been harassed by them. He fought back, but got in trouble through the teachers. Sweetie drew the line at the fact that they dared to toy with them, then with others after they got bored.

“I held hope that maybe, if I was lucky, they would stay with me and leave the others alone. I could not stand then bullying others.” Sweetie said, her tone growing harder in the second sentence.

I turned to Gem and asked “And you? What was your motive?”

“My brother-”

“Do not lie to me. If you lie to me, I cannot give you an appropriate consequence for your actions. Ex. Plain. Now.” I told her, eyes closed and brows scrunched.

“I saw Sweetie and knew I could help. I’ve always worked better in tandem with others, and Sweetie would have gotten hurt had I not. I wanted to lend my efforts.” She admitted.

I sighed internally as I heard this bit. “In that case, you both are free to go, though I would still be… quiet about your consequences. I want you both to come into my office on separate days this week, so I may get to know you both.” I told them with a smile.

They looked shocked to say the least.

“You’re not going to punish us for starting a fight?” Gem asked incredulously.

I shook my head. “Why would I punish you standing up to those who meant others harm? Yes, it could have been handled differently, but you did the best you could.”

“That being said...” I began. The room grew dimmer as the mushrooms dimmed with them. I dimmed it enough to see me, but also enough to have a lasting memory. “You both will have consequences fitting of your actions. I will not save you. This IS your warning.” The room brightened again, with Sweetie and Gem staring at me, heart rate increased. “Mkay? Mkay!” I said aloud. “Oh, and I would like to see Gem today. Sweetie, if you could come when I call, I would be grateful.” I told them.

Sweetie left the room  and closed the door with care. Gem tried playing her fear off with a smirk, but I noticed the effort she put forth controlling her breathing.

“I noticed during your fight, you casted in tandem with the unicorn colt. How is that?” I asked.

She looked sideways at me and said “I’m sorry for answering a question with a question, but do you know magic theory?” I nodded at this “Well, I take the magic another is using and twist it a bit. It becomes their magic signature, but I control it.” she told me.

“I’m guessing you can only cast through other unicorns, am I right?” She nodded. “I would like to help you hone this ability, though I’ve already kept you for a little too long. Are you willing to come to the palace? I can meet you about four hours after school, as I have to tell my sisters and get some resources.” I inquired.

She nodded and replied “I can come as long as I get home before sundown. I’ll need to do homework, but I can finish that quickly.”

I smiled and wished her a good day, then got back to my mountain of paperwork.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gem

The final bell rang and I packed up my saddlebags. I walked with a couple of my friends out of the school, then bid them farewell. I didn’t want them to know about… certain things. I walked home to my mother, father, and brother. Star left before me, but I got there first since he walked with friends.

As I came up to my house, I saw a sight worse than usual. All the shutters were closed. This meant I had to be quiet. The house wasn’t run down, but it also wasn’t very sound. I knew of at least 3 leaks in my shared bedroom alone. My Dad could fix them with his flight, or Mom with her magic, but they didn’t. ‘Cost too much’ they tell me.

“Mom. I’m home” I said quietly as I walked into the door, careful to not wake my father.

My mother looked to me with a snide look and asked “Where is your brother?” It was a whisper, but she looked down on me as if I weren’t worth the time.

“He’s probably out with friends”

“Be careful this time. Your father is sleeping and has a headache.

If he would stop drinking, I thought, He wouldn’t have a headache. “One more thing. I got into a fight today and have to go to the palace for Princess Terra.” I told her.

“What is your real reason for going out?” She asked.

“I told you the truth, and I need to do homework before then.”

“I still think you should never have gone to that school.”

I did my best not to snap at her, as Dad would come out and unleash his fury on the both of us. “It was my decision, not yours. I simply did what I thought necessary to make a future for myself and, perhaps, my brother.” I said cooly. “I think I’ll go do homework somewhere else. I don’t want to wake Dad.” I said, walking out of the room.

Mom wanted to call out to me, but couldn’t risk yelling at me. I left and closed the door behind me. Then, I walked towards one of the parks separating the rich and poor.

When the city of Everfree was first created when I was young, Terra and Luna worried that those in the upper class would take land away from all others to turn them into banks or high class event areas. To combat this, they made areas around the two rings parks, free for all. The parks were used by those that wanted to practice magic at this time of day, though there were a few children with parents running and playing.

