//------------------------------// // Chapter 40: Second to finish. // Story: I am my own OC // by KittyrinnAiko //------------------------------// Sweetie Belle was starting to thank Rarity for the week-long cram session, but couldn't help but wonder why Nova got up and walked out. It was a hard test, well, not all of it. The first half had been fairly easy, but she was spending way too much time on some of those questions. Still, she pressed on until surprise of all surprises, she was done. She was also completely burned out. She thought about going back over the test but then decided that there was no point. She set her pencil down, turned the test face down, got up, and walked out. One of the proctors met her and asked if she had finished. “I answered all the questions,” Sweetie offered. “What happened to Princess Nova?” “She finished the test. Don’t worry about her. And if you want, you can go join her in the dining hall.” “Alright, I know where it’s at. Thank you.” Sweetie walked down the hallway, turned down the hallway that leads to the dining hall, and then in through the big doors. According to the clock she’d finished with twenty minutes to spare. There was no sign of Nova as she walked into the big dining hall. Sweetie walked over to someone putting the final touches on the tables. “Excuse me, but have you seen Princess Nova?” “Princess Nova’s up on a cloud in the rafters.” “What?” The staff pony pointed up and Sweetie looked up to see a little white cloud up in the rafters. “Figures,” Sweetie said as she looked up, and then it struck her as the funniest thing ever, and just started laughing. “Do please tell us what’s so funny, I could use a good laugh,” asked a pony who’d come up behind Sweetie Belle. “Up in the rafters, Nova’s pulled a Rainbow Dash,” Sweetie said, turned around, and sobered up really fast at the sight of Princess Celestia. Sweetie bowed low. “Rise my little pony and tell us your name,” Celestia said softly. “Sweetie Belle Bouffant, Ma’am.” “You’re rarity’s little filly, aren’t you?” “Yes, Ma’am. Most of the ponies back home kind of got the idea that we are sisters though,” Sweetie offered quietly. “You might want to fix that misconception. At least among your friends. The thing is, your friends are likely to find out sooner or later anyway. Now, speaking of friends, shall we see if we can wake up Nova?” My first clue that it was time to get up was a sinking feeling. Or I could say I had a sinking feeling that I should get up. One, or the other. And then I was looking at Aunt Tia’s big nose. “Hello.” “Good morning,” Celestia offered with a smirk. “The room’s not full of foals is it?” “Not yet. So how did you do on that test?” “I think I did alright. I’ve taken harder tests. Not on magic mind you, but when you know how to take a test it kind of gives a body an advantage.” “I see. So how’d you get this cloud in here?” “I made it.” “You made it?” I cup my hooves, make a little puffball and give it a push in Celestia’s direction. “I figured out how to do it while I was sitting in here.” “You do realize that that is an advanced technique?” Celestia asked me. “Granted so is manipulating the wind and creating lightning without a cloud.” “Creating lightning is just a matter of a difference of potentials,” I offered. To be honest I have no clue how difficult it’s supposed to be and likely something I inherited. I did at least know the mechanics. “And how long have you had that amulet on,” Celestia asked. I knew what she was talking about and decided to sit up, little Moonie rolling over and off the cloud. It didn’t take her long to sweep up and land on my head. “Moonie was here, waiting for me with the amulet.” “Fine, but you’re going to have to give me the amulet before you do your practical. We need to know what you can do, and there must not be any appearance that you have gained any measure of preference by thy position nor can you have anything on your body that might act as an aid of some sort.” “Understood,” I offered. “I, um, I don’t know if I’ve been gaining by wearing the amulet or not. What if I am? What if I can’t do anything without it?” Now I was starting to worry. “You can do it, I’m sure of it,” Sweetie offered reassuringly from somewhere below. I lay down while scooting forward so I could look at what was below me. “Hi, Sweetie.” “You had me worried when you got up and left,” Sweetie called up to me. “I was done. I even double-checked my answers,” I offered. “You finished with an hour to spare,” Sweetie called back. “You finished that fast?” Celestia asked. “I doubt I’m