//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - "Firestarter" // Story: Sol Dilemma // by Andromidus //------------------------------// Sol Dilemma - Chapter 2 “Firestarter” Valia stared at the strange, erratic, mote of light in her palm. It struggled and writhed against her own light, refusing to integrate with her reserves. It twisted around her, never touching, never making contact. It continued this way for five minutes, a strange dance of a multitude of colors. The warlock sighed and condensed the light around her. Once it had been balled up, she quickly threw it into the containment unit and closed it shut. “That was the third time we tried, Data, and no luck so far,” she muttered, rubbing the middle of her hand with a thumb. “We’re running out of options and time. The longer we dawdle in space, the longer they get a good foothold down there.” “I know, but this is entirely unprecedented! There is no recorded planet in our history that has a different kind of light. There is also no recorded evidence of light consciously rejecting a guardian, either,” Data chirped, thumbing through his vast libraries. “Looks like we’ll be the first to add this to the collective library.” Valia turned to face the window. “If you really think about it, Data, I’m pretty sure every warlock out there will have a collective aneurysm when they encounter all of this.” “Well said,” hummed the ghost. “A solar system with a planet that is orbited by a sun and moon, that doesn’t even seem to follow any known orbital pattern. None of the meteorological data matches up with the projected estimates. And then there’s the random—however small they may be—energy spikes occurring all around.” “Those warlocks are gonna have to wait, though,” she chuckled. “We should’ve had Holliday install that new comms array before we sped off.” “Why didn’t we do that? Aren’t we light years away from the tower, in uncharted waters, about to face off with a big group of hostiles without a speck of intel?” Data inquired, sending an accusatory glare at his charge. “Sounds like any other Tuesday.” “I swear, sometimes you're incorrigible.” Data shook himself to mimic the gesture of disapproval. He joined her shortly at the window. Looking down at the planet. Together with his guardian, he stared out at the planet below. It was calm for a scant while until the duo witnessed something impossible. “Did… did the sun just stop, halfway around its orbit, and then…? Oooh, sweet Traveler. The moon just sped up and parked itself where the sun was.” “It’s almost like… like this planet is a huge middle finger to physics… how swell,” she said, exasperation coloring each word. The pair stood there, mesmerized by the strangeness that was this planet. Her eyes snapped up when an alert appeared on one of the monitors. Followed shortly by a loud clanking and the sound of metal-against-metal. “Well, let’s see if this place is just as weird on the ground, as it is from space.” Data clicked quietly, approaching a terminal. “The scout drones shouldn’t have taken this long. Do you think they encountered a problem down there?” “Shouldn’t have.” Valia pointed to an indent in the ceiling. “Big screen, if you will.” The warlock nabbed a nearby chair and propped herself up to face the hanging monitor. Four distinct feeds flickered to life, one showed a vast desert. Valia scoffed, nothing new there. The other two displayed sprawling miles of vegetation, teeming with life. She blinked. Valia had witnessed plant life of this magnitude back on Venus, but there was a key difference between the one she watched and the one she lived through. This forest, and that jungle… felt alive. “I… I haven’t seen anything like this before…” she whispered, barely above her own breath. “Data…? Was this what Earth looked like before the Traveler arrived?” As the warlock reveled in the natural beauty of the unnamed planet, Data hovered quietly, taking in as much as he could. “Yes.” Venus, in its planet-wide jungles, was devoid of any life. There was flora, but a distinct lack of fauna. There were no creatures that chirped, no bugs buzzing nearby, the wind itself felt dead and hollow. Just the rain pattering against the leaves, and the rustling of branches. The eerie silence that was draped over the jungle felt so wrong. But this… this… she could take one good look at this—visuals only—and feel the beating heart of the greenwood. Still pumping, strong and fresh, free of the darkness, free of the poison it had scarred their planet with. Then she took a look at the adjacent recording. It was a towering mountain, dotted with proud evergreens. Clear water flowed down the side, shining a crystal blue as it reflected the sun. The snow fell ever gently, peppering the summit in a… In a… Was that a castle hanging off the side…? She rubbed her eyes and blinked to make sure. Valia pushed her chair in closer and leaned in. There’s an actual fucking castle hanging off the side of a mountain. “Data. Data, that’s real right? Not a trick of the light?” “Check again, it’s… more than just a castle… and no, I don’t think camera glare would produce a pre-golden-age city.” I woke up, with my breath uneven and a pounding headache. I held a hoof to my poor head, massaging my temple with a repetitive circular motion. It did nothing to lessen the pain, but I received a level of comfort knowing I tried something. Each and every night, since the incident, resulted in the strange, incredibly vivid dreams. Each and every morning, since the incident, had me waking up with my head throbbing. I almost considered not sleeping at one point. But, curse my tiny, foal body and the drawbacks of mortality. Maybe when I grew up, I could pester the alicorn princesses on how to achieve immortality. Immortals didn’t need to sleep, right? Pretty sure. Okay, check that off and place that next to; consume all the world’s supply of sweets and baked goods, and; find out if the moon is actually made of cheese. I gave myself a nod, winced in pain, and collapsed back onto my pillow. I sighed, shifting my weight to my right, hoping to ease my discomfort. It had been several days—five, I think—since the magical outburst happened. I had basically been bedridden since then, but it wasn’t like anypony actually noticed. I spent most of my daytime working off the headache. Then I spent the rest of fleeting daylight eating some food, reading another book, and dreading sleep. The dreams themselves, those were something else on their own. I don’t think I can even call them dreams. I remember Princess Luna talking about her dominion over dreams, and the complexity of the mind during sleep. How they were a collection of thoughts, feelings, and memories that “harmonize” to make a stable platform in the dream realm. They may replay certain events with varying differences, or may even produce new scenarios based on what the pony may subconsciously desire. They were mostly forgotten when one woke up, or it was impossible to recall every concrete detail of what happened. However, that didn't seem to apply to these “dreams”. They were so stunningly lifelike, and I could recall feeling each tactile sensation. Each and every emotion that flowed through them, I experienced. I woke up remembering every single detail, and I wondered if these were the causes of the headaches. The “dreams” all shared a common theme, and they happened to center themselves around a “hyoo-man” named Valia. Out of the four I went through—not counting today, only two were worth mentioning. The first was one of a familiar alien euphoria. I could feel the same power flowing through my veins, permeating my very being. It was the same energy I vaguely remember recalling during my outburst. It still retained the same strength, but it was different. It was not so wild, calmer… I think controlled would be a better term. I relished as long as I could in the fiery embrace. The second was of Valia soaring through the stars, her spaceship darting around asteroids and chasing comets. She orbited all kinds of planets, circled around moons, and witnessed the birth and deaths of suns. It was a breathtaking experience. So with that conclusion, I decided they were memories and not dreams. But why? Were the memories from the crystal? Was that what it held? I groaned and pressed my face further into the pillow. I was sick of this, and I wished my head didn't hurt as much. I sighed and feebly dragged the blanket closer to me, exclusively using my hooves. I heard knocking at