//------------------------------// // Class 1-A // Story: My Little Academia: Friendship is Heroic! // by Fullmetal Pony //------------------------------// “Oh, you look great, sweetie,” Night Light beamed. He reached out and ran a hoof across a part of Twilight’s mane. “Just gotta smooth out that one little bit.” “Dad, come on,” Twilight whined, partially in jest. “A nice mane isn’t exactly a top priority among heroes. Besides, it’ll just get messed up in training.” Velvet tensed. “You don’t think they’ll have you training already, do you? It’s just your first day, and your horn and your legs probably need to rest a little more.” “Mom, it’s fine. Just some small sprains and a little over-exertion.” When the bandages came off, Twilight’s horn and legs had looked as good as new. Twilight thanked the stars that one of her new classmates or perhaps Moondancer or Spike had been a smooth enough talker to assuage Velvet’s fears when they had lifted Twilight out of Joe’s and back home. “Even if we do have some exercises today, it’s nothing I can’t handle.” “I know, it’s just…” Velvet fidgeted in place for a moment before reaching out and pulling Twilight into a hug. Twilight felt a few tears splash onto her mane. “Oh, I’m never good at these. I promised I’d do better than with Shining, but here I am balling my eyes out again.” She pulled back, sniffled, and willed back any tears, but she only managed to keep them from flowing out of her eyes, leaving her bleary and blubbering. “You hear it so much, ‘they grow up so fast,’ but you’ve really changed this summer. I… I can’t help it if I worry—that’s what mothers do—but…” She wiped her eyes and displayed the shaky but genuine smile Twilight had inherited. “Have a great first day!” “Don’t worry.” Twilight’s grin was a bit more steady and wider. “I will!” “Twilight!” a voice called out. Everypony lifted their head and spotted Spike rushing down the street. He skidded to a halt in front of Twilight and her parents. Resting his hands on his knees, he gasped for breath. Twilight’s eyes darted back and forth between Spike and her parents. Velvet let her legs slowly drop away from Twilight. “Oh, Spike. You didn’t have to come all the way here.” Spike spotted Twilight’s eye twitching as her brain overloaded and gave a wheezy laugh. He paused and caught more of his breath. When he lifted his head, he displayed a grin. “Just thought it’d be nice go to school together on the first day!” “Oh-ho,” Night Light chuckled. “What a wonderful little diplomat you are.” Twilight jittered over to Spike, and whispered, “What did you tell them last week?” “Pinkie’s one hay of a tale-spinner.” Spike shot out a claw and rapped Twilight on the back. With a put-on laugh, he declared, “Good to see you too, Twilight, and don’t worry about the security detail. I can handle myself!” Twilight cricked her head to the side. “Uh, riiigggggghhhttt.” “Well, you’d best be off,” said Night Light with a glance at the rising sun. “Don’t want to be late on your first day.” “Right,” Twilight and Spike said in unison. Velvet blinked and Night Light chucked, “You really do know how to surprise us, Twilight. Have a great day.” With a wave, Twilight and Spike headed off. The streets bustled with ponies heading out to work and school. Along the way, Twilight spotted many fillies and colts her age, some in uniforms and some not, on their way to the first day of school. All of them bore ID cards either draped around their neck or attached to their bags. “So,” Twilight asked, “are you ever gonna explain just what happened?” “I could,” Spike chuckled, “but I’d rather you keep thinking it was my awesome draconic charm that wins over everypony.” Spike laughed at whatever scheme he and the others had cooked out while Twilight was out like a light. All Twilight could do was smile and shake her head. By the halfway point, Twilight had failed to spot any ponies that displayed the silver ID card pinned to one of her saddle bag straps and affixed to the front of Spike’s backpack. It bore a picture in the center along with personal number. The golden sun and the crescent moon were what truly made the card stand out. As the duo drew closer to their destination, excitement compelled Twilight’s search for other bearers of the School for Gifted Ponies’ card. She was also on the lookout for her newfound friends, though she doubted they would cross paths on the way to school on the first day. Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie had informed her via letter that they had returned to their homes to wait for acceptances. Each had sent a second letter when they had received the news they had gotten in. Velvet had thought Twilight was having a heart attack when she got the news, especially since Twilight had only displayed a fraction of that excitement when she had received her own acceptance. Since all of Twilight’s new friends were all from out of town, they would be living at the School’s dormitory, which meant they all moved in the day before classes. Twilight had considered joining in to help, but a quick perusal of the rules showed that her ID Card did not activate until today, so it would have been a hassle for security to deal with. Plus, since going out to the School was not necessary at the time, Velvet had been very vocal in her insistence that Twilight rest and prepare her own materials. Twilight’s thoughts were on point, and she arrived at school having sadly not spotted any of her friends. She had at least spotted some other students, but, aside from a wall-eyed grey pegasus, she did not recognize anypony from the exam. Besides, Spike was already with her. It was not like she needed to make a ton of friends on the first day. On the other hoof, friendship definitely was a cornerstone of unlocking the Elements. Twilight reflected on the exam, her training, and everything else that had happened since the summer began. Even when Spike tugged at her, steering her out of the way of a businesspony sipping his morning coffee and hustling off to work, she remained transfixed. “Twilight!” a shout finally broke her out of her trance just as she reached the front of the School. Twilight and Spike gulped and slowly turned. Sunset appeared as she had on the day of the exam: teeth bared, eyes aflame, and horn ready to fire. Each stomp she took burnt the grass at her hooves and left a smoldering print in the dirt. She stopped right in front of Twilight and bent close. The heat radiating off her forced a bit of sweat onto Twilight’s brow. “You conniving little cheater. I’ve been hearing you pulled some sort of flashy light show that even fooled the staff!” Sunset growled and then jabbed a hoof at Twilight’s chest. A shield stopped it before it made impact, but Sunset kept pushing, forcing the shield back and sending up streams of smoke. Cracks spread out from Sunset’s hoof. “Whatever you did can’t save you forever. If you know what’s good for you, leave before you get bu—” A blast of emerald flame shot up and sheared off a tip of Sunset’s mane. Spike snorted smoke out his nose before readying another blast. “Stop it!” Twilight slammed a hoof into the ground as hard as she could. A tiny bit of rainbow aura wisped up from where her hoof smacked the dirt. A similar glow swirled within her eyes. With a sigh, she bowed her head. “We are classmates, not enemies.” “Tch, you would say that,” Sunset huffed. She turned to leave. “Wait,” Twilight ordered. Sunset twisted her head back, glare as icy as the bitterest corner of the Frozen North. “What?” Twilight faced her, eyes firm, without a shred of fear showing. “We’re classmates, Sunset, which gives me all more chances to prove that I do have what it takes. Call what happened at the exam whatever you like, but I promise, now you’ll see with your own eyes that I’m not the weak blank flank you still think I am.” Sunset glared at Twilight a moment longer, snorted, and then made her way for the steps. “Whatever. Do what you want, not my issue.” Once Sunset was a good distance away, Spike spoke up, “Sheesh, is she ever not ticked off?” “Me succeeding just doesn’t register to her anymore.” Twilight’s head drooped and she sighed, “I just hope that can change.” *** Flames danced over Sunset’s head. They shifted from red and orange to green to purple and back to normal. Burning bright despite having nothing to consume, they morphed into birds, rams, and a whole fiery zoo that pranced through the sky. Almost everypony on the playground was captivated by Sunset’s magic. Twilight peeked her head out from behind a nearby tree. Despite the bruises that still stung on her leg and barrel, she could not resist watching Sunset show off. She just did not understand why whenever she said anything to Sunset now, a smack greeted her in response. Sunset had been getting more and more pushy before winter break, and she had started hanging out with other ponies a lot more, but now she never said a word to Twilight. She had even scared Twilight a few times with her flames. The first time she did it, Twilight even cried. Sunset had a cutie mark, her magic was strong, and everypony wanted to hang out with her. It stung trying to figure out why Sunset was so mean to Twilight when she had everything that could make a filly happy. As Twilight pondered the question she asked herself constantly, she failed to spot Sunset hone in on her exposed head. With a smirk, she stopped her fiery phoenixes from doing loops and sicked them on Twilight. With a yelp, she stumbled backwards and crashed onto the ground. The phoenixes continued to dart towards her. She seized up and closed her eyes. Heat flared around her, but she did