//------------------------------// // A Certain Magical Sunset - Act 2 - 05 - Sunset - Academy Exams // Story: A Certain Magical Sunset // by Babroniedad //------------------------------// Sunset - Academy Exams Monday, August 25, 6:30 AM Tokyo time Morning came too soon, the alarm gently filling the room. Sunset woke, and smiled at Twilight who smiled back. “Good morning, Sunny,” Twilight greeted. “Back at you, Sparky!” grinned Sunset. She gave her friend a quick hug then rolled over and pushed herself up to sit. Grabbing her phone and dimming the windows for privacy, she noted there was a setting to do that automatically with the morning alarm. She decided to enable it, allowing the alarm to automatically opaque the windows every morning. Sunset transferred into her chair, then rolled over to the dresser, getting ready for the day. There was an Tokiwadai Academy uniform in the top drawer, making her choice of wardrobe simple. She set out her clothes on the bed. She looked over, and noticed Twilight carrying her uniform. Twilight smiled. “I had the same thought! I’m heading into the shower, back in a bit!” she called as she headed into the bathroom. “Okay! I’ll make breakfast,” replied Sunset. She rolled out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Pulling out a pot, she prepared two servings of porridge, stirring it with a wooden spoon then letting it simmer. She set the table for two, with yogurt, fruit and cream for the porridge toppings, then pulled two juice boxes from the fridge for their juice. She snarked, “I guess fresh juice is a bit much to ask for in the city.” She turned off the heat and served up the porridge into the bowls, cleaning up her cooking mess while she waited for her BFF. Twilight returned from the shower dressed in her Academy uniform. “Dang girl!” whistled Sunset. “You wear that well!” Twilight smacked her with a grin. “Weirdo!” She sat down next to Sunset. The girls bowed their heads, holding hands. “Thank the Maker for this food set before us. Bless our ways with Harmony and Friendship,” intoned Sunset. “Thank the Maker,” replied Twilight. They piled yogurt and fruit onto their porridge. “Where’s the coffee?” asked Twilight. “Sorry, Sparky, I knew I was forgetting something,” replied Sunset. “No worries, Sunny! I’ll get it.” Twilight got up. She grabbed two cups then went over to the coffee maker, noticing it was a substantial upgrade from the one they had in the bunker. A screen showed a selection of flavors and sizes. She selected a large dark blend with lots of caffeine for herself, placing her cup in the dispenser. Pressing the brew button, she watched as the coffee maker made hissing noises, a slight puff of steam, then dispensed the coffee into her cup. When the cup was full there was a whirring then a pop, and a k-cup dropped into the clear dispenser on the side of the machine. “Oh, dang Sunset! You have to check this out!” excitedly called out Twilight as she took out her cup and placed Sunset’s cup in the dispenser. Sunset rolled over. “What is it, Sparky?” she asked. “Check this out!” grinned Twilight pointing at the machine. Sunset smiled and looked over the menu. “Oh sweet Celestia, yes! I can tell this is going to get a workout between the two of us!'' she cackled, making her selection. The gears ground again. Shortly her cup was full of dark roast as the k-cup dropped into the receptacle next to Twilight’s with a whir and a pop. 'Oh yes! I am quite liking this!'' She grinned, taking her cup and returning to the table. Twilight joined her, grinning as they put cream and sugar into their coffee, finishing up their breakfast. Twilight cleaned up the breakfast mess while Sunset took her turn in the shower. Wrapped in a towel, she rolled out of the bathroom and into their bedroom. “That was considerate of them to put a shower seat in there for me,” Sunset said in approval as she rolled by Twilight. “They’ve thought of everything!” Finished with the cleaning, Twilight was now waiting at the table reading on her phone. “They sure did,” she agreed. Sunset dressed in her uniform. Dressed and ready, she rolled back out and joined Twilight at the table. “Ready Freddy! Let's do this!” “Let's!” agreed Twilight, giving her friend a hug. They walked toward the door, which opened to let them leave, then closed and locked behind them after they passed through. The elevator opened before them, ready for their trip. Sunset grinned. “Dang! That’s impressive. They must have an AI or something keeping track of us to make things easier. I’m really liking this place!” They entered the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. “I half expected it to light up the button for us too,” observed Sunset as they descended to the lobby. They got out and headed for the exit. They bowed in greeting to the concierge as they passed. Once out the door, Twilight stepped behind Sunset. “Okay, we’re running a bit late. If you don’t mind I’ll push while you pilot. Just tell me which way to go, and I’ll get us there as quickly as I can,” proposed Twilight, placing her hands on the handles of Sunset’s chair. “Okay with