"Well, here we are!" Flash smirked as he heard Soarin say that.
He, Soarin, Trixie and Wallflower looked up at the building in front of them, which would be their new home for the year. Said building was located in the small village that was on the eastern side of the campus ground, and had a rather nice looking cafe on the ground floor that would likely become a regular location for them when they wanted to relax and have something to eat.
They found some stairs on the side of the building that led them to their new home on the third story, which had two doors on either side at the top.
"Okay," Flash looked at the two doors, "one is mine and Soarin's place whilst the other is for you girls." He pulled out the key he got in the mail and opened the door, he and Soarin looking inside to see the state of the place they would call home for the next three years.
It was a simple rectangular room, which had a bunk bed on the far side with a long desk next to it under a window and two closets on the other side of the room. There was a small kitchen in one section of the room and a door that likely led to the bathroom. It wasn't much, but it would be more than enough for them. They probably wouldn't be spending much time there anyway.
"Not bad," Soarin smiled as he flew in and sat on the top bunk. "Dibs."
Flash rolled his eyes, but didn't argue as he placed his bag down next to the bed before sitting on it. As he did, he thought about everything that had happened since the entrance exam. Almost instantly after agreeing to form a party, the four of them had submitted an application for said party.
They had had some trouble thinking of a good name for themselves, given that they all had different ideas. Trixie wanted to call them Trixie and the Illusions, whilst Soarin had wanted to be called Team Dynamite Thunder. Eventually, Wallflower had sneakily written down the Team's Name and handed it into the mare running the desk. As such, Team Relic had been formed.
Flash liked the name, as Wallflower pointed out the only reason they were all in the Academy was because of the relic Flash wielded.
Because of this, the school had been gracious enough to allow the lot of them to dorm together instead of being randomly assigned roommates. Flash had returned home to a village wide party, as everyone who knew him was happy to hear he had gotten into the Academy. He was both happy and worried, since now he had the entire village's support. This would make it really humiliating if Flash ended up flunking out. But he didn't intend to do that.
"Cool." Flash looked over at Soarin and saw him opening the wardrobe with his name on it, where he removed the new uniform he would be expected to wear during school. It looked just like the one that Flash had seen during the entrance exam, being a white shirt with black pants and a blazer that was a mix of red and black with a red tie. The shirt and blazer had holes in the back for his wings and tie had the school's emblem emblazoned on it.
Flash smirked at it before getting up to pull his own uniform out of the wardrobe, checking it out and confirming it was his size. "This is pretty cool."
"Yeah, wish it came in a cooler colour though. Could they not have made the trim and tie blue?"
Flash chuckled, "the colour on the uniform is meant to show we're first years. Yellow is for second years and green is for third years."
"Ah man," Soarin sighed as he put his uniform away. "This bites. But it beats not getting to wear one at all." Flash nodded in agreement, the pair beginning to unpack the few belongings they had. Soarin took out the bow Flash had made for him and held it lovingly. "Thanks again." Flash looked at him in surprise. "If you hadn't given me this weapon, there's no way I'd be here right now." He held the bow up, "this weapon is the key to me fulfilling my dream."
"Dream?" Flash asked, wondering what Soarin hoped to accomplish as an Adventurer.
"I'm gonna join the Wonderbolts." Flash instantly understood. The Wonderbolts Guild were a group of avian Adventurers that also acted as the kingdom's main air force. However, only A-Rank Adventurers could hope to even apply. "Just watch. I'm gonna graduate from here, work my way up to an A-Rank Adventurer and join the Wonderbolts."
"Big dream," Flash told him. "But it's gonna take more than a cool weapon to become a Wonderbolt."
"I know that. That's why I'm gonna train as much as I can, whenever I can. You should join me. Then we can both be in top form together." Flash didn't see any harm training with him. He already planned on doing some extra training when they weren't in class, so doing it with a friend sounded like it might be fun.
He would come to regret that thought.
The next morning.
Celestia hadn't even raise the sun yet, as Flash sat in his bed dreaming about big adventures. But those dreams were quickly shattered by an alarm clock, which caused him to awaken with a start. "What the?" He looked around and noticed Soarin jumping out of bed.
"Wakey wakey sleeping beauty!" Flash groaned as he looked at the time.
"It's five thirty." He wanted to go back to sleep, but Soarin pulled his blanket off him. He moaned, now realising how determined Soarin really was to become an Adventurer and join the Wonderbolts. Five minutes later, Flash and Soarin were running through the streets in tracksuits. "How...long...do we...have to...run for?"
"Thirty minutes running," Soarin replied. "Then thirty minutes flying." Flash's mouth dropped, but he didn't complain. They ran for the thirty minutes around the town, then took to the air and flew all the way from the town to the dome and back again several times.