not feel anything directly strike her. When smoke invaded her nose, she coughed, but a hoof slamming down near her head froze her up again. “Well, I gotta give it to you, blank flank,” Sunset snickered, “I was betting you’d have yourself a little accident.” Some of the other fillies and colts joined in with Sunset at laughing at Twilight. She bowed her head to hide her blush. “I... I just wanted to see your magic, Sunset. M-maybe if I study it, I ca—” Twilight cried out when aura seized her mane and yanked her back. Sunset’s glare turned Twilight’s blood to ice. “Get this through that waste of a horn and into your head, blank flank,” Sunset growled, “You had your chance, and you lost it. Now you want to rip me off!?” Flames roared off Sunset and shot upwards. Everypony moved back, while Sunset kept her hold on Twilight, letting her flames lash out. The grass blackened near Twilight’s hooves and smoke forced her to cough. She wanted to break to the right, but a blaze shot up and kept her confined. Her legs shook and tears started to well up. “P-please, S-s-sunset,” she blubbered. “I… I don’t know what I did, but I’m s-sorry!” “Pathetic,” Sunset snorted. She stomped forward, but a crack rang out before she could inflict more torment on Twilight. Just as she glanced up at the source of the noise, a branch her flames had whipped snapped and came crashing down on her. The wind flew out of her when purple legs slammed into her gut. Tackling Sunset away from the falling branch, Twilight sent both of them into a tumble. Everypony gasped and advanced closer to inspect the two, but their teacher barreling over scattered them like the ashes left by Sunset’s magic. ~~~ Nopony had dared to fib on Sunset for bullying Twilight, but the half-truth they told of Sunset just showing off gave their teacher enough to work with. Twilight had not known what to say when the principal called her to his office and thanked her, but she had paled when he informed her Sunset would be in detention for a week for “reckless use of magic.” Twilight stayed far away from Sunset after that. Sunset’s searing glare served as a major warning, and filled Twilight with dread of an imminent attack that would leave more than just a few bruises and some singed fur. She looked over her shoulder everywhere she went, and made sure to avoid any prior spots she had hung out with Sunset. To be safe, Twilight spent her recess in the library after that, and it was there that she started talking with a filly named Moondancer. The first time they had lunch together, Sunset sent their trays flying into their faces. *** While the encounter with Sunset had sucked a bit of energy out of her and dredged up some unpleasant memories, Twilight felt herself regaining her pep with each step she took toward the classroom. Without the hustle and bustle of the exam to worry about, Twilight could take in the School’s elegant design. From its arched hallways to its stained-glass window, the School held a rich air brimming with a history Twilight had been entranced with since she was little. She knew not to admire it too much though as the halls, while not packed to the brim, were still filled with students, some of whom she even recognized from newspapers and magazines. As she rounded a corner on the way to class, she even nearly rammed straight into Flash Sentry. Luckily, he sidestepped out her way, grinned, and went off in the opposite direction. Spike smirked at the sight of red on Twilight’s face. With his best Twilight impersonation, he parroted, “I’m not at risk of losing my partner, am I?” “He… he’s just been in a few articles is all,” Twilight stammered. “C-come on, let’s get to class!” After a few more turns, a set of stairs, and past some lockers, Twilight found herself in front of the room. A single letter and a single number were painted onto it: 1-A. With a deep inhale, Twilight steadied herself, summoned a smile, and turned the knob. “Point stealer!” Dash snarled, wings unfurled and hooves ready to fly from her desk straight into Sunset’s face. “You wanna go?” Sunset smirked and summoned a ring of flames around her horn. “I’m in a bad mood already, so I could really use some stress relief.” “P-please stop!” Fluttershy whimpered. “So uncivilized,” came a voice that hastened Spike’s heartbeat. His focus moved away from the impending bloodbath and homed in on Rarity seated just to Fluttershy’s right. His eyes widened when he spotted an empty seat right next to her. Spike rushed forward to claim the seat, Dash shot up a hoof to smack Sunset, Sunset let loose a blast of flame straight at Dash’s head, and Twilight raced to stop the two from destroying the classroom. All these events happened in a blink. Before an attack could land or the seat could be claimed, smoky aura rushed out of the floor. It forced Spike to jump