//------------------------------// // Chapter 36: Once more into the lineup. // Story: I am my own OC // by KittyrinnAiko //------------------------------// And now on too, or rather, back to the school. We’d finished up lunch, and dismissed ourselves leaving those who’d embarrassed themselves with what little dignity they had left and made our way back to the school. As discussed earlier we got in line just to see if any pony would notice. Word had also been given to the guard to stop any pony from leaving who’d been turned away. So there we were, standing in line. Again. And as before every pony was too focused to notice that princess Celestia was now standing in line. I was getting a kick out of guards stopping ponies and if they would point out Princess Celestia and have them stand by. Nor had the ponies checking lists noticed that Princess Celestia was now in line. “Student’s name,” directed the mare at the head of our line as Celestia stepped up. She hadn’t even glanced up from her list. “Sunset Shimmer Athelas,” Celestia said as though she an ordinary pony was really hoping to get her daughter into the school. “Athelas, Athelas… sorry, not on the list?” “Perhaps it’s under Celestia?” Aunt Tia asked. I’d swear she had a bemused smirk on her face. “Sorry, not there. Next.” “Perhaps if you look again?” Princess Celestia suggested a bit more forceful. “Look, if you aren’t on the list your brats…” She’d looked up from her clipboard to see Princess Celestia’s peytral. “Pa – pa – pa…” “It’s Prin – cess,” mom offered with a good measure of sarcasm. “Go on, give it a try.” “Why don’t I have a look,” Celestia offered as her magic took the list from the mare. She perused through the list for a bit. “My, my, my, quite the who’s who list. It's astonishing that Athelas isn’t on the list being it’s my family name.” “Pa, pa, pa, Princess Celestia, what brings you here?” “Who is responsible for this?” Celestia asked indicating the list. “Princess Celestia?” “I’d like to know who was so forward-thinking as to screen the school from... what was it? Undesirables? Foals who might actually benefit, who aren't members of the nobility?” Celestia charged as she passed the list off to mom who had a good look-see. “Ah, Directer Neighsay.” the mare offered. “Do you work for him, or for me?” “Well, for Director Neighsay. He sent us over to help with the implementation of the new School board directive to prioritize Canterlot students following complaints that non-Canterlot residents were gaining admittance over locals.” “I see,” Celestia said dryly. “Do you think that perhaps the school board is overreaching?” “No, mam.” I couldn't believe what I was hearing. “And it never occurred to you that the School Board’s authority does not exceed my own? - It’s my school. It’s within the confines of my castle. The castle is not part of the Canterlot city jurisdiction.” “It’s an institute of education and that falls under the School Board’s authority.” Celestia gave the mare a calculating look, looked back at the assembled guard, and motioned to them to proceed on orders she’d already given. The guards came forward, and one by one the ponies with clipboards were hobbled with leg irons that gave them just enough of a stride to walk at a slow pace. From the protests I was hearing there wasn’t one pony present who didn’t think that what they were doing was wrong. Princess Celestia then went inside with several members of the guard with her. There was also a fair amount of ponies all talking at once as they tried to make sense of what was going on. I also found that I now had the list as it was thrust at me. “Might we have thy concentrated cognitive process directed forthwith?!” Mom shouted out at the gathered ponies. No, make that Princess Luna as she really wasn’t Mom at that point, and there really was such a thing as the Canterlot voice. "The parties who did thus present thy selves as ponies of authority were a might bit ill-conceived in their undertaking. The list they were working from seems to be nothing more than a who’s who of Canterlot Aristocracy with perchance a few outliers. Ponies were being turned away based on societal status with little regard to actual needs. If your foal has shown signs of power levels that are in excess of foals for their age bracket or have incontestable cognition beyond their years then please stand by. If the only reason you are here is to get thy offspring into the Edifice for Gifted