“There are doors in our world. Some are big and some are small. With the right words and the right keys, any pony can open them, leading into the world of the Breezies, Tartarus, Limbo, or even beyond into the Fifth Veil.

“All of these doors are dangerous, for, once they open, who knows what might come through?”

Quote from; The Hills of Entropy, by M.R. Amorcolt.

Roseate sat at her desk as her students walked into class, preparing to pass out yesterday’s homework once everypony was seated. A few young fillies giggled as they gossiped in the back of the room. The leader of the little clique was June Berry.

The classroom consisted of three rows of five chairs. At the front of the room was a green chalkboard along with the teacher's desk.

Once everypony was seated, Roseate stood up, ready to pass back their graded homework. She had organized the pile so that the first student's work would be on the top and the last student's work would be on the bottom, allowing her to walk from seat to seat and give the correct assignment to the correct student. Starting from the left side of the room, Roseate proceeded.

There were a few relieved breaths as some of the students received their homework back with better grades than they thought they had earned. The assignments were not supposed to be hard; they were merely a tool to guide Roseate’s instruction.

Once she had finished passing out the assignments, Roseate made her way back to her desk.

"What is it, Miss Berry?" Roseate inquired as she turned around to address her student.

"Indeed," Roseate nodded, "I graded your work, you didn’t complete the assignment, so I gave you an F."

Roseate's eyes narrowed. "Yes, you are my student. If you feel like you may not have had the necessary instruction to pass, I am more than willing to stay after class to help tutor you."

A few of the other students mumbled, but Roseate ignored them, focusing her attention on June.

"I'm afraid you are mistaken," Roseate said, her tone turning sharp. "I am not under your mother's paycheck; I was hired by the school to be your teacher. It is my duty to share my knowledge with all my students so that they might learn their calling. If you feel like you didn't properly understand the information needed for your assignment, I will gladly talk to you about it after class. I am here to teach you, not hand out A’s -- or F’s."

Roseate was almost about to sit down at her desk when she felt something hit the back of her head. Using her magic, Roseate lifted the object off the ground and examined it. It was June Berry's crumpled up homework assignment.

"June Berry!" Roseate glared at her student. "I do not tolerate this type of behavior in my classroom. Go to the principal's office immediately!"

The young foal gave Roseate a dumbfounded look, before growling and stomping out the door. Before she left, June slammed the door as loudly as she could. The room was quiet for a moment as the other students didn't want to do anything that could potentially evoke their teacher's wrath.

All the students nodded their heads, still surprised by the events that had unfolded.

"Then let's begin." Roseate stood up and walked over to the chalkboard. "Today we will be studying some of Equestria's history: in particular,the events leading up to the union of the three pony tribes."

“This isn’t fair!” June barked for what felt to be the one-millionth time since Roseate had been called back to the Principal’s office.

As expected, June Berry had gone complaining to the principal about "unjust treatment" and had demanded that Roseate be fired from her job. Fortunately, Roseate had the foresight to bring the crumpled-up homework assignment to the meeting, which provided her with enough evidence for the principal to take her side. Or so she thought.

Sitting there, it was obvious that June’s mother, May Berry was very displeased. Even though her daughter was responsible for her own foul behavior, Mayor May Berry continued to defend her daughter, throwing hateful glances at Roseate all the while.

“I’m sure this is all just a big misunderstanding,” the mayor deflected. “Perhaps my little June just forgot to finish her homework. No big deal.”

“Even so, that doesn’t excuse what she did in class,” Roseate replied flatly.

“Her attitude was the problem,” Roseate answered with frustration. “She acted poorly in front of her peers, and then disrespected me, her instructor, by throwing her crumpled up homework at me.”

“Now, I’m sure we can resolve this peacefully,” the principal interjected, “we’ll just let June off with a warning this time. How does that sound?”

The principal’s reaction wasn’t too surprising to Roseate. He seemed conciliatory to the higher class, even if that meant being stepped on.

It was tempting for Roseate to curse him with infertility for his lack of self-respect and disregard for discipline, but instead, she remained silent. Myriad words for his coddling sprang to her mind, but hasty insults would only make matters worse.

Once the situation was resolved with June getting off with a mere warning, the mayor and her daughter left, leaving Roseate to grab her school supplies before heading out. A deep groan resonated through Roseate's throat as she left the schoolhouse.

She was trudging her way into town when she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

"Hello Bell." Roseate pushed past her frustration and smiled, "How are you doing?"

