//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: An Earthling Earth Pony at Celestia's School of Magic: Year One // by Halira //------------------------------// I returned just in time to meet Bright, Hannah, Summer, and Red heading into the cafeteria.  “Ya missed a great hot and tootin' lecture!” Bright said as I came up to them.  “Yes, Professor Dawn was a major change of pace from the previous two classes,” Red agreed.  Hannah sniffed. “Not my cup of tea. No profit in her type of magic unless you want to be a mercenary, and that has too much risk. Dead people can't spend their income.” Summer seemed to shiver. “I thought it was a little scary. I don't like violence. All those blasts that she did are worse than a bunch of the villagers going nirik. She could have destroyed a lot of things.” Bright waved a hoof dismissively. “Nah, she had it under control. She's an expert.” Hannah rolled her eyes and then looked at me. “So, how did the class with Professor Neighsay go? Did you learn a lot about artifacts? I'm kinda jealous you get to start on that already while we have to wait until next year.” I flicked my tail. “Not much to say. He gave me a report to do by the end of the week, along with a reading assignment, and that was it—no lecture. He dismissed me early, and I went looking for the library. Neighsay did try to find out if I knew anything about Headmaster since Headmaster's probably from Earth. He doesn't seem to trust him.” “Headmaster does cloak himself in a fog of mystery, so a little mistrust might be prudent under normal circumstances,” Red said. “However, Headmaster has the princesses' utmost confidence, so I wouldn't fret too much about it.” “He did say he wasn't happy about Prim threatening me, so I guess he can't be that bad,” Summer chimed in.  I kept my suspicions that he might be a defector from China to myself. If it turned out to be not the case, I would look silly for suggesting it.  “Ah ain't really concerned about him,” Bright said. “Let's go get our grub before there's a long line.” We headed into the cafeteria, and worry about a line was immediately put to rest as we saw plates of food floating through the air to where students were sitting. A quick glance around showed the person responsible for this to be Headmaster, who stood gripping his lightly glowing staff near where the food was typically served. There were a lot of plates and mugs moving through the air, and I wondered how he kept track of it all without colliding something into a student.  We took our seats at our long class table. Everyone was present, including Prim, who had chosen to eat elsewhere during the last two meals. At the head of our table sat Professor Inkwell. I glanced around and saw the other professors spread out among different tables. We took our seats at the far end of the table since those were the still open seats. Within seconds, a plate of salad, a plate with a slice of apple pie, and a mug of some sort of juice were deposited in front of us, along with forks.  On my leg was my always-present pony strap, which I used to strap the fork in place so I could use it. The others had no need for this since they had horns and could levitate their forks with ease. I looked around to try to spot Professor Apple Bloom and was pleased to see she was also using a pony strap, as was Coach Scootaloo.  Before I could dig into my food, Professor Inkwell got up from her seat and headed to the head of the cafeteria, and Professor Sweetie Belle and Professor Newman joined her. Professor Sweetie Belle stepped in front of the other two and lit her horn.  “If I could have your attention, students, I have some announcements,” Sweetie Belle said, voice carrying, likely because of a spell she was casting. “First off, I hope all returning students had a wonderful summer. I also hope that everypony's first day of classes this year is going smoothly. I need to let everypony know that attendance for lunch is mandatory. This isn't just when you eat. Because it is the only time we can guarantee the entire student body is together, it is the faculty's best opportunity to make school-wide announcements.  We will also be having speakers come to talk to you from time to time during lunch. You don't have to be perfectly silent during these talks, but we ask that you speak to each other in whispers if you do speak. There will be spells enhancing the speaker's talk and reducing noise from elsewhere, but they only do so much, so don't be rude and get too loud.” She gestured to where Coach Scootaloo was sitting. “Next, you may have noticed that all the professors are eating at tables.” Professor Newman bent down and whispered something to Sweetie Belle.  “Correction, all professors except Professor Psychic Calm, who rarely leaves his room due to medical reasons and would be sleeping around this time anyway. He's at a very advanced age for his magic level,” Sweetie Belle corrected.  I was told he was old, but I hadn't realized he was so old he was bedridden. Why was he even teaching? The guy should be retired and relaxing. Advanced age for his magic level could mean he wasn't that powerful, simply a master of his craft.  Sweetie Belle continued. “While you are free to chat with any professor sitting near you at your table, please don't leave your table to chat with a professor at another table. We are here to eat and hear announcements, just like you, and if we have to spend our entire lunch answering questions and explaining things to a line of students, we lose that chance. Unless it is an immediate emergency, contact us in class or at our offices. We will change where we are sitting regularly, so don't think that the current professor at your table will be the only one to ever sit near you. We want to get to know students better, so expect us to casually chat with our neighbors and take time to get to know everypony over the course of the semester.” That seemed okay. It meant I would get a chance to chat with Apple Bloom at some point. She was my advisor, so I'd get that chance anyway, but every chance was valuable.  “That's everything from me. Professor Inkwell has some things to say, then Professor Newman,” Sweetie Belle concluded, then returned to her seat.  Raven Inkwell stepped forward and lit her horn. “I'll be quick. Signups for extracurricular activities will take place at the end of the week, here in the cafeteria, one hour after sundown. While these are not mandatory, they are an excellent way of building camaraderie, friendships, and having some fun. I hope that most of you will participate.” She then headed back to her seat.  