I turned towards one of the further corners of the park. I walked for a bit off of the main path, into a maze of trees. Instead of getting lost, I turned and maneuvered my way around to a tree. Before the school was founded, I used the tree to hide things that I didn’t want my Mom to steal or Dad to break. It was sort of my safe spot.

In a certain tree in this entire forest, there was a door that I camouflaged as the bark of a tree. It was heavy enough that a pegasus or earth pony couldn’t open it, and I had a magic seal on it with my signature. It opened, making no sound, and I heard a pony down the stairs leading to the carved out roots of the tree.

I was surprised, but readied myself for any pony. Sneaking down, I first saw a forest green coat and brown mane. I wondered who they could be, when I heard them say “I know you’re there. Come down and we can talk.” It was unmistakably Terra.

I sighed in relief and went down the rest of the stairs. “How did you find this place?” I asked

“All of these trees are connected, and I like to take walks around the foliage. It’s calming. What is your reason?” Terra inquired.

I didn’t want to tell her about my family issues, so I instead said “I came to do homework.”

“I know that isn’t the whole truth, but I won’t push. Do you want me to leave so you can have some peace for your work?”

I shook my head. “One of my assignments is in magic theory, and I might need help.” I said.

Terra smiled and responded “Sure! I’d love to. Beats dealing with stuck up snobs!”

I snickered at this remark as Terra realised she said that aloud. “Anyhow, The parts I need help on are the questions on earth pony magic.”

I explained in detail what I knew that unicorns have full control over their abilities, while earth ponies have little control and pegasi were somewhere in between.

“So basically, I know that pegasi have control over their wind magic and unicorns their spell casting. I know that pegasi have little control over their cloud walking and durability… but I don’t know the extent of an earth pony’s prowess over their magic.” I explained.

“Well, in normal cases, earth ponies use their magic to give to the world around them. Trees and the earth soak in their magic and become energy-dense. Plants and animals then use that magic that we emit as energy, using it to grow. It has a limit, as the trees still need water, sunlight, and air. At the same time, they take in magic, strengthening themselves and making them strong as boulders. You would be pretty surprised at what I would go through on a daily basis after meeting Celestia and Luna.” She explained.

“As usual with everything, there are exceptions. There are pegasi that can light the sky ablaze with fire and gravity, unicorns who specialize in other tribes’ magic, and earth ponies who can seemingly cast spells and, once again, gravity. Celestia, Luna, and I are all examples. I can cast spells, but I worked since I was young to do so. Celestia can light clouds ablaze. Luna is particularly special, though. She specializes in magic itself. There are fields, such as chaos and dark magic, that she cannot cast.” Terra continued.

I nodded and wrote that down with my magic, inscribing what she was saying on a scroll as she was saying it with a simple conversion spell. “What I don’t understand,” I started “is how there is so much crossing between the tribes.”

“When our races first started out, there was one race. We fought and found different ways to survive. There were those who were physically strong in both strength and endurance. There were those who found ways to go faster. They eventually gained flight and weather manipulation. Finally there were those who were skilled in neither speed nor strength. They studied and found ways to cast spells, interacting with the world around them magically.

Even though the three races are different in the way they use magic, they can train themselves so long as they have dedication. There are, of course, limits to the extent they can train. No matter how much you train, you will not be able to truly fly as a pegasus, nor have the longevity of an earth pony. I may be able to manipulate magic, but I could never do so to the extent you can, nor fly.

I trained by pushing my magic to trees since I was young. I used to grow entire homes for myself this way. As I grew older, I was able to make precise things, such as spoons and handles, quickly.

Though that is what I wanted to talk about with you earlier. I wanted to see the extent of your abilities. Did you get what I said” She lectured.

I jotted down what she said without many errors until the end. “You want to see if I can cast in tandem with you, right?” I managed to get out.

“I was actually wondering how you were able to pick up the earth colt. They are resistant to levitation on account of their physical strength. Most unicorns your age don’t know how to do what you did without lethally harming their opponent.” Terra explained.

“Instead of trying to pick him up with my magic, I went the long way around and used his magic to cover him. It wasn’t much, and didn’t last long, but it lasted long enough for me to be able to throw him. At the time, I was trying to see what their dueling styles were, and they never duel. They probably just prey on weaker ponies, hoping they don’t have to make good on threats.” I said matter-of-factly.