my door, translating to an extra-painful reverberation in my skull. It squeaked open, and in came my mother, breakfast tray in tow. The scent of pan-fried oats and hay bacon wafted into the room. My stomach grumbled it’s approval. “Looks like somepony is ready to eat!” She gave me the same motherly smile I was sure all mothers seemed to instinctively know, and kissed me on the cheek, “How are you doing today, my little dilemma?” “Tired, drowsy, and my head hurts. I feel like I was thrown into a blender and then sent through a raging stampede,” I mumbled. Mom burst out laughing, and the tray holding my food followed her movements. Fortunately, she had the foresight to anchor the items onto the surface. “You remind me so much of myself when I was younger, Dilemma. Never change…” she drifted off, laying my food next to me. “Are you still having those headaches? I had a talk with the doctor and he simply recommended these pills.” Pointing to a cup that had two resting beside it. I shifted to an upright position and nodded. “Do I take them after eating?” “Of course.” She paused to think of something. “Would you like me to feed you?” Mom asked, levitating a spoon loaded with food. “Er… I'm not that young anymore, Mom!” My cheeks began glowing with embarrassment. “Yuh-You don’t need to do that for me!” “I didn't hear a ‘no’, Dilemma,” she responded, grin growing wider by the second. I huffed and crossed my forelegs. “W-Will… will you make those fun airship noises when you do it?” She raised a foreleg and brushed my bangs aside. Our eyes met, and she continued to smooth out my bed head as best as she could. “It’s fine to want to act like a young foal, Dilemma. You should treasure every moment you have in your foalhood because once that’s gone, you won’t get that back.” She spoke, a sad smile adorning her face. She paused in her brushing and began moving the spoon in a manner that was meant to be enticing for younger foals. “Indulge and live a little! Here comes the airship, nyoom~!” I burst out laughing and opened my mouth wide. Mom placed the payload onto my tongue and I let out an audible, “nom!”. We repeated this process until the breakfast had been demolished by my appetite, and we were laughing like a pair of madmares. Wiping a tear from her eye with a hoof, Mom stood up to fix my mane—which had gotten ruffled in our play—and to collect the dirty dishes. “I'll see you later, okay? Dad should be home later this afternoon,” she said, moving closer to the window. She pulled the blinds apart and opened it up. A soft morning breeze blew in, gently causing the curtains to billow. I basked in the serenity of the moment. Mom gave me one last goodbye kiss before shutting the door behind her. I could hear the sound of her hooves slowly fading as she went back downstairs. I stared at the door for another minute and then proceeded to slump over. I didn’t want to worry my mother about my new condition. As she held a position in the guards… it was a high-stress job, I didn't want to add to her own load. Besides, I was starting to get good at handling these kinds of things on my own, and she mostly thought it was the consequences of heavy magical exhaustion, and that was fine. Easier for me to create a reasonable cover story. What was not fine, was discovering my sudden ineptitude at using magic. I came across the problem when I had struggled at attempting to lift my toothbrush, and that became just as difficult as lifting the heaviest training weight. Most of my at spellcasting failed because I couldn’t get a good enough magical flow going, or I ran out of mana. I was starting to panic. A unicorn without their magic? I was basically a pegasus without wings or an earth-pony with no strength. I was just, pony, with a fancy bone on my head. I theorized at first, that it was just because of my magical exhaustion, and my body was still recovering from the traumatic event. Makes sense. Recovery from exhaustion takes time, and cannot be sped up—lest the afflicted take the chance at harming their natural regeneration. Magical exhaustion in foals aren't exactly rare either, and are actually very common, mainly due to their lack of control and developed bodies. I read somewhere once, that unicorn foals actually have an increased recovery rate from these kinds of incidents, as a defense mechanism from themselves. It's mostly so they don't stunt their growth and eventually tapers off once they reach adulthood. So by day two, I should've been back to my relatively normal self. However, I wasn't exactly on a timer that would notify me when I was “one-hundred percent fine”, so it was probably just taking a bit longer than expected. That was okay, I told myself. When three more days passed and my situation didn't improve, that was when I raised the red flag. Oh, and not to mention that Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns was starting their acceptance exams for foals five and up in a couple of days. Sure, I don't want to sound egotistical, but I was fairly smart for my age, and could probably breeze through the written portion… but… the other part dealt with the intricacies of being a unicorn. And since I was “pony”, I had something to properly fear. Sure, there were a number of other schools I could attend that were great and could give me an amazing education, but none held a candle to CSGU! It was sponsored by the princess herself. It has her name in it, for name’s sake! So of course, the princess made sure that the school was stocked with only the best teachers, scholars, professors, along with keeping up-to-date with the latest in cutting-edge technology. If a family could send their foal to the school, they most certainly would. As graduation from CSGU basically guaranteed you a job anywhere, and indicated that pony was skilled with the arcane arts. Any employer would be insane not to take you for your abilities. Or if you planned to run your own business, ponies knew you were a professional. All in all, it was basically a ticket for living the good life. So this was a seriously big deal for me. But what could I do? I groaned and flopped to face the other side of my bed. The sun had finally gotten high enough to begin pestering my eyes. Maybe I should've told her not to open the blinds. Strangely enough, it was far less unpleasant than I remembered. The heat coming off the sunbeam was comforting… in a way. Almost like it was natural and meant to be— BONK! I jumped back, startled by the noise. Unfortunately, that meant jumping off of my bed, since I still happened to be laying in it. With a reaction speed, I didn’t think I ever had, my hoof shot out and wrapped itself around the blanket, saving me from a painful and embarrassing face plant onto the floor below. After re-orienting myself in the bed, I snapped my head up to see a familiar steel-gray filly, hanging precariously off of the windowsill. She clambered in, landing on her side with an “oof”. From her position on the floor, she greeted me. “Hi, Dilemma! How’re you—” “Don’t shout! It hurts… huh. I guess those are some fast acting pills. Nevermind, sorry Mav,” I blurted out. She gave a sad smile. “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn't mean to forget your… y’know… I'm such a klutz. ” I frowned and beckoned her closer. “Hey. I forgave you already, Maverick! There's no reason for you to continue beating yourself over it.” “I-I know! But… it’s kinda hard to forgive myself…” she muttered, as she looked away, abashed. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for her happy attitude to kick back in, “B-But, if I want to be a royal guardsmare like my big bro, I’ll make sure to be an even better friend! It'll be a long road ahead… but I know I can do it!” “That's the spirit!” I looked to the windowpane, and the obvious smudge left behind by Maverick’s impact. “So what brings you here?” “Oh, uh… so I had a feeling that you would feel good enough to come to the park and, since last time you… kinda…” she broke off, gradually turning her head to face any direction but mine. “So I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go. Eh… If not, I still haven't asked Dapper…” “I would love to! I think I could really use the exercise –” I looked around “– and to get a nice scene change,” I replied. That instantly brightened her expression, and she regained the peppy bounce in her steps I knew her for. “I just wanna know… how did you know I was going to feel better today?” “Oh… I um, get these feelings, big bro likes to call them pre… pron… pomegranates?” “I think you mean premonitions.” “Yeah, that! So I get premonagitons… or whatever, and I can kinda guess stuff off of it!” she said, tapping a hoof to her chin. “It started ever since I got my… cutie mark… a-and that’s great, and whatever. S… so, we can leave anytime! Preferably soon.” “Okay. Let me just ask my mom if it would be okay to go.” Unwrapping myself gently and sliding off the side of the bed, I trotted over to the door. Mom was probably in her study, getting her uniform on to leave for work. My hoofwork was still a little wobbly, so I hovered a leg over the guardrail as a safety precaution. Didn't want to hurt myself anymore than I already have. Touching down on the ground floor, I looked straight ahead to see the study’s door ajar. From here, I could easily make out the sound of armor clanking against itself, and a multitude of straps being secured to a body. I nosed the door open and slipped in. “Dilemma? You're up?” she questioned, levitating the helmet over her head. “Uh-huh. Maverick came by and wanted to know if I wanted to go the park. I just wanted to ask if that was okay.” My snout scrunched at how many times I said: “wanted”. “Ah. Alright. You know the rules, and I know you're good for them. There’s some bits on the counter for lunch, but I might be coming a little late with dinner. I’m trying to get on the CSGU protection detail,” she chuckled, before bending over and adding the last plate of armor. “So, you know, hit two birds with one stone. I can do my job and get to be there for your exam!” I winced at the mention, but thankfully she didn't notice. “Y-Yeah! I hope you get the part!” “I hope so too, but a small part of me is rooting for some action, it can get pretty boring from what I hear…” She shook her head. “Ah, well, something interesting could happen, huh?” Mom secured the helmet to her head. “Bah. That’s just wishful thinking. The last time anything like that happened was Princess Twilight’s exam… Well, I hope you enjoy your day at the park, I'll be heading out now.” And with that, Mom trotted out into the hallway, and I followed her out, shutting the door. When we walked into the living room, we could see Maverick helping herself to a tray of cookies, noisily munching away. The filly waved and greeted Mom with a mouth full of food. Whatever she said was basically unintelligible, but we were both pretty sure she said, “hello” and Mom’s name. I followed Mom to the door and gave her a goodbye hug. She unlatched the lock and pulled the knob. I was greeted with the busy cacophony outside, something I thought I would never yearn for. “I’ll be sure to miss the days that end up like this,” Mom wistfully muttered with a grin. She stepped out and closed the door behind her. I stood there, relishing in the feelings. I could hear clopping behind me, so I spun around to face Maverick. Her mouth had crumbs scattered around it, and some parts smudged with chocolate. “Are you ready to go to the park now?” I shook my head. “I gotta take a bath first. Completely forgot about that.” “Oh yeah! You just got up, didn’t you?” she said. “Well, maybe we can split up? You can take your bath, and I’ll go get Dapper!” I paused and tilted my head. “Doesn’t he live… kinda far away? Won’t it take a while to walk to Stargazer?” Maverick let out an amused snort. “Walking? Who said anything about walking?” Her wings poofed out. “Besides! It’ll be great practice for me when I plan to enroll for the royal guards!” We had decided upon our regular spot: a small clearing not too far into the park’s tiny forest. The trees weren’t packed close enough together to properly block out the sunlight (I wasn’t complaining right now, however), but the grass here was softer than my own bed! There even was a small vantage point created by a hill and some extruding rocks that formed a crest over our spot. Nopony ever came by here, so we just decided to informally take it over. We even created a flag using predictions of what our cutie marks were going to be! Except… I placed a hoof to my chin. We would need to rework it now that Maverick got hers. I could use this downtime to think of some replacements. In the distance and gradually increasing in volume, I could hear high-pitched screaming echoing across Canterlot. Some curious onlookers directed their gazes to the spectacle, but most of the ponies ignored the event. Silly antics like this was apparently commonplace, even in the higher-caste nobility districts. With the gracefulness of a thundershocked pegasi, Dapper Night was released from Maverick’s insane grip and onto the ground below. He grunted and sputtered, flailing in the soft grass. “Wh-When y-you said we’d go to the park, I… I didn’t th-think you meant it l-like that!” Maverick shrugged. “It got us here pretty fast, didn’t it?” He mumbled his affirmative reluctantly. After getting over the fact that he was actually laying on solid ground, he sat upright, dusting himself off. “Oh! Dilemma! I… I haven’t seen you in a while.” Maverick and I exchanged glances. “Yeah… I… I got sick for a while –” His eyes widened in response “– b-but I got better! So it’s all fine. No need to worry about you or me, because I wouldn’t be out and about if I was supposed to be in bed.” He nodded. “So… uh, what games did you have in mind, Maverick?” The pegasus filly just stared back with a blank look on her face. She gasped and then disappeared in a cloud of dust, speeding away in the direction of her home. However, that left the two of us hacking and coughing, attempting to wave the billow Maverick had accidentally produced. Eventually, it dissipated, the wind carrying it away. “When she grows up, I'm pretty sure she could be a Wonderbolt…” “A Wonderbolt… with the strength of a royal guard. That's absolutely terrifying.” I replied, shaking some dirt out of my mane. Dapper nodded, and I saw some dirt fall out of his mane. My vision flashed for a moment, and an unfamiliar image came to the forefront of my mind. It was a tall, imposing figure that donned armor that screamed out against the bland background. Eye-bleeding neon green clashed against a bleached white, all the while seeming to glow. The helmet had two minotaur horns jutting out from the sides, and a thick looking cape hung from the hip. A word and a number accompanied the vision, “haven” and “eight”. Questions swirled in my brain. Haven? Eight? Why did eight safe-spaces have to do with anything? Who was this thing? Friend… or foe? Why were they appearing as hallucinogenic visions? Why was their taste in armor color so horrible? I could feel the gentle sensation of rocking, and I snapped back to reality. Dapper was sitting in front of me, with a concerned look on his face. “Hey, Dilemma. Are you alright? I got worried that you were nodding off when you didn't respond to me for a few minutes.” He looked me up and down, and checked my sides. “Then I actually turned to face you, and you had this ‘glazed stare’ going on.” I took a soft inhale and lightly shook my head. “No… no, I’m fine. I just… started thinking of something.” Dapper tapped his hooves together, and started opening his mouth to say something, but stopped. He looked like he was mulling something over. Eventually, he looked up. “I… I see. I hope it’s nothing big.” “It isn’t.” The colt nodded and looked away. He bit his lip and shot a glance back, but quickly returned to his previous position. This was going to be an awkward situation, no matter what happened. Sitting in relative silence, as the soft breeze tickled our manes, we made no effort to exchange any words or start a meaningful conversation. I guess this happened whenever you pitted two natural introverts against each other. I also never noticed until now, on how much I relied on Maverick for any connections outside of my immediate family. I only met Dapper because she brought him along one day, and he was probably in the same boat as me. Maverick really does a lot more than she realizes. I often wondered how we even managed to become friends in the first place. We were direct opposites after all; hyperactive, rambunctious pegasus, and a withdrawn, studyholic unicorn. It had been by pure chance we had even met up! It was a busy week for Mom and Dad, and they were struggling to find… I snapped away from my thoughts and leaped, rolling into a ball and away from whatever danger was going to strike the spot I originally sat in. Turning on a bit, I tensed up and lowered my