back, and caused Twilight to come to a screeching halt. Despite its gaseous appearance, the aura seized Dash’s leg and slammed it down, making her wince. At the same time, it whipped out and dissipated Sunset’s blast like snuffing out a candle. Sunset yelped when the aura flung her off the ground and shoved her into the seat next to Rarity. Spike groaned, but a chill and intense pressure coming from the front of the room silenced him. Twilight snorted and furrowed her brow as the aura collected itself between the desk and the podium at the front. Thick legs emerged out of the aura. A tiny bit of it formed into a cropped ethereal tail, while the bulk of it went into forming a massive barrel. Were it not for the remaining aura concentrating into a starry silhouette of a stallion’s head with a chiseled muzzle and a horn that looked like it could cut through diamonds, the creature at the front of the classroom could have passed for a yak’s shadow. Albeit, one that was constantly shifting around and glistening like night. “I see we have a few spirited students,” the creature spoke, voice deep and booming. “You will need that if you wish to get through this school, but what you don’t need are disruptions. Let me be very clear that I will not tolerate such petty squabbles in my classroom.” The creature turned its head. Twilight glared at it. In a softer, but still gruff tone, it said, “Ms. Sparkle, glad to have you with us. Will you and Mr. Spike please find seats? We’ll be starting soon.” “Yes, Professor,” Twilight replied. Tantabus nodded and then went to work scrawling on the board. As Spike turned to walk with Twilight and to try and find a seat, he whispered, “I thought you said that Tantabus jerk was a mare.” “But as the Nightmare Knight, she’s a stallion,” Twilight replied, making sure to keep her head bent and close to Spike’s ear. “Just keep your guard up. She may still try to get me to use the Elements again.” “Right.” Spike then spotted an open seat next to a wall-eyed grey pegasus. “You want it?” “You can take it.” The lime-green unicorn and the beige earth pony blabbing to each other and holding hooves in front of the seat made Twilight’s decision easy. The pink hoof whipping through the air a little more to the center of the room also helped and brought a smile to her face. “See you at lunch.” “Yep!” Spike saddled into the seat. While Twilight walked off, Spike turned to the pegasus and held out a claw. “Hi, I’m Spike.” “Hi, Spike!” The pegasus whipped out a hoof, but it missed Spike’s claw by a few inches. Trying again, she managed to connect with it. “I’m Derpy! Nice to meet you!” “Nice to meet you too,” said Spike. A bit of relief flooded into him. While he had managed to make friends with Twilight’s friends, he had pondered if the same could have been said if Twilight had not reached out to them first. The whispers he had heard during the exam and the fact that he had eaten lunch alone after the practical still concerned him. Yet, Derpy at least did not seem to care that he was dragon, although his status did prompt her next words, “So, do dragons like stuff other than gems, like muffins?” Moving away from Spike, Twilight wound through the rows and made her way over to Pinkie. Her smile widened when she spotted a desk to Pinkie’s left and Applejack to the left of it. Even the sight of Maud sitting behind the empty seat was a pleasant surprise. “Morning, Twilight!” Pinkie exclaimed. “What a way for our teacher to make an entrance, eh? Top notch stuff!” “His materialization spell was quite impressive.” Maud blinked. “If that’s what it was.” “Might bit creepy if you ask me,” Applejack said while Twilight took her seat. “A little too much like that stuff that attacked us during the exam.” “It is,” Twilight grumbled. “What?” Applejack asked in a flat tone. “Oh, wowzers!” Pinkie’s leg shot up. “Professor! Professor!” Tantabus paused his work to look at Pinkie. “Yes, Ms. Pie?” “Are you really the one that summoned that super scary tentacle monster thingy during the exam?” “I am,” Tantabus curtly replied. While Tantabus’s initial appearance had sent a chill down a few ponies’ spines, a majority of the class went white upon hearing Tantabus’s words. Even the ponies that had not directly encountered Tantabus during the exam had heard of the giant monster that had attacked the other practical. They had learned of its countless eyes that could paralyze you with a terror like something out of your worst nightmare. A deathly silence fell over the class. Tantabus seized the change in atmosphere and marched forward to face the class. As he did, the chalk flew back up and struck the board in the large blank space he had left for his name. “That was me only attempting to capture, not to harm. Villains will not be so generous. Know that the line of work you are