Professor Newman stepped forward and clasped her hands behind her back. “I cannot use magic to project my voice, so forgive me if I seem to be yelling,” she shouted. “We have received word that there are Chinese envoys in town. Do not engage with them. Do not answer their questions. If any of them cause you any problems, please immediately report it to a faculty member. Do not invite them onto school grounds or into the dorms. They caused trouble with the previous administration, and they were banned from this campus as a result. We must suffer their school visiting for the games; we do not need to suffer those envoys. That is all I have to say. Please enjoy your lunch.” They pestered the previous administration? That was before Headmaster had come to the school. The only holdover from that administration was Professor Inkwell, and she certainly wasn't from China. Actually, Professor Newman hadn't been part of that administration, but hadn't she been the personal assistant to some mage on staff before? If they had caused trouble before, she and Professor Inkwell would be the ones still here who had to experience it. I wondered what they'd done and been after.  I looked over at Red. “So, has anyone pulled your sister to Headmaster's office?” He'd been lifting his fork to his mouth to take a bit of his salad but paused. “No, nopony has pulled Prim aside for a meeting with Headmaster as of yet. Why? What has my dear pernicious twin sister done now?” “She threatened Summer,” Hannah growled.  “It wasn't that big a deal,” Summer quickly said.  Hannah glared at her. “You shouldn't be such a doormat. You need to stand up for yourself.” Summer looked down. “You don't understand. Many ponies are always going to say mean things to me. They don't want kirins attending magic schools. They say we're dangerous. I can't fight back, and I definitely can't let myself get angry. I have to stay calm and take it, or they'll kick me out and never let a kirin in again. My entire tribe is depending on me showing that kirins are safe to have here.” “That's a hog-troth full of pressure ta be under,” Bright said sympathetically. “Ya sure everythin' will alright?” “It has to be,” Summer murmured.  “We'll look out for you, don't worry. You might have to keep your temper in check, but we don't,” I said. I then remembered something. “You did seem to start to lose your temper when we talked about pigs on farms.” Summer started to steam visibly. “Please, don't talk about that again.” I quickly shook my head. “I won't, I promise, but it shows that there are still things that get under your fur. You seem to be very protective of animals.” Summer seemed to relax. “My mom always has had some pet around or animal she was mending back to health. My grandparents say they took her to visit Fluttershy's animal sanctuary when she was a foal, and the experience really impacted her. She was always taking care of some animal or another after that. We have several birds, two dogs, and a few lizards back home. My dad is caring for them while we are away, but she still has a kitten to keep her company here. I'm used to having animals around. They're like a part of my family. I can't stand the idea of somepony hurting one.” “I understand, but it's something that can be used against you. You have to be careful about that,” I cautioned.  “Quite right,” Red seconded. “I’m sad to say that duplicitous ponies would not hesitate to pounce on such a weakness if it were known. I'm sorry to say that my sister is such a pony, and she would take full advantage of this knowledge to put you in a compromising situation.” “I'll be careful. I will have those counseling sessions, and I'll talk to them about this and see if they have suggestions,” Summer assured us.  “Just be careful,” Hannah said with worry.  I decided to change the subject, lest we end up doing Summer harm by letting Prim overhear us. Prim seemed caught up talking to Professor Inkwell, but that didn't mean she'd not notice.  “What sort of extracurricular activities are there?” I asked.  “Not sure,” Bright replied.  Red finished chewing a bite of his salad before answering. “Oh, the normal fare. There is the buckball team, cheerleading, drama, painting, chorus, band, culinary arts, gardening, and fishing. Our family has attended this school for generations, so one member or another has been involved with all the clubs at some point.” “There's a fishing club?” I asked in confusion with a hint of worry as I looked at Summer.  She noticed me looking and smiled. “Don't worry. I don't get worked up about fish. We have to feed the cats and dogs meat to keep them healthy. Where do you think we get it?” Her smile dropped as she looked at Red. “As long as the fishies are being caught to feed critters that need meat and not just for sport. Hooking them causes them pain and fear, and doing it for fun is pure animal cruelty. I prefer catching them with nets; at least that's a little less painful.” “All catches are donated to feeding the destitute and starving cats of Canterlot, I assure you, dear lady,” Red said. He looked around the cafeteria. “However, I'm wondering if some of the normal activities may end up being cut due to a lack of students to fill the rosters. The new administration has reduced the size of the student body, and that may mean not all clubs will be able to fill their ranks with an optimal amount of ponies.” “I hope buckball is still on. I want to join the buckball team. I've got a great buck!” Hannah said proudly.  Bright smiled smugly at her. “Not as good as mah'n. Mah aunts were a great buckball players. Taught meh everythin' there is to know.” She gave him her own smug smile. “Well, if you know everything, you can play one of the other positions while I buck. Knowing is good, but then there's pure talent.” Summer looked at me. “What do you want to do for activities? Since you're an earth pony, the buckball team will certainly want you.  I shrugged. “Not sure. I'm not too into sports. Drama seems like too much work. Gardening feels too stereotypical for an earth pony, and I could go a million years without ever farming something again. If it doesn't bother you, then maybe fishing. It's laid back and gives me time to study while I wait for something to bite. Maybe I can use the fish to make friends with your mom's cat. It might be a good idea to have him like me if I ever get back to the dorms late. What about you?” She looked down. “Oh, I don't know. I don't want to do anything that gets me too much attention. I might try painting. I enjoy crafts, and my specialty is wood-shaping, so maybe adding some paint to fancy my creations up might be a good idea.” She looked at Red. “What about you?” Red held his head high. “The stage calls to me. I have the heart  of a thespian, and this year shall surely bring my greatest performance.” Lunch was actually longer than a standard class period, which was nice and meant there was no need to rush eating and plenty of time to socialize. It also gave time for our food to settle before going to our next class. Soon, it would be time to get our revived energy ready for Coach Scootaloo.