horn out of unicorn reflex. An overstuffed alabaster duffel bag and a panting filly had taken residence upon where I once sat. “S… Sorry! It… huff… was a lot heavier than… hah… I thought it was going to be!” Maverick announced, out of breath and mouth wide open taking lungfuls of air. “That… that was a pretty sick move, Dilemma! Did your mom teach… teach you that?” “No… I never bothered her about any combat maneuvers… I-I think I just knew that one.” I bit my lip. How did I know that one? Wait. There’s a suspicious lack of another unicorn… “Maverick… did Dapper get away in time?” “Get away from what?” she asked, bewildered. “Oh!? Where’d Dapper go? He didn’t get bored and leave, did he? Gah! I knew I should’ve been faster!” I let a basic thaumaturgical ping loose from my horn. It never hurt to be sure, but I just made sure to do a double-check. He might’ve teleported away in time. The ping settled around a decently sized power source before rebounding. Or not. “Maverick! Get down from there and help me push the duffel bag off of Dapper.” She saluted and jumped down. I began pushing alongside Maverick and rolled the heavy bag away from the flattened colt. He looked wide-eyed and was breathing heavily. “Wh… what f-fell on m-me? One mo-moment I was talking to –” his eyes drifted to me “– t-to Dilemma, and then suddenly… she rolls away like nieghnja… and-and then my whole vision is obscured by something big and heavy!” Maverick gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of her neck. “Ah-hah… okay… that was my bad. I totally thought I could carry the entire bag the whole way—no stop—honest!” “You carried this thing all the way from your house without taking any breaks!?” Dapper and I exclaimed at the same time. We both gave each other an incredulous look. I pointed at the obese monstrosity. “This… what did you bring?” Maverick, oblivious and innocent as ever, replied with, “Well, I wasn’t sure what you guys wanted to play since I forgot to ask before I left, so I planned on bringing a selection.” She rolled her head. “Aaaaand then—I was like, ‘that’s gonna take too long!’. So I just grabbed one of big bro’s RG training bags and brought everything.” Dapper pointed a hoof at the bag. “That has all of your outdoor toys in it?” To which the pegasus nodded with a sincere look on her face. “I’ve got thirteen different balls, some throwable toys, practice swords, er… practice bows, and two scooters…?” she said, feathers shooting up in tandem with her count. “I think that should be it. A little much for us, but I think it’ll do good~!” “A little much?” Dapper deadpanned. “I'm pretty sure we could outfit a large classroom with this!” The two began arguing on the appropriate amount of toys for three foals, a heated debate discussing all the aspects and “fun” levels of certain items. I, on the other hoof, decided not to pay attention. I was transfixed by the mention of the sword. Mother never had the time to properly introduce to me the art of the bladed weapon, mostly due to my age and her busy schedule. So I never had the chance to wield one. I opened up the top zipper and revealed the haphazard mess inside. Peering into magically increased holding space, I sifted through the things in search of my prize. I found two of them buried under a scooter and a couple of balls. Eagerly, I tossed them out into the grass. The blades reflected the sunlight, showing the care placed in their maintenance. They looked sharp and potentially hazardous, but the orange/yellow striped paint told me otherwise. Training blades or practice swords were enchanted to ensure blows were nothing more than savage strikes with a feathered pillowcase. A secondary enchantment also induced a minor numbing sensation to replicate “hits”. I snatched the sword up by the hilt, and in a showy display of skill, tossed it into the air. As it spun and returned to the ground, I caught it by the handle with an outstretched hoof, blade pointing up. I stopped, surprised by my own feat. Maverick and Dapper also decided to postpone their argument in favor of staring with their mouths wide open. Maverick shot away immediately and grabbed the spare sword. “Haha! I didn't know you were also good at using swords! C’mon! Let's spar!” She raised the blade flush with her snout. I gulped. It probably wasn't the smartest idea to challenge the filly who had a year of experience compared to me. Unfortunately, a burning, prideful portion of my mind demanded to rise to the challenge. A raging fire flickered in my core. The sharp end of the blade soon found itself aimed at my opponent. Maverick let out a wicked grin, and Dapper backed off a safe distance away. His expression displayed a mix of excitement, curiosity, and… pity. I too could share sentiments with whoever went against this pegasus. With no warning, Maverick launched her assault. I barely raised my own sword to block her powerful strike, and her hit nearly knocked it away from my grip. I will not be defeated so easily! Changing my stance and my hold, I forced the edge to the ground and lunged with my opening. Maverick, unfortunately, read that like an open book and leaned back, the sharp end barely grazing her chin. Twisting her blade, she attempted to catch me with an uppercut. Dislodging the blade from the ground brought a hooful of dirt with it. I turned my head to prevent it from hitting any vital organs or orifices. I don’t want dirt in my eyes! I only then caught my mistake and spied a glint of light in my peripheral vision. I slammed myself to the ground and narrowly dodged a sweeping blow. I quickly rolled like a log and away from the follow-up, blade thumping in the grass. Laying flat on my back, and incredibly vulnerable, Maverick continued on her brutal offensive. I quickly flipped the weapon and held onto the flat side, right as her sword collided with a reverberating clang. I shoved her away with what might I could muster, and that briefly surprised her, evidenced as she stumbled away. I guess she wasn’t expecting that. I shakily raised the training blade into a defensive position. My breathing was loud enough to be heard a reasonable distance away, and sweat raced down my dirty coat. My stance had suffered and I was constantly repositioning my hooves to make sure I didn't topple over. Maverick, looking completely fine, hadn't even broken a sweat. She trotted up to me and batted my weak defense aside and held the sharp end to my neck. “That was really cool, Dilemma! I haven't ever seen moves like that before!” I allowed myself to collapse to the ground, weapon landing beside me. “H… How… hah… long did I last…?” Dapper gave a big cheery smile. “Two minutes and 23 seconds!” I suppose that's as good as it'll ever get. Maverick laid her sword next to mine. She began patting my head. “That's alright Dilemma. You did pretty good for somepony who doesn't exercise all that much and spends all their time reading.” “I… huff… was on the… defensive for basically… the entire fight…!” I managed to wheeze out, snout tucked into the grass. Maverick giggled and continued to smooth out my mane. “Well… I do take swordsmareship classes and big bro helps me out from time to time. I’ve got the highest rank in my class: Princess!” I groaned with my snout still buried in the dirt. “You take classes!? Ugh. No wonder I got creamed so hard.” Dapper trotted closer, with an amused smile. “Yeah, and not because you're inexperienced and out-of-shape.” I flipped over and stuck my tongue out at him. He returned the gesture. We glared at each other intensely… before breaking down and laughing. As our giggles began dying off, a familiar, chilling feeling, crept upon my spine. The three of us turned around to see our collective arch-nemesis and her pair of lackeys. Her pale pink coat almost glittered in the sunlight, and her mane seriously looked like flowing ice. Accompanying the cold was the aura of haughtiness and self-superiority. Her two meek allies were her younger siblings, a filly and colt, both with respective shades of ice. When they bothered to stand up for themselves and obtain their own opinions, I would bother learning their names. “Hm… what do we have here? The ruffians playing in the dirt where they belong,” she said, snout held high. Any higher and you're going to fall over. “Maverick, sometimes I fail to understand why you… choose to hang around these ‘friends’ of yours.” Dapper said nothing, swiveling himself the other way. He stared at the two of us with a blank look with