When the thirty minutes was up, Soarin had them land down at the fountain. "Is...it...over?"
"Yup," Soarin nodded. "Good warm-up." Flash nodded, only to do a double take when he heard this.
"That...was just...the warm-up?" Soarin nodded before letting himself fall forward on the grass, where he started doing push-ups. "You can't be serious. Don't we even get a rest?"
"Nope. This is the same exercise routine the Wonderbolts do on a daily basis. Half hour run. Half hour flight. One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups. Fifty wing-ups followed by a plank." Flash felt exhausted just hearing all that. "Don't worry, you get used to it. I couldn't even move the day after I first started doing it."
"Yeah, well I don't intend to join the Wonderbolts. So I think I'll take a break before I pass out from exhaustion." Soarin shrugged and kept up the push-ups, it only taking him five minutes to do the full one hundred. By this point, Flash had recovered enough to do his own push-ups. But he knew he wouldn't be able to do the full one hundred, so just decided to do a simple twenty.
He managed to get to that number by the time Soarin was halfway doing with the sit-ups, Flash's arms killing him as he rolled onto his back. He caught his breath and after a few more moments, started doing his own sit-ups. He got to fifteen by the time Soarin finished his one hundred, The avian groaning as he laid on the ground.
"How are you not exhausted?" Flash asked, his body screaming at him as Soarin rolled back over to start doing his wing-ups.
"I'm...used to it." He lifted himself up on his wings, whilst his hands were held behind his back. "I've been training ever since I was a kid."
"Really?" Flash asked, "you've wanted to be a Wonderbolt for that long?" Soarin stopped mid wing-up and seemed to contemplate Flash's question.
"It's...complicated."
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Soarin stayed there for a moment and started pushing himself up and down again. "Thanks. Maybe I'll tell you one day. But not right now." Flash nodded as he watched Soarin continue to do the exercises. By the time he finished the wing-ups and plank, it was getting on to be almost seven o'clock. "Come on!" Soarin took to the air and Flash flew up behind him. "We need a shower, breakfast and be at our first class before nine."
They flew towards the village and Soarin was the first one to reach their dorm. As such, he got to be the first one to shower whilst Flash took this time to prepare his bag. The backpack was filled with notebooks and his belt buckle, Flash having had to wear it during his exercise since it refused to remain more than ten feet away from him.
He took out his class schedule for the week and looked over all the classes he would be taking over the next year. At the Academy, two days would be spend in the classroom and two days would be spent doing physical training. Flash was glad that today would be classroom studies, since his exhausted state likely wouldn't have allowed him to do anything too strenuous. He just hoped his body would be able to move tomorrow, since he might be a little sore.
Once Soarin finished his shower, Flash jumped in and sighed as the hot water washed away his sweat and eased his muscles. He could have probably fallen asleep under the hot show, but he needed to stay awake. Once the shower was done, he and Soarin were dressed in their uniforms.
They then headed out of their room and found both Trixie and Wallflower leaving their dorm. The girls were dressed in their uniforms, that being a white dress with black tights, a black blazer with red trim and a red bow with the emblem on the ends.
"Were you two really up at five thirty?" Wallflower asked as they climbed down the stairs.
"You ruined Trixie's beauty sleep," the magi complained when they nodded. As they passed the cafe, the metal shutters slid open to reveal the owners of the establishment. One was a lanky blue terran stallion with a short pink mane and tail whilst the other was a slightly plump yellow terran mare with a long flowing orange mane and tail.
The stallion smiled at the sight of them. "Why, hello there. You must be our new neighbours. Name's Treacle Tart. And this is my lovely wife, Meringue Tart."
"It's lovely to meet you," Meringue smiled. "The lot of you certainly look like promising young Adventurer hopefuls."
"Thank you," Wallflower bowed. "And I promise we'll do our best to keep the noise down as much as possible." The other three nodded as the Tart family smiled.
"That's kind of you," Treacle nodded. "Our last tenants were a rowdy lot. One was always playing music too loud and if the other wasn't arguing with their roommate, they were blowing the place up with a crazy spell or potion." Meringue nodded at the bad memory, whilst the four students hoped they could be better tenants then that.
"Oh," Meringue held up a tray of goodies. "You must be hungry. Can't become great adventurers on an empty stomach." They each took a cupcake and thanked her before heading towards the main campus, snacking on their treat as they looked forward to the first day of training.
Then they reached the large castle, many other students were also making their way inside. They all headed to the dining room, where they could grab something good to eat between the hours of seven and half eight. The four sat at a table and grabbed some toast and scrambled eggs. As they did, Grand Hoof appeared at the foot of the dining room.