Terra sat there thinking for a while, then closed her eyes. “Well, I should get going. It isn’t too late, but I need to get back to the castle to help my sisters with paperwork. Have a nice evening, and I hope to see you again soon.” The tree started to warp around her. “Try not to get into another fight, though, okay?” She said as she left, probably going to the castle. I left the safety of the tree, starting on my way home.

For the first night in a while, I had a bounce in my step and a smile on my face. I hoped it would last longer.
> 1.3: Premium Pie Predicament
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 3: Premium Pie Predicament


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T

The birds were singing, the castle was blooming, and there was only one thing I could think as I woke up early for the third day in a row.

Buck. Buck. Buck.

Over and over again.

My eyes were half lidded, my hooves felt heavy, and wherever I walked, the tree around me seemed to darken.

On the positive note, I wasn’t bothered by the guards as I walked. They all saw me and skirted around me. Didn’t know why, but oh well, right?

Either way, I walked through the castle with no aim for around twenty minutes, then practically bolted for the kitchen. On my way, I came across Blue Star. She saw me and followed, asking me about something. I tuned her out as I ran past corridors of rooms and through a library. The library even shushed us.

In my defence, I hadn’t had my coffee yet.

I skidded to a stop as I came to the chef, who had finished an order I had made the night before.

The chef said something as I started drinking my coffee.

“-- Good?”

“Hrmm?” I asked, still half asleep.

“The breakfast good?” He asked.

I looked out the window, and the sun was up and the variety of flowers on the branches of the tree were blooming fully. I nodded.

“Did you listen to anything I just said?” Blue Star asked.

I frowned and turned to her. The pegasus mare had an off white coat and blue mane with red streaks. Her cutie mark was a Leo constellation that was fully blue. She did like constellations, but she was more of a lion than a scholar; ferocious, fearless, and prone to hunting those she deemed as prey. I was in her crosshairs.

“Didn’t your mother tell you what happened to her when she pushed?” I asked exasperatedly.

“She did, but I don’t believe her. I’ve been doing this for a while. I still haven’t seen this ’dark side’ of you.” She told me with one eyebrow raised.

“Goodbye” I said cheerfully as I had taken my breakfast, sans my coffee

Before Blue could question me, I warped the tree around me, fell down a floor, closed the gap, and galloped. I could hear her swearing and flapping of wings as well, but I had the advantage of being able to warp the tree around me. As I ran, the servants of the castle(which I was still against, even after twenty years of ruling) watched me and ran the other direction.

Must have known what I would do if cornered.

I galloped to the front gates, where Swift was waiting. He saw me and let me through. As I looked behind me, I saw Blue flying full force. Her face was a mixture of indignation and unadulterated, unrestrained rage.

Swift winked as I ran out the doors to the sky full of grays and blues. 

I nodded to him as I gained more ground from my aggressor.

He stopped her and started talking to her. I was able to get away. Thanks Swift. I thought to myself.

As I galloped I thought of what I had done to get where I was. The dragons, griffons, and the yaks. Those allies and the sacrifices I’d had to make all those years ago. My father and the manticore. Flashbacks of my hoof to claw fights with the dragons, my drinking with griffons, and the wrestling contests with the yaks. Each time I won, I lost something as well. Something I had loved or depended on. Even when Celestia and Luna had come, I had still felt that… that heaviness in my being.

I slowed my gallop to a trot and my trot to a walk, then looked around me as I moved. The houses were all different colors. Even those the same color had different shades, or were set up different. Pinks, purples, blues. They surrounded me as I calmed the hurricane in my mind and came to the outer ring eastern road. I reminded myself that there was no room to dwell on the past.

After all, I need to do my job, right? I thought to myself.

As I walked through town, I saw students going to the school. I saw teachers talking amongst each other.

I was waved at by students and teachers alike, but they went off with their own groups.

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C

After Terra and Luna left, I realized court would open soon. Taking the shortest path there(as there’s no reason to be late!), I opened the doors and got comfortable, taking a look around the room 

As I opened my court and my advisors entered, I remembered today’s importance. A table with several knights, cannons, and alicorns was brought.