a hidden undertone of “let’s just go, we can spend our time somewhere else”. Honestly? I totally agreed with him. Dealing with her while everything was going good, would seriously sour the mood for the rest of the day. I nudged Maverick to let her know we made up our minds. Although I should've known our attempts were futile. Maverick’s outlook on life was carefree and she rarely ever took anything seriously. Those things that she did, however, were a completely different story. Her friends happened to be number one on that list. And so soon after her declaration to be the best one ever? If she didn't explode from anger, that would be surprising. I guess we had no choice but to stand our ground, at least until Maverick decided we should leave. We all had a say in this, and we would stick by each other through thick and thin. Dapper mumbled and turned around to confront Glacier. My vision drifted over to Maverick. I peeked at her eyes. Behind them seemed to be a fury that could've rivaled the sun. “And why do you care, Rouge Glacier? You only talk to me because I seem important. Honestly, I'm not. Just cuz my big bro is in charge of some ponies doesn't mean anything.” Glacier looked like somepony had shattered a priceless family heirloom. “What do you mean? Why, is it too much to ask to be friends, simply out of the want to be buddies?” That last word sounded forced. “And your brother is quite the important stallion, Maverick! His station is quite vital to the royal guards and the EUP.” “You always have an ulterior motive whenever I'm involved, Glacier. I might not be the smartest pony around, but I know a thing or two,” Maverick said, voice bubbling with anger. “How did you even find us? Why won’t you just leave?” Glacier rolled her eyes. “I just followed the screaming unicorn colt.” Dapper, despite his anger, blushed and averted his gaze elsewhere. “Besides, the park isn’t all that large, and last I checked, this was a public area.” I wrapped a hoof around Maverick’s withers. “We should just go,” I whispered. “We could always play something at your house, instead. That way she can’t bother us.” Maverick glared at our nemesis one last time. “I don’t even know why you keep trying, Glacier. Friendships start out of a mutual desire. Last I checked, you only see me for who I'm related to, and not for the pony I am.” And with that, Maverick turned around, flicked her tail in Glacier’s direction, and collected the swords lying in the grass. She stuffed them back into her bag and slung the big strap over her and around her neck. It dangled below her barrel as she flapped her wings, and she shot us one look before lifting off past the treeline. Dapper was visibly confused, and it showed on his face, he tilted his head to face me. “I… uh… what does that mean?” “It means she’ll be at her house. Let’s go,” I murmured. Dapper nodded and looked one last time at Glacier and her siblings. The younger foals were whispering things to each other, while the eldest filly simply had an expressionless visage. Unlike my friends, I didn’t interact with the filly enough to notice any of her other tells, and reading her face told me nothing. No anger, no fury… just… I shook my head and moved to leave. Her icy-blue eyes bore into me as I slowly trotted out of the clearing, a terrible, terrible chill crawling up my spine. “Cheer up, my little dilemma! I know the tests at CSGU may be daunting, and possibly quite terrifying for somepony of your age, but I know you, Dilemma… you’re a brilliant and talented foal. This’ll be a cakewalk, don’t you worry,” Mom exclaimed, smoothing out my mane. It always looked so weird to see her with the armor on, the enchantment dying her fur and hair the same standard colors for all SRGs. “Hm… I can tell from the look on your face you’re still not convinced. Tell you what, I’ll bring you to your favorite place once you get in.” I blinked and tilted my head. “Once, not if? Isn’t it supposed to be an incentive…?” The mare chuckled, armor clinking as her body reacted. “It is an incentive… as well as being a promise. You can do it.” She smiled, patting me on the head. “Alright! I’ll be linking up with the rest of the guard after I sign you in.” I stared at the courtyard, eyes trailing to the big double doors of the main building. “M-Maybe we could come back tomorrow! I… I want to study some more. I’m… I’m already forgetting things!” “Nope. Nice try, but I’m trained to know when a pony lies, and I know you don’t forget things easy,” she snorted. She patted me on the back and gave a slight nudge with her snout. “Now c’mon. Stop stalling and let’s get going.” I gulped and set a shaky hoof forward. Then I followed up with the other. I took another inhale, and— “Nuh-uh. My mom always lived by ‘ripping off the bandage quickly’, and I live by that philosophy too. You’re my daughter, and you’re gonna do the same.” Her horn lit up, and I could feel the gentle sensation of being surrounded by her magic. “It got me through school, and it got me through guard training. Up and at em’ soldier.” Then I was yanked into the air, my hooves dangling uselessly under me. I wriggled to try and break her concentration. “Mom, nooOooo!” I yelped, feebly voicing my opinion and cracking my voice. A wicked grin spread across her face. “Mom, yesssssssss~!” She reared back. I could see her muscles tensing and rippling under her coat, as she stood on her hind legs. I could feel a distinct spell being cast, rigid in form, but with a ‘safe’ feeling. At least Mom was making sure I wouldn't be harmed by her little stunt. And with a grunt, I was sent flying towards the door. Sort of. Mom’s aim was slightly off, and I bounced along the steps before splaying myself against the upper flight. I got back up, dusting myself off. I slowly craned my neck skyward. The entrance to the school looked so… so massive. It seemed to grow in size, stretching and distorting, towering impossibly over my meager form. The feeling of… being so weak… so… so defenseless. I wrapped my hooves around my snout. I could hear the shifting of armor and hooves against stone behind me. “No sleeping on the job, Dilemma! Don’t get cold-hooves now. Where’s the brave little foal who I knew for all these years?” I grumbled from underneath my hooves. “In her room, cowering under a blanket.” Mom rolled her eyes and I could feel the weightlessness of her levitation once again. We walked (or she walked, I was floated over) to the main foyer and to the line for the front desk. I was gently placed back down onto my hooves, nearly toppling over from my fear. My magic hadn't improved since, and Mom was adamant about going as early as possible—mostly so we could avoid the larger crowds—to complete the entrance exam. That really hadn't given me any time to search into my condition or allow me as much time to recuperate. My last test on my magic had been… less than what I expected… but maybe I could score really high on the written portions… I could feel somepony tapping me on the shoulder. I looked up to see my mom and the line that had moved incredibly fast. She nudged me forward and I awkwardly trotted after her. The desk had a nearby stepping stool that allowed for foals to see eye-to-eye with the pony behind it, and to sign documents if needed. Mom had that covered though. Her prior experience in dealing with CSGU and her extra-access as a guard allowed her some foreknowledge for the paperwork. She pulled out a tanned-orange envelope from one of her armor’s many pockets and placed it in front of the lanky green stallion. He raised one of his eyebrows. “I assume this is the necessary paperwork for your foal’s entrance exam?” Mom nodded. “Mhm. Personal information, credentials, signatures, and documents good to go.” “Well. If you don't mind, I'll be checking through this,” he hummed, scanning over the stack with… what I think was a specially designed spell. “Huh. If parents came here prepared like this, we wouldn't have those wait lines.” The stallion smiled, inserting the papers into smaller boxes and shelves. He leaned over the desk and pointed to a door. “The waiting room is down… that way. Have a good day, Missus Cascade Barrier, Miss Sol Dilemma.” We thanked him and began following his directions. We passed by some familiar ponies who we waved to and greeted, before reaching the door marked with the sign. I took a deep breath. Panicking would get me nowhere, and would only serve to deteriorate my rational thinking. “Alright. I'm sure you'll be