"Welcomes students," he announced to them all. "I'm sure many of you new students are looking forward to your first day. I welcome you all to the Manehatten Adventurer's Academy. Here you will learn everything you need to know in order to become S-Ranked Adventurers. We have a variety of classes that you can learn from, such as the Monster Class, where our resident monster experts will teach you about the beasts you're likely to fight as Adventurers."
"Good morning class!" A light blue magi stallion stepped into the room, his snow white hair blustering as he looked out at the class.
"Good morning professor Steel," the students all spoke back as Cold Steel pressed a remote button. Doing so caused a hologram of a two foot elephant to appear in the air, this elephant had a black band running from its trunk, over its head and body to end at its tail.
"Today's lesson shall be on the Rollephant. Not much of a threat when stationary, but dangerous if it gets up to speed and curls up."
"Herbology, where you will learn about many different magical plants that you might encounter or need to track down for an assignment."
A green terran with a pink and blue mane was showing Flash and his class around the green house.
"Professor Bloom?" The pony named Heather turned to a magi student, "what's this one?" She pointed at a plant that looked like a red bluebell.
"I wouldn't do that," Heather told her. The next thing the magi knew, the bluebell came to life and pulled her finger inside of it. The student screamed as she felt it sucking magic out of her, Heather moving fast and cutting the plant off its stem. The magi staggered back as the head fell off her finger. "Magi-bell. Drains magic from whoever it gets its hands on. Good ingredient for potions." She turned to walk off, showing the students more of the plants the school had.
"Potion Making. A useful skill to have when you're out in the field. Never know what might happen. Being able to make a healing potion of something else might come in handy."
A light gray magi with a dark gray mane and tail with half-moon glasses stood in front of the class.
"Next," he held up a jar of blue powder. "We add exactly three tablespoons of ground up Muka Crab shell." Flash and Trixie were currently standing in front of a pot, Trixie scooping out spoonfuls of the powder.
"Um," Flash saw Trixie had taken out more powder than what could fit on the spoon, the pile poking over the end. "I think that might be a bit too much." Trixie rolled her eyes and poured the powder inside, only for a puff of yellow smoke to explode up and hit her in the face.
When it faded, Trixie's face was shown to be covered in tiny mushrooms. The other students laughed at this, whilst the the teacher rolled his eyes. "Used too much powder. That is what happens if you use even the slightest too much. Potions are about precision. Too much and too little will always result in disaster."
"But it won't always be classroom learning. Being an Adventurer is a physically demanding job. As such, you'll need to be in tip-top shape if you want to survive."
The students were all dressed in their normal clothing, standing in a line as their teacher walked passed them.
He was a purple avian with a white mane and tail, his face covered in scars whilst his right wing was replaced by a metal prosthetic. "Alright!" He told them before pointing at the a line in front of them, "suicides. Let's see how well you all do." He blew his whistle and the students started running back and forth. Most of them, including Wallflower, only lasted about five minutes before they could no longer do anything else.
Flash managed to last a good while, but he was completely outgunned by Soarin, who didn't even look winded by the exercise.
"You'll also be learning how to drive a variety of vehicles, should you ever need to sail over a large body of water or fly a vast distance without your wings.
On the water, Flash and Soarin were in a small sailboat.
Trixie and Wallflower were in another, the girls having trouble figuring out how to work the thing. Several more boats flew past them, including one with their teacher on it. "Don't fight against the wind, mi amigas." He was a brown magi with a light blue mane and tail. "Let it be your guide."
Trixie frowned and pulled hard on a rope, only to make the sail swing around and slam into her back. She cried out as she fell into the water, her teammates flinching as she did. Her head soon floated out of the water, the magi spitting out a bunch of water as she did so.
"Should you ever want to learn something that isn't in the general teachings, feel free to use our well stocked library. We have a book for everything you and your classmates will want to know."
Flash looked around the shelf-packed room, which was so big it could fit twelve of his old schools inside.
There were shelves full of likely every book ever written, along with many desks and chairs, with even a couple of bean bags and an exit to an outside courtyard that students were sitting in and enjoying themselves. There was even an area full of magical computers, which were a rare sight indeed. Flash had no idea how he was supposed to find anything in this place, knowing he and the librarian in charge were likely to get very well acquainted.
"You're, of course, free to enjoy your time off as you see fit. Whether you want to relax, study or train, we're happy to give you what you need in order to succeed. The training dome has plenty of free times you can book if you wanna test yourself or work on teamwork."
Team Relic were fighting against an arimaspi cyclopes.