Unicorns because you see it as advantageous to status for thy household, then I’d like to remind you that Princess Celestia will personally evaluate each and every new student and if she doesn’t like what she sees you can be assured that thy foal will be removed from this school.” “And who might you be?!” Shouted one of the gathered ponies. “She’s Princess Luna!” Shining Armor shouted as he made his way forward. “Have the citizens of Canterlot, and the Citizens of Equestria forgotten how to pay respect in the presence of a Princess of Equestria?” “She just wants to get her bastard brat in the school!” I can see the rage in Mom’s eyes. I dropped the list and leapt into the air to place myself between her and the crowd and if you want spectacular I got foxfire so I did a sharp three-sixty while pouring forth the foxfire from my hooves which I then gathered around myself and then let it whip out over the crowd where it impacted harmlessly against distant walls or simply dissipated where there is nothing to impede its outward flow. I then produced just enough to make it look like I was standing in mid-air, and folded my wings. Granted that my hooves looked like they were smoldering but it was that very effect that gave me perches in mid-air. “Nova! Stop!” Luna shouted. “What are you doing?!” “Some ponies here seem to think that that I am somehow unworthy, or that I couldn't possibly need specialized training to learn how to keep my power in check.” I can feel the breeze so I give it a tug and soon a strong wind is blowing, next came a little static discharge of electricity letting loose arcs of mini lightening all about me. The ponies in front of me are not bowing, they are cowering. “Nova! Stop it! You don’t know what you are doing!” Luna shouts over the growing wind. “That’s the whole point! I don’t know what I’m doing! But they apparently know better! I don’t need to know how to keep it in check. It doesn’t matter how powerful I might be because I’m not good enough.” “You are all I’ve got! And you are good enough for me.” I let go of my hold on the wind, teams of pegasi quickly working to undo what I just did. Not like the wind wouldn't die back down by itself. I unfold my wings and glide over to Luna and she embraces me. Princess Celestia steps past us. “I am the one who wants her in my school!” Celestia’s shout is more than enough to tell me she’d heard enough. In the silence that followed I hear roof tiles falling and smashing as they hit the pavement below. “And you will give my sister the same respect you give me!” Behind me ponies are being led out by guards, and one stallion is insisting that Celestia is making a big mistake. “I’m charging you with treason,” Celestia said calmly as he was lead past. “Treason against the state and crown on the grounds that you endanger the population by interfering with the mandate of this establishment. This school exists to serve students whose abilities far outstrip that of their peers. It is not a springboard to status. It is not the playground of the rich and famous. It is not a country club for the children of the elite.” She took a deep breath. “Testing will resume, with any luck, first thing tomorrow morning.” ✨ “What did you mean when you said that I’m all you’ve got?” I asked as we quietly walk back up to the Keep where the actual royal apartments are at. “Of the family I started so long ago,” Mom offered. “Your father and your brother, short of they are alive out there somewhere thanks to the life span of semi-divine beings, otherwise they are long dead. That’s what I meant. Celestia and I are sisters, true, and we are all that’s left of the family we grew up in, but I wanted more. I wanted a stallion, I wanted your brother, and I wanted you.” “Foxfire is harmless and the wind will right itself if given the chance. Lightning is just electricity overpowered. There isn’t really a whole lot around here to generate wind other than the mountain itself. Lightening will vanish the moment conditions that created it are no longer there. I’m not a complete idiot and far better I take the heat for blowing my top than you.” “Is that what you’ve been doing? Covering for me? Making a foal of yourself this morning and this afternoon to make me look good? And the wind and the electric light show should be too advanced for you to do it.” “Certain things just seem to come naturally for me,” I do a pony version of shrugging shoulders. “The way I see it, I can