The land with West Equus and East Equus was drawn rather exquisitely, and there were political borders. The main countries of this map were Yakyakistan, Gryphonia, Everfree, the Crystal Empire, Oasis, Roam, Zebrica, and the Desert of the Lost. There were huge areas of untamed lands that no one dared to attempt to settle, as these lands were generally inhabited by magic resistant beasts like ursae and hydras.

I noticed that each meter on the map was equivalent to 1543 kilometers, and the map had been updated to include the Roaman advance to the south eastern continent.

As I settled in with food, the rulers of the nations closest to us came into the room.

To my immediate right was the king of the Crystal Empire, King Sombra. He was away from his queen, but I knew her country needed her to run internal affairs. Their empire was north to ours, but farther west than the griffons.

To my left was the leader (not monarch) of the Oasis to the south, Chrysalis. She lead a tribe of runaways like us, but they chose to abide in the desert to hide from the fools in the south. We had a mutual agreement of ‘we’ll stay off your land if you stay off ours’. She had a black coat and green mane. Her eyes were rarely seen, but they were green nonetheless.

I asked both “Do you know if the Gem Hounds or Minotaurs are coming?” I received a “No” from both.

To the left of Chrysalis was a representative for Iron Gate of Roam, then Nyo of Zebrica. To the right of Sombra was Prince Gruntig of Yakyakistan, then the newly crowned Torch of the Dragon Lands.

Above the map, resting on a cloud, was Gaelle, the Queen of Gryphonia.

Finally, there were three representatives from the tribalists that came in, still bickering with each other. As this group came in, taking a seat opposite to me, I bit back a load of angry comments.

After all, peace was the reason we were here.

I allowed everyone to settle in, taking about five minutes. Slowly the room quieted down from the rulers and representatives jabbing at one another to whispers to neighbors.

“Are we all ready for this annual summit?” I asked loud enough to be heard.

A wave of agreement came from the others.

“First thing on the docket is explaining the rules to those who just joined this year.” I sid, looking at the Divided and Zebrican newcomers.

“Rule one. Under no circumstances should this meeting turn to violence. For ANY reason. This is why we meet at different nations each year, to be determined at the end of the session.

Rule two. If there IS a disagreement, be it over land, resources, or lives, we shall talk out a solution with neighbors, allies, AND enemies. Today, we help each other, no matter past grudges.” I said this glancing at the tribalist representatives.

“Finally, rule three. Under no reason should you divulge what goes on as long as this meeting should take place. This is to protect the individuals and secrets of the nations. Should something like this happen, all others will immediately agree to take action upon you. Understood?” I finished.

All nodded and ‘yes’ed.

“First on the docket today, is Roam’s advancement.” As I said this, the representatives from the Empire, Yakyakistan, the Dragon Lands, and Gryphonia all stood back from the table, making it apparent they did not wish to vote on this, nor add anything to the matter. “We shall hear the defence of our good pony, then decide among ourselves the legitimacy of said defence. Proceed.”

The amber-coated pony started to speak in a deep voice. “I am Beacon of Roam, and I will speak on the behalf of Iron Gate.

We have expanded into the untamed lands and the tip of the continent to support our population and economy. There is currently too little space for our populace where we originated from.” He looked at Nyo “Zebrica should not worry as we will only expand to the north east of where they are, and we have no care for their savannas and dense forests.” He then looked at the tribalists “The nation Divided should not fear us as most of the populace they are protecting has given us the land and their support freely. It is of no consequence to us their internal affairs.” He then looked at Chrysalis and I. Everfree and Oasis should not fear us as they have natural defences against our strongest asset: our army. I have made my case, and I hope you all see reason.”

At the end of this, I took a deep breath to think. Time seemed to slow down around me, though I couldn’t see whether or not my mind was playing tricks on me. I hadn’t the time. For now, I had to think of the ramifications of the three decisions laid before me.

I could vote in favour of Roam and its expansion. That would increase our nation's defenses against the Divided and perhaps make trade with Roam easier. It might also encite a war with Oasis- who could take us by illusion- and Zebrica- whose navy is far superior to our own.

I could vote against the expansion, but that might have the opposite effect and cause Zebrica’s demise.

Or I could abstain. This would distance me from all, but would save me from either side’s wrath.

“Would anyone like to add to this?” I asked as I narrowed my decision.