The beast roared as it slashed at the ground, Flash and Soarin leaping back and both firing their weapons at it. Flash was currently wielding a blue crossbow that fired blasts of water and ice, whilst Soarin held his bow at the ready. The pair landed next to Trixie and Wallflower, Trixie slamming her staff into the ground and unleashing a burst of ice.
The cyclopes jumped back to avoid the ice rink she made, whilst Soarin leapt forward. "Accel!" He roared as his body glowed, only to suddenly shoot forward at amazing speed. He flew between the beast's legs and used the blades on his bow to slash at them both, knocking the creature off balance.
Flash and Trixie started launching ice blasts at the creature, freezing its body as Wallflower ran forward and punched it. The beast shattered into pieces, ending the fight as they all cheered.
"And whilst we teachers can help you learn everything you'll need to know, it's up to you to decide what kind of Adventurers you wanna become. Use your time here to not only learn about the job, but learn about yourself. Because that is the most important lesson of all."
Three weeks had passed since the start of the school year and the weekend had once again come around.
Flash had chosen to spend his Saturday at the library, needing to study as much as he could. His Sponsorship by Shining Armor would only remain if he managed to keep his grades up. He was doing okay for now, but he knew the work would only get harder and harder as time went on.
Being stuffed in the library for four hours had seriously worn Flash out, so he had chosen to spend the rest of the day outside. The fresh air was already clearing up his brain, as he looked around for a good spot to sit and read. But his focus was broken when he spotted a large bag of compost with legs staggering about.
The bag spun around and Flash was surprised to see Wallflower was the one carrying the bag, but any moment now she would fall over and possibly spray it all over the place.
Moving fast, he flew over and grabbed the bag. "You okay?" Wallflower looked up and blushed at him.
"Oh...thanks." Flash helped her carefully place the bag down. "Sorry. The wheelbarrow broke, so I had to get this compost to the gardens on my own." Flash smirked and quickly attached his belt, using it to create and disenchant a new wheelbarrow for her. "Wow, that thing probably has a million uses."
"Hasn't let me down yet," Flash told her. They lifted the bag onto the wheelbarrow and started walking towards the gardens. Said garden was located in the forested quadrant of the grounds between the school and the training dome. Heading through the trees, they found an area of the school not part of the normal herbology sector. This was a nice little garden, full of trees, flowers, benches to sit on and even a small waterfall and pond that fed a small stream that ran through it. The most tranquil spot in the school.
Wallflower moved over to one of the empty flower beds and opened up the bag, Flash frowning as he watched her use her hands to dig up the soil and start sprinkling it into the flower bed. "Don't you have any tools?"
"We do," Wallflower nodded. "But most of the best tools get used for the greenhouse. Professor Bloom doesn't like them being removed. Apparently, they got lost a few times so she doesn't let them out of her sight." Flash nodded and spotted a small shed not to far from them, so he headed over to it. It was hidden in the darkness of the trees and when he checked inside, he saw a bunch of old rusted tools.
He smirked before activating his belt again, using it to scan all the tools before creating a bunch of new ones.
Wallflower was attempting to pull a weed out, only to find a brand new shovel being offered to her. She smiled and took it, the weed not standing a chance as she dug it up. "You really enjoy gardening, don't you?"
"Of course," Wallflower smiled. "I just enjoy being surrounded by nature." She looked around and as she did, she sighed. "Plants and trees are the most important things that exist in this world. They're what let us breath, they can be used to make homes and shelter from the dangers of the world. They're just amazing." Flash nodded as he used a small trowel to spread some compost around. "Plus, plants and trees are great listeners."
"You talk to trees?" Flash asked, only to see Wallflower frown. "Hey, I didn't mean that like I was making fun of you. I bet a lot of terrans talk to trees. They are the most connected species to the earth."
"I know," Wallflower nodded as she picked up a carnation and placed it in a hole. "I guess I'm just used to ponies making fun of me."
Flash frowned, "did they do that a lot back home?"
"Not as much as you think. But it seemed to be the only interaction I got back home." Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "I'm...kind of invisible. I guess that's what happens when you don't have any special magic. I just used to fade into the background. Ponies I'd met tons of times don't even remember me when I talk to them."
"No way," Flash told her. "That can't be right."
"I'm afraid it is," she picked up another flower and placed it in the hole. "I guess it's no surprise. I don't exactly stand out. I mean, look at our team. Trixie and Soarin both have amazing Null Magics. You have your relic and me...what do I have?"
"You might not have anything unique when it comes to magic, but it doesn't mean you're not special. Don't forget, you were the one who scored the highest out of the four of us in the entrance exams. And you're the smartest member of our group, whose grades are some of the highest in the class."
"I guess," Wallflower blushed.