going to get every question right,” I offered. “Anything I didn’t know, I made my best guess. After I’d done every question and double checked there just wasn’t any point in staying any longer.” “But so fast?” Celestia offered. “I still took a fair amount of time, Twilight has been tutoring me, and test-taking is a skill in and of itself. Many a brilliant mind has been done in by a test because they lacked the skill required to navigate a test.” “Give me an example of a test-taking skill,” Celestia prompted. “Skip the hard questions and come back to them later,” I offered. “It’s better to lose the points on a question I might get wrong anyway than to lose the points that can be gained by answering the questions that can be answered. Tip two, other questions may give away the answer.” “That’s cheating,” Sweetie protested. “No, no it’s not,” Princess Celestia offered with a smile. “It’s even good advice for life. The answer to a seemingly insurmountable challenge may be found in the challenges that can be mastered and we should never let our progress be hampered by something we can’t do. Also, there is absolutely nothing in the rules that say test questions have to be done in order. Why you could do the test back to front if you’ve got a mind to. You know, get the hard questions done while you are fresh.” “I’ve found that the easy questions make for a good warm-up for the hard questions,” I offered. “And that explains how you were able to finish the test so fast,” Celestia replied with a bemused smirk. “Things you learned before finding yourself in the ruins of our old home.” “Accurate enough,” I offered. “But I see Sweetie Belle has finished ahead of time as well.” “Not by as much as you, but then we’ve both been getting tutoring from Miss Twilight Sparkle,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Now that I think of it, Twilight did have high praise for both of you,” Celestia offered. “Nova, Twilight did fail to tell me you had both wings and a horn.” “Oh don’t tell her she failed in something she’ll have a panic attack,” I teased. Celestia smiled a big smile. “And you don’t?” “Only when I think I’m about to get banished and imprisoned in the place I was banished to. The media coverage around mom hadn’t been very promising. Let’s face it, news articles were speculating that she was under house arrest. Some were saying that she wasn’t in her right mind. Some of the articles were just downright evil for the sake of revenue.” “Unfortunately that is what happens when we allow a free press.” “The point of a free press is the ability to publish criticism of the government without fear of reprisal. It should not be carte blanche to print half-truths and outright lies.” I paused for just a moment. “Lies that likely contributed to that panic attack I had.” “Understood, and I am sorry. It’s just that reining in those types of publications is not the easiest thing to do,” Celestia admonished. “Now, how about you come down and keep Miss Belle company.” “Alright, can do,” I offer, and climb to the edge of my floating pillow and dive off. I’m not too far off the ground and only needed to open my wings just a bit to slow my descent all four hooves hitting tile at the same time. I then turn and use my telekinesis to push the cloud back up to the rafters. “Well, I can’t have ponies playing with it,” I offered. “I’m going to leave you two for a bit. Every pony should be finishing up soon,” Celestia offered and started for the door. “Alright, we’ll see you in a bit I gather?” I ask. “Oh yes, I’ll be back to address everyone during lunch.” I watched her go for a bit and then turned back to Sweetie. “So, how do you think you did?” And then she hugged me. “Um, Sweetie?” “You have no idea how good it made me feel to see you up on that cloud so relaxed,” Sweetie offered as she let go. “I think I did alright on the test. The second half was really kicking my flank.” “I doubt they expect us to get them all, granted I’ve no doubt Twilight would have gotten them all right and asked for more.” “Ya, Twilight probably aced it. Hey, you don’t mind if I make a ‘powder room’ run do you?” “Do you know where it is?” I ask. “I could kind of…” “Come on,” Sweetie offered, and then we were on our way out into the hall a short time later. Lucky me I had Sweetie. “So how did you know where it was?” “Got the tour along with a bunch of snooty brats who couldn't make a fire with a blowtorch, let alone cast a spell.” “Daymn, and that’s the sort they were trying to pack the school with.” “Ya, I’m just glad I don’t have to worry about them anymore.”