We were not in the little filly's room long when other fillies began to trickle in. Sweetie and I cleaned up and went to stake out a place at the tables where I found my teacup was still there. The two of us sat down and waited while the hall slowly filled up. We watched with bemusement as several foals go sit at the head table.
“Don’t those idiots know the head table is for staff,” Offered the voice of Miss Berry from the side opposite of Sweetie.
“Miss Berry, it’s good to see you,” I offered with a smile. “So, how’d you do? Good, I hope. I’d hate to think that lot who thinks they can sit at the head table will make it.”
“That test kicked my flank,” Berry offered. “You left early.”
“I finished it.”
“As did I,” Sweetie offered. “Did you finish it?”
“Page to go when they called time.”
“Did you two actually finish it?” Asked a bedraggled looking filly across the table from us.
“I’d imagine that my being familiar with both pegasi and earth pony magic probably helped,” I offered.
“Earth ponies don’t have magic,” Scoffed a colt a few seats down.
“Earth pony magic is expressed through the hooves,” I offered. “It can be used to promote plant growth, detect buried objects, or even move things around,” I replied. “Earth ponies can also align the structure of gemstones in such a way as to make it possible to place enchantments on the stones. Except for various combat techniques, most applications of Earth pony magic are very subtle. But don’t worry if you marked those questions wrong, the practical exam can have a large impact on whether or not you get to attend this school.”
“I’m doomed,” He bemoaned as he put his head down on the table.
“Surely not?” I asked.
“My magic is all over the place and I keep overpowering.”
“Then let it,” I advised.
“What?” He was now giving me an odd look.
“The primary mission of this school is to help foals who are experiencing an overflow of manna release. Providing specialized instruction to gifted individuals is actually secondary.”
He gave me a funny little smile. “So if I’m understanding you correctly, screwing up big time might actually help my chances?”
“Pretty much,” I offered. “It all boils down to a question of whether or not setting an individual loose in a standardized classroom environment where the instructors may not appreciate said individual’s gifts is a good idea or not.”
“The staff is clearing the head table,” Sweetie offered while the colt quietly chuckled.
“Attempting to, by the looks of it,” Offered another filly.
“Who does that idiot think he is?” Asked Prince Junior as he joined us. “What?”
I must have been staring.
“Alright, fine, I may have been a little hasty when I accused you of being in league with the cultists.”
“Well if it makes you feel better, Princess Celestia made some adjustments to that spell,” I offered with a smile. “So, you are hoping to get into this school too.”
“Yes, I expect I will. Dad attended and mom says I’ve got a shot,” Blue offered. “Maybe attend for two or three years and then switch over to a school that specializes in political studies.”
“So is that what you want to do?” I ask.
“Not really. Not that it’ll make any difference.”
“How so?” Now I’m wondering why he’s saying it won’t make any difference.
“Because I’ll probably apply to the Royal Guard.”
“You might want to stop fainting every time you see the visage of Nightmare Moon then,” I offered with a smirk. “I mean seriously, what are you going to do if you're lined up for review and my mom comes trotting out in her armor?”
“Your mom?” Asked the colt with his head down.
“Her mom is Princess Luna,” Sweetie supplied. Meanwhile, young Lord Blueblood had yet to counter my point.
“And no, mom is not crazy or anything, she got possessed by a dark spirit, literally lost a thousand years, most of the ponies she cared about, and just doesn’t care for modern social events. I lost a thousand years. My father, my brother, every pony I knew, all gone. One moment I’m trying to reason with Princess Celestia and the next I’m sitting in the ruins of my home long abandoned. There’s no one around, it’s the middle of the night, and it’s now in the middle of one of Equestria's most dangerous forests.”
“She didn’t tell any pony who she was,” Sweetie offered. “Well, she kind of did, but never came right out and said it.”
“Who’d believe it,” Blue offered.
“And here comes Princess Celestia,” Sweetie Offered. “Headed right for the idiots at the head table.”
“I know every one of them. Their parents are all cousin's you know,” Blueblood junior offered. “Even so, a pony would think they’d have enough sense to realize they don’t get to sit at the head table.”
“Did he just sass Princess Celestia?” Berry asked.
“Wow, even I wouldn’t be that brassy,” I offered as the tables filled in. I touch my hoof to my amulet, “Moonie, any chance there is enough moisture in our cloud to cool things down a bit at the head table?”
“Moonie?” Prince junior asked.
“My little nightmare,” I offered.
“Little?”