"Well, I forgot to tell you that the town is having a meeting for this upcoming Nightmare Night," Bell said nervously, "Since you and your husband are new here, we were hoping you would come. Of course, neither of you would if someone forgot to invite you." Bell rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

A meeting, huh? Roseate was curious as to what a town meeting concerning Nightmare Night might be like.

Roseate knew Arsthotua wasn't too fond of taking on an inferior form; however, it would have to happen sooner or later. Otherwise, the other ponies might get funny notions about their relationship, or its existence. Besides, it could be a very nice treat for the evening.

"That's great!" Bell Flower trotted away with a brighter, redeemed expression. "See you later!"

Roseate was about to ponder her husband's form when she recalled the missing teacher. Perhaps there were other beings that might have some knowledge on what happened to her.

However, oftentimes such beings would require a special ritual to be summoned into Alicris.

As she walked on the sidewalk, Roseate began to look for any stores that might carry any of the ingredients she would need. It was then that she noticed a rather intriguing shop: Stripe's Herb Shop.

A bell and a few wind chimes jingled as Roseate opened the door and entered. Immediately the scent of cinnamon, paprika and a few other spices, Roseate couldn’t identify entered her nostrils.

Inside, there were various plants, spices, and jars filled with various powders stacked on the shelves. The jars bore labels listing their contents in Ponish and what Roseate guessed might be in Zebhili. Hanging from some wooden poles attached to the ceiling were some dried herbs.

Behind the front counter sat an elderly zebra. His head was shaved bare of the usual mane and a green necklace rested along his neckline. As Roseate drew closer, the zebra looked up from the book he was reading, his green eyes examining her.

"Hello," Roseate said as she stepped up to the counter, "this is a nice shop you have here."

As Roseate drew near, she caught of whiff of an arcane scent. The smell wasn’t too different from the one she had come across when Bell Flower welcomed her to Muleport.

"Are you here for a sale?" the zebra asked gruffly, "I find wandering eyes and bitless hooves very stale."

"I am," Roseate answered. The zebra looked her over suspiciously. It was likely that many of the town's residents came to gawk at the zebra instead of purchasing any supplies.

Roseate reached into her bag and pulled out a list, which she levitated onto the counter.

The zebra looked at the list and smiled widely. "All of these I possess. I hope you can forgive me for my rudeness."

Roseate waved a hoof. "It is fine. No harm done, but if you don't mind me asking, what is your name?"

"With many ponies I have my gripes," the zebra answered, "but my friends call me Grandpa Stripes."

"Finally, you’re home!" Gu'olghathmmphriesan exclaimed as Roseate stepped inside, "I'm hungry!"

With an annoyed sigh, Roseate walked over to the table, set her satchel on the table, and walked over to a cabinet. Picking out a can of liquid cat food, Roseate set it on the table before grabbing a can opener and a bowl.

"Because this is what cats eat," Roseate replied, "and if you don't eat it, your body will wilt away and I will have to make another familiar, which I do NOT have the resources for. Besides, your stomach will hurt if you don’t."

"Just some supplies for a summoning ritual." Roseate answered, "I am hoping a forest spirit might have some knowledge of the previous teacher’s whereabouts."

The familiar jumped onto the table as Roseate scooped the cat food into the bowl.

"Hmmm... that could be interesting," Gu'olghathmmphriesan said as he examined the food. "Mind if I tag along?"

Reaching into the refrigerator, Roseate pulled out a carton of milk, its contents having gone sour. After making sure that the container was sealed, she placed the sour milk in her satchel.

Gu'olghathmmphriesan began to begrudgingly munch on his food as Roseate left the kitchen and made her way upstairs. Once she was inside her bedroom, Roseate latched the door shut.

'Yes,' Arsthotua replied, three eyes materializing with his presence, 'what is it?'

"Tomorrow there is a town meeting in preparation for Nightmare Night, and since we're new here, they expect both of us to be there."

'Very well. I will pull out the old pony form we agreed upon for such occasions. Let me see if I can assemble it like I used to.'

A green light illuminated the room as a glowing green liquid appeared, molding and twisting into the shape of a pony. As the glow died down, the form became visible. It was a unicorn stallion with a pale gray coat and a disheveled charcoal mane. However, like a suit, the body was empty of any living presence until Arsthotua possessed it. The eyes opened as Arsthotua took control, revealing maroon pupils. On his flank was the Cutie Mark of a green tendril encircling an alien eye.