fine on your own from here. I’ll be heading off now to get my orders and patrol routes. I'll make sure to be there for your magical aptitude test, so don't worry,” Mom reassuringly consoled. She opened the door and motioned with a hoof for me to enter. Deep breaths, Dilemma. You can do it. Maybe you can get some ideas from the written portion. I was startled by the door closing behind me. I walked in? I turned around to see the interior of the room. It looked just like the auditoriums I would see in colleges, except the ground floor had been cleared away in favor of unicorn-centric toys and exercise tools. A whole spectrum of foals and personalities dotted the room, all doing their own thing. Plus, it was much larger than most other auditoriums. This looked like it could house five-hundred ponies! I could see some adults running around, attempting to control the chaos… and failing spectacularly. In the midst of all the madness, I spotted a certain unicorn colt cowering in the uppermost row, farthest away from ground zero. I noisily made my way over, making sure he could hear me over the cacophony. Despite everything, he still spooked easy, and while hilarious, I wasn't one to tease him about his skittishness. His ears perked up in my direction and he lifted his head from a book. “Dilemma! Uh… hello!” he greeted, fumbling the object in his hoof. I giggled and hiked a hoof back to the other foals. “I take it you don't exactly want to participate with that?” He blushed. “I… er… I've got… frail bones?” “Excuses, excuses,” I snorted dismissively. “So whatcha readin’?” His expression changed almost immediately, face brightening up. “Oh! This is one of the newer Daring Do books! I had trouble getting my hooves on it cuz’ most of them go out of sale whenever they come up, or they’re always borrowed.” “Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny? Who’s that on the cover? She kinda looks like… Rainbow Dash…?” I said, squinting at the two pegasi on the cover. “That’s what I thought, too! Turns out it’s actually a different pony named Spectrum, who’s really annoying, but a good pony to hang around,” Dapper explained, flipping to a page. “Oh, uh…” “S’ Fine. Not really a big fan of that series. Spoilers are okay,” I finished. Dapper nodded and began fanmaring about the contents of the book, talking about the parts he enjoyed, his gripes, and what he looked forward to in the next book. After he finished, he shifted back to me. “Do you have any books you enjoy, Dilemma? I mean like, fictional. I can enjoy a good informational book from time to time, but sometimes I think it's great to get lost in a good story.” I looked to my hooves and shuffled them ever so slightly. “I really like the Neighpon Trilogy.” “Huh. I should've guessed that. Was that your inspiration for that roll a couple days ago?” he questioned, with a look of eager excitement. “And if you could… um… maybe… show me how to do it, too?” I raised an eyebrow at Dapper, who defensively held up his hooves. “W-Well, if you don't want to I understand! Completely, of course!” I shook my head. “I surprised even myself with that! I don't think I could do it on command. Sorry, Dapper.” He visibly deflated and frowned. “Dang…” Despite all the background noise, the PDA managed to win out against the chaos. “Dapper Night! Please report to the front of the auditorium to be escorted to the magical aptitude test!” His head shot up immediately. Dapper stuffed the book into his saddlebag, which had been laying behind a chair. With his magic, he hastily slung it over his back. He made it halfway before he decided to turn around to give me a wave. “Good luck, Dapper! I know you can do it!” I called out, wishing him well. Wait did she say magical aptitude…? He nodded, “You too! I guess we’ll see each other at the entrance ceremony, huh?” I flinched, but my smile remained unfaltering. This was my sole problem after all. “I guess…!?” And with that, Dapper reached the podium where cobalt-blue unicorn stood. I sighed and slumped back down. Don’t tell me the magical aptitude test is coming first! That means I’ve been wasting time trying to figure out a way to bluff my way through it. I pressed my hooves against my cheeks and pulled down. This is going to be a wreck, and I’m going to be a disappointment, and… and Mom won’t want me anymore because… because I’m going to be a fa-hah-ailureeee! I thumped my head on the desk, only to recoil and hiss in pain as I smacked my sensitive horn against the hard material. I rubbed it gently, to ease the pain. I took a deep breath. Maybe I should go to the restroom and freshen up. I weaved my way through the mass of foals, dodging stray spells and tossed toys on the way to my destination. I trotted into the hallway and made a left. The lockers that lined the hallways were shiny, and the tiled floor looked so clean. Princess Celestia really took care of her school… The restrooms were down another hall, evidenced by the signs hanging from above. There must be some way to subvert the test… Maybe I could pretend to be sick… or… maybe I could injure myself and postpone it… I shook my head. That was a drastic measure, and should be my last choice if anything— I collided with another pony, sending us into a stumbling pile onto the floor. “Watch where you’re going, clumsy oaf!” My mouth hung open in shock. No… “Do you know how long it takes to style my mane like this!?” I got to my hooves immediately, as the other pony begun getting to theirs. Out of all the places… out of all the times… why did it have to be now!? Her icy glare fell upon me. “It’s you again. Hmph.” Like a predator checking out helpless prey, she circled me. “So are you going to speak up, or is Maverick going to do everything for you? Hm?” “I’m… I’m capable of my own opinions, unlike a certain duo who brainlessly follow a certain pony.” I shot back, fur bristling. She smirked. “At least Maverick knows how to choose a pony with gall. But I’ve done my research. Any good pony knows to do their background work, unwanted.” I sputtered and paced back. “Wha… what do you mean!?” “I know what I said, unwanted. That’s what you are, aren’t you? A pony who was abandoned by their parents, left alone to die in the world… you’re lucky for your situation. You either would have succumbed to the cruel fate in that airship… or maybe you would still be living an orphan…” “Sh-Shut up! You d-don’t know anything!” I cried, tears already streaming down my face. “Y-You just want to rile m-me up! I… I won’t let you!” She giggled, fur glittering in the soft afternoon light. “Oh, most certainly. You are the picture perfect image for ‘calm’.” Her eyes gained a venomous gleam. “Wouldn’t want to scar your record. Make sure not to file it above, ‘magically-inept’, as well!” My heart stopped beating for a moment, and the color drained away from everything. Her laughs turned into echoing cackles. “W-Where… where did you hear that?” “I do my research, Dilemma,” she answered back. “But I like to keep the sources to myself. Besides, your reaction is confirmation enough.” “I… I’m not i… inept…” I said, barely above a whisper. “I c-can do magic, j-just fine!” Her tail swayed, and she placed a hoof under my chin. “You’ve told me otherwise. Now you’ll fail the test, and ruin your chances with CSGU. They’re very strict about these kinds of things, y’know? A black mark on your history. Rejected by the best school in the nation.” I was shivering now, tears running down my face, plastering my fur and dampening it to an even darker shade of gray. “I…” “Ah-ap-ap! Do you know how your parents would feel? Especially your mother?” Her eyes locked with mine. “That their foal… the one they adopted… couldn’t even do magic? What use would you be? Hm?” Visions flashed before me. Ones where I was cast out, crying with a heavy box of my things, sent to an orphanage where I would spend the rest of my foalhood. Her tears, and my father’s angry stare… their disappointment… they couldn’t raise a failure… a failure like me. What place did I have? Others where I lost my friendships because I was useless. Maverick and Dapper staring back, with a forlorn look in their eyes as they slowly trotted away, the light fading away as their shapes shrunk. Some had me in adulthood, shunned by society because I was a magicless freak. Turned away because I had nothing to offer, other ponies being able to do the job better than I ever could. In the end, they all came up to the same conclusion. I was left alone. I