entering is dangerous. In this class, I will not coddle you to that reality. Better to taste failure here and learn from your mistakes than suffer a grievous loss in the line of duty. So, know I will think no less of you if at any time you decide that the life of a hero is not one for you.” The chalk floated down and Tantabus stepped to the side. “That being said, I also recognize the great effort you have undertaken just to reach this point. Welcome to Class One-A of the hero course! I will be your main professor. I am Tantabus.” A grey hoof shot up. “Yes?” Tantabus asked. “Ms. Hooves?” Setting one leg down, Derpy raised up her other leg with a thick stack of papers clasped in her hoof. “I thought our professor was gonna be somepony named Artemis.” Before Tantabus could respond, the papers fell out of Derpy’s grasp and scattered to the floor in a flurry of white. Sunset snickered while Spike reached down to help her pick them up. When he and Derpy had collected all her papers and everypony’s attention was fully back on Tantabus, he spoke once more. “Those of you who know me know that I prefer privacy in my work. I won’t disparage heroes that prefer having their faces plastered on newspapers, but I find it distracting. That includes working here, so I would request that you keep my position a secret.” He paused and, while his face lacked a mouth so as to display a grin, everypony felt their skin prickle when some stars swirled around his muzzle in a pendulous orbit. “Of course, if you choose to ignore my request, you’ll find it quite difficult to prove my presence while I will find it quite easy to inflict a punishment on you for disobeying such a simple appeal.” Once Tantabus was convinced his words had sunk in and everypony was done shuddering, he summoned up stacks upon stacks of textbooks. “Now that we have our introductions down, please take one of each of these. For this morning’s class, I will explain the syllabus and give you a basic breakdown of the texts.” “Oooh! Oooh!” Pinkie wiggled a leg around. “You are not a monkey, Ms. Pie,” said Tantabus. “Just raising your hoof is enough.” “What about ice-breakers?” Pinkie leaned forward and asked. “There’s a bunch of us, and I barely know anypony!” “I understand some of you are anxious to get to know each other, and, I assure you, teamwork will be a major focus of this class,” Tantabus explained. “So, this afternoon we will have a physical education class where you can display your talents. It will be good for all of you to know what everypony else here is capable of and it will give me a chance to get personally familiar with you and your talents.” “Woohoo!” Pinkie exclaimed. A chill forced her back into her seat. She leaned close to Twilight and whispered, “Woohoo.” “Now, we will have time for more questions at the end of class,” said Tantabus. “We have a lot of material to cover though, so let’s get started!” ~~~ “Now that was a doozy,” Pinkie groaned with a hoof held firmly to her head. She immediately perked up when an array of sweet and savory scents wafted out of the lunch hall. Ahead of her, students from all classes flooded into the hall to enjoy what many regarded as the best school lunch in all Equestria. “I’ll say,” Applejack sighed and wiped some sweat from her brow. “That Tantabus fella isn’t messing around.” “But did you see the way he put the point stealer in her place?” Dash asked with a grin. “And I wasn’t holding back either, but he stopped my punch like it was nothing! Awesome.” “Just be careful,” Twilight cautioned as she took a tray from off a stack and shuffled along with the rest of the crowd. Various heated containers filled with vegetables, hay soufflés, and numerous other delicacies rested just a few feet in front of them. A light purple unicorn with a wide smile zipped back and forth along the line, dolloping out scoops of whatever the students wanted. If she was at one end of the line, her magic lifted the serving utensils on the other end. The whole process looked more like a fine-tuned machine at work than a single pony. “Now I could get being a little spooked by him, but you looked more geared up let your horn loose again.” Applejack took her eyes off Twilight and indicated she would like to apple cobbler. “You know him or something?” “I…” Twilight paused while a dollop of the soufflé landed on her tray. “I don’t, but what he did at the exam hit a sore spot for me. Being a harsh examiner is one thing, but terrorizing ponies is a step too far.” “He… he was pretty scary.” Fluttershy shuddered. “B-but it was just for the exam.” “That mistake he made with the point deduction was the scariest though,” said Pinkie. Turning towards the food, her grin widened. “Ohhhhh boy! Finally! I get to try stuff made by the Chefs’ Guild!” “A fan, eh?” the lunchmare chuckled. “Nope!” Pinkie swished