Nyo of Zebrica tapped on the map. “I would like to add a thought, as invasion may be what they sought. I hope this nay be true, but if it is they will go after you.” She pointed at Chrysalis and I.

I had learned while making the accords that most sentient creatures spoke what was deemed ‘Common’. Zebras were no exception, but their Shamans spoke in rhyme. It was a tradition I respected, though it was a hassle to translate what they meant.

“I agree with this. How do we know that you will stop after that? If what you say is true, you might just need more and more land, going to war over it.” Chrysalis said while inspecting her black- coated hoof.

One more

“And we can all agree that you taking our land is harming us greatly, in obtaining food, supplies, maintaining the weather, and researching topics.” The three representatives of the Divided spoke, one after the other.

Beacon looked around the room for support, and eventually came to me.

“Celestia, what is your opinion on this?” Beacon asked.

“As much as I would like to abstain or vote in favour of your expansion, I do not happen to have all the facts I need to make an opinion.” I said, eyes still closed.

“Such as? I’d be happy to answer your questions.” Beacon responded.

“Last you checked, what was your population count in total?”

I took careful note of his response, because at this, Beacon froze. I saw his eyes moving from side to side, looking for a solution to his apparent problem.

“If you lied to us to further your own country, I couldn’t do anything about it. But you also threatened to send the populace of Everfree, Oasis, Zebrica, and possibly even those in the north into a war. Just for land you don’t need.” I said cooly.

At this, Torch, Sombra, Gaelle, and Gruntig stepped forward.

Beacon’s eye twitched. “Wh-what do you mean?” He asked us.

“I figure that for you to NEED the land, you must have several billion crammed into the country. After all, you conquered nearly all of the lands around you. So, tell us. What. Is. The. Count?” I asked him.

“We currently have half a million spread out in our mainland.” He said.

“Yes, but I asked how many in total? After all your expansion wasn’t too long ago.”

“Three quarters of a million of our own, and approximately seven hundred thousand immigrants from the north.” He relinquished.

“Step into the sound-proof bubble so we may make our decision.”

He stepped into a blue bubble. It was a simple spell that ensured he would not listen in on our conversation. The spell was foal’s play compared to other feats.

“Is there any information you would like to give before the vote?” I asked. None of the others raised any appendage. “Okay. All in favor of the Roaman expansion?”

As I looked to tally the votes, none were made.

“All against?”

The vote was unanimous. All countries were against Roam’s plan.

I turned to Chrysalis. “Can you please grab Beacon?” I asked.

Chrysalis nodded, and the upset of her hair showed me her eyes. They were closed, though she still walked normally. Beacon came back to take his seat to the left of Chrysalis.

“Our thoughts are against your expansion. I’m sure we can come to a compromise of land, but Nyo, Beacon, and the Divided must speak among themselves on this matter. The next docket---”

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T

I heard a bell, then talking in the halls a few minutes later. It was recess and most were leaving the tree to stretch their legs. That was most. Teachers, which students outnumbered by at least twenty to one, stayed inside to grade homework, catch up with their peers, or, in my case, dish out punishments. Students and teachers alike had and will have needed punishments, just like a normal school. My only solace was that there were no troublemakers today. I was meeting with one Sweet Dreams.

I heard a knocking at my door.

“Come in!” I shouted.

The door opened and Sweetie came in. I took stock of her features. Her cutie mark was a miniature black version of herself with white eyes; her coat a bright white; her mane a deep, dark blue your eyes could get lost in; and her eyes were a perfect black.

“Hello. You wanted to speak with me today, yes?” Sweetie asked as she sat down.

I nodded. “While your actions the other day were to fight for others, I wish to know who YOU are as a pony. So, I would like to ask you some questions. Some may be personal, and you do not have to answer them all.”

“Ok. I don’t really know anything that you would gawk at, though.”

I smiled. “Question one.” I started pretending to write on a piece of paper. “What does your cutie mark mean?” I asked, not putting the clipboard I was writing on down.

“It is a metaphor for my personality. I can be a bright pony. If you push me, though, I become cynical and can tear even the strongest down.” She said with a happy smile on her face. “I learned this part of myself when I stood up for friends from a bully. I left the bully crying, and had punishment from both my teachers and my parents. But I still protected my friends.”

“That’s… a dramatic way to get your cutie mark.” I said plainly.

