“Captain Shining Armor?”
Shining Armor looked up at his name after entering the library, and quickly spotted the caller. It was an older student, probably third-year, with a veritable bonfire of hair flowing down her back. She was seated at one of the tables, a book lying closed in front of her; she must’ve been thinking or something. She was wearing one of the badges that indicated a position within the Student Instructor Program, unlike him; he had so much trouble getting his wand to work properly that he didn’t qualify for even a Student Instructor position. Not that it had stopped the management team from working with him for other purposes, counting on his skills and experience as the Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard for close to fifty years. “Yes?” he asked, walking forwards- and as he approached, he picked out the text on the girl’s nameplate, which he couldn’t read from the door.
She was Morning Sun… his second-in-command for all of three months. She’d risen through the ranks so quickly at least in part because of her uncanny ability to read ponies like a book, even when they had good poker faces. Several times, she’d called suspects out during an interrogation for lying… and they’d subsequently admitted to it, and usually confessed to committing the crime in question as well.
“Ahh, Morning Sun,” he greeted, trotting over to her. “Long time no see.” He paused, glancing at her badge- she was the Lead Student Instructor of Defense Against the Dark Arts for third-year Ravenclaws… which meant she was a third-year, which lined up with her disappearance from Equestria two years before his own.
She chuckled softly. “Yeah… I wasn’t your Second In Command for very long at all, was I?”
He chuckled as well. “No, no you weren’t,” he agreed. “I see you’re a third-year here, though, so it’s not like you had much choice.” He shrugged. “Ain't no Royal Guard in Hogwarts. But anyways, how’s it been these last two years?”
She paused. “... Relaxing,” she decided slowly.
“Ahh, good you, Morning,” Hailey greeted.
Morning chuckled softly as she entered Hailey’s office a week after Halloween to deliver the week’s report on how the Student Instructors she oversaw were doing; Hailey always greeted her like that. It was a sort of in-joke between the two of them.
“Good me to you too,” she answered, closing the door behind her. “All pretty good this week- I think that Hogsmeade visit on Halloween did everyone good.” She opened her mouth to continue, but Hailey beat her to it.
“How did Sirius look when you met him?” she asked.
Morning froze. “Y-You know about that?”
She nodded. “Yes, I happen to know some pretty good Seers. Well…” She paused. “You could say, at least. Surely you guessed that was why I gave you that ancient newspaper?”
Morning paused. “Uh- Yes, I guessed. It’s just…” She paused. “I’m not used to people knowing about random stuff like that.”
Hailey shrugged. “Neither me, really, and don’t worry, it won’t happen very often. As a matter of fact, the main reason I knew to set anyone up to meet Sirius like that was because I happen to know someone that lives in a very similar universe to ours… Yes, interdimensional travelers, and in their universe, the portrait of the Fat Lady got shredded on Halloween night because she wouldn’t let him in.”
She paused. “He did look like he might have done that, yeah,” she muttered.
She chuckled. “But anyways, there’s something else I’d like to talk to you about. It’s…” She paused to dig in a drawer with one hand; her other was holding Sadarina in place in her lap.
Sadarina smiled cheerfully up at her as Hailey worked.
“Ahh, here it is,” Hailey muttered, set a pamphlet on the desk, and turned it to face Morning. “You’re easily one of the best students in the school, so we want to offer you a Head Student Instructor position.”
“We?” Morning asked, tilting her head.
She nodded. “Yes, We. That is to say, the management team; all HSIs are automatically part of said management team.” She paused. “I also happen to be the management team lead, but that’s beside the point.”