//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: Prom and Circumstance // by TheMessenger //------------------------------// Like all living things, the Tree of Harmony changed as it grew, and as it had grown, so had its abilities, from just being a provider of the Elements of Harmony with little control over or means to direct their use to being capable of constructing large structures out of nowhere and sending out emissaries throughout the lands to spread its ideals, thus furthering its nefarious agenda of making the world a friendlier place. Some decades from now, the Tree of Harmony’s abilities will expand to include appearing in court to sue a less than reputable film production studio for intellectual property theft of its life story. A hundred years from then the Tree of Harmony will be the first sapient plant to run for mayor of Ponyville and lose. And a thousand or so years later, the Tree of Harmony will have bought all of the surrounding property around Discord’s home and built a bunch of condos and shopping centers that will attract young families and lead to the neighborhood’s gentrification as revenge for the whole Plunderseed incident. Well, possibly. There was much growing and changing that mystic tree had yet to experience, and one could only speculate what new abilities it would develop during that time. For now, however, the Tree of Harmony was perfectly content to order their agents of friendship about Equestria, eviscerate any mocking imitations of the Element of Harmony bearers brought about by abominable magic, and test the wavering faith of struggling students of friendship by bringing their worst fears and torments to life. Gallus was starting to feel nostalgic toward the dark, cramped, claustrophobic chamber the Tree of Harmony had tested him in long before the third and final ten minute break period came to a close and the entire graduating class was marched back into the classroom for the last hour of the final written exam. His dominate talon ached from all the writing, his hindquarters were sore from all the sitting, his eyes were beginning to water from all the reading, and his brain became fatigued from all the thinking, and the stress that came with the possibility of failing did not help matters. If there was anything Princess Twilight Sparkle managed to instill in her students besides the ins and outs of friendship, it was her fear of failure. “Ten minutes,” called Applejack near the front of the classroom. “Y’all have ten minutes left.” At least it was finally almost over, Gallus noted with a sigh of relief. Having reached the very last question on the back of the very last page, Gallus flipped through his packet, going back to the questions he had skipped in favor of the easier and shorter ones and reviewing the answers he felt less confident about, changing a few words here before changing them back and adding a few extra details there just to be sure. It honestly surprised him just how much he had been able to retain from all those study sessions and how much of that retained information he could cram in that small blank area set aside for answers. “Alright, that’s it. Time’s up!” Applejack exclaimed. “I don’t want to see or hear any pencils moving, y’all hear me? Pencils down. Now like we said at the beginning, we’re going to call y’all up to the front row by row. Once Spike here takes your exams, you’re free to go.“ “And no talking until you’re out of here!” Rainbow Dash added from her position at the back of the classroom. “You can discuss the exam when you’re out. Until then, keep a lid on it, got it?” She glared at the first row of students making their way to the front as if daring any of them foolhardy enough to break any rules in front of her. Applejack just rolled her eyes at Rainbow’s show of fanaticism that was usually reserved for Wonderbolt business, issues involving the Scootaloo fan club, and Daring Do convention tickets. A pile of papers was beginning to grow on the desk before Spike as the first line of students was approaching its end. The very last was Ocellus who lingered a few seconds after neatly setting her completed exam on the top of the pile. Ocellus opened her mouth to speak but decided against it, Rainbow Dash’s glare intense enough to be felt like a heat ray against the back of her head, and she hurried her way out of the room. “Next row,” Applejack said, prompting a new line of students to form. In it, Gallus could spot a familiar yak and earth pony. Both appeared nervous, still shell-shocked from the harrowing exam experience they had just survived most likely, but Sandbar at least was able to smile and give a little wave when he caught Gallus’s glance. Yona, it seemed, was a little more distracted, and the moment she submitted her test, releasing that heavy burden from her shoulders, her features immediately brightened. “Next.” Now it was his turn. Gallus entered the single file line and found himself only a couple bodies behind Silverstream. He tapped on the mare in front of him and gestured forward toward the hippogriff until the mare understood and let him move up. The next student was either less understanding or more fond of his place in line so Gallus settled on reaching past him and getting Silverstream’s attention from his less than ideal position. Like Sandbar, Silverstream grinned and waved once she saw the griffon, though hers were multitudes more energetic. Gallus waved