“Well, I did kind of run into Rare Gem because of my punishment, so I can’t complain much!” Sweetie said cheerfully.

Okay, Sweetie is interesting character. Either way, I need to find one more thing out before telling my sisters of her potential.

I took a sip of coffee before continuing.

“Question two. Is there a particular magic you specialize in, or perhaps one that you wish to know more about?” I asked

Sweetie put a hoof to her chin and thought for a good thirty seconds, then told me “I can walk through dreams, if that’s what you mean.”

I nearly choked on my coffee.

“You said that nonchalantly. I don’t suppose you know what that ability means, do you?” A shake of her head was all that was needed. “As you probably know, there are several schools that are generally harder for normal ponies to really delve into. It takes talent and a magical affinity for it. Some of them include fire magic for pegasi, long range teleportation, transmogrification, and dreamwalking.” I explained to her, standing up to pace around the room.

“Most thestrals and a small group of ponies can truly dreamwalk. I believe Luna tried to once, nearly dissolved herself in my headspace. So, I ask out of concern. When you dreamwalk, is it forced?” I continued.

“I slip into it as I fall asleep. I wake up well rested all the same, but I can sense something wrong when family or friends have nightmares. So I simply walk and I’m there, helping them.” Sweetie said.

I sighed, both out of relief and deep thinking.

“Final question, then I’ll answer any that you have. Have you ever, in any way shape of form, caused malicious suffering?” I asked, facing away from her.

Sweetie stayed silent. She wouldn’t look at me, constantly finding another part of the floor to look at.

“I see. Well, I can’t punish you, so long as it wasn’t in this school, but I hope you know not to. If you ever do wish to harm others in that way, please speak with me. I know the feeling quite well.” I said, voice soft.

“Why would--”

“I deal with nobles, and some are very… difficult sometimes.” I said.

“Do you have any questions for me?” I asked, taking a seat at my desk once more.

Sweetie shook her head.

“In that case, you’re excused. If you want some time before leaving to collect your thoughts, you can stay. But please don’t bother me, as I have a mountain of paperwork to do.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PP

I walked back into the school as the bell rang, trying to distance myself from the athletic groups. After all, they were my bane at times.

“Hey punk.” I sighed. Too late.

I kept walking, readjusting my saddlebags.

“You ignoring me, you little brat?”

“You’re, like, two grades above me.” I said in a monotone voice.

“And then sassing me. Whelp, get ready for a--” he started.

The pony trying to fight me was Wild Strike, who was notorious for being impetuous, sometimes just as much as I was random.

I slipped through reality to get away, as I didn’t want my mood to be ruined for the day. I came out at the tree, where swaths of students had started shuffling in with pairs and friend circles. In this cacophony of colors and ponies, I knew I’d lose him.

Most would describe my ability as teleporting, but I didn’t use unicorn or alicorn magic. I just DID. There were other instances of reality-shirking, like extending my legs to stretch them to unfathomable lengths, popping out of small places if a friend broke a promise, and sensing when things would happen.

I was still working out that last one.

“WHERE DID YOU GO, PUNK?!” I heard Wild Strike shout.

Looking back I saw him shoving through crowds. Luckily, my next period was close to the entrance, and I was able to slip out of the hallway. As I looked around my third period, Thaumatic Studies, I saw Rare Gem sitting next to where Sweet Dreams would normally be.

The school that Princess Terra set up was different than most other schools.

For one, the ‘Tree’ accounted for all grade levels. From when a foal was supposed to go to school until post high school.

It was also highly personalized. Teachers were meticulously paired with students whose personalities mixed extremely well, even accounting for friend groups and those with similar mindsets.

Finally, we were able to choose many of our classes, as long as we took one foreign language, as well as common. There were even classes to hone and improve certain cutie marks! Terra had really thought of everything before making this school a reality.

Either way, though, Sweetie wasn’t here. That worried me, as she never missed this class, as she liked the discussions the teacher, Miss Straight Shot, would set up. The class was a series of desks set up on steps, with ample space between each to account for the desks and walkways.

Each classroom tended to be different, in fact they were as different as the teachers were.

“Hey Gem.” I said, putting down the saddlebags. They were heavy, but I was used to them.

“Pie! Sorry, I was starting another book.” She looked around the classroom, with students starting to shuffle in. “I didn’t miss anything important, did I?”