don’t want to be alone. I… don’t want to be alone. I DON’T WANT TO BE ALONE! I screamed, my shrill cry bouncing across the hallway. Eyes screwed shut. I could hear hooves stumbling backward. And a familiar sensation resurfaced, one that I vaguely remembered from a week ago. I could feel the same fury hammering at my walls. Writhing, twisting, furious. It burned indiscriminately, it wanted nothing else but to consume everything with its power. It only demanded one thing from me. One thing only. It needed to be out. I happily obliged. I let it out. The train’s whistle bellowed, announcing that they were closing in on the Canterlot station. “Alright, Spike! We’re almost there, so let’s go over that checklist one more time!” Twilight said, pulling out a folded piece of paper. The small drake grumbled, who reluctantly took the paper, and proceeded to unfold it. “Twilight… this is the third time. Besides… we don’t actually need the rest of this… uh… ‘stuff’. Celestia said she would prepare the guest room for our use.” He peered over the bags. “We didn’t need to bring half of all of your belongings.” Twilight looked offended. “The Prin—er… Celestia, always told me to be prepared, so here we are!” Levitating the multitude of suitcases and bags to the door. Only to have them slowly cave and obstruct the entrance. Twilight sputtered and set out to fix the mess. Spike shook his head indignantly. He tapped a claw against the top of his cheekbone. Maybe he could play this in his favor. “Twilight… there’s prepared, and then there’s you. We’re just overseeing some of the aptitude tests for the week.” Twilight’s eye twitched. “SOME? SOME?” Spike cowered back and lifted the paper as a rudimentary shield. “This…” She sat on her haunches, forehooves trembling in the air. “THIS… is the defining moment of many pony’s lives, Spike! The make it or break it point! The deciding factor in your adult life! And… and they’re all just foals!” She wrapped her hooves around the surprised drake, completely blindsided by her one-eighty change in emotion. Spike blinked. Alright, just a tad bit excessive, but it worked. He raised a clawed hand and gently patted her on the head. “There, there.” “WHAT IF I HAVE TO FAIL THEM SPIKE!? I CAN’T LOOK A FOAL IN THE EYES AND SAY THAT KIND OF THING!” she scream-wailed, obliterating the poor dragon’s eardrums. “I… I can’t do that kind of thing! I’m the princess of friendship! How can I look at them with a straight face and say it!?” Is the stress already getting to her? He thought. “Twi… agh… that hurts… hey, Twi!” Spike said, rubbing a claw against his ringing ears. The alicorn continued to babble about all the scenarios that could go wrong, completely ignoring his attempts at communication. He sighed as the ringing subsided. He didn’t want to play that card, but panicky-Twilight was certainly an upgrade from panicky-sobbing-Twilight. He pinched the mare on her fetlock, drawing blood. “A-AND—Ow! Spike, what was that for?” she questioned, staring at the droplet of blood escaping from the wound. Twilight watched as the dragon stood back up, before pointing to the clock. “You wanted to look at the… clock? That’s…” The gears whirled, and then clicked in her head. A terrible, terrible realization dawned upon the poor purple princess. “WE’RE GONNA BE LATE!” Their luggage snapped to Twilight, and Spike had been knocked closer. The air crackled around the alicorn as she readied to displace herself and those around her. Spike laid flat on his back, “Twi, can you make sure to remember to include the anchor redundancy? I don’t want to—” With a snap and an explosion of light, they vanished from the train car and landed in the grass just slightly off the main pathway. Twilight quickly cast a clock spell and nodded in satisfaction with the amount of time they had left. Reasonable enough to get to the school and meet with her ex-mentor, and enough to not be too early. Unfortunately, not all were so happy at the moment. Spike groaned in the grass, clutching his stomach. “Twilight, wh-hyyyyyy…?” He pressed a claw against his mouth, to stem the vomit. Before swallowing in back down. “You forgot the anchor redundancyyyy…!” Twilight’s snout scrunched up and she looked away sheepishly. In her haste, she forgot to weave in that part (which was supposed to be included whenever transporting more than one object and living creature, to ensure the traveler's organs remain unshaken). However, her constant use of the personal teleport sort of caused her to use that particular setup reflexively. “Oops. Sorry, Spike.” She picked him in and began rubbing his belly in an attempt to soothe it. She saw a minor shift in his posture and immediately flipped him to face the other way. Living and taking care of Spike taught you a couple of things. A small stream of green dragon fire erupted from his maw and harmlessly licked at the air. Spike groaned, “Unf… That feels so much better…” Twilight giggled before laying the dragon horizontally against her back. Grabbing their luggage, she trotted to the door, waving to nearby ponies who bowed. Two guards that had now been posted at the door saluted and then pushed the door open for their princess. As Twilight entered the building, the wave of nostalgia that had hit her was overwhelming. The memories—both the good and bad—came to the forefront of her mind. Her first day here, the friends she made, her magical mishaps and subsequent breakdowns over assignments. And she couldn’t forget the day she had met one of greatest friends, the little groaning dragon that was currently resting on her back. It felt nice to come back and reminisce. But she was not here for that. She was here to judge the incoming foals for this year’s entrance exams. The element of magic judging magic? What a perfect opportunity. Ponies murmured and bowed as she continued trotting to the meeting area, the principal’s office. Twilight returned their gestures with smiles. The staff simply stared confused, unsure what to do as the alicorn carried her luggage behind her. Thankfully, the office wasn’t far and happened to be on the same floor. Plus the two guards standing beside it helped to identify as well. The guards said nothing, besides from the raised eyebrow from the mare on her right. Most likely from the extra cargo she was carrying around. The door creaked open as Twilight turned the knob and nudged it open. Inside she could see the current principal conversing with Princes—Celestia. Just Celestia. We’re equals now, believe it or not, missy. She thought, chastising herself for her constant slip-ups. It’s hard to break something you’ve been doing for years now… She set her belongings down off to the side. “Twilight! I’m so glad you could make it.” Celestia called out, as she noticed her fellow princess coming in. They wrapped each other in a hug, momentarily forgetting Spike was still resting on purple alicorn’s back. He promptly tumbled off onto the rug with a grunt. “Oh, Spike! I didn’t see you there.” The principal did a curtsy, and nodded, “Yes, it was sort of sudden for us to ask you, and we know how erratic and busy… your schedule can be.” Spike stood up, brushing off some dust. “It really wasn’t a problem. The only thing we really had to do was help Rainbow Dash pack for something… she kept excitedly saying ‘Wonderbolts exclusive vacation’, over and over.” Celestia’s motherly visage dropped for just a second to display an evil grin, which none of the other ponies (and dragon) managed to catch. “I see. I do hope she… enjoys wherever that is…” The alicorn stood up and walked to one of the shelves. She pulled out a stack of papers. “These are all of the applicants for today. I’ll give you some of them to look over, so you can devise a plan to properly test them based on their projected magical capabilities and measured thaum levels. I know it’s your first time, so feel free to ask the professors for any assistance or pointers. Then you can hand them back to me so I can look it over.” Twilight gulped and nodded. “I… I see.” The sun diarch rolled her eyes. “Relax, Twilight. I won’t fault you for any mistakes or changes I may make. I’ve been doing this for centuries, so I know how to best test them.” She smoothed out her alabaster fur. “Besides, I would like to see how you would test the foals. A fresh perspective is always nice. Be creative, don’t be afraid to branch out.” Spike clapped his hands together. “I’ve got a couple of ideas! Maybe we could—” The building shook as a massive