We both trot down the path, well, I trot. She more or less skips on the spot, giddy with excitement over new magical knowledge. For some reason, I feel Twilight’s skips should remind me of someone... wonder who.
We stop in front of the schoolhouse, where a kind, pink mare waits outside the door, “Hello Ms. Twilight. And who’s this you brought with you?”
She smiles, “This is Ravens Breath. He... was sent from Canterlot! Yes, Princess Celestia sent him to me to learn about the magic of Friendship. And, of corse, I decided he should still get a good magical and scientific teaching. I hope this is okay?”
The mare nods, “Of corse! I’m always glad to have more students. Go on in, Raven, and I’ll just have to do some quick paperwork with Ms. Sparkle.”
I nod kindly, “I hope to learn much under your tutelage, Ms.”
With that message, I decide to trot my way through the doors, and into the schoolhouse.
I quickly start to look around in the class, seeing ponies pairing up and talking before school starts. I smile, and speak so the entire class can hear, “I am looking for a group of mayham and destruction causing Crusaders. Would any of you kindly point to them?”
The entire class point to a back corner, where three fillies sit, apparently not having heard me. I nod my thanks to them, and move over to the group.
I take a seat near them, and smile as they look over at me, “Are you the Crusaders? I believe we can help each other.”
They nod, and the yellow one speaks up, “I’m Apple Bloom. That’s Scootaloo, and that’s Sweetie Belle. What’s your name?”
I check my nonexistent nails and smile my best business smile, “My name would be Ravens Breath. Now then, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, I believe I might help your group. See, I have a very particular set of skills. I don’t know what you want, I don’t know what your searching for, but I might help in finding it.”
Apple Bloom laughs a tiny bit, “Oh, come on, no need to act like you ain’t one of us. You ain’t got a Cutie Mark either!”
I click my tongue, “I guess that’d be the brand? Or tattoo? Well, in that case, yes. I do not have one.”
Scootaloo speaks up, “Who even are you, anyway?”
I cock an eyebrow, “Ravens Breath. I believe I already answered that.”
She shakes her hooves, “No, not your name! I mean, who are you? What’s your story? What’s with, well, the lack of eyes and such?”
Sweetie Belle promptly smacks her friend on the back of the head, “Scootaloo! You don’t just ask about stuff like that!”
I roll my eye sockets, “Thanks, but don’t worry. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been asked. Actually, it would, but I don really care. You want my story? Fine. I am an Age’s old Necromancer from another world who was slain by a bunch of heroes and forced into this world by Death himself.”
They all nod, seemingly accepting it. Sweetie smiles, “Another world? How was it any different?”
I lean back, “In many, many ways. Different races, to start with. See, in my old world, we had creatures called Orcs. These creatures are the meanest, crudest, loudest, and most barbaric race you can meet. Half the time they’re trying to kill you. The other half, they’re giving you a feast because they like your attitude. They’re at least six feet tall when they’re teens, they got green skin, and pretty bad dentistry. Oh, and their voices, they’re the worst.”
Apple Bloom nods, “Oh yeah? What did their voices sound like?”
I sigh, “Oh boy, let me show you. There is nothing more atrocious than their attempts to speak a civilized language. Das’ da’ evil lord right der’! Smash em’ mash em’ praise Gork and Mork as the Orcz Wil Witers chase him!’ Gods, it hurts my vocabulary just saying that one line. And that’s saying nothing about their abomination that they call a language.”
Sweetie Belle seems quite interested in these talks of voices, “And what exactly does their language sound like?”
I reach deep into my memories, “Let’s see if I remember something. Amat, ob corse izub dear. Izg know rugh pukhal jashat atigat, izg am a vadokunaur la uluk. I never learned much in that language, I had more valuable things to spend time on.”
Sweetie Belle shudders, “These Orcs sound horrible.”
I shake my head, “No, no, I love them in fact. They’re outcasts, I’m an outcast. Us outcasts have got to stay together in the world, else we find ourselves with nothing at our backs. I’ve made allies of quite a few Orc tribes, the more Orcish ones. They’re a very accepting race, as long as you aren’t one that enforces their reputation as outcasts without being one yourself.”
Sweetie nods, “What else do you speak?”
Scootaloo adds on, “Yeah, and what other races were there?”
I think of the first race that comes to mind, “Well, I can speak Dwarfish, and the Dwarf themselves are a very good race.
*Ring! Ring!*
I flinch from the loud noises the bells make, “But, I’m afraid that shall have to wait for later. It is time to learn.”
The teacher enters the classroom, and smiles at the entire class, “Before our lesson today, I would like us all to welcome our new student! Raven, please introduce yourself!”
I take my que, and stand up, “Hello everypony. My name is Ravens Breath, I am temporarily living with Ms. Twilight Sparkle. Don’t ask about the eyes, it’s a long story. Oh, and don’t stare into the voids there instead for too long. Possible side effects do provoke insanity.” The class claps, and I sit back down.
Miss Cherelee continues, “I’m sure you will all welcome Raven into our class. Now with that out of the way, I’m happy to announce that today we are going to be learning about magic!” Everypony seems to groan at this, and I actually raise an eyebrow, interested to see how these ponies use magic.
She pulls out a board which has a diagram of all three different races on it, “As can be seen here, each race has a different input and output style. Earth pony’s are covered in inputs for magic, and have outputs in their hooves. Pegasus pony’s have inputs and outputs on their wings, but have inputs in their eyes as well. And unicorns have all their inputs and outputs in their horns.”
Interesting actually, this is different than the absorption of mana. In fact, there’s no mention of mana at all. I raise a hoof, “Yes, Ravens Breath?”