"And you managed to get into the school on your own. Your physical and theoretical skills got you your own scholarship. I had to luck into this relic to get mine." Wallflower smiled at this. "Trust me, you are not worth forgetting about. Ignorant ponies might not have been willing to remember you before, but ponies are gonna remember you now. And it's not just because you're teamed up with us."
Wallflower's smile increased at this, as they put another plant in the soil. "Thanks, Flash. I'm glad I made friends with you, Soarin and Trixie."
"No problem," Flash smirked. "I just hope I can stick around and stay friends with you." Wallflower looked confused, "my grades are barely high enough to keep my sponsorship going. And the classes are gonna get a lot harder. If I'm not careful, my grades will drop below the amount I can stay here with."
Wallflower looked worried, "maybe I can help." He gave her a surprised look. "maybe I can tutor you. You said it yourself. My grades are pretty good. maybe I can help you keep your up." Flash smiled, nodding as he did so.
"I'd like that." He then stood up and held up his trowel. "But first, we've got a garden to tend to." Wallflower blushed and held up her spade, the pair getting to work on maintaining the garden.
Over the next few days, Wallflower was true to her word and the pair studied together.
She helped him understand some of the subjects he was having trouble grasping, explaining it in a new way that the professors of the school likely hadn't thought of. Flash's grades quickly started going up and whenever the pair weren't studying or training, they were in the garden taking care of it. Said garden quickly became a place many more students enjoyed hanging out in, some more even offering to help care for it. They quickly started following Wallflower's instruction, making her smile as she became known as the girl with the green thumb. Literally.
Flash might have been busy with school, studies and the garden, but he was also continuing his exercise with Soarin.
Over the weeks, Flash's endurance improved by leaps and bounds. Currently, he and Soarin had just down their half-hour run and flight and Flash wasn't even tired. He and Soarin began their push-ups, Flash now able to do a lot more than he used to.
"I'm impressed," Soarin smirked between push-ups. "You're growing stronger every day."
"Thanks," Flash nodded before finding himself hitting a wall. He groaned and tried to push himself back up, but his arms gave out and he fell to the ground. "But I'm still nowhere near your level." Soarin laughed as he finished his set, the pair both laying on the ground.
"You'll get there."
"Maybe. But if you've been doing this level of training since you were a kid, I've got a long way to go." Soarin shrugged as he looked up at the sky. They both laid there for a few minutes, letting their muscles rest. As they did, Soarin thought back to the conversation they had had on their first day of school.
"When I was younger, I was terrified of heights." Flash looked over at him. "Everyone thought I was pathetic, being an avian scared of heights. But I couldn't help it. The thought of being up high terrified me. It didn't help that I lived in Cloudsdale."
"The sky city?" Flash asked, always wanting to go there but never having a chance.
Soarin nodded. "I never went too close to the edge. I knew I couldn't fall through the clouds, but I could fall over the edge. I was terrified something like that would happen and my parents feared I'd never be able to make life for myself there." Flash understood that. You pretty much had to fly in order to live in Cloudsdale.
"So what happened to change that?"
Soarin thought back to one day in particular, a smile appearing on his face. "A bunch of rogues stole a roc's eggs and tried to hide them in Cloudsdale, hoping to sell them for a quick buck." Flash quickly caught on.
"The roc attacked," Soarin nodded. "I remember hearing about that. It was big news."
"Yup. And I happened to be there with my parents. It swooped down and almost got us. But that's when the Wonderbolts arrived. They stopped the roc, holding it back and keeping it from hurting anypony without hurting it. They kept fighting and managed to protect the city, long enough for the eggs to be found and returned to the roc."
Flash nodded. "I guess seeing them do something like that would make you want to join them."
"That wasn't why I wanted to be a Wonderbolt. After the roc left, I went up to a Wonderbolt and asked how they weren't scared of the roc. But then he told me that he was scared. Terrified. He then told me fear isn't a weakness, but a strength. As long as you listen to the fear, but don't let it control you, it can help you do anything and stay alive. That's when I decided I wasn't gonna let me fear of heights control me. The next day, I went to the furthest edge of town and leapt off the side before I could stop myself."
"So what happened?"
"I fell. My wings weren't strong enough to carry my whilst moving so fast. My dad barely managed to catch me. But after that, my fear of heights vanished. I started flying. Started training and as time went on, I realised I wanted to be an Adventurer. I wanted to be just like the Wonderbolts. That's why I wanna join them."
Flash smirked at this, happy Soarin was following his dreams with such a passion. He pushed himself to his feet and turned to Soarin, holding out a hand. "Then let's keep aiming for our dreams, together." Soarin smirked and took his hand, Flash pulling him up before they took to the air and flew back to prepare for school.
Later that day, Flash, Wallflower, Soarin and Trixie were in class.