I put a hoof to my muzzle, pretending to think, then said “Nah. Just Wild being himself.”

“I will never understand how you always get away from him.” She said, then whispered to herself “But that’s beside the point. So you got away from him. Did you see Sweetie on your way in?” She asked.

As people continued coming in and settling down, the room became a little louder due to the various conversations taking place. I tried my best to be quiet.

“No. I thought you’d know where she was.” I said with one eyebrow raised, slightly confused.

“She went to Miss Terra’s office ‘cause of what I told you yesterday. I was just wondering why she wasn’t back yet.” She said to me, still watching the door.

The bell rang as Sweetie came through the door, severely out of breath. She had a note in her wings, which were ruffled.

“Sweetie. I was wondering when you’d be here. Do you have an excuse note?” Straight shot asked.

Sweetie took the note out of her wings, hoofed it over to the teacher, then sat down in between Gem and I.

The teacher called out our names to take roll as all the conversations died down.

I looked at Sweetie, and she had a troubled look in her eye. Something about her visit to the Principal shook her, but I couldn’t know what for another two periods.

“Today we will be conversing about forbidden and unethical usage of magic. Form groups of three to six to come up with six or seven examples of forbidden magic. Anyone who comes up with one that isn’t well known gets five extra credit points. Do as you will.” She told us before going to her desk and writing.

Sometimes she was a little too nice, but with many of my classmates being ‘straight A’ students, it was worth it to her.

Sweetie, Gem, and I ended up in a group together.

I took out my notebook, both to record our answers and the other groups’.

“I know quite a few, but I’d like to hear your ideas first.” Sweetie piped up, her face ridden with a false smile.

“Necromancy, mind control, and chaos magic are all fields that are prohibited.” Gem pointed out.

“Yeah, but there’s also the earth ponies’ ability to suck life out of nearly anything, making them theoretically immortal. That’s something you don’t hear of every day.” I shot back, making it clear I was debating.

“How about the abuse of dream walking and changing your race to be ageless? Those aren’t well heard of, and transmogrification can have disastrous consequences.” Sweetie joined in. Eventually, we boiled it down to six.

“Okay, any volunteers?” The teacher called out.

I raised my hoof, as did two other groups.

“All of you, pick a number one through five.”

“Three!” One group called out. Not missing my chance, I called out “Five!”

Gem and Sweetie looked at me with faces that screamed ‘really? I hope you know what you’re doing.’

The final group yelled out “Two!”

“My number was five, so we will start off with Pie’s group. Whenever you’re ready.”

“We chose transmogrification, magic stealing, chaos, abuse of dreamwalking, dimensional magic, and mind control.” I said loud enough that she could hear us, as we were halfway up the ‘stairs’.

“Your group gets five extra points for magic stealing IF you can tell me more about it. Otherwise, five points for dimensional and dreamwalking abuse.” She said.

“Earth ponies have the ability to give magic to grow the life around them. If they wanted to, however, they could do the opposite. This would result in the death of plants, and ponies having no magic. 

They would either be killed off by predators or get their magic back. This can happen if either the attacker dies before they do, they consciously give them their magic, or they are forced to because of an artifact.” I said, going slowly to make sure I didn’t mess up a word.

“Good. Because of the detail in your explanation, I will give you each seven points. Next?”

Class went on like this, going from group to group and occasionally having to stall for an explanation, until the bell rang for fourth period. I packed up my quill and notebook, then headed out the door. Sweetie had a different class than us, I think it was an enhanced studies class. Meanwhile, Gem and I left for our duelling class.

In a normal school it might have been regarded as an extracurricular activity, meant for after school. Miss Terra decided that we should have the choice to duel, either between ourselves or monsters, as a class itself. Gem and I chose a pony on pony class, just for self defence. She had told me of her issues at home, so I joined the class to give her a friendly face.

As we went up a flight of stairs, we talked about the two lessons the teacher, Swift Kick, presented us with.

There were no real seats in this particular classroom. It was also much larger, as it was on the second of five floors. The first floor was reserved for theoretical sciences. The second floor, as well as several atypical classes outside, were athletic-based. The third floor had a huge empty space that, when asked about it, Terra simply told ponies “You’ll see the use soon.” and continued with renovations.