you, Sunny?” “Uh… Sure. Just a sec.” Sunset pulled out her phone and looked at the directions to the Academy offices. “Okay copilot, let’s go! We need to head south for two blocks then cross diagonally and head east for about five blocks.” Twilight started them off at a brisk pace as Sunset said south. She wove through their fellow pedestrians, stopping only when they reached the intersection. They waited for the cross signal, then crossed diagonally and headed east down the street. “How’re we doing?” puffed Twilight. “Almost there,” confirmed Sunset, looking at the map. A few moments later they were by the entrance of a large modern office building that towered over the surrounding offices. “This is it!” called out Sunset. Twilight pushed them towards the building and they entered. They headed through the large lobby to the service counter at the far side, getting into line, waiting for their turn at one of the service windows. The line moved quickly, so within a few minutes they approached a smiling young woman in an Academy uniform. “Ohayō!” she greeted them as they wheeled up to the window. “Good morning to you too!” greeted Sunset as they stopped before her. “We’re here for our entrance exams? I think we’re at the right place.” “You are!” the woman agreed, switching to English. “They haven’t started yet, so you’re fine. May I see your IDs please?” Sunset and Twilight handed them over. She looked them over, typing into her terminal. “You’re taking the exams together,” the lady announced. “Your examiner is on the sixth floor in room 673. You can take the elevators in Bank C just over to your right. Good luck!” she wished them while handing back their IDs. They bowed to her in thanks. “Arigato!” said Sunset as Twilight wheeled her towards the elevators. Unsurprisingly for a large building, there was a line for the elevators as well. They entered the Bank C elevator when their turn came. Sunset pushed the button for the sixth floor as Twilight pushed her past the panel. In a moment the elevator was full, nearly every button now pushed. The doors closed and the elevator rose. It had thinned out enough for Twilight to push Sunset forward to the door then exit the lift without issues by the time their floor arrived. They looked at the signs, then turned down the hall, heading to their assigned room. A few turns and a short hall later they found the room, one of the central rooms in the office tower. Sunset knocked on the door. “Enter, please! It is unlocked!” a voice called out from inside. Sunset opened the door and Twilight pushed them inside. An elderly man sat at a teacher's desk looking over a bound report. He looked up when the girls entered. “I take it you are Sunset and Twilight?'' “Yes sir! That’s us,” confirmed Twilight as they stopped before the desk. She and Sunset bowed in greeting. He gave a nod back. “Excellent. Do you need to use the lavatory, or perhaps get a drink before we begin?” he asked. The girls shook their heads. “Okay then. Let us begin.” Several hours later the girls left the room, taking a brief break from the testing for lunch. They were encouraged to use the cafeteria on the second floor to avoid taking excessive time away from the testing while trying to find a nearby place to eat. Seeing the clear wisdom in that, they followed his directions to the second floor where they found the cafeteria. It was crowded, but the line moved quickly. They both selected a basic bento box lunch, then rolled over to a table with an open spot for Sunset. They nodded, greeting the other students at the table, said a quick harmonic prayer then tucked into their lunches. There wasn't much talking, as it seemed everyone was focused on their testing. Finished with their lunches, the girls cleared their trays, then left the cafeteria returning to the examination room for the remainder of their testing. Their examiner looked up from his desk when they returned. “Excellent. Thank you for your expedient return. Let us resume.” Finished, the girls thanked their examiner and bowed. “I will review the results and make my recommendations. Expect to hear from us shortly with your assignments. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Thank you. You may leave.” He dismissed them. Twilight wheeled Sunset out of the room and back to the elevators. “So what now?” she asked. “Back to the apartment and wait for Kaori to contact us I guess.” Sunset shrugged. “I’m kind of curious how we scored. We didn’t pony up or use our magic so I was surprised we were able to do some of the things he asked.” Twilight nodded. “Yes. This place seems full of surprises. I guess we’ll see,” she agreed. She laughed and grinned. “It might have been fun to let them see us fully ponied up.” Sunset laughed. “Yeah, that would be a no. I don’t think they were expecting two demi-goddesses to apply to their Academy. This way was better.” Twilight nodded. “True that.” The elevator opened up before them. They rode the elevator up, then returned to their apartment to wait to be contacted. Seek Harmony in all her ways daily, and her light will grow within you - The Celestial Teachings