However, the classroom was different from usual. All the desks and chairs were gone and in the centre of the room, there was a large circle. Professor Cold Steel stepped up to this circle. "Today, we're going to see how well you do facing a creature in close quarters." He pointed at it. "You will step into this circle and fight a monster. The closeness of the circle will require you to focus on using what little room you have to your advantage. Now, who will be the first to try."
Before anyone else could speak up, Trixie stepped forward. "Trixie will show you all how this is done." The other students rolled their eyes, including Trixie's teammates. She might have had a lot of skill, but Trixie's arrogance could be seriously grating at times.
Trixie took out her staff and stepped into the circle, as it lit up and created a barrier she couldn't cross. Cold watched from the side. "Just say stop if you want the simulation to end." Trixie laughed at this.
"Trixie will not need to say that world." Cold shrugged and summoned the creature she would be fighting. It was a large orange boar-like creature whose head and back were surrounded by flames. Trixie smirked and fired a blast of water at the creature, but it responded by shooting flames out its nose.
The two elements merged and Trixie expected to overpower it, only to find the flames were evaporating the water and steam filled the circle. Trixie was completely blind and looked around, turning her staff into its blade form as she held it defensively. She stepped forward, only to accidently walk face first into the magical barrier.
A loud roar then filled the air before her and she spun around, swinging her blade in its direction. But she missed and staggered around, as the fire boar charged. It slammed into her and she cried out, her staff being thrown from her grasp as she hit the side of the wall.
She fell to the ground as the steam faded, revealing the fire boar as it let out a burst of smoke. It charged forward and was about to slam into her, "STOP!" The boar vanished before it could reach her and the circle deactivated, Trixie falling back and onto the ground whilst the class burst into laughter.
"So much for not needing to say it," somepony joked.
"What is it she calls herself? The Great and Powerful Trixie? More like the Fake and Pathetic Trixie." Everypony laughed at this. Everyone except Flash and his friends. They knew Trixie could be boastful, but she didn't deserve this.
Trixie crawled over to her staff and picked it up, clutching it tightly as everypony continued to laugh. She then turned to run away, rushing out the classroom as Cold told her to come back. But she didn't and everypony continued to laugh, at least until Cold turned to give them all a harsh look.
"None of you had any right to make jokes like that. It's clear none of you understand the girl and if you can't see the truth, I doubt any of you will make worth wild Adventurers." The class all frowned at that. "Here's an important thing to remember about the world. Your eyes can't be trusted. Until you can learn to see past what is visible, none of you will be able to become Adventurers."
"But she's always boasting and bragging about everything she does," a terran stated. "She opened a stuck jar in potions the other day and acted like it was legendary relic she had freed."
"Have any of you wondered why she would bother to do such a thing?" The students weren't really sure about that question, all assuming Trixie was just a show of and a braggot. "Many times when somepony acts this way, they're doing it to hide what they're really feeling. Before you assume Trixie is what she seems to be, maybe you should try and see past the facade she's putting up. But you can do that later." He pointed at the one that called Trixie Fake and Pathetic. "You, come up and face your opponent."
The mare gulped and entered the circle, hoping they would be facing something they could handle. Alas, they found themselves fighting a mantis-like monster with swords for hands. They lasted even less time then Trixie did.
As the students were forced to face deadly beasts in the circle, Flash and his friends all thought about what Cold Steel had said. Had Trixie really been hiding her true self, despite how long they had known her already and how much time the spent together? If she did, that had to be one serious act she put up. But why was she hiding her true self and what originally prompted it?
It being a Friday, the Library was open extra late since the students wouldn't need to be up early for school the next day.
As such, Flash had spent a lot of the evening reading up on Adventurer history. He had a test on this subject coming up and he wanted to ace it. However, history wasn't one of his strong suits. As such, he ended up studying later into the evening. Eventually, he sighed and shut his book.
He knew he needed a good night's sleep, giving his brain the time to relax and process the information.
But as he got up to head out the library, he noticed a voice speaking up. "Father." He stopped, realising it was Trixie's voice. "I'm trying my best."
"Well clearly, your best isn't good enough." The voice was a male one, Flash following it and spotted Trixie at one of the library computers. Clearly, she was video catching with someone. "I've checked the listings and saw you're only tenth in your class. You should be at the very top. And to make matters worse, some of the students you're behind are a bunch of no-name wannabes who don't have a hope of becoming first rate adventurers."
Trixie didn't reply to this, clearly trying to think of a way to save face. "My team and I are doing well. We're at the top of the team listings."
"So you can only do things when you have other ponies propping you up? Disgraceful. You'd better start showing results if you want me to keep paying for your tuition." The screen went blank and it was clear that Trixie's father had cut the call. Trixie looked like she was about to start crying as Flash moved forward, only to step on a creaking floorboard.