“Princess Celestia shrunk down the Nightmare Moon projection to the size of a plush toy,” Sweetie offered.
“She’ll still go full size if the threat is real enough,” I informed him. “Otherwise she’s a little snuggle.”
“I’m a little confused,” Barry said. “You touched that amulet like it’s a communications device, and what cloud?”
“The small one up in the rafters that sneaking over to the head table,” Sweetie offered.
“Dare I ask how that got in here?” Prince Junior asked.
“Made it,” I informed him.
“I found her up on top of it having a nap,” Sweetie supplied. She’d a bit of a smirk on her face.
“Must be nice,” Prince teased.
“I had tea first. - Oh dear, she’s called for the guard,” I say as a dozen burly guards came in through a side entrance. The next thing we know the whole group was being escorted out of the room, several of them spouting the usual you can’t do this to me my father is… and whoever their father was. Even Prince was at a loss because the names didn’t ring any bells to him either.
“Did I hear Cobble Plot?” Sweetie asked. “I’d bet Rarity would know, but I seem to recall Cobble Plot being an old Goatham family.”
“Oh dear,” I said as my mind put two and two together. “Well, Aunt Tia is doing a very good job of keeping her cool.”
“Nova, Moonie is still moving the cloud over to Princess Celestia,” Sweetie announced.
“I see that,” I reply, and place my right hoof on the amulet. “Moonie, you can stop now. Moonie? Moonie stop. No, Moonie, don’t do it,” I’m standing in my seat at this point, one front hoof on the table the other on the amulet. “Moonie, moonie, no, no Moonie, stop, don’t you dare, Moonie!? Moonie no!”
Princess Celestia is looking at me with concern, her eyes widen, and then she looks up just as the first drops of rain start to fall on her.
The water hitting Princess Celestia is sizzling, turning into steam, rising and feeding my little cloud. Up on top of the cloud can be seen a little miniature Luna jumping up and down.
I’m shrinking back down trying to make myself as small as I can just as mom walks into the room. She walked over to Celestia and just looked at her with a puzzled look.
“Sister?” Luna inquired.
“I’m seriously debating taking a hammer to that thing.” Celestia offered and then cracked a smile. The water quit boiling the moment it hit and she started laughing.
Pretty sure I'm pelt-ward bound at this point.
“Princess Nova,” Princess Celestia called out a moment later. “Please be so kind as to remove your cloud from the building.”
I slowly got up from my chair, walked up to the front with my head down.
“You’re alright. After all, I was the one who fiddled with the spell that controls the actions of your little guardian,” Princess Celestia offered.
“Perhaps I should hold on to that amulet,” Mom offered.
Well, I was going to have to surrender it before my practical anyway. I take off the amulet, pass it over to mom, fly up to the cloud, take hold of it, and direct it to the nearest exit while doing my best to not rain on anyone. Down the hall, I go, to and fro, while members of the staff followed with buckets and mops. Moments later I’m out the door and pushing my little cloud up high enough that the little bit of rain it’s producing won’t be noticeable down below. Once deposited, I drop back down with little Moonie following. Now in front of the school, I turn and wave goodby to my little cloud as it slowly drifts away.
I returned to a very quiet dining hall a few minutes later and retake my seat.
“Princess Celestia explained that your amulet contains a guardian spell and that it has a fault in it that she inadvertently introduced,” Sweetie whispered.
“All well and good, but if I don’t do well enough on the practical exam I’m probably going to get turned into a pelt,” I whispered just as Princess Celestia began to speak.
Princess Celestia welcomed all the new hopefuls, explained what the intent of the school was, and counseled every pony not to be disappointed if they weren’t chosen. The school only had so many slots and they had to prioritize those with the greatest need.
I’d both front hooves on Moonie the entire time as she’d suddenly taken to mimicking Princess Celestia. “Stop it,” I hissed at Moonie. “I swear, you're as bad as Pinkie. There is a time and place, and this is neither.”
Mercifully lunch was soon served, which was followed by individuals being called to do their practical test.
“Athelas, Kitsumi Nova.”
“That’s you,” Sweetie announced.
“Athelas, I thought that was a defunct clan?” Prince asked as I got up.
“My grandfather’s surname on Princess Celestia’s side,” I offered. “Father’s surname seems to have been lost, and that means using mom’s surname.” Within Equestria, the surname didn’t necessarily have to follow a male line. It was typical for the surname to be whichever name carried the most historical prestige. It was also a perfectly legitimate way for Princess Celestia to get my practical out of the way as soon as possible.