burst of energy passed through the school. Celestia groaned as the energy collided with herself, being the only pony who could be deeply affected by the solar magic. Twilight propped herself against her fellow princess as the magical burst subsided. “I think my sister owes me an apology for my ‘gut feelings’,” Celestia hissed, shakily standing on all fours. Her horn flared a brilliant gold, and spinning compass appeared in front of the taller alicorn. Twilight recognized it as a tracking construct. “At the very least, I came prepared.” She stumbled to the doorway and shoved it open. Upon exiting, she could see one of her solar guards galloping down the hallway, and the other dazzled and confused. Celestia wordlessly jerked her head at the befuddled pony and began following the other guard. Twilight blinked and set Spike to ride her back. As they joined the other alicorn in the chase, she spoke up. “Celestia! W-What’s going on?” Celestia didn’t even bother turning her head to reply. She shook her head. “I’m not quite sure… but I believe that guardsmare may know more than us.” She summoned a shimmering barrier in front of the galloping pony. “Guard! Stop this instant!” The solar guard yelped and collided with the shield, crashing to the floor. “Who… who did that?” Celestia pressed her forehooves down and skidded to a stop. “I did. Why did you run off?” The guard prostrated immediately. “Princess! I… I’m sorry. I placed a spell on my foal earlier to check for any outbursts, and it just detected one.” The mare remained in her position. “The last one became incredibly dangerous, so I left as soon as I got the alert.” “You are Cascade Barrier, correct?” Celestia asked, and received a nod in turn. “Is your foal on school premises?” “Y… yes, ma’am! I was planning on watching over her test today, so that’s why I originally signed up for your protection detail! Since… you would be overseeing the other half of the tests!” Cascade replied, snout no longer to the ground. “If you wouldn’t mind dropping the shield, I believe my daughter is in danger!” “Very well. I would like you to escort us towards your daughter as well. I should be able to help her,” Celestia commanded, the alicorn’s regal aura radiating at full force. The sea-foam pony saluted and broke back into her sprint as soon as the barrier dropped. Twilight bit her lower lip. There hadn’t been any other magical outbursts that felt like that… not since… not since her own outburst when she went to take her test at the school. I’m getting a serious case of Déjà vu… Spike tugged on Twilight’s mane. “I think this school has to be a magnet for crazy strong magical accidents…” He steadied himself to match the movements of Twilight’s galloping. “Do you think she’s going to be like you? Y’know? Introverted bookworm with no concept of friendship?” Twilight’s head turned to momentarily look at the drake. “Introverted—!?” She blinked and bobbed her head in agreement. “Okay, that I can agree on, but let’s not assume things about ponies until we get to know them.” The guardsmare planted one of her hooves down as she rounded the corner, and shielded her eyes with the other. “Gah! That’s her alright!” Twilight could feel the heat already surrounding her and making her uncomfortable. Her mouth gaped open. Not to mention all the magic permeating the air…! The purple alicorn began raising several different wards, all aimed at protecting her and Spike from the heat and any possible backlash that could strike out. These outbursts can be incredibly unpredictable. She rounded the corner to join the four other ponies. She froze and stared on at shock at the destruction in front of her. The hallway decorations, floor, and part of the wall (along with the lockers nearby) had melted and turned into slag. The molten material pooling around a ball of fire. Neither her or Spike could feel the intense heat, but she could see the two guards struggling to even get near… what she assumed was that guard’s daughter. She nearly choked from the magical aura it had been producing and gritted her teeth when a tendril lashed out and smashed against her wards. Out of all of them, Celestia seemed to be the best off, slowly, but surely making her way through the chaos and what was basically lava. Twilight spied a crumbling archway, about to collapse over the other alicorn. She quickly batted away the debris, sending it flying through a window, shattering the blackening glass. She watched the sun diarch’s regalia glow as runes lit up all around it, the enchantments battling against the intense heat. She watched every agonizing moment as the alicorn trudged through the slag and the erratic energy. Trying to hear over the flame was impossible, akin to a perpetual volcanic eruption, and if her fellow princess had been showing any audible cues of physical exhaustion, she couldn’t hear anything until it may have been too late. She watched as Celestia entered the core of the fireball. Sweat from the growing heat and her own worry trickled down her forehead, as each second felt like an hour. Each beat of her own heart emphasized to the sound of a drum. Her mouth was dry and— The flames died out instantly, the magical pressure that had been exerted on her gave, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Now that her view was no longer being meddled with by the outburst, she could really see the extent of the damage. The section of the hallway had been completely annihilated, and portions of the outside were visible from the melted holes produced from the heat. Some lockers on the outskirts were bending over, and moving closer to the epicenter made them appear almost like a measure, each row displayed the damage—charred and melted—and the closest ones had joined in the molten soup. Standing valiantly with her hair flowing majestically as ever, was her ex-mentor, Princess Celestia, holding a charcoal-grey foal in her forehooves. The clanking of metal caused Twilight to spin around to face squads of SRGs rushing in. They cordoned the hallway in a tight formation, while some quickly moved to check on the two guards collapsed on the floor. One of them—wearing a white band and red cross—cautiously approached their princess. Avoiding the damage, the stallion reached out with a hoof, only to hiss and stumble back as he made contact with Celestia’s fur. She clicked her tongue. “Ah. I suppose my body is still trying to properly absorb the energy. Please do refrain from coming close without the necessary protective spells.” The medic nodded and lit up his horn to cast them. Twilight and Spike, already equipped with the defensive wards, approached. “Princess Celestia, is… is she alright?” If the mare could show any disdain for the mention of her title, she didn’t show it. “Yes. I quickly took in all the excess energy she had been gathering and put it into my own reserves.” She raised a hoof to silence Twilight. “And yes, I am not harmed in any way. I know I told you to never do something like this, especially as something as dangerous as a surge—especially something on the level of an outburst, but I already knew I could take this kind of magic.” Spike’s expression turned thoughtful. “This kind of magic?” The alicorn dipped her head. “Solar magic. One of the rarer elemental classes due to its…” She turned to face the rapidly cooling mess. “Destructive and unpredictable nature… it often is incredibly difficult for a magical creature to channel. I happen to have some leeway of course.” She motioned with her head to the mark on her thigh. The same guard medic returned and reached out for the foal. Celestia gently placed the filly into his grasp. Once she was secure, he trotted off to rejoin the other guards. Twilight followed them until they disappeared into the crowd. “So… what’s going to happen to her? What will happen to the tests?” Celestia sighed and began picking off bits of debris. “The tests will continue since that part of the school wasn’t affected. Her, on the other hoof? The medics will look her over for any external and internal injuries, along with that of the magical.” “Will she still… test?” Spike asked tentatively, now just getting a good look at his surroundings. Celestia shook her head. “I’m afraid not.” Twilight gasped, “Are you punishing her for the damage!?” “Nothing of the sort! It’s just that… I may need to dust off your tower again, Twilight.” The solar diarch raised her head, smile as bright as her namesake. “I’m going to be taking on another student.”