//------------------------------//
// Down the Hall 
// Story: Beyond Blind Eyes 
// by Lunaric 
//------------------------------//

Cotton looked up at the sign reading Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Cotton chuckled.

As cotton walked through the front doors, Aqua mumbled out. "You good?"

"Yeah, just had some déjà vu."

"Ah, gotcha."

In front of Cotton was the same front desk with the same old green stallion at the desk. "Um, Hello. I'm here with a student, Aqua for a meeting with a..." Cotton extended her wing and looked at the paper slip it held. "A Helping Hoof. I believe was her name." 

"You'd be correct..." He mumbled. He wrote something down on a notebook with what looked like names and times on it. "She's down the hall," he pointed to his right, "eighth door on your right." His head went back down to the papers he was writing in.

"Thank you, sir..."

He mumbled out a quiet, "Yeah," not looking up from the desk.

Cotton shook her head lightly and started down the hall.

"He was a little rude," Aqua whispered into Cotton's mane.

"Yeah, just a little bit," Cotton whispered back while Aqua giggled. Always so cute... Turning forward, Cotton busied her eyes with the paintings on the walls. Some paintings were the same, and some different. The new ones varied from a calm, snowy cabin to energetic spellcasting rituals. More of those star cutie marks... In the distance, she spied the painting with the white filly. The painting was different from the last one, though. This time, the filly was sitting up, looking proud with a prideful smile on her face. Behind her, was a simplistic castle reminiscent of the Canterlot castle. 

Cotton stopped in front of the painting so she could look closer at the painting. The white filly was rendered beautifully. Cotton felt like she could feel every hair and every groove on her horn if she reached out to touch it. She had to stop herself from reaching out to the painting. She wouldn't want to damage it, nor the glass. She noted the filly looked like a copy of Aqua. Aside from Aqua's light blue coat and her lack of eye colour due to her blindness, They looked almost like siblings Turning around, Cotton noticed Aqua was facing the painting just like last time. Her eyes were closed and ears forward. 

"Aqua, are you okay? Are your eyes fine?"

Upon Cotton talking, Aqua jolted. "Huh? O-oh. Yeah, I'm fine... I just felt like I could hear something in the distance..."

Looking around, Cotton could see a mare near them, the end of the hall in the distance, and the rude receptionist. She couldn't hear any sound herself. She does have better ears... Cotton looked back at the painting. I wonder who this filly is? 

Turning towards the mare walking their way, Cotton called out, "Excuse me! Um... do you know anything about the filly in the painting?"

The purple mare stopped and looked at the painting. She said nothing and adopted a calculating gaze. "No." The mare turned to Cotton with an annoyed look. "But her name is Secular Sound." She continued walking. 

"You just said you didn't know..." Cotton mumbled to herself.

"There's a plaque."

Cotton sheepishly replied, "Oh..." And turned back to the painting with her ears flat. That there is. Whoops... Looking closer, she read the plaque quietly, "Secular Sound. 17 Before Schism - 3 After Schism." Oh... A shame she didn't live long... Still don't know who she was though. I'll ask the counsellor when we see them... Cotton leaned back to standing with a blank look on her face. Suddenly, Cotton jolted.

"Oh! Right. The counsellor."