"How does it look?" Arsthotua inquired, looking down at one of his hooves, blinking from the change of having only two eyes.

"Handsome as always." Roseate giggled as she encircled her husband. Already a few plans for the evening began to flood into her head.

"It feels so restrictive." Arsthotua shivered. "I'm not sure how you ponies can feel happy being confined to such weak and helpless forms."

"If you're born into it, you don't really notice it." Roseate rubbed up against his neck.

"I guess I better grow accustomed to it for now," Arsthotua grumbled as he began to totter about the room.

"Please do," Roseate said before whispering in his ear, "I have some plans this evening for the two of us and I would like you to be fully... functional for them."

When it came to most stallions, Roseate had a strange subconscious response to their hooves touching her, however there was something different about Arsthotua, even while in the form of a pony. Perhaps her mind was fully aware that he wouldn't harm her. At least, not without her desire.

Gu'olghathmmphriesan finished licking the bowl before jumping off the table and taking a position behind Roseate.

Stepping out back behind her house, Roseate began searching for a fallen log, a tree with a hole, or even a stump that had been hollowed out.

While she was certain that it probably wasn't too big of a deal that the original Muleport school teacher had disappeared, the curiosity kept gnawing at her. She suspected the teacher had had enough of May Berry and her daughter's nonsense and had run away to teach in another town, but Roseate needed to know for sure.

A smile crept across her face as she stumbled upon a moss-covered log that had been mostly hollowed out by the roaming insects.

Crouching down at one of the ends of the log, Roseate began pulling out the contents of her satchel: a ceramic bowl, a carton of milk that had gone sour, a silver thread, five leaves of mint, and a tablespoon of cinnamon.

Taking the silver thread, Roseate tied it around her end of the log, then she liberally sprinkled the cinnamon around the base of the opening, before arranging the mint leaves into the shape of a star among the line of brown spice. Once that was prepared, she placed the ceramic bowl next to her before pouring the sour milk into it. The scent was foul, but Roseate ignored it; she had smelled worse things over the years.

The familiar watched as he sat lazily on a rock nearby. His black tail flicking back and forth as he observed.

With her preparations made, Roseate lifted her hooves to the opening and began to chant, "Psaah, arr'i yog t'tiph sodi lend'tust. Psaah, briizoi yi t'tadhe dostend kongdam, nag farth ngi enswir yj onquoryesh."

As the chant filled the air, a blue glow began to illuminate the interior of the log. Mushrooms and flowers not native to the forests of Equestria began to grow and blossom around the silver thread that served as an anchor for the gateway.

"What is it?" a high-pitched voice called out from the portal. "What do you want?"

"Oh, spirit of the forest," Roseate spoke reverently, "would you please answer a question for me?"

There was a brief pause as if the owner of the voice was contemplating her request.

"It is sour milk. I believe that your kind viewed it as a delicacy in your lands."

Slowly, a small shape emerged from the gateway, revealing a blue breezie with a pink mane and tail. It wore a tight black suit over most of its frame. As the breezie approached, Roseate turned and picked up the ceramic bowl, offering its sour contents for the fae creature.

As the breezie drew near to investigate it stopped once it saw Roseate's familiar.

"That is just my familiar." Gu'olghathmmphriesan returned the breezie’s attention with resentment.

"When you told me you were summoning a forest spirit," Gu'olghathmmphriesan growled, "you didn't tell me it would be a disgusting breezie."

"Just ignore him," Roseate said trying to regain control of the conversation. "Don't worry, I won’t let him eat you."

"It wouldn't be worth it," Gu'olghathmmphriesan quipped. "Breezies give me indigestion."

Admittedly, Roseate was kind of curious about when the familiar would have had time to eat a breezie, but that question could wait for later. Right now, it was urgent that Roseate learn what she could from this breezie.

"Sea Breeze," the breezie answered as it flew down to the bowl and sampled its contents.

"So, what can you tell me about the previous Muleport teacher who disappeared?" Roseate inquired.

"By those who follow the Wandering Mother." The breezie shifted from side to side before returning to the milk and resuming its drink with nervous fervor. Roseate held a hoof to her chin, she couldn't recall any entity referred to as the Wandering Mother.

As Roseate finished asking the question, Sea Breeze managed to finish all the sour milk, emitting a squeaky belch as he finished.

"Look, lady." Sea Breeze squeaked, his body swaying drunkenly. "I try to avoid anything that comes from beyond the Veil. If you *hic* want more, then you're going to have to offer more than this *hic* milk for me to put my life *hic* on the line. I have a wife, for crying out loud!"