“Today, we will be endurance running for half the period. You have to run around the tree, then come inside for a ticket. If you get twenty of these, you get full points. The only rules are no flying or teleporting, and you must run the entire time. If any of you break either of these, you will either get less points, or none at all.” Swift instructed.

There was  a grumbling, but everyone there began to run at a pace. Rare Gem and I stayed in the middle, not sprinting and not jogging at the same time.

“What do you think happened with Sweetie?” I asked her.

“I think I know, but I don’t think I should tell you.” She said, looking away.

“Why not?”

“It’s a well kept secret she has, and she has to decide whether or not she’ll tell you.” Gem told me simply.

By now we were three-quarters of the way around the tree.

I continued thinking. I thought of the past and present, what with my family…

Best not think about that quite yet.

“Any other news?” I asked Gem.

“Not really. Are you sure you don’t want to finish early instead of stay here with me?”

“Well, I figure I’m getting the same grade as you, and I don’t seem like a try hard. So yes, I’ll stay your pace.

Not to mention that I often blip in and out of reality when I run alone for long.

Gem and I continued talking until class had finished, then said our farewells. I had no more classes with them today, so we went our separate ways. All the while I couldn’t stop thinking.

Why won’t Sweetie tell me? Does she not consider me a close enough friend? Or did I come off as too strong again?

Either way, I found it was lunch again, but I had studying for the next class to do.

I just hoped that whatever happened with Sweetie would work itself out.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SW

It was the end of the day, and all the students were heading home. There weren’t any clubs today, and I was relieved by that fact. I just wanted to be left alone.

“Sweetie” I heard a certain Pie say. “I was wondering about something.”

Oh great. Now I can’t properly freak out without getting Pumpkin involved.

He didn’t hear me respond, but continued anyways. “You seemed off in Thaumatical Studies. What happened?” He asked.

I don’t know what to tell you. I just… don’t.

“Hello?” Pumpkin asked. He had desperation in his voice. Though I couldn’t say what it was about, I could see it was eating at him.

I sighed. “She asked me some questions, glossing over a couple of issues I happen to have.” I mumbled loud enough that he could hear me.

A look of realization dawned on him. “That… other side of you? What about it?”

“I… I don’t want to talk about it.” I told him before unfurling my wings and flying off. I lived relatively close by, but I wanted some time to myself.

As I looked around for a cloud, I saw that the sky was completely clear. Not a cloud in sight.

I looked around once more for a house with a red roof, and found it was a small ways away. With a certain cinnamon coated, frazzy orange maned stallion outside my house.

I have to give him credit where credit is due. He sure does care.

I took a slight detour, and Pumpkin pulled out a contraption that shouldn’t have fit in his bag. It seemed to be a hoof-powered flying device made out of candy canes and balloons. He didn’t fly VERY fast, but it was fast enough that he had me in his sights. I couldn’t simply hide, or he’d seem like a kook for doing this.

I went over to greet him.

“Hi Sweetie. Wondered where you went. I… one second.” He brought out several deflated balloons out of his mane. Still pedaling. Then attached them to the top. While pedaling.

I tried fighting back a snort, but failed. By the look of his face, he was worried I would fall. I lowered myself to the ground right outside my house, the flying contraption landing next to me. I then laughed my head off.

“Pumpkin… You are… The most RIDICULOUS pony I know. And I’ve met so many so far!” I said in between fits of laughter.

He then proceeded to get out of the helicopter and empty out his saddlebags. An anchor, several grilled cheese sandwiches, sweets of all variety, and a couple of ponies fell out of his bags.

“Sorry about that! Don’t know how you guys got in there!” He apologised to them.

“We were… But how…. What?” One of the ponies said.

I continued laughing.

“I had to take everything out of my saddlebags to fit this! Sorry.” He said to them with a grin.

He then proceeded to stuff the helicopter, which was twice his side in length and triple his size in height, into the bags.

I thought I would die right there, I was laughing so hard.

“Why… Why did you do that again?” I asked, after I had stopped laughing.

“I was going for ridiculous, and might have overstepped the bounds.” He responded.

“You think?” I said with an eyebrow raised and a grin on my face.

He put a hoof to his mouth with a grin and said “Hrmmmmm… Nah”

“Well, thanks. I have to do homework now, though. See you!”

“And you!” He said in the distance.

I will never know how that pony’s mind works.

I didn’t know just how right I was.