get away with being a brat now and then, Ponies will just say that I am Nightmare Moon’s whelp, maybe they’ll figure I just need time to adjust, admit that I need specialized training, but you need to be seen for who you are, and that is a warm loving mare with lots of patience and understanding.” “Um, Princess Nova?” Scootaloo asked. “Scootaloo, you know you don’t have to use my title.” “I… sorry,” she says as she holds the copy of the list I’d dropped. “Sweetie’s name is on the list.” “Miss Rarity must have gotten wind of what was going on,” Mom offered. “And that week Sweetie was grounded for no apparent reason, Rarity was probably making Sweetie practice her magic to cover all potential obstacles.” “Twood have been nice if she had said something to us.” Mom offered. “I don’t know why she ever said anything?” I admitted. “Aside from she knew something wasn’t right.” “It really doesn’t sound like Rarity to knowingly participate in something so seriously wrong,” Dash offered. I looked up to see that our little group had separated from Princess Celestia and the guards who were escorting her. “Any chance Rarity and Sweetie Belle are back in Ponyville?” I asked. “Saw her waiting for the train when Commander Armor and I arrived this morning,” Dash offered. “I’d imagine Sweetie was with her.” “Rainbow Dash, she’s going to need to account for herself,” Mom offered. “You want me to fly back to Ponyville, don’t you?” Dash asked. “I flew up from Ponyville the morning Princess Celestia got stuck in that mirror,” Lofty offered. “I made it part of the training program,” Spitfire informed her. “Alright fine, not like I wasn’t going to catch a nap on the train. This is kind of important though, isn’t it,” Dash replied. “Say squirt, you going to flight camp?” “I, um…” Scootaloo began. “Yes she is,” Lofty announced. “We put in for her when Snap and Mane took off, and they’ve already replied back that they still had an opening.” “I’m going to flight camp?” Scootaloo asked. “You are going to flight camp,” Spitfire reassured her. “Not like I couldn't have found an opening for you.” “I’m going to flight camp,” Scootaloo said softly followed by excited shouting. “I’m going to flight camp! I’m going to flight Camp!” “Oh, and Dash, if you aren’t busy they can always use an extra body to keep an eye on the foals,” “If I’m not busy she says. Ya, I’ll do that… if I have the time, what with the local guard force suddenly being so short hoofed,” Dash offered. “I think Commander Sparkle will be working on making sure you guys have enough guards,” Spitfire offered. “Hey, that’d be great. I’d better get going,” Dash offered, gave Scootaloo’s mane a tussle, and then trotted off. “Scootaloo, I couldn't help but notice that when dash musses up your mane she avoids the horn,” I comment. “Quite a while now, She just kind of pretends she doesn’t know it’s there,” Scootaloo answered. “Well, come on, let's get up to the keep while we wait for the fallout,” Mom offered. “Greenhouse?” I suggested. I still wanted my afternoon of being lazy in the sun. “I believe that was the plan,” Spitfire concurred, and then we made our way upstairs. What we found was a wonderful garden in a greenhouse with lots of cushions for a pony to sit and enjoy or just look out at the vast horizon. I found myself a cushion wiped my hooves on a mat and climbed on. Next came wing stretches, and when I’d finished I turned three times just because and flopped down to roll on my back. Little Moonie was up in the rafters looking down at me. “Where have you been?” I asked as I looked up at her. “I’d have been there if you had needed me,” she replied with a smile as Mom lay down with me. “Commander Spitfire was up fairly late last night,” Mom informed me. “She’s already asleep.” “And you?” I asked. “I spend a little time every night shadowing the night watch Commander.” “Commander Mouse?” I ask. “Commander Mouse. It’s ironic that I originally taught her and now she’s teaching me. Nova?” “It just occurred to me that Dash is going to have to fly against the afternoon wind coming up off the valley.” Mom didn’t say anything. “The natural movement of airflow is for the wind to come down off the mountain in the morning and then switches its direction of flow sometime around noon.” “So when the guard goes down to Ponyville in the morning and back to Canterlot in the afternoon the wind is in their favor. Yes, of course. I’d forgotten about that sort of thing. Poor Dash.”