After finishing his outburst, the breezie sped toward the portal, the gate to his realm closing behind him. Roseate frowned as the gateway sealed. For all that work all she had was a name: the Wandering Mother. Information truly has its price.

While Roseate had considered re-summoning the breezie, she was sure that repeated calling might attract unwanted notice from Treya, the queen of the breezies, so she decided against it. She would have to find another way to gather further information on this teacher's disappearance.

As Roseate cleaned up all evidence of the summoning ritual, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Turning, Roseate saw something in the forest, a massive shape that vanished as soon as she faced it.

“Did you see that?” Roseate asked, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.

"Now, before we proceed with the questions, I would like to say that I will be creating a Sacred Instrument known as an Athame, and I wanted to ask you what form it should take," Roseate said holding up the Isidria, "I was thinking either a knife, a spear, a blade, or even a glove with talons."

"That last one doesn't sound weird." Gu'olghathmmphriesan remarked sardonically.

"Oh hush now," Roseate reprimanded. "Just because you aren't looking forward to having your name changed doesn't mean you have to be a jerk to everypony else. Now, let us begin."

"Oh, there is having your mind imprisoned for a century or two in a dimensional vault while your body decays in the physical realm," Roseate replied. "Perhaps having to survive inside the bowels of a Shaklash for the rest of your life, or -- the worst fate of all -- you could be followed by Jibblerits for the remainder of your days."

"Well, I suppose you could say I used to live in Canterlot until I met Arsthotua. After that, I moved around from location to location, living wherever I could practice my magic safely."

"It isn't that I hate teaching. Far from it, actually. I enjoy sharing my knowledge with others. What I don't like is being poked and prodded and having to pull used gum out of my mane."

"Still, it is kind of understandable. It is a transitional period for both my students and I. They have to deal with a new teacher, and I have to adjust to them and their learning styles. Of course, I had considered a few other occupations, as well. Once I had thought that being an author would be fine, however, I feel that if I were to finish a story that it would most likely be completely ignored."

“I’ve have heard of some ponies who believe in unlocking a secret power known as the ‘third eye;’ however it usually involves some bloodthirsty ritual where you have to kill your friends and loved ones. So unless you really want to do that, I would suggest sleeping with a knife under your pillow, for your own personal safety.”

"It wasn't exactly my choice I adapted to my circumstances a long time ago, and, thanks to Arsthotua, we have been able to make the best of it."

In fact, Roseate was very sure that she would have been worse off without Arsthotua's help.

"The entity known as the Smiling Stallion is... odd," Roseate said, waving a hoof, "The rules and laws that he uses to discern who is and isn't innocent are foreign to us. Lines have to be crossed in order to draw his attention, and if you do step over that boundary you will either perish or have no knowledge of what occurred. However, something tells me that he isn't interested in the locals. For better or for worse."

"Wow that is a lot of options. I wouldn't mind having some of that dalamadurr and that venom from that last spider sounds... interesting. I might be able to find some use for it."

Indeed, there were probably a few ponies who would love a tonic to help any issues their husband might have in the bedroom.

"While I can't cast spells using my own magic like a normal unicorn would," Roseate replied, "I am able to use the magic my husband has given me to cast spells, but to answer your question, yes. Some forms of necromancy can be performed with a ritual."

"Not always. While the reanimation of a corpse is possible, necromancy can be used for various tasks including speaking to and interacting with ghosts. Spirits can be very insightful from time to time."

"I'm not entirely sure what you mean," Roseate answered, "if you are referring to Arsthotua, I am not controlling him. Nor is he controlling me. As for insanity, it is possible for a pony to lose one's mind when dealing with beings from beyond the Fifth Veil. That is more or less a potential side effect from being within their presence."

"Not exactly," Arsthotua replied, "though Slaanesh does sound like Galgresh, one of the four current Flishachollirust."

"It truly depends on their intentions I suppose," Roseate said as she examined her book, "there have been numerous travelers to this world, and many have taken a guise to prevent causing any panic. So long as they don't cause any trouble or break the laws of Tistemintodh, all shall be well."

"There are a few protective measures in place. In addition to having a protective husband, the mirror itself merely serves as a window into this world, not a gateway. It would take a lot of energy to bypass the wards in place. And if I had to, I could just simply cover the Scryial if necessary."

"Thank you, though I am pretty sure I have enough help with both my husband and my new familiar around. "Also, I'm pretty low on the resources that would be needed to summon another being like you into this world."