She gasped and spun around, seeing Flash and looking annoyed. "How much of that did you hear?"
"Enough," Flash told her. "You're dad's really giving you flack, huh?"
"It's none of your business," Trixie turned around and crossed her arms. "Trixie's father has high expectations for her, that's all. It's expected, given her family status." Flash raised an eyebrow at this, wondering what she meant.
"What is your family status? You're always going on about how Great and Powerful you are, but you never explain what makes you so Great and Powerful. Sure, you've got an interesting Null Magic. But other then that, you haven't done anything to make anypony think you're anything but a normal magi. A normal, boasting, magi."
Trixie turned to glare at her, "Trixie's family were the ones who started the Crescent Moon Guild. One of the largest guilds located on the eastern side of Equestria. As my father's oldest daughter, it's expected of me to take over the guild one day."
"Ah," Flash nodded. "And if your grades aren't fantastic, you think it'll reflect poorly on your father's guild and your family name."
"Exactly," Trixie nodded.
Flash sat down and thought about it, "so that's why you're always acting this way."
"What way?"
"Acting like you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. Professor Steel said it was a farse and he was right. You only act that way to hide how scared you really are." Trixie looked applaud that he would say that. "You're scared that you'll fail and let your father down."
"That's not true," Trixie told him. "How could Trixie be afraid of something that couldn't happen. She's-"
"Don't," Flash sighed, "I'm trying to be honest with you here. I don't need you monologuing how Great and Powerful you are. And I know it's true. Seeing you now, I can see it in your eyes."
"See what?"
"The same worry I have whenever I think about the ponies back home. My whole village supported me when I got into the academy, and the thought of letting them down sends shivers down my spine. You're dad doesn't sound as forgiving as them, so you must be feeling even worse."
Trixie just stood there, looking upset and worried. "Trixie...I...I've never been good enough for him. He was an Adventuring Prodigy. Got to A-Rank before he was even twenty. Took over the guild before I was even born. He was even the one who originally had the Illusion Magic I inherited from him. I've always tried to live up to his legacy, but nothing I do pleases him."
Flash frowned, "that sounds harsh. And that's why you act all high and mighty? You hope that if you acted like somepony that's better than everyone else, you might become like that kind of pony?"
Trixie sat down. "I was trying to emulate my father and act how he does around normal ponies. So many ponies respect him and I want to be respected to."
"I see." Flash couldn't help but feel sorry for Trixie. "But you shouldn't pretend to be someone you're not." Trixie looked shocked at that. "You want to gain other pony's respect, but what's the point if you're doing it by acting like somepony you're not. They won't respect you. Just the pony you're pretending to be."
"But nopony will respect the real me. If I don't do this, I'll never be worthy of my father's praise."
"You shouldn't care about what your dad thinks of you. It doesn't matter." Trixie looked at him in shock. "The only person you should care about being worthy of is yourself. If I had to choose between being myself and ending up barely making a name for myself, or being someone else and the most respected Adventurer in the world, I'd choose to be myself. Because what's the point of being respected, if you're not the one being respected?"
Trixie seemed to take these words in and thought about it. She brought her legs up so her knees hid most of her body, hugging her legs as she thought. "So...how does Trixie get ponies to respect her as herself?"
"First, you need to stop acting like your the second coming of Celestia. Nopony likes being talked down to. Second, show everypony the real you and what makes you special. Other then your illusion magic, what can you do that can both impress and amaze others?"
Trixie thought about it and an idea form in her head. One that made her smile. "Trixie has an idea."
The next day, the students of the school woke up to find something very interesting in the central section of the campus.
A large stage had appeared on the lawn, with a large curtain blocking them from seeing what was happening backstage. A large crowd had gathered there and once almost all of the students were present, fireworks went off much to everyone's surprise.
Then, the curtains pulled aside to reveal somepony they hadn't expect to see. "Trixie?" Soarin asked, as he and Wallflower stood in the crowd.
"Greetings!" Trixie smiled as she looked out of the crowd, dressed in a purple star-patterned cape and hat. "I am Trixie the Magnificent and I am here to entertain my fellow students and help you relieve some of the stress I know you must be feeling due to all the hard work you've been putting yourselves through here at school."
The students didn't seem convinced that Trixie was gonna do anything that would wow them. Magic shows like this required them not knowing the secret, but she was a magi that could make illusions. It wouldn't be hard to figure out how she was gonna do her tricks.
In that moment, Flash stepped out carrying something. "Can I have a magi assistant from the audience, please?" She pointed one out, gesturing for her to step out onto the stage. Trixie then held up what Flash had brought out. A black collar. "Can you please put this on and see if it works?" The magi looked confused, but placed it on. "Try and cast a spell."