back with significantly less enthusiasm as he noticed how much attention he and Silverstream had garnered from the other students. “How you think you did?” Silverstream whispered over the student standing between her and Gallus. Gallus quickly looked over to Rainbow Dash, making sure the pegasus hadn’t taken notice. He turned back to Silverstream and shrugged, rotating a talon side to side in a noncommittal motion. “You’re going to rock the boat?” Silverstream interpreted, sending the center of Gallus’s open talon into the griffon’s forehead. “I said no talking!” “Oops. Sorry Professor Rainbow!” Chuckles filled the classroom in reaction to Silverstream’s response, and the line continued on in a more light-hearted fashion. Gallus set his exam packet on the desk and made his way out into the hall where several others from his year were still about, mingling and discussing the exam they had just conquered. He stretched up toward the ceiling and extended his wings before releasing a mix of a cheer and a sigh. “Finally,” he said, “it’s all over. No more tests, no more homework, no more lectures.” “I know, right?” Beside him, Silverstream sniffed. “I already miss it. Remember when we all had to take that super long exam that we had to pass in order to graduate and get diplomas and stuff?” “You mean like just now?” “Yep. Good times. Oh hey, there’s Sandbar and Ocellus and, oh, and Yona too.” Silverstream made her approach toward the group huddled just outside the classroom entrance. Gallus followed closely after. As he drew closer, something began to feel, well, off. It may have had to do with how subdued the three were, though that could have been attributed to the exam exhaustion. It may have been from the frown of worry Ocellus wore and the nervous way she was rubbing her foreleg, but with how important the test they completed was, a little nervousness was to expected even for a creature as studious as Ocellus; if anything, Gallus came to realize as he gave it more thought, the changeling’s academic nature made her more susceptible to the fear of failure. That still left the odd expressions that Sandbar and Yona had on, displaying a different mix of concern, confusion, and, was it annoyance Gallus detected? That Gallus couldn’t explain, but before he could consider it further, Silverstream revealed their presence with a cheery, “What’s happening, ponies? And yaks. And changelings.” “Not much, really,” Sandbar replied. “But, uh, did either of you notice Professor Spike acting weird at all?” “Weird? Hm.” Silverstream thought for a moment. “Well when I last saw him, he was surrounded by a bunch of stacks of papers. I guess that was a little unusual.” She turned to Gallus. “You notice anything weird?” Gallus shrugged. “Can’t say, wasn’t paying much attention. Why? What’s up?” “Ocellus think Professor Spike look upset, and Ocellus worried it because Ocellus did bad on big final exam,” Yona explained. “Oh no, how awful.” Silverstream sat herself beside Ocellus and pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry, we’ll still be friends with your even if you fail and get sent back to year one.” “Sent back to year one? Can they do that?” The changeling began to sway. “Silverstream, stop scaring her,” Sandbar commanded. “There’s no way Ocellus would fail. She’s like smarter than the rest of us all combined.” Silverstream gasped. “Then none of us had a chance of passing. Good news Ocellus, we’re all going to back to the first year with you!” Sandbar groaned as Yona shook her head. “Gallus, dude, help us out,” the earth pony pleaded. “I don’t know, that exam was real difficult. I mean, who knows how we did. Kidding, I’m kidding,” the griffon added as Sandbar and Yona began to glare. “But no, seriously Ocellus, how’s Spike supposed to know how well you did when we just turned in those exams? There’s no way he’d be able to grade your exam that fast.” “But then why did he look so upset when he got my exam?” “You sure Professor Spike looked upset?” Sandbar asked. “I mean, none of us noticed anything.” “What are we noticing?” The group turned to find Smolder approaching. “Hey, you guys having fun without me?” “Just watching Ocellus have a meltdown,” Gallus joked. “She thinks she failed the final because Spike looked sad or something.” Smolder stared blankly at the griffon, then at Ocellus. “Right, okay then. Ocellus, are you feeling okay?” “That’s not what—“ Ocellus cut herself off with a groan. “Look, when I turned in my exam I noticed that Professor Spike looked upset. I was just trying to figure out why, and that explanation seemed the most reasonable at the time.” Smolder raised her brow. “Most reasonable?” “At the time,” Ocellus emphasized. “I had the exam still on my mind, still do actually, and it all just sort of, I don’t know, clicked in my head. Smolder, out of all of us you’ve spent the most time with Professor Spike. Was he acting strange to you?” “You mean lately? I don’t know, it’s been a while since we last hung out. I guess he did look pretty beat, but he could’ve just been tired,” Smolder offered. “Or maybe he’s just not looking forward to grading all those exams on top of our graduate theses and the finals for the other years. I know I sure wouldn’t.” As the rest of the group considered Smolder’s presented possibility and some expressed their agreement with nods, the door to the classroom opened and out stepped the dragon in question pushing a wheelbarrow full