her head back and forth. Her grin thinned and her eyes gained a mischievous glint. “A rival! The Cakes send their regards.” “Oh-ho.” The lunchmare’s own smile gained a bit of sharpness as she bustled back and forth, never breaking stride while keeping one eye on Pinkie. “So, you are the dreaded Pie I’ve heard so much about. Come to steal the Guild’s secrets, I see.” “Maaaaaayyybbbbee,” Pinkie teased. “I gotta try everything first! Are the other Guild members gonna be working here or is it just you, Ms. Belle?” “Perhaps, just know we’re on guard with our recipes.” An extra scoop of ice cream floated onto the slice of pie Sugar Belle had placed on Pinkie’s plate. “We are always looking for apprentices though. Join us, Pinkie, and we will complete your training in the culinary arts.” “Never!” Pinkie exclaimed, loud enough that a few heads turned. Both she and Sugar Belle could not help but laugh at their own theatrics. “Um…” Fluttershy spoke up. “Is the sauce on the tofu steak vegan?” “It certainly is,” Sugar Belle chuckled. She then glanced back at Pinkie. “Well, nice to meet you, Ms. Pie. I get the feeling you’ll make lunchtime a bit more amusing while you’re here.” “That’s the plan!” Biting down on her tray, Pinkie skipped away and hummed, ignorant of the confusion on everyone’s face at the exchange. Once Fluttershy got her meal, the group began the quest for a table. When Pinkie’s leg shot up and jabbed to the northwest, Dash spread out her wings and turned to Twilight. “Can you hold this for a second?” Twilight lit up her horn and layered a shield spell over both trays. Dash grinned and took off in a burst of wind. Pinkie hopped after her, with her food rising off her tray at her apex and falling in the exact same spot when she landed. Applejack galloped ahead of Twilight, Fluttershy, Spike, and Maud. As the group made their way over to wherever Dash had zoomed off to, Spike spotted Rarity through the crowd. He swerved over towards her and called out, “Hey! Rarity! You looking for a seat?” He was certain Rarity spotted him, but instead of drawing closer, she rushed off in the opposite direction. Spike wanted to pursue her to make sure she hadn’t misheard him, but the rest of his group was wandering off. Just to tear his priorities further, the direction Rarity had run off to led straight to the table Sunset was sitting at. Yet, instead of scowling and barking at Rarity, a smirk was on Sunset’s face as Rarity spoke to her, but Spike couldn’t hear the conversation. His heart sank when Rarity took a seat across from her. “Spike.” Twilight’s voice made him jump. With a tug at his shoulder, she turned him around. “Come on, everypony else is already sitting.” “But Twilight, Rarity is sitting with Sunset!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got to do something!” Twilight sighed and shook her head. “No, we don’t. Sunset’s already mad enough at me as it is. There’s no reason to cause a scene, especially on the first day. Besides, if Rarity is really as amazing as you say she is, maybe her talking with Sunset will be a good thing.” “Okay…” Spike bowed her head and frowned. “I just hope she’s okay.” “I’m sure she will be.” “I’ll check,” said Maud. Twilight and Spike both jumped back. Yet, their food managed to stay on their trays. “Are… are you sure?” Spike panted while the tried to get his heart out of his throat and back into his chest. “Yes.” Maud methodically blinked. “I think she might be a little nervous around boys, and there are some questions I have for her regarding her organic to crystalline carbonization process and the effect it has on her central nervous system.” “Um… I got the first half of that.” Spike scratched his chin. “Guess that could make sense.” “See you this afternoon.” Maud shuffled off, practically moving in slow motion across the room. Spike and Twilight blinked, unsure what to say but each gaining the growing suspicion that questioning the Pies was the path to madness. Going the opposite direction, they joined everypony else at the table. Dash and Applejack were already tearing into the culinary towers on their plates. Pinkie munched on her own food with a speed that rivaled theirs. Only Fluttershy had waited for Twilight and Spike and did not touch her meal until they were seated. “So…” Dash said with a mouth full of soufflé. She gulped and downed the lump that had formed in her throat with a large swig of juice. “Do I ask what the deal is with the food war stuff first or do I ask who or what the hay our professor is?” “Me first! Me first!” Pinkie leaned over the table, bringing herself close to Twilight. “That okay?” “Go ahead,” Twilight muttered, thankful that Pinkie had given her extra time to plot out her next words. “Oki-doki!” Taking a deep breath, Pinkie sat up straight and cleared her throat. Her voice came out deeper, with a more commanding tone. “The Baker League and the Chefs’ Guild are both ancient defenders of justice and the culinary arts. Some even say our founder was Smart Cookie.  