She did so and found her magic wasn't working. She tried elemental magic, simple levitation or even her own null magic. But nothing worked.
"As you can see, this anti-magic collar prevents her from using her magic." Trixie took it off the magi and put it on herself, preventing her from using magic. As the magi jumped down, Flash brought out a table.
Trixie waved her hand over the table and showed there was nothing invisible on it. She then took off her cape and threw it onto the table, only for it to act like the was some kind of box under it. She pulled her cape away and revealed there was a box, surprising the audience.
She held up the box and showed there was nothing inside it to the audience before placing it back on the table, then took off her hat and pulled a wand from it after show it was empty to. She pat the box and caused it to fall apart, only to reveal a glass bowl with water and a goldfish inside it.
The crowd were amazed by this, as Trixie continued to show off her stage magic. It was one trick and illusion after another, each one amazing more and more of the crowd. And as the show went on, the tricks and illusions got more and more visually spectacular.
"Is this your card?" She asked Wallflower, holding up a card that she randomly picked out of the deck. Wallflower looked at it and frowned before shaking her head. "Oh," Trixie looked at it, "that's right. I put your card in your pocket for safe keeping." Wallflower looked confused before checking her pockets, eventually pulling a card out the back. She gasped at the sight of it.
"How did you do that?" She showed Trixie the card and it was the one she had earlier shown to the audience.
An hour and a half after the show had first started, Soarin was brought up on stage. "And now, it's time for the big finale!" Flash took out a large box that Trixie asked Soarin to step into, laying in it so that only his head and hooves were sticking out each side. "In front of you all, I shall amaze and astound you by cutting this willing vic-I mean...volunteer, in half."
"WHAT?" Soarin cried, looking at her in shock before trying to get out of the box. But Trixie had already locked it before taking out a saw. "Trixie, I don't think this is a good idea."
"Relax," Trixie whispered to him, "I got this." She held the saw over him and was about to start cutting, but somepony spoke up before she could.
"What is going on out here?" They stopped and turned to see Grand Hoof walking towards the stage, staring at the construction curiously. "I don't remember authorising this." He gave Flash and Trixie a wary look, the pair giving him a nervous smile.
The two quickly found themselves in Grand Hoof's office, the terran principal staring them down. "Well?"
"This was my idea," Trixie explained. "I just thought everypony could use some entertainment. To relieve the stress they must be feeling. If you're gonna punish somepony..." She sighed, "punish me."
"I'll accept my blame too," Flash stated. "I'm the one that talked her into doing this."
"I see," Grand nodded. "Well, you two were just trying to make everypony happy and nothing bad happened. So I'll just let you off with a warning this time. But if you want to do something like this again, actually ask permission to build large structures on my property. Understand?" They both nodded and were released.
Soarin and Wallflower were waiting outside in the hallway, the pair looking worried. "Are you in trouble?" Soarin asked.
"Not that much trouble," Flash replied. "Good thing I used the belt to make that stage and didn't disenchant it. We'd have probably been in worst trouble if I couldn't get rid of it so quickly."
"Still," Wallflower smiled at Trixie, "it was an amazing show."
Trixie smiled back, "thanks." They headed out of the school, Soarin asking where Trixie learned all that magic. "My uncle Jackpot is a famous Las Pegasus. He and my dad don't really get on, my father thinking he was useless since he didn't have any skills that would make a good Adventurer. But he taught me a bunch of none-magic tricks and illusions. I guess they kinda stuck with me."
"Well he taught you really well," Flash told her. As they stepped out of the school, the students who had been at Trixie's show smiled at them. Many told Trixie her show had been great and they couldn't wait for the next one. "Looks like you're a hit. Guess showing them the real you did the trick."
Trixie nodded. "Thanks for the support. You were right. Being myself is way better than being somepony a lot of others will respect. From now on, Trixie's going to be the pony she wants to be and not the pony she's expected to be." Her friends nodded, happy Trixie was beginning to turn a corner. Hopefully, this would lead to a better relationship in their party.
Team Relic made their way back to their dorm house, the four looking forward to some snacks at the bakery.
But as they arrived on their street, they saw somepony standing in front of the store. That somepony was a stallion Flash knew, his eyes going wide. "Shining Armor?" The magi Adventurer smiled at him as his teammates were shocked, having been told about the stallion that sponsored their friend.
"Hey Flash," he waved. "See you got yourself a team. Good, I could use the extra assistance." The four looked confused. "I need your help with a quest. You four wanna go on your first adventurer." Team Relic looked at each other in shock, but then smiled.