“Well, what about mana?”
Cherilee tilts her head, “Mana?”
I nod, “Yeah, mana. You know? The expression of every beings and objects soul? Purest and most powerful form of magic?”
She shakes her head, “I’m afraid I have no idea of anything about that, Raven.”
I lean back, “You can’t feel your own soul? How odd.”
*Ring!* *Ring!*
“That’s the lunch and recess bell. Sorry, Raven, but we can discuss this more when class starts again. Class, dismissed for lunch.”
The Crusaders make sure to explain that this is when we eat and play, and that we have two hours before we go back in. They implore me to sit by them, and so I do.
“So,” Scotaloo starts, “You we’re saying about a Dwarf?”
I nod, “Oh yes, the Dwarves, beautiful race. Always thought they were a bit obsessed with honor, but overall they were pretty good. Three feet tall, pretty stocky, and very smart. They made the most advanced technology on our world.”
Apple Bloom perks up at the mention of technology, “What kinda stuff did they have?”
I shrug, “So much, it would take too long to mention it all. I think my favorite invention was what they called a ‘gun’. Basically, a miniature cannon you can carry around and shoot. I remember I had a Dwarf minion back in the Third Age who showed me to make one.”
We’re about to continue on, when two other fillies appear beside me. The pink one nearly purrs at me, “Well, hello there, Ravens Breath.”
I can slightly see the Crusaders cringe when she appears, but I don’t pay it any mind, “I’m afraid we haven’t met. You already know me as Ravens Breath. What about the two of you?”
The pink one speaks once more, “I’m Diamond Tiara, and she’s Silver Spoon.”
I slightly nod, barely noticing her getting slightly closer, “Pleasure to meet you, Diamond. Now, if you don’t mind, I shall have to get back to the topic I was speaking about before I forget what it was. If you wish, we can talk later.”
She doesn’t seem content with that answer, “Well, maybe we could convince you to change that topic to ‘goodbye’.”
Scootaloo speaks up, “What do you want with him, Diamond?”
Diamond answers back, seeming to get even closer to me, “We just want to talk to him some more. After all, he seems more... interesting than the other colts.”
Apple Bloom scoffs, “Well, he was fine over here, talking to us.”
Diamond scoffs back, “As if he would want to hang out with a bunch of blank-flanks. He would fit in better with us, he might just get a Cutie Mark for being so cool. Definitely not getting that over here with all of you.”
Sweetie Belle slightly blushes as the two scoot closer to me, “Well, why don’t you go and talk to Snips or Snails instead? I’m sure they’re plenty ‘interesting’ today.”
They seem to recoil in disgust, “Ew, as if! Have you looked at them? It obvious that Raven here is the much better choice than those two! Beside, anypony would want to hang out with us rather than you. Or should we bring up your cousin, Babs, was it?”
I stand up as soon as the two scoot even closer, “Right, it’s obvious what’s going on here.” I turn to face them, and shake my head, “I politely decline your invitation, thank you.”
Diamond recoils, “Really? You’d choose a bunch of blank flanks over us? A Earth pony who can’t grow anything? A unicorn that can’t cast magic? A pegasus that can’t fly? It’s clear you’re different than we thought you were. All you are is now a little eyeless colt! And of corse you would choose to hang around another cripple such as yourself.
I take all their insults, until they call Scootaloo a cripple. I close my eyes, “What did you say?”
She laughs, “You know what I said!”
I breathe deeply, “You have one chance to apologize before I force you to.”
They simply laugh, “As if you could do anything to us.”
I open my eyes, and summon my power into my voice, “Kneel.” My command goes through, and they both kneel, “Bow. Muzzles to the grass.” They do so, shoving their head into the ground, “Apologize.”
They speak with dispair at their bodies being taken over evident in their voices, “We’re sorry Raven!”
I scoff, “Your sorry to me? No, you don’t apologize to me. Apologize to my friends.”
They forcefully say out, “We’re sorry, Crusaders, for everything we’ve said wrong about all of you!”
I smile, “Raise your heads.” They look up from the ground, their muzzles having slight bits of dirt on it. I lean down, and stare into both their eyes with my voids, “You shall not say anything bad about my friends for the rest of your mortal lives, or until I lift this command. Leave.”
They break free from the spell, and run away to the other side of the recess clearing.
Sweetie Belle stares at me, her mouth agape, “Wow.”
Scootaloo yells out, “That was awesome!”
They all quickly turn to each other, before nodding. Apple Bloom smiles, “After such display of morals, we formally invite you to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
I nod, “I accept.”
However, after I say that, another voice yells from the direction of the schoolhouse. Cherilee shouts to me, “Raven! Come here, right this instant!”
I get up, and trot on over. I wear a nonchalant smile as I get to the teacher, “Yes, Ms. Cherilee?”
She points inside, “Inside, now.”
I shrug, and walk in. She follows after me, and I turn around to face her, “What did I do?”
She doesn’t accept my shit, “I saw what you did to Diamond and Silver Spoon.”
I hold my hooves up, “Hey, they called my friend a cripple, and me eyeless. Now, both may be correct in one way or another, but I couldn’t just let them say that. I had to stop them.”
She loses a bit of the harshness, “I know that they did that. And, I have to commend you a little for protecting your friends. However, what you did was still unacceptable. Because of these circumstances, you only have to stay in for ten minutes, then you may be released.”
I nod, and take a seat. After a while, I look up a Cherilee, “Ms. Cherilee, would I be considered handsome?”
She nods, “Ye-“ before realizing what she was saying, “Why in Celestia’s name are you asking that!?”
I look her dead in the eye, “I think Diamond was hitting on me.”