Roseate could recall reading a few stories where a witch would use her own blood as a weapon. There were even legends that the same mare's spirit would appear if you muttered her name in the mirror three times. Fortunately, nopony could recall her name.

"There are a few spells that I enjoy," Roseate said before levitating the Isidria with her magic, "but really nothing beats being able to move and lift items up with ease. Especially when you weren't always capable of doing it. Of course, having a spell that allows you to detect magic can be pretty useful, too."

"It is a common misconception that succubi as well as incubi are demons or that they need to feed off of sexual energy to survive. They are generally the result of a genetic mutation, which could be caused by the presence of demonic blood in their ancestry."

"Aside from the horn growth, the only other characteristic Succubi have is that they can share the dreams of those they touch. Often, the original dreamer's mind will react in response to the intrusion causing the dream to take a romantic, erotic, or even nightmarish turn."

Gu'olghathmmphriesan stretched. "Yes, which is where most of the myths come from."

"They eat just like normal ponies," Roseate continued, "Food for nutrients, drink for hydration, aside from the horns and their effects on dreams, they are no different than the rest of us. Yet centuries of persecution at the hooves of others will make anypony feel anxious. My guess is that once her horns first appeared, Mrs. Cake did whatever she could to hide them. While I feel that she should share this with her husband, I can also understand her apprehension at doing so."

"This isn't the first time it has happened," Roseate explained. "I believe it might have something to do with my past."

A cold chill ran down Roseate's spine as old memories tried to surface, but before they could, she pushed them back beneath the numbingly cold waters of her subconscious.

The mirror faded as all the inquiries were satisfied for the evening. However, Roseate wasn't at ease, and her body was tense.

The familiar stopped in his tracks. Even though she had felt depressed by the last few questions, Roseate hadn't forgotten everything she had planned for the day.

"We still need to give you a new name," Roseate reminded him with a sly grin on her face, "and I happen to have a list, thanks to our friends on the other side of the mirror."

Roseate gave the cat an authoritative glance, her slanted eyes making it clear that she wouldn't back down.

Gu'olghathmmphriesan’s ears drooped, a clear sign that he had accepted his fate.

Roseate let out a deep sigh as she finished studying her book for the evening. The art of controlling Nightmare Magic was a complex but fascinating topic. It revolved around taking the nightmares of others and learning to manipulate them.

There were even a few passages alluding to the ability to bring those nightmares into reality, however she hadn't reached that point yet.

With her magical studies complete for the night, and having given her familiar a new name, Roseate left the mirror room and made her way to the bedroom.

Already, Gu'olghathmmphriesan... Mittenz had wandered off to bed, displeased with his new name. Out of the four names that had been suggested: Artemis, Mittenz, Salem, and Shadow, Roseate had thought that Mittenz was the cutest. Gu'olghathmmphriesan had complained about not having a say on the matter, but by then it was too late.

Once Roseate was inside the bedroom, she prepared for the little roleplay she wanted to act out with Arsthotua and his stallion body.

Stepping into the closet, Roseate began looking through the clothing for anything that would fit the mood she had in mind. She grabbed a white blouse, a plaid red and green skirt, a red tie, and some black stockings with a garter belt.

With her attire picked out, Roseate proceeded to dress herself. Most of the clothing was pretty easy to put on, save for the tie, which seemed to have a mind of its own. Fortunately, after the tenth or so attempt, Roseate managed to have to properly tie her tie. According to a few magazines, Roseate had read many teachers in Canterlot and Manehatten wore similar attire. How true that was, she wasn't sure, but it seemed to fit with the roleplay, so Roseate went along with it.

Roseate cast a holographic illusion spell, turning the bedroom into her classroom. The green chalkboard had the words, "You're a terrible teacher!" written in white all over the board. Papers of failed tests and homework were scattered all around the room. On the desk was a ruler.

The sound of the door opening could be heard as Roseate leaned against the desk seductively. Looking over her shoulder, Roseate saw Arsthotua in his pony form, looking around the room with distaste.

"I'm sorry, mister," Roseate said mischievously, "there are just so many students to take care of, it's so overwhelming."

Roseate turned around to face the stallion in her classroom before pulling herself onto the desk, "It would seem I've been a bad teacher, huh?"

Arsthotua's horn glowed an eldritch green as he pulled the ruler over with his magic and examined it.

Ask Roseate Grimsbane, the Witch

by Robipony

Chapter 3 - Bad Teacher?