In the early days of Equestria, ponies were still starving and cold, so the most powerful cooks in the land banded together to ensure nopony went hungry and helped maintain law and order. That legendary group is said to have created recipes that could warm even the coldest of hearts.” The shadows seemed to deepen around Pinkie. “One day though, a great schism rent the founding group apart into the Guild and the League. Some say it was on what type of flour makes the best pancakes. Some say it was what the best hay-to-potato ratio is for hay fries. Me? I think they were planning on making the ultimate course— a dish so powerful that its very creation risked bringing even the mightiest cooks to their knees. “Whatever happened though, the group split and each side took recipes with them. Now they are the most guarded secrets of the League and the Guild.” Pinkie smiled and, with her normal voice, said, “I know how good the League stuff is, but now I get to try Guild stuff too! Normally it’s forbidden ‘cause of tradition, but students at the School are a special exception! Neat, right?” “Oh my,” Fluttershy murmured. She managed to summon a small grin. “You… you make it sound like they fight a lot, but you and the lunchmare seemed to get along.” “Well, duh,” Pinkie chuckled. “We may be fated rivals, destined to see who’s cooking will reign supreme, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun while doing it.” “I’m behind that!” Dash guzzled down the rest of her juice and slammed the cup down. Her gaze then fell upon Twilight. Twilight still was not sure which put her on edge more: Dash bearing down at her, hooves ready to fly or Dash with a giddy grin, itching for what Twilight imagined would be a quick friendly sparring match for Dash and a fight for her life for Twilight. “So, what’s up with this Tantabus guy?” Closing her eyes, Twilight remembered her exercises and shut out the world while she took a breath. Lifting her eyelids but keeping her head down, she spoke, “The Nightmare Knight. Said to be one of the most powerful heroes in Equestria, but one of the most mysterious as well. He doesn’t do interviews and nopony has ever managed to capture more than a glimpse of him on camera. Everything, from his actual appearance to his talent are a mystery. “What I do know though is that villains that cross him end up broken ponies. Whatever he does to them makes confessing to the Guard seem like a dream. With what he did at the exam, I think we can all see why now, and that’s him being merciful. It’s only thanks to the sheer size of Manehattan that he hasn’t monopolized the hero business there and cleared it of crime.” The table was silent for a moment. Twilight’s words left Fluttershy shaking. Dash gave her a pat on the back to reassure her. At the same time, goosebumps ran up Applejack’s legs. Even Pinkie had been reduced to silence aside from the bag of popcorn she was munching on. “Whoa,” Pinkie said before shoving another hooffull of popcorn into her mouth. “Sounds like our professor is going to put us through Tartarus.” “Hey!” Dash huffed while Fluttershy shuddered a bit more. “Yeah, he’s tough, but nothing we can’t handle! We all made it through the exam! We all kicked butt! I bet he’s just testing the waters, trying to see for himself if we’ve got what it takes. It’s what I’d do.” “Y-you think, Dashie?” Fluttershy asked. Red tinted Dash’s cheeks. “Of course. I mean, how could a file or whatever they used to grade me contain all my awesomeness? So, this afternoon, let’s show him what’s what!” In a hushed tone, she added to Fluttershy, “And, uh, try not to call me that here, kinda throws the whole awesome thing off.” “Oh…” Fluttershy nodded. “Okay.” “I’m with you on this, Dash,” Twilight spoke up. Her words widened Dash’s grin. Looking at Dash now, it was even more difficult for Twilight to reconcile her with the short-tempered filly she had faced off against less than a week ago. Excitement and eagerness to prove herself, especially to Tantabus, shone through the initial intimidating image Twilight had constructed of Dash and resonated with her. “Let’s show Tantabus that we’re going to be the best heroes we can be!” Cheers went up across the table. Cups were raised, and then the conversation went elsewhere while the group finished off their lunch. Questions were asked about the dorms. Dash and Spike shared stories about how their side of the practical went while the others were less forthcoming. For Twilight, it was like she was back at Donut Joe’s. Even the tension she felt knowing Tantabus could have anything planned was drowned out by the laughs she shared at the table.