of papers. “Hey Professor Spike,” Sandbar greeted. Spike looked up. “Oh. Hey,” he returned with the barest of smiles before continuing on his way down the hallway. As he turned at the corner and disappeared from their sight, the students turned to one another, silently processing the unnaturally terse, dare they say rude, interaction that just took place. “Yona not think Professor Spike just tired,” Yona declared, breaking the silence with the conclusion they all had come to. “Is that what depressed looks like?” asked Silverstream. “I think that’s what depressed looks like. Now what did Professor Pinkie Pie teach us to do in this situation? Sing a song? Cupcakes? Hugs?” Ocellus suddenly gasped, grabbing group’s attention. “Nothing, it’s nothing,” she quickly assured. “Just had a weird thought.” “Well, let’s hear it,” Smolder prompted. “Well, and this might sound silly, I just thought, what if this is part of the exam?” “What, Spike looking upset?” Gallus inquired. Ocellus nodded. “Yes, like a way to test our observation skills and abilities to read emotions.” “And give us a chance to apply what we learned in class to cheer him up,” Sandbar added. “Oh my gosh, Ocellus, you’re totally right! This has to be part of the test!” “That does sound like something Headmare Twilight would come up with,” Gallus considered aloud. “Super unnecessarily complicated and manipulative with way too much hidden meaning behind it that only someone like Ocellus could figure out.” Smolder frowned. “Yeah but Spike’s not that good of an actor. Like, at all. And I don’t think the professors would make another creature depressed just to test us.” “They’ve done it to teach us lessons before,” Ocellus brought up. “Like when we followed Professor Rarity and Professor Rainbow Dash around to watch their friendship break and then repair.” “Yeah but that’s different,” Smolder argued. “Look, I’m just going to go up to the professors and straight up ask. Here they are now.” She pointed to the pair of mares now leaving the empty classroom. Smolder marched forward, and the rest of them followed. As they drew closer, it became apparent that the two were bickering, both frowning and trying speak over the other. A few of the group exchanged nervous glances. “You don’t think this is part of the test too, do you?” asked Sandbar. “Only one way to find out.” Smolder stepped forward and waved. “Hey, Professor Rainbow Dash! Professor Applejack!” The argument between the two mares ceased as they turned to the group of students before them. “Oh, hey. What you still all doing here? I’d have ran off to celebrate the moment I finished that exam,” said Rainbow. “Must have something important to say,” Applejack noted. “So, what’ll be?” “Is Professor Spike looking all depressed part of the test, and we’re supposed to find out why and then cheer him up?” Silverstream blurted out. “Also, is you arguing also part of the test, and we’re supposed to find out why and then make you friends again?” The two mares blinked. “I told you he looked off,” Applejack said smugly. “I didn’t say he didn’t look off,” Rainbow grumbled. “I just said, look, he’s probably just tired.” “Tired my hoof,” Applejack said, slamming her hoof against the hard stone floor. “I’ve seen tired, I’ve even seen exhausted, and Spike ain’t either. Heck, even they can see something is wrong with Spike.” She gestured to the students. “If there was something wrong, he’d tell us,” Rainbow Dash argued. “Not everypony’s as stubborn and pigheaded as you.” “Now that’s rich coming from you.” The students watched as the two mares began to butt heads and continued slinging insults at one another through clenched teeth. “So is this part of the test or what?” Smolder asked, interrupting. “What? Oh.” The two separated. “No, you guys are finished, test’s over,” Rainbow said. “Hm, now is this also a—“ “Silverstream, no, the test is done. No more tests.” “So Professor Spike’s actually upset?” Sandbar asked. “Seems like it,” said Applejack. “That’s what we were just discussing anyways, and I’m sure y’all agree with me when I say we should ask to find out what’s bothering him.” “Hey, don’t bring the students into this.” Rainbow groaned. “Fine, let’s go talk to Spike and probably get dragged into exam grading, that’s probably all this is. Or here, what about this? If there’s something actually going on, Rarity’ll probably know something about it. They’re, you know, close. Let’s ask her instead. No risk in being guilt-tripped into grading exams there.” “For the love of, ugh. Fine,” Applejack conceded. “You see what Rarity knows, and I’ll speak to Spike. You got anything to say about that arrangement?” “Works for me,” Rainbow Dash answered with a shrug. To the students she said, “You guys can go do whatever. You’re free.” “Do we get extra credit for trying to help?” Gallus asked. “We’ll see,” Applejack said as she and Rainbow split from the group, with Applejack following the path Spike took and Rainbow Dash in the opposite direction. Much of the hallway was clear, and it didn’t take long for the farmer to reach Twilight’s office, the empty wheelbarrow just outside. She opened the door and stepped in. “Hey, Spike?” Applejack called. She looked around, peeking past the freshly constructed towers of exams. There was some amusement to be had at seeing the headmare’s office once again being taken over by a forest of papers, but there was no dragon to be found amidst the neatly made stacks. Spike had been here recently, the exams were evidence of that, but where was he now? Applejack stepped out of the office. Perhaps someone had seen Spike or knew where he went, though the emptiness of the hall made it unlikely for her to find such a helpful individual. With little else to do, Applejack began her search through the corridor, opening doors in hopes of finding Spike at random. “Come on, Spike, where are you?” Applejack muttered as she swung open the door to a broom closet. No dragon, but instead, to her surprise, were three very familiar young mares. “Apple Bloom? Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle? What’re you three doing in here?” “Looking for some cleaning supplies, but then we bumped the broom holding the door open and got us locked inside,” Apple Bloom explained as the others nodded sheepishly. “Again?” Applejack said, her tone tired and exasperated. “Hey, it doesn’t happen that often,” Scootaloo insisted. “Like, what? Once every two months?” “I think we need to invest in some actual doorstops,” suggested Sweetie Belle. “Oh, how did the exam go? We forgot to ask Spike when we saw him earlier.” “Hold on, y’all seen Spike? Know where he went?” “I think he was headed to the kitchen,” Apple Bloom answered her sister. “Least, that’s the only thing I can think of in the direction he was going.” The younger earth pony pointed. “Maybe he went to get a snack or something. Sure looked like he needed one.” “That or a nap,” Scootaloo added. “Kitchen, got it. Thanks.” Applejack continued, now with a destination in mind, and she soon reached the kitchen. A few nearby members of the kitchen staff greeted her and confirmed Spike’s presence, pointing her toward him at one of the many counters in front of one of the many ovens. Before him were several recipe cards, a large bowl with some sort of batter he was mixing, and a cookie tray covered in a thin layer of shiny wrapping. “Howdy, Spike,” Applejack greeted as she approached. “You doing some baking?” “Huh?” The dragon looked up. “Oh, hi,” he said, then returned to his mixing. “Just trying to make some of the stuff the gala organization committee recommended.” “I see. Hey, listen, are you doing alright?” Spike stopped mixing. His face twisted in discomfort right before a loud belch and several streaks of fire escaped his mouth, forcing ponies close by, including Applejack, to duck for cover. “Sorry,” he said as he picked out the scroll that had materialized out of the flames and fallen into the mixing bowl. “S’all right,” Applejack assured as she got back up and those of the kitchen staff returned to their business. “Update from Twilight?” Spike examined the seal on the scroll now covered in batter before breaking it. “Looks like it. Can’t really read it like this though.“ He sighed and set the letter to the side. “I’m sure she and Discord are fine. I wouldn’t be too worried.” “Yeah, I know. I just wish Twilight was here.” Again, he sighed. “I could really use her advice right now.” Applejack reached over and patted Spike on his shoulder. “Well, I certainly ain’t Twilight, but I’m still here to hear you out. What’s on your mind?” “Oh, uh, you know.” Spike tried to laugh. “Just the usual, work and the grading and being made headdragon, nothing serious. It’s honestly kind of silly, just forget about it.” “Not happening, partner. Something’s wrong, and I aim to fix it. If you’d be more comfortable talking to Rarity about it, I won’t take any offense, we can go grab her.” Something in that suggestion triggered an unmistakable wince, but what? Applejack took a moment to review what had been spoken. Which of her words would have warranted such a reaction? Partner? Aim to fix? Offense? Or could it, against any sense or reason, have been... “Spike, is there something going on with Rarity?” Spike’s entire body stiffened. “I, I need to get going,” he said, excusing himself from the kitchen. Applejack hurried after him, but the moment they reached outside, the dragon took to the air, flying far out of her reach. “Maybe Rainbow should’ve been the one to talk to Spike,” Applejack mulled as she watched the dragon grow smaller and smaller until he was no longer visible. With a defeated sigh, Applejack went back inside just in time to catch Rainbow Dash running by. “There you are!” the pegasus shouted as she turned course and returned. “Look, I think I know why Spike’s all upset. It has to with Rarity.” “Figured as much. Spike flew off almost the moment I mentioned Rarity’s name,” Applejack said. “So Rarity tell you what’s going on?” “Ha! Yeah, right. She clammed up as soon as I explained that Spike was acting depressed and stuff, and then she started acting all depressed. Or more than recently, according to Fluttershy.” “Wait, you saying Rarity’s been acting out of sorts too?” “I guess?” Rainbow shrugged. “Apparently, she’s been super quiet too, but if anypony asks she just tells them she’s just tired, and well, you know Fluttershy’s not exactly the kind of pony that makes other pony’s businesses her business. Anyways, it’s pretty obvious it’s all related. What should we do now?” “Ooh boy.” Applejack swallowed and removed her hat to wipe her brow. “Okay, grab Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. We’ve got a friendship crisis on our hooves. Time for an emergency meeting. We’ll figure out what to do together.” “Right, sounds good,” Rainbow Dash said, and with a nod, the two separated.